A Brief Discussion of Martial Soul Evolution and Soul Ring Compatibility, and Tang San's Change

After dinner, Xiang Yang said goodbye to his companions and made his way to Grandmaster's room with practiced ease. He had noticed it the first time he came and had taken a closer look on his later visits: this room was much better than the student dorms, and it was a single room, too. He just didn't know whether all the teachers' rooms were like this, or only Yu Xiaogang's.

He knocked and offered a greeting. Once he had permission, he crossed the threshold and closed the door behind him.

Xiang Yang looked around. As expected, Tang San was there too, though for some reason he was staring intently at him. Yu Xiaogang seemed to have told him something. "Xiao Yang, you're here." Grandmaster tugged his stiff cheeks into a smile. Taking in a student with Innate Full Soul Power and Twin Martial Souls seemed to have made him very happy.

"Xiao San, you two have already met, but you probably don't know that in the days since Xiao Yang arrived early, he's already mastered quite a bit of knowledge about Martial Souls. He also has quite a few novel ideas."

He was a little wistful. Two days ago, he had offered to take Xiang Yang as a disciple, only to be politely refused. Still, it was no great matter. Xiang Yang had said that although he wouldn't become his disciple, the two of them could still share what they knew and exchange ideas often. The absence of a formal master-disciple relationship wouldn't affect any of that.

Besides, he was already quite satisfied to have Tang San as his disciple.

Xiang Yang smiled and said softly, "You flatter me, Grandmaster. If you hadn't allowed me to come here and study, I wouldn't have progressed so quickly."

That was no mere pleasantry. Most of the academy's books covered the basics, and many even repeated the same material. By comparison, the books Yu Xiaogang had here were of much higher quality and had helped him considerably.

"Mm, you're just in time. I was about to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of Xiao San's Martial Soul and his Soul Ring options." Yu Xiaogang didn't deny the care he had shown him; some things didn't need saying. After spending the past few days with Xiang Yang, he was very pleased with him. He was a good, ambitious child. It would have been even better if he could have become his disciple—one for theory and one for combat.

"I see. Actually, I've thought about it too. If you could choose your Martial Soul, one like Blue Silver Grass would indeed be a pretty good option."

"Oh? How so?" Yu Xiaogang was curious about what the theoretical genius in his eyes had to say.

Xiang Yang had read this work in his youth and could only remember the broad strokes, but he remembered the details about Blue Silver Grass and the Blue Silver Emperor quite clearly. He was ready to drop a bombshell. "Grandmaster, over the past few days, I've read quite a bit about Soul Beasts and the Martial Souls passed down in certain Soul Master families. I wonder if you've ever noticed something?"

"What?"

"Evolution! Soul Beasts and Soul Masters are constantly evolving. The weak become strong, but those that are already strong have difficulty changing further. Take Martial Soul Mutation, for example. Some weak Martial Souls undergo changes, good or bad, for all sorts of reasons. But Martial Souls that are already powerful are very stable, so it's difficult for them to change further. Their upper limit has already been fixed."

"The weak evolve easily? Strength is a shackle instead? That's an interesting idea. Don't laugh, but I've actually noticed these things too. In fact, they're what I've paid the most attention to. It's just that families with Martial Souls passed down from generation to generation would never let outsiders near their secrets, so although I wanted to investigate, I've never reached any good results." His own Martial Soul was the product of a harmful mutation, so naturally, this was the area of knowledge he valued most and had spent the most time on.

"Grandmaster, how do you think evolution occurs?"

Normally, evolution didn't necessarily mean becoming stronger. Generally, life simply changed itself to adapt to its surroundings, and only those that changed successfully survived, which could be considered a form of survivorship bias. But on the Douluo Continent, there was nothing wrong with saying evolution meant becoming stronger.

"Martial Soul Mutation occurs because of inheritance from one's parents or certain extreme circumstances." Thanks to his family, Spirit Hall, and his travels across the continent, Yu Xiaogang ranked near the top in accumulated knowledge, even if he wasn't very strong.

"More precisely, it's innate endowment and acquired environment and resources."

"Take the generally powerful dragon-type Soul Beasts as an example. Fire-attribute dragons and water-attribute dragons have evolved in almost completely opposite directions. That's because their environments and resources differed, causing them to take completely opposite paths despite both being dragons."

"But after evolving, they're born as powerful dragon-type Soul Beasts, and that very strength means they hardly ever change again. Many dragon-type Soul Beasts were already like this thousands or tens of thousands of years ago. Is it because they don't want to evolve?"

