Douluo: I am a biologist, awakening the weapon spirit?

Chapter 164 The Advantages and Disadvantages of Transforming Soul Rings

Perhaps because of the blood from earlier, the Arrowhawk's hostility weakened somewhat.

At least after seeing the crowd, it did not launch an attack directly, but just stared at them warily.

Behind it were several fledglings whose feathers had not yet fully grown; the wooden jar that the hawk had brought back had become their toy.

"You should be able to understand human speech, right?" Chen Feng asked tentatively.

The Arrowhawk didn't react in any particular way, it just let out a soft cry.

Chen Feng wasn't sure if this was a positive response, but he continued, outlining his own conditions.

"We'd like to ask you for a favor. It might cost you some of your blood and soul power. In exchange, we'll give you more of that kind of blood. Is that okay with you? If so, just say so."

The eagle tilted its head and looked at Ma Hongjun, then nodded and cried out. It then turned around and pointed with its wing at the wooden jar that the chicks were using as toys.

Chen Feng pondered for a moment and asked:

"You want enough blood to fill this jar?"

The Arrowhawk nodded.

The blood that Ma Hongjun shed just now only covered the bottom of the jar, which was clearly not enough to feed the baby birds.

"How did you understand that?" Xiao Wu asked in astonishment, genuinely suspecting that Chen Feng possessed some kind of ability to understand animal languages.

“That’s called wisdom.” Chen Feng smiled, then looked at Ma Hongjun, “What do you think of the conditions offered by the Fierce Arrow Eagle? Are you willing to accept them?”

Ma Hongjun looked at the wooden jar, nodded, and said:

"Yes, it's worth it to exchange this blood for a soul ring."

That wooden jar was used by Chen Feng to store the refreshing tea. It wasn't very large, so even if it was full, it wouldn't have much of an impact on Ma Hongjun.

After the two parties reached an agreement, Chen Feng and Tang San set up the production site for the soul bones.

First, there was the Fire Cloud Rock provided by Ma Hongjun, then Tang San's life force, and finally the Star Soul Mithril sphere smeared with the blood of the Fierce Arrow Eagle.

Once everything was ready, the experiment to create the first fire-attribute soul bone began.

The Arrowhawk seemed quite interested in the Fire Cloud Rock, poking at it with its wings and occasionally pecking at it with its beak.

Ma Hongjun watched anxiously from the side, fearing that the Fiery Arrow Eagle would damage the Fire Cloud Rock. Fortunately, the Fire Cloud Rock was quite sturdy, and the Fiery Arrow Eagle did not deliberately try to destroy it.

Chen Feng explained the experimental procedure to the Fierce Arrow Eagle in detail. As a 50,000-year-old soul beast, the Fierce Arrow Eagle was quite intelligent and quickly understood Chen Feng's meaning.

It stretched out a wing and touched the flaming rock. Scorching flames immediately erupted from the flaming rock and were then absorbed into its body.

Seeing this, Tang San quickly wrapped the Blue Silver Grass he had summoned around the body of the Fiery Arrow Eagle.

If they were ordinary Blue Silver Grass, they would have already been burned to ashes by the flames on the Arrowhawk.

However, Tang San's soul skills were carefully crafted by Chen Feng, and now the Blue Silver Grass has developed considerable resistance to fire.

The high water content allowed the Blue Silver Grass to remain intact under the scorching flames, although its surface was charred black and emitted a large amount of water vapor.

However, this does not affect the structure of the Blue Silver Grass itself, nor does it interfere with the transmission of life force, so the experiment proceeded smoothly.

When the Fiery Arrow Eagle completed the energy mixing and injected this mixed energy into the Star Soul Mithril Sphere, the metal sphere instantly burst into blazing flames.

At first glance, it seemed as if the metal sphere itself was burning, but Chen Feng knew that this was the manifestation of fire element energy on the sphere after the mixed energy was injected into it.

Just like the lightning that burst forth on the small ball during the first successful soul bone experiment, it foreshadowed the completion of the Silver Lightning Flying Serpent's head soul bone.

After completing the head soul bone of the Silver Lightning Flying Serpent, Chen Feng asked Dugu Bo to help him find a ten-thousand-year-old Shadow Serpent and create a second soul bone using it.

However, since Chen Feng didn't have any items related to the Shadow Element at that time, he could only make do with Thunder Stones.

The Shadow Serpent doesn't actually like Thunderstones because although soul beasts can absorb energy from different elements, it takes a long time to digest the absorbed energy, and it's not even as fast as the soul beast's own growth rate.

