Ah... well...
For some reason, as she looked at the serrated wheel of light in Jiang Huai's hand, Bibi Dong kept feeling that something was wrong, but she could not put her finger on what.
In her impression, any Soul Master whose Martial Soul contained the light attribute ought to have a relatively gentle disposition.
Even those born-evil angels usually liked to maintain their outwardly respectable knightly demeanor in front of outsiders.
How had her precious disciple gone and produced such a terrifying weapon of slaughter right off the bat?
No matter how she looked at it, that wheel of light, giving off an ear-piercing buzz, hardly seemed like a proper Soul Skill!
When he fought other Soul Masters in the future, if an opponent took a hit from that, wouldn't they end up scattered in pieces on the spot?
"Mm... a fine Soul Skill."
"Xiao Huai, since you've already obtained your first Soul Ring, let's go help Nana hunt for her third Soul Ring now."
After a moment's daze, Bibi Dong slowly nodded and spoke.
Back then, Feidinan had assessed Jiang Huai as extraordinarily gifted, utterly sincere, and deeply filial. Bibi Dong believed her beloved disciple would use this move appropriately.
Meanwhile, Jiang Huai looked as though he had discovered some great new toy, and nearly let out a sinister cackle.
He had already whipped up an Ultra Slash. Could the Specium Ray be far behind?
Jiang Huai: I'm a sawman of light now too!
Lord Zoffy, are you giving me another hint from the unseen?
Soon, under Bibi Dong's lead, the three continued deeper into the forest.
Before long, they found a Purple Spirit Bei of around 3,000 years.
"Nana, let's use this one."
"I'll also keep an eye out for higher-order Soul Beasts suited to your Martial Soul's future development."
Hu Liena slowly nodded. She had always had considerable faith in Dongzi as her teacher.
She took out a dagger, stepped forward to deliver the finishing blow, then summoned her Demon Fox Martial Soul and sat cross-legged to begin absorbing.
Watching from the side, Jiang Huai quietly mulled things over.
Jiang Huai felt that, when it came to the standard template for a mental-type Martial Soul, it had to be that God King's son-in-law ten thousand years in the future.
At present, Hu Liena's first Soul Skill was Charm, which could deliver mental attacks, while her second Soul Skill was Fox Charm, a large-area illusionary charm.
Thinking of how Hu Liena in the original story still had only moves like these to rely on even after reaching higher ranks, it was quite absurd.
After all, even the Soft Bone Rabbit knew to get practical Soul Skills like Waist Bow and Invincible Golden Body.
Then this senior sister he had acquired could consider developing toward illusions, mental shocks, mental control, and enhancing the Demon Fox's bloodline to stimulate its evolution.
A heavy burden and a long road ahead!
With that thought, Jiang Huai slowly spoke.
"Teacher, do you know about Silver Hero Beasts?"
Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow.
"Xiao Huai, why are you suddenly asking about that kind of Soul Beast?"
"Do you think that kind of Soul Beast is well suited to Nana?"
Jiang Huai slowly nodded and continued.
"Teacher, I read in the Martial Soul compendium that if a mental-type Soul Master hunts a Silver Hero Beast over ten thousand years old, it may produce the Mental Replication Soul Skill."
"Although it can only replicate an enemy's Soul Skills, if Senior Sister had that move, it would still give her another option."
"Likewise, although Three-Eyed Demon Foxes are also very suitable for Senior Sister, those Soul Beasts are far too sparsely distributed."
At this point, Jiang Huai had all but unrolled the map and revealed the dagger.
On the Douluo Continent, apart from the esteemed God King's Purple Demon Eye, there were no publicly known methods specifically for improving mental power.
You could call the God King a scrub, and you could call him a hypocrite,
but the esteemed God King's talent in cultivation, especially in cultivating the Tang Sect's secret arts, was absolutely top-notch.
Whether Hu Liena later copied Purple Demon Eye and they reverse-engineered its cultivation method, or simply gained another means of defending against Purple Demon Eye, it would be a fine Soul Skill either way.
As for Soul Beasts even more suited to mental-type Soul Masters, such as the Silver Moon Wolf King and the Evil Eye Tyrant...
That would have to wait until they reached higher ranks, or until he persuaded this wise teacher of his to find an opportunity to explore the neighboring continent.
Hearing this, Bibi Dong rested her chin on one hand and began thinking seriously.
It did seem as though her beloved disciple was right, didn't it?
Could her beloved disciple be not only extraordinarily gifted in Soul Master cultivation, but equally talented in Soul Master theory?
Fucking hell!
Dongzi felt as though she was growing fonder and fonder of this little fellow!
"Xiao Huai, I think what you said makes a great deal of sense. I'll consider it going forward."
Just as Hu Liena began absorbing her third Soul Ring,
over at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Dugu Bo had also arrived travel-worn with his granddaughter, Dugu Yan.
"Old Poison, is this your granddaughter? Signs of backlash have already appeared in her pupils. It seems she's carried the toxins of your Jade Phosphorous Serpent lineage since she left her mother's womb."
Yue Guan looked Dugu Yan over and spoke.
Hearing this, Dugu Bo lowered his head in anguish.
For their Dugu Family, the Jade Phosphorous Serpent had truly been both the making and the breaking of them.
Otherwise, his daughter-in-law would not have died from the poison after giving birth to this granddaughter of his.
Moreover, his granddaughter's talent was inferior to an old fellow like him, with only innate rank-seven Soul Power. It could be said that the countdown on her life had begun the moment she awakened her Martial Soul.
Back then, even he had only barely managed to suppress the spread of the serpent venom in his body after cultivating to Titled Douluo, relying on the unique power of heaven and earth here.
If his granddaughter truly cultivated step by step, she clearly would not live long enough to become a Titled Douluo.
Since Dugu Bo usually kept the family's hidden danger tightly under wraps,
Dugu Yan was still at an age when she knew little of the world,
and merely looked curiously at her grandfather and the strange uncle beside him who looked a little like an auntie.
"Well? Chrysanthemum Guan, is my granddaughter's condition difficult to handle?"
Dugu Bo asked urgently.
Yue Guan lowered his head in thought for a moment before giving his answer.
"Old Poison, luckily you pledged allegiance early. With the medicinal herbs I prepare, once the toxins are forced out and stored in a Soul Bone,
your granddaughter won't suffer the effects of toxic backlash again for a very long time."
"As for what comes afterward, you know as well. If you want to settle this once and for all, you'll have to make sufficient contributions to our Spirit Hall before His Holiness the Pope will grant you a true cure."
At that moment, the loyalty in Dugu Bo's eyes was almost spilling over.
As long as it could be suppressed for now!
Joining Spirit Hall had indeed been the right choice!