socalfunplaces Chapter 16 The Role of the "Mind Reader"
Chapter 16 The Role of the "Mind Reader"
"Innate soul power level seven?"
In the evening, after once again refusing the two little girls' request to share a bed, Lu Xingchen went back into the trash can to cultivate.
Although Cocolia was overjoyed to learn that her innate soul power was at level seven in the afternoon, only Lu Xingchen knew that there was some exaggeration in it.
The Federation Soul Master Association has already released authoritative data: a Soul Master's innate Soul Power is directly proportional to the quality of their Martial Soul.
Excluding external interventions such as acquired medicines and bloodline awakening, the level of innate soul power is the most direct measure of the strength of a martial soul.
Even martial souls of the same type can exhibit vastly different qualities when illuminated by innate soul power.
The most typical example is the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus family, one of the three great clans from 20,000 years ago.
Anyone who awakens the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex Martial Soul will have a guaranteed innate soul power, which will be no less than level four.
This is the foundation upon which sects and families have stood for thousands of years – as long as the martial soul does not undergo malignant mutation, the family bloodline can provide the most reliable talent guarantee for future generations.
Conversely, the difference in innate soul power directly determines the ultimate upper limit of the same type of martial soul.
If two Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Masters were to fight at the same level, the one with higher innate soul power would inevitably have an absolute advantage.
Ultimately, it comes down to the difference in the quality of martial souls.
The Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus, with its top-tier innate soul power, possesses a nearly pure true dragon bloodline flowing through its veins. When its martial soul awakens, it naturally emits a dragon's roar to intimidate, making it a genuine true dragon martial soul.
Those with low innate soul power are ultimately mixed-blood species with mixed bloodlines. Even if their martial soul forms are the same, their essence is only at the sub-dragon level.
In ancient times, the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex was long classified as a sub-dragon martial soul, thanks to these hybrid descendants.
Thinking of this, Lu Xingchen raised his hand and stared at his palm. With a slight thought, a rhombus-shaped gem, clear and radiating a soft luster, slowly emerged—his martial soul.
The gemstone is crystal clear, just like a naturally formed top-quality crystal. Its appearance alone is enough to amaze anyone.
But only Lu Xingchen knew that this seemingly magnificent martial spirit was actually all show and no substance.
According to his estimate, after stripping away the "extra bonus" brought by the sealed artifact 3-001 over the past six months, his true innate soul power is at most level three or four.
In other words, his Gemstone Martial Soul is not actually a high-level Martial Soul, but rather a mid-to-low-level Martial Soul.
"When a high-level martial soul awakens, it will generally come with some special abilities, such as the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus's ability to control electricity, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's ability to appraise treasures, and the Clear Sky Hammer's weight exceeding that of martial souls of the same level."
Lu Xingchen had previously paid attention to information about gemstone-type martial souls when he was typing on his computer.
According to records, when a high-quality gemstone martial soul awakens, it often comes with different special abilities: some can draw upon weak elemental power, allowing the holder to resonate with the natural elements.
Some can conjure illusory images to confuse the enemy;
Some also have a slight healing effect, quickly healing small wounds.
But he had none of those abilities.
"If I could absorb a sufficiently powerful soul, I wonder if it would be able to advance my martial soul's evolution?"
The thought had barely crossed his mind when he forcibly suppressed it. His soul power had only just reached level seven; there was still a long way to go before he could condense a soul ring and absorb soul spirits. Rather than daydreaming about the future, he should focus on the present.
As his thoughts wandered, Lu Xingchen's attention turned to something else—the change of becoming a "mind reader".
As a Sequence Eight in the spectator pathway, from the moment he took the potion, he clearly felt his own transformation: his observation skills became as sharp as an eagle's, and he could capture even the slightest flicker in someone's eyes or the trembling of their fingertips.
Most remarkably, his eyes underwent a significant change, seemingly allowing him to directly see the colors of other people's souls.
When Cocolia was happy for him, her soul radiated a warm orange light; when Rosalia was disappointed by his rejection, her soul's aura dimmed.
More importantly, within a three-meter distance, he can clearly read the unspoken thoughts of others, as if flipping through an open book.
"Playing the role of a mind reader is simpler than I imagined." Lu Xingchen recalled his attempt this morning with a faint smile.
The core of the role of the "mind reader" is to observe other people's thoughts and secretly guide their behavior without being noticed, making everything seem natural but actually developing in the direction one desires.
If you can do that, then you've had a successful performance.
When he demonstrated his martial soul to Cocolia that morning, he had already intended to experiment with her abilities. Besides revealing his identity as a soul master in advance and paving the way for his future cultivation, the more important reason was to test the effectiveness of his mind-reading ability.
The afternoon's interaction with Rosalia and Lilia was a perfect example of this.
At first, Rosalia was eager to play hide-and-seek, but by reading the sisters' thoughts, he realized that Lilia was more inclined to play on the swing. So he subtly used a few guiding words to awaken Lilia and get her to express her wish to her sister.
Finally, Rosalia gave in to her sister's persistent pleading, and the two sisters happily ran to the swing set.
Although the feedback from that performance was very weak, it helped Lu Xingchen figure out the trick.
If one performance isn't enough, then do it a few more times. As long as you accumulate experience, it's only a matter of time before you completely digest the "Mind Reader" potion.
Playing the role of a low-sequence player is not difficult, especially for a "mind reader." One only needs to remain behind the scenes and act as a silent guide to move forward steadily.
"Let's focus on cultivation first. Before reaching Sequence Seven, the audience path has little ability to protect itself. Becoming a Soul Master as soon as possible can increase the margin for error." Lu Xingchen composed himself, his eyes gradually becoming firm.
While the ability of mind readers is strange, it cannot be directly used in combat. In this world where the strength of Soul Masters is paramount, without sufficient power, even the best ability is just a castle in the air.
Only by becoming a true Soul Master as soon as possible can one have more confidence and a greater margin for error in this ever-changing world.
He slowly closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and entered a meditative state. His soul power flowed gently through his meridians, carrying a warm sensation. At the same time, he also sensed that the trash can's ability to "nourish meridians and enhance aptitude" was still in effect.
As long as he cultivated inside the trash can, the speed at which his soul power circulated was actually nearly 30% faster than when he was outside.
"It looks like I can become a Soul Master before I turn six."
(PS: I didn't want to write complicated settings like spirit body or etheric body, since there's no spirit world in Douluo Continent, so I just set it as seeing souls, since the two are pretty much the same.)