"My second Spirit Skill is Frenzy. It can increase all attributes by two hundred percent in all aspects. The duration depends on the combat situation and ends when my Spirit Power is exhausted. Afterward, I will fall into a weakened state."
"Can it stack?" Zhu Jiuyang asked.
"Yes. After other enhancement-type Spirit Skills are applied, activating Frenzy can stack with those enhancements," Su Ming confirmed.
Hiss~
Zhu Jiuyang drew a sharp breath.
His question was somewhat redundant; frenzy-type Spirit Skills usually amplify the state based on the Spirit Skills already in use.
But on top of being stackable, the boost from Su Ming's Frenzy was simply too abnormal.
An increase of two hundred percent!
This meant that if Su Ming first used his first Spirit Skill to enter his Diamond Body state, enhanced himself with Dark Gold Strength, and then entered the Frenzy state, the increase in his strength and defense attributes would exceed tenfold.
Of course, simultaneously using both Spirit Skills would also drain Su Ming's energy immensely. He estimated that the Dark Gold Strength enhancement from his first Spirit Skill would also be burned by the Frenzy, probably exhausting his Spirit Power within a few minutes.
Such was the nature of frenzy-type Spirit Skills.
Because it burns all power, any enhancements already gained can be amplified again.
"Your Body Soul definitely has something special about it. The numerical values of these two consecutive Spirit Skills are absurdly high."
With values like these, if given to another Martial Soul, like a top-tier Beast Soul, one could probably fight above their level, a Grand Spirit Master fighting a Spirit Elder with ease.
The body being somewhat fragile was the only weakness of Su Ming's current Martial Soul.
Yet even so, the strength of his Body Soul, combined with the numerical values of these two Spirit Skills, could surpass those top-tier Beast Souls.
Su Ming said, "Teacher, it's not that the Body Soul is special, but that absorbing Spirit Rings above your level is special."
Was the effect of a thousand-year Spirit Ring this potent?
No!
What was strong was a thousand-year Spirit Ring in the second ring position.
"The same Spirit Soul, still this Dark Gold Bear—if I absorbed it at level thirty, I would still get a Frenzy-type Spirit Skill, but I estimate the value would drop to at least one hundred and fifty percent, maybe even only one hundred percent."
Su Ming's first Spirit Skill was also absorbed above his level, hence its astonishing effect.
Zhu Jiuyang thought carefully and felt Su Ming made sense.
"This teacher can no longer absorb above my level, but Xiao Jin still has a chance."
Duan Jin was only a Spirit Elder. Absorbing a ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring above his level for the fourth ring position was definitely impossible, but starting to build him up now could still yield significant improvements.
"Teacher, I only used Thousand-Year Whale Glue. We haven't tried Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue yet; the effect should be better. While no one else knows about Whale Glue's effects, we must strike first and acquire as much Whale Glue as possible."
Zhu Jiuyang nodded, agreeing with Su Ming's proposal.
"This teacher has experienced Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue once. A whole piece can probably improve physical quality by about a thousand years. This is a one-time effect. If paired with other ingredients rich in abundant energy for a year-long dietary regimen, it could likely boost the effect by another twenty to thirty percent."
That way, plus the Thousand-Year Whale Glue, the improvement could reach sixteen hundred years.
The limit for an ordinary Spirit Master's fourth Spirit Ring is around five thousand years. An improvement of sixteen hundred years is also very significant.
The successful skipping levels absorption of the second Spirit Ring and the flawless conversion of the Spirit Soul naturally satisfied Su Ming.
However, the subsequent news from his Douluo 2 self made his heart sink.
Douluo 2 Era.
Body Sect.
After joining the Body Sect, Su Ming quickly adapted after initially understanding the sect's cultivation rhythm.
The sect's restrictions on disciples weren't very high. From what he knew, most disciples practiced alone across the continent except during special periods.
It was just that he had many things to learn, so he cultivated at the Body Sect's legacy mountain gate on the Snow Demon Mountain in the Heaven Soul Empire.
