Choosing the four Soul Kinds went smoothly, and they were quickly delivered to Wang Linchi.
Upon returning, he immediately embedded all of them.
He did not stay at the academy. Although it provided accommodation, he owned a house in the city and saw no need to live on campus. The reason was simple. Most students in the dormitories were ordinary individuals from out of town. Those with power either stayed at their family homes or bought houses in the city. Consequently, most dormitory residents faced poor living conditions, often having to join groups led by influential students or endure isolation and harassment. Indeed, the situation was absurd.
For ordinary people, resisting the dynasties, Great Families, and Sects was virtually impossible, even if they became Awakeners.
I'm not sure if these will be useful... Wang Linchi looked at the four blazing Soul Kinds in his Book of Records.
[Mind-type Soul Kind · Cold Focus (Excellent Level): Concentration +2, Thinking Logic +2 for 1 hour, consumes 2 points of spiritual power per hour]
[Spirit-type Soul Kind · Shallow Meditation (Excellent Level): Mental Power Capacity Limit +20, Spiritual Power Regeneration +2]
[Exploration/Soul System-type Soul Kind · Inspirational Field of View (Excellent Level): Enables visualization of energy changes and temporary enhancement of vision +5, consumes 1 point of spiritual power every 10 minutes]
These were three conventional Soul Kinds. The values for ordinary-level and Excellent Level Soul Kinds were fixed. Only for Soul Kinds of Excellent Level and above would the enhancement values become percentages.
As for the fourth Soul Kind, Wang Linchi chose a unique one: an Excellent Level, Soul System-type Soul Kind called Subordinate Soul Kind Combination.
It might sound powerful, but in reality, its effect was similar to the Rainbow Light, perhaps even less potent. The Rainbow Light, though limited to its own series of Soul Kinds and unlike the Subordinate Soul Kind Combination which could combine anything, had a much stronger effect. The Subordinate Soul Kind Combination was a lower-specification version; apart from Rainbow Light, other series had their own corresponding core integrations. Furthermore, the combined effect was not guaranteed to be positive; it could also be negative.
Regrettably, apart from this Subordinate Soul Kind Combination, the minimum level for other such combiners was Excellent Level.
After embedding, the Subordinate Soul Kind Combination absorbed Cold Focus, Shallow Meditation, and Inspirational Field of View, forming a brand new Soul Kind. Indeed, unlike core Soul Kinds of a series which alter and enhance other Soul Kinds within that series, the Subordinate Soul Kind Combination was the one that was altered.
[Thought-type Soul Kind · Subordinate Thinking Focus (Excellent Level): Consumes spiritual power to perform Introspection and interference upon oneself using thought power.]
The interference was similar to Telekinesis, while Introspection meant looking inward. The disadvantage was also clear: it could only be used on oneself internally. The upside was that the Book of Records, being a part of him, also fell within the scope of this Introspection and interference.
Whether he was satisfied was irrelevant now that they were embedded. After all, the effects of the Subordinate Soul Kind Combination and the resulting Soul Kind only became apparent after embedding.
The Subordinate Soul Kind Combination is Excellent Level, so it can only affect other Excellent Level Soul Kinds.
Soul Kind Combinations had stringent requirements: Excellent Level combinations could only work on Excellent Level Soul Kinds, and the next tier, also termed Excellent Level, could only work on its corresponding tier of Soul Kinds. There was no Ordinary Level version because the lowest grade for Soul Kind Combinations was Excellent Level, which is why his was prefixed 'Subordinate'.
He had meticulously selected all these Soul Kinds. Cold Focus would enhance his learning and thinking abilities. Although it was time-limited, he couldn't possibly study and think at high intensity twenty-four-seven. Shallow Meditation would increase his Mental Power Capacity Limit and spiritual power regeneration, serving as a supplement. Otherwise, as a White Porcelain level Awakener, his spiritual power was only 1.5 points, insufficient to activate Cold Focus.
He had also learned about Awakener levels at Qinghe Academy. The records were limited, seemingly deliberately erased. The levels were White Porcelain, Black Iron, Mountain Copper, Mithril, and Gold Essence.
The records stated that advancing from White Porcelain to Black Iron required 10 points of spiritual power. The 20 points of spiritual power Wang Linchi gained from the Excellent Level Shallow Meditation Soul Kind didn't count towards this. This was because these 20 points resided in his Book of Records, not directly in him, and would be drawn upon when he released the Soul Kind's power. Thus, his own spiritual power remained at only 1.5 points, unchanged.
To grow stronger, he needed to acquire a Soul Forging Method. The problem was, he couldn't obtain one. As an Awakener of a common class, he held no cultivation value and would be assigned to logistics after graduation. There was no need for the academy to provide him with a Soul Forging Method. Since Wang Linchi wasn't from a powerful faction, acquiring one would take time, and he'd have to be wary of potential problems with any method he found.
As for the Inspirational Field of View Soul Kind, Wang Linchi intended to use it to understand the fundamentals of Soul Kinds and Soul Resemblance. Without it, how could he study them if he couldn't even perceive them? Combined with the Introspection and interference capabilities of Subordinate Thinking Focus, he might even be able to modify his Book of Records.
He knew about the Inspirational Field of View Soul Kind thanks to the insights his parents had left in their notes. His parents had also possessed this Soul Kind. However, their Potential was only 3, unlike Wang Linchi's, which was 4.
In the eyes of Combat-type and Life-type Awakeners, these three Soul Kinds were practically useless, with Inspirational Field of View being only slightly better. The bonuses from Cold Focus and Shallow Meditation might seem decent initially. However, once Awakeners grew stronger through a Soul Forging Method, they would naturally possess substantial spiritual power. As for Concentration and Thinking Logic? Even more useless. Combat types just needed to fight, and Life types just needed to work. There was absolutely no need to waste a Potential position on them, unless it was an Excellent Level Soul Kind that improved stats by a percentage. Only Inspirational Field of View could arguably support combat, and Life types had no use for it.
Moreover, why choose an active Skill that consumed spiritual power when one could select a passive Skill? Even if a passive Skill's effect was slightly weaker, it wouldn't consume spiritual power and would always be active. After all, obtaining an Excellent Level Soul Kind implied having influential backing. Therefore, these Soul Kinds were also considered dispensable.
Most Combat-type Awakeners chose Soul Kinds related to attack, defense, or support. Exploration-type Soul Kinds were also chosen, but they would opt for better ones than these. Otherwise, how could these three Soul Kinds have ended up on the list for Wang Linchi to choose from?
As for the Subordinate Soul Kind Combination, it was more of a mass-market type—not only common but also somewhat abundant. High-status individuals used tailored sets, the middle class had better options, and while those at the bottom might choose it, its value diminished with its ubiquity.
I'll finish the books and research notes at home first, then go to the academy for more! Wang Linchi immediately activated Cold Focus. He felt a cooling sensation in his mind, followed by a wave of clarity.
Normally, his values for Concentration and Thinking Logic would be 1. Now, they had tripled; the difference was certainly noticeable.