"So, if I let Xiaobai fight solo, wouldn't I just become a bystander commander, shouting 'awesome' from afar with no real action?"
This thought about a useless weapon spirit and its owner crossed Zhu Wu's mind.
Though beast-type weapon spirits naturally fight through possession, this was more like a minor flaw rather than a real weakness. But since Xiaobai is an independent weapon spirit, not releasing it for solo combat felt like a bit of a blemish.
His OCD was triggered, and he found himself a little conflicted.
Compared to having the weapon spirit fight alone or possess him, he felt a hybrid approach would be better.
Sure, you can't have your cake and eat it too, but as an adult, he wanted both!
"Uh, why isn't he waking up yet?" Outside, seeing the soul ring vanish but Zhu Wu still unconscious, the dean looked puzzled.
He couldn't help but call out softly, "Zhu Wu?"
Zhu Wu snapped back to reality, realizing the dean was still outside protecting him, and quickly opened his eyes.
"Sorry, Dean. I was just thinking about the new soul skill I gained," he said apologetically.
The dean smiled, thinking "Still just a kid."
When a soul master absorbs a soul ring, the skill information automatically surfaces in the mind. He remembered feeling the same wonder when he first experienced it.
"To make you so lost in thought, you must have gotten a pretty good skill," he joked.
"Decoy," Zhu Wu answered without hesitation. "The skill I got is called Decoy. It lets me create two copies to confuse enemies."
Actually, it was a combination of Charm and Decoy. Clearly, this 400-year-old three-eyed demon fox only had these two innate talents, and their power was limited. Zhu Wu distinctly remembered that in the original story, Xiao Wu's seven-ring three-eyed demon fox could create seven copies, which could even be controlled for combat—not just used to confuse like his current skill.
Obviously, the lower-aged demon foxes hadn't mastered this talent to that extent.
This also showed that the skills Xiaobai could gain after absorbing soul rings were limited by the innate talents of the soul beast itself, both in quantity and quality.
In other words, the quality of the soul ring determined the number and base strength of inherited skills.
Of course, it also affected how much the soul master's overall power would increase after absorption—both physical strength and soul power.
"I wonder if there'll be a chance to evolve further in the future?"
Skills like Charm depend heavily on the soul master's mental strength. But skills like Decoy are pretty restricted by the soul ring's quality. Without post-absorption improvement, such skills might be kind of useless.
The dean thought the same. "The silkworm weapon spirit isn't great at combat, as expected," he sighed inwardly but smiled to avoid upsetting Zhu Wu.
"It's still decent as a survival skill."
"Yeah, yeah," Zhu Wu nodded repeatedly.
"Alright, since everything's done, we should head back," the dean said.
"Okay," Zhu Wu smiled and followed him.
There was nothing urgent on the way back, so Zhu Wu's mind wandered, thinking about Xiaobai's newly discovered abilities.
"Now that I think about it, Xiaobai's way of gaining skills is somewhat like Oscar's sixth soul skill, which creates mirror sausages. The difference is that Oscar uses blood as material and soul power to create sausages, and only by eating them can he obtain the opponent's soul skills. That means Oscar can only mimic skills, can't get original ones, and it has a time limit."
"Xiaobai, on the other hand, gains soul beast skills by absorbing soul rings."
"And since soul ring enhancements are permanent, Xiaobai can keep those skills forever."
"Hmm, Xiaobai as a detached weapon spirit naturally has the talent for simulation and transformation. So this method of skill acquisition through soul ring absorption must stem from that. Meaning, every time I break through a major realm, Xiaobai can absorb the soul ring of a soul beast and gain its innate skill. This opens up a lot of possibilities."
"The catch is, Xiaobai must transform into the soul beast to use the skills…"
"So should I go the all-round survival route—land, sea, and air fully covered? Or specialize and boost output?"
"Damn, I'll have to think hard about this when I get back."
"But no rush; it's a while until the next soul ring absorption, so I can take my time."
"So if I let Xiaobai fight independently, what about me?"
He thought back to the initial question.
"Well, soul skills ultimately rely on soul power. Since I can use the inherited soul beast skills while Xiaobai possesses me, why can't I learn these skills through practice in the possessed state?"
"It doesn't make sense that skills work only when possessed but not otherwise."
He felt this was unreasonable.
"If it really doesn't work, I'll develop the Vajra Longevity Technique further to see if I can come up with derivative skills. If that fails, maybe I can figure something out with Tang San's Mystic Heaven Record?"
"In any case, I can't afford to be without combat power when the weapon spirit is detached."
A man must be tough, long-lasting, and resilient!
"With Vajra Longevity Technique as the foundation, if not me, then who?" His eyes burned with determination.
A man must never say he can't do it!
Thinking this, he refocused, summoned Xiaobai, and carefully observed the surroundings.
Xiaobai could transform into any soul beast it had seen. Seeing more now might come in handy later.
Also, once back, he wanted to test whether he could use Xiaobai's transformation talent while possessed by Xiaobai.
One day later, at the gates of Notting Academy, the two got off the carriage.
"Xiao Zhu, if nothing urgent, you can visit the Soul Hall this afternoon to get your soul master certification and receive this month's subsidy. You're still growing, so this money can help with your meals," the dean smiled.
"Okay," Zhu Wu nodded and bowed slightly. "Thank you so much for your help."
"It's nothing," the dean smiled. "I've been away a while, and the academy probably has some affairs waiting. I won't escort you back to the dorm this time. It's still early—you can head to the dorm first, freshen up, then go to the Soul Hall later."
"Alright," Zhu Wu quickly nodded, watching the dean leave.
Once the dean was gone, Zhu Wu headed straight for the dorm without delay.
"Xiao Zhu, you're back!" The moment he entered, his dorm mates noticed immediately. Wang Sheng greeted him first.
"So, what soul ring did you get? What skill?" Xiao Wu asked right away.
Polite? She clearly didn't know this was a taboo topic among soul masters. Zhu Wu was speechless and just glanced at her.
Tang San sat quietly nearby, not stopping the question. It was noon after class, and Tang San hadn't gone to the blacksmith yet.
"A hundred-year-old three-eyed demon fox, skill: Decoy," Zhu Wu gave a brief introduction as the others looked on.
"Just so-so," Xiao Wu casually commented, then turned over and went back to sleep.
Zhu Wu ignored her and smiled at Wang Sheng and the others. "I'm going to freshen up first, then head to the Soul Hall for certification. After I get the subsidy, I'll treat everyone to a meal to celebrate."
"Hehe, sounds good," Wang Sheng laughed.
"Hehe, Xiao Zhu, once you get your money, you have to treat the dorm leader well," Xiao Wu's voice suddenly came again.
Zhu Wu turned around; Xiao Wu had already turned over but was smiling brightly at him.
"When you go out later, you'd better bring something tasty for your leader."
(End of chapter)
If you'd like to read advance chapters support me at https://www.patreon.com/YugiroTL