Blaming Tang San in his heart for the mess he'd left behind after destroying Spirit Hall, Bai Cai played dumb and dragged things out until the dean had talked himself hoarse.
"Bai Cai, do you understand what I mean?" The dean's lips were cracked as he searched around for his cup.
"What do you mean?" Bai Cai asked, feigning confusion.
When it came to brushing someone off, Bai Cai was an expert. Even in the grueling, cram-school-style lessons, he could sneak off to slack around without a hint of guilt. His expression was absolutely flawless.
"What I mean is..."
His throat was nearly smoking. The dean coughed twice. "Ahem, ahem."
"Why don't you go have a cup of water?"
Bai Cai sounded concerned, but he was secretly laughing. Ralts was of one mind with him. He'd switched out the dean's cup long ago and tossed it into the academy's lush bushes.
By the classifications of Martial Souls on Douluo Continent, Ralts's Psychic type belonged to the mental-type category.
Huo Gua's initial Martial Soul, Spirit Eye, was, in plain terms, his eyes. Even if the eyes were connected to the brain, Spirit Eye could still be called a trash Martial Soul before its Second Awakening.
The power of a Body Martial Soul depended on the body part it represented. Eyes were undoubtedly important, but Huo Gua's Innate Soul Power was only Level One.
According to Grandmaster's theory of core Martial Soul competitiveness, Martial Soul quality and Innate Soul Power were interconnected.
If ten people awakened eye-type Martial Souls, Huo Gua's Spirit Eye would be among the worst in terms of quality—utterly pathetic.
A true mental-type Martial Soul could use spiritual power instinctively!
Ordinary Blue Silver Grass could grow and become tough when infused with Soul Power.
The White Tiger, the Martial Soul of Duke White Tiger's family, could use its tiger claws. Did it need a Soul Ring for that?
Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix possessed Evil Fire that was incredibly difficult to extinguish. Was that ability granted by a Soul Ring?
Those were all innate traits of the Martial Soul itself!
Without Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's help, calling Huo Gua's Spirit Eye a mental-type Martial Soul was a stretch.
A fake mental-type Martial Soul like Spirit Eye couldn't do more than enhance eyesight when infused with Soul Power, unless a Soul Ring was attached.
A true mental-type Martial Soul, like Ralts, could manipulate Confusion from birth and wield incredibly powerful mental strength.
With its overwhelming Martial Soul quality, the rarity of an external Martial Soul, and the elusive nature of mental-type Martial Souls, how could a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster like the dean detect Confusion—a variation of mental strength?
The dean didn't even know mental strength existed. Even the principal of Farnos Junior Soul Master Academy, Anuoji, a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, had yet to reach the level of touching mental strength.
For ordinary Soul Masters, mental strength grew alongside Soul Power. Once they became Soul Kings, they could absorb Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings that carried mental shock. To try to use mental strength, they would have to become at least Soul Emperors or Soul Saints.
A well-trained Soul Master might notice the strange effects of Confusion.
But the dean held a high position and lived a comfortable life. He hadn't even activated his Martial Soul, and he didn't know mental strength existed. The missing cup might remain a mystery forever.
"All right, go collect your textbooks and bedding." Hoarse from thirst, the dean waved Bai Cai away.
Watching Bai Cai's retreating figure, the dean fell silent. He'd poured his heart into analyzing the pros and cons, only to waste his breath.
The flaws of an external Martial Soul were indeed severe.
After a Second Awakening, Body Martial Soul users had far greater talent than ordinary Soul Masters. They could easily combine Soul Power with mental strength and control them at will. Body Martial Souls were closely tied to the body, so losing a limb could easily end a Soul Master's path. Apart from that, they had almost no weaknesses.
External Martial Souls were the opposite. The secret histories of Douluo recorded that when Luo Sanpao was bitten by a Datura Snake, the damage was reflected onto Grandmaster's body.
