Four Traits and a Path of Cultivation

The moon shone bright amid sparse stars.

After being treated like a treasure and examined by numerous elders for half the day, Qiangu Yunche finally returned to his room.

Exhausted in both body and mind, Qiangu Yunche could not be bothered to mind his appearance. The moment he entered, he flopped onto the soft bed.

Qiangu Yunmei watched him and chuckled, reclining against the soft couch by the window.

"Well, what happened to our young clan leader? You were so full of spirit just now. Why have you gone limp already?"

At that, Qiangu Yunche sprang up from the bed. Looking at his utterly improper older sister, who was sitting just as carelessly, he declared righteously,

"A man can never say he's limp!"

"Heh, you're young, but you sure know a lot." Qiangu Yunmei rolled her eyes, though her expression became uncharacteristically serious.

"Yunche, have you decided what path of cultivation you want to take?"

Though Qiangu Yunmei had a somewhat awful personality, she had never lacked concern for Qiangu Yunche, whether openly or in secret, ever since they were children.

As a super Martial Soul, the Evil-Breaking Dragon Soul Spear had already been confirmed by Qiangu Qing to possess three traits today.

The first two traits were Evil-Breaking and Unyielding, inherited from the Evil-Breaking Dragon Soul that had condensed from the righteous energy of heaven and earth.

The former gave Qiangu Yunche the ability to dispel and restrain the vast majority of evil.

The latter, meanwhile, was where the Evil-Breaking Dragon Soul's true strength lay.

The Unyielding trait allowed Soul Masters with the Evil-Breaking Dragon Soul to display an indomitable spirit in the face of powerful enemies, often enabling them to unleash strength beyond their own rank.

Many of the cultivation methods and secret techniques developed by the Qiangu Clan for the Evil-Breaking Dragon Soul were closely tied to its Unyielding trait.

Even the Unyielding Staff Technique, regarded as a trump card by the Qiangu Clan during the era of Soul Land III, had been created through research based on the Unyielding trait.

The Evil-Breaking Dragon Soul Spear's third trait was called Piercing, and it came from the Soul-Breaking Spear.

Ten thousand years ago, the Soul-Breaking Spear had been known as an assault-type weapon Martial Soul that came with a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring upon awakening. This was the greatest acknowledgment of its extreme offensive power.

The Piercing trait granted the Evil-Breaking Dragon Soul Spear attack power that surpassed the Soul-Breaking Spear's, and it even inherited, to a certain extent, the Soul-Breaking Spear's suppressive and deterrent effects against spiritual and physical attacks.

As for the fourth trait, Qiangu Yunche called it Sovereign!

As a Sovereign, one must walk the heavenly path of balance!

The effect of this trait was simple: it elevated Qiangu Yunche's essence, vitality, and spirit to their limits! It was a dual deterrence on both the mental and physical levels, intended to utterly crush an opponent's confidence and reason through sheer presence and psychological pressure!

And once an opponent was defeated by Qiangu Yunche, the Sovereign trait would automatically mark them as weak, displaying absolute suppression like that of a Sovereign over a subject and ensuring they could never rise again!

Put simply, it was a promax version of Sovereign's Descent!

These four traits had entirely different effects, yet they shared one thing in common.

They had all been born for battle.

Qiangu Yunche had thought it through clearly, so he answered almost instantly,

"A pure offense path. For me, offense is the best defense."

Qiangu Yunmei nodded approvingly. She liked those words of Qiangu Yunche's very much.

"That's right. Once you cultivate your offense to the extreme, absolute attack power will be enough to replace everything."

"Don't worry about anything else for now. If someone pisses you off, just stab them first."

This time, it was Qiangu Yunche's turn to roll his eyes.

"Sis, stop using your little brain to bash your big brain, then swinging a staff instead of thinking."

"Super strength is useful, sure, but too much of it may not be a good thing. It can easily affect your intelligence."

"Hm!?" Qiangu Yunmei slapped the table, and the terrifying force caused the small agarwood table to explode with a bang.

