However, You Chen did not use these nutritional pills for cultivation. The reason was simple: while he now had sufficient cultivation resources, his comprehension of the Godly Elephant Suppressing Prison Strength had stagnated.
After converting seventy percent of the Giant Elephant Micro-particles into Dragon-Elephant Micro-particles, his progress noticeably slowed down.
You Chen possessed a special reward called "Comprehension," obtained from the three individuals of the Sword Bone Pagoda. This reward allowed him to gain substantial experience in martial techniques, skills, or soul skills.
If he relied on it, You Chen was confident he could fully comprehend the entire Dragon-Elephant Chapter in one go and break through in the shortest possible time.
However, the Godly Elephant Suppressing Prison Strength was a technique that could grow even by brute-forcing resources. By consuming vast amounts of resources, it was possible to continue improving, and in the process, the cultivator would gradually gain a deeper understanding of the technique.
Using Natural Treasures would further enhance the comprehension effect.
This was why You Chen had been able to break through to the Dragon-Elephant Chapter in one go after the Ice-Fire Refinement.
If comprehending the Dragon-Elephant Chapter was already so difficult, the subsequent Primal Elephant Chapter and Divine Elephant Chapter would be even more challenging.
According to the system's detailed explanation, the "Comprehension" reward became more potent the more solid one's foundation was. In simple terms, the effectiveness of the reward would not significantly diminish even as one's martial techniques and skills advanced.
For example, if used at the beginner stage of the Godly Elephant Suppressing Prison Strength, it could directly break through to the minor mastery stage and increase comprehension by 50%. The experience required to advance from minor mastery to major mastery was several times that of the beginner to minor mastery stage, but it could still increase comprehension by around 40%.
It was essentially a slightly diminishing percentage-based experience capsule for martial techniques.
The value of such a percentage-based enhancement was self-evident.
Among You Chen's numerous martial techniques and skills, only the Three Reunions Origin Qi and the Godly Elephant Suppressing Prison Strength were worth using this reward on at this stage.
As for the Three Reunions Origin Qi, You Chen only intended to use it as a reference. Using such a premium reward on a technique that was only meant for reference and not for practical combat would be a waste. Therefore, it was only natural that You Chen would reserve this reward for the Godly Elephant Suppressing Prison Strength.
You Chen had no expectations of reaching the final Divine Elephant realm of the Godly Elephant Suppressing Prison Strength, even if he fully comprehended it.
The total resources of Douluo Star combined might require over a century of resource production before he could hope to achieve it.
However, he still had hope of reaching the perfect level of the Primal Elephant realm at his current pace.
Ten percent Primal Elephant Micro-particles equated to the physical strength of a first-level god. Combined with You Chen's inherent base strength and Martial Soul amplification, his physical strength would at least reach the pinnacle of first-level gods, with the potential to even touch the threshold of a god-king.
Perhaps the physical bodies of other god-kings were not as impressive and had not reached the system's evaluation standards for god-kings. They might only be at this level.
However, while it was hard to say about other god-kings, at least the God of Asura, the strongest in combat, could not be at such a level. Therefore, it was best not to rely on this as a means to confront them head-on.
To cultivate to the perfect level of the Primal Elephant realm, the "Comprehension" reward naturally had to be used as late as possible.
At the very least, it should not be wasted while still in the Dragon-Elephant realm.
The resources required for each chapter of the Godly Elephant Suppressing Prison Strength increased exponentially.
Grinding more in the Dragon-Elephant realm and less in the Primal Elephant realm would save an astronomical amount of cultivation resources.
You Chen would rather delay reaching his peak combat strength on paper than rush to use the "Comprehension" reward.
To fully comprehend the Dragon-Elephant Chapter as soon as possible, You Chen had temporarily set aside most of his other cultivation efforts and devoted himself entirely to meditation.
The amount of cultivation resources he consumed daily was staggering.
Not only were the cultivation resources being consumed at an alarming rate, but You Chen also subjected his body to grueling physical training.
Every day, the members of the Beast Soul Alliance headquarters could see You Chen, without using any soul power, carrying a several-meter-high stone mountain on his back, running and moving through the energy-ravaged Disaster Mountain Range.
Witnessing this, the Beast Soul Alliance members felt as if they were in the presence of a god, feeling the earth tremble with each of You Chen's movements!
To put it into perspective, the super divine artifact, the Sea God's Trident, weighed around 108,000 jin, or 50 tons.
The several-meter-high stone mountain You Chen carried was even heavier than the Sea God's Trident!
Of course, carrying a burden and wielding a weapon were entirely different.
