Tuning Training, Suggestions

"So, you came looking for me just for this?"

After learning Chen Junting's intentions, Beibei and the others naturally agreed. Xu Sanshi also said that he could take this opportunity to spar with Chen Junting again and regain his dignity.

"By the way, Senior Sister Tang Ya, can you get in touch with Senior Sister Jiang Nannan?" Chen Junting looked over the three-person lineup. One was an Assault System soul master, one a defense-oriented soul master, and one a control-oriented soul master. If they added an Agility-Attack System soul master, they would have many more possible combinations. However, Jiang Nannan was a girl, and he was not particularly familiar with her, so it would be awkward for him to approach her directly. He wanted to ask Tang Ya, her roommate, to serve as a go-between.

"Nannan? Why are you looking for Nannan?" Just as Tang Ya was about to say something, Xu Sanshi suddenly shoved himself between Tang Ya and Chen Junting, staring at him warily.

"Senior Student Xu, you don't need to be so jumpy."

Seeing Xu Sanshi like this, Chen Junting was instantly torn between laughter and tears. Tang Ya pointed straight at Xu Sanshi's nose and cursed, "Xu Sanshi, you're shameless! Nannan isn't even yours, so why are you acting like this?"

"No! You don't understand!"

Although Tang Ya had scolded him, Xu Sanshi was not angry in the slightest. Instead, his face was full of emotion. "I believe that if you work hard enough, even an iron pestle can be ground into a needle. Sooner or later, Nannan will accept me."

As soon as he said this, everyone fell silent.

Beibei, who had originally been about to step forward, froze on the spot, the muscles on his face twitching nonstop. Tang Ya had still been planning to continue berating Xu Sanshi, but those words forced her to swallow the rest. Even Chen Junting was rendered speechless by Xu Sanshi's lovesick, shamelessly fawning appearance. He could only curse inwardly: He's laying it on way too thick!

"Senior Sister Jiang, sorry to trouble you." As Chen Junting spoke, he took out a white card and handed it to Jiang Nannan, who was wearing a server's uniform. "There are a thousand Gold Soul Coins on this. Consider it your payment, Senior Sister."

"Junior, this, this... This is far too much."

Jiang Nannan's eyes nearly went blank. As though mustering immense courage, she rejected the "huge sum" of a thousand Gold Soul Coins.

"It isn't much."

Under Xu Sanshi's blazing, jealous stare, Chen Junting directly stuffed the Money Card into Jiang Nannan's hand. "We invited a genius Soul Elder from Shrek Academy to spar with us. A mere thousand Gold Soul Coins isn't an inflated price. Besides, we disrupted your plans for today."

"I didn't really have any plans today..."

Jiang Nannan's face reddened slightly at Chen Junting's words. Of course, she was embarrassed. She had only been working part-time at a café today, earning a single Gold Soul Coin. Now this junior had given her a thousand. How could that be called disrupting her plans?

Chen Junting merely smiled without saying anything, waiting for Jiang Nannan to decide.

Tang Ya and the others beside her also tried to persuade her, mentioning that they had received a thousand Gold Soul Coins each as payment.

Before long,

"Then thank you, Junior."

She needed the money.

As expected, she agreed.

This instantly transformed Xu Sanshi's mood. He had still been unhappy that he had barely touched Nannan's hand since then, while Chen Junting had already touched it. Now he beamed with joy, performing a complete change of face.

Beibei, who witnessed this from the side, was left speechless.

Soon, the four of them followed Chen Junting toward the Nine Treasures Pavilion. As for Ning Tian and the others, they had already been waiting at the Nine Treasures Pavilion.

"Yuhao, your group can go first."

At that moment, Tang Ya, Jiang Nannan, and Xu Sanshi were standing on the Soul Fighting Stage as a team. This lineup was the weakest of the four possible combinations in terms of combat power.

After all, they had no Assault System soul master.

"Okay."

Soon, the battle on the Soul Fighting Stage grew heated.

Since all three Soul Elders were restricted from using their Third Soul Skills and from outputting Soul Power at the Soul Elder level, Xu Sanshi's team and Huo Yuhao's team were fairly evenly matched at the beginning.

At the same time, in the stands beneath the Soul Fighting Stage, Beibei stared solemnly at the bracelet around Xu Sanshi's wrist. "I didn't expect your Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to have developed a Soul Tool like this."

Beside a round table covered with expensive pastries and rare drinks, Beibei had no appetite. Instead, he looked gravely at the bracelet on Xu Sanshi and the others' wrists. It was the key to restricting the Soul Power output of the three.

If the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had already researched things to this extent...

What about the Sun Moon Empire?

"Senior Brother Beibei, it isn't as exaggerated as you think."

Seeing Beibei's worry, Chen Junting gently fed Ning Tian a piece of pastry before saying, "Although as the level of this Soul-Restricting Tool increases, it can restrict the Soul Power of a Titled Douluo, that is only under the condition that the soul master does not resist." He picked up a handkerchief and wiped the crumbs from his hand.

"The Soul Guidance Array inside the Soul-Restricting Tool is crucial, but its materials are just as important." As he spoke, the bracelet on Ning Tian's wrist flashed, and a black gemstone appeared in her hand. Chen Junting took it and handed it to Beibei. "This gemstone is called a Soul-Restricting Stone. It is the key material for bearing the Soul-Restricting Array. Of course..."

A surge of Soul Power suddenly erupted!

The Soul-Restricting Stone instantly turned to dust in Beibei's hand.

