Stellar Martial Path and the Soul Guidance System (4)

Turning water into fire...

Turning earth into gold...

Turning wood into gemstones...

Grab a handful of dirt from the ground, and use Soul Power to transform it into whatever metal material one needed. A single person could become as wealthy as an entire nation...

"This goes far beyond being as wealthy as a nation!" Ning Rongrong's glazed eyes trembled slightly, barely concealing the shock within them. "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is as wealthy as a nation because Soul Masters like me, who possess the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul, have the ability to appraise treasures. This is a special ability granted to us by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul. But even with that ability, we still have to obey the law of conservation on the material level. In other words, we can only identify treasures that already exist. We cannot create treasures from nothing. Dirt will always be dirt in our appraisal, and it can never become precious gold!"

"That is why Alchemy is regarded as a secret art, a secret art recognized by all Soul Engineers..." Qin Ming spread his hands and filled in what Ning Rongrong had not mentioned. "Moreover, there are many rare metals and gemstones that Soul Engineers cannot buy. Even if they can buy them, Soul Engineers who have mastered Alchemy can use it to create metals and gemstones that do not exist in this world. The more than seven hundred metals and gemstones with unique serial numbers at Blue Tyrant Academy were created this way. So sometimes, even if you have the blueprints, you still cannot make a Soul Tool without those uniquely numbered raw materials."

Ning Rongrong's expression changed slightly.

The plan had failed before it had even begun.

Blueprints were important, but raw materials were even more important.

More than seven hundred raw materials with unique properties.

Was Blue Tyrant Academy trying to make things impossible?

Ning Rongrong could think of this problem, and Yu Xiaogang naturally could as well. However, unlike the "narrow-minded" Ning Rongrong, Yu Xiaogang immediately focused on Alchemy itself. Such a magnificent Self-Created Soul Skill should be studied and annotated by a Grandmaster like him!

Unlike the "narrow-minded" Ning Rongrong.

And unlike the "ambitious" Yu Xiaogang.

Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, Flender, and the others failed to realize Alchemy's most important value. Especially Flender, that miserly iron rooster—when he heard that a Soul Engineer who had learned Alchemy could grab a handful of dirt and turn it into gold, his eyes shone with an eerie light. His attention was entirely on the money. At this moment, the diversity of humanity was vividly displayed by the Shrek group.

"How much money would that be..." Ma Hongjun sighed dreamily, then added, "How would you even spend that much money..."

Flender's face darkened.

He smacked Ma Hongjun on the head in annoyance.

That was no way to embarrass himself.

Everyone was greedy, but no one said it aloud.

That way, no one looked embarrassing.

Did he not understand that when out in the world, even if one did not understand something, one had to pretend to understand it to avoid being looked down upon?

Still, Ma Hongjun was his disciple. He had already embarrassed himself, but Flender could not exactly slap him to death. He could only adjust his stiff black-rimmed glasses and pick up the earlier topic from where Qin Ming had left off. "And that Stellar Martial Path that stands alongside Soul Guidance Technology—Qin Ming, how much do you know about Stellar Martial Path?"

Right!

There was still Stellar Martial Path!

Qin Ming was not the only one to realize it. Ning Rongrong and the others, who had been too shocked by Soul Guidance Technology and Alchemy to compose themselves, also came back to their senses. In tacit agreement, they all turned their attention to Qin Ming, waiting for his explanation.

However, Qin Ming did not know much about Stellar Martial Path.

He spread his hands and smiled bitterly. "Stellar Martial Path and Soul Guidance Technology are two completely opposite systems. Soul Guidance Technology focuses on Soul Tools, external objects. Stellar Martial Path focuses on the body itself. According to the prevailing view at Blue Tyrant Academy, Stellar Martial Path has a higher upper limit than Soul Guidance Technology. However, the qualifications and cost required to exchange for Stellar Martial Path are not something ordinary students can bear. Stellar Martial Path has three parts: the Prelude, the middle volume, and the final volume. The final volume has not yet been created, while the middle volume is held solely by its compiler, Ye Qingcang. Only the Prelude has been released, and it contains seven chapters. The first chapter is open to all students without charging credits. The second chapter is also open to all students, but it costs credits. The third chapter is not open to all students. To exchange for it, one must not only pay a high number of credits, but also become a student on the Human Ranking. The fourth chapter follows the same rule as the third, except the requirement is raised to the Earth Ranking. The fifth chapter corresponds to the Heavenly Ranking. Although the sixth and seventh chapters do not correspond to any ranking, those who wish to exchange for them must meet three conditions: they must have already exchanged for the fifth chapter, possess at least one thousand Merit Points or Honor Points, and pay enough credits."

