Chen Xiaojun cut in at just the right moment. "What about Ring Fusion and Ring Stacking?"
Chen Cong continued his lilting explanation. "Ring Embedding and Ring Detonation are Secret Techniques performed by Soul Masters themselves, but Ring Fusion and Ring Stacking are types of Fusion Techniques!"
"Not every Martial Soul can perform Ring Fusion. You could say it's one in ten thousand."
"Normally, each of a Soul Master's Soul Skills corresponds to a particular Soul Ring. Soul Masters with the talent for Ring Fusion can fuse Soul Power of different attributes into Soul Power containing only one attribute, then apply it to themselves or someone else. They can fuse their own Soul Power or someone else's."
"When fusing someone else's Soul Power, generally speaking, only Soul Masters whose Martial Souls and Soul Skills are extremely similar or complementary can perform this Fusion Technique. And after Ring Fusion, just as with Ring Detonation, they can't use that Soul Ring again for a while."
"Ring Stacking is similar to Ring Fusion, but the requirements are lower. Multiple people can perform it, and their Soul Skills don't need to be similar. It leans more toward coordinating and combining Soul Skills-in other words, a Combination Technique performed by several people."
"If you're interested, I'll explain it in more detail another time."
Chen Xiaojun understood. Huo Wu's Ring Fusion in the future, and the combined attack by Chen Xin and Gu Rong, were examples of Ring Stacking, with eighteen Soul Rings stacked together.
Chen Cong drank some Fragrant Snow Spirit Tea. It tasted sweet, crisp, and cool; only water from high mountain spirit springs could bring out its full flavor. It had the effect of refreshing the mind and clarifying the spirit.
One of the medicinal-bath recipes Chen Xiaojun used included these tea leaves. They were not only popular with high-end customers, but also the favorite drink of these research-oriented scholars.
Chen Cong set down his teacup and cleared his throat. "Lastly, let's talk about the Seven Kill Sword's third exclusive trait. When combined with the clan's secret techniques, it greatly increases the chance of comprehending a Slaughter-type Domain. Of course, this requires a very high level of swordsmanship."
"Looking at our Chen Clan, ever since Ancestor Xi Li created the Impartial Sword Qi Art and Ancestor Chen Feiyi developed the Seven Kill Qi-Concealing Technique, half of the Titled Douluo who comprehended a Domain have been from our clan."
"That proportion would be unheard of on the mainland. Not even one in ten Titled Douluo has a Domain."
"And the closer we get to the present day, the higher the proportion. That's the advantage of inheritance: the predecessors plant the trees, and the descendants enjoy the shade."
(PS: The author doesn't agree that the Seven Kill Sword automatically develops an exclusive Domain once its Soul Power reaches a certain level. We've never seen the equally famous Clear Sky Hammer inevitably develop some kind of Clear Sky Domain. This isn't a change that can be brought about by the Martial Soul alone.)
Chen Xiaojun shouted, "Our ancestors are mighty! Damn, they're awesome!"
Chen Yu's face darkened. "Don't use vulgar words to describe our ancestors."
Chen Xiaojun scratched his head. "Heh, heh, heh..."
Chen Cong couldn't help smiling. "Next, I'll give you a few more examples."
"Let's take the Clear Sky Hammer and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, which are as famous as our Seven Kill Sword, and I'll analyze them for you."
"The Clear Sky Hammer, like our Seven Kill Sword, is a combat-oriented Tool Martial Soul. It shares the common traits of being able to leave the body, being difficult to destroy, and having only one manifestation. It also has the strength, impact, shock, and firmness attributes of hammer-type Martial Souls."
"Let's focus on the Clear Sky Hammer's exclusive traits."
"We've already talked about the first one, Ring Detonation."
"Second, the Clear Sky Hammer is renowned as the strongest in terms of power. Its strength is immense, and its explosive force is formidable. What trait produces this effect?"
"It's weight!"
"The higher a Soul Master's Cultivation Level, the heavier the Clear Sky Hammer, and the more domineering its attacks."
"Third, it suppresses the vast majority of Tool Martial Souls, giving its wielders a great advantage against many of them."
