Qian Xunzong ran his fingertips over the blade and got straight to the point, his words concise and lucid without a single wasted phrase:
"The Soul-Breaking Sword is an early-grade Level-Six Soul Tool. Its core formation consists of three layers: Demon-Breaking, Energy-Gathering, and Astral-Slaying. Each formation serves its own purpose, but there is obvious redundant energy consumption at their connections. The energy-gathering rate is slow, energy loss reaches as high as thirty percent, and the slashing burst is insufficient. Its maximum destructive power is completely capped. This is the weapon's greatest flaw."
In just a few sentences, he laid bare every core strength and weakness of this Level-Six Soul Tool, more precise and thorough than Yan Hongyuan's lengthy explanation just now.
Chu Qianji's eyes lit up, and he showed open approval. "Exactly! As expected of the competition's overall champion—your insight is truly exceptional."
Su Youqi and Chu Nianyao were even more shaken, their faces full of sudden realization.
The two had studied Soul Tool equipment for years. Chu Nianyao in particular had been exposed to basic combat tools like the Soul-Breaking Sword since childhood, yet she had only been able to understand the surface-level formation structure. She had never noticed the hidden flaw of excessive energy consumption. Only now did she realize just how vast the gap in vision between herself and Qian Xunzong was!
But Qian Xunzong was not finished. Holding the sword in hand, he continued calmly, "This tool can only be considered barely passable. It cannot be called refined.
"With only minor adjustments to three formation patterns, the removal of redundant nodes, and the optimization of the energy connection paths, the energy-consumption issue can be completely resolved. The energy-gathering speed would double, and its overall power would rise by fifty to sixty percent. It would be enough