"I don't think so. But whatever the case, what we can be sure of is that this strength also limits them. Precisely because they're strong, they can survive without changing. But once they find themselves in an environment they can't adapt to, they'll be eliminated. If they encounter a Soul Beast that counters them, or one similar to them but entirely superior, they'll be utterly unable to resist."

"Limit Flow?" Yu Xiaogang had nothing on this in his collection. Normally, such knowledge wasn't taught until the advanced Soul Master Academy level. He hadn't expected a six-year-old child to grasp it merely from reading some basic materials.

In the mainstream Soul Master World—meaning Soul Masters above level thirty—there were two schools: Limit Flow and Balanced Flow.

As the name suggested, Limit Flow pursued a single extreme within one's own class. Its advantage was that one could devote limited skills and effort to reaching the utmost, but if things turned against them, it was almost impossible to turn the tables.

Balanced Flow pursued all-around development, using strengths to make up for weaknesses. Its advantage was that it had no absolute shortcomings and could adapt to complex, ever-changing combat environments. Its disadvantage was that it wasn't outstanding in any one area and had no particular point that stood out.

Each school had its advantages and disadvantages, and each had its own followers in the Soul Master World, for various reasons.

Listening to his teacher, Tang San couldn't hold back his question. "Teacher, which direction should I take?"

"In my opinion, it would be best to develop along the Limit Flow path. Balanced Flow develops every aspect but can't deliver a decisive blow, while those who follow Limit Flow can rely on a team to make up for one another's shortcomings."

Yu Xiaogang laid out the plan he had long since prepared. "Your Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass, is practically synonymous with weakness. As I said before, precisely because it's so inconspicuous, hardly anyone will guard against it. And since it has many possible directions for development, according to my theory, it would be best to follow the control path, focusing on strengthening Blue Silver Grass's toughness and adding a poison attribute. The most common Soul Beasts that satisfy both requirements are certain poisonous snakes and vines."

"First, the most common ability of a Plant-type Martial Soul is to entangle and bind enemies. That hardly needs explaining. And simply injecting Soul Power into the Martial Soul can strengthen its toughness. You have Innate Full Soul Power, so as long as your Soul Power is strong enough, you naturally won't need to worry about your Martial Soul lacking strength, especially since the Soul Beast's characteristics will also strengthen your Martial Soul through the Soul Ring. Second, poison is the ideal choice for defeating the strong as the weak. Blue Silver Grass is a tool Martial Soul, so adding poison won't hurt you. Combined with the fact that hardly anyone will deliberately guard against it, there's a very good chance of hitting your opponent, giving you both damage and control."

Blue Silver Grass's weakness meant it could take on most attributes without conflict. Tang San had already heard his teacher say this before Xiang Yang arrived. As a Tang Sect disciple, he was skilled with poison, and he also had Hidden Weapons and a Second Martial Soul. He nodded and was about to agree when Xiang Yang suddenly spoke up from beside him.

"No, Grandmaster, you're still overlooking something." Tang San's words were cut off. In his view, his teacher's theory was seamless and perfectly reasonable, so he looked at Xiang Yang with surprise and a touch of displeasure. If his teacher hadn't said earlier... Hmph! I'd like to see what he has to say.

Yu Xiaogang hadn't expected him to suddenly contradict him either, but from observing Xiang Yang these past few days, he knew the child must have good reason to be confident before saying something like this.

Seeing both of them facing him, Xiang Yang took a deep breath. "As I said earlier, Soul Masters and Soul Beasts are constantly evolving. Unlike Soul Beasts, the main driving force behind the evolution of a Soul Master's Martial Soul is the Soul Rings they add."

Another factor was the soul. If someone experienced a major mental upheaval, there was a certain chance their Martial Soul would change along with it. The most famous example in the past century was Ghost Douluo, though only a few people knew this; most believed Ghost Douluo's Martial Soul had been like that from birth.

"I've looked into the development of quite a few Soul Master families. Although the records weren't very detailed, the Martial Souls most of these families began with were clearly nothing powerful. Some didn't even have many Soul Ring skills at the start.

"Then, one generation obtained Soul Skills highly compatible with their Martial Soul. These Soul Skills were notably powerful, which led later generations to continue advancing and developing along that path. Gradually, Martial Souls without attributes began mutating to gain corresponding elemental attributes, or characteristics similar to the Soul Ring skills of previous generations."

