The Grandmaster's Plan? I Won't Accept It

"Where did you get this map?"

Yu Xiaogang spread the animal-hide parchment on the table.

The edges of the map had grown somewhat blurred.

Most of the mountain ranges were drawn in simple outlines, but one long, narrow valley in the north had been traced over repeatedly in golden lines.

Three characters were written beside it.

Dragon Spine Valley.

Li Man did not mention that her Green Jade Bamboo Martial Soul had appeared on its own.

"We found it in some old records."

"We only want to know whether this place really exists."

Yu Xiaogang did not answer immediately.

He reached out and slowly traced the mountain ranges on the map.

Tang San stood on the other side of the table, studying it just as closely.

Xiao Wu sat by the window, twirling a bamboo leaf in her hand.

She had little interest in the map.

But Dong Jian and Li Man had both come, so she had followed Tang San into the room.

"Dragon Spine Valley does exist."

Yu Xiaogang finally spoke.

"It's near the border between the southern Heaven Dou Empire and the Balak Kingdom."

"The terrain in the valley is complicated, and quite a few subspecies of Soul Beasts with dragon bloodlines live there."

"There are records of bear, snake, and plant Soul Beasts."

Dong Jian and Li Man exchanged a glance.

Both the Divine Dragon Secret Realm and the Green Jade Bamboo pointed to the same place.

At least that proved the map was not a fabrication.

"Is it suitable for hunting a second Soul Ring?"

Dong Jian asked.

"It's too early to discuss your second Soul Rings."

Yu Xiaogang looked up at him.

"You're only at level thirteen."

"It will take a long time to reach level twenty."

"But a Soul Master's path of development must be decided in advance."

At that, he straightened in his seat.

A conversation originally meant only to identify the map gradually turned into an analysis of their Martial Souls.

"Dong Jian."

"Your First Soul Ring came from an Earth Savage Bear."

"Your First Soul Skill, Bear Astral Energy Body Protection, strengthened your defense, endurance, and ability to accumulate impact."

"The facts show that your Martial Soul is suited to a path combining power attack and defense."

Dong Jian did not interrupt.

Yu Xiaogang continued:

"Your second Soul Ring should preferably strengthen your physique and defense further."

"Your first choice should be a Rock Armor Bear, Ironback Bear, or Heavy Mountain Bear."

"The Soul Skill should provide armor reinforcement, damage reduction, or increased body weight."

"Don't pursue speed or area control."

"That would dilute your Martial Soul's advantages."

Dong Jian looked at the valley on the map.

"What about a Dragon-Patterned Ironback Bear?"

Yu Xiaogang frowned slightly.

"The Dragon-Patterned Ironback Bear's attributes are too complicated."

"Besides its defense, it also has ground-shaking abilities and a dragon bloodline."

"The Soul Skills produced by that kind of Soul Beast aren't stable enough."

"Even if you find one of a suitable age, I wouldn't recommend absorbing it."

Dong Jian did not immediately refute him.

"How many people have you seen absorb a Dragon-Patterned Ironback Bear's Soul Ring?"

"There are only three reliable records in existence."

"What were the results?"

"One person gained enhanced back armor."

"One gained a strength boost."

"The last person's Soul Skill underwent a degree of mutation, allowing him to create ground vibrations by stomping."

"Since someone succeeded in gaining ground vibrations..."

Dong Jian asked:

"Why do you think it wouldn't suit me?"

"Because your current advantage is close combat."

Yu Xiaogang said:

"Ground shaking can't directly improve your close-combat strength."

"Instead, it would consume a great deal of Soul Power."

"If you encountered a flying Soul Master, that kind of Soul Skill would also be almost useless."

"And a defense boost would be useful against a flying Soul Master?"

Dong Jian asked.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Tang San frowned slightly.

Yu Xiaogang's expression did not visibly change.

"At least it could improve your chances of survival."

"When you can't hit your enemy, survival is what matters most."

"But defending all the time can't end a fight."

Dong Jian said:

"My First Soul Skill can already improve my defense."

"If my Second Soul Skill is still nothing but a defense boost, I won't have any fewer weaknesses."

