Douluo Continent: Thunder Roar

"First of all, your assessment of my martial soul is partially correct." Ling Yu pointed to his eyes. "Its visible part is indeed my eyes, which endow me with superhuman insight, spiritual perception, and some spiritual application abilities, such as the methods I used to influence Teacher Zhou Yi at the beginning."

Wang Yan nodded; this was consistent with the theories he knew.

"However," Ling Yu changed the subject, his tone carrying a cautious inquiry, "based on my own feelings and some signs, my martial soul... may not be limited to the organ of 'eyes'."

Wang Yan leaned forward slightly, his gaze behind his glasses suddenly becoming sharp and focused: "Not limited to the eyes? You mean...?"

"I suspect," Ling Yu said slowly, as if stating a truth he himself was also exploring, "that 'eyes' might just be the most prominent and easily visible 'window' of my martial soul. And the true scope of this martial soul might be much larger... and perhaps even have some deeper connection with my 'self' as a whole."

"The 'self' as a whole?" Wang Yan repeated in a low voice, his eyes flashing with an astonishing light—the excitement of a scholar encountering an unprecedented topic. "You mean... your martial soul might have 'eyes' as its core manifest feature, but its essence encompasses your entire 'body' or rather, 'existence'—a very special kind of physical martial soul?"

"I can't be completely sure," Ling Yu said, leaving room for doubt. "This is just a speculation based on my own feelings. But this particularity might explain why I can bear and use seemingly different powers."

Wang Yan took a deep breath, trying to process this astonishing possibility.

If Ling Yu's martial soul is truly a unique existence based on "himself" and never before seen, then many common sense rules are broken.

"That explains it!" Wang spoke faster, his fingers unconsciously gesturing towards the name. "Regular martial souls, whether weapon-based or beast-based, are projections of a power source or life imprint that are relatively independent of the soul master's 'self.' They have clear attribute biases, and absorbing soul rings is also a way to strengthen this 'independent object.'"

"But your situation is different! If your martial soul is yourself, then the target of the spirit ring is no longer an external 'tool' or 'part,' but directly affects your 'life essence'!"

His eyes flashed with a sharp light, and his thoughts became increasingly clear and fluid: "This means that the effect of absorbing a spirit ring is to continuously 'nourish' the foundation and potential of your own 'Martial Soul Origin'!"

Wang Yan sat down again, leaning forward, his tone becoming incredibly confident: "Then, Ling Yu, let's make the most reasonable conjecture: you inherently possess a superhuman affinity and capacity to withstand various elements or energies! This might be an innate trait of your 'fundamental' martial soul. It's just that because they are too subtle and deep, they didn't manifest in the early stages. But as you absorb soul rings, the power of those rings continuously strengthens your origin, and these dormant, diverse potentials are gradually 'activated' and 'awakened'!"

Ling Yu nodded indifferently.

Wang Yan's research is indeed quite remarkable. The fact that he was able to construct such a logically consistent explanation based on limited information in such a short time demonstrates his strong theoretical foundation and quick thinking.

His theory of "potential awakening," while fundamentally different from the chakra system of the ninja world, cleverly blurred the line between "soul rings granting fixed skills" and "self-development of multiple abilities," providing Ling Yu's composite power with a "background" that seemed reasonable and even genius-like in this world.

However, Ling Yu knew in his heart that his situation was far more special than Wang Yan had guessed.

His "Martial Soul" awakened not just a simple elemental affinity, but the ability range of the ninja system, and a single Soul Ring provided the foundation for five attributes, the subsequent growth of which even he himself could not predict.

But these core secrets were naturally not revealed to Wang Yan.

His in-depth discussion with Wang Yan was not simply to resolve doubts or help the other party improve his theory.

In fact, he had already included him on the Akatsuki's potential shortlist.

The Akatsuki organization's goal of changing the entire Soul Master world cannot be achieved overnight or by relying on just a few individuals; it requires a constant influx of fresh blood and a systematic training system.

Ling Yu himself may have outstanding combat strength, but he is not good at systematically teaching and training Soul Masters.

Wang Yan, a teacher known for his theoretical expertise in the original work, is undoubtedly an excellent candidate.

Today’s dialogue is not only an opportunity to “reaffirm” one’s own abilities, but also an examination of Wang Yan’s theoretical level, thinking patterns, and ability to accept and explore the unknown.

Judging from the current situation, Wang Yan's performance is commendable, and his theoretical level should be among the best in Shrek Academy.

"Ling Yu, may I ask another question?" Wang Yan's enthusiasm had not diminished; on the contrary, the initial "solving of the case" had fueled his desire to explore even more. "You used four different soul skills in total, but you only have three soul rings. Is there another soul bone? But from what I've observed, it seems that's not the case. It appears that only your third soul ring has shown any significant reaction from beginning to end."

His gaze was fixed on Ling Yu, as if he didn't want to miss any subtle changes in his expression.

"Teacher Wang's observation is very keen." Ling Yu smiled slightly and admitted frankly, "That's right, I did only use one soul ring skill, which is my third soul skill - it allows me to more clearly perceive and utilize the various attribute powers contained in my own origin."

He gave the Five Elements Escape Technique, which was his third soul skill, a description that was easier for Wang Yan to understand.

"Elemental perception... energy coordination..." Wang Yan repeated softly, a look of realization flashing in his eyes. "So it's not a direct attack or defense skill, but a core soul skill of the 'auxiliary control' type! That makes perfect sense! It's like a key, or an amplifier, allowing you to more effectively utilize the primal potential awakened by the soul rings! Then, those specific and powerful moves..."

"I guess I figured out how to use it myself," Ling Yu said calmly.

"Self-created soul skills...it really are self-created soul skills!" Despite the speculation, Wang Yan couldn't help but exclaim in amazement upon receiving Ling Yu's confirmation. "And it's not just one, it's a complete system of multiple self-created soul skills with astonishing power! Ling Yu, your talent and creativity are truly breathtaking."

He found it hard to imagine how such a young Soul Master could cultivate Soul Power while also being able to create such a complex and powerful skill system.

"You flatter me, Teacher Wang," Ling Yu said modestly, but his mind was racing.

Many ninjutsu rely on special bloodlines or lineages, making them difficult for outsiders to learn. But what about techniques like the Rasengan, which focus more on the manipulation of energy forms?

Since soul power can activate ninjutsu, it means that there are commonalities in the use of the two powers.

So, if we find the key to it, can others also master similar skills?

Soul Masters can use Soul Skills after absorbing Soul Rings. It seems simple, but Ling Yu believes that it is more like the Soul Ring inscribed a ready-made energy operation mode in the Soul Master's body.

Soul Masters simply follow the clues and infuse their soul power.

The same principle applies to the innate secret techniques in Swallowed Star.

However, the existence of self-created soul skills proves that soul masters can completely explore new ways to use their power without relying on soul rings.

The same applies to spirit beasts; not all their abilities come from their bloodline.

For example, Xiong Jun's Sky-Tearing Claw is not something every Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear knows; it's a killing move that it figured out on its own.

This demonstrates that the creative use of power already exists.

The key is whether we can find a way to pass on "skills" rather than "talent".

Perhaps... we can give it a try.

Ling Yu's gaze shifted slightly as he looked at his palm.