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**
"So that's how it is. Teacher, is the seventh Soul Ring like a key?"
"It's as if our Martial Souls naturally carry a shackle. Before the seventh ring, although this shackle doesn't stop the growth of the Martial Soul Origin, it affects our degree of control over that power."
"Only after obtaining the Martial Soul Avatar can we completely master all the origin power within the Martial Soul."
Ling Xiao spoke thoughtfully after hearing the explanation.
"Yes. As a Soul Master cultivates, the origin power within the Martial Soul becomes increasingly powerful. As your cultivation level rises, the amount of origin power you can control also increases."
"However, before becoming a Soul Saint, we cannot fully control all of it. Only after acquiring the seventh Soul Ring and being able to manifest the Martial Soul Avatar can we truly unleash the full power of the Martial Soul."
"One could say that any Soul Master, once promoted to Soul Saint, will see a massive leap in strength through the Martial Soul Avatar. This is most apparent for Beast Martial Soul users."
"We Soul Masters are human, after all; at the same cultivation level, we are naturally inferior to Soul Beasts in terms of strength and defense. It is only upon reaching the rank of a seven-ring Soul Saint and utilizing the Martial Soul Avatar that we can truly stand on equal footing with Soul Beasts."
"Because of this, in the world of Soul Masters, one is only considered to have truly entered the ranks of the powerful upon becoming a Soul Saint."
Mu Chen nodded as he spoke, clearly satisfied with Ling Xiao's insight.
"In fact, among the nine Soul Rings a Soul Master can obtain, the seventh is even more important than the eighth or ninth. This is because the Martial Soul is the root of our cultivation."
"Setting aside the factor that absorbing Soul Rings strengthens the Martial Soul Origin, if our understanding of our own Martial Soul is high enough, we can use our own power to drive the Martial Soul and display strength even greater than a ninth Soul Skill."
"However, the Martial Soul Avatar is something that is nearly impossible to compensate for through other means."
"Therefore, when you obtain Soul Rings in the future, you must be extremely cautious with your seventh ring. Without exceeding your limits, try to choose a Soul Beast that is as strong as possible."
"You must avoid a situation where the seventh ring's power is too weak, resulting in a Martial Soul Avatar that cannot fully control all the power within your Profound Sky Axe."
"You must understand that if the power of the Martial Soul Avatar is insufficient to drive the entirety of your soul's power, then for the rest of your life, a portion of that power may remain locked away, never to be unleashed."
"Such a Martial Soul Avatar cannot be considered a true Martial Soul Avatar, and it loses its greatest significance."
By the end, Mu Chen's expression was solemn as he gave this warning.
Ling Xiao nodded heavily.
He had never realized the seventh Soul Ring was so critical.
If something went wrong with the other rings, it would at most affect the power of those specific Soul Skills. But the seventh ring's Martial Soul Avatar was an exception; it shared an inextricably tight bond with the Martial Soul itself.
Mu Chen looked at Ling Xiao and said, "Now, regarding the question you asked earlier, I believe you understand the answer by now!"
Ling Xiao thought for a moment, looked at his teacher, and said tentatively, "Because in the early stages of a Soul Master's cultivation, while the growth of the Martial Soul Origin is unaffected, the amount of origin power we can actually control is less than the total power of our current realm."
"Therefore, compared to the Soul Ring power produced by a Soul Beast, our control is relatively weak. When the two fuse to generate a Soul Skill, the skill is mostly dominated by the characteristics of the Soul Ring—or rather, the Soul Beast."
"This is why, when cultivation is still shallow, a Tool Soul Master hunting a Strength-type Soul Beast has a good chance of obtaining a strength-amplification Soul Skill."
"However, as the cultivation increases, the origin power one can control becomes stronger. Upon reaching the level of a Soul Saint, one can control all the origin power within the Martial Soul."