"It will only make me harder to knock down."

Yu Xiaogang's tone gradually grew stern.

"A Soul Master doesn't need every Soul Skill to address a weakness."

"The truly correct path is to keep strengthening your core advantage."

"Agility Attack System Soul Masters pursue speed."

"Defense System Soul Masters pursue defense."

"Control System Soul Masters pursue control."

"If you want everything, you often end up excelling at nothing."

Hearing this, Li Man shifted her gaze from the map to Yu Xiaogang.

"So my second Soul Ring must also continue down the path of pure control?"

"That's right."

Yu Xiaogang did not hesitate.

"Green Bamboo Binding Formation is an excellent Soul Skill for controlling an area."

"It can restrict enemies and help teammates move."

"Your second Soul Ring should further increase your range of control, the toughness of your bamboo vines, or the number of formation cores."

"Don't choose an attack-type Soul Beast."

Li Man asked:

"Why?"

"A Control System Soul Master's duty is to control the battlefield."

Yu Xiaogang replied:

"Leave attacking to the Power Attack System and Agility Attack System."

"If you choose a Soul Beast that doesn't fully match your Martial Soul's control attributes to increase your attacking ability, it may weaken your control."

"Are there any actual cases?"

"Most excellent Control System Soul Masters on the continent focus on control Soul Skills."

"What I asked was-"

Li Man interrupted him.

"Are there cases where a Control System Soul Master's control ability definitely declined after absorbing an attack-type Soul Ring?"

Yu Xiaogang paused.

"The specific effect of a Soul Ring depends on the Martial Soul, the Soul Beast, and the Soul Master."

"It's hard to find perfectly identical cases for comparison."

"In other words, there's no direct evidence."

"A theory doesn't necessarily need complete empirical proof for every point."

Yu Xiaogang said:

"Research into Soul Masters has always required drawing general patterns from a large number of cases."

"How many Control System Soul Masters did you draw your conclusions from?"

Li Man continued.

"Forty-seven."

"How many of them tried an attack-type second Soul Ring?"

"Nine."

"What happened to those nine afterward?"

"Six didn't develop as well as hoped."

"What about the other three?"

"One died in a Soul Hunting accident."

"One never reached Soul Elder."

"And the last one..."

Yu Xiaogang did not immediately continue.

Li Man already understood.

"The last one succeeded."

"He later reached Soul Emperor."

Yu Xiaogang said:

"But an individual case can't overturn the overall pattern."

"Likewise."

Li Man looked at him.

"Six failed cases can't prove that their failures were necessarily caused by attack Soul Skills."

"Did they all have the same Innate Soul Power, Soul Ring ages, cultivation resources, and personal abilities?"

"Is it possible they were incapable of reaching higher levels to begin with?"

Yu Xiaogang's face gradually darkened.

"Are you questioning my analysis of the data?"

"I'm asking what the data can prove."

Li Man's tone remained calm.

"If something can't be proven, it shouldn't be presented as definitely wrong."

Tang San could finally hold back no longer.

"Teacher is only giving you the safest advice."

"Your Soul Power is still low. You have no idea how complicated choosing a Soul Ring is."

"Teacher has studied Martial Souls for so many years. At the very least, he knows more than we do."

"Knowing more doesn't mean every judgment is correct."

Li Man said.

Tang San's expression changed slightly.

"You're always dismissing Teacher."

"I'm not dismissing all his theories."

"The information on the age of a First Soul Ring, Soul Beast attributes, and the risks of absorption has all been helpful to us."

Li Man picked up the record book on the table.

"But being helpful and requiring obedience are two different things."

Tang San wanted to say more.

Xiao Wu suddenly jumped down from the windowsill.

"You've argued long enough. Why not just have a fight?"

Yu Xiaogang turned to look at her.

"A Soul Ring path cannot be decided by a single fight."

"Then talking about it forever won't settle it either."

Xiao Wu said:

"Li Man wants an attack Soul Skill because she currently lacks a way to finish a fight."

"Isn't that obvious?"

"A Control System Soul Master doesn't need to finish a fight alone,"

Yu Xiaogang said.

