"Some people also choose control- or support-type Soul Skills to make up for their weaknesses. That's called complementing their attributes."
Zhu Zhuqing said.
"The Hell Spirit Cat is an extreme agility-attack Martial Soul. If I want to survive and avoid being eliminated in the Zhu Family's bloody struggle among kin, I have to push its agility-attack advantages to the limit."
"So when I chose my Soul Rings before, I only considered two things: whether they could increase my top speed, and whether they could strengthen the killing power of my explosive bursts."
"My original plan was to keep following the Hell Spirit Cat's path, focusing on speed and penetration, and bring its agility-attack advantages to the fullest."
"For my third Soul Skill, I planned to choose one focused on extreme damage, because the first and second Soul Skills weren't offensive enough."
"For my fourth Soul Skill, I'd choose Shadow Clone. It could fight alongside me and confuse my opponents."
"As for the combinations after my fifth Soul Ring... I hadn't figured that out yet. I'd originally planned to..."
"You planned to wait until you entered Shrek Academy and ask the teachers there for advice, right?"
Gu Chensha filled in the rest for her.
Zhu Zhuqing nodded. A hint of bitterness entered her voice, and it grew quieter.
"Under the Zhu Family's rules, I have no room to make mistakes."
"If I make one wrong choice, fail to absorb a Soul Ring, or choose one with incompatible attributes, I'll be imprisoned for life or killed."
"That's why I never dared to aim for a high-year Soul Ring, much less touch any unusual attributes. I could only play it safe."
"All I wanted was for each Soul Ring to give me a little more confidence that I could survive the next hunt."
At that, she stopped speaking and turned toward the dark-gold figure in her sea of consciousness. Her eyes held complete candor, along with a trace of bewilderment and confusion.
"But things are different now. I have a teacher. My old way of thinking, where all I cared about was surviving, doesn't work anymore."
"I don't know how to balance the Soul Ring paths of two Martial Souls, and I don't know... what other choices I have beyond extreme agility-attack."
"I haven't figured any of that out yet. I'd like to hear your guidance, Teacher."
She paused, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks, and lowered her voice.
"Teacher... please don't laugh at me."
"I wouldn't laugh."
Gu Chensha's tone was mild. "It's conventional, neither good nor bad—the dead-end favored by mediocre Soul Masters."
"Because it's safe. Because others have taken that path before, so it seems like you can't go wrong."
"Some other fools, thinking themselves clever, develop their Martial Souls based on their names. They talk about following a Netherworld path, but how much does the Hell Spirit Cat actually have to do with Netherworld attributes?"
"Follow that path, and your ultimate achievements will be about on par with those of a certain theoretical master."
"That path is certainly safe. If all you want is to be an ordinary Soul Saint or Soul Douluo, then it's enough."
His tone suddenly shifted, each word sharp as a blade.
"But if you want to Become a God, then that path is the biggest detour of all."
"First, you need to understand that when a Soul Master absorbs a Soul Ring, they can usually only gain one Soul Skill."
"That means choosing your Soul Skills, starting with your First Soul Ring, determines the limit of what you can achieve in the future."
"The vast majority of Beast Martial Soul Soul Masters choose straightforward attack skills like Bone Claw or Stomp for their first Soul Skill. That's the stupidest choice they could make."
"Anything a Martial Soul can already do isn't worth wasting a precious Soul Skill slot on."
"Keeping that in mind, look at your Hell Spirit Cat. Your Martial Soul already comes with extreme agility and explosive power."
"The right way to interpret its name is a cat that slips in and out like a ghost, hiding in the darkness—not a cat that naturally possesses some kind of Netherworld attribute."
"Its strengths should be stealth and assassination. Speed is certainly important, but putting points into the wrong things is a serious problem."
"An agility-attack Soul Master is, at their core, an assassin."
"And an assassin's art is to kill with one strike: fast, precise, ruthless. You need all three."
"Fast means striking quickly, and you weren't wrong about that. But you forgot precision, and you forgot ruthlessness."
"What's more, one of the Soul Skills you chose is something your Martial Soul can already do on its own."
At his words, Zhu Zhuqing understood at once, and her cheeks flushed bright red.
Her first two Soul Skills were Hell Stab and Hell Hundred Claws.
The first could just about count as a short-range, high-speed lunge, making up a little for her lack of explosive power. But the second...
That flurry of rapid strikes was an instinctive ability of the Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul. There was no need to waste a Soul Skill slot on it.
And that wasn't even mentioning how her original plan for her third Soul Skill focused only on piling on damage, without considering whether it suited the Hell Spirit Cat's essence as an assassin.
Watching the girl blush like a ripe apple, looking unusually bashful, Gu Chensha felt a trace of helplessness. Still, he didn't criticize her any further.
"At first, I wanted to completely reshape your Hell Spirit Cat and see if I could change those two Soul Skills you chose incorrectly."
"Unfortunately, I can't do that. It would damage your foundation. I'll have to find another way later, perhaps the Speed Clan's Soul Ring devouring and Soul Ring swapping secret arts."
"Something unexpected happened during the sacrifice, and your Second Martial Soul was an unexpected boon. It's opened up more paths for you to choose from."
"Your Hell Spirit Cat is still best suited to the agility-attack assassin path. You just need to choose your Soul Rings and Soul Skills much more carefully."
At that, Gu Chensha changed course, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"But Zhuqing, since you call me Teacher, you should show me what you've learned."
"You still need to think through your final Soul Ring configuration yourself."
"I can teach you all the relevant theory and point you in the right direction, but I won't make the choices for you."
"This is a step you have to take to grow."
"I understand, Teacher."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded firmly. The confusion in her eyes faded, replaced by determination.
"As for your Second Martial Soul..."
A dim, eerie glint flashed in Gu Chensha's eyes. "I'll personally turn it into your strongest trump card."
He glanced out the window at the sky, his tone softening.
"I'd planned to tell you the Man Faced Demon Spider's core secret, but there's no rush."
"It's getting late. Let's get some rest for today."
"I'm curious to see what kind of instructor the Spirit Hall assigns you tomorrow."
Zhu Zhuqing obediently burrowed under the covers, but didn't close her eyes.
After a long silence, she suddenly spoke in a small voice, sounding uneasy.
"Teacher, tomorrow... can I avoid calling the person from Spirit Hall my teacher?"
"...Hm? Why?"
Gu Chensha asked, puzzled.
She looked up at him, her bright black eyes full of stubborn resolve.
"I... only want to call you Teacher."
Gu Chensha froze for a moment.
On the Douluo Continent, the saying went that a teacher for a day was a father for life. True discipleship was supposed to be for life, with a person recognizing only one teacher.
But he hadn't expected this little girl to refuse even the barest polite form of address to anyone else.
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