"This is... the power of knowledge!"
In the library, Yu Xiaogang gazed at the book in his hands, utterly enthralled.
Martial Soul Evolution Theory
The book Xiao Wu had tossed over to him had brought Grandmaster a wealth of knowledge, along with new conjectures and theories about how Martial Souls could be used.
His mind was racing as he cross-checked each theory in the book, along with the Martial Soul Evolution suggestions interspersed throughout.
"This is simply unbelievable!" He pointed at a passage in the book, his eyes fixed intently on it.
[Martial Souls are... not set in stone. Absorbing a Soul Ring of the same type... carries a certain chance of triggering a positive evolution... the direction of evolution can be controlled...]
"This! This is a groundbreaking discovery!" Grandmaster immediately thought of the advice he had given Tang San when he was choosing a Soul Ring. Back then, he had been somewhat unconvinced.
Now, reading this book on Martial Souls, it was as if he had opened the door to a whole new world!
Everything suddenly made sense! It was a revelation!
Just then, as Yu Xiaogang remained immersed in the sea of knowledge, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Teacher..."
He whipped around and saw Tang San, with Du Hao standing behind him. The two of them were quietly waiting there.
"What brings you two here...?"
Du Hao, carrying a bag of fruit, stepped forward with a smile and set it on the table. "Hello, Grandmaster. I have a small favor to ask."
Seeing Du Hao's respectful manner, Grandmaster adjusted the reading glasses perched on his nose and regarded the boy with a puzzled look.
"Hmm... have a seat first." Though he had no idea why they had come, he was Tang San's teacher, after all. He couldn't afford to lose face.
In short, a man could die, but he couldn't lose face~
After they had settled down, Du Hao spoke up. "Grandmaster, I came here to ask you about Soul Rings."
"You need my help?" Yu Xiaogang asked, bewildered. He glanced down at the Martial Soul Evolution Theory in his hands.
He had found this book in his own dormitory.
Did Du Hao really still need his help?
"Don't sell yourself short, Grandmaster." Du Hao pushed the bag of fruit toward him, wearing a broad smile.
After some conversation and getting to know each other,
Grandmaster adjusted his glasses and eyed the young man suspiciously, now that he understood the situation.
"You're saying you barely read any of it?" Yu Xiaogang's voice trembled as he said it.
He had gone to enormous trouble to put together his Ten Great Martial Soul Theories. He had even secretly scoured various places to collect books.
Only after all that had he managed to summarize the ten great...
He had even resorted to all sorts of tricks and deception back then, just to painstakingly piece those theories together.
"Can't be helped. I've been busy going out to train these past few days." Du Hao spread his hands. After all, he wasn't like Tang San, who spent every day studying and practicing cultivation techniques.
Modern-day Soul Masters: "That's right! We call it training!"
His physical constitution wasn't that strong, either. If he wanted a suitable Soul Ring with a high age, shouldn't he squeeze a little more out of the system?
Otherwise, his companions would all be getting Soul Rings that were seven or eight hundred years old, while he was stuck with one or two hundred years. Would that really be appropriate?
He needed to get one that was at least five hundred years old, then add in the reward...
Then he'd aim to make his First Soul Ring purple!
"Ah..." Grandmaster looked at Du Hao's unconcerned expression and couldn't help sighing.
It really was a case of the parched dying of thirst while the drowning drowned.
The knowledge he had once pursued so desperately was right here, yet in this boy's eyes, it was so unimportant?
"I... I don't even know what to say." Grandmaster rubbed his brow. He wanted to lecture Du Hao, but didn't know what authority he could speak from.
In the end, he swallowed his words.
"All right, Grandmaster." As they turned to the matter at hand, Du Hao grew serious, too. He looked at Grandmaster earnestly. "I came here because I believe in your wisdom. You must know Soul Beasts very well. I'm sure you can find a Soul Ring that matches my Martial Soul, right?"
It wasn't that Du Hao was lazy. The book hadn't poured knowledge into his mind the way Soul Power Control: From 'Beginner' to 'Buried' had.
It looked time-consuming, and it would also hold up his cultivation. After all, he was currently at full Soul Power.
Every day he remained stuck at this level was a day of cultivation progress lost. It was better to find a ready-made tool like Grandmaster. It would save time and be convenient.
He had even planned to hand over any books he found containing such knowledge to Grandmaster in the future. That way, he could spare himself the trouble while helping Grandmaster, too.
Wasn't that the best of both worlds?
"Er, I don't know what you're thinking, but since you've asked..."
Grandmaster closed the book in his hands, then continued, "Do you want me to find a suitable Soul Beast for you, or help you work out your evolutionary path?"
As he spoke, he patted the Martial Soul Evolution Theory beside him. He was brimming with confidence now.
Before, he might have made the wrong choice when adding a Soul Ring to a Martial Soul, but now Grandmaster had a thorough understanding of the subject.
After carefully reading through all this knowledge,
there was no way he would ever make an outrageous mistake like giving a plant Martial Soul a poison-attributed Soul Ring.
He was now Grandmaster, plus upgraded!
Seeing Grandmaster put it that way, Du Hao didn't know what else to say.
He simply stated what he wanted to know. "I want to know how many Soul Beasts would suit this green onion of mine."
"Please give me a detailed introduction."
"Compared with it, you mean Soul Beasts?" Grandmaster tapped his forehead. A moment later, he thought of several suitable Soul Beasts.
"I don't know why your Soul Power, which was only at level two, reached level ten so quickly, but these are the Soul Rings I'd recommend." Grandmaster stood and headed for a spot deeper in the library.
Before long, he returned carrying two books.
"Food-type Martial Souls like green onions differ greatly from Beast Martial Souls and Tool Martial Souls. They're highly adaptable and can work well with all kinds of Martial Souls." As he spoke, he spread the books across the table.
He pointed at a page depicting a creature with a rather bovine appearance. "This is the Speechless Ox-Horse, a Soul Beast with tremendous endurance that can bear hardships and toil."
As he spoke, he turned the page with the picture and pointed at the description. "The Soul Rings it provides usually enhance endurance and defense. A few people gain a Soul Skill that spurs them to motivate themselves."
Du Hao looked at the description of the Speechless Ox-Horse.
"What does this self-motivating Soul Skill do?" Du Hao asked, frowning in confusion.
He didn't know why, but this Soul Beast seemed like it was born to toil, just like the wage slaves he'd known in his previous life...
Grandmaster's mouth curled into a smile at the question.
"This Soul Skill is simple. It lets a person cultivate or fight without tiring. It's an extremely rare ability."
After hearing Grandmaster's explanation,
Du Hao, seated across from him, had another question. "Does this special Soul Skill speed up cultivation?"
In response, Grandmaster took off his glasses and sighed. "Unfortunately, no. This skill only puts you into an excited state."
"But it has one advantage that no other Soul Beast possesses..."
Before you continue