Yes, a cycling focused build is the strongest if we're speaking about AP(High Soul cores - Since each soul core increase the AP gained in cycling by 1 - and high Hand-seals).
I usually cycle in the chapters 3,4 and 6 and let the chapters 7 & 8 to save money since I don't know what Anon is planning, but even so I can easily get ~500-600 AP by cycling. To give you an idea, I finish the chapter 3 with 1,300 AP. When I met Taio(Scholar) my AP is in the 1,500 range...etc.
I mix-max cycling to a extent that I have, literally, two weapons in Nanhou I crafted specifically with +2 Soul & +1 Hand-seals, because this is +6 AP by cycling overall. +1 by Yomijin Lord seal. +2 by the Runic seals...etc.
(My inventory)
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If I refined all soul treasures to advancements elixirs with my Alchemy 8(Lightbringer 2,800 AP soul treasure. Wyrm with 2,500. Drake with 1,650. Shakengara 2,200. Scorpion Stinger 1,800 and the one in Desdemona mission with 2,200 AP) & used the Limit-Breaker instead of Malocchio my AP would surpass the 5,000 by a significant margin.
Unhealthy amounts of min-max, you know...
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