"Of course, it has little effect against a peerless Martial Soul of the same level, like our Chen Clan's Seven Kill Sword. But how many top-tier Ninth Grade Martial Souls are there on the mainland?"
A few minutes later, when Chen Cong saw that Chen Xiaojun had mostly absorbed the information, he continued. "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is the world's number-one Support Type Martial Soul. Its exclusive traits are as follows."
"First, it enhances a Soul Master's ability to make fine observations."
"When the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's pagoda Martial Soul is released, it magnifies the Soul Master's senses countless times, allowing them to precisely sense every object they've ever identified. This is also the prerequisite for their clan's Heart Separation Control Secret Technique."
"This ability also gives their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda users the Treasure Appraisal Ability. That's extremely important. Having money means having people and influence."
"Second, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's Soul Ring Skills are all growth-type skills."
"As everyone knows, High-Rank Soul Masters rarely use their early-stage skills, because their hundred-year and thousand-year Soul Skills from the early stages can't keep up."
"As a Soul Master's Cultivation Level rises, the enhancement effects of their Soul Skills gradually weaken. If you said a hundred-year or thousand-year Soul Skill could give a High-Rank Soul Master-a Soul Saint, Soul Douluo, or Titled Douluo-a fifty or one-hundred-percent boost, that would be a joke."
"So all growth-type Soul Skills are rare. Soul Masters can only obtain them through sheer luck, by encountering a rare Soul Beast. But Soul Masters with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda don't need to. This growth attribute is bestowed by their Martial Soul."
"Third, the most crucial trait, and the foundation of their Sect: Consolidation!"
"Their support enhancement effects are consolidated. They start with a twenty-percent boost, then gain another ten percent with each Soul Ring. By the time they reach the Soul Saint level, they have an eighty-percent boost that ignores the Soul Master's level."
"Other Soul Masters can't get such an exaggerated effect, even with a growth-type Soul Skill, and theirs is a comprehensive support effect."
"Ignoring the Soul Master's level is the effect of Consolidation!"
"That's the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's formidable ability as the world's number-one Support Type Martial Soul."
"Unfortunately, their Martial Soul has a flaw: they can't break through to Soul Douluo."
Chen Xiaojun listened with great satisfaction. "That's right, Second Granduncle. You've only talked about Tool Martial Souls so far. Tell me about some other Martial Souls too."
Chen Cong laughed. "Since I've already talked about the Martial Souls of two of the Upper Three Sects, I'll tell you about the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon as well."
"First, Dragon Might."
"Beast Martial Souls suppress lower-ranked Martial Souls much more clearly than Tool Martial Souls do, especially dragon-type Martial Souls, which have the strongest aura among Beast Martial Souls-and this is a Heavenly Dragon type."
"Next, the Lightning Attribute."
"As everyone knows, among all attributes, lightning is three-tenths more powerful than the others and has the best destructive effect."
"Then, Dragon Transformation."
"Starting at level thirty, each time a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Master gains a Soul Ring, another part of their body becomes more dragon-like when they use their Martial Soul."
"By level seventy, a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Master can truly transform into a dragon, unleashing an extremely terrifying power. They're known as the most terrifying Power Attack System Soul Masters of their level."
"Compared with the human Soul Master cultivation system, which uses Soul Power to drive the body and Mental Power, Soul Beasts place greater importance on the body. They absorb the Essence of the Sun and Moon, as well as the essence of mountains, rivers, plants, and trees, to strengthen their bodies, guide their Soul Power and Mental Power, and activate their Innate Skills."
"The Soul Rings we absorb contain not only Innate Skills and Soul Power, but also the physical essence and Mental Power of Soul Beasts. And the physical essence's cleansing effect on a Soul Master's body is even greater than the breakthroughs in Soul Power and Mental Power."
"A Soul Master's body is basically built up through the enhancement of the physical essence from Soul Beasts."
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Dragon Transformation truly turns them into dragons, with incredibly powerful bodies. It isn't like the Martial Soul manifestation Energy Body of a Soul Saint's Martial Soul Avatar."
