"Senior Sister, do you know why this book says that Tool Spirits can't absorb soul rings from beast-type soul beasts?"
Gu Han opened their discussion with a question while holding a book.
"I think the master mentioned it before… but I forgot."
Bibi Dong tilted her head, trying to remember. It did sound familiar, but she clearly hadn't paid attention during that lesson.
Gu Han gave a slight shake of his head. As expected of a little slacker.
"On the continent, plant-type martial souls are often lumped in with Soul Tools."
"Although some scholars classify martial souls into three categories, the more widely accepted classification divides them into just two: Soul Beasts and Tool Spirits."
"You've definitely heard of the Clear Sky Hammer and the Seven Kill Sword, right?"
"Mm-hmm! I know them. The Clear Sky Hammer is the inherited martial soul of the Clear Sky Clan, and the Seven Kill Sword is used by the Sword Douluo lineage. They're two of the most famous top-tier Tool Spirits on the continent."
Bibi Dong nodded. She may not have been diligent, but she still knew the basics.
"Right. The Clear Sky Hammer, the Seven Kill Sword, and my own martial soul all share one trait—they're all weapons."
"My sword martial soul absorbed beast-type soul beasts for both its first and second soul rings. Not only did it work, it even enhanced the martial soul's attributes and quality."
"But plant-type martial souls are different. Take Elder Yue Guan's martial soul for example—based on my discussions with him, all of his soul rings come from plant-type soul beasts rich in metallic properties and offensive power."
"Mmhmm… So then why do the books still say Tool Spirits can't absorb beast-type soul rings?" Bibi Dong tilted her head, genuinely puzzled.
"To be precise, plant-type martial souls shouldn't be grouped under Tool Spirits. They should be a separate category."
"There's a core principle in soul ring absorption: to evolve your martial soul effectively, you must absorb soul beasts of the same or compatible attribute."
"For plant-type martial souls, absorbing beast-type soul rings isn't impossible, but it carries the risk of mutation—or even degradation. At best, it simply won't improve the martial soul."
"Think about it, Senior Sister—what would happen if a plant-type martial soul full of vibrant life absorbed a poisonous beast-type soul ring?"
"Umm…" Bibi Dong thought for a moment, then offered tentatively, "It would… degrade?"
Gu Han smiled and elaborated, "If the martial soul is already of very high quality, absorbing one or two mismatched soul rings might not cause any issues. But if you keep doing it, its core function could be overshadowed, making further evolution impossible. In the worst case, the martial soul could regress."
"And if a martial soul can't evolve, even someone with the talent to reach Rank 97 as a Titled Douluo could be stuck forever below Rank 95, never advancing again."
"Likewise, the same logic applies to Beast martial souls too."
"So in my view, instead of saying 'Tool Spirits can't absorb beast-type soul rings,' it's more accurate to say that plant-type martial souls should avoid beast-type soul rings unless they come from 100,000-year-old soul beasts."
Take Tang San in the original story, for example. His first few soul rings were all from poisonous and dark-attributed soul beasts. Before he absorbed any immortal herbs, his Blue Silver Grass was about as fragile as paper.
And the poison? Completely underwhelming. In later stages, it was practically useless—stronger enemies weren't affected at all, and against weaker ones, any Soul Master could take them down without it.
If Tang San didn't have hidden weapons and secret techniques from the Tang Sect to fall back on, forget the finals—he probably wouldn't have made it past Blue Sunshine Academy.
Throughout the tournament, when facing true prodigies, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was nearly irrelevant. What carried him were his Tang Sect techniques and eventually the Clear Sky Hammer.
His martial soul's turning point came at the fifth soul ring, when the Blue Silver King helped him awaken the Blue Silver Emperor. That was when he shifted paths entirely—abandoning the poison gimmick and becoming a true power-type Soul Master.
The Blue Silver Overlord Spear and that "Spring Wind Blows Rebirth" spirit bone ability helped him clear several God Trials.
It was fortunate that Tang San's Blue Silver Grass wasn't just any Blue Silver Grass, but an unawakened Blue Silver Emperor.
If it had truly been ordinary Blue Silver Grass, Yu Xiaogang would've completely ruined him.
Makes you wonder—if Tang San had absorbed matching plant-type soul rings for his first four instead of those poison-based beasts, might he have evolved on his own?
Gu Han shook his head. He couldn't be certain. But one thing he could say for sure—even if he couldn't evolve into the Blue Silver Emperor, evolving into the Blue Silver King would've been well within reach.
"Ohhh, I get it now! No wonder the teacher chose spider-type soul beasts with poison attributes for my first two rings—same attribute as my martial soul!"
Bibi Dong's eyes lit up with sudden understanding.
"But wait, why does this attribute-match rule not apply to 100,000-year soul beasts?"
"Because 100,000-year soul beasts are fundamentally different from ordinary ones. Once they reach that level, their essence undergoes a qualitative transformation. At that point, even if the attributes don't match perfectly, the boost they provide is vastly superior to a same-attribute 90,000-year soul beast."
"More importantly, 100,000-year soul beasts always drop a spirit bone and grant the Soul Master two powerful soul skills."
"I see…"
Bibi Dong nodded thoughtfully, then gave a bright smile and raised a thumb. "Junior Brother, you're amazing! Way easier to understand than when the master explains it."
"Thanks for the praise, Senior Sister. By the way, how does master usually conduct class?"
"He always hands me a book, then starts going on and on and on—like reciting a spell. I can't help but doze off every time."
Resting her chin on her palm, Bibi Dong sighed at the memory of martial soul theory classes.
"If only he could explain things as clearly as you do…"
"It's fine. From now on, your Junior Brother will study martial soul theory with you."
Gu Han smiled. He'd been studying for years—it would be a lie to say it wasn't boring. But if he had someone to study with, and even better, teach while reviewing, it'd be a great way to refresh his own understanding too.
"Mmhmm! Oh right—Junior Brother, what's the name of that grappling technique you taught me?"
Bibi Dong suddenly changed the subject. She'd been diligently practicing the set of grappling moves Gu Han taught her, but just realized she didn't know what it was called.
"To be honest, I've never really thought about naming it. How about you name it, Senior Sister?"
The techniques Gu Han had received through enlightenments had never come with names. He never thought naming them mattered—as long as he understood their function.