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In this battle, Su Wen finally felt the pressure.
Even Feng Xiaotian's mutated Gale Two-Headed Wolf was at most near top-tier.
But the Diamond Mammoth was a true, undisputed top-tier spirit, in the same league as Yu Tianheng's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, exceptionally outstanding in defense and strength.
Coupled with being one against two, Su Wen genuinely felt the pressure.
During the Grand Spirit Master and even Spirit Elder stages, Su Wen's strength was crushingly invincible among his peers. However, as his spirit power increased to the current Spirit Ancestor stage, Su Wen showed signs of fatigue.
"My spirit has evolved into a top-tier spirit, but ultimately, it lacks distinctive combat characteristics."
It didn't have the Diamond Mammoth's defense and strength, the Clear Sky Hammer's destructive power, nor the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's power-attack attributes.
All of Su Wen's current power was developed by himself.
The Fire Demon Style made him invincible among his peers at the Grand Spirit Master and Spirit Elder stages.
This was because his methods were comprehensive, his spirit skills were numerous, and his explosive power was strong.
Just as Ning Fengzhi and others currently believed that Su Wen's extraordinary spirit power cultivation speed was because he prematurely enjoyed the fusion degree of a high-level Spirit Master, Su Wen's current strength among peers was similar.
Although his advantages weren't because he possessed abilities only high-level Spirit Masters had, these advantages themselves were the advantages high-level Spirit Masters held over low-level ones. As Su Wen and his opponents' spirit power increased, Su Wen might still have advantages in the number, quality, and explosive power of spirit skills, but they wouldn't be as prominent.
However, with the Fire Demon Style and Raging Fire Heavenly Sun, Su Wen would at least be invincible among Spirit Masters of the same level in the future. As long as the Raging Fire Heavenly Sun domain was deployed, Su Wen would have no problem winning through attrition and Fire Demon Style combat methods, at most losing the ability to resolve battles explosively in a short time.
"I have a ten-thousand-year fourth ring, but the fourth spirit skill replicates non-combat spirit skills, further weakening my advantage."
The current Su Wen was actually equivalent to having his second and third spirit skills perform the functions of other Spirit Ancestors' third and fourth skills.
Su Wen's fourth spirit skill was used to assist cultivation and enrich his combat methods.
However, the benefits were also obvious. At least Su Wen was truly omnipotent, not countered by development directions.
He could be power-attack, defense, agility-attack, close combat, ranged attack, and even flying wasn't impossible.
This battle made Su Wen reflect a lot.
It also gave him a sense of urgency.
Comparing himself with ordinary Spirit Masters of the same level wasn't his pursuit.
Only by comparing with those 'cheaters' could he know his deficiencies.
"Tang San has Twin Spirits. If we really wait until the late stage, with eighteen spirit rings and skills plus Tang Sect unique techniques, and even a Clear Sky Hammer with all rings above ten thousand years... my advantages aren't worth mentioning."
The spirit ring configuration that currently seemed ahead of most people would instantly lose its advantage if compared with Twin Spirits.
Tang San hadn't grown up yet, so this comparison might be worrying unnecessarily, but there were also grown-up Twin Spirits on the continent, such as the current Pope, Bibi Dong.
"I only have one spirit. If I want the development of this one spirit to match their Twin Spirits..."
Before consuming the immortal herbs, Su Wen was cautious in all his plans. Since the transformation after consuming the herbs, he had become much more confident, and his ambitions and ideas were quite bold.
"The age of the first three spirit rings is still too low."
If the first three spirit rings were ten-thousand-year rings, even if the fourth ring wasn't used for combat, Su Wen would still be instantly killing other Spirit Ancestors.
"So, the Ring Replacement Method must be developed as soon as possible."
Su Wen currently knew only two methods to increase spirit ring age: the Spirit Soul technology of later generations and the God's Trials.
Both were temporarily inaccessible to him.
To increase the age of his first three rings, he was left with the third method he knew.
That was Ring Replacement.
"Tang San resurrected Xiao Wu by sacrificing his own spirit rings. After sacrificing the rings, he successfully re-absorbed rings of the same type. Although there might have been the Sea God's help, at least this method is feasible."
The Sea God might have helped stabilize Tang San's spirit and spirit ring slots, preventing him from dying or suffering backlash to his spirit's origin due to the loss of rings.
The abilities of gods were indeed mysterious on the Douluo Continent.
"But this doesn't mean only gods can do it." Su Wen had confidence in the various abilities he now mastered.
The Spirit Ring Fusion method, control over the spirit space, and super perception of his own condition.
These were all his advantages.
They were also the confidence that made him feel he could develop the Ring Replacement Method.
"Currently, only one thing is missing: Ring Detonation..."
Su Wen had actually never given up exploring the Ring Replacement Method. Now, he had figured out how to stabilize himself and his spirit after losing a ring, but he still lacked a method to replace sacrifice.
He didn't need to resurrect anyone, nor did he have the conditions for resurrection sacrifice.
Ring Detonation was the ideal method he found suitable to replace sacrifice.
"Completely detonating the spirit ring, thereby vacating the spirit ring slot."
However, before completely detonating the ring, Su Wen needed to use the Ring Detonation secret technique to feel the process of the ring exploding.
Great Spirit Arena.
While Su Wen fought the Huyan Brothers, a burly man witnessed the entire process from the spectator area.
After the battle ended, the man remained lost in thought.
"Young Master," two figures beside the man said respectfully.
These two figures were the Huyan Brothers who had just lost the battle.
And the man they addressed as Young Master was naturally Huyan Li, the eldest grandson of the current Elephant Armored Sect Master Huyan Zhen, and the heir to the next sect master position.
"You did your best in today's battle. Let's go back to the sect, and you can report your feelings about this battle in detail." A glint flashed in Huyan Li's eyes. Without wasting time, he quickly left with the Huyan Brothers.
Elephant Armored Sect.
"Sect Master, that 'Ignorant Scholar' has too strong explosive power and endurance. He forcibly engaged in fierce combat with us brothers for a long time without showing fatigue."
"..."
After listening to the brothers' personal experience, Huyan Zhen waved his hand to let them leave and looked at his grandson.
He doted on Huyan Li.
He had even found a head spirit bone for Huyan Li early on, preparing to let him absorb it.
Now, he wanted to hear his grandson's thoughts on that 'Ignorant Scholar'.
"Li'er, since you reported this battle to me, you must have some thoughts," Huyan Zhen asked softly.
Huyan Li smiled confidently and said, "Grandfather, I was at the scene. What Daxiong and Erxiong said was true, but they missed one point: the opponent had too many spirit skills."
Huyan Zhen nodded, signaling Huyan Li to continue analyzing.
"A spirit skill creating a flame environment, a fire-attribute power-attack skill, a wind-attribute defense skill, and earth-attribute defense and control skills... at least five categories of spirit skills. Not to mention the white fireball above his flame environment; I estimate it's another spirit skill. Coordinating with his environment-creating skill, it gave him that terrifying endurance in combat."
(End of this chapter)