Chapter 39: Speculations on the Special State, An Alternative Martial Soul True Body
Entering the room, Tang Shan immediately stared at Su Yuntao with burning eyes, hoping the other party would explain the reason for falling into that state as soon as possible.
Su Yuntao thought for a moment, a look of hesitation appearing on his face: "At that time, I don't think I did anything else; I just activated two buff Spirit Abilities. In my mind, I was recalling the fighting styles of wolf-type Spirit Beasts I had observed before, and then I felt as if those wolves had fused into my body. Oh, right, at that time, my spirit power circulation route also changed."
"Even the spirit power circulation route changed?"
Tang Shan frowned slightly; this situation was indeed a bit strange. He had previously thought that no matter how much that state resembled a Gene Lock, it wasn't a true Gene Lock after all. However, this method of controlling the energy within the body truly made him feel a bit of hesitation again.
No, Big Brother's Spirit is the Lone Wolf, and what he recalled in his mind during battle were the fighting styles of wolf-type Spirit Beasts. The condition for opening a Gene Lock is identifying oneself as a human; given Big Brother's mental state at the time, it shouldn't have met this requirement no matter what.
Could the problem lie with the Spirit Abilities?
The First Soul Skill is a buff ability, nothing unusual there; the second Spirit Ability is also a buff ability, 'Bloodthirst', which brings a 10% increase to all attributes and maintains absolute calm... that doesn't seem to be a problem either? Hmm?
While pondering, a flash of inspiration struck Tang Shan's mind, and he suddenly looked up at Su Yuntao: "Big Brother, what exactly is the effect of the 'maintain absolute calm' attached to your second Spirit Ability?"
Although Su Yuntao was confused, he still described the feeling after activating the second Spirit Ability in detail: "After activating the second Spirit Ability, I feel like I can almost completely ignore pain. It's as if a stream of cold energy is soaking my mind; my thinking speed increases significantly, and the various ways to deal with enemies become exceptionally clear."
"Then compared to the state you were just in, is the difference large?"
"The difference is quite large."
Su Yuntao sat on the bed, slowly organizing his words: "When in the state of absolute calm, it feels like an effect based on myself, just excluding physical fatigue and the interference of distracting thoughts. But when in that state just now, it was like being possessed by a Spirit Beast; all sorts of hunting and reaction experiences flooded in, yet I could still control myself. Just like that slap that defeated Blade Dragon—I'm certain that if I wanted to, I could have ripped his heart out with one palm, but I was able to restrain that instinct."
Absolute calm that excludes physical distractions, the feeling of being possessed by a powerhouse, plus Big Brother's Lone Wolf Spirit... A vague idea formed in Tang Shan's mind, but he couldn't be entirely sure yet.
"Big Brother, try to activate your second spirit ring alone and attempt to enter that state again."
Su Yuntao didn't know what Tang Shan had figured out, but he himself was very eager to recreate that state. He followed the instructions, possessed by his Spirit, and as the spirit rings appeared beneath his feet, the purple millennium second spirit ring flickered slightly.
"Recall the scenes of wolf-type Spirit Beasts pouncing and killing, and try to let them merge into your body."
Tang Shan guided him softly from the side.
Su Yuntao closed his eyes, constantly replaying the images he had observed before in his mind. But no matter how hard he tried to remember, he could no longer let the Spirit Beasts merge into his body, nor could he obtain that unparalleled boost.
"No, I can't seem to find that feeling."
Su Yuntao opened his eyes, a hint of regret in them.
Tang Shan did not give up and instead had him try a different direction: "Big Brother, try one more time. This time, don't imagine wolf-type Spirit Beasts; try to imagine your own Lone Wolf Spirit, imagine it flooding into the interior of your body."
"But I'm already possessed by my Spirit; isn't it a bit wrong to imagine it merging into my body again?"
Su Yuntao's face was full of confusion.
"Big Brother, do you think you have truly and completely fused with your own Beast Spirit?"
Tang Shan's answer was profound: "You should know that the changes brought to the body after a Beast Spirit Awakening are far more complex than just 'human beastification'. Some low-level Beast Spirit Spirit Masters are suppressed by the Spirits of high-level Beast Spirit Spirit Masters; this shows that the Spirit Beast Bloodline truly exists, and the human body itself hides a portion of Spirit Beast Bloodline.
You haven't seen many wolf-type Spirit Beasts fight. Even if you mastered all the fighting styles you saw, it wouldn't lead to such a world-shaking change as before, because combat experience doesn't appear out of thin air. Therefore, I speculate that the combat experience that surged when you fell into that special state was perhaps the killing instinct belonging to the Spirit Beast part of your Bloodline, further deeply merging with your body through the Lone Wolf Spirit. Combined with the perfect separation of your conscious mind and physical subconscious at that time, this was the result."
"Little Brother, I don't think I quite understand."