"This...?" Yu Xiaogang was so shaken that his scalp tingled. He had never considered it from this angle. The idea of knowledge being passed down through generations, like a flame handed from one torch to the next, tore down and rebuilt some of his previous understanding.

Tang San fared a little better. He recalled that the cultivation methods, manuals, and Hidden Weapons of the Tang Sect in his previous life had likewise been built up through generations of accumulated effort. Few had been achieved in a single step.

Yu Xiaogang was in his forties, after all, and quickly recovered. "But that effect takes the accumulated efforts of several generations or even more. What does it have to do with my considerations for Xiao San's Soul Rings?"

"Of course it's related. First, it's not impossible for a plant Martial Soul to absorb the Soul Ring of an animal-type Soul Beast. But aside from certain special Martial Souls, absorbing the Soul Ring of a Plant-type Soul Beast of the same kind is clearly more beneficial to the Martial Soul itself. We can sum this up as 'compatibility.' I believe that with proper planning, Martial Soul Evolution can be completed within one person!"

Another point was that plants actually evolved and mutated much faster and more easily than animals, but there was no need to mention that.

"Not every Soul Ring absorbed by members of those Martial Soul families is sufficiently compatible. Some might even negatively affect Martial Soul Evolution. Besides, most only get three or four Soul Rings in their entire lives, without even a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring. The energies of Soul Rings of different ages are worlds apart, so theoretically, the degree of evolution they can grant a Martial Soul is completely different too."

Yu Xiaogang agreed with this. Although his own level wasn't high because of his Martial Soul, he knew quite a few high-level Soul Masters, so he had some understanding of the power of older Soul Rings.

Xiang Yang, meanwhile, was confident because of his memories from his previous life. Besides, if even animal Soul Rings could bring about such great changes in Blue Silver Grass, there was even less need to mention the more suitable plant-type Soul Rings.

"Second, what are the characteristics of Blue Silver Grass? Tang San, have you ever observed it?" As he spoke, he suddenly called on him by name.

"Huh?"

The sudden question caught Tang San, who had been listening closely, off guard. He thought back and realized he had paid almost no attention to Blue Silver Grass, so he could only repeat what he had heard from Yu Xiaogang. "It grows everywhere, has vigorous vitality, and... is weak?"

Xiang Yang shook his head. "No, those are only surface traits. At its core, it should be 'adaptation' plus 'reproduction.' Only those two things together allow the innately weak Blue Silver Grass to grow everywhere. And its vigorous vitality is only an appearance. The reason is simply that it hasn't been pulled up by the roots; it can regenerate only because its foundation hasn't been damaged.

"It mainly relies on putting down roots in the earth and absorbing nutrients from it. In a person's case, that would be Soul Power. After all, Blue Silver Grass is only grass. Given its size, it can't compete in total vitality with large plants like vines or trees."

That's true. Master and disciple both thought it over and found he was right. Blue Silver Grass's tenacious vitality amounted to regeneration and recovery, but given its size, it couldn't store much vitality itself.

"Then what kind of Soul Rings would be best to obtain?" Tang San hadn't expected Xiang Yang's argument to be so well reasoned and couldn't help asking. Yu Xiaogang was also curious what answer he could give.

"Hmm..." Xiang Yang pondered for a moment. "For now, I can think of four types: moss, bamboo, Golden Hairpin Grass—dandelion—and Silver Dan Herb—mint. The first can strengthen Blue Silver Grass's adaptability, especially its resistance to cold and heat. Also, 'water nurtures wood.' Moss can store water, and the water attribute can strengthen plants across the board, especially when it comes to regeneration and recovery, which Blue Silver Grass is best at."

Many of the plants and animals in this world had some connection to those of his previous life. Thinking about it, that was understandable; after all, there had been references.

That sounded quite good. It was a relationship of mutual generation and restraint between attributes, something very familiar and easy for Tang San to understand.

But he was so focused on Xiang Yang's words that he failed to notice Yu Xiaogang's surprised expression. Yu Xiaogang found this idea quite novel. Although he didn't know much about ordinary plants, it did sound right.

Just like the theories he had published before, many of these things were plainly widespread, yet few people discovered them or paid them any attention. Even after he published them, few had gone to verify them; most had simply accepted or questioned them.

"Next is bamboo. Bamboo itself is also a kind of grass, but it has strength comparable to trees, a high rate of reproduction, and good adaptability. Absorbing it should greatly increase Blue Silver Grass's strength and regeneration speed. As for the Soul Skill, I'd expect something like thrusting spikes up from underground. But bamboo Soul Beasts of a suitable age are very rare. They're a primary choice for quite a few weapon-type Soul Masters, so they aren't easy to find."

