Xiao Hongchen opened his mouth, and after a long while, he finally squeezed out a sentence. "You... how did you do that? How could you achieve such precise control without using a soul skill?"
This defied the basic laws of Douluo Continent. Shouldn't he have desperately obtained a hundred-year soul ring, then gained a soul skill called Red Gyroscope before being able to do something like that?
He lowered his head and looked at his own hand. They were both Soul Elders, and his Metal Control was already among the best of his peers, but he could only achieve it with the aid of soul skills.
If he had to shape a metal component out of Soul Power from thin air, never mind a gyroscope—even forming a ball would leave him drenched in sweat.
Ye Chenxing was initially stunned by their expressions.
"Really?" He thought for a moment before offering an explanation that even he found somewhat unreliable. "Maybe... my spiritual power is simply different from ordinary people's?"
Those words were the last straw that broke the camel's back. Monster!
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen cried out in unison in their hearts. They both turned their faces away, unwilling to let Ye Chenxing see the aggrieved expressions on their faces.
Xiao Hongchen had always regarded Ye Chenxing as an imaginary rival. When he had been suppressed during the entrance test, he could console himself by saying it was a difference in Martial Soul quality, something that couldn't be helped.
But ever since learning that Ye Chenxing was a pure Soul Master, another thought had always lingered in his heart.
I'm a Soul Engineer. As long as I keep my distance and bombard him with firepower, what Ultimate Fire, what Ultimate Light—none of them will be my match.
That was the pride he held as a Soul Engineer. In his mind, Soul Engineers were definitely superior to pure Soul Masters, and that was where he got the confidence to tell Ye Chenxing, "I'll definitely surpass you once school starts."
But that single finger strike had shattered his sense of superiority.
Ye Chenxing's earlier strike had come without the slightest warning. Xiao Hongchen asked himself whether his head could possibly be harder than that Gold Tiger's. And judging from Ye Chenxing's casual expression, the attack's range had clearly been nowhere near its limit. In other words, in actual combat, Ye Chenxing could have instantly killed an opponent before even seeing what their Martial Soul looked like.
He took a deep breath and clenched his fists tightly. It's fine. I got carried away this time and burned through too much Soul Power. I had no Soul Power left to activate my defensive Soul Tools, and I didn't keep my distance. At full strength, I might not lose. Besides, now that I know he has this kind of attack, I can prepare in advance next time...
Right. I still have a chance!
He repeated it to himself several times before finally forcing down the surging sense of defeat in his chest.
Naturally, Ye Chenxing had no idea what kind of mental storm Xiao Hongchen had experienced in those brief moments. He merely added silently in his heart that his earlier explanation had only been half true.
The reason he could casually manipulate fire elements to such an extent was not only because his spiritual power far surpassed that of those at his level. More importantly, he had inherited all of Qian Renxue's abilities.
She was the true Angel God. Even though she was more accustomed to crushing opponents head-on with the Angel Sacred Sword and overwhelming raw power, and fire control was not her specialty, she still possessed god-level experience and insight.
Moreover, as a transmigrator, Ye Chenxing's mind contained all sorts of ways to use souls that people in this world could never even imagine. Rolling flames into a gyroscope was nothing. He simply hadn't yet shown them how to mold a fireball into a Rasengan, or shape one into a little lotus.
Meng Hongchen spoke up. "Then, Chenxing, how did you choose your first soul skill? Since you can do things without soul skills that others can only accomplish after obtaining soul rings, what direction do you plan to take your second soul skill in?"
Ye Chenxing pondered for a moment. The casual smile from earlier faded, and his expression grew serious.
"Strictly speaking, my first soul ring gave me pure numerical enhancements. Increased Soul Power and increased physical strength." He paused, as if organizing his words. "In my view, most Soul Masters today are walking the wrong path."
"The wrong path?" Meng Hongchen was startled.
"Yes." Ye Chenxing nodded, his tone certain. "Soul Masters should have used their own Martial Souls to attack in the first place. The purpose of soul skills should be to enhance one's basic attributes—strength, speed, defense, and total Soul Power."
"Then they should fight through their own training and proficiency. In my opinion, directly using soul skills as attack methods is a tremendous waste."
He raised one finger and gave an example. "Imagine two Soul Saints fighting. One person's first soul ring grants a hundred-year enhancement-type soul skill, even if it only increases strength by five percent. The other person's first soul ring grants a hundred-year attack-type soul skill. With all other conditions nearly equal, that hundred-year attack soul skill would play a negligible role in a Soul Saint-level battle. But that five percent enhancement could become the key to changing the course of the battle."
"In this regard, the White Tiger Duke lineage from the former Three Douluo Kingdoms—the descendants of Dai Mubai, one of the Shrek Seven Monsters from ten thousand years ago—did very well." Ye Chenxing's tone carried a trace of approval. "Their first six soul rings consisted of three enhancements, one single-target burst skill, one long-range attack, and one area attack. They had reinforcement, burst damage, sustained output, and AOE. It could be considered a fairly ideal setup."
"And the stupidest approach..."
"Is when someone even relies on soul rings to add attack methods that their Martial Soul already possesses. Take Blue Silver Grass Soul Masters, for example. They add Entanglement as their first soul skill. What's the point? Can't Blue Silver Grass entangle on its own? Do they really have to waste a precious soul ring slot to gain an ability their Martial Soul should already have?"
Xiao Hongchen shook his head. "Chenxing, your theory is indeed brilliant, but it's too idealistic. Most Soul Masters spend their entire lives cultivating only to reach three or four rings. They only have three or four soul skills. Not everyone has your talent. If they don't add attack-type soul rings, they truly have no other means of attack."
Ye Chenxing neither agreed nor disagreed. Just as he was about to say something, Meng Hongchen suddenly clicked her tongue and jabbed her brother with her elbow.
"Xiao, are you stupid?" She lifted her chin, her tone carrying a hint of disappointment. "Have you forgotten what we are?"
Xiao Hongchen froze.
What are we?
It was as if he had been struck by an electric current. His entire body stiffened before he abruptly slapped his thigh.
That's right! We're Soul Engineers!
He had always treated Ye Chenxing as an imaginary rival, so when considering Ye Chenxing's theory, he had instinctively placed himself within the framework of a pure Soul Master. But the problem was—he was not a pure Soul Master at all! His damage output had never relied on soul skills!
Those attack-type soul rings, those skills added to make up for insufficient firepower—he could completely replace them with Soul Tools! Fixed Soul Guidance Cannons, Soul Guidance Rays—which of them wasn't stronger than a hundred-year or thousand-year attack soul skill?
His soul skills should be used for things Soul Tools could not yet accomplish, such as strengthening his Metal Control, increasing his ability to survive, or compensating for weaknesses in close combat and defense.
Use soul skills to cover shortcomings. Use Soul Tools for damage output.
If talent wasn't enough, Soul Tools could make up the difference!
Once that line of thought opened up, Xiao Hongchen felt as if everything before him had suddenly become clear. He abruptly raised his head, and when he looked at Ye Chenxing again, there was less competitiveness in his eyes and more sincerity.
"Thank you, Chenxing," he said solemnly. "I know how I should proceed from here."
Before you continue