Reliance on External Power

Third, its output mode is singular, relying entirely on charged heavy artillery, resulting in a rigid and monotonous playstyle that is easily predicted, avoided, and countered by opponents.

Compared to Huo Yuhao's ever-changing mental and ice-based combined combat techniques, Wang Dong'er's light and shadow attacks, and Jiang Nannan's unpredictable restraints, He Caitou's fighting style is unremarkable and easily countered.

In addition, considering the complementarity of the Seven Monsters ' team, He Caitou is the only member whose functions overlap, who has no irreplaceable weaknesses, and who cannot fill the core gaps in the team.

The perfect system of the Shrek Seven Monsters is: core commander Huo Yuhao + melee attacker Bei Bei + front-line tank Xu Sanshi + assassin Jiang Nannan for restraint + control support Xiao Xiao + agile burst Wang Dong'er.

These six key positioning features perfectly cover all the essential needs of Soul Master battles, leaving no blind spots, no weaknesses, and providing comprehensive coverage.

He Caitou's long-range heavy artillery output is merely an added bonus, not an essential core requirement.

In other words, He Caitou, the Shrek Seven Monsters ' complete combat system is still a perfect, complete, and top-tier team battle lineup with no weaknesses.

Removing any one of the remaining individuals would create a fatal flaw in the system.

Without Huo Yuhao, there's no commander, no Heaven's Eye, and no core damage dealer.

Without Wang Dong'er, there's no ultimate light-based burst attack, no double-player combo.

Without Bei Bei, there's no core melee fighter.

Without Xu Sanshi, the entire team is fragile with no front-line defense.

Without Jiang Nannan, there's no assassin to control the situation, and no one to cut through the backline.

Without Xiao Xiao, the team fights collapse due to the lack of control and support.

The only thing missing He Caitou; the team's core structure, offensive and defensive system, and tactical rhythm remain intact without any fatal flaws. It's just that they lack a ranged weapon output, which can be perfectly compensated for by the elemental output of Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong'er, and others.

This is the most blatant example of substitutability.

In addition, He Caitou's essence is the same as Huo Yuhao's; both rely on external forces to become stronger, with the weakest foundation of their own, and are also the one among the Seven Monsters who lacks "personal integrity".

The Shrek Seven Monsters of Tang San's generation were all irreplaceable.

The team composition is Clear Sky Hammer for offensive power, Blue Silver Grass for control, Evil-Eyed White Tiger for offensive power, Hell Spirit Cat for assassination, Seven Treasures Glazed for support, Sausage for healing, and Fire Phoenix for burst damage.

Each person's Martial Soul is unique, with completely separate, non-overlapping, and indispensable functions. Each person's strength is rooted in themselves and not built up by external objects.

However, Huo Yuhao's generation of Seven Monsters had an extra member, He Caitou, who relied purely on external objects, had overlapping functions, and was extremely easy to replicate.

The Seven Monsters of Tang San's Generation: Each of them grew through bloody battles, their Martial Soul, physical bodies, and wills were highly integrated, and external forces were merely auxiliary.

He Caitou's growth relied entirely on the iteration of his Soul Tool, while his own Martial Soul showed no growth. His will and combat power were completely disconnected, making him a typical example of "the stronger the external tools, the stronger the person; the weaker the external tools, the weaker the person."

Moreover, the upper limit of He Caitou was locked from the very beginning.

His potential depends on the potential of Soul Tool and the potential of Douluo Soul Guidance Technology, but not on himself.

Huo Yuhao can break through the limits of his Martial Soul, the limits of his Spirit Power, and fuse with God-level Inheritance to achieve self-transcendence.

Wang Dong'er can awaken her Divine Soul and evolve her Martial Soul.

Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and others are able to continuously break through their limits by relying on their own bloodline and Martial Soul.

He Caitou, however, can never break through his own limitations.

His Martial Soul was destined to be unable to evolve, and his physical talent was destined to be ordinary. All he could do was keep up with the times and use stronger Soul Tool.

The times create the strong, not the individuals themselves who create the pinnacle.

This growth pattern destined him to mediocrity and substitutability.

If you were to find a Soul Engineer of the same level to grow with the Shrek Academy team, enjoying the same resources, training, and experience, the heights you could ultimately reach would definitely not be inferior to He Caitou's, and might even be stronger, more agile, and have more potential.

He Caitou's only advantage is that he joined the team early, has seniority, a stable personality, and high loyalty.

However, none of these are irreplaceable in terms of combat power or team positioning.

Qualifications can be replaced, personalities can be similar, and loyalty can be cultivated, but Martial Soul talents, Divine Soul bonds, and exclusive abilities cannot be copied.

Many people subconsciously overlook the shortcomings of He Caitou's image because he is honest, unassuming, and quietly dedicated, which naturally earns him goodwill.

Putting aside any biases, considering the combat structure, the team's essential needs, its uniqueness, and its foundation for growth, the answer is undoubtedly clear.

Among the New-Generation Shrek Seven Monsters, He Caitou is the only one, and absolutely the most easily replaceable.

He has no unique talent, no irreplaceable function, and no inherent strengths; all his glory is bestowed by external forces.

External things are easy to obtain, but one's true self is hard to find.

The other six monsters all forged their legends through sheer willpower, talent, and their own flesh and blood.

Only He Caitou, relying on external things to establish himself, rises and falls with the times, and can be replaced, replicated, and changed.

This perfectly illustrates the earlier point: strength earned through one's own hard work is eternal, while glory built on external forces is easily replaced.

Star Dou Forest, at the bottom of the Lake of Life.

After reading the diary, Gu Yuena's cool eyes revealed a clear understanding.

The power that can be replicated is always the weakest; the true essence and talent that cannot be copied are the foundation for standing at the top.

The other six each have their own destiny.

Huo Yuhao wields the Spirit Great Dao, possessing a unique Divine Soul, one in ten thousand.

Wang Dong'er possesses Light Divine Soul, bound by destiny.

Bei Bei inherits the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Bloodline, Xu Sanshi wields the Black Tortoise, Jiang Nannan possesses the posture of a lightning assassin, and Xiao Xiao masters the way of dual-elemental support and crowd control.

Their power originates from their bloodline, Martial Soul, Divine Soul, and will; it is a unique opportunity bestowed by heaven, and there is no other like them in the world. This is their unshakeable foundation.

He Caitou, however, had no destiny, no talent, and no unique path.

A useless Cigar Martial Soul destined him to have no foundation for survival from birth.

All his combat power, all his value, and all his role in the team are entirely dependent on the Soul Tool.

Soul Tool are universally applicable; anyone can learn to use them, practice with them, and possess them, without any exclusive barriers.

In other words, he was never one of the "unique Shrek Seven Monsters," but simply a "high-level Soul Engineer happened to be at Shrek."

Even a different person can still wield heavy cannons, control Soul Tool, and launch powerful long-range attacks.

His position never belonged to himself, but to the system of the Soul Tool era.

People appreciate his honesty, diligence, and quiet dedication, which automatically enhances his perceived value.

But in the face of absolute power and rules, sentiment and personality are worthless.

Loyalty, composure, and forbearance are all virtues, but they are not trump cards in combat, much less irreplaceable assets.

Character can be cultivated, and attitude can be developed, but one's innate Martial Soul and Divine Soul cannot be changed throughout one's life.