A Lecture with an Open Chest
"What is Martial Soul?"
Is it flesh and blood? Is it the soul and will? Or is it a manifestation of energy?
"Xiaogang, what's your opinion? 👣🔥 🐍♡"
In Room 303 on the third floor of the Martial Soul Research Institute in Lingyun City, Ling Yi stood beside an operating table and spoke, casting his gaze at Yu Xiaogang, who was standing a few meters away at the edge of the crowd.
Ignoring the gazes that turned to him Yu Xiaogang, who had been called out, pondered for a moment and then calmly replied, "City Lord, I believe that Martial Soul is a product of the convergence of these three elements."
After a pause, seeing that Ling Yi didn't object, Yu Xiaogang felt reassured, a confident glint in his eyes, and continued, "As everyone knows, Martial Soul are divided into two main categories: Tool Martial Soul and Beast Martial Soul. As the name suggests, those whose Martial Soul is a weapon are Tool Martial Soul, and those whose Martial Soul soul is an animal are Beast Martial Soul. Relatively speaking, Tool Martial Soul have a wider scope, and most people have Tool Martial Soul. Moreover, the proportion of Tool Martial Soul Martial Soul cannot be cultivated is also greater than that of Beast Martial Soul."
"Based on my observation, most Tool Martial Soul, once manifested, are almost indistinguishable from the tools we use in reality. A ' Hoe ' Martial Soul is just Hoe, and a 'spear' Martial Soul is just a spear."
"The difference is that if you have Soul Power, these Martial Soul will unleash different powers under the blessing of Soul Power, far beyond what ordinary similar tools can match."
"The manifestation of Beast Martial Soul is often the appearance of a beast-like energy body. This energy body can possess and enhance the Soul Master 'Soul Master physical attributes, strength, and other attributes."
"In this situation, the Soul Master's physique will change to varying degrees, becoming more similar to the appearance of their own Martial Soul, displaying the characteristics of that beast..."
"In addition, after the same type of Tool Martial Soul is summoned, its weight and toughness will vary depending on its quality, just like they are made of different materials."
"Taking the 'spear' Martial Soul as an example again, some people's 'spear' Martial Soul is heavy and strong, as if it were forged from Hundred Refinement steel, while others' 'spear' Martial Soul is light and brittle, as if it were cast from pig iron at will..."
As Yu Xiaogang spoke eloquently, Liu Hao, Eryue Xuan, Shang Wenqing, and others who had initially kept a certain distance from him all revealed a hint of admiration in their eyes.
This Stinky Fart Gang actually has such insight?
Well, because Yu Xiaogang is a loner and always goes his own way, the other people at the ' Martial Soul Research Institute ' don't really like him.
Furthermore, as a level 29 Grand Soul Master, Yu Xiaogang sometimes needs to cultivate or practice his Soul Skill. Otherwise, if he doesn't practice for a year or two, he might forget how to fight, or at least his reaction time would be slower by half a beat, or even more.
Therefore, Yu Xiaogang would sometimes sneak into the underground testing ground of the Martial Soul Research Institute alone at night, summon his Martial Soul "Luo Sanpao", and unleash his only two Soul Skill.
Someone once "accidentally" witnessed this scene.
Since then, the nickname "Stinky Fart Gang" has spread among some people in the "Martial Soul Research Institute".
Of course, this is only used in their private conversations as a joke, because the city lord has said that no one should discriminate against another because of their defects. Everyone in the Martial Soul Research Institute, and even everyone in Lingyun City, should get along with each other.
If there is truly an irreconcilable conflict, given the industrial distribution of Lingyun City across the Douluo Continent, the two parties could be placed in completely different locations, never to have any further contact for the rest of their lives.
However, this means that once they are far from the core of Lingyun City, their future prospects naturally become bleak, and smart people know what to do.
"Good!"
As Yu Xiaogang finished recounting his knowledge in one breath, Ling Yi's face showed a clear expression of appreciation. He clapped his hands lightly with a smile and praised, "Well said, Xiaogang, you are really suited for the path of Martial Soul research..."
After offering his usual encouragement, Ling Yi paused, and amidst Yu Xiaogang's slightly reserved smile, glanced at the thirty-odd students who had come to listen to the lecture. He then changed the subject and said, "Alright, now I'd like to add a few points, which you can all take note of."
"As Xiaogang just said, Martial Soul is actually a product of the combination of bloodline, soul, and energy..."
In addition, I recently refined the classification of Martial Soul. Among Tool Martial Soul, I separated plant-type Martial Soul into a separate category...
