The Value of Wisdom

"Do you mean you've read every book on the first floor?" Liu Suxin asked in surprise.

"Of course not." Zhou You shook his head. Even he couldn't do that.

He had, however, skimmed through most of the books on the first floor. After finding the library yesterday, he had spent the whole afternoon there, then gone back after dinner and stayed until nearly curfew.

He thought it was excellent that the academy library had no set closing time. There were also very few people there, making it quite quiet.

Liu Suxin stared at Zhou You, wondering if the boy was joking with her.

Even if he had only skimmed through them, it was still extraordinary.

"Then tell me, what books have you read?"

Zhou You immediately named several books, pointing out that their contents overlapped considerably and that the vast majority of the knowledge in them failed to touch on the core issues.

In other words, there was little in the way of theory; most were practical reference books.

He made particular mention of the fact that, among the many books he had found, only one had anything remotely to do with theory. It was called "Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul."

Its author was Yu Xiaogang.

Interestingly, although the original novel had been vague about this theory, mentioning it in only a few brief words, as though the so-called theory consisted of a single page and ten rules that didn't even add up to a hundred characters.

In reality, however, the theory contained enough material to fill a book.

Zhou You had only glanced through it yesterday, but he had found numerous reference examples and materials supporting the author's arguments, rather than just a single dry page of conclusions.

The ten theories distilled from it were, in essence, a condensation of the entire book, much like a table of contents.

To properly understand the true meaning of each theory, one had to open the book and find the corresponding detailed explanation.

For example, the line "There are no trash Martial Souls, only trash Soul Masters" had long been an object of ridicule on the internet in his life before last.

But after reading the actual explanation, Zhou You discovered that when Yu Xiaogang wrote those words, he was referring to Soul Masters who had a small amount of Innate Soul Power and could cultivate Soul Power, but whose Martial Souls were rather "tasteless to eat and a pity to throw away."

He believed that as long as these Soul Masters chose suitable Soul Rings, paired them with appropriate Soul Skills, and clearly understood their own roles, they could secure a certain tactical position in a team.

Such Soul Masters didn't necessarily have to stand on the front lines as combat units. They could instead become purely support-oriented combat engineers or the brains directing the team, serving as its gears and lubricating oil. That was what "there are no trash Martial Souls" meant.

Those without Innate Soul Power, however, could forget about any of that. Without Innate Soul Power, they couldn't cultivate or absorb Soul Rings. They were the true "trash Soul Masters."

This theory was also linked to another, the "Martial Soul Mimicry Theory," which mainly explored the possible directions for a Martial Soul's choice of Soul Rings.

In this chapter, Yu Xiaogang listed many examples he had witnessed firsthand, attempting to demonstrate that the "Martial Soul Mimicry Theory" could indeed help many Soul Masters whose Martial Souls were considered "Trash Martial Souls" choose other possible paths of development.

That also brought in another theory often dismissed as meaningless: "Soul Master Role Classification," which divided Soul Masters into tactical systems according to their combat functions, such as the Power Attack System, Agility Attack System, and Control System.

This theory mainly discussed how Soul Masters should choose their tactical roles, and it was actually packed with useful substance.

Here, Yu Xiaogang encouraged Soul Masters to try taking on multiple systems and choose their systems according to the characteristics of their Martial Souls. He opposed Soul Masters locking themselves into a single system.

For example, the book asked why a Support System Soul Master couldn't also take on a defensive role.

If a Support System Soul Master could acquire defensive Soul Skills, they could simply heal themselves, bolstering defensive Soul Skills that weren't very strong to begin with.

That way, the team wouldn't have to divide its attention to protect the Support System Soul Master, reducing the pressure on its defenses and freeing up combat power on the front lines.

The Support System Soul Master could also move beyond a purely supportive role and take part in team battles.

For Martial Souls with almost no offensive ability, Yu Xiaogang proposed the "Martial Soul Heterogeneous Fusion Theory," encouraging Soul Masters to actively attempt to achieve resonance between their Martial Souls and those of other Soul Masters.

He believed that, under certain circumstances, even two or more completely unrelated Martial Souls had a chance of triggering a rare "Martial Soul Fusion Skill." That way, even a Trash Martial Soul could secure a significant position on a team.

All of Yu Xiaogang's theories offered Soul Masters specific advice based on a team setting.

In fact, on the Douluo Continent, Soul Masters who fought alone were relatively rare. Especially when hunting soul beasts, the vast majority preferred to fight in groups, forming at least a small team like a party of adventurers. That was also why Soul Masters were divided into systems.

Humanity's greatest advantage was, fundamentally, still the division of labor and cooperation.

It could be said that the book had greatly changed Zhou You's impression of Yu Xiaogang. His ten theories had not been pulled out of thin air on a whim; they were supported by a wealth of real examples and data.

No wonder Yu Xiaogang was widely recognized as a Grandmaster in Martial Soul research. His reputation hadn't simply been inflated by Bibi Dong's influence; he possessed genuine knowledge and ability.

This was a real world. Not everyone on the Douluo Continent could possibly be an idiot, nor could everyone be willing to lick Bibi Dong's boots.

The Upper Three Sects and the royal families of the two great empires all had delicate relationships with Spirit Hall, yet they too were fairly convinced of Yu Xiaogang's reputation as a "Grandmaster." The reasons behind that were well worth pondering.

However, Zhou You had also spotted some flaws in Yu Xiaogang's theories. Although he hadn't finished reading "Peerless Tang Sect," he knew that besides Beast Martial Souls and Tool Martial Souls, this world also had something called Body Martial Souls.

There were also Plant-type Martial Souls. Yu Xiaogang's decision to classify them directly as Tool Martial Souls was somewhat crude and simplistic. Although most Plant-type Martial Souls were used in ways similar to Tool Martial Souls, their biological characteristics could not be ignored.

For example, when it came to Martial Soul Avatars, those of Plant-type Martial Souls and Tool Martial Souls were entirely different matters.

Moreover, like Beast Martial Souls, Plant-type Martial Souls could bestow certain biological characteristics of the Martial Soul upon the Soul Master, something Tool Martial Souls had difficulty doing.

Zhou You actually believed that Martial Souls had to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. Broad classifications were acceptable, but forcing them into categories was not appropriate.

Moreover, Yu Xiaogang's theories actually had a major problem: they were built on statistical models based on experience. That meant that if something fell outside the scope of that experience, his theories would have difficulty explaining it.

Of course, this was not only Yu Xiaogang's limitation, but also a limitation of the times. His work had merely involved systematically compiling scattered empirical data, but that act still had positive significance for all Soul Masters across the continent.

If Zhou You were merely a native without a god's-eye view, he too would have to acknowledge Yu Xiaogang's title of "Grandmaster."

Zhou You spoke clearly and logically, and he even had insights of his own. This undoubtedly gave Liu Suxin another jolt.

These days, a Soul Master with brains was practically a rare treasure, and those willing to apply that intelligence outside of combat were rarer still, like phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

Liu Suxin recognized the value of this intelligence almost immediately.

As a result, Zhou You didn't have to expend much effort before Liu Suxin agreed that, as long as he completed his elementary-stage studies before the next Quarterly Assessment, she would allow him onto the second floor.