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*****
"Hmph!" Di Tian let out a cold snort, clearly not believing Su Wen's nonsense.
Did he really take him for a fool?
As long as a supply-and-demand relationship for soul rings existed between both sides, it was impossible for the tension to truly be alleviated.
Even if Su Wen had pointed out that Spirit Masters could condense soul rings on their own, doing so merely dug into the inherent capabilities of the Spirit Master's own Martial Soul.
Di Tian was an old fox--or rather, an old dragon--who had lived long enough to become a master of worldly wisdom. Naturally, he grasped the core issue immediately.
First of all, did a Martial Soul really possess that many soul skills waiting to be dug out?
The fact that contemporary Spirit Masters had so many flashy and varied soul skills only indicated that their Martial Souls possessed a natural affinity for those traits. It did not mean they carried an inherent inheritance for them.
A Martial Soul could be compatible with these types of soul skills, but the skills themselves were external gifts bestowed by the soul rings, not something derived from within the Martial Soul itself.
Without the bestowal of a soul ring, even if the Martial Soul itself possessed the compatibility, the Spirit Master would have to unearth this talent entirely from scratch. They would need to develop the soul skill themselves before condensing their own soul ring and fusing it with that skill.
But how was that any different from creating a self-made soul skill?
Would any Spirit Master really choose to abandon the simple method of hunting soul beasts for soul rings, only to laboriously cultivate their own soul skills?
Secondly, there was the issue of the Martial Soul's growth.
Without an external soul ring to modify and reconstruct it, the growth of a Martial Soul would be entirely restricted by its own innate quality.
Finally, there was the limitation on the number of soul skills that could be unearthed.
Even you, Su Wen, have only bestowed a Natal Soul Ring upon your seventh soul ring slot. Furthermore, you chose an exceptionally perfect position for it--the standard slot for the Martial Soul Avatar.
Do you really think other Spirit Masters would use this method to condense all of their soul rings?
"The significance of a Spirit Master obtaining a soul ring still exists. It isn't just to break through their current soul power bottleneck, but also to obtain powerful soul skills and secure external supplements to develop their Martial Souls. However, it doesn't completely require slaughtering a soul beast to achieve this," Su Wen continued.
"Since there is a method for self-condensing soul rings, there is naturally a compromise. With the cooperation of a soul beast, a Spirit Master doesn't need to completely kill it. They can accomplish the condensation of a soul ring through a portion of the beast's essence blood."
"As for the effects..."
Su Wen paused, giving Di Tian and the Silver Dragon King time to think and deduce for themselves.
Although he hadn't detailed the specific technique yet, the two of them should already have formed a corresponding expectation upon hearing the premise.
"It should be able to achieve ninety percent of the effects gained from normally acquiring a soul ring under the current status quo."
Ninety percent!
In other words, the fundamental evolution effects that ought to be obtained could basically be realized.
"Furthermore, after obtaining the soul ring, the missing portion can actually be made up. By practicing and cultivating the soul skill themselves, the Spirit Master can bridge that final ten percent gap. This allows the Spirit Master to elevate their mastery over the soul ring to a level far exceeding the past, making the overall cost-effectiveness even higher."
The Silver Dragon King showed no emotional fluctuation.
Evidently, while such a method was highly peculiar, she did not find it mind-blowing.
The Divine Realm had long possessed methods for condensing God-Bestowed Soul Rings.
It was only because the Gods no longer faced any crises that they hadn't bothered to develop it further. Moreover, due to certain other reasons, they had never guided or reformed the Spirit Master world, choosing instead to let the confrontational deadlock between Spirit Masters and soul beasts persist.
"The method sounds decent, but in the end, it still requires the Spirit Master's own diligence," Di Tian sneered.
Su Wen remained unfazed.
"There will always be people who refuse to make progress. If the soul beast clan can't even tolerate this portion of human nature, then the two sides truly will never be able to reconcile."
Su Wen curled his lips inwardly.
Was it truly possible to ban all human Spirit Masters from hunting soul beasts?
