"Enough."
"I can't be bothered to waste words on you. You don't deserve to hear them."
"But I can tell you one thing clearly. Given how the Heavenly Soul Royal Family is standing still on soul tool technology, refusing to improve and stubbornly resisting advanced soul tool technology..."
"I dare say it's only a matter of time before the Heaven Dou Empire is destroyed."
Chen Mo finally understood.
Even if he talked until the skin peeled off his lips today, soul tool technology would remain nothing more than a crooked little trick in this princess's eyes.
No wonder, in the original story...
The Heaven Dou Empire had been the first nation destroyed.
With such stubborn thinking, utterly unable to keep pace with the times, they placed no value whatsoever on advanced technology.
They clung blindly to their outdated, traditional aristocratic ideals.
They were deeply convinced that soul masters should rely on their own martial souls and soul power, and that soul tools were an unorthodox shortcut, a reliance on outside power that disgraced soul masters.
With that attitude of utter contempt and firm resistance toward soul tool technology, they deserved to have their nation destroyed.
Hearing the words "nation destroyed"...
Du Busi was deeply surprised.
He pondered inwardly whether soul tools really were that powerful.
No, impossible.
Body martial souls were the true pinnacle for soul masters!
That brat must have said that only because he found soul tools novel.
Besides, if soul tools really were so powerful, why had they still lost the previous wars?
"You're only a rank-thirty soul master."
"What makes you think you can say the Heaven Dou Empire will be destroyed?"
"What right do you have to say that?"
Vina bristled immediately.
She rose to her feet.
Her eyes reddened as she stared fixedly at Chen Mo.
As a princess of the Heaven Dou Empire, she could not tolerate anyone speaking ill of the royal family.
Especially talk of the nation's destruction.
Had Chen Mo not been the Body Sect's Young Sect Master...
She would certainly have ordered someone to arrest him and throw him into prison.
Chen Mo paid no attention whatsoever to Vina's stare.
He said calmly, "I merely gave an objective assessment, and you already can't take it. Your pride really is fragile."
"Whose pride is fragile?"
"You're clearly twisting logic!"
"I get it. You must know you can't refute me, and you don't want to apologize, so you're lashing out with vicious words instead, right?"
"To think that, as a citizen of Heaven Dou, you would bite the hand that feeds you."
"You, Chen Mo, became the Body Sect's Young Sect Master entirely thanks to the Heaven Dou Empire. Without the Empire, you probably wouldn't even have awakened your martial soul!"
Vina still refused to admit it, even attempting to hold him morally hostage.
Faced with this situation...
Chen Mo perked right up. He glanced at her and slowly said, "Dumbass!"
"You... how vulgar!"
Vina's eyes widened as she pointed at Chen Mo in disbelief.
Only after a long while did she force those words out.
Ever since she was little, wherever she went...
She had been admired by countless people and showered with all kinds of praise.
But she had never expected...
That someone would actually curse at her today, and in such blunt language.
Yet Chen Mo paid her no heed and continued, "Hmph! Thanks to the Heaven Dou Empire? You really have the nerve to say that. The Heaven Dou Empire keeps suppressing commoners, to the point that they might not awaken their martial souls even after passing the proper age. I only managed to awaken mine because of the money my parents left me."
"Besides, do you know where I awakened my martial soul?"
Vina shook her head blankly.
Chen Mo then asked Du Busi, "Master, you should still remember where you brought me back from, right?"
Du Busi said, "The Dou Ling Empire."
"Did you hear that? I awakened my martial soul in the Dou Ling Empire. What the hell does that have to do with the Heaven Dou Empire?"
"Do you know why I went to the Dou Ling Empire to awaken my martial soul?"
"Because in the Heaven Dou Empire, commoners can't awaken their martial souls even if they have money!"
Chen Mo's words struck like a heavy hammer, shattering Vina completely.
Then she could no longer control her emotions.
