Meditating in the library was an indulgent and somewhat wasteful activity. The library housed a vast collection of invaluable knowledge on Martial Souls and Soul Beasts, which was truly priceless.
After mastering the basic meditation technique, Ignaz closed the book and returned it to its rightful place. He picked out another book, and as he searched, his eyes were immediately drawn to a row of large characters on the first shelf of the first column:
"Six Major Competencies of Martial Souls."
Ignaz picked up the heavy book, which felt both familiar and unfamiliar. The author's name on the cover wasn't Yu Xiaogang's, but someone else's. The introductory page even mentioned the author's background and his affiliation with the Martial Soul Palace.
This book was one of the core textbooks provided by the Martial Soul Palace to various Soul Master academies. As for whether it required paying copyright fees, Ignaz didn't know.
He found himself quite intrigued. The table of contents outlined six core theories:
The correlation between innate soul power and Martial Soul quality
The Origins of Martial Souls
Martial Soul mutations
The development direction of Soul Masters and classification of Martial Souls
The acquisition and absorption of Soul Rings
Martial Soul fusion
After reading this, Ignaz realized just how disgusting Yu Xiaogang's act of plagiarism truly was. He had once been admired by Bibi Dong and even became her ex-boyfriend, gaining access to the Martial Soul Palace's core knowledge. Yet, as a so-called "theory master," the ten core competencies he claimed to have developed were nothing more than borrowed ideas from others. Later, he falsely claimed them as his work. Such behavior was utterly shameless.
As for Yu Xiaogang's most famous theory on Martial Soul mimicry—that Beast Martial Souls could absorb plant-type Soul Rings—Ignaz thought it was a bit far-fetched. In his view, mimicry applied only to lower-quality Martial Souls. For top-tier Beast Martial Souls like the Evil-Eyed White Tiger or the Blue Electric Tyrannosaurus Rex, animal-type Soul Rings were the most suitable.
To place a one-sided mimicry theory among the ten core competencies was misleading and dangerous to students.
Moreover, the premise for Dual Martial Souls was that the Martial Soul qualities of the parents were either very similar or vastly different. But what if the parents' Martial Souls were extremely different? Could the child still possess innate soul power?
The Clear Sky Hammer was a top-tier weapon Martial Soul. Would the humble Blue Silver Grass in the hands of the small, scrawny guy be just an ordinary Blue Silver Grass? And then, he was supposed to develop a poison attribute? Yu Xiaogang was truly a clueless, half-baked teacher.
But for Ignaz, this was all irrelevant. The information in the book was still quite useful. It gave him a much clearer direction on how to acquire Soul Rings.
Soon after, Ignaz closed the book, picked up another one, and found a basic guide on spear techniques:
"The spear evolved from the polearm, and spear techniques can also be applied to polearms!"
After noting down the borrowing details, Ignaz returned to his dorm and began practicing the basics of spear and polearm techniques.
Time passed quickly. Two and a half years later, in the early morning of Dorm 301, Ignaz opened his eyes excitedly as the last thread of soul power finally stabilized, stretching his body and feeling the thrill of success.
"Two and a half years. I've finally broken through the level 10 soul power barrier."
His rapid cultivation speed was mostly due to a special anomaly he'd discovered a year ago in his Rust Spear Martial Soul. Due to repeatedly refining his Martial Soul with his blood, the Rust Spear had developed a unique devouring ability, similar to that of an Evil Soul Master. It could absorb the blood of all living beings and convert it into soul power. Though the conversion effect wasn't very strong, it made his cultivation speed comparable to that of a 5th-level Soul Master.
Over the past two and a half years, Ignaz attended classes in the morning, meditated on his spear techniques and soul power in the afternoon, and used his free time during holidays to fine-tune the Rust Spear. He also started hunting animals in secret, absorbing their blood essence. Thankfully, he had maintained the appearance of a diligent student at the academy, which helped keep his rapid soul power growth from being noticed.
Ignaz wasn't opposed to this devouring ability. His Martial Soul quality was low, to begin with, and without external development, he could only reach the level of a Soul King at best. Since he had unexpectedly gained this powerful devouring ability, why not make full use of it?
"Martial Souls aren't inherently evil; it's all about how the Martial Soul is used!"
Ignaz's eyes held a steely determination. Gaining his first Soul Ring would be the best way to prove his theoretical understanding, and it would also be an important step in evolving his Martial Soul.
Based on his research and thoughts, he believed that adding different Soul Rings from various Soul Beasts could lead to beneficial mutations in his Martial Soul. Soul Rings were also a key step in breaking through a Soul Master's limits, and Ignaz wondered whether they could prevent his Rust Spear from returning to its original broken state, making it more stable. If that were the case, he wouldn't need to maintain the Martial Soul in an external state anymore.
After getting dressed, Ignaz grabbed his Rust Spear and headed to Director Lu's office. He knocked on the door, and when Director Lu, who was writing something, looked up and saw him, a smile spread across his face.
"Iggy, what's the matter? What brings you here?"
Over the past two and a half years, Director Lu had closely observed Ignaz's life at the academy. While not fully understanding him, he knew more about him than most teachers. For example, Ignaz's Rust Spear Martial Soul changed every few months. The red mist surrounding it had deepened, indicating that it was no longer just a Rust Spear but had evolved into a higher-quality Blood Spear Martial Soul.
At first, when Ignaz explained the transformation of his Martial Soul, Director Lu was shocked. To think that a Martial Soul could be forged this way, like blacksmithing—it was truly unprecedented. Ignaz's ability to think outside the box and take action was remarkable, a historic feat that had never been seen before on the continent.
More importantly, no matter when or where his Blood Spear was almost always with him, and he never stored it in his body. This was not normal Soul Master behavior.
"Director, I've reached level 10 in soul power," Ignaz said, touching his nose a bit awkwardly. "I've come to request a Soul Ring."
Given that Director Lu was a 39th-level peak Spirit Elder with the Sea Viper Martial Soul, he could have been a city lord in some medium-sized cities, or at least a guest at one. He was also Ignaz's instructor and the class's head teacher. Known for his strictness, Ignaz couldn't help but feel like a small fry in his presence. How could he not feel a bit nervous?
"Level 10, good job," Director Lu nodded, clearly approving. "But have you decided what kind of Soul Ring you want?"
"I want a hundred-year-old Sea Viper Soul Beast, preferably a particularly bloodthirsty one," Ignaz said firmly.