Thesis Release

Xiao Lin cited classics and references as he wrote his thesis, and while he was on a roll, he moved straight on to his own experimental results.

Xiao Lin's experimental subjects were Tang San and Su Yuntao.

So Xiao Lin directly included his own experimental data.

Of course, he had disguised both their names and Martial Souls.

Xiao Lin wrote in the thesis that after meditating, a Soul Master with the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul found that his Soul Power had begun to develop some Vitality.

Regarding this point, Xiao Lin also included records spanning an entire month.

They showed that when the Soul Master with the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul used Soul Power to stimulate Blue Silver Grass seeds in the ground without using Soul Skills, the resulting Blue Silver Grass displayed slight increases in both strength and height.

After obtaining a Soul Ring, a Soul Master with a Wolf-type Spirit found that his Soul Power had become increasingly impulsive and difficult to control, while also gaining a degree of offensive power.

At the end, Xiao Yan even added records showing that after a Blue Silver Grass Soul Master absorbed a Soul Ring, his Soul Power gradually gained Vitality as well and began to fear fire.

Finally, Xiao Yan reached a conclusion.

The color of Soul Power was related to one's Martial Soul, as well as the Soul Skills a Soul Master absorbed.

After meditation, the attributes of a Soul Master's Soul Power would gradually shift toward those of their Martial Soul.

After a Martial Soul absorbed Soul Rings, they would alter the attributes of one's Soul Power and could even change a Soul Master's physical body.

Finally, Xiao Yan advised Soul Masters not to absorb too many Poison Attribute Soul Rings.

Because Soul Power conversion was irreversible. Once the poison attribute became too severe, it could affect the quality of the Martial Soul and even poison the Soul Master.

Xiao Yan also advised Soul Masters not to absorb Soul Rings that were poorly compatible with their Martial Souls.

Otherwise, there was a possibility that it would affect Martial Soul mutation, making the Martial Soul weaker.

After finishing the thesis, Xiao Lin nodded in satisfaction.

It had been a long time since he had last written a thesis, and he had forgotten many of the formatting rules.

There were even many parts of this thesis that failed to meet proper standards.

Yet Xiao Lin was still very satisfied.

On the Douluo Continent, where the average intelligence was not particularly high, Xiao Lin felt that this was more than enough.

After all, what he had written was true. It was not random speculation or fabricated nonsense.

Next time, Xiao Lin would definitely write a proper thesis.

However, what pleased Xiao Lin most were the final two conclusions of the thesis.

Others might only see the advice and use it to avoid problems when absorbing Soul Rings.

But Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan were different.

They definitely knew what was going on with their Martial Souls and the poison within their bodies.

It was rather amusing when one thought about it.

Spirit Hall's Pope, Bibi Dong, possessed Twin Martial Souls, yet neither of her two great spiders had absorbed so many Poison Attribute Soul Rings.

Meanwhile, his Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor was nothing but poison.

In Xiao Lin's view, if Dugu Bo had not been fortunate enough to become a Soul Saint first and obtain his Seventh Soul Ring, Martial Soul Avatar, then he would never have reached the rank of Titled Douluo. He would have died young like his unfortunate son.

Why did Xiao Lin think so? Because the Martial Soul Avatar was a Soul Master's first true qualitative transformation.

A Soul Saint fighting a Soul Emperor was basically effortless.

After activating the Martial Soul Avatar, the earlier Soul Skills no longer consumed any Soul Power, and their strength would even double.

It was more like the Martial Soul and Soul Master had become perfectly compatible with one another.

A Soul Master could be poisoned, but a Martial Soul would not.

That was why Dugu Bo had been able to live long enough to become a Titled Douluo.

That was what Xiao Lin believed.

As for the other conclusion that pleased Xiao Lin even more, it was aimed at a certain useless Grandmaster.

A Luo Sanpao that might have possessed boundless potential had become a Martial Soul that could do nothing but fart.