"What is he after?" Ning Rongrong looked completely baffled. She stared at Ye Qingcang, who maintained a balanced distance ahead of them, her mind in a whirl. "Is this Stellar Martial Path really that valuable?"

"Very valuable!"

"Extremely valuable!"

"Unbelievably valuable!"

Qin Ming answered with rare decisiveness. Looking at the confused expressions on Flender, Zhao Wuji, Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, and the others, he drew a deep breath and suppressed the trembling that rose from the depths of his heart whenever Stellar Martial Path was mentioned. Then he said solemnly:

"The first chapter—Whole Strength, commonly known as foundation building."

"Research at Blue Tyrant Academy has shown that ordinary humans, including Soul Masters, who have not undergone special training can at most exert thirty to forty percent of their maximum strength and speed. In other words, if a punch carries thirty kilograms of force, our actual maximum strength may be one hundred kilograms."

"Thirty kilograms and one hundred kilograms."

"The gap between them is absolute."

"The first chapter of the Stellar Martial Path Prelude is about excavating one's own potential, gaining one hundred percent control over one's maximum strength and speed. Soul Masters with Beast Martial Souls benefit the most from this chapter. During the academic exchange between the Royal Fight Team under my leadership and Blue Tyrant Academy, I met a student whose Martial Soul was an Icefield Bear. He was only thirteen years old at the time, with a Soul Power Level of seventeen and a Human Ranking of fortieth. Under Martial Soul Possession, his strength could reach around five thousand three hundred kilograms. He could easily lift a five-ton boulder. Even Shi Mo and Shi Mo, those two defense-type Soul Elders, could not withstand his full-force charge. If his resistance had not been mediocre—first numbed by Tianheng's lightning, then poisoned unconscious by Yan Zi—the members of the Royal Fight Team would likely have been slapped out of the arena one after another."

"There was no technique, only overwhelming brute force."

The Shrek group gasped sharply.

Around five thousand three hundred kilograms of force.

With a single slap, apart from Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, who might be able to endure it through their physical toughness, the other members of the Shrek Seven Devils would either die on the spot or be left barely alive. Even Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu, those two Soul Masters with Beast Martial Souls, could not escape the fate of being flattened into meat patties.

As for whether one could dodge by being faster than him?

That was thinking too simply!

Did they know about the Eight Oxen Crossbow?

Its standard draw weight was twelve dan.

One dan was roughly ninety-seven kilograms of force.

That was less than one thousand two hundred kilograms in total.

Yet its effective range could reach one thousand five hundred meters.

Within six hundred meters, even someone clad in heavy armor would struggle to survive.

With five thousand three hundred kilograms of thrust, even taking his body's limits into account, the speed and destructive power of a full-force charge would be no weaker than an Eight Oxen Crossbow bolt. If he had not been limited to charging in a straight line without being able to turn, the Royal Fight Team's backline would have been run over long ago.

And even then, he was only fortieth on the Human Ranking.

What kind of monsters were the thirty-nine people ahead of him?

"The second chapter—Flesh and Blood, one may be called a martial artist."

"Blood flows through every part of our bodies."

"When the heart begins to beat, blood circulates through our bodies under its driving force, over and over again, endlessly."

"The second chapter of the Stellar Martial Path Prelude begins with blood and muscles. I do not know the exact principles, but I know that it is divided into three realms: minor achievement, major achievement, and perfection. Each corresponds to a different wonder."

"The wonder of minor achievement is blood."

"Blood Like Mercury Silver—when one's blood becomes as viscous as mercury, one's lifespan also increases. According to Blue Tyrant Academy's statistical surveys, students who cultivate this wonder gain three to five additional years of life."

"The wonder of major achievement is muscle."

"Divine Craftsmanship—you can perfectly control every muscle in your body. Your muscles will also find the most suitable positions based on your skeletal proportions, automatically making subtle adjustments to your appearance. Every inch of your body becomes a weapon capable of exerting force at any moment. You will appear nearly perfect, returning to the form most suited to you and completely releasing your potential."

"The wonder of perfection is flesh and blood."

"It is also the sublimation of the previous two wonders."

"Flesh and Blood Furnace—it improves resistance to all negative factors and greatly increases resistance to low temperatures. Even wearing only thin clothes while walking through ice and snow, one would not feel cold. It can replenish previous expenditure at any time, like a blazing furnace. Add any combustible material to it, and the furnace will swiftly consume it, turning it into nourishment for itself. Any injury that only damages flesh and blood can heal at tremendous speed with sufficient nutritional support."

