Lin Mo acted as though he hadn't noticed Yu Xiaogang's expression and continued speaking. "Since the Martial Soul has undergone a harmful mutation, then the solution should be sought through the Martial Soul itself.
"Rather than, like you are doing now, Grandmaster, stubbornly searching for the cause of the problem within yourself."
"As for how to solve a harmful Martial Soul mutation, it might be difficult for others, but it won't be difficult for your Luo Sanpao Martial Soul."
Lin Mo spoke with absolute certainty, without the slightest hesitation.
"What insights do you have?" Yu Xiaogang immediately perked up.
Lin Mo didn't answer right away. He gathered his thoughts, then slowly began to speak.
Lin Mo explained, "Compared to a Martial Soul, Luo Sanpao seems more like a Soul Beast to me.
"Not only can he exist independently of you, his Martial Soul host, but he can also eat like a normal creature. He even possesses considerable spirituality and intelligence."
Yu Xiaogang nodded slightly.
Luo Sanpao was indeed different from an ordinary Martial Soul. He was more like an independent creature, with his own consciousness and ability to act.
It was just that Yu Xiaogang had never explored things from this angle.
As far as he was concerned, a Martial Soul was simply a Martial Soul.
"That means Luo Sanpao can eat the flesh of high-level Soul Beasts or consume rare natural treasures, just like those Soul Beasts.
"He can make up for his own deficiencies and advance further."
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang froze.
Have Luo Sanpao eat the flesh of high-level Soul Beasts and rare natural treasures, just like a Soul Beast?
He had never considered this approach.
No, it wasn't that he had never considered it. Rather, he had subconsciously overlooked the possibility.
Because in his understanding, although Luo Sanpao could eat like a Soul Beast, he was ultimately a Martial Soul, not a true Soul Beast.
A Martial Soul's growth depended on its Soul Master's cultivation. How could feeding it external things possibly make it stronger?
But—
What if he looked at it the other way around?
What if Luo Sanpao couldn't be judged by ordinary standards precisely because he possessed the unique trait of being an External Beast Martial Soul?
It was as though a bolt of lightning had struck Yu Xiaogang's mind, illuminating the gloom that had long been shrouded in fog.
At this point, Lin Mo couldn't help grumbling inwardly.
The way Grandmaster raised Luo Sanpao was undoubtedly one of his few major flaws.
Perhaps because Luo Sanpao's Soul Skills were all about farting, Grandmaster had actually raised him like a skunk.
Luo Sanpao's two Soul Skills were "Thunderous Farts, Earth-Shattering Luo Sanpao" and "Smoky Farts, Hypnosis and Slumber Luo Sanpao."
Their effects were Thunder Shock paralysis and Hypnosis-induced slumber, respectively.
It wasn't difficult to judge from the Soul Rings alone: the First Soul Ring was most likely produced by a Thunder-attribute Soul Beast that Grandmaster's clan had helped him obtain while he was still with them.
And given the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's habits, that Thunder-attribute Soul Beast was most likely a draconic Soul Beast, such as a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.
But Luo Sanpao's Second Soul Ring clearly didn't fit that category.
After all... whether he absorbed a draconic Soul Beast or a Thunder-attribute Soul Ring, neither could possibly grant him a Soul Skill like "Smoky Farts, Hypnosis and Slumber Luo Sanpao."
The Second Soul Ring was most likely one Grandmaster had casually absorbed after leaving home and traveling the continent. He had broken through to level twenty, becoming a quasi-Soul Grandmaster, but his state of mind had crumbled, and he had given up on himself.
That move had completely cut off any chance of saving himself through his Soul Rings.
Besides, Yu Xiaogang had a serious problem with how he fed Luo Sanpao, too.
Soul Masters normally needed plenty of meat to provide them with nutrition.
Food made from Soul Beast flesh was even better, helping them keep up with their bodies' growth and energy expenditure.
And a high-quality diet also nourished the body better, allowing Soul Masters to cultivate more effectively.
But what did Luo Sanpao—the continent's only External Beast Martial Soul—usually eat?
Grandmaster fed Luo Sanpao nothing but white radishes that were especially good at making him fart.
His excuse was that they helped better replenish the power Luo Sanpao expended with his Three Strikes.
With such an innate deficiency and such a severe lack of nutrition afterward, it would have been absurd if Luo Sanpao had managed to mutate successfully.
That was probably also why, later on, he only managed to break through the bottleneck that had held him back for years after being nourished by the potent Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma Tang San gave him.
Of course, Lin Mo could never say that outright in front of Grandmaster.
Silence settled over the dormitory once more.
Yu Xiaogang said nothing. He seemed frozen in place, but emotions roiled violently in his eyes.
All the frustration he had endured over the years, all the disdain and mockery he had suffered, seemed to find an outlet at that moment.
It wasn't that he had never tried to break through.
He had never stopped cultivating, and he had tested every unconventional method he could find.
But all his efforts had been like stones sinking into the sea, never stirring the slightest ripple.
His Soul Power Level remained firmly stuck at level twenty-nine, without advancing even half a step.
Yet Lin Mo's words had been like a key, opening a door he had never even thought of before.
An External Beast Martial Soul could cultivate by eating, just like a Soul Beast, making up for its deficiencies and advancing further.
How had he never thought of that?
Luo Sanpao's ability to eat independently was no secret.
Yu Xiaogang had known for a long time that Luo Sanpao possessed spirituality and intelligence.
But precisely because these things were so obvious, and because he had grown so used to them, he had subconsciously overlooked them—even though he had spent half his life studying Martial Soul Theory.
He had always sought a breakthrough from the Soul Master's own perspective.
He had tried to raise his Soul Power Level, break through his bottleneck, and spur his Martial Soul's evolution by making a breakthrough himself.
But he had never considered that, since Luo Sanpao could exist independently of him, perhaps he could evolve independently as well.
If so, could he find a way to bring about a beneficial mutation in Luo Sanpao's Martial Soul, allowing it to drive his Soul Power to break through?
Perhaps even allowing it to replenish his Soul Power in turn, helping him advance further!
If it was true—
If this approach really worked—
Then the shackles that had plagued him for decades might finally be starting to loosen.
Hearing Lin Mo's words, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Yu Xiaogang.
It was like the fog had parted, at long last letting in the dawn.
Yu Xiaogang furrowed his brows, his mind racing as he subconsciously began to think it through, ready to seize this long-awaited lifeline.
He turned to Lin Mo and asked, "If you were in my position, what would you do?
"How could you make the Luo Sanpao Martial Soul evolve? Or, rather, undergo a beneficial mutation?"