"These days, aside from studying martial soul traits, you also need to consider: what kind of soul master you want to become."
"Soul masters are categorized by function into combat types and support types.
Combat types include: power attack, agility attack, defense, control, mental, and ranged.
Support types include: enhancement, healing, food, suppression, perception, and so on.
Our Seven Kill Sword belongs to the combat category. It carries the metal, water, and spiritual attributes—so it's naturally suited for power attack.
Due to the presence of sword control techniques, it can also excel in ranged and agility attack roles.
By emphasizing the metal attribute, you can enhance its hardness for defense; by stacking the water attribute, you can gain flexible, soft defenses. Whether metal or water, both are second only to the earth attribute in terms of defense—they're almost equally strong.
The killing intent of the Seven Kill Sword can also be applied to spiritual force.
With skillful techniques, area attacks, and spiritual attacks, it can also be used for control.
So—power attack, agility, defense, spiritual, and control—all are viable options. Altogether, there are seven mature soul master paths available."
Chen Cong paused, sipped his tea gracefully, and continued calmly:
"Let me clarify: becoming a Titled Douluo doesn't automatically mean you followed a mature path. Each soul master only gets nine soul rings. You have to choose each one wisely—balancing growth in the early stages, adaptability in the middle, and overwhelming strength in the late game.
In terms of soul skills, the first four rings (below 10,000 years) must be immediately applicable but not obsolete later. The fifth to seventh skills, acquired mid-game, must form the foundation of your combat system and be versatile enough to handle most situations. The final two soul skills should be your trump cards—powerful enough to turn the tide or decide a battle.
Each skill's type and effect should fit within a logical framework. All nine skills together must form a coherent and efficient combat system, without redundancy, and must stand up to scrutiny. Furthermore, the soul beasts chosen should be reasonably common—each ring's beast should have interchangeable alternatives.
Only when these requirements are met does a path count as mature—with both a solid minimum potential and room for peak optimization.
If you study the literature, you'll find that every major clan or school has at least one powerful established path. The first few soul skills are often nearly identical. While the power levels may vary later on, the types remain similar—achieving different effects with the same core approach.
Our Seven Kill Sword is an offensive martial soul—so no matter the build, we always possess top-tier offensive strength. The only real differences are emphasis—strength-based, balanced, or technique-based.
Fortunately, our clan currently has practitioners for all these paths. They should be able to offer you valuable advice and experience.
Your grandfather followed a control-focused power attack path—what we call a strong-control battle-type soul master.
Your father, Chen Xun, followed a strength-based power attack path.
Your Great-Grandfather Hong followed an offense-defense hybrid path, known as a strong-guard battle-type soul master.
Your Great-Grandfather Wenchao was an agility-type attacker."
"Strong-control type? Strong-guard type?"
"Those are subtypes under a broader category—used to describe hybrids or soul masters with unique specializations. It helps with classification."
Chen Xiaojun blinked and asked, "What about you, Uncle Grandpa?"
Chen Cong laughed freely. "Haha, I'm a control-type soul master."
"Are there other paths?"
"Of course! Your Grandma Xin followed the spiritual path. As for defense-type…"
At that moment, Chen Yu opened his eyes, having been resting quietly until now, and interjected,
"There are some in the clan who chose the defense path. They're just not in the village, so I'll leave it at that."
"…There's a story there," Chen Xiaojun thought privately.
Chen Yu looked deeply at Chen Xiaojun and said sternly:
"Don't ask for our opinions. Let your personality and values guide your decision. Follow your heart. A forced choice is never sweet. This decision shapes your life—once you choose, there's no turning back. There's no rush. You have time."
Chen Cong added, "Yes, tell us when you've decided."
Chen Xiaojun didn't hesitate. After a brief moment of thought, he declared firmly:
"No need to think about it. Adults choose; kids want it all—I want it all!"
He smiled and explained,
"Besides, I have ten Sword Spirit Orbs, and each Divine Sword has its spirit. I can sense that they all have different personalities and temperaments. I can't unify them under one style. My martial soul is destined to walk a diverse path—combining offense, defense, strength, technique, speed, and spirit."
Chen Yu and Chen Cong exchanged a glance. Chen Cong said:
"Xiaojun, that's an unprecedented idea. Going for everything… could also mean being mediocre at everything. Are you sure you're being careful enough?"
Chen Xiaojun shook his head.
"My martial soul is a mutation. I believe in it! I want to carve out a path of my own. What suits me is strongest. 'What exists is reasonable.'"
Chen Yu paused, then nodded.
"Very well. A swordsman charges forward, unyielding even after a hundred setbacks. You make your own choices!"
"Thank you, Grandpa!" Chen Xiaojun beamed.