"At that point, the Martial Soul's power will begin to suppress the power of the Soul Ring, causing the resulting Soul Skill to be dominated by the Martial Soul's own characteristics."
"Since the Martial Souls of Tool Soul Masters are mostly weapons or items, it becomes difficult to generate a skill that amplifies their own physical strength."
"Teacher, am I correct?"
Ling Xiao let out a sigh of relief after finishing his explanation, asking with a hint of uncertainty.
"Haha."
Mu Chen smiled and nodded.
"Well done, Xiao'er. You are very clever. It seems you not only possess an outstanding Martial Soul but also a remarkable savvy for understanding the path of Soul Master cultivation."
Hearing his teacher's praise, Ling Xiao couldn't help but rub his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed. He knew he wasn't some transcendent genius; he just had a more mature soul.
He waved his hand modestly.
"Teacher, you praise me too much."
This caused Mu Chen to shake his head with a chuckle.
Having gained so much new knowledge from just the "Low Method," Ling Xiao grew curious and continued, "Teacher, since we've finished with the Low Method, what is the Mid Method?"
"As for the Mid Method, you have likely heard of it before."
"This is the most feasible method in the world of Soul Masters. Once your cultivation reaches a certain level, you seek out Soul Bones to provide an extra boost to your physical strength, aiming to match your heavy Tool Martial Soul."
"The stronger the Martial Soul, the higher the requirements for the Soul Bones. In the early stages before obtaining Soul Bones, one uses the Low Method I mentioned—strength-amplification Soul Skills—"
"Combined with body-tempering pills and medicinal baths to increase strength through external means. By taking this dual approach, one compensates for the lack of Soul Bones."
"In this way, this method can be considered a complete solution to the problem."
After Mu Chen finished, he saw Ling Xiao in deep thought and asked, "Xiao'er, what do you think of this method?"
With a flicker in his eyes, Ling Xiao thought for a while and said slowly, "Teacher, relying only on the Low Method merely treats the symptoms but not the root cause. This Mid Method can fully resolve the issue."
"I imagine that in the Soul Master world, this Mid Method is the choice for the vast majority of people?"
"Correct. However, Soul Bones are hard to come by. While pills can be refined by Alchemists or purchased though high-level pills are often priceless and unavailable—Soul Bones rely on both strength and serendipity. They cannot be forced."
Upon hearing this and considering the rarity of Soul Bones, Ling Xiao felt a slight sense of crisis. But then a thought occurred to him, and he looked up to ask, "May I ask, Teacher, did you choose the Mid Method back then, or..."
Before he could finish, Mu Chen answered, "I used the Mid Method back then. However, my situation was different from others. My Heavenly Astral Axe is a quite powerful variety even among top-tier Martial Souls."
"Normally, after reaching nine rings, one would need at least four Soul Bones of over ten thousand years to solve the problem. But..."
At this point, a trace of complexity appeared in Mu Chen's eyes.
He continued, "You likely know that I am a Twin Martial Soul user: the Heavenly Astral Axe and the Medicinal King Cauldron. When I awakened these two souls, I didn't immediately choose the axe for my primary cultivation."
"Instead, I chose the Medicinal King Cauldron, intending to use it to become an Alchemist. I learned the art of refining pills while tailor-making medicines for myself to build a solid foundation for my body."
"Once my cultivation reached the level of a five-ring Soul King, I began cultivating the Heavenly Astral Axe. By adding Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings to my second Martial Soul, I quickly pushed the power of the axe to the Soul King realm."
"Only then did I begin cultivating both souls simultaneously, with the axe as the primary focus and the cauldron as support. Back then, even though I hailed from the Medicinal King Valley, my dream was to become a powerful Soul Master with formidable combat strength."
**
Enjoying the story? Support the translation and get early access to future chapters here: www.patr eon.com/c/FanficTranslator
Thanks for reading!
I have 70 advanced chapter now on Patreon. I will post 5 advanced chapter on Patreon everyday except Sunday