After explaining the details of the two Stellar Martial Path chapters he knew, Qin Ming turned his gaze toward the increasingly excited Shrek group. "Forget about the remaining five chapters. Based only on the first two chapters—or even just my superficial description of Stellar Martial Path—do you think Stellar Martial Path is valuable?"

"Valuable, of course it is valuable!" Flender was the first to agree with Qin Ming's assessment. "Even if Stellar Martial Path cannot improve someone's strength, as long as it can extend a Soul Master's lifespan by three to five years, it is the most precious Self-Created Soul Skill in the world. If it can not only extend a Soul Master's lifespan by three to five years, but also increase their personal strength, then it is an entirely new system. That is an indisputable fact!"

Flender's assessment was completely correct.

The Soul Master system was distorted.

Below Rank Ninety, every Soul Master had the same lifespan as an ordinary person.

Some Soul Masters who died of old age might not even live as long as the old men at a village entrance.

Only after becoming a Titled Douluo did one's lifespan experience a surge—at Rank Ninety, a Titled Douluo's maximum lifespan directly rose to three hundred years. Beyond that, every additional rank added one hundred years to the maximum lifespan. A Rank Ninety-Five Super Douluo could live to eight hundred without illness or disaster, while a Rank Ninety-Nine Ultimate Douluo could live to one thousand two hundred without illness or disaster. Between Rank Eighty-Nine and Rank Ninety, the difference was not merely one rank of Soul Power, but two hundred years of lifespan!

Stellar Martial Path could grant Soul Masters an additional three to five years of life. It did not seem like much, but how many Soul Masters could even touch the threshold of Rank Ninety?

Forget reaching the threshold of Rank Ninety.

Even the threshold of Rank Eighty was still far beyond reach.

"I do not know anything beyond that..." Qin Ming shrugged. The eager, knowledge-hungry eyes of the Shrek group made him feel a little uncomfortable, and he excused himself. "I am neither a student nor a teacher of Blue Tyrant Academy. If you are truly curious, go ask the founder of Stellar Martial Path and Soul Guidance Technology. What others know, he definitely knows. What others do not know, he probably knows too..."

Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai rolled their eyes in unison.

What kind of terrible idea was that?

They had just insulted him. Although he had ignored them and treated them like air, they were supposed to go ask him for an explanation now? Were they looking to be scolded?

They would not ask!

They would rather die than ask!

Even if they desperately wanted to know, they would not ask!

Tang San could not bring himself to lower his pride either.

Yu Xiaogang was even less likely to do so.

Before getting out of the carriage, he had already had a very unpleasant conflict with Ye Qingcang.

The self-important Yu Xiaogang could never take the initiative to bow his head.

However, aside from Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, Ma Hongjun, and Dai Mubai, who all had their own bad records, there were still people like Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Oscar, and Qin Ming, who had either not received a bad evaluation from Ye Qingcang or had received no evaluation at all. Among them, there were naturally a few bold ones.

"Hey, Ye Qingcang!"

"Can you hear me?"

"Can you tell us about Stellar Martial Path?"

Ning Rongrong's glazed eyes turned as she placed her hands around her mouth, took a deep breath, and called loudly to Ye Qingcang walking ahead of them.

She merely looked like a refined young lady.

Her nickname, Little Witch, already explained her personality.

Someone who dared point at Flender's nose and curse him was not simply spoiled and willful, whether the confidence came from her family background or her exceptional talent.

It was only a question.

Others did not dare ask, but she did!

Still, despite saying that, she did not hold much hope.

Previously, she had not understood why Ye Qingcang was so proud.

Did he not merely have a Crown Prince as a friend?

She was even the Crown Prince's junior sister!

Was he not merely first on the so-called Heavenly Ranking?

Perhaps he was simply the best among a mediocre lot!

Now, she only wanted to say that if she had founded Soul Guidance Technology and Stellar Martial Path, she would be even prouder than Ye Qingcang at his age!

Others relied on their fathers, while she relied on herself!

Others relied on their backgrounds, while she relied on talent!

His confidence had been earned by himself. His seemingly arrogant bearing was only because she, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Tang San, Dai Mubai, Flender, Yu Xiaogang, and the others were too narrow-minded. Like blind men feeling an elephant, they had never seen the world through his eyes. What right did they have to judge whether he was arrogant?

Now that she had only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg.

She was already completely convinced.

How could she fail to understand what his arrogance truly was?

That was not arrogance!

It was confidence!

The confidence of the strong!

The very same confidence possessed by her Sword Grandpa, Bone Grandpa, and father!

The confidence of seeing all others as nothing more than enemies waiting to be cut down!

Such a person had the right to ignore her!

Signed a contract! (ω)