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Why did he understand all this?
This question became Dugu Bo’s greatest curiosity.
“Teacher, I told you, it’s a martial spirit intuition,” Jiang Jie said helplessly, raising his hand to show his Fiery Wave Blood Blade.
“Your martial spirit has such an ability?” Dugu Bo clearly didn’t believe it.
“The martial spirit itself doesn’t have this ability; it’s just my intuition,” Jiang Jie said softly. “I have no access to learn about soul masters. I don’t even know the name of that snake. All I know are eight characters.”
“Learn from others’ strengths, offset one’s weaknesses.”
“Learn from others’ strengths, offset one’s weaknesses… These eight characters do make a lot of sense.” Dugu Bo muttered the phrase, appreciating its depth more and more, and then nodded seriously.
At this moment, Dugu Bo began to take Jiang Jie seriously.
If what Jiang Jie said was true, and he had never studied any soul master knowledge but could still intuitively sense Dugu Yan’s wrong path, it would mean Jiang Jie was an unprecedented genius.
A genius that could astonish the entire Douluo Continent.
Nevertheless, Dugu Bo decided to test him: “Then, my disciple, how do you think your Sister Yan should proceed?”
While asking this question, Dugu Bo signaled Dugu Yan with his eyes to hold off on absorbing the soul ring and wait to hear what Jiang Jie had to say.
Dugu Yan naturally complied, putting away her short sword and looking at Jiang Jie with curiosity.
To her, Jiang Jie was incredibly mysterious. Despite being twice his age, she felt Jiang Jie was more mature and knowledgeable than her.
Jiang Jie had successfully piqued Dugu Yan’s interest.
Initially, Dugu Yan was attracted to Jiang Jie’s cute appearance and his impressive martial spirit. Now, she was genuinely interested in him as a person.
“May I ask what your first soul ring skill is, Sister Yan?” Jiang Jie asked, looking at Dugu Yan.
“There’s nothing inconvenient about that. My first soul skill is called Bi Phosphorous Red Poison. It increases attack speed and perception while amplifying pain. It’s a supportive skill for allies and a control skill for enemies,” Dugu Yan said with a sweet smile.
Jiang Jie turned to the snake that Dugu Bo had restrained and raised his chin slightly: “If Sister Yan absorbs this soul ring, what skill might she gain?”
Dugu Bo answered this time: “Bi Phosphorous Blue Poison, which has the opposite effect of Bi Phosphorous Red Poison. It causes sluggishness, can increase defense, or decrease the enemy’s reaction speed and agility.”
So, it was indeed these two soul skills.
Jiang Jie shook his head decisively: “That’s not the right path for a control type. If Sister Yan configures her soul rings this way, there’s no difference from being a support type.”
“Then how should it be configured?” Dugu Bo asked, amused by his disciple.
If anyone else had so directly dismissed the soul ring configurations that the Dugu family had developed over hundreds of years, Dugu Bo would have been furious. But with his new disciple, he was willing to listen to Jiang Jie’s explanation.
“Bi Phosphorous Red Poison… it sounds like a stimulant poison, which means it rapidly consumes mental and physical energy,” Jiang Jie said softly.
“Enhancing perception and amplifying pain… Instead of adding a Bi Phosphorous Blue Poison, why not attach a soul ring that induces intense pain or causes hallucinations, complementing the first soul skill? Corrosion, burning, confusion, chaos—paired with the first skill, wouldn’t these be much better than another skill that acts like a support?”
Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan exchanged glances, both shivering.
Who’s the poison master here, you or me?
“This snake, I’ve observed it for a while. It neither enhances Sister Yan’s martial spirit’s poison nor improves her resilience and strength. Its bloodline is mediocre and offers no substantial benefit to Sister Yan,” Jiang Jie said, pointing at the now-unconscious snake with a resigned expression.
“It completely ignores the ‘learn from others’ strengths, offset one’s weaknesses’ principle. Is such a soul ring even useful?”
These eight characters imply: augment your weaknesses to cover flaws or maximize strengths to achieve unrivaled prowess.
The former approach, although moderate, means no weaknesses and can be formidable against stronger opponents. The latter is extreme; if encountered, it allows for unparalleled dominance, but it falters if countered.
Both paths are better than the wrong one.
Dugu Bo, with his extensive experience, immediately grasped the essence of Jiang Jie’s words, his expression shifting from shock to one of seeing a ghost.
“Good boy, I didn’t misjudge you!” Dugu Bo laughed heartily, clapping Jiang Jie on the shoulder so hard that Jiang Jie winced in pain.
Dugu Yan, smiling and narrowing her eyes, asked crisply, “Grandpa, do we still need this soul ring?”
Dugu Bo waved his hand grandly: “No, let’s find a better one!”
After hearing Jiang Jie’s words, Dugu Bo began reconsidering his fixed ideas, pondering over Jiang Jie’s theory.
Though Jiang Jie hadn’t specified which soul beasts were suitable, his theory was enough for Dugu Bo to use as a reference. Excluding Tang San with his external cheat-like existence, Dugu Bo was the best-known poison expert on the Douluo Continent [excluding the obscure Porcupinefish Douluo and Yang Wudi].
With Jiang Jie’s theory as a guide, Dugu Bo quickly identified two soul beasts suitable for Dugu Yan.
The Man-Faced Demon Spider!
The Mandala Snake!
The Man-Faced Demon Spider, feared as a bloody predator, had potent, painful venom.
The Mandala Snake, though less venomous, shared a lineage with the Bi Phosphorous Snake and could enhance it significantly, also inducing hallucinations.
The Man-Faced Demon Spider’s soul ring maximizes strengths.
The Mandala Snake’s soul ring covers weaknesses.
Dugu Bo perfectly integrated Jiang Jie’s eight-character principle into practice!
(End of Chapter)