"Martial Souls converting soul power attributes? Soul rings affecting the quality and attributes of the Martial Soul, and harmful soul power causing irreversible damage to the human body..."
"The contents of this thesis are things that basically any high-level Soul Master would notice, but so far, no one has taken it seriously, and no one has formally proposed it. The vast majority of Soul Masters don't treat this as an important matter."
"Especially concerning soul rings with attributes like poison or evil. These soul rings affect the Martial Soul, which in turn affects the Soul Master. It either causes the quality of the Martial Soul to decline or leads the Soul Master into corruption."
Elder Wu Ning murmured as he stared at the thesis in his hands, his large hands trembling uncontrollably.
"Besides this, this Soul Master actually points out exactly what kind of soul rings a Soul Master should absorb. If the compatibility is poor, it shouldn't be absorbed. This means it is best for Soul Masters to absorb soul rings with excellent compatibility."
"He even pointed out the possibility of Martial Soul mutation."
Wu Ning hadn't thought as far as Martial Soul evolution yet, but the possibility of mutation immediately crossed his mind.
Because the conclusions in this thesis made him instantly think of his former "useless" colleague, Yu Xiaogang.
Wasn't Yu Xiaogang exactly that? A trash Martial Soul absorbing a soul ring with extremely poor compatibility—look at how much the quality of his Martial Soul had declined.
It ended up only being able to fart.
Wu Ning thought to himself that Yu Xiaogang's Martial Soul was clearly very special. Not only was it rare on the continent, but it was an "out-of-body" type Martial Soul that might not appear even once in decades.
Not to mention, Yu Xiaogang's Martial Soul looked like a cross between a pig and a dog. No one would actually think a dog or pig Martial Soul was that bad. Surely it was stronger than Blue Silver Grass? Stronger than a rabbit?
At the very least, if Yu Xiaogang had absorbed a "Charge" skill, or a soul ring that covered the Martial Soul in mud to increase defense, it would have been far better than farting.
If it weren't for a mutation that made the Martial Soul worse, Wu Ning truly couldn't imagine how someone with the resources of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect could fail to reach Rank 30.
Compared to Martial Soul evolution, cases of Martial Soul mutation were incredibly common. Or rather, given the massive population of the Douluo Continent, he could find countless cases just by casually searching through Spirit Hall's records.
In fact, he didn't even need to look for cases.
His colleagues and he himself were cases.
Take him, for example. His Martial Soul was an ordinary Abacus.
But after absorbing soul rings, he not only became more sensitive to numbers, but the quality of his Abacus Martial Soul also grew higher and higher. Originally, it was just a common wooden abacus, but now, the abacus possessed a hint of life force.
This was something he gained after absorbing soul rings from plant-type soul beasts.
Not only did it give him stronger calculation abilities, but it also emitted a special fragrance that kept his teammates clear-headed and focused, making the research of Martial Soul theory much sharper.
Furthermore, his Martial Soul was no longer a common wooden abacus; it had become as round and smooth as jade, extremely delicate and lustrous. Looking at the surface alone, it could already be considered a Jade Abacus, even if the core was still wood.
But his Abacus Martial Soul now functioned as a single entity.
With just a thought, the abacus would operate on its own, almost like a second brain.
Wu Ning didn't dare call this change "evolution," but it could certainly be called a "positive mutation."
According to this "Xiao Yan's" theory, if all the soul rings he had absorbed were of excellent compatibility, perhaps he wouldn't be stuck at Rank 69.
Wu Ning couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret.
For his sixth soul ring, he had chosen a Twin Sunflower. It gave his Martial Soul the ability to split into two. While this greatly increased his research efficiency, the actual benefit to the Martial Soul itself wasn't substantial.
"Xiao Zhang, help me look over things here. I am going to submit this thesis to Her Majesty the Pope for review."
Wu Ning had already sensed the immense value within this paper.
Perhaps for average Soul Masters or those with limited potential, they might not value these insights. After all, they only get a few soul rings in their lifetime; sticking together for warmth is their priority.