"A team will naturally have Power Attack System Soul Masters to handle the attacks."

Xiao Wu glanced at Dong Jian.

"So she has to wait for Dong Jian every time?"

Li Man wasn't angry at the remark.

Instead, she nodded.

"That's exactly the problem."

She walked to the center of the room.

Green Jade Bamboo emerged from her palm.

"What if Dong Jian is tied down by someone else?"

"What if an enemy gets close to me when I'm alone?"

"What if the person responsible for attacking in the team has already lost the ability to fight?"

"Can I only keep controlling the enemy and wait for someone else to finish the fight?"

"Members of a Soul Master team are meant to make up for one another's shortcomings,"

Yu Xiaogang said.

"No Soul Master can handle every situation alone."

"I'm not trying to handle every situation,"

Li Man replied.

"I just don't want to leave the final step to someone else forever."

Tang San said:

"I'm a Control System Soul Master too."

"My First Soul Skill doesn't have any direct lethal power either."

Li Man looked at him.

"But you have Hidden Weapons."

Tang San's expression froze.

"Hidden Weapons have nothing to do with a Martial Soul's development path."

"Precisely because they have nothing to do with it, they prove the point even better,"

Li Man said:

"You use your Martial Soul to control enemies, then use Hidden Weapons to supplement your attacks."

"That proves a Control System Soul Master can have offensive abilities without making control meaningless."

"I'm not saying every Control System Soul Master should choose an attack Soul Skill."

"But since my Green Bamboo Array can create array cores, why can't it launch attacks from them?"

Tang San had no answer for the moment.

His fighting style had indeed never relied solely on Blue Silver Grass.

Mysterious Heaven Skill, Hidden Weapons, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, and Mysterious Jade Hand all compensated for the shortcomings of a Control System Martial Soul itself.

Yu Xiaogang, however, said:

"Tang San's Hidden Weapons are a special case."

"They cannot serve as a reference for ordinary Soul Masters' paths."

"Then my Green Bamboo Martial Soul is a special case too,"

Li Man said.

"Why must I follow the path of an ordinary Control System Soul Master?"

The atmosphere in the room turned completely tense.

Dong Jian looked at Yu Xiaogang.

"You think I should continue on the defensive path."

"Li Man should continue on the pure control path."

"And our Soul Rings' ages can't exceed the limits you worked out."

"The theoretical limit for the Second Soul Ring is seven hundred and sixty-four years,"

Yu Xiaogang corrected him:

"That is a safety threshold derived from data on the physical limits of a large number of Soul Masters."

"It isn't absolutely impossible to exceed it."

"But once you do, the risk of death increases sharply."

"I agree with that,"

Dong Jian said:

"The upper age limit must be taken into account."

"But the final choice also depends on our physical condition, the Soul Beast's attributes, and the situation on the spot."

"You lack the experience to make that judgment."

Yu Xiaogang's voice grew cold.

"When the time comes, you may well act on impulse and choose a Soul Beast beyond what you can withstand."

"That's why we'll have an official Soul Hunting teacher from the academy lead the team,"

Dong Jian replied.

"We won't enter the Soul Beast forest by ourselves."

Yu Xiaogang looked at him.

"An ordinary academy teacher will only ensure you stay alive."

"They may not be able to design the correct path for a special Martial Soul."

"The correct path shouldn't exist only in one person's words,"

Li Man said.

"It should be verifiable in actual combat."

Tang San stepped forward.

"You're too arrogant."

"Teacher is helping you by offering to analyze your Martial Souls."

Dong Jian didn't get angry at Tang San's tone.

"I know he helped us."

"That's why we brought the map to ask him."

"And we listened carefully to all his advice."

"But listening to advice doesn't mean handing over the right to choose."

Yu Xiaogang slowly stood up.

"In that case,"

"I won't take any further part in your future Second Soul Ring choices."

"If the wrong path ends up affecting your Martial Souls' development, don't regret it."

Li Man put away the map.

"We'll take responsibility for our own choices."

Yu Xiaogang looked at Dong Jian.

"Dragon Spine Valley is far more dangerous than an ordinary Soul Hunting Forest."