"Lastly, Mutation!"
"The nine sons of the dragon were each different, and this Martial Soul is also far more likely to undergo Mutation than other Martial Souls."
"Because the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is already a top-tier Martial Soul, a Super Martial Soul can't awaken naturally. Mutations are generally lateral or downward. Even a Beneficial Mutation only brings a slight improvement; it isn't a true 'Beneficial Mutation' and can't break through to the level of a Super Martial Soul."
"It's easy to identify the results of their Mutations: look to see whether their appearance resembles a Heavenly Dragon, and whether their scales are large and round. Weakened dragon scales are small and pointed."
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is a disaster area for Malignant Mutations. I suspect they have so many Malignant Mutations because their inability to break through to the level of a Super Martial Soul backfires on them."
"The Martial Soul can't undergo a qualitative change, but innate Beneficial Mutations that result in high innate Soul Power and full Soul Power are not uncommon. Thus, their Sect has had many Super Douluo throughout its history."
"There's an interesting phenomenon in their Sect. Few Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragons there can fully awaken their strength, so few of them break through to Titled Douluo. But it's common for those with Mutated Martial Souls to break through to Titled Douluo."
Chen Xiaojun felt a jolt. Wasn't this Yu the Grandmaster? "Second Granduncle, can Super Martial Souls really not be passed down?"
Chen Cong grew serious. "At least, that's what our ancestors concluded. Perhaps it's a restriction imposed by heaven and earth, or perhaps human children can't withstand a Super Martial Soul."
"Those who can awaken Divine Beast Martial Souls basically all have problems; they become inferior Martial Souls."
"Divine Beast Martial Souls and Ultimate Tool Martial Souls aren't that easy to obtain."
"In any case, if there weren't some restriction, there'd be no explaining why so many top-tier Martial Souls awaken with flaws. It's not just those flawed Divine Beast Martial Souls. Take the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's number of tiers or the Nine Heart Begonia's pure healing, for example."
"But conversely, any top-tier Martial Soul that solves its own flaw is a Super Martial Soul. As long as it breaks through, it'll become a Super Martial Soul."
Chen Xiaojun's heart stirred. "The Nine Heart Begonia's pure healing is a flaw too?"
When Chen Cong spoke of it, he looked as though he were gazing at a peerless treasure. "Of course. In the Soul Master World, there's never been another Martial Soul as peculiar as theirs, with just one skill."
"According to the records, their Nine Heart Begonia once had an evolver, the Nine Heart Blood Begonia. It could not only heal, but also control blood and siphon life. It was exceptionally domineering!"
"Soul Masters develop their Martial Souls by using their traits as a starting point, selecting Soul Rings to suit their own personalities and preferences, and forming Soul Skills classified as Power Attack, Control, Defense, and so on."
"So, to understand a Soul Master, you have to understand their Martial Soul's traits."
"You need to understand not only your own Martial Soul's traits, but other people's as well. You never know when you'll face them."
"Especially with distinctive Martial Soul traits and traits shared by a Martial Soul species-you need to be able to recognize and observe them at a glance."
"For example, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's Dragon Transformation, the Jade Phosphorus Snake's deadly poison, the Demon Fox's Bewitchment, the Pangolin's burrowing, the Hunting Dog's sense of smell, the Bat's hearing, and even the carrot's rapid growth, and so on."
"In the second book room in the rear hall, on the third cabinet to the right, third row from the bottom, there are several books introducing Martial Soul traits: 'Summary of the Patterns of Martial Soul Traits,' 'The Strengths and Weaknesses of Martial Soul Traits,' 'On the Limits of Shared Traits,' and others."
"Some were collected over generations, while others are the personal research of our Chen Clan's ancestors. These are the conclusions of our predecessors from several thousand years of study. If you don't understand something, you can ask me."
"This is one of your required courses!"
Chen Xiaojun replied solemnly, his hands clasped. "Yes!"
Today, he had been truly shaken.
Damn, this theory was like a sow wearing a bra-one whole set after another.
Grandmaster was absolute trash compared with Chen Cong and the Chen Clan.
Before you continue