Literacy, Influence, Change

Why did he spend so much time and effort guiding Tang San?

No matter what, Zhou Qing was a transmigrator. Besides investigating the truth behind his parents' clash with Soul Masters, he also wanted to change this world.

But one person alone could accomplish little.

Moreover, he had to consider a question: what if he awakened his Martial Soul and had no Innate Soul Power?

Even if Tang San were willing to teach him the Mysterious Heaven Skill then, having no Innate Soul Power, except in very rare cases, basically meant that one's path of Martial Soul cultivation would be difficult.

Still, judging from how Tang San could cultivate the Mysterious Heaven Skill in this life as well, the humans of this world probably did not differ much from those of his previous world in terms of physical structure. Even if his Martial Soul was terrible, if he cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Skill step by step and excluded all external and internal factors, he should still be able to reach the level of a Titled Douluo. It was just that the time required might be a tiny bit long.

But the situation on Douluo Continent...

In the original work, Tang San became a god at twenty-four or twenty-five!

If Zhou Qing's future Martial Soul was too poor for him to become a Titled Douluo within roughly twenty years, then he might as well forget about cultivation and peacefully retire in Holy Soul Village.

As for uncovering the truth, he could just entrust it to Tang San—before becoming Great God-King Tang, the kid still had some sense of chivalry.

Besides, if he wanted Tang San to pass the Mysterious Heaven Skill on to him, he would probably have to wait more than ten years. In the original work, Tang San only taught the Mysterious Heaven Skill to the Tang Sect disciples after becoming a god himself. Zhou Qing even suspected that the Mysterious Heaven Skill had been watered down by then.

As for becoming famous as a Grandmaster—

No background, no power—did he really think it was so easy to become a Grandmaster?

This was ultimately a world where the strong preyed on the weak. Even if rules existed on the surface, without any backing, if one unknowingly touched someone else's interests, one might suddenly die in some obscure corner.

No matter how poor Yu Xiaogang was, he at least had the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan behind him. Even now, most members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan did not want to acknowledge him, but which faction would truly dare to believe that Yu Xiaogang had nothing to do with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?

Therefore.

Zhou Qing needed to build his own backing—and Tang San, this ready-made protagonist, would be perfect as his future support.

Spirit Hall?

He had considered following the example of other transmigrator predecessors and trying to build a connection with Su Yuntao, but unfortunately, when Su Yuntao came two years ago to help the village children of age awaken their Martial Souls, he had ignored Zhou Qing completely.

That made sense.

What normal person would believe the wild words of a child they did not know?

Besides, Su Yuntao was responsible for the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremonies of more than a dozen nearby villages. He had to travel long distances and expend Soul Power. He was exhausted when he arrived, and even more exhausted when he left the Spirit Hall in the village. He had no interest in chatting with children from small villages like them. He was probably just thinking about finishing work quickly, getting off duty, and spending time with his girlfriend.

Tsk!

Wasn't that the mindset most ordinary workers should have?

Therefore.

After temporarily failing to establish a connection with Spirit Hall, Zhou Qing could only ask villagers who went out to sell grain to buy him some books.

"Brother Qing." Tang San put down the storybook in his hand and asked Zhou Qing, "How credible is this story?"

"Somewhere between fifty or sixty percent and seventy or eighty percent."

Without even raising his head, Zhou Qing continued writing furiously. "Books that can be sold on the market may have plenty of omissions and speculation in the details, but the principles they convey overall cannot be wrong. It is best for a Plant Martial Soul to absorb Spirit Rings produced by Plant Soul Beasts. Take Blue Silver Grass, for example. This kind of weed that can be found everywhere has especially tenacious vitality. The Spirit Rings it absorbs should preferably come from Plant Soul Beasts with equally tenacious vitality. Perhaps that would allow its vitality trait to develop faster and better."

"It's like fertilizing vegetables to help them grow better."

