"Not necessarily."
Chen Xin still disagreed somewhat with Lin Xing.
"In terms of elemental suppression, water inherently counters fire. Unless your opponent has Ultimate Fire, or their Soul Power is a whole Soul Ring above yours, that move of yours would definitely have a significant effect under normal circumstances."
"Didn't you see? Even I was briefly immobilized after those water needles entered my body."
"So what?"
"Unfortunately, my Splendor of Tranquil Waters still failed to pierce your body in the end, Master. You only gave your Soul Power a shake. You didn't even use a Soul Skill."
Chen Xin's mouth twitched, and he slapped Lin Xing on the back of the head.
"You little brat, why are you always thinking about sticking that sword of yours into my body?"
"It's nothing, really. I just felt a little discouraged that I couldn't even force you to use a Soul Skill while sparring with you."
That was no lie. This was Splendor of Tranquil Waters, a bona fide five-star divine weapon, yet in his hands, Chen Xin had simply blocked it through the absolute superiority of his Soul Power-brute force could send even a brick flying.
"No matter what, your master is still a Titled Douluo, and the Seven Kill Sword is the Martial Soul with the greatest killing power on the continent. If its lineage weren't so limited and the chances of the Martial Soul appearing weren't so low, do you think the Clear Sky Hammer would be the world's number one tool Martial Soul?"
"Then why don't you try branching out the family, Master?"
"Besides, you might be the only person on the continent with the Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul right now."
"Haven't you thought of leaving behind a descendant?"
"Could you really bear to watch the Seven Kill Sword lineage decline just like this?"
Lin Xing was indeed curious about this, because at present, Chen Xin really did seem to be the only person left in the Seven Kill Sword lineage.
Could it be that everyone who studied the sword practiced supreme detachment from worldly feelings?
No, that wasn't right either. Judging by how Chen Xin treated Ning Rongrong and himself, supreme detachment was impossible.
"You're still thinking too simply."
Chen Xin reached out helplessly and patted Lin Xing's shoulder.
"The Seven Kill Sword is a top-tier Martial Soul. Back then, your master was a genius with innate rank-nine Soul Power, just a little short of Innate Full Soul Power."
"Although a Martial Soul will only be inherited from one parent or the other, its strength does vary. It's almost directly tied to its owner's talent."
"Not every Clear Sky Hammer is like those of the Clear Sky Twin Stars, nor can every Seven Kill Sword be like mine."
"It mainly depends on the Martial Soul owner's Innate Soul Power."
As he listened to Chen Xin's explanation, especially when Innate Soul Power came up, the corners of Lin Xing's mouth twitched involuntarily.
Innate Soul Power was just too absurd, absurd beyond belief.
Take Tang San, for example. According to the original story's description, without the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Tang San's Innate Soul Power would definitely not have exceeded rank five.
The main reason was that Tang Hao was simply too absurd.
A descendant born to the wielders of two top-tier Martial Souls, the Blue Silver Emperor and the Clear Sky Hammer, had the Blue Silver Emperor as a baseline. As long as he grew up normally, his Innate Soul Power would start at rank nine at the very least.
But judging by Tang San's early circumstances in the original story, without the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Tang Hao, his own father, could probably have depleted Tang San's Soul Power all the way down to rank three or four.
Then there was Huo Yuhao ten thousand years later, who clearly had the top-tier Body Martial Soul, Spirit Eyes, yet...
Well, in short, it was absurd. Innate Soul Power was simply too absurd.
Chen Xin hadn't noticed that his disciple's mind was galloping through the heavens. He continued his explanation.
"So even if I really did find someone, any child born to us might not inherit my Martial Soul. Even if he did, his Innate Soul Power might not reach my level."
"What's more, there are far too few Martial Souls that can match Seven Kill in quality. Their owners are basically all heirs to the major families, to say nothing of powerful individuals in my age group."
"Of course, most importantly, whether in the past or now, I've never had the slightest interest in women in that respect."
"That's a real shame."
Lin Xing shook his head. No matter how absurd Innate Soul Power was, the fundamental issue now was Chen Xin's lack of interest. That was the most important root of the problem.
"Get a good night's rest tonight. Tomorrow morning, we'll hunt Rongrong's second Soul Ring. You'll handle it this time, which will also give me a chance to test your adaptability in actual combat."
"Mm."
Lin Xing nodded.
That was nothing much. Wasn't it just a second Soul Ring? The Soul Beast's strength wouldn't exceed seven hundred years at the absolute most. He estimated it would only be a little over six hundred years.
However, judging by Ning Rongrong's Soul Ring effects in the original story, her second Soul Skill increased defense, so the Soul Beast would merely be one with somewhat higher defense.
Lin Xing wasn't worried at all about being unable to beat it. Even setting aside the three little ones, he had Splendor of Tranquil Waters in hand. As a prestigious five-star weapon, it should be able to pierce the defenses of anything below rank seventy, provided there wasn't an overwhelmingly invincible gulf like the one between him and Chen Xin.
Night soon arrived, and Lin Xing recalled Fufu under Ning Rongrong's reluctant gaze.
Keeping Fufu active while sleeping was rather a waste of power.
Entering the tent where he had slept earlier, Lin Xing had no intention of sleeping. He had already slept for almost the entire day.
He wasn't the least bit sleepy now.
Rather than continuing to sleep pointlessly, he felt he would be better off developing some new moves.
Besides, it was a rare occasion when Fufu was tired and resting.
Lin Xing sat cross-legged inside the tent, thin streams of water appearing at his fingertips.
When it came to developing moves, Lin Xing really had no ideas left. The move he had used during the day was almost the result of pushing his brain's creative workings to their limit.
Although that move was certainly underhanded, ultimately, that was all there was to it.
He now needed some relatively practical skills.
Lin Xing shaped the water into all kinds of forms: chains, ropes, vines, and so on...
"I could incorporate the water needles..."
Lin Xing imagined the scene. His opponent would be bound by a water rope, with spikes sprouting from it and piercing straight into their body. The water would directly block the circulation paths of their Soul Power, forcibly interrupting their Soul Skill.
Then his opponent could only remain bound by the rope, at his mercy.
It was simple enough in theory, but actually doing it was still very difficult, because it required fine control over his power.
In comparison, offensive skills were relatively simple.
All they needed was the purest, simplest brute force to send a brick flying. He only needed to condense a water sword, then keep pouring power into it. That way, the water sword's speed and power would rise in a straight line.
Simply put, brute force could send a brick flying.
What he needed now were utility moves.
Time flew by...
After a whole night of practice, Lin Xing finally finished developing his control skill.
First, he would use his water-control ability to mark his opponent. Then he would reach out, condense a water hoop, and throw it. The hoop would automatically lock onto the marked person until it looped around them.
Once it caught his opponent, the water hoop would immediately constrict and thrust out water spikes to block the circulation of Soul Power.
Moreover, because water was everywhere, this mark was almost one hundred percent effective and basically impossible to dodge, because the human body was seventy percent water.