Simply put, it's not cost-effective and may even result in losses. For example, if a soul beast absorbs energy of an element that is incompatible with its own, it will negatively impact its own growth.

This is why the soul bone created by the Shadow Serpent was flawed and was used by Chen Feng as a test subject for transforming soul rings.

In the Shadow Serpent's soul bone experiment, the Star Soul Mithril sphere appeared as dark as ink, without any flashes of lightning.

This indicates that in the soul bone experiment, the attributes of the soul bone are determined by the soul beast participating in the experiment, and are not affected by the items that provide elemental energy.

After the intense heat of the metal sphere dissipated, what appeared before everyone was a soul bone shimmering with fiery red light.

This is a left arm bone, and judging from its aura, it is stronger than the two soul bones that Chen Feng had come into contact with before.

"It actually created a soul bone." Ma Hongjun stared blankly as he held the left arm bone in his hand, examining it over and over.

"Old Ma, do you want to absorb this soul bone now?" Chen Feng asked.

“Of course, Brother Feng, didn’t you say that soul bones can be transformed into soul rings?” Ma Hongjun said.

"But this is actually a huge loss. If the soul bone is completely consumed in the process of being converted into a soul ring, then you are essentially losing a 50,000-year soul bone for nothing."

"If there are any remnants after this soul bone is transformed, then the problem will be even more serious. You may have a soul bone slot occupied by a fragmented soul bone, which will be very disadvantageous for you."

“Although Zhu Qing previously proved that soul bones would be completely consumed after being transformed into soul rings, this soul bone is much stronger than that one, so I can’t say what the outcome will be,” Chen Feng said seriously.

He can't do this kind of experiment himself right now because his soul power hasn't reached its bottleneck yet; he can only have others help him verify it.

However, this kind of verification is risky, and Chen Feng must make the risks clear in advance and let the experimenters choose for themselves. This is his principle.

When Zhu Zhuqing was conducting her experiment, Chen Feng pointed out the flaws in the soul bone, but Zhu Zhuqing still decided to absorb it, thus verifying that a soul bone could be transformed into a soul ring. After hearing Chen Feng's words, Ma Hongjun hesitated.

Chen Feng waited quietly for him to consider his options. Whatever choice Ma Hongjun made, Chen Feng would accept it.

At worst, we can wait until he reaches level 40 before conducting the experiment. Although this will slow down the progress, it will prevent others from bearing the risk.

But after a short while, Ma Hongjun said with a smile:

“Brother Feng, I know about all the risks you mentioned, but they don’t really have a big impact. I was just thinking about it, and if it weren’t for you, I probably would never have had the chance to get a soul bone in my life, let alone collect all six parts of the soul bone.”

"Thinking about it this way, these so-called six soul bone slots are of no use to me anyway. Wouldn't it be perfect to use one to help you with your experiments? I might struggle with wasting soul ring slots for a long time, but soul bone slots really don't matter."

After saying that, Ma Hongjun sat down cross-legged and, before anyone else could speak, placed his left arm bone on his left arm and used his soul power to activate the energy within it.

Suddenly, a red light enveloped Ma Hongjun's entire left arm.

Compared to Chen Feng's absorption of the head soul bone, Ma Hongjun absorbed the left arm bone much faster this time, but it still took him much longer than Zhu Zhuqing absorbed the right leg bone.

As the sun began to set, Ma Hongjun awoke from his meditative state. After carefully sensing his surroundings, he exclaimed with some delight:
"My soul power has actually increased to level thirty-nine! It won't be long before I can get another soul ring. Is the medicinal power of the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower really that strong?"

Tang San was stunned upon hearing this. "That's impossible. The medicinal herbs I picked for you are all of similar strength. There shouldn't be such a big difference. Zhu Qing, what level were you after obtaining your third spirit ring?"

“Level 38,” Zhu Zhuqing said.

"The medicinal power of Narcissus Jade Bone is already relatively easy to absorb, while the medicinal power of Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower is more potent and more difficult to absorb. How come Hong Jun's soul power is higher than Zhu Qing's? Moreover, Zhu Qing's soul power has increased by a total of eight levels, which feels a bit strange." Tang San said with some confusion.

In his view, the medicinal effects of Narcissus Jade Bone and Qingfeng Biying Flower are roughly the same, and their properties are also quite similar, so the increase in soul power should be about the same.

As a result, Zhu Zhuqing's soul power increased by one level even though she had a much higher soul power, which was really strange.

