The Way of the Assassin

"Some people will also choose control or support type soul skills to compensate for shortcomings, which is attribute complementarity."

Zhu Zhuqing said.

"The Hell Spirit Cat is an ultimate agility attack type martial soul. If I want to survive and not be eliminated in the bloody struggle of the Zhu Family, I must push the advantage of agility attack to the extreme."

"So in the past, when I chose soul rings, I only looked at two points: could it improve my extreme speed, and could it enhance my instantaneous burst killing power."

"My original intention was to continue down the path of the Hell Spirit Cat, focusing on speed and penetration, and maximizing the advantage of agility attack."

"For my third soul skill, I plan to choose an extreme damage type, because the offensive power of the first and second soul skills is still not strong enough."

"The fourth soul skill will be Shadow Clone, which can cooperate in battle and also confuse the opponent."

"As for the arrangement after the fifth soul ring... this disciple hadn't figured it out clearly at the time, and originally planned to..."

"You originally planned to wait until you entered Shrek Academy to ask the teachers there for advice, right?"

Gu Chensha took the initiative to complete the latter half of her sentence for her.

Zhu Zhuqing nodded, her tone carrying a hint of bitterness, and her voice lowered a few decibels.

"According to the rules of the Zhu Family, I have no room for error."

"One wrong step, a failed soul ring absorption, or attribute incompatibility, and what awaits me is lifelong imprisonment or death."

"So I never dared to aim for high-year soul rings, nor did I dare to touch unconventional attributes, I could only play it safe."

"I only hope that each soul ring can give me a little more confidence to survive the next pursuit."

Having said this, she stopped talking and turned to the dark golden phantom in her sea of consciousness, her eyes filled with complete sincerity, as well as a trace of bewilderment and confusion.

"But it's different now. I have a Teacher. The previous mindset of just trying to survive is completely inapplicable."

"I don't know how to balance the soul ring paths for my two martial souls, nor do I know... besides extreme agility attack, what other choices I have."

"I haven't figured these out yet, and I want to hear Teacher's guidance."

She paused, her cheeks flushing slightly, and her voice softened.

"Teacher... don't laugh at me."

"Laughing is not to the extent of it."

Gu Chensha's tone was indifferent, "Mediocre, neither outstanding nor flawed, is the dead end that most ordinary soul masters like to take."

"Because it's safe, because others have walked it, so there's no mistake."

"There are also some self-proclaimed clever fools who develop skills randomly based on the name of the martial soul. What about following the 'Hell' path? Hell Spirit Cat, how much connection does it have with 'Hell' attributes?"

"Following this path, the ultimate achievement will only be on par with some theoretical master."

"This path is indeed safe. If you only want to be an ordinary Soul Sage or Soul Douluo, then it is indeed enough."

His tone suddenly shifted, each word sharp.

"But if you want to become a God, then this path is the biggest detour."

"First, you need to understand that soul masters usually only gain one soul skill for each soul ring they absorb."

"Therefore, the selection of soul skills, starting from the first soul ring, determines your future ceiling."

"The vast majority of beast martial soul masters choose direct attack skills like Bone Claw and Trample as their first soul skill. This is the most foolish choice."

"Things that the martial soul itself can do are not worthy of wasting a precious soul skill slot."

"With this mindset, let's look at your Hell Spirit Cat. The martial soul itself possesses extreme flexibility and explosive power."

"The correct interpretation of this martial soul's name should be like a phantom, a spirit cat that hides in the darkness, not that it possesses some 'Hell' attribute."

"Its main focus should be stealth and assassination. Speed is indeed important, but if you add it incorrectly, the problem becomes huge."

"The so-called agility attack type soul master is essentially an assassin."

"And the essence of an assassin is to deliver a fatal blow with one strike. Fast, accurate, and ruthless are all indispensable."

"'Fast' naturally refers to the speed of execution. Your idea is correct on this point. But you forgot 'accurate', and even more so, you forgot 'ruthless'."

"Moreover, one of the soul skills you chose is something your martial soul can already do."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing instantly understood, and her cheeks turned completely red.

Her first two soul skills were Hell Stab and Hell Hundred Claws.

The former could barely be considered a short-distance extreme speed charge, compensating a bit for the lack of burst, but the latter...

That set of extreme speed combos was an instinct that the Hell Spirit Cat martial soul possessed on its own, and there was no need to waste a soul skill slot.

Not to mention that her originally planned third soul skill only focused on stacking damage, without considering whether it was compatible with the assassin nature of the Hell Spirit Cat.

Seeing the girl's face blush like a ripe apple, with a rare look of youthful innocence, Gu Chensha felt a trace of helplessness in his heart, but he didn't criticize her further.

"Initially, I wanted to completely reshape your Hell Spirit Cat for you, and see if I could change these two wrongly chosen soul skills."

"Unfortunately, I can't. Doing so would harm your origin. We can only find a way later, such as the Soul Devouring and Soul Exchanging secret techniques of the Speed Clan."

"There was a slight accident during the sacrifice process. The second martial soul can be considered an unexpected joy, which has actually broadened the path you can choose."

"Your Hell Spirit Cat is still best suited for the agility attack assassin route, but the soul rings and soul skills need to be carefully re-selected."

Here, Gu Chensha shifted his tone, a hint of a smile in his voice.

"However, Zhu Zhuqing, since you call me Teacher, you must show me the results of your studies."

"The final configuration of your spirit rings still requires you to think for yourself."

"I can teach you all the relevant theories and give you a general direction, but I won't make the choice for you."

"This is a necessary step for your growth."

"Understood, Teacher."

Zhu Zhuqing nodded heavily, the confusion in her eyes replaced by a newfound determination.

"As for your Second Martial Soul..."

A faint, dark glint flashed in Gu Chensha's eyes. "I will personally forge it into your most powerful trump card."

He glanced at the sky outside the window, his tone softening.

"Originally, I intended to tell you the core secret of the Man Faced Demon Spider, but there's no rush."

"It's getting late, let's rest for today."

"I'm curious to see what kind of instructor the Martial Soul Hall will assign you tomorrow."

Zhu Zhuqing obediently snuggled into her blanket but didn't close her eyes.

After a long silence, she suddenly spoke softly, her voice laced with apprehension.

"Teacher, tomorrow... can I not call the person from the Martial Soul Hall 'Teacher'?"

"...Hmm? Why?"

Gu Chensha asked, puzzled.

She looked up at Gu Chensha, her dark, bright eyes filled with stubbornness.

"I... only want to call you Teacher."

Gu Chensha was slightly taken aback.

The rules of Douluo Continent stated that a teacher for a day was a father for life. True discipleship meant only ever recognizing one master.

But he hadn't expected this young girl to be unwilling to even give a perfunctory title to anyone else.