Qingzhu Zhu's Choice of First Spirit Ring

"I hereby declare the Third Round to begin!"

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

The Friendly Tournament resumed.

Zhong Dingxiu announced, "However, since there are nine teams advancing, I will draw lots. The teams I select will skip the Third Round and go directly into the final fifth round to fight against the final winner."

No one objected to Zhong Dingxiu's actions, nor did anyone dare to voice their opinions.

Most of the captains of the nine participating teams hoped to be selected and receive a bye.

If you hold this mindset, then if you're not selected, you can only sigh in your heart: luck is also a part of ability.

After all, if you want to accept the luck of being chosen or getting a bye, then you must also accept the consequences of not being chosen.

"I hereby announce that the team that has received a bye and will directly advance to the fifth round of the finals is number 18!"

Zhong Dingxiu pulled out a round ball from the box; the number on it was exactly eighteen.

"Team 18?"

"Is this team led by a teacher from the Nuoding Academy?"

"Hmph! Lucky bastard!"

"They weren't just lucky; some of the Soul Master among them were also very strong. The guy who could kill Mei Shi in one move was incredibly strong."

"······"

[You were left out?]

Zhou Qing wasn't too surprised, thinking that perhaps Zhong Dingxiu had realized the strength of Qingzhu Zhu's team and was doing them a favor.

But this is good too, as it allows for more rest time.

"This way, I'll have time to hunt for Soul Ring."

Mother Zhu said to Zhou Qing, "I'll take Miss to the nearby Soul Hunting Forest to hunt Soul Beast. With the First Spirit Ring, Miss's strength will be even greater, and the final fifth round of battle will be much easier."

"Indeed, once Soul Master reaches a bottleneck, it's best to acquire Soul Ring and break through to a higher realm as soon as possible."

Unlike students in junior Soul Master Academy who have to wait until holidays for teachers to help them hunt Soul Beast after reaching a bottleneck, members of large families will have their elders personally help them hunt once they reach a bottleneck, without wasting any time.

But as Zhou Qing spoke, a question came to mind, so he asked, "May I ask, what kind of Soul Beast does the Hell Spirit Cat's First Spirit Ring usually come from?"

In the original work, Hell Stab, Netherworld Hundred Claws, and Netherworld Slash are Soul Skill that both Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun possess. The difference is that Zhu Zhuqing's third Soul Skill is Netherworld Slash, while Zhu Zhuyun seems to have placed Netherworld Slash as her fourth Soul Skill.

However, from the perspective of the growth of Martial Soul, the most suitable situation is like Zhu Zhuqing in the original work, whose first three Soul Skill are physical skills and whose last three Soul Skill utilize dark attribute energy.

"Our family's First Soul Skill is Hell Stab."

Qingzhu Zhu had been familiar with the cultivation of her own Martial Soul since childhood, so she knew it very well. "This Soul Skill can be obtained from Soul Beast such as Ghost Leopard, Shadow Wolf, and Leaping Nether Tiger."

Zhou Qing had seen these Soul Beast in the Soul Beast information in the Nuoding City Library. They were all relatively common Soul Beast, but all possessed the dark attribute.

However, this dark attribute will not change the attribute balance of the Martial Soul itself.

Under normal circumstances, the growth of Martial Soul is directly linked to the increase of its Soul Power Level. The attributes of Soul Ring, generally speaking, are not carried over to the Martial Soul itself, but are only revealed in the external manifestation of the corresponding attributes when Soul Skill is used.

For example, in the original novel, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass's First Soul Skill, Entangling, only produces the venomous effect of the Mandala Snake when the Soul Skill is used. In ordinary times, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass Blue Silver Grass is just a special kind of Blue Silver Grass —because its essence is the Blue Silver Emperor, which cannot be easily changed by Soul Ring.

The higher the quality of Martial Soul, the less likely it is to be affected by Soul Ring.

The biggest advantage of Soul Master choosing a Soul Beast Soul Ring with the same or similar attributes as their Martial Soul is that it can reduce the pain and trouble during absorption, and increase the probability of obtaining the most fundamental ability of that Soul Beast as Soul Skill.

In addition, there is the function of assisting the growth of Martial Soul, as envisioned by Zhou Qing.

Just like growing fruits and vegetables, providing them with the appropriate fertilizers for growth will enable them to grow better.

The growth process of Martial Soul is similar to watering and fertilizing fruits and vegetables. Among them, Soul Power is the main energy source for the growth of Martial Soul. The main role of Soul Ring in the growth of Martial Soul and Soul Master is to provide Soul Skill and give Soul Master the ability to protect themselves. Their secondary role is to assist the Martial Soul to grow better and faster when the attributes are the same as those of the Martial Soul.

The main attack skills of the three types of Soul Beast — Ghost Leopard, Shadow Wolf, and Leaping Nether Tiger —are hunting skills: at the moment of pouncing on their prey, their claws extend to pierce the prey's skin, and then they bite off the prey's throat with their sharp teeth and mouths.

The skill that the Hell Spirit Cat obtains by acquiring the Soul Ring of these three types of Soul Beast is probably "Pounce," only that the Soul Skill is named "Hell Stab."

It can be said that the three Soul Beast chosen by the Nether Spirit Cat Clan — the Ghost Leopard, the Shadow Wolf, and the Leaping Nether Tiger —are all very suitable for Qingzhu Zhu.

"The Hell Spirit Cat's talent lies in its speed and its dark attribute. However, the Dark Attribute is relatively weak and will only gradually manifest as its Soul Power Level increases and its Martial Soul grows. The reason for choosing Soul Beast with dark attributes for the first three Soul Ring is to allow the dark attribute Soul Power within the Martial Soul to grow faster and better, or even manifest itself?" Zhou Qing summarized his inner speculation and described it.

"Yes."

Qingzhu Zhu pouted, never expecting that Zhou Qing would immediately grasp the key to the Nether Civet Martial Soul. "So you also study Martial Soul?"

"I just like to think things through... I'd like to ask another question: in your family, has no one chosen a pure Dark Attribute Soul Beast as their First Spirit Ring?"

Zhou Qing wanted to confirm whether Soul Ring really had such a significant impact on the growth of Martial Soul.

The choice of Soul Ring by the Nether Spirit Cat Clan allows him to confirm or deny his previous guesses—after all, such a large clan cannot have every member marrying into the White Tiger Clan; someone will always try to choose a different Soul Ring combination. However, judging from Qingzhu Zhu's current matter-of-fact attitude, the first three or four Soul Ring combinations of all the direct descendants of the Nether Spirit Cat Clan are probably mostly Hell Stab, Netherworld Hundred Claws, and Netherworld Slash, obviously because they feel that these three are most suitable for early development.

Ever since Zhou Qing Zhou Qing realized the arrogance within himself through Wang Sheng, he dared not underestimate the wisdom of the families and sects that had been established in this world.

At the very least, they have accumulated a wealth of experience over generations in the cultivation of Martial Soul and the selection of Soul Ring!

Perhaps they can't explain it clearly, but—

It works!

And it might even be very applicable!

These established families and sects can be summarized in one sentence: they may not understand the specific principles, but they can do it!

"Indeed, some people chose a pure Dark Attribute Soul Beast as their First Spirit Ring..."