In my opinion, among Beast Martial Soul, Liu Hao's brain, Ni Xing's heart, and Xi Zao's left arm are all organs or limbs of the human body, which can be called "Body Martial Soul"...
"Look here, everyone," Ling Yi turned around and pointed to the figure lying on the operating table. "This is a Three-Ring Soul Elder, Martial Soul is the 'Battle Blade' among Tool Martial Soul."
"Please cooperate and summon your Martial Soul."
A gentle voice reached his ears, Three-Ring Soul Elder on the operating table subconsciously activated his Soul Power, summoning the "Battle Blade" Martial Soul.
Only when the familiar hilt of the knife was in his right palm did he realize that some of the long needles that had been stuck all over his body were missing. At the same time, his Soul Power, which had previously been unresponsive to his attempts to communicate, could now be mobilized to a small extent.
Not much, roughly equivalent to half a level. This amount of Soul Power can't do anything else; it can only maintain the manifestation of the Martial Soul for a considerable period of time.
"Alright~" Ling Yi pointed to the Three-Ring Soul Elder again and said, "Now, this is equivalent to our state after our Martial Soul Awakening, before we have obtained our Soul Ring."
"Did everyone notice the changes when this person summoned their Martial Soul? First, they mobilized their Soul Power, and under the catalysis of the Soul Power, their bloodline began to surge. Then, this 'Battle Blade' Martial Soul manifested in their right hand... But you might not have noticed that before all of this began, there was actually one more step... Come on, please put your Martial Soul away... Yes... Okay, please summon it again..."
"Did everyone notice this time? Liu Hao, you tell us."
Upon hearing this, Liu Hao glanced at the Three-Ring Soul Elder lying on the operating table like a corpse, and said uncertainly, "City Lord, I seem to sense some fluctuations in his spiritual power, but it's very weak. I don't know if that counts...?"
"Snap!" Ling Yi snapped his fingers, chuckled, and said, "That's right! It's mental power!"
"To be precise, it's intention!"
"Next, I will open up this gentleman's body so that you can see with your naked eyes how his Soul Power circulates within him. Observe carefully what changes occur in different parts of his body as his Soul Power flows, and at the same time, what changes occur in his Martial Soul..."
As he spoke, Ling Yi flipped his hand and took out a scalpel from his storage bracelet. While slicing the body of the Three-Ring Soul Elder, he said, "If you have read the two books I left in the library, ' An Introduction to Human Physiological Structure ' and 'The Close Relationship Between Soul Power and Human Meridians,' you should know my summary of the three elements that make up humans, and even all living beings in the world."
—Body, soul, and mind.
"Due to my limited knowledge, after excluding some special cases, in my view, the vast majority of things in the world, whether they are flowers, stones, grass and trees, birds, beasts, fish and insects, or even humans, are composed of these three elements."
"The body is the physical form; a strong body leads to abundant essence. The soul governs the spirit; a strong soul leads to a vigorous spirit!"
"If we compare the world we live in to a vast ocean, then our physical bodies are the boats in the ocean, and our souls are the people inside the boats."
"And intention, or thought, encompasses spirit, understanding, ideas, cognition, and so on..."
"As everyone should know, the higher the cultivation level of a Soul Beast Soul Beast, the closer its intelligence becomes to that of a human. The intelligence of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast is in no way inferior to that of a human!"
"Conversely, the lower the cultivation level of Soul Beast, the lower its intelligence. For example, ordinary poultry and livestock mostly only have some simple thoughts and biological instincts."
Even so, it cannot be denied that these poultry and livestock possess their own consciousness...
"Applying this concept to humans, one can compare people with quick minds and those with slow reactions. Doesn't this imply a clear difference in the strength of their souls?"
"Alright, enough of the small talk, now everyone, let's take a look..."
Ling Yi put away the scalpel, which was still gleaming silver and unstained by blood, and waved to Liu Hao, Ni Xing, Yu Xiaogang and others not far away, signaling them to come forward.
"Look here,"
Ling Yi raised his hand and pointed to the Three-Ring Soul Elder on the operating table, whose chest and abdominal cavities had been opened and whose limbs and muscles had been cut along special lines, gesturing for everyone to look at the still beating and strong heart. "Ni Xing, summon your Martial Soul..."
Upon hearing Ling Yi's words, a cold-faced youth nodded silently. With a thought, a bright red heart, half the size of a normal person's fist, appeared in front of him, and a bright yellow Soul Ring also appeared at his feet.
