Song Nianchu was quite satisfied with having reached the Soul Formation Stage. However, she did not stop her cultivation. She remained where she was, absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy. Having just entered the Soul Formation Stage, the hollow feeling in her Dantian left Song Nianchu feeling unsettled. Breaking through a major realm is different from advancing a minor level; a major realm requires far more spiritual energy to support it and ensure its stability.
After watching for a while and realizing that Song Nianchu was absorbing the energy smoothly, her spirit pets immediately resumed their own cultivation. Since their master was working so hard, they, as spirit pets, certainly could not hold her back. Thus, the human and her three spirit pets began desperately absorbing spiritual energy in the Spirit Gathering Pool.
At first, spiritual energy surged in continuously from all directions. Later on, however, the group required even more energy—primarily Song Nianchu herself. After entering the Soul Formation Stage, she clearly felt that her demand for spiritual energy was far greater than before. If one were to use a progress bar as a gauge, the same amount of energy that would have previously filled her progress bar by at least eighty percent now resulted in a mere twenty percent. No wonder people found it slower to advance the further they progressed; every major stage required a different, massive amount of spiritual energy.
Chapter 383