“It’s a soul bone,” Chen Feng suddenly said.

"Soul bone?"

Chen Feng nodded. "Yes, the soul bone that Zhu Qing absorbed before was flawed and its quality was reduced considerably. After absorbing it, the entire soul bone was consumed, and Zhu Qing did not obtain any soul bone."

“I previously thought that most of the energy dissipated during the process of that soul bone transforming into a soul ring. Now it seems that some of that energy may have been transformed into soul power. Old Ma’s situation is probably the same. The quality of the soul bone he absorbed was higher, and he had more extra energy. Naturally, his soul power increase was also higher than Zhu Qing’s.”

The combined effect of the soul power from the soul bone and the medicinal properties of the immortal herb resulted in a significant increase in the soul power of Zhu Zhuqing and Ma Hongjun.

Zhu Zhuqing leveled up from level 29 to level 38. Excluding the level 1 from her soul ring, the immortal herbs and soul bones helped her level up a total of eight levels.

In the original story, she gained seven levels after consuming the immortal herb. This extra level should be the result of the soul bone being transformed into a soul ring.

Similarly, Ma Hongjun improved by nine levels, which is four levels higher than in the original work.

However, considering that Ma Hongjun in the original work had evil fire, a considerable portion of the medicinal power of the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower should have been used to purify the evil fire. In contrast, Ma Hongjun's evil fire here has been almost completely purified by the Foundation Establishment Method, so the soul power brought by the 50,000-year-old soul bone should be less than level four.

The exact amount cannot be calculated, but one conclusion is certain: when converting a soul bone into a soul ring, the excess energy will be transformed into soul power, rather than dissipating directly as Chen Feng previously thought.

In other words, as long as there is an unlimited supply of high-quality soul bones, becoming a Soul Saint in one year and a title in two years is not a dream... what a load of rubbish!

What kind of family can afford to play like this?

Take Ma Hongjun as an example. He is currently only at the Soul Venerable level. After a 50,000-year-old soul bone was transformed into a soul ring, it allowed him to advance by less than four levels.

Once you reach a higher level, such improvements will become even less significant.

If one relies on consuming soul bones to increase soul power, even if one were to empty the Spirit Hall of its resources, it might not be enough to produce a title.

The others quickly realized this as well, and Oscar couldn't help but remark:
"Fatty's third spirit ring must be the most expensive third spirit ring in the history of Douluo Continent, right? A spirit ring transformed from a 50,000-year spirit bone, how much would that be worth in gold spirit coins?"

"A ten-thousand-year-old soul bone is known as the treasure of the Blood River; this thing is probably priceless." Flander patted Ma Hongjun on the shoulder. "Don't disgrace this soul ring."

"Don't worry, teacher, I am a phoenix, and I will definitely become famous throughout the entire continent in the future," Ma Hongjun said confidently, patting his chest.

"By the way, what kind of soul skill did you acquire?" Oscar asked curiously.

"Hmph~ My third soul skill is really powerful; it lets me fly," Ma Hongjun said proudly.

"Tch~ As if anyone can't fly." Oscar blew on his fingers and said, "Besides, Xiangxiang can fly without using soul skills."

"I can fly very fast! And this soul skill can also enhance my fire control ability, allowing me to attack further!" Ma Hongjun exclaimed.

"Let's have a race and see who's faster!" Oscar challenged.

“Let’s have a competition, little girl, you come too!” Ma Hongjun said to Bai Chenxiang.

“Okay.” Bai Chenxiang accepted the invitation with great interest.

As a Swift Soul Master, she has always been proud of her speed and is quite interested in speed competitions.

Soon, the first Hydra Academy Flight Competition began.

The contestants are Oscar the God of Cookery, Ma Hongjun the Phoenix Reborn, and Bai Chenxiang the Flying Swallow.

The three arrived at the edge of the cliff, and at Flander's command, they all took to the air at the same time.

In an instant, Bai Chenxiang, who used her second soul skill, and Ma Hongjun, who used his third soul skill, surpassed Oscar and became the two leading players in the match.

Oscar flew for a short while but realized he couldn't catch up, so he simply returned to the mountaintop.

"As expected, I still can't compare to a professional flying soul master," he sighed.

“The Swift is known for its speed, and Hong Jun acquired its third soul skill from the Arrow Eagle. You've already witnessed the Arrow Eagle's flying ability; it's truly like a sharp arrow. It's not something to worry about that you can't match them,” Flander said.

(End of this chapter)