Without the Sea God's Divine Power reducing the weight of the Sea God's Trident to one-thousandth of its original weight, You Chen would not be able to use it as a weapon.
However, today, You Chen temporarily halted such activities.
The reason was simple: today was a rare Beast Soul Alliance assembly.
Leaving his Starlight Avatar at the dungeon entrance to guard Tang Hao, You Chen led Ling Xian out of the dungeon.
A few months ago, You Chen had officially entered the realm of the Heart of Serene Stillness.
Although he could not yet enter this state at will during combat, he could maintain a calm mind and enter this spiritual state after a short period of meditation.
This also meant that You Chen had a method to quickly recover his mental and spiritual energy.
Combined with his nearly peak-level physical body, You Chen could now achieve a state of sleeplessness akin to an immortal and could also perform actions he previously could not, such as maintaining multiple avatars for extended periods.
After all, the issue of the Starlight Avatar's sustenance had long been resolved by You Chen. Previously, the main factor limiting You Chen from maintaining his avatar was the mental exhaustion from prolonged use, but now this was no longer a concern.
Although splitting his focus made it more difficult to enter the Heart of Serene Stillness, since this was not during combat and there was no time constraint, taking a few extra minutes to enter the state was inconsequential.
At this stage, if You Chen only released three or four avatars, he would only need to meditate once a day to recover.
Although Tang Hao had his tendons severed, You Chen, to maximize the mission rewards, had not amputated his limbs or removed his Spirit Bone to reduce his soul power.
As a Titled Douluo, Tang Hao could still use his soul power to temporarily replace his tendons and break free from his restraints.
Even Dugu Bo, who was second only to You Chen in the Beast Soul Alliance, might not be able to restrain Tang Hao, so You Chen had to leave an avatar to personally guard him.
As the technological level of the Beast Soul Alliance gradually developed, the initially nomadic-style tents in the Disaster Mountain Range had transformed into modern architectural styles.
In addition to modern technology, soul tool technology was also integrated, giving it a futuristic aesthetic, resembling the style of tens of thousands of years in the future.
The entire headquarters had become a small steel fortress, not only possessing formidable defensive capabilities but also equipped with special camouflage technology...
When You Chen entered the conference room in the command building, the other attendees were already in place.
In the center of the conference room was a bronze long table with twenty-two seats, eight of which were already occupied.
The three close friends You Chen had invited were also present, seated in the beast-head chairs.
The eagle-headed Di Wan, the lion-headed Kainekis, and the wolf-headed Orge, three Soul Douluo powerhouses with Soul Cores, along with the snake-headed Dugu Bo, a Titled Douluo, and Ignis, who, despite being a Soul Emperor, already possessed the combat strength of a Soul Saint, had gradually met You Chen's initial requirements for the beast-head positions.
The remaining Kui and Amona were also on the verge of breaking through to the Soul Emperor level. Once they did, they would undoubtedly rival Soul Saints who did not use their Spirit Avatars.
These seven, along with Grace, who served as the ambassador and de facto chief steward, and Lin Zhi, who focused on research and development and did not participate in meetings, made up the current high-ranking members of the Beast Soul Alliance.
At this moment, except for Kainekis, who arrogantly crossed his arms, the others all nodded slightly to You Chen.
You Chen smiled faintly and, with a flicker, gracefully took his seat at the head of the table.
"Although I have not interfered with the development of the Beast Soul Commerce, I have seen everyone's hard work. Especially you, Dugu Bo, thank you for your efforts." You Chen first looked at Dugu Bo.
Dugu Bo stroked his long beard, clearly in a good mood. "Big brother, it's nothing. This is what I should do."
The veteran members were not surprised by this scene, but Di Wan and the other two, who already knew that Dugu Bo was a powerful Titled Douluo, widened their eyes slightly at his somewhat subservient behavior.
Especially Kainekis, who, upon seeing a Titled Douluo acting like a sycophant in front of You Chen, recalled his own arrogant demeanor earlier and felt a bit uneasy.
Well, those who read a lot of comics or watch anime might be familiar with this reaction: a tsundere childhood friend suddenly finds a beautiful girl who surpasses her in every way and, most importantly, is very gentle towards her crush. This was probably a similar situation.
Regarding Dugu Bo's modesty, You Chen shook his head slightly. "Our agreement was for you to help me with tasks. How well you executed them and the calculation of merit and rewards are separate matters."
"Rewards?" Dugu Bo raised an eyebrow.
In Dugu Bo's eyes, You Chen helping him and his granddaughter with their problems was the advance payment. Working for You Chen was akin to repaying a debt, so he hadn't expected any additional rewards.