"So becoming the young clan leader has made you bold, huh? You actually dare speak to your own sister like that..."

Her sinister tone was like a chilling wind blowing in from the underworld, enough to make one shudder.

Qiangu Yunche merely smiled without speaking, though his gaze could not help lingering on the shattered wooden table.

At such close range, he could naturally tell that Qiangu Yunmei had not used any Soul Power in that slap. She had relied solely on her physical strength.

The main material of the agarwood table she had shattered was at least a thousand years old, its hardness no less than granite. The fact that Qiangu Yunmei had smashed it with pure physical force showed just how terrifyingly strong she was.

In fact, all Qiangu Clan members who inherited the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul placed the greatest importance on physical fitness and strength.

There were no exceptions.

The reason was simple. Unlike weapon Martial Souls such as sabers, spears, swords, and halberds, staffs were not so complex. The Qiangu Clan's method of cultivating the Coiling Dragon Staff was also exceedingly uniform: break all techniques with strength.

When facing an enemy, just swing a staff at them first.

If one swing did not kill them, then swing a second, a third...

The Great Dao was simplest in just this way.

Yet without question, this method of cultivation was exceptionally suited to the Qiangu Clan.

Whether it was the Qiangu Clan of the present era or the Qiangu Clan ten thousand years later in the original work, they had relied on this method of cultivation, so simple it could hardly even be called a method, to become one of the strongest Soul Master clans of their age.

Still, while teasing his sister now and then was a small matter, he had to soften up afterward when the time came.

"Sis, I was just joking. Don't take it seriously..."

Though Qiangu Yunche did not want to admit it, no matter what world one was in, the bloodline suppression between older sisters and younger brothers was utterly terrifying.

Qiangu Yunmei gave a soft snort. Just as she was about to speak, the door creaked open from outside.

The person who entered was Yang Shu, whose expression had eased considerably.

After entering, Yang Shu first glanced at the shattered wooden table before saying,

"Yunche's idea is sound. Your Martial Soul has destined you to take a pure offense path."

"Only this cultivation method can bring out the advantages of your Martial Soul to the fullest extent."

Upon hearing that, Qiangu Yunmei's eyes widened slightly in displeasure.

"Mom, how could you eavesdrop on Yunche and me?"

"What, did you really want to teach Yunche that crooked logic of yours?" Yang Shu retorted.

Qiangu Yunmei fell silent. It was not because she had recognized her mistake, but because she did not want to argue with Yang Shu again on such a good day.

Yang Shu's gaze fell on Qiangu Yunche. After pondering for a moment, she said,

"Yunche, after you obtain your first Soul Ring, go study spear techniques and methods of exerting force under your uncle. Whatever else happens, you must build a solid foundation."

The uncle Yang Shu spoke of was her younger brother, Yang Tie, also a descendant of the Breaking Clan who had inherited the Soul-Breaking Spear Martial Soul.

Though Yang Tie's talent for cultivation was inferior to Yang Shu's, he was a complete cultivation maniac. Thirty years of bitter training had brought his understanding of the spear to a pinnacle, and his obsession with the Soul-Breaking Spear had earned him the title of "Spear Demon" among the Qiangu Clan.

The Evil-Breaking Dragon Soul Spear could be considered a superior Martial Soul to the Soul-Breaking Spear. Studying under a spear grandmaster like Yang Tie, Qiangu Yunche would surely gain immensely as long as he was willing to put in the effort.

Seeing Qiangu Yunche nod obediently in agreement, Yang Shu added,

"When the time comes, your uncle will tell you what to learn and what you should learn. He has immersed himself in the spear for many years. Everything he teaches you is truth he has derived from countless practical experiences. Listen more, comprehend more, innovate more, and forge your own path."

"I won't say any more. Talk with your sister, and remember to rest early."

With that, Yang Shu turned and left, her movements clean and decisive.

Yet just as the door was about to close, Yang Shu's voice rang out once more.

"Remember to visit your great-grandfather tomorrow. The old man has something to tell you."

Qiangu Yunche paused slightly, but still nodded gently.