"If it chose a Spirit Ring from an animal Soul Beast and added a Soul Skill that increased attack power, its own vitality might be weakened, or its growth might be suppressed and slowed. And its attack power would not compare to Sword Martial Souls or Whip Martial Souls of the same level."

Tang San was puzzled. "I understand Sword Martial Souls. If one added a Spirit Ring from something like a Horned Lizard to the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, perhaps it could make the leaves sharper when Blue Silver Grass used a Soul Skill. But why compare it to a Whip Martial Soul?"

"It's simple. If Blue Silver Grass absorbed a Spirit Ring produced by a snake-type Soul Beast, it could gain a Soul Skill similar to a python's constriction. But Blue Silver Grass itself is too fragile. Adding a snake-type Spirit Ring might make the Soul Skill somewhat stronger in terms of attack power, but it definitely would not match the binding ability of Martial Souls such as whips, ropes, or chains." Zhou Qing could actually have said much more, but the current books about Martial Souls were not enough for him to draw too many conclusions from, so it was better to remain conservative.

That way, he could create the image of a clever child in front of Tang San.

If he also brought up ideas regarding "poison" and "the limits of how many years a Spirit Ring could be endured," he might arouse Tang San's suspicions. It would be wiser to wait until he encountered more relevant books in the future.

Besides, he currently had far too few books. What he had said might not all be correct and would need to be slowly verified later.

Practice was the sole criterion for testing truth!

"I see." Tang San nodded, already inclined to believe Zhou Qing was right. Since Blue Silver Grass's advantage was vitality, then it had to choose Plant Soul Beasts.

Choosing animal Soul Beasts might improve its offensive ability for a time, but its attack power would still not be as formidable as Sword Martial Souls, Whip Martial Souls, and the like. In the long run, it might even suppress the Martial Soul's original strengths, slowing or hindering its growth and making the Martial Soul even more mediocre.

As a disciple of the Tang Sect, Tang San's logical thinking was not poor. Once he had formed a first impression and found something reasonable, he would believe seventy percent of it. The remaining thirty percent would need to be personally verified after he awakened his Martial Soul in the future.

"Are you planning for your own future?" Tang San saw that most of the drawings and notes on Zhou Qing's papers concerned Blue Silver Grass, and he was somewhat curious. "You haven't even awakened your Martial Soul. How do you know yours will be Blue Silver Grass?"

"Dragons give birth to dragons, Phoenixes give birth to Phoenixes, and mice are born knowing how to dig holes." Zhou Qing said this, then added, "I asked Grandpa Jack. Both my parents' Martial Souls were Blue Silver Grass, so unless I was adopted or something extremely unusual happened, my Martial Soul will also be Blue Silver Grass."

If not, then this plan could serve as a reference for Tang San!

Zhou Qing silently added in his heart.

Tang San suddenly understood as well. If he wanted to know what his Martial Soul would be, he only needed to go home and ask Tang Hao. It would definitely be one of his parents' Martial Souls.

When he awakened his Martial Soul two years later—

If it was neither—

Tang San's gaze turned cold. That would prove he had been picked up by Tang Hao and had no blood relation to him. In that case, there would be no need to waste time on that muddleheaded, worthless lazy man anymore. In the future, he only needed to find him a place to retire.

As for the "extremely unusual circumstances" Zhou Qing had mentioned, Tang San had also learned the concept of Martial Soul Mutation from those storybooks. But he felt it was an unlikely possibility and held little reference value.

A Martial Soul Mutation should still reveal traces of its original appearance. It could not possibly mutate into something with absolutely no resemblance to its original form, could it?

Besides, Tang San believed the most unusual thing about himself was that he possessed memories from his previous life.

And Martial Souls were inherited from one's parents!

"So, if you awaken Blue Silver Grass, what Soul Beast will you choose for your First Spirit Ring?" Returning to the matter at hand, Tang San asked about it.

Zhou Qing handed him a prepared document.

Tang San accepted it and read aloud, "Blue Silver Grass, traits: softness, toughness, vitality..."