While his Douluo 1 self completed the Spirit Soul conversion, the Douluo 2 Su Ming couldn't help but start attempting Spirit Refinement.
"If my ten-thousand-year-ago self created the first Spirit Soul, and if it can truly influence the future, then over these ten thousand years, the Laws about 'Spirit' should have changed somewhat."
He started up his forging platform and began intense forging.
Among his three selves, he found forging the most strenuous.
With each strike, he poured his full strength. The forging hammer in his hand was unprecedentedly steady, each blow landing on the most precise node. The clear and heavy sounds alternated and echoed, even dispersing the intense heat brought by the fierce flames within the forging platform.
Spirit Power was channeled into the forging hammer, which was itself a Spirit Tool.
His Spirit Power seeped into the metal through the hammer's surface, attempting time and again to communicate, to get a response from the spirituality within.
However, as he struck again and again, an empty feeling gradually swept over his heart.
Su Ming did not give up. He repeated the process until he was exhausted, finally facing reality.
He stopped forging, looked at the Heavy Silver refined to its limit before him, and sighed.
"My Douluo 1 self has made concrete changes, created a Spirit Soul, but it hasn't affected the present. Could it be that the Butterfly Effect doesn't apply? Does my Douluo 1 self need to actively promote Spirit Souls, let them develop and grow, before it can influence the Laws of the Douluo Plane?"
Su Ming fell into deep thought.
"Or is Electrolux death necessary? Is his death the best sacrifice for the evolution of the Laws?"
"Or perhaps Tang Hao is also an indispensable part?"
Douluo 3 Era.
"Xiao Ming, pack up. Get ready to go to Heaven Dou City with me," Zhang Tianyang interrupted Su Ming's cultivation to give him some good news.
"Heaven Dou City?" Su Ming's eyes lit up. "Teacher, you contacted the Divine Blacksmith?"
"More or less. Found a senior from the Spirit Transmission Pagoda Headquarters. With that senior's help as a reference, we've managed to secure an appointment with the Divine Blacksmith."
Su Ming didn't hesitate and started packing.
Before, he wasn't in a hurry. But since his Douluo 1 self's attempt to change history failed, all three of his era-selves were eager to find the reason for the problem and find a way to solve the 'Spirit' issue as soon as possible.
Divine Blacksmith Zhen Hua was clearly the person who could give him the answer the fastest.
Heaven Dou City.
A set of fiery red mecha streaked across the sky like a flaming meteor, leaving a brilliant trail of fire in its wake.
The mecha landed on the roof of the Spirit Transmission Pagoda in Heaven Dou City.
The cockpit on the mecha's chest opened. Zhang Tianyang and Su Ming jumped down from the pilot and co-pilot seats, respectively.
An old man was already waiting on the rooftop.
When Su Ming saw him, he felt a buzzing roar in his mind, as if facing an abyss. The boundless spiritual power seemed capable of drowning him with just a single wave.
"Oh? Your spiritual power has actually reached the Spirit Sea Realm?"
"Broke through by luck," Su Ming said respectfully.
Zhang Tianyang reminded Su Ming, "This is Honorary Tower Master of our Spirit Transmission Pagoda, the continent's top Illusion Master, Han Tianyi. It's also thanks to Elder Han using his connections with the Body Sect that the Divine Blacksmith agreed to take you on."
"Thank you, Elder Han."
Su Ming was surprised inwardly.
He certainly knew of this Han Tianyi, a Limit Douluo of the Spirit Transmission Pagoda with a brain Martial Soul. But he didn't know Han Tianyi belonged to the Body Sect.
"Mm. Most members of the Body Sect are blacksmiths. There are even two Saint Blacksmiths. They still carry some weight in the Blacksmith Association."
Although Han Tianyi's explanation was simple, it stirred up massive waves in Su Ming's heart.
Wrong!
Wasn't the Body Sect supposed to be in decline, with only a few members left?
This Han Tianyi shouldn't be considered a Body Sect member either.
Su Ming's heart beat violently.
He thought of one possibility.
(End of Chapter)