18. The Essence of Martial Soul

Author: Yu Xiaogang.

"Yu?"

The moment Quan Yi saw the name, he immediately thought of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

This was one of the Seven Great Sects, a dominant force on the Douluo Continent. Their inherited Martial Soul—the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon—was widely recognized as the most powerful beast-type Martial Soul on the continent.

Intrigued, he opened the book.

The table of contents listed the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls proposed by the author.

The very first one read:

"Innate soul power is directly proportional to the quality of the Martial Soul."

Quan Yi's pupils contracted slightly.

"This…"

This was precisely the secret behind his own innate full soul power—a theory he had suspected but had never seen articulated so clearly. He hadn't expected someone else to have reached a similar conclusion.

His interest in the author skyrocketed.

Flipping through the pages, he found that Yu Xiaogang's arguments were backed by extensive data analysis.

There were comparisons between different Martial Souls, as well as studies comparing the same Martial Soul across multiple individuals.

What truly shocked Quan Yi was the sheer scale of data collection.

"This level of research isn't something one person can accomplish alone…"

It only reaffirmed his belief—the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was not only powerful but also possessed deep insights into Martial Soul studies.

Wisdom and strength coexisted within their ranks.

For the first time, Quan Yi felt a slight sense of unease toward the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

As he continued reading, he noticed a significant gap in Yu Xiaogang's theory.

The research did not connect Martial Soul quality with physical fitness.

This meant that, in Yu Xiaogang's view, a Martial Soul was something fixed at birth, unchangeable through personal effort.

"He's still trapped in the traditional belief of 'innate talent'..."

At that moment, Quan Yi realized something—

Yu Xiaogang's ceiling had already been set.

The author had failed to recognize the profound impact physical fitness could have on Martial Soul development.

Despite this limitation, the research was still groundbreaking.

Humankind was inching closer to the truth, step by step.

What Quan Yi didn't know, however, was that his own Martial Soul's awakening wasn't solely influenced by physical fitness—there was something deeper at play.

First of all, his experience was nearly impossible to replicate.

Because there was an element of luck in Quan Yi's Martial Soul awakening.

His mutation.

If Quan Yi had simply inherited a standard Hand Armor Martial Soul, then no matter how much he trained his body, his Martial Soul would always be bound by its natural limits. While he could enhance it, he would never reach innate full soul power.

The same applied to his Sun Gauntlet.

However, both of his parents possessed mutated Martial Souls—

His father's Black Iron Gauntlet was a mutation of the White Glove Martial Soul. His mother's Fiery Sun Lion was a mutation of an ordinary lion-type Martial Soul.

Because of this lineage of mutations, Quan Yi's own Martial Soul was already predisposed toward further mutation.

However, mutation is a double-edged sword.

More often than not, Martial Soul mutations result in negative effects—much like the genetic defects that arise from inbreeding. The likelihood of a weakened or deformed Martial Soul was far greater than that of a successful mutation.

Mutation represented unpredictability, but it also represented opportunity.

During the formation of his Martial Soul, Quan Yi deliberately strengthened his body and consumed soul beast meat, continuously providing external energy to his developing Martial Soul.

This had a positive influence on the mutation process.

In the end—

A remarkably powerful Martial Soul was born.

Of course, since there was no way to observe the process, Quan Yi remained completely unaware of this hidden factor.

But even so, through his hard work and wisdom, he had managed to seize an opportunity that even the gods could not foresee.

Why Was This Book Hidden?

Quan Yi frowned slightly.

"Why was this book placed in such an obscure corner?"

But then, recalling the rigid and conservative mindset of the soul master community, he immediately understood.

Even in his previous life, groundbreaking ideas were always met with resistance.

The emergence of new theories often came with controversy—acceptance by the world was never immediate.

And this world was still in its medieval era.

Novel ideas were bound to be rejected by the majority.

Shaking off his thoughts, Quan Yi refocused on the book.

