Martial Soul Evolution Theory

Rose Hotel.

Private Room 1704.

After opening the door, Wu Tong walked straight in. Everyone from the spirit beast hunting party was there.

"Yo, little brother Wu Tong, you're here. Come on, come on. You haven't eaten yet, right? Let's eat first, then we'll talk."

The moment Wu Tu saw Wu Tong, he warmly stepped forward, threw an arm around him, and welcomed him in.

Seeing Wu Tu trying to hug him, Wu Tong quickly moved aside to dodge. But before a level-fifty Soul King, thirteen-level Wu Tong was as powerless as a child.

As expected, Wu Tu wrapped an arm around him. A faint smell of sweat mixed with a thick, pungent stench of alcohol washed over him.

"Uncle Wu Tu, how much did you drink? You smell like you were fished out of a vat of liquor," Wu Tong complained.

"Not much, not much. Eat, come eat." Wu Tu smiled awkwardly, changed the subject, and hurriedly invited Wu Tong to join them.

After several rounds of drinks, they finished their meal.

Everyone gathered around the table to discuss matters, while Wu Tong looked through the spirit beast information they had prepared for Mu Lan.

Starry Night Bamboo, a healing-type Plant Spirit Beast. Its entire body was crystalline blue and covered in tiny white spots, resembling a star-filled sky after nightfall, hence its name. Starry Night Bamboo possessed no offensive ability, but in exchange, it had near-ultimate healing power. The sap that flowed from its wounds could treat all kinds of internal and external injuries. The older it was, the stronger the effect.

"Starry Night Bamboo... the only Soul Skill it could provide would probably be healing, but wouldn't that overlap with the Second Soul Skill? Pass."

The information on Starry Night Bamboo flashed through Wu Tong's mind. He shook his head and rejected it. Mu Lan's Second Soul Skill was Healing Sound, whose primary ability was healing. He turned the page and looked at the next entry.

Moon Void Cicada, a flying-type animal Spirit Beast. Its entire body was silver-white, like a sculpture carved from moonlight. Its wings were as thin as cicada wings, yet contained power sufficient to tear through the void.

Its body was crystal-clear, as if it had gathered the essence of heaven and earth and the spiritual aura of moonlight into itself. Every flap of its wings was accompanied by faint flashes of silver light. It traveled through seas of clouds at astonishing speeds...

"It's very suitable and could provide a Soul Skill that boosts speed, but we can't kill one. A thousand-year Moon Void Cicada is fast enough to leave an agility-attack Soul Emperor in the dust. We simply can't catch it. Pass."

Wu Tong did not even finish reading before giving a bitter laugh. He skipped over the Moon Void Cicada and turned to the next page.

Shadow Imps, known as messengers of the night. Humanoid in shape, they wore deep blue-purple scales as dark as the night sky. Their bodies were light and agile, moving as silently as ghosts. Their ears were long and pointed, capable of catching the faintest sounds with a slight twitch. Whether it was a prey's breathing or approaching danger, nothing could escape their sharp Perception...

"Uh... this seems more suited to agility-attack Spirit Masters. I have no idea who prepared this. It might provide an ability to increase speed, but they're too rare, and finding one would be too difficult. Pass."

Soul Cleansing Jade Lotus, a Plant Spirit Beast... capable of purifying all negative effects.

"This one works. Keep it as a backup." Wu Tong stroked his chin and added the Soul Cleansing Jade Lotus to the alternatives.

Cloud Ripple Tree, a Plant Spirit Beast...

"This one isn't quite suitable, but the Mountain Moving Ant that lives alongside the Cloud Ripple Tree could be considered. It might provide a strength-enhancing Soul Skill, though its attributes don't fit very well. Keep it as a backup for now."

After reading through all the spirit beast information Wu Tu and the others had prepared, Wu Tong could not help letting out a long breath.

There were all kinds of enhancement-type Spirit Beasts. It was clear they had put considerable thought into it, but their approach still remained trapped in Douluo Continent's standard spirit beast hunting mindset.

