Chapter 374: No Progress at All
'Elder Ye, is this person really a girl?' Huo Yuhao couldn't help but ask in his mind.
"Of course."
Elder Ye responded impatiently, "Every person has a unique aura, and the differences between men and women are distinct. This kid is completely covered in yin energy she's definitely a girl. The only question is why she's disguising herself as a boy… perhaps she has no other choice?"
'You can tell just by sensing that?' Huo Yuhao was astonished it felt like a whole new world had opened up to him.
At that moment, the crossdressing girl had already stepped outside.
Huo Yuhao had no time to think further and quickly followed.
The two of them arrived at a spacious area outside the dormitory, providing plenty of space for a fight.
"Wang Dong!"
"Huo Yuhao!"
They exchanged names.
Then, Wang Dong simply stood there and beckoned Huo Yuhao with his finger, his face filled with arrogance, practically spelling out "I look down on you" all over his expression.
Seeing that smug look, Huo Yuhao found him incredibly annoying.
Initially, after learning from Elder Ye that Wang Dong was a girl, Huo Yuhao had felt some sympathy. If she was willing to dress as a boy, she must have a reason, right? He had even thought of holding back a little.
But now?
Seeing her arrogant and condescending attitude, Huo Yuhao instantly changed his mind.
She was probably just some pampered young lady who had never suffered in her life, coming to "experience hardship" at the academy.
So annoying.
Alright, time to teach her a lesson.
Though… he wasn't entirely confident he could win.
Fortunately, Elder Ye's voice echoed in his mind, "Yuhao, your soul power is much lower than hers. If you fight her head on, you'll definitely lose. But you do have an advantage now, listen carefully and follow my instructions..."
At the dormitory entrance, the elder reclining in his chair lifted his head slightly.
A flash of curiosity flickered in his cloudy eyes as he watched Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong with genuine interest.
Faint golden light flickered in Huo Yuhao's eyes as a white soul ring slowly rose beneath his feet his Spirit Eyes martial soul activated.
At the same time, his soul power surged, ready to strike at the perfect moment!
Seeing his ten year soul ring, Wang Dong chuckled dismissively, "I'm really curious how you even got admitted to Shrek. With that level of ability, you dare to fight me? I won't even need to use my martial soul against you."
As he spoke, he lightly tapped his left foot on the ground and shot forward like an arrow, swift and graceful.
In an instant, he reached Huo Yuhao and lifted his right leg for a powerful kick to the chest!
But at that moment, Huo Yuhao suddenly lifted his head, his golden eyes locking onto Wang Dong's gaze.
Wang Dong instinctively met his eyes.
The next second
It felt like a nail was being hammered directly into her brain.
A wave of excruciating pain surged through her skull.
"AHHHHH!!!"
A miserable scream escaped her lips as her entire body lost control!
Her raised leg twisted awkwardly, and she tumbled across the ground several times.
When she finally stopped rolling, her eyes had turned white, and she was even foaming at the mouth, looking completely wrecked.
Seeing her in this pitiful state, Huo Yuhao was startled.
He hadn't meant to go that far!
Hurriedly, he asked in his mind, 'Elder Ye, is she okay?! And… why did she go down so easily?!'
"Calm down, Yuhao."
Elder Ye said leisurely, "Your soul power may be weaker than hers, but your spiritual power is much stronger thanks to that fat worm's sacrifice. Even though most of its power is sealed, the little bit you can use already puts your spiritual strength far above other soul masters of the same level."
"Soul masters of this era can't actively train their spiritual power it only grows as their level increases or through absorbing specific soul rings. This is your greatest advantage."
"Since she had no defenses against spiritual attacks and likely didn't even consider the possibility getting knocked out in one hit is completely normal."
So that's how it is…
Huo Yuhao finally understood.
But he was still curious, so he asked, "Elder Ye, was that move you taught me just now a self created soul skill? It felt incredibly powerful."
After all, what he had used wasn't just a simple burst of spiritual power.
Following Elder Ye's instructions, he had concentrated his spiritual energy into an invisible nail and forcefully hammered it into Wang Dong's mind!
"A self created soul skill? You could call it that, I suppose."
Elder Ye replied, "You have incredible spiritual power but no clue how to use it. You just rely on those four soul skills from that fat ice silkworm. To be honest, all soul masters in this era are incredibly outdated."
"A real soul master shouldn't be limited to using the skills granted by soul rings. They should study their martial soul's unique characteristics and develop their own techniques. That is what a truly creative soul master does."
"And let's be honest those four skills your ice silkworm soul ring granted you? They're not even unique abilities. They're just basic applications of spiritual power. If you want, I can teach you how to use your spiritual power to replicate those exact same effects."
"For example, the move I just taught you it was simply focusing and refining your spiritual power into a more effective form of attack. It's nothing particularly advanced."
He spoke as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
But Huo Yuhao felt completely enlightened.
The four skills granted by his hundred thousand year soul ring were:
Spiritual Detection (scanning surroundings with spiritual power)Spiritual Sharing (linking minds to share vision)Spiritual Interference (disrupting an opponent's perception)Spiritual Shock (attacking an enemy's mind to cause dizziness or unconsciousness)
These abilities were useful, but after Elder Ye's explanation…
Weren't they just basic spiritual power applications?
Scanning with spiritual energy? That's just expanding your awareness.
Sharing spiritual power? That's just establishing a mental link.
Interfering with someone's mind? That's just a controlled disruption.
Attacking with spiritual power? That's the simplest application of all!
These abilities weren't "divine gifts."
They were just ways of using spiritual energy more efficiently!
The only difference between a self created skill and a soul skill granted by a ring was that the latter required no effort or understanding you just got the ability and used it immediately.
It was convenient, sure.
But if a soul master lost their soul ring, they wouldn't be able to use those skills anymore.
However, if they mastered these techniques on their own, then even without a soul ring, they could still use them freely.
This was why soul rings were like a crutch they made soul masters lazy and stifled their creativity.
No wonder soul masters from ten thousand years ago and today were still using the same outdated methods.
Not a single step forward.
(End of Chapter)
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