Misleading Yu Xiaogang, Weak Martial Souls Need Mixed Potent Poisons

This time, it was Xia Yan's turn to be unhurried:

"I live in a remote area in the west. My family are hunters. Once, when my father went up the mountain to hunt, he found a book in a cave and brought it home to see if it could be sold, but later it was just left there. This theory, and the soul beasts I mentioned just now, were all recorded in that book."

He did indeed come from the west of Fasnu Province, from a remote village, and his family were indeed hunters. These details could all be verified by his Martial Soul Hall documentation; they were all true.

But there was no such book.

He had made it up.

This kind of half-truth was the most believable.

"Bring it out at once!"

Yu Xiaogang immediately stepped closer, reaching out his hand.

Xia Yan shook his head, his face full of regret:

"Half a year ago, my house caught fire. That book, along with the entire house, was burned to nothing..."

Gone?

Yu Xiaogang had not expected this outcome. He thought Xia Yan was lying to him, but at such a young age, it was impossible for him to fabricate these accurate theories.

He had been immersed in theoretical research for forty years; one look told him these theories were correct and could not have been made up.

"..."

"It's really gone?"

Yu Xiaogang asked, unwilling to give up.

Xia Yan nodded with a look of regret, his expression very sincere: "Mm-hmm."

Believe me, it's really gone, truly.

"Tsk..."

Yu Xiaogang sighed. If only the book were still here; if he could continue researching based on the original findings, he could derive entirely new theories.

However, what had been said today was enough for him to write a new theory.

Thinking of this, Excitement washed away his regret.

Then, Yu Xiaogang suddenly thought: "Were there any other records in that book?"

Xia Yan did not answer, only quietly looking at the book in his hand.

Seeing this, Yu Xiaogang shoved Detailed Explanation of Rare Soul Beasts directly into Xia Yan's hands.

"Speak!"

Xia Yan took it and flipped through it casually; the records were indeed all about rare soul beasts.

He accepted it with satisfaction: "There were."

Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up: "What were they?"

Xia Yan pondered for a moment, as if thinking:

"That book mainly studied martial soul mutation. It recorded that martial soul mutation can be actively controlled through the choice of acquired soul rings."

"The weaker the martial soul, the weaker its origin, making it easier to control and mutate. Therefore, theoretically, the poorer the foundation of the martial soul, the greater its plasticity."

For example, a common Sickle martial soul, if it absorbed a 100,000-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear soul ring, would definitely mutate into another form, breaking its limits. But if it were a top-tier martial soul, it would likely just change rather than mutate.

"However, it also recorded that weak martial souls cannot have much development potential. Even if you exhausted all resources, it would be impossible for a soul master with Innate Soul Power of level one to cultivate to level forty..."

Yu Xiaogang had been thinking seriously, but this remark triggered those unbearable memories. A breath caught in his chest, unable to be exhaled, and he felt a surge of resentment.

Back then, he had consumed countless family resources, yet he was unable to break through level twenty-nine for his entire life, mocked by countless people.

He glanced at Xia Yan.

If Xia Yan hadn't come from a poor mountain village and couldn't possibly know his past, he would have suspected that Xia Yan said this on purpose.

Xia Yan seemed not to notice anything unusual and continued:

"Therefore, weak martial souls cannot take the usual path; they must use poison, and it must be potent poison."

"Potent poison?"

Yu Xiaogang's gaze sharpened. This coincided with his own views; he had previously believed that the poison attribute was the best choice for weak martial souls.

Xia Yan said:

"Tool martial souls are better than beast martial souls, and plant martial souls are better than other tool martial souls. Plant martial souls possess life and will not allow the toxins to backfire on the soul master."

"Moreover, only mixed potent poisons can maximize their power. Both plant toxins and animal toxins should be used, preferably from different sources and with different effects. For example, a Grass martial soul—if the leaves are poisonous, the pollen is poisonous, and the scent is poisonous, and it is a mixture of corrosive poison, hallucinogenic poison, and other toxins, then as long as it is spread during battle, the sky and earth will be filled with poison, leaving the enemy with nowhere to escape."

Yu Xiaogang slammed his fist: "Exactly!"

A kindred spirit!

He had researched this before and also believed that using poison was most suitable for weak martial souls, but he had previously thought poison could only serve as an auxiliary. Now, it seemed that mixed potent poisons could absolutely serve as the primary means of attack!

The person who wrote the book had studied this deeper than him; using a mixture of toxins definitely made more sense!

"What other theories are there? Speak quickly!"

He urged Xia Yan impatiently, eager to know the remaining theories.

Xia Yan simply spread his hands and replied, "That's it, nothing more."

His goal had been achieved; there was no need to continue this any further.

These words were nine parts truth and one part lie. Yu Xiaogang had already intended to use poison, and Xia Yan was merely following his train of thought, albeit in a more extreme direction.

He wasn't worried that Yu Xiaogang wouldn't believe him.

"Nothing more?"

Yu Xiaogang frowned, eyeing Xia Yan suspiciously.

His curiosity had just been fully piqued, and now it was over? Was this for real?

Could he be holding something back?

But he couldn't ask outright, so he could only nod and say, "I see..."

"However, this theory isn't exactly rare. I have been researching Martial Soul mutation for forty years and have gained some insight. Given time, I could have figured this out myself..."

Yeah, right, Xia Yan thought. Regardless of whether you could have figured it out, if you hadn't researched Martial Soul mutation after all this time, you would be truly heartless.

The atmosphere fell into a brief silence.

After adjusting his emotions, Yu Xiaogang steered the topic back to Xia Yan:

"However, this only explains why mutations occur, but it doesn't answer whether your mutation is truly a positive one. In the last thirty years, I have studied one hundred and thirteen soul masters with mutated Martial Souls. Among them, the Innate Soul Power ranged from a minimum of level one to a maximum of level seven. Only thirty-eight were negative mutations, while the rest were positive."

"But, among the remaining seventy-five people, five of them found that their soul power could no longer advance or improve by even a fraction, long before they reached the cultivation level their Innate Soul Power should have allowed."

As he spoke, he shook his head in regret and sighed, as if he were truly lamenting the situation.

Xia Yan, having already achieved his goal, did not want to linger, nor did he wish to listen to Yu Xiaogang's fabrications:

"Teacher, I know you mean well, but judging by your expression just now, you don't necessarily know more about Martial Soul mutation theory than I do. I think I'll just research it myself..."

Having said that, he turned and left, not giving Yu Xiaogang a chance to speak.

What?!

You think you know more than me?

Yu Xiaogang's brows immediately knitted into a tight knot as he took a sharp, deep breath.

"Stop right there!"

"A mere work-study student dares to question me?!"

But Xia Yan ignored him completely, descending the stairs in the blink of an eye.

"Get back here!"

"Come back!!"

The angry voice echoed through the corridor and the administrative office, causing even the teachers to poke their heads out from their offices.

What could have happened to make this usually gloomy and reclusive man lose his composure and roar in anger?

Facing the sunlight, Xia Yan walked out of the administrative office. On the way back to his small courtyard, he pondered how to get to the Soul Hunting Forest.

The Demon Suppressing Pagoda did not require absorbing a soul ring; it only needed to draw a soul beast into the pagoda to form a contract. But regardless, he would need a soul master to accompany him...

Perhaps the Dean could do it?