It was absolutely hilarious.

Xiao Lin dearly wanted to see Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's reaction upon reading this thesis.

Unfortunately, Xiao Lin had still been somewhat too conservative.

The thesis was not damaging enough. Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang might not even feel that miserable.

But it did not matter. Xiao Lin would continue to act.

He would keep writing theses until he rendered the Grandmaster completely worthless and ruined his reputation.

The Golden Iron Triangle—Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang was supposed to be the Corner of Wisdom? What a joke.

In Xiao Lin's eyes, Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang was merely material for a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

Since when did a Martial Soul Fusion Skill require this kind of plagiarized wisdom?

After putting away the thesis, Xiao Lin looked at Tang San, who was already fast asleep beside him. He walked over and squeezed Tang San off his mattress.

Little San actually slept like this?

Early the next morning.

Xiao Lin and Tang San bid farewell to Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo. After disguising themselves, they doubled back and entered Spirit Hall to submit the thesis.

Beneath a loose black robe, Xiao Lin stood on Tang San's shoulders, disguising himself as some great expert.

The Spirit Hall staff member looked at the thesis's signature, then at the towering Xiao Lin, forcing out a smile.

"Lord Soul Master, your thesis requires proof of your Soul Master identity, proving that you are Xiao Yan."

"I am Xiao Yan. What proof do I need?"

Xiao Lin said in a strained voice.

"Lord Xiao Yan, you have not yet registered your Soul Master identity with Spirit Hall."

The staff member changed his wording.

"No need. Just upload this thesis. Once it is successfully published, I'll come here to collect the manuscript fee."

Xiao Lin said blandly.

"But how will I prove that Lord Xiao Yan is really Lord Xiao Yan then? What if someone comes pretending to be you?"

"Who would know that Xiao Yan is here?"

"Fine, I'll leave behind a password. From now on, only whoever knows the password is me, Xiao Yan."

Xiao Lin said casually. He then left behind the passphrase, "Odd Changes Even Stays," and turned to leave.

Other than Xiao Lin, no one would know what came after it.

A Few Days Later.

Xiao Lin returned to Holy Soul Village to continue cultivating. While he studied martial souls, Wu Ning, an Elder of the Spirit Hall Library Pavilion in Spirit City, was searching for new theories on martial souls.

He was from the same generation as Yu Xiaogang and had worked alongside Yu Xiaogang in the Library Pavilion back then.

However, unlike Yu Xiaogang, although he had also been level 29 in those days, after several decades, he had become a level 69 Soul Emperor.

Now, he needed new theories to help him break through to Soul Saint.

After flipping through theories submitted from various places, Wu Ning was deeply disappointed.

"Best Soul Skill Choices for Agility-Attack Soul Masters," "How Can a Hoe Martial Soul Cut Grass the Fastest," "Another Meditation Posture," "The Limits of a 99-Year Soul Ring"...

What kind of garbage theories were these?

What Soul Skills an agility-attack Soul Master chose—was that even something you could choose? And "best Soul Skills," at that.

So what if a hoe martial soul could cut grass the fastest? Could it turn an ordinary person into a Soul Master?

What use was a meditation posture? Did it increase Soul Power? Did you put in the effort?

And what about a 99-year Soul Ring? Was it really that different from a 90-year Soul Skill?

Why not just find a 100-year Soul Ring directly?

Wu Ning was deeply disappointed in such people. Was there truly no one in the entire Douluo Continent who persevered in theoretical research like he did?

Yu Xiaogang?

Forget that trash.

He had copied so much of Wu Ning's data, yet he had actually earned the Pope's favor.

The Pope must have been blind. Look at that Grandmaster—after more than a decade, had he produced any new theories?

Wu Ning sneered, feeling a trace of confusion about his path toward becoming a Soul Saint.

At that moment, the doors of the Spirit Hall Library Pavilion were flung open, and a relatively young scholar barged straight in.

"Elder, look at this thesis."