Besides, would soul beasts really cooperate obediently and hand over their essence blood to human Spirit Masters?
One had to realize that internal strife ran rampant among soul beasts as well. Essence blood was incredibly precious; having it drained was an inherent drain on their strength. If they weren't careful, they might be hunted down and killed by other soul beasts afterward.
Therefore, obtaining a soul beast's essence blood inherently implied heavily injuring and suppressing that soul beast first.
Since they could already defeat the soul beast, why bother letting it go?
Wouldn't it be easier to just kill it and take the soul ring?
'It's just this one beast anyway. I alone can't change the situation of the entire continent.'
'Could sparing this single soul beast really bring about any significant impact?'
This would be the true inner monologue of the vast majority of Spirit Masters.
"This method is merely an alternative, which I will place within the Academic World for Spirit Masters to choose and practice on their own," Su Wen shrugged. "My true solution to the problem is the Beast Seal."
"The Beast Seal?"
Di Tian frowned, unfamiliar with the term.
"The best way to resolve the senseless killing, or even the hunting of soul beasts altogether, is not to preach morality, but to provide a more convenient means of acquisition."
Whether it was the previous method of self-condensing soul rings or gathering a soul beast's essence blood to condense one, neither could do without the extra personal effort of the Spirit Master.
Given the lazy nature of humanity, those two methods wouldn't find widespread favor.
Only by allowing them to acquire a soul ring without ever stepping out of their homes, and without the need for tedious cultivation, could their ingrained desire to hunt soul beasts perhaps be corrected.
"The Beast Seal utilizes the power of the Academic World to replicate the bloodlines of all soul beasts, leaving an imprint within the Academic World. When a Spirit Master wants to acquire a soul ring, they can obtain it through the Beast Seal within the Academic World, thereby condensing their own soul ring."
Compared to the essence blood condensation method, this technique was weaker, as it lacked the external power required to reconstruct and evolve the Martial Soul. However, it was far more convenient and effortless.
This single advantage meant that the overall cost-effectiveness of the Beast Seal method might actually surpass that of the essence blood condensation method.
"Of course, the development and promotion of the Beast Seal method can take multiple forms. It all depends on whether the soul beasts are willing to cooperate." Su Wen looked at Di Tian.
"The Beast Seal can be a permanent imprint, though it would be quite rigid, just as I described. Alternatively, we can implement real-time projection. Just as Spirit Masters can freely enter the Academic World, soul beasts should naturally have the same right. Upon entering the Academic World, there will be a dedicated Myriad Beast Realm. Spirit Masters can form teams to hunt soul beasts within the Myriad Beast Realm. After a successful hunt, they will obtain a Beast Seal, which they can take to the location of an Academy to exchange for a Condensation Room."
The Condensation Room was a specialized cultivation room Su Wen envisioned building across various Academies to prepare Spirit Masters for condensing soul rings. It could absorb and gather the heaven and earth origin energy, providing a boost to the Spirit Master's soul ring condensation process.
Guided by the Beast Seal and enhanced by the formations of the Condensation Room, the process of condensing a soul ring would not only go smoothly but could also directly condense up to the absolute limit of what the Spirit Master could endure.
It could also feature an interruption mechanism. For instance, if a Spirit Master hunted a thousand-year soul beast's Beast Seal, but their body could only withstand a six-hundred-year ring, the condensation would stop at six hundred years when the formation ceased its operation. This was what it meant to reach the Spirit Master's limit.
If a Spirit Master could withstand a two-thousand-year soul ring, then unfortunately, there was nothing to be done; it could only be condensed up to a thousand years.
However!
In the future, if they managed to hunt a higher-year soul beast of the same species within the Myriad Beast Realm, they could return to the Condensation Room and use the new Beast Seal to upgrade the age limit of their existing soul ring.
Granted, the efficiency of this upgrade...
Would depend on the Spirit Master's degree of development over their soul skill, as well as the quantity of Beast Seals.
Yet, this single feature alone would ensure that the Beast Seal method...