Misleading Yu Xiaogang

A cave?

Could it be some lost tome?

Yu Xiaogang's eyes immediately lit up. If he could obtain this copied record on Soul Beasts, organize it, and publish it, wouldn't it become a theory he had researched himself?

The Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul could be updated again.

"I read in the tome that the essence of Martial Soul enhancement is an increase in energy. Increasing energy with the same attribute as the Martial Soul promotes Martial Soul Evolution, while increasing energy with opposing attributes causes rejection."

Yu Xiaogang nodded. This was common knowledge in the Soul Master world. It was like how a fire-attributed Martial Soul could not absorb an ice- or water-attributed Soul Ring. At best, it would damage the meridians; at worst, it would cripple the Martial Soul.

"The records say this isn't absolute. The actual situation is complicated, and under certain circumstances, it can be absorbed. May I ask, Grandmaster, what are those circumstances?"

Yu Xiaogang fell into thought. There were times when they could be absorbed?

How was that possible?

He had devoted himself to research for years and had never heard of a Soul Master being able to absorb a Soul Ring with a conflicting attribute.

He shook his head and asked directly, "I'm not sure. How does the tome describe it?"

If he didn't know, he didn't know. That was the honesty expected of a Martial Soul theory Grandmaster. There was no shame in admitting it before a child. Besides, this knowledge would soon become his anyway.

Lu Shi was in no hurry to explain. "Grandmaster, since you don't know, this counts as an exchange of knowledge. I'm just a child from a remote mountain village, so naturally I want to learn more. Could I trade the answer about mutations for your books on Soul Beasts?"

He wanted to cultivate Soul Beasts and make them evolve. There were only a few paths for Soul Beast evolution: devouring and seizing the bloodlines of other Soul Beasts, changes in their living environment that altered their Soul Power, or consuming heavenly treasures.

That meant he had to understand every aspect of Soul Beast species, bloodlines, and habits. Otherwise, the first path would be impossible. Whatever else Yu Xiaogang lacked, he surely had books documenting Soul Beasts.

Yu Xiaogang did not answer immediately either. He stared into Lu Shi's eyes. "Why should I believe you?"

Lu Shi had to produce proof that convinced him. Otherwise, he would not let Lu Shi gain benefits for nothing.

After all, Lu Shi was merely from a poor mountain village. Whether such a tome even existed was another matter.

Lu Shi was not surprised. His expression remained calm. "The Soul Rings a Soul Master absorbs in a lifetime cannot all have only one attribute. For example, if someone's Martial Soul is a sword, they may absorb corresponding Soul Rings for attributes such as strength, sharpness, or speed—like those of a demon bear, a Sky-Splitting Eagle, or a Lightning Falcon. As they absorb Soul Rings, their Martial Soul also takes on the corresponding attributes. After absorbing enough of them and passing them down through generations, the Martial Soul may still appear to be a sword, but it is no longer pure. Too many impurities have mixed into the bloodline."

"This also explains why Martial Soul Mutation occurs. For instance, if the parents' Martial Souls are a sword and bamboo, the impurities in both bloodlines may be plentiful, and certain impurity attributes may align. If the sword contains more plant attributes and the bamboo contains more metal attributes, mutation will occur. The child may be born with a bamboo sword, or bamboo that is abnormally sharp."

It was perfectly normal for plants to contain metal. Some Plant-Type Soul Beasts grew specifically atop certain mineral veins. Iron Trees, for instance, grew on iron mines. After absorbing metallic elements year after year and accumulating them within their bodies, almost no Soul Beast dared attack them.

After hearing this, Yu Xiaogang suddenly understood. He was profoundly shaken.

Right!

Why hadn't I thought of that?

"So, the method for allowing a fire-attributed Martial Soul to absorb a water-attributed Soul Ring is to make the Martial Soul impure—adding non-conflicting speed, earth, or other attributes first, then absorbing a water-attributed Soul Ring. Even if water and fire are incompatible, the water can still be absorbed by the earth attribute!"

Perfect! It was simply a perfect theory!