When choosing a target, they considered only strength, not potential.

"Sigh..."

Wu Tong sighed helplessly, rubbed his head, and voiced his thoughts.

"Everyone, listen to me. When choosing a spirit beast to hunt, you need to be cautious—cautious, and then even more cautious. After all, an ordinary person can have at most nine Spirit Rings in their lifetime, so we absolutely cannot be careless when selecting them."

"I've looked through the targets you chose. Only a few can barely be considered suitable, while the traits of most of these Spirit Beasts simply do not suit Sister Mu Lan's Moon Rhythm Radiance Lyre."

Wu Tong's words drew everyone's attention. Then, without holding back in the slightest, he said what he thought.

"Little brother Wu Tong, what exactly are these traits you're talking about? Isn't hunting Spirit Rings just about looking for the Soul Skills we need?"

Wu Tu was puzzled. Why did they need to consider a Spirit Beast's traits when hunting Spirit Rings?

"Traits is a term I came up with myself. It refers to the unique characteristics possessed by a Spirit Beast. You could also say it is a definition based on a Spirit Beast's attributes, specialties, living habits, and other factors. And it isn't limited to Spirit Beasts. Every person's Martial Soul has its own traits as well."

Wu Tong brought out a theory he had compiled from the materials he had collected while creating Cultivation Techniques. He called this theory the Martial Soul Evolution Theory.

The theory mainly stated that by hunting suitable Spirit Beasts and acquiring their Spirit Rings, one could make up for a Martial Soul's shortcomings and correct its flaws, thereby achieving the effect of Martial Soul Evolution.

"As everyone knows, our Martial Souls are a part of our bodies, while Spirit Rings are not. They are external additions. Therefore, I believe that while Spirit Rings help us break through, they also exert a certain influence on our Martial Souls.

"Thus, when adding a Spirit Ring, we need to consider whether it matches the traits of our Martial Soul. Otherwise, randomly hunting Spirit Rings will only contaminate the purity of the Martial Soul and weaken one's potential."

"When you hunt Spirit Rings in the future, you should first determine the foremost trait of your own Martial Soul. Treat that as your foundation and strengthen that trait. Only then can you travel farther on the path of cultivation."

"For example, take my Martial Soul, Brain. When you hear Brain, what comes to mind first?"

"Brain? Someone who's smart." "Intelligence." "A genius?" Hearing Wu Tong's question, everyone began thinking and offered different answers.

"From what everyone said, most of you thought of Wisdom and intelligence. That was what I thought at the time as well.

"So I decided to focus on developing the Wisdom of my Brain Martial Soul. That is the trait of my Martial Soul. As for other things like spiritual power, they are not the main focus.

"Therefore, the Spirit Rings I mainly hunt are also from Spirit Beasts that can help me develop my Brain."

Seeing that their answers were no different from his own thoughts, Wu Tong explained it to them before continuing.

"At the same time, when acquiring Spirit Rings, we cannot focus only on the Spirit Beast's Soul Skills and Spirit Rings. We must also pay attention to the Spirit Beast's outstanding specialties. After all, Spirit Rings come from Spirit Beasts, so they must carry some of the Spirit Beast's traits as well. If those traits are used properly, they might allow our Martial Souls to advance another step, or even accumulate quantitative changes until they produce a qualitative transformation, allowing the Martial Soul to evolve."

"Martial Soul Evolution!!!" Before Wu Tong could finish, everyone interrupted in unison, their voices filled with disbelief.

"That's right. As long as you choose the right target when hunting a Spirit Beast, your Martial Soul can be strengthened to a certain degree after adding the Spirit Ring. My Martial Soul has already successfully been strengthened once."

As Wu Tong's words left his mouth, flames ignited in everyone's eyes once more. If it had only been a theory, they might have merely been somewhat interested. But since Wu Tong had already succeeded, that meant this theory was no longer merely a theory.

Everyone felt an unbearable itch in their hearts, eager to know the specific details of Wu Tong's Martial Soul Evolution.