Chen Cong tilted his head. "Since you plan to pursue everything, how will you choose your soul skills? Got a plan?"
"You said earlier, that soul masters choose soul rings based on their martial soul's traits and their personality.
To me, martial souls have temperaments.
The Clear Sky Hammer is domineering.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is proud and regal.
The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda is meticulous and precise.
Sword-type martial souls—whether unsheathing to challenge the world, delivering a fatal strike and vanishing, remaining hidden and modest, or shining resplendently above all—are all embodiments of peerless sharpness. The Seven Kill Sword simply takes it to the extreme.
Since I've chosen a broad, versatile path, and as I said—the Divine Swords have spirits—each of these ten Sword Spirit Orbs has its essence. So instead of choosing based on martial soul traits or personality, I'll start with the sword's temperament.
This orb tells me it represents elegance and refinement—the elegance and delicacy of a sword."
As he spoke, Chen Xiaojun activated his martial soul. The ten Sword Spirit Orbs spun around his hand. One of them—pale white and slightly translucent, like a priceless luminous pearl—floated out.
"It told you that?" Chen Cong suddenly stood up.
Chen Xiaojun, startled by his reaction, answered,
"Yes. Last night, I used my spiritual power to touch the Sword Spirit Orbs. This one was especially lively. It gave me a strong feeling of closeness and conveyed a few faint impressions. Uncle Grandpa, is something wrong?"
"What about the other nine?"
"They're quieter, but they all feel familiar and intimate."
"Did this orb convey anything else?"
"Something like… choosing a soul beast that matches its elegance and delicacy will increase its spirit and power."
"I should've realized… I should've realized earlier…"
Chen Cong began pacing, deep in thought.
"What's going on, Second Brother?" Chen Yu asked, confused.
Chen Cong stopped and said seriously,
"Big Brother, I think this child may not just possess a top-tier martial soul!"
"What do you mean?"
"This child's martial soul is a mutation—a successful fusion of our clan's grade-nine Seven Kill Sword and the Ye family's grade-seven Seven-Colored Begonia Bracelet, both top-tier martial souls. In theory, this could awaken into a super martial soul.
Due to the constraints of heaven and earth, the Divine Sword hides its brilliance. But maybe the martial soul was strong enough to resist the backlash—or maybe the power was split between the ten swords. In any case, Xiaojun is fine, and the martial soul has no serious flaws.
Put simply, this is already the prototype of a super martial soul. That's why it can exert pressure on even our Seven Kill Sword. Its evolution difficulty is far lower than the norm for super martial souls.
The proof is the spirituality of the Sword Spirit Orb. In my research, the stronger the martial soul, the more spiritual it becomes. This orb is more spiritual than our Seven Kill Sword. I suspect it already possesses a nascent will, or at least has a will under some form of suppression.
Its recent activity is probably because Xiaojun just reached level ten soul power and can now add his first soul ring. The other orbs may activate as his cultivation progresses."
"How confident are you?"
"Seventy percent."
"Then I trust your judgment. We'll need to reconsider our plans."
Chen Yu turned to Chen Xiaojun and said word for word,
"Xiaojun, looks like your training intensity is going to increase."
"Yes! A sword is not sharp without steel, a man is not strong without will. I'll work hard and live up to everyone's expectations. I'll climb to the peak—'Where all mountains appear small beneath my feet!'"
"'Climb to the highest peak, to see all mountains appear small'… what ambition!"
Chen Yu and Chen Cong clapped their hands in praise.
Chen Cong thought for a moment, brushed his belt, and pulled out a book.
The cover read: "A Chronicle of Seven Kill Sword Soul Masters of the Chen Clan".
He handed it to Chen Xiaojun.
"This records the seven established paths I mentioned earlier. You should study it."
"Got it, Uncle Grandpa."
Chen Xiaojun accepted the book.
"In the days ahead, I'll continue teaching you about soul beast identification and soul skill classification."
Chen Cong pointed to two books on a nearby desk—one thick, one thin.
"There are countless soul beasts, but this book, Beginner's Encyclopedia of Soul Beasts, covers most of the under-10,000-year-old species that every soul master needs to know. The other one, Targeted Soul Skill Studies of the Chen Clan, records dozens of soul skills suitable for our Seven Kill Sword and the corresponding soul beasts.
These three books will be your main study material for now.
Here's your task: after reading them, come up with a plan for your first few soul skills, based on your martial soul, and share it with us."
"As for the Chen clan's cultivation method, your grandfather will teach you. I'll take my leave for now."
With that, Chen Cong turned and walked out.
Tang San's first martial soul was a poisonous herb. If not for the awakening of the Blue Silver Emperor at his fifth soul ring, he would've gone all-in on poison.