It could explain why Martial Souls reverted to their ancestors, and why powerful Martial Souls mutated into Waste Martial Souls.

So this was how my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul became Luo Sanpao?

No wonder it was recorded in an ancient tome...

His long-standing wish had finally been fulfilled. Yu Xiaogang let out a long breath and immediately felt much lighter, as though the stone weighing on his shoulders had vanished.

At this point, he fully believed Lu Shi's words. Before Lu Shi could speak, he took out a grayish-brown book five fingers thick from his Soul Tool.

"I have treasured this book for many years. It contains detailed records of most Soul Beasts in the world."

He had brought it out of Spirit Hall when he left back then.

Lu Shi accepted it and flipped through it.

The pages had yellowed badly. This book had undergone at least a century of aging, yet the writing and illustrations remained clear, and its records were indeed highly detailed. It covered everything from Blue Silver Grass, which even pigs would not eat, to rare Ghost Tigers. It even recorded Soul Beasts such as the Sky Azure Bull Python, as well as aquatic ones like the Ice Serpent Whale.

Good. Now he no longer needed to worry about lacking knowledge of Soul Beasts.

He put away the book. "Since Grandmaster is so generous, I will tell you the remaining knowledge from that tome."

Yu Xiaogang interrupted him. "Why not just give me the tome directly?"

I even gave you my treasured collection.

Lu Shi replied regretfully, "A Soul Beast wreathed in flames came to harass us and set half the town ablaze. That tome, along with my home, was burned away."

What tome was there? He had made it all up.

Yu Xiaogang sighed regretfully, but he also felt fortunate that it had not fallen into anyone else's hands. As long as he published it, this theory would become the result of his own painstaking research!

Soul Beasts harassing people along the border was extremely common, so he did not doubt it in the slightest.

"The remaining records in the tome are as follows. First, Martial Soul Mutation can be controlled. By choosing suitable Soul Rings after birth, one can artificially control the direction of Martial Soul Mutation."

"Second, the worse a Martial Soul's foundation, the greater its plasticity. For example, the Waste Martial Soul Blue Silver Grass has no distinguishing traits, which also means it can develop in any direction."

In flattering terms, it was said to have great developmental potential. In blunt terms, it was a useless Waste Martial Soul.

"Third, the poison attribute is a versatile attribute. No matter what Martial Soul it is, as long as poison is added, it will become dangerous and deadly."

After hearing the three points, Yu Xiaogang fell silent. He lowered his head in thought, muttering "poison attribute" and "Martial Soul Mutation" over and over.

His eyes grew brighter and brighter, and his expression became excited.

"That's right! Blue Silver Grass can be given the poison attribute!"

Seeing his reaction, Lu Shi knew he had succeeded.

Strictly speaking, none of these three points was wrong. Acquired Martial Soul Mutation could indeed be controlled, poor foundations could indeed be altered however one pleased, and the poison attribute was indeed versatile.

Add poison to Blue Silver Grass, and it became poisonous grass. Add poison to a hoe, and it became a poisonous hoe.

If animal-type poison couldn't be absorbed, couldn't plant-type poison still be absorbed?

It was already a Waste Martial Soul. Was there really any fear of choosing the wrong path?

The problem was that Tang San's Martial Soul was the Blue Silver Emperor, not Blue Silver Grass.

That was a top-tier Plant-Type Martial Soul, not a Waste Martial Soul.

Furthermore, poison was not something one could manipulate however one wished. Even someone as powerful as Dugu Bo had been tormented by poison into losing his mother in his early years, his father in his youth, his wife in middle age, and his son in old age, leaving him with only a granddaughter who was nearly dead.

He had practically been driven mad.

Seeing that Yu Xiaogang had completely immersed himself in his own fantasy, Lu Shi did not disturb him. He silently walked out and closed the door.

He waited for good news to arrive.

By the time he returned to Dorm Seven, it was already night.

When Lu Shi took out a brand-new, soft set of bedding and spread it over the bed, Xiao Wu's eyes visibly lit up.