But for the geniuses of Spirit Hall, future development is paramount. When choosing those aggressive soul rings, considering whether they will remain useful in the long run and whether they benefit the Martial Soul itself is crucial.
Soon, Wu Ning stood up and hurried toward the Pope Hall of Spirit Hall.
Outside the Pope Hall, Wu Ning was blocked by two Elders: Yue Guan, the Chrysanthemum Douluo, and Gui Mei, the Ghost Douluo.
"Elder Wu Ning, the Pope is currently resting. Whatever it is, talk about it later."
Chrysanthemum Douluo looked at Wu Ning with disdain.
Although Wu Ning was an Elder of Spirit Hall, without significant contributions, Chrysanthemum Douluo viewed him the same way he viewed people like Yu Xiaogang. To him, both a Rank 29 and a Rank 69 Soul Emperor were small fry he could deal with with one hand.
"Elder Chrysanthemum Douluo, I have discovered an important article that could change the perspective of all Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent. It concerns the future of Spirit Hall. Do you truly intend to stop me?"
There was no fear in Wu Ning's eyes. He believed in the importance of this thesis.
"You..."
Chrysanthemum Douluo's expression shifted.
He didn't expect a mere Soul Emperor to dare defy him. In the next second, he reached out to snatch the thesis from Wu Ning's hand...
"Forget it, Yue Guan. Let him in."
From within the Pope Hall, a lazy yet chilly voice echoed out.
This voice was filled with supreme majesty, causing Chrysanthemum Douluo to stop instantly.
"Yes, Her Majesty the Pope."
Chrysanthemum Douluo gave Wu Ning a flamboyant, annoyed roll of the eyes.
He then grabbed Wu Ning's arm and flew directly into the Pope Hall. Tossing Wu Ning onto the floor, a smug smile played on Chrysanthemum Douluo's lips. Even if this thesis is amazing, it belongs to someone else. You're just the messenger.
Chrysanthemum Douluo knew full well that Pope Bibi Dong would never punish him for this.
Fortunately, Wu Ning didn't complain. Being tossed down like that meant nothing to a high-level Soul Emperor; he didn't even stumble. Patting the wrinkles out of his clothes, Wu Ning raised the thesis high with both hands, presenting it.
"Your Majesty, this is the thesis I discovered that is sufficient to change the views of the continent's Soul Master community."
Wu Ning bowed his head deeply.
"Mhm."
Bibi Dong responded casually.
She beckoned with her hand, pulling the thesis from Wu Ning's grasp into her own, and began to read. She had specifically maintained the Elder position for someone like Wu Ning as a placeholder originally intended for Yu Xiaogang.
Otherwise, how could someone who had left Spirit Hall long ago still hold an Elder's position? Of course, she also truly hoped that Spirit Hall would produce Martial Soul researchers as capable as Yu Xiaogang.
Glancing at the title, a trace of a smile appeared on the corner of Bibi Dong's mouth.
"Is this it? I wondered what it was. Certainly picked a provocative title."
If it were a mundane title, no one would pay attention to such a paper, dismissed as a joke to attract readers. After all, not everyone was like Dugu Bo, truly being harmed by their own Martial Soul.
Then, Bibi Dong began to flip through the pages.
Wu Ning had stood up and was peeking at Chrysanthemum Douluo, waiting for the moment the "slap to the face" would land.
Xiao Lin's thesis wasn't long—less than 1,200 words—so Bibi Dong finished it quickly. After reading, Bibi Dong sank into deep thought for a long time, a flash of memory crossing her eyes.
This thesis and the Rakshasa God's thoughts...
The first thing she thought of was her own inexplicably growing negative emotions.
Besides that, she also thought of Yu Xiaogang.
"Wu Ning, Gui Mei, silence everyone who has seen this thesis." As she spoke, Bibi Dong handed the thesis to Chrysanthemum Douluo.
"Yue Guan, call Nana here and let her see this."
"Also, reward Elder Wu and the others with ten thousand Gold Soul Coins."