"Without a complete plan, something could still go wrong, even with an academy teacher protecting you."

"I've already said,"

Dong Jian replied calmly:

"We'll listen to advice that has a basis."

"But the only people who can actually decide on our Soul Rings are ourselves."

Yu Xiaogang's voice grew even deeper.

"If you don't accept my path,"

"I won't accompany you on future Soul Hunts."

Dong Jian paused.

He wasn't deliberately humiliating Yu Xiaogang.

Nor did he deny that Yu Xiaogang possessed a great deal of knowledge about Soul Beasts.

But leading a Soul Hunting team required more than information.

It also required sufficient strength, sound judgment in the field, and the ability to protect the team.

Yu Xiaogang was currently at rank twenty-nine.

He wasn't capable of protecting anyone on his own in Dragon Spine Valley.

"We weren't planning to have you lead the team in the first place,"

Dong Jian said.

As soon as the words left his mouth,

the entire room fell completely silent.

Tang San's expression changed in an instant.

"Dong Jian."

"That was going too far."

Blue Silver Grass slowly grew from his palm.

He hadn't formally unleashed a Soul Skill.

But it already showed where he stood.

Dong Jian didn't summon his Martial Soul.

"I'm only stating a fact."

"The fact that Teacher can't lead the team doesn't mean his advice has no value,"

Tang San said.

"You're deliberately mixing the two things together."

"Grandmaster was the one who first demanded that we accept his path in exchange for accompanying us."

Li Man stood beside Dong Jian.

"Since accompanying us became a condition, of course we can refuse."

Tang San was about to continue.

Yu Xiaogang raised a hand.

"Enough."

The Blue Silver Grass stopped growing.

"Let them go."

Dong Jian didn't argue further.

He nodded to Yu Xiaogang.

"Thank you for the information on Dragon Spine Valley."

Li Man put away the map as well.

The two of them walked out of the room.

Xiao Wu looked at Tang San, then at the two who had left.

In the end, she didn't stay.

She hurried after them.

"Aren't you worried at all?"

Xiao Wu asked.

"Worried about what?"

"What if Grandmaster is right?"

"If you choose the wrong Second Soul Ring, it'll affect all your Soul Rings after it."

Li Man replied:

"That's why we never said his advice was definitely wrong."

"But we can't let other people decide for us forever just because we're afraid of making a mistake."

Xiao Wu half understood.

She looked at Dong Jian again.

"That last thing you said really was pretty hurtful."

"I know."

Dong Jian said,

"But the leader must be able to protect the team against Soul Beasts."

"A theoretical adviser and a Soul Hunting leader are not the same role."

Xiao Wu thought for a moment.

"Then who are you planning to have lead?"

"That's years away."

Dong Jian looked toward the distant training ground.

"Let's reach level twenty first."

Night fell.

Dong Jian entered the Divine Dragon Secret Realm once again.

Deep within the first floor of the Hundred Battles Hall.

The second gate was already fully open.

There was no new mirror image behind it.

There was only a black stone stele covered in countless marks of battle.

Dong Jian walked closer.

Lines of text lit up.

Second-stage trial: Hundred Battles.

Requirement: complete one hundred valid battles before the age of twelve.

Battles with too great a disparity in strength do not count.

Victories achieved by repeatedly using the same method do not count.

Battles that produce no growth do not count.

At the very bottom,

the current number slowly appeared.

Valid battles: seven.

Dong Jian raised a hand and touched the stele.

The next moment,

a level-fifteen Agility Attack System mirror image appeared in the center of the Hundred Battles Hall.

There was no further warning.

The mirror image vanished in an instant.

Dong Jian had just activated Bear Astral Energy Body Protection.

His back had already been struck three times in succession.

Bang!

He fell forward.

The mirror image stopped ten paces away.

From beginning to end, it had taken only ten moves.

A new assessment appeared on the stele.

Defense is not standing there and taking a beating.

Dong Jian pushed himself up from the ground.

Yu Xiaogang believed he should continue strengthening his defense.

But the Hundred Battles Hall had used the first battle to tell him-

Defense alone

was far from enough.