Lin Changgeng cast aside his distracting thoughts and carefully sensed the flow of metal.
Before long, feelings of warmth, joy, and delight gradually became clear. He could distinctly sense the unique emotions and aura emanating from the gold elements around him.
Countless flowing gold elements passed from the air into his body, then slowly flowed back out.
Then images surfaced in his mind, rippling into the distance as the energy traveled. The images spread along with it. He felt as though he stood in a golden ocean, able to clearly see the outlines of everything within it.
With enough concentration, he could even see the tiniest details.
It was as though the gold elements in the surrounding area had become his eyes, nose, and ears, sharing everything they saw and sensed.
"Found you!" Lin Changgeng sensed Wang Qiu'er's position. Without hesitation or warning, his right hand shot out to grab her.
Smack!
A crisp sound rang out as Lin Changgeng's right hand caught Wang Qiu'er's wrist.
"What?" Wang Qiu'er was rather surprised. Lin Changgeng had actually caught her. She was level ninety-seven, after all. Even with her strength suppressed, he should not have been able to catch her.
But Lin Changgeng had no attention to spare for Wang Qiu'er's reaction. He was considering a possibility: could he draw upon the surrounding gold elements to condense weapons?
He tried communicating with the Geng Metal elements within his domain, willing them to form a blade in his palm.
But the gold elements merely trembled a few times before falling still.
Nothing formed.
"Why?" Lin Changgeng frowned. Wasn't I supposed to command every kind of metal? Why can't I even form a weapon?
In that instant of distraction, Wang Qiu'er turned her wrist, caught his arm in a reverse grip, and drove her other fist straight into his chest.
Bam!
Lin Changgeng went flying backward, rolling twice across the ground before stopping.
"Cough, cough." Lin Changgeng coughed a few times and climbed to his feet.
"What happened?" Wang Qiu'er walked over. "You clearly had a chance to beat me just now. Why did you suddenly stop moving?"
Lin Changgeng said nothing, merely continuing to frown.
Seeing this, Wang Qiu'er glanced at their surroundings and realized something. "Don't tell me you were trying to draw upon the surrounding metal to attack," she said seriously.
"Yes." Lin Changgeng nodded, looking dejected. "But why couldn't I make it move?"
With that, Lin Changgeng lowered his head and stared at his hands, beginning to doubt himself.
"Obviously! Do you think Ultimate Metal can do everything?" Wang Qiu'er realized how serious the problem was. "That's effectively drawing upon the power of heaven and earth. Your control over metal isn't strong enough yet, neither is your spiritual power, and your soul power is too low. How could you possibly draw upon the metal between heaven and earth so easily?"
"Besides, whether you're making soul tools with your martial soul or unleashing soul skills, you're creating them with your own soul power. In other words, it's instinctive. Trying to draw upon the power of heaven and earth now is like trying to run before you've learned to walk."
"If you want to draw upon the metal in your surroundings and make it obey you, you'll need a higher cultivation level."
Dugu Bo, who stood nearby, also offered some advice. "Exactly. You've only just begun to understand your martial soul's advantages. How much of its true potential you uncover will depend on you. But trying to condense metal from nature right now is no different from trying to reach heaven in a single step."
Dugu Bo sighed. Lin Changgeng had excellent comprehension; he had noticed that while watching him craft soul tools. The same held true in combat: he had quickly figured out how to use the surrounding metal to sense his environment. The trouble was that Lin Changgeng wanted to directly condense metal from nature to attack, which was no different from trying to become a Titled Douluo in one leap.
"So that's it." Lin Changgeng looked thoughtful. "Then what cultivation level do I need before I can draw upon it?"
"Generally speaking, you need to reach at least the Soul King stage before you can use the surrounding metal in battle," Wang Qiu'er said. "Once you become a Soul King, your soul power, spiritual power, and control over your martial soul all rise to another level. Only then can you begin drawing upon the metal elements between heaven and earth to form whatever you want."
"After you become a Soul Emperor, your control improves further. You can draw upon more metal over a wider area, and the things you form will be sturdier."
"If you want to go further, you'll have to become a Soul Saint. At that level, your understanding of your martial soul reaches another plane. A casual gesture can summon a metal storm. That's what truly commanding every kind of metal looks like."
"As for you..." Wang Qiu'er paused. "You can skip that step entirely. Your martial soul and domain let you gain insights into the gold elements whenever you want. Judging by what you've shown so far, if you improve your spiritual power and soul power, you can finish covering that ground before becoming a Soul King. From now on, besides studying soul tools and training, you'll also need to work on understanding your martial soul and strengthening your spiritual power."
"Of course, that's just my opinion. How you proceed is still up to you. Don't forget, you're only level twenty-three. You have a long road ahead."
After listening, Lin Changgeng nodded.
So that's it.
It was not that his martial soul was inadequate; his cultivation and understanding were lacking. He had thought of it far too simply. He had only begun to grasp his martial soul's advantages and had never considered the need for deeper understanding.
"Then what do I do in close combat?" Lin Changgeng asked. "If ranged soul skills don't work and I can't draw upon the surrounding metal, doesn't that leave me taking a beating?"
"Do you think everyone's like me?" Wang Qiu'er rapped Lin Changgeng on the head. "I'm a Titled Douluo! With your domain soul skill, I can't even see how anyone at your level, or even two ranks above you, could beat you. And you're still worrying about this?"
"If all else fails, can't you form things with your own soul power? Your Golden Edge Across the Sky can form golden blades, so why can't you form a gauntlet around your hand? Or a layer of armor over your body?"
"Do you absolutely have to draw upon the surrounding metal? Your own soul power is metal-attributed too. Anything you form with it will work just as well."
"It'll just consume a little more power and won't be quite as durable."
Lin Changgeng froze for a moment, then his eyes lit up.
That's right!
Why didn't I think of that?
Even if I can't draw upon the surrounding metal, I can form things with my own soul power!
Golden Edge Across the Sky forms golden blades. So wouldn't forming gauntlets around my hands and a layer of armor over my body do the trick?
Besides, not everyone was Wang Qiu'er. She just happened to be his training partner right now, and ever since awakening his martial soul, he seemingly had not encountered anyone of a low level. That had unconsciously led him to measure himself against the strong. Dugu Yan did not count.
Meanwhile, Dugu Yan listened in a fog of confusion. What do they mean, drawing upon the power of nature? Why can't I understand any of this? He's only level twenty-three, and he already wants to learn things you can only master after becoming a Soul King? The world of geniuses really is something else.
Still, seeing that Lin Changgeng seemed to have gained an insight astonished her. People like him are the shrewdest. Ask him whether he won or lost, and he'll tell you he gained enlightenment.
Shaking her head, Dugu Yan lowered her gaze and went back to her book. Though she could be considered a genius herself, her talent was nothing compared with Lin Changgeng's. Rather than spending time trying to understand all this, she was better off studying soul tools step by step and cultivating according to Dugu Bo's arrangements. Being able to keep herself safe would be enough.
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