From Bai Cai's own observations, external Martial Soul users couldn't fully control their Martial Souls' actions. For example, unless he dismissed his Martial Soul, no matter how much he tried to persuade Ralts, it would follow him everywhere.
Bai Cai had considered that Ralts might be limited by distance as an external Martial Soul. But Luo Sanpao had gone far away from Grandmaster to lure the Datura Snake off alone, while Ralts couldn't leave Bai Cai's side. There seemed to be more to it.
Bai Cai had also discovered that external Martial Soul users couldn't use their Martial Souls' abilities at all. For example, he couldn't use Ralts's Confusion, and according to the academy's records, Grandmaster had never used Luo Sanpao's farting Soul Skill with his own body.
Of course, the only external Martial Soul user Bai Cai knew of was the widely known Grandmaster, whose deeds were well documented. But Douluo's secret histories described how Grandmaster had nearly been poisoned to death by a Datura Snake, almost dragging Tang San down with him—and still hadn't used Luo Sanpao's Soul Skill with his own body.
Was it that he didn't want to, or that he couldn't?
Bai Cai believed Grandmaster, like him, couldn't use the abilities his Martial Soul possessed, including its Soul Skills.
The earliest recorded external Martial Soul was Grandmaster's Luo Sanpao. It was intelligent enough to understand Grandmaster's commands and release its Soul Skills. The academy's records also said that eating white radishes could quickly replenish Luo Sanpao's uses of its Soul Skills.
According to the records, white radishes were cheap and good for inducing gas. Unfortunately, Grandmaster had never explained whose Soul Power was consumed when Luo Sanpao used a Soul Skill.
Ralts's use of Confusion didn't consume Bai Cai's Soul Power. Bai Cai leaned toward the idea that Luo Sanpao used its own Soul Power when releasing Soul Skills. After all, when it fought the Datura Snake, Grandmaster was only a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster. He couldn't transmit Soul Power over a long distance.
With no cultivation experience from other external Martial Soul users to refer to, Bai Cai relied on memories from his previous life, Grandmaster's recorded deeds in the academy's books, and his own experiences.
Bai Cai judged that external Martial Souls were extremely autonomous. Whether it came to recovering Soul Power and mental strength, using Soul Skills, or fighting, they could do it all themselves.
When an external Martial Soul was injured, any damage it couldn't bear was reflected onto its user.
Without the protection of a Martial Soul, the physical strength of an external Martial Soul user was on par with that of an auxiliary-type Soul Master. If they took a hit that pierced their Martial Soul's defenses, even a small mistake could cost them their life.
Luo Sanpao had been bitten by a Datura Snake, and Grandmaster had nearly been poisoned to death. Every sign pointed to the mutation of an external Martial Soul being anything but beneficial.
However, if its strengths could be fully realized and its weaknesses avoided, an external Martial Soul might become a super Martial Soul on par with a Body Martial Soul.
Everyone knew that total Soul Power was a key factor in determining Soul Power Level. For external Martial Soul users, the Soul Power and mental strength of the Martial Soul and its user were calculated separately.
Imagine the total amounts of Soul Power and mental strength as water stored in reservoirs. An ordinary Soul Master had one reservoir for Soul Power and another for mental strength.
An external Martial Soul user had two reservoirs for Soul Power and two for mental strength. Even if the reservoirs representing the external Martial Soul were smaller than ordinary ones, the two together still gave them a considerable advantage over ordinary Soul Masters.
Luo Sanpao could replenish its Soul Power and its uses of Soul Skills by eating white radishes. In its traits, an external Martial Soul was closer to a Soul Beast than to a Martial Soul.
Soul Beasts could cultivate. What about external Martial Souls?
Make bold assumptions, then test them carefully. Bai Cai knew that if he wanted to become a Titled Douluo and catch up to Huo Gua, he had to draw on the knowledge and inspiration from his previous life.
His fate had to be in his own hands!
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