Yu Xiaogang's words left Lin Mo momentarily stunned.
He didn't answer right away, instead putting on a thoughtful expression.
Yu Xiaogang didn't rush him, either.
As someone who had spent most of his life studying theory, patience was something he had in abundance. Besides, he wasn't in a hurry.
The dormitory fell quiet again.
After a long while, Lin Mo finally lifted his head.
"Grandmaster."
He began, "I only know that your Martial Soul underwent a mutation due to a malignant variation, becoming the one and only External Beast Martial Soul in the world, Luo Sanpao."
Lin Mo took a deep breath and continued, "If necessary, Grandmaster, you could look for clues in your family's Martial Soul."
As he said this, a hint of apology showed on Lin Mo's face.
At his words, Yu Xiaogang looked as if he had suddenly awakened from a dream.
Seeing this, Lin Mo breathed a sigh of relief and continued on his own, "Take our dormmate Wang Sheng, for example."
"His Martial Soul is a War Tiger, a Beast Martial Soul known as the king of beasts. Among commoners, its quality is already quite good."
"If his War Tiger Martial Soul were an External Beast Martial Soul, then whether he was feeding it or trying to help it grow stronger...
he should feed it the flesh and blood of similar Soul Beasts with higher-quality bloodlines. The flesh of Soul Beasts such as the Ghost Tiger would be ideal."
At this, Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up even more.
"Though I can't be certain this would help him advance, I can say for sure that it would be tremendously beneficial to his cultivation."
As he spoke, his tone suddenly grew excited. "Just like Tang San."
"Xiao San?"
Yu Xiaogang's interest was instantly piqued.
Lin Mo nodded, smiling. "That's right, just like Tang San."
"If we break down Tang San's Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, it belongs to the herbaceous plants among Plant-type Soul Beasts that specialize in life attributes."
"His First Soul Ring also came from the Azure Vine, a Plant-type Soul Beast that specializes in life. It had an excellent nourishing effect on his Blue Silver Grass."
"You must have seen that for yourself, Grandmaster."
"Mm."
Yu Xiaogang nodded, his voice tinged with pride. "After absorbing the Soul Ring produced by that Azure Vine, Xiao San's Blue Silver Grass grew from less than an inch wide to nearly five inches."
He held up his hand and measured the width with his thumb and forefinger. "Its strength and resilience also improved tremendously."
"Exactly."
Lin Mo nodded. "If Tang San continues to prioritize Plant-type Soul Rings for his future Soul Rings, reinforcing his Martial Soul Origin,
then once Tang San's cultivation reaches the Soul King rank or even higher, his Martial Soul may become even stronger through the nourishment of these Soul Rings."
"Even if his Martial Soul still falls under the category of Blue Silver Grass by then, it will be an unprecedentedly powerful Blue Silver Grass.
"By then, perhaps the name Blue Silver Grass won't suit his Martial Soul anymore. It could take on a new name, like Blue Silver King."
As he spoke, a smile appeared on Lin Mo's face. "Just like the Ghost King Vine, a rare strain among Ghost Vines, perhaps there are higher bloodline variants among the common plants known as Blue Silver Grass."
By now, Yu Xiaogang's breathing had grown slightly hurried.
Ghost King Vine.
It was the king of Ghost Vines, surpassing ordinary Ghost Vines by far in both toxicity and toughness.
If a similar rare strain existed among Soul Beasts like Blue Silver Grass, then Tang San's future would be far broader than he had imagined.
Seeing this, Lin Mo struck while the iron was hot and brought the conversation back to Yu Xiaogang. "The same principle applies to your Luo Sanpao Martial Soul, Grandmaster."
"It may look weak now, but if it were nourished by the flesh and blood of superior Soul Beasts of the same kind, it might advance further.
Then it could return the favor by strengthening your Soul Power."
"By then, you could absorb Soul Rings from similar Soul Beasts to continue strengthening Luo Sanpao's Martial Soul Origin. Perhaps that would create a virtuous cycle and solve the problem that's troubled you for so many years!"
Long after Lin Mo had finished speaking, Yu Xiaogang remained seated, motionless.
The flesh of high-level Soul Beasts, Luo Sanpao's breakthrough, and Soul Rings from draconic species.
Together, they could form a virtuous cycle.
So that was it.
There had been a way to solve his problem from the very beginning.
He had simply been trapped by the malignant mutation and had never thought about it from this angle.
Lin Mo's words had made everything click for Yu Xiaogang, sweeping away the fog in his mind.
At that thought, Yu Xiaogang suddenly rose to his feet.
He bowed deeply to Lin Mo. "Anyone who knows more can be a teacher."
Yu Xiaogang's voice was exceptionally sincere. "Lin Mo, you're so young, yet you've answered a question that's puzzled me for countless years!"
Lin Mo stood and accepted the bow without reservation.
After their conversation ended, Lin Mo headed back to the dormitory.
On the way back, Lin Mo was clearly in high spirits, even humming a little tune.
If Yu Xiaogang really managed to overcome the predicament that had troubled him for so many years this time,
then he wouldn't need much—just a successful breakthrough to the Soul Elder rank.
That would mean Yu Xiaogang owed him a huge favor.
And with Yu Xiaogang's support, Lin Mo probably wouldn't have to worry about Bibi Dong causing him trouble.
After all, everyone knew how much Yu Xiaogang meant to Bibi Dong.
As long as Yu Xiaogang was there, even if Bibi Dong learned that Lin Mo had two thousand-year Soul Rings, she would probably turn a blind eye.
Lin Mo and the Spirit Hall didn't have an irreconcilable blood feud like Tang San and his father did.
At that thought, even Lin Mo's steps grew lighter.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang remained in the dormitory, leaning back in his chair.
A sense of loss washed over him.
It seemed his cultivation path had been wrong from the start, all because of his stubbornness.
It was like how he had once fixated on taking an exceptionally talented disciple, hoping to use him to prove that his Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls theory was correct.
His cultivation and theoretical research had both long since gone down blind alleys.
He had always wanted to prove himself.
To prove that even after his Martial Soul underwent a malignant variation, he was still not the shame of his family.
To prove that those who looked down on him were wrong.
But he had strayed from the path from the very beginning.
Whether it was proving his theories or cultivating himself, it seemed he had been going down blind alleys from the start.
If Lin Mo hadn't pointed it out, he might have been trapped in there for the rest of his life, unable to escape.