"During this time, besides sensing your Martial Soul Traits, you also need to think about what kind of Soul Master you want to become.
Martial Souls are divided by function into combat types and support types.
Combat types include Power Attack, Agility Attack, Defense, Control, Spirit, ranged, and so on;
Support types can be divided into enhancement, healing, food, suppression, sensing, and so on.
Our Seven Kill Sword belongs to the combat-type Martial Souls. It contains the Metal, Water, and Spirit Attributes, so Power Attack goes without saying;
Because of the existence of the Sword Control Technique, it can also serve as ranged or Agility Attack just as well;
Stacking the Metal Attribute can steel the defense, or increasing the Water Attribute can provide flexible defense. Whether Metal or Water, in terms of defensive power, both are second only to Earth, and neither is inferior to the other;
The killing aura enhancement of the Seven Kill Sword has an application effect involving Mental Power;
With skilled technique, area attacks and spirit attacks can also be good at control, So Power Attack, Agility Attack, Defense, Spirit, and Control can all be handled. In total, there are seven mature Soul Master paths."
Chen Cong paused, picked up his tea, wet his lips, and said with an easy expression, "Let me explain something here. It isn't that becoming a Titled Douluo means a path is mature. Each person has at most nine soul rings. Each soul ring must be chosen well, as close to perfect as possible, while taking into account the Soul Master's early growth, mid-stage changes, and late-stage strength.
In terms of soul skills, the first four soul rings below ten thousand years must satisfy current applications while not seeming outdated later on; in the mid-stage, the Soul Master's individual combat system should initially take shape, and the fifth, sixth, and seventh soul skills must possess extremely high adaptability, enough to deal with the vast majority of situations; in the late-stage, the eighth and ninth soul skills must have the ability to settle things with one blow and turn the tables from a desperate position;
The type and effects of each soul skill have certain defined ranges. The nine soul skills must form a combat system that is logically coherent, with no waste, and able to withstand scrutiny. At the same time, the choice of soul beasts must be broadly available, and the soul beasts for the soul rings must have substitutes.
Only by meeting these requirements can it count as a mature path, with a stable lower limit and an upper limit capable of maximizing combat power.
If you read books thoroughly, you'll discover that every inherited force has at least one powerful path. The first few soul skills are basically the same, and though the mid- to late-stage soul skills differ in power, their types are largely similar, different approaches achieving the same result.
Our Seven Kill Sword is an offensive Martial Soul. No matter what, it has top-tier offensive ability. It's only a matter of which side it leans toward. To put it plainly, it's merely the different choices between strength type, balanced type, and technique type.
Fortunately, the clan currently has Soul Masters on most of these paths, so they should be able to give you enough advice and experience in this regard.
Your grandfather is a Power Attack Type Soul Master biased toward control, which is to say a strong control type Battle Soul Master; your father, Chen Xun, follows the strength type Power Attack route; your Grandfather Hong chose a route that combines offense and defense, which can also be called a Strong Defense Type Battle Soul Master; your grandfather Wen Chao is an Agility Attack Type."
"Strong control type? Strong Defense Type?"
"Type is a finer subdivision beneath system. It's generally used for Soul Masters involving two different systems, or for unique classifications, to make them easier to understand."
Chen Xiaojun blinked and asked, "Then what about you, second granduncle?"
Chen Cong laughed freely and replied, "Haha, I am a Control Type Soul Master."
"What other paths are there?"
"There are more. Your Grandma Xin is Spirit Type. As for Defense Type..."
Chen Yu opened his eyes, which had been closed in rest until now, and cut in, "Someone in the clan chose the Defense Type, but he isn't in the village, so we won't talk about it."
"..." Chen Xiaojun thought to himself, grandfather suddenly cutting in like this—looks like there's another story there.
Chen Yu looked deeply at Chen Xiaojun and said solemnly, "Don't ask for our opinions. Let your personality and beliefs decide, and follow the choice of your own heart. A melon forced off the vine isn't sweet. This is the choice of your entire life, and once you make your move, there is no regret. Don't rush. There is plenty of time to decide."
Chen Cong followed up, "Mm. Tell us after you've made your decision."
After thinking for only a moment, Chen Xiaojun said decisively, "No need to think it over. Adults make choices—children want everything!"
As he spoke, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he explained, "Besides, my Sword God Pearl has ten pearls. Divine swords have spirits, and I can feel that each one has its own personality and temperament. There's no way to make them fit a single unified style. My Martial Soul has destined me to walk a path of ever-changing versatility, one that combines attack, defense, strength, technique, speed, and spirit."
Chen Yu and Chen Cong glanced at each other. Chen Cong said, "This... Xiaojun, this is something no one before you has had. Being all-around may very well mean mediocrity. Won't you be more cautious?"
Chen Xiaojun shook his head and said, "My Martial Soul itself is mutated. I believe in my Martial Soul! I want to walk a path that belongs to me. What suits me is the strongest! 'Existence is reasonable'!"
Chen Yu was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Very good. A swordsman advances bravely, never yielding no matter how many setbacks he suffers. Your choice is yours to make!"
"Thank you, Grandfather!" Chen Xiaojun smiled brightly.
"Since you want to take so many things into account, how do you plan to choose your soul skills? Do you have any ideas?" Chen Cong tilted his head and asked.
"Second granduncle, you just said that Soul Masters with inheritances choose their soul skills based on the Martial Soul's traits and functions, as well as the Soul Master's personality and preferences.