You Chen didn't elaborate. He simply took out a jade bottle from his storage soul tool and tossed it to Dugu Bo.
At the same time, he explained, "You've been handling many affairs for the Beast Soul Commerce, so you should know that compared to the Beast Soul Pills sold externally, our Beast Soul Alliance has even rarer original versions, which you can simply understand as the premium version of Beast Soul Pills. This jade bottle contains a Top-Tier Premium Beast Soul Pill!"
"Top-Tier Premium Beast Soul Pill?" Dugu Bo looked at the jade bottle in his hand, somewhat dazed by the barrage of specialized terms.
What was a Top-Tier Premium Beast Soul Pill? It was essentially a Top-Tier Experience Pill.
You Chen said indifferently, "In simple terms, this is a pill that can increase the soul power level of a Titled Douluo without any side effects."
The room erupted in exclamations. The implications of this statement needed no further explanation.
Even the veteran members of the Beast Soul Alliance were visibly shocked.
They knew their leader often came up with things that were beyond the times and beyond comprehension, but they never imagined that You Chen could create a pill that directly increased the soul power level of a Titled Douluo!
"This, this, this—"
Dugu Bo held the seemingly ordinary jade bottle but felt as if he were holding a hot potato. He was at a loss for words and could only stammer, "This is too much!"
He shook his head repeatedly. "This is too valuable. What I've done doesn't deserve such a reward. Not to mention..."
Dugu Bo said somewhat guiltily, "I didn't handle the previous issues with the Seven Treasures Commerce well. It was you who had to step in and resolve it."
You Chen simply said indifferently, "This thing is no longer useful to me. And conflicts like the one with the Seven Treasures Commerce might happen again. Not only do you need to improve your strength, but I also need you to advance further and reach the level of a Super Douluo as soon as possible! From what I've observed of your soul power, if you use this now, you can immediately break through to level 94. Are you really going to refuse?"
A pill that could increase the soul power of a Titled Douluo—no matter how conflicted Dugu Bo was, he couldn't refuse.
You Chen then looked at the others and said, "Not just Dugu Bo, those of you who perform well will also receive rewards."
Like scattering flowers, jade bottles flew out from You Chen's hands and landed in the hands of everyone present.
You Chen even openly announced, "Dugu Bo, as the Snake Head and Vice President of the Beast Soul Commerce, has made the most outstanding contributions to the establishment of the Beast Soul Commerce, earning first-class merit. He is rewarded with one Top-Tier Premium Beast Soul Pill. Grace, as the Ambassador and Vice President of the Beast Soul Commerce, has made the second-greatest contributions, also earning first-class merit. After deducting the merit she had previously used, she is rewarded with one High-Tier Premium Beast Soul Pill..."
Aside from these two, the others' contributions were significantly less.
However, over such a long period, Ignis and the others had also handled issues that Soul Ancestors couldn't resolve. You Chen also gave them third-class merit.
As for Di Wan and Orge, although they had only joined about a month ago, they were responsible for dealing with the forces that had tried to take advantage of the Beast Soul Commerce during its crisis. Their necessity and contributions were clearly greater than those of Ignis and the others.
These forces dared to take advantage of the Beast Soul Commerce, which had already become a behemoth of considerable scale, and each had at least a Soul Saint level powerhouse. To handle them swiftly, sending Soul Douluo was the most prudent.
You Chen also gave them second-class merit, rewarding them with three High-Tier Experience Pills each. This reward was slightly higher than their merit, but You Chen hoped they could break through to the Titled Douluo level sooner. Moreover, since these good brothers had joined, the basic benefits of the Beast Soul Alliance and the authority of the beast-head positions were already in place, but he hadn't given them any personal rewards yet. Thus, this was also appropriate.
High-Tier Pills corresponded to the Soul Emperor to Soul Douluo levels and could be fully absorbed.
However, the higher the level, the more experience was required to level up.
For example, even if Dugu Bo used a Top-Tier Pill corresponding to his level, one pill wouldn't be enough to fill the experience bar for one level. It was only because he had already accumulated a considerable amount of soul power that he could hope to break through to level 94 with one pill.
Still, three High-Tier Experience Pills were enough for Di Wan and Orge to increase one soul power level.
So, who was the only one present who didn't receive a reward?
The lively and fearless Amona silently glanced at Kainekis, whose expression was somewhat unpleasant.
Kainekis's skin was naturally slightly brown, so even though he was blushing slightly due to embarrassment, most people wouldn't notice.
Fortunately, Amona was observant and had the eyesight of a Soul King, so she could tell that Kainekis wasn't in a good mood.
