Heart Separation Control! Experiencing Time-Based Soul Skills

Once he had absorbed most of the Soul Ascension Pill's power, Lu Yi broke through the level twenty-three threshold overnight and reached somewhere around the middle of that level.

But the moment he opened his eyes, he found Zhou Sichen staring at him with a face full of worry.

Before Lu Yi could speak, Zhou Sichen did.

"Lu Yi, Cao Jinxuan and I suddenly realized something yesterday."

Lu Yi's interest piqued at the mention of a problem. "What is it?"

"The three of us all have tool Martial Souls, and we all attack from a distance. Won't we be in trouble if someone gets close?" Zhou Sichen had thought about it for a long time without finding an answer. He scratched his head in frustration.

His two Beast Spirits were the Yellow Light Bear and the Blazing Flame Tiger.

But although he had two, controlling them separately weakened their fighting strength, so he could only deal with one person at a time.

And if he, their Power Attack System Soul Master, couldn't quickly finish off his opponent, Lu Yi and Cao Jinxuan could each control only one target.

Wouldn't they end up in the strange situation of fighting a team battle that turned into three separate duels?

If their opponents were weaker, they could still win through individual strength.

But against opponents with strong individual abilities, they would be the ones at a disadvantage.

Lu Yi didn't rush to answer. Instead, he offered Zhou Sichen a suggestion. "I think you should talk to Ning Tian."

"I'm being serious! Take this seriously!" Zhou Sichen sighed irritably. "And stop teasing me about the class monitor."

"I am being serious!"

Seeing that Zhou Sichen still hadn't recovered from his failed confession, Lu Yi had no intention of teasing him. He merely said with an air of mystery, "It's something that'll help you!"

Zhou Sichen looked doubtful. What did the class monitor, a support-type Soul Master, have to do with a Power Attack System Soul Master like him?

Still, he settled in to listen, and Lu Yi got straight to the point.

"The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has a cultivation method that every direct-line member who awakens the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul must master. Have you heard of it?"

Zhou Sichen immediately shook his head. Spotting a flaw in Lu Yi's question, he said with complete conviction, "Cultivation methods are secrets to every sect. How could I know about it?"

Lu Yi had known Zhou Sichen would react that way. The corners of his mouth rose.

"No, this method isn't a secret. It's just that, because of how specialized it is, almost no one besides Soul Masters with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul can use it. It's called Heart Separation Control. As far as I know, its highest level is the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart, which lets you divide your attention seven ways.

"You said controlling your two Beast Spirits to attack separately was difficult, right? Then you should ask the class monitor for pointers. Otherwise, when you have more Soul Rings in the future, won't it be a waste if you can't control all those Beast Spirits?"

"Damn it, Lu Yi, you're the smartest person I've ever met!" Zhou Sichen sprang to his feet, nearly jumping into the air.

Ever since obtaining his Second Soul Ring, he had struggled to control multiple Beast Spirits at once.

Most of the time, he had to let them fight on their own because he couldn't direct them precisely.

With his innate level-seven Soul Power, reaching Soul Douluo in the future would be no great challenge. He might even become a Titled Douluo.

By then, aside from his Martial Soul Avatar, he would have at least seven Beast Spirits.

If he reached the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart level Lu Yi had described, he would be an army all by himself.

"Say no more, brother. I'm going to find the class monitor right now!"

Zhou Sichen made for the door in a rush, but Lu Yi stopped him.

"That can wait. You won't learn Heart Separation Control in a day or two. Let's answer your first question."

By now, Zhou Sichen trusted Lu Yi completely. Eager to hear what he would say next, he turned around and sat back down.

Before answering, Lu Yi had Zhou Sichen explain Cao Jinxuan's abilities. After all, he hadn't even let Cao Jinxuan use a Soul Skill during their spar the day before.

When he learned that Cao Jinxuan's Martial Soul could slow the flow of time for a target, Lu Yi sucked in a sharp breath.

Good thing I didn't let Cao Jinxuan get his Soul Skill off. Otherwise, I'd have been the one on my knees yesterday.

It was an ability that manipulated time!

But it also gave Lu Yi an idea.

"Zhou Sichen, my control usually only restricts an opponent's movement. It doesn't do much to their fighting strength. So if Cao Jinxuan and I each lock down one person at the start, attack the one Cao Jinxuan controls. Ignore the other two.

"As long as we take an opponent out of the fight, we won't lose. But that's just a strategy on paper. We'll have to try it to see how it works."

Lu Yi wasn't too worried about how the team would fare in a real fight.

Even if the match turned into three one-on-one fights, as Zhou Sichen feared, their individual fighting strength was enough to defeat most teams.

As long as they focused on honing their coordination during the round-robin stage of the freshman assessment, reaching the elimination stage wouldn't be difficult.

"Come on. Let's go to class!"

Returning to class after more than ten days away, Lu Yi found that it had changed quite a bit.

More than ten days ago, Mu Jin had announced that students could form their own teams and start learning to work together. Now only a handful had yet to join one.

There was no doubt that Shrek's assessment was harsh.

Crueler still, that assessment had begun the moment they enrolled.

A student who couldn't demonstrate great strength or anything else that stood out couldn't attract powerful classmates as teammates.

The strong could always join forces with the strong, while most weaker students could only huddle together for warmth and scrape a team together.

Over the past two months, Mu Jin had hardly expelled any students. By letting them choose their own teams, however, he had made them follow the most basic rule of all: survival of the fittest.

Zhou Yi, by contrast, expelled students who failed to meet her standards and then handled team assignments herself. Her class's overall advancement rate could reach two-thirds.

At this point, Lu Yi couldn't judge which approach was better.

There was nothing special about today's class, either. They were free to spend the time getting to know their teammates.

That meant the three of them would spar and discuss their Soul Skills, learning what each teammate could do so they could work together better.

Lu Yi had already fought Cao Jinxuan yesterday, and Cao Jinxuan knew Lu Yi's abilities all too well. This time, it was Lu Yi's turn to experience his Soul Skills.

"Heh, heh—don't worry. It won't hurt!"

After a night's rest, Cao Jinxuan had regained his composure. He flashed Lu Yi a wicked grin. "First Soul Skill: Time Flies! Second Soul Skill: Time Lock!"

"Mm~"

When Cao Jinxuan's First Soul Skill landed on him, Lu Yi didn't feel much at first. His Soul Power only seemed to circulate a little less smoothly.

But when he looked closely, he saw everything around him moving much faster, as though someone had pressed fast-forward.

Of course, that was only how it appeared to him. In reality, the flow of time around his own body had slowed.

In a real battle, being slowed in time like this would put him at an enormous disadvantage.

Then Time Lock, Cao Jinxuan's Second Soul Skill, took hold, and the world before Lu Yi's eyes went black.

It wasn't the darkness of a place without light, nor was it the Black Barrier brought by the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast he had encountered before. Light itself had been frozen in place.

Only one thought remained in his mind.

Time-based abilities are terrifying!