In my view, Martial Souls have their own temperaments. The Clear Sky Hammer is domineering, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is proud and majestic, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is meticulous and rigorous.
As for us Sword Martial Souls, whether it is raising the sword and drawing it from the sheath to test it against the world; killing with one strike, then fleeing a thousand miles away; washing away all brilliance and hiding one's edge; or ruling over the world in radiant splendor—they are all representatives of peerless sharpness. The Seven Kill Sword has merely taken it to the extreme.
Since I chose a broad and extensive path, and since I already said that divine swords have spirits, these ten Sword God Pearls each have their own temperament. So I won't choose based on the Martial Soul Traits or a person's preferences, but will start from the divine swords' temperaments.
This pearl is telling me that it represents refinement and elegance—the refinement of the sword, the elegance of the sword."
As Chen Xiaojun spoke, he activated his Martial Soul. The Sword God Pearls in his hand spun nonstop, and one faint white, somewhat transparent pearl, just like an unparalleled luminous pearl, flew out.
"It told you that?" Chen Cong abruptly stood up.
Seeing Chen Cong's unusual reaction, Chen Xiaojun said, "Yes. Last night, when I used Mental Power to make contact with the Sword God Pearls, this pearl was relatively active. It gave me an extremely intimate feeling and conveyed some vague thoughts and information to me. Second granduncle, is something wrong?"
"What about the other nine?" Chen Cong asked again, urgently.
"They're a little quiet, but I feel close to all of them." Chen Xiaojun scratched his head and said.
"Did this pearl convey any other information?"
"It seems to mean that choosing refined and elegant soul beasts can increase its spirituality and power."
"I should have thought of it earlier. I should have thought of it earlier..." Chen Cong paced back and forth a few steps.
"Second Brother, what is it?" Chen Yu looked at Chen Cong and asked in confusion.
Chen Cong stopped thinking at this point and said seriously, "Big Brother, I feel this child is probably not merely a Top Martial Soul!"
"How so?"
"This child's martial soul is a mutation—a positive mutation combining our Chen Clan's Ninth Grade Martial Soul, the Seven Kill Sword, and the Ye Family's Seventh Grade Spirit, the Seven-Colored Begonia Bracelet, two great Top Martial Souls. In theory, he could have awakened a Super Martial Soul, but because of the limits of heaven and earth, the divine swords concealed their own brilliance;
"But perhaps the martial soul was powerful enough to withstand the backlash, or perhaps the ten divine swords dispersed it. In short, Xiaojun is fine, and his martial soul doesn't have such severe side effects or flaws.
"To put it simply, this is already the embryonic form of a Super Martial Soul, which is why it can exert a trace of pressure on our Seven Kill Sword. The difficulty of evolving it is far lower than the usual evolution into a Super Martial Soul.
"The proof is the spirituality of this Sword God Pearl. According to my research, the more powerful a martial soul is, the higher its spirituality. This pearl's spirituality is even stronger than that of our Seven Kill Sword. I suspect it already has the embryonic form of a will, or that its will is in a restricted state.
"This Sword God Pearl's spirituality is active, which should mean Xiaojun has reached rank ten Soul Power and can attach a soul ring. I estimate that in the future, once Xiaojun's Soul Power reaches the required level, the other pearls will become active one by one."
"How confident are you?"
"Seventy percent!"
"Good. I trust your conclusion. It seems we'll have to reconsider our arrangements." Chen Yu turned his head and said to Chen Xiaojun, enunciating every word, "Xiaojun, it looks like the intensity of your studies will have to increase."
"Yes. A sword without a steel edge is not sharp; a man without will is not steadfast. I will work hard and not disappoint grandfather, second granduncle, or everyone else. This grandson will surely 'stand atop the highest peak, Looking Down on All Mountains'!"
"Stand atop the highest peak, Looking Down on All Mountains... What fine ambition!" Chen Yu and Chen Cong clapped their hands and sighed in praise.
Chen Cong thought for a moment, then his hand flashed past his belt. A book appeared in his hand, its cover bearing the words Chen Clan Seven Kill Sword Soul Master Records. He handed it to Chen Xiaojun. "This records the seven paths of the Chen Clan I mentioned. You can study it carefully as a reference."
"Understood, second granduncle." Chen Xiaojun accepted the book.
"In the coming period, I will continue explaining knowledge related to identifying soul beasts and classifying soul skills to you every day."
After Chen Cong finished speaking, he pointed to a thick book and a thin book on the nearby desk, then continued, "Though soul beasts number in the countless thousands, this Soul Beast Encyclopedia records most of the species below ten thousand years that soul masters generally need to know. The other book, Chen Clan's Research on Targeted Soul Skills, records dozens of soul skills suited to our Seven Kill Sword, as well as their corresponding soul beasts.
"These three books will be the focus of your studies for the near future.
"I'll give you a task. After you finish reading them, combine what you've learned with your own martial soul and plan out your first few soul skills, then tell us."
"As for our Chen Clan's cultivation methods, your grandfather will teach you. I'll head out first." After saying this, Chen Cong walked straight outside.
Tang San's first martial soul had turned into poisonous grass from the very beginning. If not for his Fifth Soul Ring awakening his Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline, it would have charged wildly down the path of poison.
As for your Recommendation Tickets and collections, I'm rubbing my hands together in anticipation, heh heh heh.
Before you continue