However, You Chen didn't even look at Kainekis and began his subsequent explanation.
"Regarding the Seven Treasures Commerce and our transfer of shops and channel contracts in the Star Luo Empire, Grace has already compiled the relevant documents and distributed them to everyone. Now that the situation in the Heaven Dou Empire has stabilized, the Beast Soul Commerce will officially enter the Star Luo market. Unlike the competition with the Seven Treasures Commerce in the Heaven Dou Empire, this time we will likely face numerous difficulties from the Star Luo nobility system. However, with risk comes opportunity, and this applies to both me and all of you. Those who perform exceptionally and make outstanding contributions in the future will receive rewards similar to, or even more substantial than, the ones just given..."
The merit distribution was just a preview. The main content of this meeting was naturally the various arrangements for conquering the Star Luo market.
The Heaven Dou Empire, the various seas, and finally the Star Luo Empire...
There was a reason for placing this target last.
If the market division in the Heaven Dou Empire before the Beast Soul Commerce entered was dominated by the Heaven Dou royal family and the Seven Treasures Commerce, with other nobles only getting a small share and cooperating with some sect forces, then the Star Luo Empire was essentially divided among the various noble families, including the royal family.
The core interests involved a larger and more diverse group compared to the Heaven Dou Empire, forming a completely monopolized interest network.
This was why even the Seven Treasures Commerce had been unable to truly enter the market.
Interests form the most stable relationships. The reason You Chen didn't immediately crush the Seven Treasures Commerce was that he knew if he did, the Heaven Dou royal family would have to step in immediately. No matter how much Qian Renxue valued him as her teacher, she would not hesitate at this point unless she truly intended to give up her responsibilities.
The influence of a country's royal family on its people was self-evident. At that point, even if the Beast Soul Commerce's products were truly high-quality and affordable, if the empire banned you from trading and labeled you a criminal, with the Beast Soul Commerce's investments in the Heaven Dou Empire, the commerce would quickly collapse.
The only way to break through this situation would be to use violence to directly destroy the Heaven Dou royal family.
However, whether it was Qian Renxue, the Spirit Hall, or the sentiments of the Heaven Dou people, all these factors made You Chen unwilling to flip the table in the Heaven Dou Empire so soon.
That would undoubtedly be the least profitable option.
The Star Luo Empire, however, was entirely different...
In essence, the Beast Soul Alliance was still You Chen's personal fiefdom, so the related meeting did not last long.
After the meeting ended, the high-ranking members of the Beast Soul Alliance quickly took action.
However, Di Wan deliberately stayed behind, waiting until everyone else had left before approaching You Chen.
"Uh, You Chen, don't you think you were a bit too harsh on Kainekis?"
Without Di Wan even opening his mouth, You Chen could tell what he was going to say just by looking at his conflicted expression.
And sure enough, he had noticed Kainekis's displeasure and had
Di Wan suddenly felt a bit ashamed.
At that moment, You Chen continued, "Moreover, Di Wan, don't you think you're being a bit of a busybody? Kainekis himself hasn't said anything, yet you're the one jumping in?"
You Chen's eyes showed a hint of disdain. "Di Wan, you've never truly served in the Spirit Hall, only holding a nominal title. You really don't understand anything!"
"Huh?"
"Kainekis was indeed angry, but he quickly figured things out on his own. It's just that you're still stuck in it. You might think that because I forcibly brought him here, he should receive different treatment compared to you two. But do you really think he's the type to care about such things? The treatment I give him won't be insufficient just because it doesn't stand out compared to yours. He's worked in the Spirit Hall's enforcement department for decades! He knows better than you how generous my offers are!
"Not to mention, he's not a fool. When he arrived here and saw the request letters, he couldn't have been unaware that staying in the Spirit Hall would mean being targeted by that madwoman Bibidong due to my plans and actions. He knows I had to do this to save him! He just doesn't want to say it outright!
"The reason I'm rewarding merits so explicitly is precisely to provoke him! But if he really doesn't want to work, it's no loss—he's still the Beast Leader, second only to me in the Beast Soul Alliance! But if he wants more, if he doesn't want to fall behind you, then he should work hard for me! Not just sit there like a decoration, like a guardian statue, with a stern face and doing nothing all day!"
As You Chen spoke, he finally revealed a faint smile. "Just watch. After this meeting, he'll definitely change. As for you, Di Wan, don't just worry about others. By the time your cultivation and contributions are surpassed, I'll be curious. When you three first joined, the ranking of your cultivation strength was Kainekis, you, and Orge. In the end, who will be the last to break through to Titled Douluo?"