Ni Xing, Martial Soul "Heart", Innate Soul Power Level 5, Sixteen Years Old, Level 13 Power Attack System One-Ring Battle Soul Master.
At the same time, he was also the first person in Lingyun City, besides Ling Yi, to have mastered all twelve forms of the Basic Body Tempering Technique to perfection.
Of course, this doesn't mean that others can't master the twelve forms of the Basic Body Tempering Technique. For example, Ling Yi Ling Yi's friends, under his guidance, can definitely do it.
However, considering the cost-effectiveness, after everyone had mastered their best bird and beast forms, they switched to practicing "Beast Martial Soul: Xingyi Fist Style I", the advanced version "Beast Martial Soul: Xingyi Fist Style II", and even "Two Aspects Fist", which combines Ling Yi's mastery of body tempering techniques.
As a special talent recruited by the Green Wood Merchant Association after the establishment of Lingyun City, Ni Xing's initial conditions were naturally incomparable to those of Zhang Lei, Long Yin, and others.
Fortunately, the "Farmer's Three Forms," the most widely circulated technique on the Douluo Continent, laid a very good foundation for him. In addition, he seemed to be extremely suited to the Way of Body Tempering. After joining the "Martial Soul Research Institute" in "Lingyun City," he mastered all twelve forms of the "Basic Body Tempering Technique" in less than two years!
With the "Basic Body Tempering Technique" at its perfect level, Ni Xing honed his physique to a level comparable to a first-ring Beast Martial Soul One-Ring Soul Master. As a result, his powerful Qi and Blood propelled his Soul Power, which was originally stuck at level nine, to break through to level ten, just like Tang Yuehua had done before.
The difference is that Tang Yuehua relied on the enhanced version of the secret medicine bath that Yang Wudi prepared for her, and she only cultivated three bird and beast forms to the perfect state. On the Ni Xing, Ni Xing cultivated all twelve forms without the enhancement of the secret medicine!
In other words, the canteen at the Martial Soul Research Institute has unlimited food and occasionally serves dishes and soups made from the bones and flesh of Soul Beast. Otherwise, if he were outside, Ni Xing would have to rely on eating "Blue Silver Rice" to supplement his nutritional needs, and the time it would take to complete the Twelve Forms would be pushed back by at least four or five years.
"Come here, Ni Xing, come a little closer."
Ling Yi beckoned, and as Ni Xing stepped forward, he pointed to the "heart" Martial Soul in Ni Xing's hand and the heart inside the chest cavity of the Three-Ring Soul Elder on the operating table, saying to the others, "Did everyone see that? Apart from being slightly different in size, aren't these two extremely similar?"
"Doesn't it feel like Ni Xing's 'Heart' Martial Soul is his second heart?"
"Come, Liu Hao, summon your 'Brain' Martial Soul as well..."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked away from Liu Hao and instinctively turned to the operating table, where the Three-Ring Soul Elder remained conscious.
Having been deprived of pain sensation, the Three-Ring Soul Elder, who could no longer feel his body, only wished to faint.
Wait, opening the chest and exposing the heart is one thing, but next they're not going to open the skull and expose the brain, are they?!
Fortunately, Ling Yi wasn't that cruel; he just wanted more material for his commentary.
"... As you all have seen, the ' Body Martial Soul ' can be considered Soul Master's second organ. Have you ever wondered if other types of Martial Soul could also be considered such 'organs'?"
Ling Yi looked around at the many students around him and asked with a smile.
"As we mentioned before, Martial Soul is a product of the combination of bloodline, soul, and energy, while we humans are composed of body, soul, and will."
Have you noticed that, aside from energy and willpower, the composition of Martial Soul and human beings is remarkably similar?
"We all know that Martial Soul are inherited through bloodlines. There is a high chance that the Martial Soul of parents will be inherited by their children, who will awaken the same Martial Soul."
"What does this mean? It means that the existence of Martial Soul is based on bloodline."
"Before the Martial Soul Awakening, the Martial Soul lies dormant in our bloodline and has never manifested."
"But as the Soul Power of the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony is activated, the Martial Soul hidden within the bloodline begins to awaken and manifest..."
"If the ' Martial Soul Organ Theory ' holds true, then we can consider why some people have high-quality Martial Soul while others have low-quality Martial Soul, and why some people have Innate Soul Power Innate Soul Power while others do not?"
"I'm leaving this question to you. Go back and think about it yourselves. We'll move on to the next part of the lesson in three days. By then, I hope you can all give me a meaningful answer..."
Goodnight everyone~