Bibi Dong Wants to Know

Martial Souls could be passed down through bloodlines. There was no doubt about that.

Yet mutations occasionally occurred during inheritance, and that was the direction Su Cheng had focused his research on in recent years.

It was not merely to make up for his own flaws. More importantly, using this as a point of entry might allow him to unravel some of the mysteries of Martial Souls.

After consulting a great deal of material, he discovered that aside from Martial Soul mutations, most Martial Souls actually weakened gradually over the course of long-term inheritance.

This was because Martial Souls were inherited through bloodlines. Over time, impurities accumulated within the bloodline.

Martial Souls themselves possessed attributes. Unless they were supreme Martial Souls that held absolute dominance over the bloodline, descendants would inevitably be affected by both parents' Martial Souls during inheritance, though outwardly they would inherit only one side.

As impurities continuously accumulated in the bloodline, mutations emerged once they reached a certain level.

Su Cheng guessed that if the impurities in the bloodline conflicted with the primary attribute of the Martial Soul, a malignant mutation would occur. If their attributes were compatible, however, it would likely result in a beneficial mutation or Martial Soul Evolution.

Taking himself as an example, apart from the metal attribute inherited from his father's Edgeless Sword Martial Soul, his Martial Soul also contained a great deal of fire-element energy that severely restrained metal.

That was why his awakened Martial Soul had undergone a malignant mutation, its blade covered in cracks.

When Soul Masters added Soul Rings to their Martial Souls, the attributes of the Soul Ring's energy could naturally feed back into the Martial Soul to a certain extent.

To compensate for the internal conflict of attributes in his mutated Martial Soul, Su Cheng had thought of using the ultimate earth attribute to reconcile the metal and fire within it.

But he had only done it with the mindset of giving it a try.

After all, Su Cheng himself had no idea how much effect that feedback energy could have. It was even difficult to say whether it would truly work.

But for now, it seemed his line of thinking had been correct.

Of course, since changes in a Martial Soul originated from impurities in the bloodline, then apart from reconciling its attributes, there was undoubtedly another path to changing a Martial Soul: purification.

To trace it back to its source and return it to the earliest, strongest form among Martial Souls of the same kind, excluding mutated Martial Souls.

If a Martial Soul possessed an ancient bloodline, purification could trigger atavism—another awakening. But that would depend on one's fortune.

The path to perfecting Martial Souls has only just begun. Su Cheng thought to himself.

After taking a moment to adjust to his body, which had just broken through to level 32, he looked at Yue Guan, who had been waiting at the side for quite some time.

"I didn't have time to ask earlier. Chrysanthemum Douluo, what brings you here?"

"Mr. Su, Your Majesty the Pope requests your presence."

"What does she want with me?"

The two had always been on good terms. Yue Guan's breakthrough two years ago had even benefited from their exchanges, so he did not hide anything and answered directly, "I'm not sure of the exact reason, but before sending me here, Your Majesty the Pope asked about the progress of your Martial Soul research."

Su Cheng's heart stirred, and he immediately formed a few guesses.

After a brief pause, he first looked toward Qian Renxue. "Has the High Priest still been in seclusion recently?"

"No. He came out several months ago." Qian Renxue shook her head, though she was somewhat puzzled as to why he cared about this.

Su Cheng continued, "I need to go to the Pope's Palace with Chrysanthemum Douluo now. We'll discuss your fourth Soul Ring later. Go to the Worship Hall and let your grandfather know first."

Qian Renxue understood at once. "Don't worry. I'll go find Grandpa right away."

Yue Guan's expression turned somewhat strange as he listened to their conversation.

But he understood that the waters here ran too deep for him to handle, so he pretended to admire the scenery around him, as if he had heard nothing at all.

Before long, the two arrived at the Council Hall of the Pope's Palace.

Yue Guan stopped outside the door, while Su Cheng pushed it open and entered alone.

Bibi Dong, dressed in the Pope's Mianfu, stood coldly at the very front of the main hall. Her noble and imposing presence inspired awe at first sight.

When she saw Su Cheng enter, her expression froze slightly, and a hint of change appeared on her face.

Bibi Dong could clearly sense that the person before her was different now.

At first, she was briefly confused. Then she recalled what Yue Guan had said earlier, and surprise surged within her. Impossible...

She immediately tested him. "It seems Mr. Su has already become a Three-Ringed Soul Grandmaster. I imagine your gains were considerable?"

"Not bad."

"Show me your Martial Soul." Bibi Dong gave the order bluntly.

Su Cheng glanced at her but did not argue. He simply extended his right hand.

The flawless sword Martial Soul immediately appeared in his hand, with one yellow and two purple Soul Rings floating silently around it.

Bibi Dong's eyes widened slightly, and she could not help taking two steps forward.

Only after a long while did she speak again. Her emotions churned so violently that her voice even trembled.

"You really solved the problem of Martial Soul mutation?!"

"Why is Your Majesty the Pope so excited? Even if I solved a malignant mutation, it is only an ordinary Martial Soul, something found everywhere across the continent." Su Cheng put away his Martial Soul and said blandly, "Besides, since when have you cared so much about me? A mere Soul Elder surely isn't worthy of Your Majesty the Pope's attention."

The corner of Bibi Dong's exquisitely sculpted eye twitched slightly.

Again!

That irritating tone and attitude.

Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly sensed a watchful gaze coming from the direction of the Worship Hall.

Her expression changed slightly. Looking at Su Cheng, she sneered, "Mr. Su is certainly quite guarded."

Su Cheng immediately understood that Qian Renxue had already gone to see Qian Daoliu.

But he pretended not to know. "I don't understand what you mean. Spirit Hall is like family to me, and you have always been a family member I respect. Why would I be on guard against anything?"

Seeing his bewildered expression, Bibi Dong took a deep breath and suppressed the rage surging in her heart before asking, "How did you resolve the malignant mutation of your Martial Soul?"

She had originally only wanted to learn more specifically about Su Cheng's progress in researching Martial Soul mutations. She had never expected him to have already solved the problem, leaving her somewhat at a loss from the very beginning.

"Why do you want to know? Spirit Hall is full of talented people. A good-for-nothing like me is just an exception, isn't that right?"

"It is simply better to be prepared."

Su Cheng waved a hand. "I don't think it's necessary. Spending effort on such trash aptitude is purely a waste of time."

As Bibi Dong listened to him call himself "good-for-nothing" one moment and "trash" the next, her earlier delight instantly vanished, and her mood worsened to the extreme.

She mocked him coldly, "Didn't you previously say, 'Princes and generals, are you born noble?' What is this now? Are you going to keep your secrets to yourself?"

"Your Majesty the Pope, did you not understand what that saying meant? Whoever has this kind of trash aptitude can figure out how to solve it themselves. I'm merely a good person, not a saint."

Thank you, Reader Lords, for your Monthly Tickets and recommendation votes. Thank you to Yezizzz for the 100-point reward. If you have any opinions about the plot, feel free to post them in the comments. I will read them all. Also, I have some ideas regarding Su Cheng's second Martial Soul, but if you have any suggestions, feel free to mention them. Many thanks!