She turned and ran out, crying.
"You brat really don't have the slightest inclination to cherish a delicate flower."
"Vina is related to me, after all."
"You could at least soften your words a little."
Du Busi looked at his disciple and spoke helplessly.
Chen Mo looked at his master and said, "Soften them? Why should I? I barely know her. Not beating her up just now was already a concession out of respect for you."
"..."
"You brat are definitely going to have trouble finding a wife someday."
After a long silence, Du Busi spoke.
"All right, go get some rest."
"In two weeks, I'm taking Aotian and the others to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for soul rings."
"You'll come along too."
"By the way, what soul beast are you planning to hunt for your third ring? Do you need your master's advice?"
Chen Mo waved a hand. "I've already decided. The Spirit Vein Brocade-Scale Python, found on the boundary between the outer and mixed zones of the Star Dou Great Forest, would be very suitable for my third ring."
"The Spirit Vein Brocade-Scale Python? Yes, that's suitable." Du Busi nodded.
Afterward...
Chen Mo returned to his familiar room to rest.
Although he was already on vacation...
He had not neglected his studies of soul tools.
Before he left...
Jing Hongchen had specially approved some materials and the tools used to make soul tools.
He had let Chen Mo bring them back to practice with.
Chen Mo laid everything out on an unused desk.
He picked up an Engraving Knife and began carefully engraving a class-two formation.
Two weeks later.
Du Busi brought Chen Mo and the others to the Star Dou Great Forest.
Vina had continued to brood over what had happened.
Throughout the journey, she kept glaring viciously at Chen Mo.
Du Busi said to Chen Mo, both irritated and helpless, "I won't say anything about you going to study at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy."
"But now that you're back at the sect, can't you focus on cultivating?"
"You spend all day fiddling with that scrap metal."
"Have you forgotten my rule strictly forbidding disciples from studying or using soul tools within the sect?"
During his two weeks back at the sect...
Chen Mo had spent nearly every day holed up in his room, studying and researching soul tools.
He spent only a small portion of his time meditating and cultivating.
To be honest...
If Long Aotian or any other disciple had done this...
Du Busi would have beaten them with a few punches and kicks long ago.
But faced with Chen Mo, his personal disciple, the only one who possessed a body martial soul with an ultimate attribute—and twin martial souls at that...
Du Busi had thought it over again and again.
In the end, he had chosen to keep one eye open and the other closed.
Hearing his master start nagging about this again, Chen Mo said unhurriedly, "Master, look at you getting worked up again. Have you forgotten that I've reached rank thirty and hit a bottleneck? How am I supposed to cultivate without hunting for a soul ring? Am I right?"
"Uh... right." Du Busi did not argue.
Chen Mo added, "Besides, studying soul tools diligently is also a way for me to bring honor to the Body Sect. You wouldn't want your disciple, the Body Sect's Young Sect Master, to end up far behind those Sun Moon students at the same level after a single vacation, would you?"
"That makes sense. You're right!"
"How could the Body Sect's Young Sect Master fall behind that Sun Moon bunch?"
"Study hard, brat. Show those fellows how well we in the Body Sect can learn!"
With that provocation from Chen Mo, Du Busi's competitive spirit surged.
He no longer cared whether soul tools were scrap metal.
At that moment, only one thought remained in his mind: The Body Sect's Young Sect Master absolutely must not be surpassed by that Sun Moon bunch!
Long Aotian: "..."
Vina: "..."
The rest of the Body Sect disciples: "..."
Just listen to what he was saying!
The dignified Young Sect Master of the Body Sect was actually declaring in broad daylight that studying soul tools was a way to bring honor to the Body Sect.
The heavens and earth had practically been turned upside down.
But the real question was, why wasn't the Sect Master arguing? Why was he agreeing instead?
Was this right?
Was this the difference in treatment between his personal disciple and the rest of them?
In an instant, all the disciples felt aggrieved.
Before you continue