"Last are Golden Hairpin Grass and Silver Dan Herb. Both are edible. The former can detoxify and disperse blood stasis, and judging by the way it reproduces—which is also how it attacks—it will most likely provide an area-of-effect skill. The latter can refresh the mind and clear the eyes. Judging by the records in the books, barring any surprises, it should be able to enhance mental strength.

"Both Soul Beasts can strengthen the corresponding characteristics of Blue Silver Grass itself. Unfortunately, these two are rather rare, as they're food for other Soul Beasts."

More precisely, plant-type Soul Beasts were all quite rare. Compared with animals, plants were naturally at a disadvantage. Most ended up in the mouths of animal-type Soul Beasts before they could grow, and those that did grow were even more sought after.

This was also one reason Yu Xiaogang had proposed that Plant-type Martial Souls absorb the Soul Rings of animal-type Soul Beasts. Plant-type Soul Beasts were hard to find, and suitable ones even harder. Almost all of them were concentrated in large, natural Soul Beast gathering grounds, but how could a fledgling Soul Master go to such places? Those backed by powerful factions naturally had no need to worry.

At this point, however, Yu Xiaogang suddenly noticed something. "Wait, are those two food Soul Skills? Do you want Xiao San to follow the support path?" Tang San was also a little puzzled. He had no particular objection to the support class. With the Tang Sect Secret Arts and his Second Martial Soul, he didn't think he would lack means of attack anyway.

"Yes. I think control and support suit Blue Silver Grass better than the poison-and-control route." Xiang Yang nodded to both of them and continued, "The greatest advantage of Blue Silver Grass as a Martial Soul is its low Soul Power consumption. That characteristic is bound to carry over to its Soul Skills. If he absorbs some edible Plant-type Soul Beasts, then at the early stages, the number of Soul Skills Tang San can release will be beyond what other food-type Soul Masters of the same level can match.

"Conversely, if he absorbs some binding Soul Skills, given the Martial Soul's inherent strength, it's very possible an opponent will break through before the Blue Silver Grass can regenerate.

"Besides, none of the ones I mentioned are powerful Soul Beasts. Apart from bamboo, almost no one chooses the other three as Soul Rings. There's no need to worry about competing for them, and he won't encounter much resistance when absorbing them."

"However, these are only suggestions based on the types of Soul Beasts I currently know about. They aren't necessarily the best. Actually, in theory, it would be best to absorb a Soul Beast of the same kind. For a Martial Soul of the same origin, that should maximize the extent of its evolution. Unfortunately, Blue Silver Grass almost never becomes a Soul Beast. Even a hundred-year specimen is rare." Xiang Yang found it a pity. If there were a four-hundred-year-old—no, even a three-hundred-year-old—Blue Silver Grass Soul Beast, it would be no less than a heavenly treasure to Lin Ping, who had half a level of Soul Power, second only to a suitable Immortal Herb.

"That's enough, more than enough. Xiao Yang, your talent for Martial Soul Theory is far greater than mine." Yu Xiaogang couldn't help sighing. It seemed he had underestimated this child. He hadn't expected him to come up with such logical plans after reading for less than half a month.

Compared with him, Yu Xiaogang was merely showing off his axe skills before the master carpenter. All those years of research had truly been wasted. Seeing how dejected he looked, Tang San took his arm and comforted him. "Teacher, everyone has their own aspirations; they can't be forced. It's enough to do your best."

Haha, yes. Everyone had different talents and opportunities. If not for the problem with his Martial Soul, he would never have studied theoretical knowledge, nor would he have had so many experiences. There was nothing to lament.

And now, he was ready to devote the second half of his life to training Xiao San.

Afterward, the three of them found all of Yu Xiaogang's books on plant-type Soul Beasts and compared them one by one. In the end, they settled on several plans; the rest would depend on which Soul Beasts they encountered when the time came.

Late that night, Xiang Yang and Tang San went downstairs together to return to their dorms. "Thank you, Xiang Yang."

As they were about to part, Tang San suddenly thanked him in earnest. After all, Xiang Yang had had no need to share those ideas, yet he had done so. If Tang San obtained a better, more suitable Soul Ring because of them, Xiang Yang would deserve much of the credit. His teacher had indeed been right.

