Which Was Better, Which Was Worse
The diary entry mentioned that the Holy Spirit Cult had a fairer competition mechanism, judging only by ability and not by background, which stirred something within her.
Wang Dong'er doesn't care about fairness; what she cares about is efficiency.
At Shrek, if she wanted to climb the ranks, she had to endure until the elders recognized her and she had enough seniority.
This process is too slow, but if it were a place that only values ability, she wouldn't have to wait so long.
Wang Dong'er suppressed the thought; she didn't want to think in that direction.
The Holy Spirit Cult is a cult, and no matter how efficient it is, it cannot change its nature. However, the ripples in her heart could not be calmed down for a while.
After all, Wang Dong'er is not a good person in the true sense of passing on her skills.
[I'm sure some people will argue with me, saying that the Holy Spirit Cult trains Evil Soul Master and uses cruel methods, so how can they be compared to Shrek Academy.]
I agree with that statement. The Holy Spirit Cult's methods were indeed evil, and its eventual destruction by Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong was entirely its own fault.
But today we're only discussing the cultivation of strong individuals, and the Holy Spirit Cult's three advantages are unmatched by Shrek Academy.
Shrek's greatness lies in its commitment to justice and its cultivation of strong individuals with principles.
The success of the Holy Spirit Cult lies in its exploitation of loopholes in the Soul Master World, using extreme methods to unleash human potential.
If the training efficiency of the Holy Spirit Cult could be combined with the moral bottom line of Shrek, that would be a truly perfect top-tier university.
Unfortunately, this is rarely the case in reality, because efficiency often conflicts with the bottom line.
After reading the contents of the diary, Zhang Lexuan felt a mix of emotions.
Having served as the top disciple of the Inner Court for so many years, she is extremely familiar with the internal workings of Shrek Academy.
While seniority-based promotion does slow down the growth of young people, if Shrek Academy didn't prioritize seniority and only relied on strength, the entire academy would have long been in chaos.
The Holy Spirit Cult's mechanism can function because its foundation lies in the cultivation methods of Evil Soul Master; whoever has the biggest fist calls the shots.
Shrek can't learn that kind of thing; if they did, they wouldn't be Shrek anymore.
But the last sentence of the diary made her think for a long time: is it really impossible to have both efficiency and a bottom line?
She put down what she was holding, leaned back in her chair, and couldn't think of an answer to the question for the time being.
Jiang Nannan felt conflicted after reading the diary entries.
She had never had a good impression of the Holy Spirit Cult, but the numbers in the diary were there for her to see, and she couldn't ignore them.
With over thirty Titled Douluo and twelve Super Douluo serving as retainers, such strength is indeed terrifying on the continent.
Jiang Nannan wondered if she had been captured by the Holy Spirit Cult back then, would she have also become one of those Evil Soul Master with astonishing cultivation speed?
The thought sent a chill down her spine, and she quickly pulled herself back to reality. She'd rather go slower than become that kind of person.
The Holy Spirit Cult was able to cultivate so many powerful individuals in a short period of time not only because of its Soul Ring Configuration and enrollment standards, but also because of the underlying logic of its cultivation system.
The core of the Evil Soul Master's cultivation method lies in plunder, rapidly increasing their cultivation level by devouring the Soul Power and life force of others.
This method is extremely efficient. A normal Soul Master can accumulate Soul Power in a year of hard training, Evil Soul Master can catch up by devouring a few Soul Master of the same level.
The Holy Spirit Cult has systematized and scaled up this method, forming a complete training system.
New followers, if they are willing to put in the effort, can make rapid progress in their cultivation within a short period of time.
Xiao Xiao felt a chill run down her spine when she saw this.
Her understanding of the Evil Soul Master's cultivation methods was limited to snippets from classroom lectures, but it was only when the diary laid bare this predatory method of advancement that she felt a direct sense of disgust.
It's easy to say that someone can devour another's Soul Power and life force, but behind it lies countless lives.
Xiao Xiao looked away for a moment, then pulled her gaze back to continue watching.
She wanted to know how Lin Ye would be written next. Just saying that the Holy Spirit Cult was efficient was enough; someone had to explain how that efficiency was achieved.
The advantages of this system are obvious.
First, it's fast-acting.
Tang Ya and Ma Xiaotao's cultivation speed is the best example.
Normally, even a talented Soul Master can only reach the threshold of becoming Titled Douluo after cultivating from childhood to adulthood for twenty or thirty years.
The Holy Spirit Cult has compressed this timeframe to a few years or even less.
Second, talent is not considered.
A normal Soul Master's potential is determined by their talent; no matter how hard they try, those who lack talent will never break through a certain bottleneck.
The cultivation method of Evil Soul Master bypasses the limitations of talent; as long as you can plunder enough Soul Power and life force, your cultivation level can be forcibly pushed forward.
People with less talent can actually find a way out in the Holy Spirit Cult, because the Holy Spirit Cult doesn't value talent but only methods.
After reading the contents of the diary, Wang Dong'er frowned slightly. She had always been resistant to the Holy Spirit Cult's cultivation methods, but the second point mentioned in the diary caught her attention.
In the Soul Master World, talent determines one's potential—this is an ironclad rule that no one can change.
She's talented enough that she doesn't need to worry about this.
But if it were someone with average talent, they might spend their entire life at Shrek and never break through to the Soul Saint, while they could become Titled Douluo in just a few years at the Holy Spirit Cult. This contrast is too glaring.
Wang Dong'er suppressed this thought, not wanting to think about it any further.
What she wants now is to become stronger. There is more than one way to become stronger, but some paths, once embarked upon, cannot be reversed.
The disadvantages of this system are also obvious.
First, the foundation is weak.
Cultivation achieved through devouring and plundering lacks the stability and precision of Soul Power circulation that a true Soul Master builds step by step.
Tang Ya and Ma Xiaotao progressed quickly within the Holy Spirit Cult, but their control over their Soul Power was still inferior to that of orthodox Soul Master of the same level.
This difference is not obvious at lower levels, but it becomes a fatal flaw at higher levels.
Even a slight deviation in the precision of Soul Power circulation will diminish the power of Soul Skill and make it easier to encounter problems when breaking through bottlenecks.
Second, the backlash from the cultivation method.
The cultivation method of Evil Soul Master relies on devouring the Soul Power of others to enhance themselves, but the Soul Power that can be devoured carries the resentment and obsession of the original owner.
These resentments, accumulated within the body, can affect a cultivator's mind over time.
The reason why the elders of the Holy Spirit Cult are becoming more and more insane and cruel is largely due to their long-term practice of devouring the Soul Power of others.
Ma Xiaotao's personality changed drastically during her time with the Holy Spirit Cult, which was also a result of the interaction between the Evil Fire and the cultivation methods of the Evil Soul Master.
This backlash is chronic; it's not apparent at first, and by the time it's noticed, it's too late.
Upon seeing this, Ma Xiaotao's heart tightened.
She was reluctant to recall her experience with the Holy Spirit Cult, but her diary clearly detailed the backlash from the practice.
Ma Xiaotao took a deep breath. If that was the case, then it would explain why her future self was portrayed as a ruthless killer in Lin Ye's diary.