"Distraction Control Soul Refining Art," Two Options

Yan's training in the three aspects of Essence, Qi, and Spirit went without saying when it came to the Meditation Method.

Given the talent Yan had displayed and Spirit Hall's accumulated resources, the Meditation Method they provided was naturally a high-level one best suited to Yan's Flame Lord martial soul.

Even with You Chen's experience and knowledge beyond this world, it was difficult for him to improve upon it.

But physical training was another matter.

In his youth, You Chen had pursued perfection in every aspect in order to increase, by even the slightest margin, the possibility of Martial Soul Evolution.

Early on, he had brought the scientific training methods from his previous life into this world, adapting them to suit soul masters' physiques and the characteristics of martial souls.

Though this scientific training regimen could not compare to the body cultivation techniques of martial arts worlds, it was absolutely far beyond this world's level of knowledge.

And it was leagues beyond Yu Xiaogang's running-based training method.

After making targeted adjustments to this scientific regimen according to Yan's martial soul characteristics, You Chen taught it to Yan.

Yan's talent went without saying. After training day after day for several years, he had naturally mastered it perfectly.

The only regret was that Yan's spiritual power talent was ordinary. You Chen's "Distraction Control Soul Refining Art" was a spiritual secret art developed entirely around his own talents, so it was not particularly compatible with Yan.

Even after You Chen made slight modifications to the secret art for Yan's sake based on some of Spirit Hall's collected texts, it only marginally improved its cultivation efficiency.

In a world where methods for cultivating spiritual power were generally nonexistent, Yan was already exceptionally fortunate in the growth of his spiritual power, and his progress was fast enough. Otherwise, his Soul Power growth would have been surpassed by Xie Yue after he had diverted so much of his attention elsewhere.

But compared with the rate at which his other two aspects improved, it was truly lacking.

"If you want to achieve the final form of the 'Mobile Flying Cannon' I described, you absolutely cannot stop cultivating the Distraction Control Soul Refining Art. At your current stage, you can only stand still and fire, yet my attacks are enough to make you unable to maintain the form of the Fire God Cannon. In the future, you will need to maintain precise artillery attacks while moving... At the very least, I hope you can reach the stage of dividing your mind into three uses."

In terms of effectiveness alone, the "Distraction Control Soul Refining Art" surpassed even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's secret art of "Heart Separation Control."

However, this spiritual cultivation method required an innate talent like his own—the ability to divide one's mind among multiple tasks. Others could not cultivate it—perhaps members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could, but the immense barrier between Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect ruled out that possibility.

As for why Yan could cultivate it, it was naturally because of the "old grandpa" behind him—the "cheat" known as You Chen.

Through the trust between master and disciple, along with Yan's almost childlike state of mind, You Chen had actively used a secret hypnosis technique to achieve an effect similar to "empowerment," forcibly allowing Yan to complete the introductory stage.

Was it necessary to expend such enormous effort?

The answer was yes. The "Distraction Control Soul Refining Art" possessed that kind of value.

You Chen's talent was certainly not low. He was undoubtedly a genius.

It was merely that, perhaps due to having physically crossed over, You Chen was not a native inhabitant of the Douluo world. His aptitude for Soul Power had only gradually emerged after being assimilated by this world, and thus was insufficient.

This "Distraction Control Soul Refining Art" was the finest manifestation of this genius's innate talent.

If it were fully perfected, it would absolutely become a top-tier secret art capable of founding a sect.

Unlike the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Heart Separation Control, which merely allowed one to do different things simultaneously, Heart Separation Control could not handle multiple distinct or even conflicting trains of thought.

For example, You Chen could use entirely different soul skills with his left and right hands while coordinating them perfectly, freely changing moves in battle.

But if Ning Rongrong used different soul skills with her left and right hands, once she unleashed them, she would not even be able to alter their direction. It was far more rigid. After all, using a single soul skill already required her full concentration. Now that she was dividing her attention to control them, how could she possibly achieve perfection?

Heart Separation Control was merely like fighting with both hands independently, while the Distraction Control Soul Refining Art was equivalent to gaining an entirely additional thought process. They were completely different concepts.

You Chen could now divide his mind into four uses, reaching the Four Hearts Realm.

After several years of cultivation, Yan had barely entered the Two Hearts Realm.

He could simultaneously contemplate complex tactics and perfectly unleash the Fire God Cannon. Or he could maintain the offensive and defensive abilities expected of a normal assault-type soul master while also using the Fire God Cannon.

Yan's Fire God Cannon had yet to become instinctive to control. He had to expend a great deal of mental effort to maintain it. Coupled with the fact that his Two Hearts Realm was not yet stable, there had been flaws in his performance earlier.

The further one progressed with this secret art, the more difficult it became. Even with You Chen's help, Yan had spent around three years entering the Two Hearts Realm. You Chen's requirement for him was only that he reach the Three Hearts Realm during the Soul Sage stage and be able to use "Flying Cannon" mode.

Perhaps feeling that his progress had disappointed his teacher, Yan lowered his head somewhat dejectedly and gritted his teeth. "Teacher, I'll work even harder from now on!"

"No, I never expected you to make any leap in growth in this regard."

"Uh."

You Chen glanced at the dumbfounded Yan and said calmly, "Correctly assessing a disciple's abilities is also a quality a qualified teacher should possess."

He paused, then continued, "In another year—two years at most—you will need to absorb your fourth soul ring. If your spiritual power is insufficient, then no matter how firm your willpower is, the soul masters leading you to hunt soul beasts will not allow you to absorb a soul ring with a ten-thousand-year lifespan.

"Although Hu Liena has the lowest talent among the three of you, I have to say that she truly benefited from the current meta.

"Thanks to the Demon Fox martial soul's affinity with spiritual attributes, even with lower spiritual power, she can endure the spiritual impact of a ten-thousand-year soul ring.

"With the enhancement that a ten-thousand-year soul ring grants a soul master, during the Soul Ancestor stage, her overall strength may truly surpass Xie Yue, who is neglected by both parents, as well as you, whose system has yet to fully take shape.

"Leaving aside the fact that you probably cannot accept such a situation yourself, for the sake of your own growth, you should naturally strive to do your best at every stage.

"So, regardless of cultivating the Distraction Control Soul Refining Art, you must raise your spiritual power to the Spirit Sea Realm before absorbing your fourth soul ring. For that, I have two options."

Under Yan's anxious yet expectant gaze, You Chen slowly raised two fingers.

Yan swallowed. He did not know what kind of options You Chen would offer. He only knew that his teacher had never disappointed him.

Even though countless people had disparaged him as a mediocre teacher years ago, he had later proved them wrong, using facts to demonstrate the truth.

"The first option. I have a Head Soul Bone that is over ten thousand years old. Absorb it, and your spiritual power will definitely break through to the Spirit Sea Realm."