NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 84: Soul Power Twenty
Ling Yi opened his eyes within his tent, feeling the soul power within him, which had reached a bottleneck after a night of cultivation. His eyes shone with joy.
"Twenty levels."
In his fifteenth year, Ling Yi had finally elevated his soul power to level twenty!
In the summer of Douluo Calendar 2597, when six-year-old Ling Yi awakened his martial soul, his innate soul power was only half a level. By late autumn of Douluo Calendar 2601, at the age of ten years and eight months, his soul power had reached level ten, taking four years and four months to elevate by nine and a half levels.
An average increase of more than two levels of soul power per year was completely unexpected for someone with half-level innate soul power and a so-called "trash" martial soul, "Blue Silver Grass."
Now, as of late April in Douluo Calendar 2606, fifteen years and two months old Ling Yi had taken four years and six months to raise his soul power from slightly over level eleven, following the absorption of a three-hundred-year-old "Blue Silver Grass," to level twenty, an increase of over eight levels!
Purely in terms of numbers, Ling Yi’s soul power increase speed after reaching level ten as a one-ring soul master was astonishingly similar to that of his earlier days as a spirit scholar!
How could this be possible!
Beyond the quality enhancement of soul power that ordinary one-ring soul masters experience, which strengthens their foundational power by at least ten percent compared to their time as spirit scholars, each level of soul power also represents an increase in quantity.
Though the acquisition of a spirit ring enhances a soul master's physique, including the width and flexibility of their meridians, allowing more soul power to be gained per unit of time during subsequent cultivation, this is offset by the increased amount of soul power required for each level advancement beyond the first ring. Therefore, generally speaking, the rate of level advancement tends to slow slightly compared to before.
Of course, this does not apply to those prodigies with abundant resources at their disposal.
As a soul master’s strength and age increase, leading to natural physical development, their ability to absorb and digest supplements also improves. Therefore, they can extract more nutrients from powerful ingredients, effectively accelerating their cultivation speed once more.
This advantage embodies the essence of powerful organizations!
Ling Yi did not come from such a powerful background; his family, despite years of hard work, merely held the status equivalent to a rural landowner.
Even though he holds the title of Baron of the "Shuimu Principality," the town of Beikouhe and its twenty-five surrounding villages offer little of value to a soul master.
However, thanks to Ling Yi’s planning, the steady leadership of Elder Jin, and the meticulous management of vice presidents Li Qiang, Fu Shan, Long Ang, and Qingqiu Li, the newly established "Blacksmith Association - Shuimu Principality Branch" has managed an incredible feat: nearly doubling the income of the entire principality's blacksmith community within just over a year!
It was not surprising that all orders for iron goods within the principality no longer flowed outside, and the procurement of raw materials was uniformly handled by the [Blacksmith Association · Shuimu Principality Branch]. This comprehensive approach to purchasing, transporting, and distributing significantly lowered costs.
A year passed, and naturally, every blacksmith's income saw a substantial increase!
However, while the incomes of the blacksmiths rose, Ling Yi, as the vice president, also earned a considerable commission. Yet, in this remote and underdeveloped [Shuimu Principality], having money did not mean one could acquire secret medicines or treasures to enhance cultivation efficiency.
This situation was somewhat disheartening.
Of course, this sentiment applied to the other soul masters within the principality.
For them, being able to enjoy a banquet made from soul beast meat every few days was already an excellent form of nourishment.
On regular days, they never lacked chicken, duck, fish, pork, beef, or lamb, which set them apart from ordinary people who struggled with inconsistent meals.
According to ancient practices, this kind of rearing ginseng is also known as "forest ginseng". In terms of nutrients, it is undoubtedly comparable to those wild ginseng roots Ling Yi previously discovered in the old woods.
It’s quite understandable. Those so-called "wild ginseng" were originally seeds devoured by birds, unknowingly dispersed across the old forest through their droppings, and, by sheer chance, naturally grew into plants.
As for the ginseng seeds Ling Yi planted, aside from nurturing them to sprout, he didn't interfere with their growth anymore. Their environment was identical to that of "wild ginseng," so naturally, their effectiveness would be quite similar.
From the age of seven, after enrolling in "Wood City" for schooling, even though Ling Yi no longer resided in Shan Hai Village, he would return every year, taking Zhang Lei, Ling Shan, and others with him to expand his "underforest ginseng" plantation in the northern old forest of the village.
With Ah Huang and Miao Miao patrolling the area, very few birds or beasts dared to damage these treasures planted by Ling Yi himself.
Later, when Ling Yi joined the Cold Wind Camp, making it inconvenient for him to return home, he told Zhang Lei in advance not to forget to plant the 'crops' and 'chicken soup ingredients.' Once harvested, they could be shared among the three generations of the Ling and Zhang families at home...
Naturally, Ling Yi brought along processed 'dried vegetables' and the seeds for these 'dried vegetables' when he traveled.
In rural areas, having some locally grown specialties is quite normal. Ling Yi, a young teenager, sometimes felt homesick and craved a taste of hometown dishes, so what of it?
However, truth be told, while these comforts from home may not be the strongest in terms of aiding soul power cultivation, during Ling Yi's practice of the "Beast Martial Soul: Xingyi Quan," these energy-boosting "underforest ginseng" indeed had significant effects!
A ceramic pot of chicken soup, complete with bones and meat, along with a few vegetables consumed, invigorated Ling Yi with a warmth surging through his body. He set up his stance and could distinctly feel the strengthening of his muscles, bones, and flesh.
Under the training effects of the "Form and Intent Fist Framework" within the Beast Martial Soul, the fortification of his meridians and the residual essence within his body further stimulated the efficiency of his soul power cultivation.
Dwelling in an environment dominated by Blue Silver Grass within tens of miles, leveraging his precise control over strong spiritual energy, consuming a rejuvenating soup made from "Forest Ginseng," and with his ever-strengthening physique and meridians, coupled with the passage of time, the essence of his Blue Silver Grass martial soul also gently enhanced...
With all these external and internal benefit buffs, Ling Yi's soul power training advanced at an astonishing speed relative to his half-grade innate soul power aptitude.
In merely one and a half months, according to the received letters, Qingqiu Xin has already obtained a second spirit ring, nearly five hundred years in age, with his father's assistance and is currently on his way back to Cold Wind Camp.
Following Ling Yi in practicing the "Form and Intent Fist Framework" of Beast Martial Soul, Zhang Mufeng's physical enhancement was less pronounced than Ling Yi's but still increased his strength by nearly two hundred pounds compared to over a year ago.
Moreover, with the rudimentary stick technique beaten into him by Ling Yi, although his soul power still hovered at level eighteen, his combat effectiveness was considerable.
Thinking about this, Ling Yi stood up, walked to the weapon rack in the corner of the tent, took a polished, dull-colored steel rod with simplistic engravings spiraling from end to end, and stepped out of the tent.
Feeling a bit stirred up, I decided to spar with that kid Zhang Mufeng. Not only would it calm my mind, but it would also spur him on—he's the only one lagging behind in our group of four.
However, if Zhang Mufeng could master the fundamental staff techniques to a proficient level, Qingqiu Xin, even as a newly advanced Soul Master, might not necessarily defeat him.
After some thought, I decided to skip over the process of teaching the three little partners as well as the development of the Blacksmith Association's branch. The strength progress has been slow enough, and it's about time we speed things up a bit.~
(End of Chapter)
