The cells could devour Qi Flow and prevent Qi from concentrating, making it much more difficult for Di Yi Ye to achieve soul condensation, so much so that he hadn't succeeded in all these years.
Of course, he finally understood why he had failed to awaken his genes seven times. After all, the catalyst for gene awakening had been devoured by his cells, naturally preventing the hidden genes from being stimulated and revealed.
Upon hearing this, Di Yi Ye's expression grew more solemn. It wasn't just because this meant his current attempt at gene awakening would be difficult to succeed, but more importantly, he worried that it would also be difficult to achieve soul condensation in the future.
“Is there really no way to resolve this problem?”
Di Yi Ye asked urgently, not giving up his last hope.
“Not yet.”
Dr. Murong shook his head directly, without considering Di Yi Ye's emotions. However, he changed his tone: "Although this means your continued attempts at gene awakening will also fail, my research has found that after devouring those catalyst genes, your cells have become stronger, and you've retained some gene fragments. Perhaps by chance, something could be triggered, like an Ability Awakening, so attempting gene awakening is still beneficial for you."
“Is this why, even though gene awakening failed, my physique has still become much stronger?”
Di Yi Ye blurted out. Seeing Dr. Murong nod, he said in a deep voice, "That being said, it is indeed necessary to continue attempting gene awakening, especially since there's a possibility of Ability Awakening."
Besides soul condensation, the most anticipated thing for Di Yi Ye was Ability Awakening. After all, cultivators who awakened abilities would possess innate skills. For example, Nangong Bingyu could control the Ice Attribute, and Di Si Qing Wu could control Wind Attribute energy, and these could greatly enhance his combat power.
Furthermore, in Di Yi Ye's mind, although Di Er Meng had not awakened an ability, her spiritual power far exceeding others, even forming psionic power, was likely a type of ability. In short, cultivators who awakened abilities were much stronger than those of the same rank, which was a great temptation for him.
However, Di Yi Ye soon thought of something and gave a wry smile, "Even if I can awaken an ability, what's the point? Without the support of a powerful Qi Quantity from soul condensation, I won't be able to display strong combat power."
"Heh, it's not like there's no chance for soul condensation..."
Murong Bo let out a strange laugh, wanting to say more but was interrupted.
"What, there's a way to achieve soul condensation?!"
Di Yi Ye's voice rose a few decibels. Seeing Dr. Murong nod, he hurriedly pressed, "But you said my cells can devour Qi and interfere with Qi concentration, so how can I achieve soul condensation?"
"It's simple. Just make sure your Qi absorption speed far exceeds your cells' Qi devouring speed."
Dr. Murong said casually, muttering to himself, "As for the issue of Qi not concentrating, that's also easy to solve. As long as your spiritual power is sufficient, it will naturally work."
"Absorption speed exceeding the cells' devouring speed?"
Slightly stunned, Di Yi Ye murmured, "That is indeed a feasible method. And my current Qi absorption speed is clearly much faster than before. Perhaps there's a real chance I can meet the conditions for soul condensation."
"But what level does my Qi absorption speed need to reach?" Di Yi Ye pondered this question and hurriedly asked.
"I'm not entirely sure about that, as your cells' Qi devouring speed isn't constant."
Dr. Murong shook his head again. Before Di Yi Ye could ask, he explained, "Every time you attempt gene awakening, I preserve a sample of your cells for research. I've found that after failing gene awakening, your cells become even stronger, and their Qi devouring speed naturally increases..."
"Uh, this..."
Di Yi Ye was stunned, then his tone shifted, "So, if I stop attempting gene awakening, won't this problem be solved?"
"No, no, you can't give up on gene awakening! If you do, I'll lose an excellent research subject."
Dr. Murong seemed anxious, scratching his head as if afraid of losing Di Yi Ye as a research subject.
"But if I continue attempting gene awakening, won't it greatly delay my soul condensation, or even make it impossible forever? This has too big an impact on me."
Di Yi Ye couldn't help but say. However, seeing Dr. Murong's anxious demeanor, he felt a pang of sympathy for the person who had helped him. His tone shifted, "Once I achieve soul condensation, I won't have this concern. After all, with a Crystal Soul, my Qi absorption speed will be faster, and I won't have to worry about my cells devouring Qi anymore."
"No, no, who knows when you'll achieve soul condensation? Losing research during this period is unacceptable."
Dr. Murong decisively shook his head. Then, thinking of something, he continued, "Moreover, even if you don't attempt gene awakening, your cells are still slowly growing stronger. Don't forget that cells become stronger by devouring Qi, and your tempering your physique with Qi and using the Gravity Device for tempering will greatly enhance your cell strength, unless you stop cultivating altogether."
"Stop cultivating?!"
Di Yi Ye's eyes widened, then he decisively shook his head, "No, absolutely not. I cannot stop cultivating."
"So, even if you accept gene awakening, it's not a big deal. It will only slightly delay your soul condensation. Furthermore, accepting gene awakening can further enhance your strength."
Dr. Murong began to persuade him earnestly. Seeing Di Yi Ye hesitate, he continued to coax him, "Let me see how fast you are absorbing Qi Flow now. Perhaps you'll be able to achieve soul condensation very soon."
Actually, Di Yi Ye didn't want to give up on attempting gene awakening. Not only could it increase his strength, but more importantly, as Dr. Murong said, he might awaken an ability, which was something he had always dreamed of.
With these thoughts, Di Yi Ye said no more. He directly controlled his spiritual power to circulate through his Dantian. The Qi Flow within his Dantian formed a vortex, creating a powerful devouring force, and then Cosmic Energy rapidly converged.
Beside him, Dr. Murong said nothing more. He reached out towards Di Yi Ye's Dantian, and a peculiar energy flowed from his fingers. Judging solely by the purity of this peculiar energy, it was evident that he was also a cultivator with powerful cultivation, likely much stronger than Nangong Bingyu.
"Alright."
After probing for a moment, Dr. Murong stopped Di Yi Ye and then began to calculate. Soon, he showed an expression of ecstatic joy: "Tsk tsk, you really haven't been slacking off during this time. Your speed of absorbing Energy and refining it into Qi has increased significantly. At the very least, the increase in Qi absorption speed has surpassed the Qi devouring speed of your enhanced cells."
"Meaning, if I continue to increase my Qi absorption speed, I'll have a chance to achieve soul condensation?!" Di Yi Ye became excited. Although he was asking, his tone was quite certain.
"That's right. If you continue to increase your Qi refinement speed, you will definitely achieve soul condensation." Dr. Murong gave a definitive answer.
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