He recalled asking his teacher before Xiang Yang arrived whether Xiang Yang was also his disciple. After all, judging by their relationship, they seemed close. If he was, Tang San would have to call him senior brother.

To his surprise, Yu Xiaogang had fallen silent for a moment before saying, "I did intend to take him as my disciple, but unfortunately, he refused."

Tang San's tone had carried a hint of disdain along with his surprise. "Then it seems his judgment is poor, to actually refuse a wise man like you, Teacher." In his view, being able to tell that he had Twin Martial Souls from a single Martial Soul certificate made Yu Xiaogang a true grandmaster without question.

As for how strong he was, Tang San didn't care. Leaving aside the fact that he had the Mysterious Heaven Skill and other Tang Sect Secret Arts, a teacher couldn't pass his strength on to a disciple, so what good was being stronger? It could only be said that he still didn't know about hunting Soul Beasts. If he could become the disciple of a powerful teacher, then even if the Soul Ring wasn't compatible enough, its age would definitely meet his needs.

Yu Xiaogang had been somewhat puzzled by his words, so Tang San simply told him how Xiang Yang had only noticed that his Martial Soul didn't match his Innate Soul Power, along with how the gatekeeper had made things difficult for him during registration. Of course, there was no need to mention that he had wanted to kill the man with a Hidden Weapon. In any case, he looked down somewhat on people who used such methods. They reminded him of the senior and junior brothers, deacons, and martial uncles in the sect in his previous life, who insisted on scheming against one another and making even simple matters complicated.

Yu Xiaogang had laughed. "It seems you don't understand much about the ways of the world, Xiao San. But I can't blame you for that; you're still young, after all. Children like Xiang Yang are rare." He had visited the flower shop a few times and learned a little about what Xiang Yang had been like before. After all, he had intended to take him as a disciple, so an opportunity to learn about him was naturally a good thing. He simply hadn't expected to be refused.

Seeing Tang San's surprised expression, Yu Xiaogang had said, "Although you're precocious, you've had too little experience." Tang San was puzzled. He had been around thirty in his previous life. Although he had spent most of his time in the sect, surely he couldn't be worse than a six-year-old child?

Yu Xiaogang had patiently explained it to his disciple. "Think about it. What does it tell you when a gatekeeper dares to deliberately stop a student? Does he not know that the students will all become Soul Masters in the future? Isn't he afraid someone will come looking for trouble later? Of course it's because he has a distant relative who teaches at the academy, and you're a work-study student."

"Huh?" Tang San was a little speechless. This...

"And then there's what you're wearing. It really is... ahem. People like him are actually quite common. They live much better than work-study students, yet they have no Soul Power. It would be one thing if they didn't see it, but they happen to be surrounded by it." As he spoke, he grew somewhat melancholy. How similar that situation was to his own. "Sigh."

"Xiang Yang handled it very well. He didn't let the situation escalate. Given his circumstances, there's no way he would care about those two Copper Soul Coins. Presumably, he was just taking the chance to step down."

"Xiao San, there's no need to get worked up over this sort of thing. Your time and effort are precious. Don't waste them on such matters."

After listening to Grandmaster, Tang San understood something and said thoughtfully, "Mm, all right, Teacher."

"And Xiang Yang is the person you should truly befriend. That little fellow's talent for Martial Soul Theory is definitely greater than mine, and he isn't at all stingy about sharing..."

Knock! Knock!

Hmm? Tang San frowned.

"Haha, speak of him and he appears. Come in!"

Recalling everything that had just happened, he found his teacher was right. Xiang Yang was indeed someone worth befriending.

And the evolution of an individual's Martial Soul?

He hadn't expected such a thing to be possible. After listening to Xiang Yang's discussion with his teacher, Tang San was also very interested in what his Blue Silver Grass might evolve into. In his previous life, he had enjoyed studying Hidden Weapons; perhaps in this life, he could study Martial Souls. His teacher happened to be well versed in Martial Soul Theory.

"It's nothing. Since we were able to meet here, it must be fate. Besides, you're not a bad person, so of course I should help if I can. If I ask you for help in the future, don't turn me down," Xiang Yang said with a smile.

"All right, I won't!" After coming back to his senses, Tang San instinctively raised his fist for a bump, but suddenly remembered that this was no longer his previous life. Before he could withdraw it, however, Xiang Yang had already bumped fists with him. It seemed there was a similar custom here.

After saying goodbye, the two returned to their respective dorms to rest. Xiang Yang's elementary school life in another world had officially begun after his reincarnation.