Despite the limitations of Yu Xiaogang's research, the theories presented were intriguing.

Though some of the ideas were shocking, they were undeniably logical.

Yu Xiaogang's Martial Soul Mimicry Theory proposed that, under certain conditions, plant-type Martial Souls could absorb the soul rings of non-plant soul beasts, and vice versa. Similarly, animal-type Martial Souls could absorb the soul rings of plant-type soul beasts.

Another fascinating concept he introduced was Martial Soul Fusion, arguing that fusion skills could be performed between completely different Martial Souls.

These two theories, when considered together, led to a revolutionary idea—

The fusion of Martial Souls across different individuals was already a known phenomenon, resulting in Martial Soul Fusion Skills. Two Martial Souls that complemented each other could merge, creating abilities far stronger than the sum of their parts.

However, if even unrelated Martial Souls could achieve fusion, then it meant that a Martial Soul could selectively absorb only the elements it needed while avoiding interference from other elements.

Applying this to Martial Soul Mimicry, if the soul rings of non-plant soul beasts only contained energy compatible with plant-type Martial Souls, then in theory, a plant-type Martial Soul should be able to absorb them without issue.

And the same principle applied in reverse.

At its core, a soul ring was simply a body of energy, just as a Martial Soul was a manifestation of condensed soul power.

When a soul master absorbed a soul ring, it was essentially one energy body assimilating another energy body. As long as the energies did not conflict, then anything should be possible.

"Don't be misled by appearances—seek the essence beyond the phenomenon."

As this realization struck, Quan Yi's heart pounded with excitement.

It was the same thrill Archimedes must have felt when he discovered buoyancy in his bathtub.

This theory had the potential to reshape everything soul masters believed about Martial Souls and soul rings!

Quan Yi's admiration for the author deepened.

Yu Xiaogang's unconventional ideas and meticulous research had completely expanded his perspective.

He immediately thought of borrowing the book—but no, he wanted to own a copy.

Without hesitation, he headed to the library's reception desk.

The librarian was a boy around ten years old, most likely an upperclassman based on his demeanor.

"Excuse me, may I borrow this book?"

Quan Yi held up the book.

The boy looked up and replied, "Of course. Please don't damage it, and make sure to return it within a week."

He then pulled out a registration booklet.

"Just fill out the form—your name, class, book title, and borrowing date."

Quan Yi froze for a moment.

"Senior, I'm a freshman. I haven't been assigned a class yet."

The boy raised an eyebrow, surprised.

This student, who looked about his age, was actually a freshman?

"Oh, in that case, just write down your dormitory number. If you don't return the book, I'll need that information to track you down."

He paused for a moment, then added with a knowing smile—

"Though… I doubt that will be necessary."

Quan Yi was intrigued. "Why do you say that?"

A sharp glint flashed in the boy's eyes.

"You came to the library to borrow books before the semester even started. That alone tells me you're hungry for knowledge. People like you always take care of books."

He casually flipped through the registration booklet.

"Besides, there are barely any students in this academy who actually borrow books. Even if someone forgets to return one, it's easy to find them."

Quan Yi was slightly impressed.

For someone so young, this boy was surprisingly observant.

"What's your name, Senior?" he asked.

"Zhang Ming," the boy replied.

Zhang Ming was a work-study student, responsible for managing the library.

Quan Yi recalled reading about work-study students in the academy guidebook.

The academy recruited civilian soul masters, providing them with free tuition in exchange for various duties.

"It wouldn't be a bad idea to get acquainted with someone like him."

After chatting briefly, Quan Yi asked,

"Senior Zhang, do you know where I can buy this book? I'd like to purchase a new copy."

He placed the book in front of Zhang Ming, hoping he might have a source.

Zhang Ming examined the cover closely.

Then, his eyes widened in genuine surprise.

"Yu Xiaogang?! Why would you want to buy his book?"