"As long as you forcefully blast it with Soul Power, it becomes useless."

"I see."

After hearing this explanation, Beibei felt relieved.

After this minor interlude, Chen Junting began learning more about Qin Lan and Gao Ming's abilities. After all, when he had fought them three months ago, he had only been able to make rough guesses about the effects of their Soul Skills. He had not been completely accurate.

"I'll go first."

A muffled voice came from beneath Qin Lan's mask.

"I'm a Level 23 Agility-Attack System Soul Grandmaster. My Martial Soul is the Ethereal Ghost Leopard, and my Soul Skills are Ghost Leopard Afterimage and Ethereal Hundred Rends. The first is an enhancement skill that increases my speed and lets me produce afterimages. The second is a close-range single-target attack. The claws it unleashes possess a piercing effect. As long as they leave a wound on the opponent, Soul Power will seep inside and damage the meridians in their body."

Chen Junting did not react much upon hearing this.

Although the ability to damage the meridians with the Second Soul Skill sounded terrifying, its actual effect was only so-so. Its power could be displayed only in a prolonged battle. But...

An Agility-Attack System soul master fighting a prolonged battle?

They could not last that long.

The best strategy was to find an opening and kill the opponent in one blow!

However, Gao Ming's abilities gave Chen Junting a considerable surprise. His Martial Soul was the Ruyi Plate, and he was a Level 21 Support System Soul Grandmaster. His Soul Skills were Speed Aura and Attack Aura. They provided a 20 percent enhancement, consisting of a basic 10 percent increase, plus another 5 percent for every additional Soul Ring.

In other words, by the time he reached the Titled Douluo level, the enhancement would reach a full 55 percent.

Among Support System Martial Souls, this was enough to place him in the second tier.

"Then it's my turn."

Chen Junting glanced at Qin Lan and Gao Ming.

"My Martial Soul is the Seven Kills Sword..."

The trio's conversation soon came to an end.

Meanwhile, the battle on the Soul Fighting Stage was gradually nearing its conclusion.

As Blue Silver Grass spread wildly across the entire Soul Fighting Stage, Dugu Xin found a suitable opportunity. Beneath the brilliant radiance of his second Soul Ring, one Purple-Black crystal after another scattered through the air, instantly corroding the Blue Silver Grass. The Blue Silver Grass, which was also filled with poison, was suppressed at once. Not only could it no longer grow, but it was also unable to move forward.

"Xiao Ya is being suppressed."

Beibei watched the Soul Fighting Stage and could not help sighing.

"Senior Brother Beibei, Blue Silver Grass doesn't have the advantage when it comes to poison." Chen Junting's thoughts stirred, and he suddenly said this. Beibei, who had already been sighing, instantly fell silent.

After a while,

"Blue Silver Grass itself has no poison. It only gained poison after absorbing the Soul Rings of poison-attributed Soul Beasts. Although I don't want to put it this way..." Beibei pursed his lips, worry showing on his face. "Xiao Ya's current situation isn't good."

"Then why don't you advise Sister Xiao Ya to take another path?" Their conversation attracted the attention of the others nearby. However, apart from Ning Tian, no one spoke.

"Xiao Ya says this is a tradition left behind by Ancestor Tang San."

Pedantic!

This word instantly appeared in Chen Junting and Ning Tian's minds. The two exchanged a knowing glance, then, out of goodwill toward Beibei and Tang Ya, offered a reminder. "Big Brother Beibei, do you know the true nature of Ancestor Tang San's Martial Soul?"

"Shrek has records of it. It was the Blue Silver Emperor."

Beibei did not hide the truth. In fact, in the eyes of most outsiders, Tang San's true Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass. However, forces and sects such as Shrek Academy and the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, which had deep ties with Tang San, all knew that the public story concealed the truth.

But the Tang Sect seemed to have taken it seriously.

Realizing this, Chen Junting and Ning Tian looked at each other without a word.

The Tang Sect really was peculiar!

No wonder they had managed to ruin themselves completely.

Everyone knew it was a joke, yet they were the only ones who had taken it seriously!

"Senior Brother Beibei, I'll be honest with you." Chen Junting did not necessarily bare his heart to everyone he was friendly with, but he would not remain indifferent, either. He looked directly at Beibei and said, "If Senior Sister Tang Ya continues like this, being mediocre in every direction will be the least of her problems."

"The path of poison does not suit Blue Silver Grass. Even the Soul Beast known as the Blue Silver Emperor developed in the direction of vitality. So how could the mere Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul avoid following the same path?"

"Therefore, Blue Silver Grass should be like other plant-type Martial Souls. It should absorb plant-type Soul Rings, draw on their strengths, and develop Blue Silver Grass's vitality at the same time. At the very least, during this Soul Fighting match, Xiao Ya would not be so completely countered by Junior Student Dugu's poison. She could at least rely on her vitality to hold out."

As Mu En's great-grandson, Beibei was naturally no fool when it came to knowledge of Martial Souls. Once the outer layer of "cloth" had been torn away, he could already explain the true developmental path of Blue Silver Grass without Chen Junting saying much more.

However, the expression on his face remained conflicted.

Clearly, he did not want to tell Tang Ya this cruel truth.

Ning Tian's brows furrowed slightly. She was about to say something else, but Chen Junting stopped her and shook his head. Some things had to be taken in moderation. They were only offering suggestions out of friendship; that was enough. As for what happened next...

That was no longer their concern.