LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 184: Beast
Zhongli paid no attention to Tang San and the tangled web of love and hatred surrounding him. Those matters had nothing to do with Zhongli.
"The theory I'm explaining today may have some exceptional cases, but the overarching principle holds true," he said calmly.
"For those of you who are plant-based Spirit Masters, you might want to consider this carefully when absorbing spirit rings."
As soon as Zhongli finished speaking, the plant-based Spirit Masters present nodded in agreement.
They followed a path that was largely different from Tang San's. Very few of them had ever mistakenly absorbed spirit rings from animal-type spirits. By and large, there was no issue with their chosen approach.
Spirit Masters are not foolish—on the contrary, their creativity can be quite remarkable. However, the knowledge they've learned often limits them.
If they've never heard such concepts before, naturally, they wouldn't think to explore such possibilities. Occasionally, one or two "odd ones" might succeed in breaking convention, but even they tend to remain stagnant, refusing to share their discoveries and actively suppressing others who might follow a similar path.
Take the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan as an example. Their Dragon Transformation Technique is essentially a process of absorbing sub-dragon spirit rings to continuously purify their bloodline, thereby awakening the latent potential hidden within it.
For instance, Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon King bloodline is pure enough for him to directly perform dragon transformations without needing to absorb sub-dragon spirit rings.
However, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Spirit is ultimately just a martial spirit. The dragon bloodline in humans is not very concentrated, which is why they need dragon-type spirit rings to strengthen it.
The beast spirit masters present appeared deep in thought, their eyes gleaming with a newfound understanding.
"Lord Martial God, imparting such knowledge selflessly… I… I…" A Spirit Master, a towering figure over two meters tall, suddenly found himself choking back tears, crying like a child.
Starting as a commoner, he had nothing to his name. Was his current success the result of his hard work?
No! It was sheer luck!
Some things are determined from the moment of birth. Of the classmates he had entered the beginner Spirit Master academy with, how many were now dead and forgotten, with weeds growing over their graves?
A strong Spirit Master must possess remarkable fortune. Without it, they could never cultivate to this level.
Take Dugu Bo, for example. Without a stroke of good luck, he wouldn't have been able to break through to the Title Douluo rank—his poison would've killed him first. Let alone stumble upon a place like the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
This is the manifestation of fortune. Unfortunately, Dugu Bo did not understand how to utilize the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, nor did he grasp the mysteries of the immortal herbs within it.
If Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan had obtained it, the outcome would have been entirely different.
"What a pity that the Body Sect only accepts body-based Spirit Masters. Otherwise, I would certainly join them!"
"The Body Sect is so united. How does Lord Martial God, manage them?"
"Manage? Is that necessary?"
"Not necessary?"
Indeed, it wasn't! Zhongli hardly ever managed the Body Sect directly. Yet, its disciples were exceptionally united.
Perhaps it had to do with their shared training environment. With a common goal and similar interests, they formed bonds naturally. As the saying goes, men die for those who understand them, and women adorn themselves for those who admire them.
Even if they weren't part of the same sect, such circumstances could still foster close camaraderie. Unity was inevitable.
After being instilled with the Body Sect's "Values," these disciples became even more united. Of course, with only 3,000 members, the term "all as one" was more of a figure of speech.
"If cultivation or maintaining unity among brothers requires constant prompting from the sect master, then what's the difference between us and worthless people?"
At this moment, a Body Sect disciple, arms crossed, spoke expressionlessly.
Cultivation relied on self-discipline. As for resources, the sect would do its best to provide. But without a desire to grow stronger, the resources would be better allocated to those who did.
Body-based Spirit Masters had historically been a marginalized group. Already at a disadvantage, infighting would only hasten their demise. Thus, Body Sect Spirit Masters were always extremely united!
At this moment, Tang San trembled—not out of fear but from sheer anger.
Once, he had trusted Yu Xiaogang deeply. Now, he hated him just as deeply.
Using him, Tang San, as a test subject for his theories had indeed made him stronger—but the cost was devastating!
Had he absorbed plant-based spirit rings normally, not only would his first martial spirit have avoided problems, but it might even have awakened as the Blue Silver Emperor!
A Blue Silver Emperor with an innate domain!
"Hahaha..."
At this moment, Yu Xiaogang laughed out loud, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.
This ungrateful disciple, who betrayed his master, had finally met his downfall! Serves him right!
"You beast! Back then, it was you who agreed to the experiment, and now you dare to blame me?"
It was an experimental theory, and as with any experiment, there was always a chance of failure.
How could this possibly be Yu Xiaogang's fault?
"Luckily... luckily!"
"The heavens have eyes. They did not let you awaken your bloodline!"
"You, a traitor to your master, are unworthy of the Blue Silver Emperor!"
"Shut up!"
Yu Xiaogang's words became more and more provocative. Tang San could no longer hold back. He crouched down and slapped Yu Xiaogang hard across the face.
A crisp "slap" echoed in the air.
The crowd fell silent, and so did Yu Xiaogang.
After a long pause, murmurs finally broke the silence.
"This pair of master and disciple... how should I put it? A bit... unusual."
"Yeah, such filial respect from the disciple and benevolent love from the master!"
Hearing these sarcastic remarks, Tang San became even more enraged, his eyes brimming with killing intent.
Fortunately, he restrained himself. If he were to kill Yu Xiaogang in front of so many witnesses, he would become the target of widespread condemnation—an outcome he could not afford.
Not to mention, it might provoke a hunt from Yu Yuanzhen, which would be more trouble than it was worth.
"Yu Xiaogang, just wait. Your retribution won't take long!"
After saying this in a low voice, Tang San gave Xiao Wu a signal, and the two quickly left the scene.
Hearing these words, Yu Xiaogang's expression remained unchanged. In his current state, what was there left to fear?
At this point, he was truly fearless!
However, a faint discomfort crept over him as a thought occurred.
"According to the Martial God Douluo's theory, if I had absorbed dragon-type spirit rings from the beginning, wouldn't that mean..."
Realizing this, Yu Xiaogang's expression turned even uglier.
It was too late to say anything now. He was already a cripple—his martial spirit and spirit power both destroyed. His life was ruined...
The spectators couldn't help but shift their gazes toward Qin Ming and Meng Shenji.
"Finally, you're looking at us???"
At this moment, both Meng Shenji and Qin Ming were drenched in sweat. It wasn't fear but exhaustion from excessive spirit power consumption.
"Qin Ming, I'll spare you today," Meng Shenji declared, feigning calmness. "But the next time we meet, there will be no mercy!"
In truth, Meng Shenji was on his last legs. His spirit power was nearly depleted, and he needed time to recover.
But once he regained his strength, it would spell the end for Qin Ming.
Qin Ming, lying on the ground, trembled with fear. This was the pressure of a Contra?
Forget fighting back; he could barely stand under such overwhelming power.
The gap between a Soul Emperor and a Contra was unfathomable, almost impossible to bridge.
And Meng Shenji wasn't just any Contra; he was an 87th-level Soul Douluo, only two levels away from the peak of the rank.
"No wonder he's the top of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. Such magnanimity—to spare this ingrate!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
Hearing such comments, Meng Shenji's face flushed with embarrassment. He didn't quite know how to respond.