Su Yuntao was overwhelmed by the influx of information; even as he tried to understand, it still felt like listening to a foreign language.
"Don't be in a hurry to understand. Just do as I say first to see if it works, and I'll explain it to you slowly later."
Tang Shan did not immediately clear the confusion but instead had him verify his guess first.
Su Yuntao nodded, closed his eyes, and while in the Spirit-possessed state, his mind remained calm as he further imagined the Lone Wolf Spirit merging into his body.
At a certain moment, the aura on Su Yuntao's body underwent a subtle change, then returned to normal in an instant.
"I think I felt something; this line of thinking should be correct."
Su Yuntao, having opened his eyes, said immediately.
"Then my guess should be more or less correct."
Tang Shan's eyes flickered as he pondered the reasons for these changes.
After some previous research, he had speculated that the early Cultivation of a Spirit Master, besides increasing spirit power, was a process of gradually aligning with one's own Spirit. Body Martial Souls and Tool Spirits were fine, as they had little instinct to speak of, but Plant Spirits and Beast Spirits both possessed some instinctive consciousness. In the process of aligning with the Spirit Master, would they exert a deeper influence on them?
And now, Big Brother's situation was undoubtedly an excellent answer to this question.
After a brief thought, Tang Shan pulled Su Yuntao back up to the attic: "Big Brother, I'll first give you a general idea of why you fell into that state before, and then we'll try sparring to see if we can get you into that state again."
Su Yuntao nodded, sat cross-legged on the floor, and listened intently to Tang Shan's explanation.
"Let's first talk about the subconscious. Big Brother, do you think you truly and completely understand your own conscious thinking? Is every action truly from the heart?"
Su Yuntao frowned and thought for a moment, then shook his head uncertainly: "Thoughts like hunger or wanting to drink water should be influenced by this so-called subconscious, but probably nothing else?"
Tang Shan smiled without a word and swept his hand past Su Yuntao's eyes.
Out of instinct, Su Yuntao subconsciously closed his eyes.
"See, Big Brother, your subconscious closing of your eyes—that is the influence of the subconscious on you."
"That was because you suddenly attacked. Let's try again; this time I'll be prepared, and I definitely won't blink."
Whoosh!
A light breeze brushed past Su Yuntao's cheek, and a palm once again flashed past his eyes. Under instinct, he still closed his eyes.
"This is the influence of the subconscious. Big Brother, activate your second Spirit Ability again and try once more."
Su Yuntao was already convinced by Tang Shan's theory and obediently activated the Bloodthirst Spirit Ability.
With all his attributes enhanced, the Spirit-possessed Su Yuntao displayed some beastified features. This time, Tang Shan feigned an attack on his face, but Su Yuntao kept his eyes steadily open without blinking.
"Is this the effect of 'maintaining absolute calm'? It can exclude the interference of the subconscious?"
Before Tang Shan could explain, Su Yuntao discovered the key himself.
"Exactly. After using the Bloodthirst skill, it doesn't eliminate the subconscious, but rather excludes its influence on the brain—for example, pain causing muscles to have difficulty exerting force; such negative states are automatically excluded. Once the role of the subconscious is clear, your previous special state has a relatively logical explanation."
Tang Shan walked with his hands behind his back in the attic, slowly stating his guess: "Big Brother, your second Spirit Ability 'Bloodthirst' actually only has two true effects: one is a 10% all-around attribute boost, and the second is excluding subconscious interference in battle to maintain a state of absolute calm. The so-called immunity to pain can also be categorized under the second effect."
Bits of inspiration surfaced in his mind; clues about Cultivation, Spirits, and the subconscious gradually connected into a line in Tang Shan's head.
"After you enter the Bloodthirst state, your consciousness is essentially separated from your subconscious. At that time, you were recalling the attack state of wolf-type Spirit Beasts, and by a stroke of luck, you allowed the Lone Wolf Spirit to further possess your body—only this time, it wasn't the exterior of the body that was possessed, but the body's own subconscious.
The vast killing experience hidden within the Spirit and buried deep in the Bloodline was thus mastered by you. From then on, the Spirit and you became nearly perfectly aligned, possessing both human wisdom and calmness, as well as the combat experience of countless Spirit Beasts in the Bloodline. Perhaps, this is an alternative Martial Soul True Body."
Tang Shan's words were earth-shattering. For a mere two-ring Spirit Master to unintentionally enter a state called a Martial Soul True Body—if this were heard by others, it would surely invite ridicule, even if the person saying it were the Grandmaster.
A millennium second spirit ring, or even a ten-thousand-year fourth ring—the improvement of spirit rings always follows a process from low to high; no matter how outrageous, there are traces to follow. But to say a two-ring Spirit Master could enter the Martial Soul True Body state, even if only in embryonic form, no one would believe it. The Martial Soul True Body is originally the exclusive ability of Spirit Saint powerhouses. Aside from using special secret methods to perform it collectively, there has never been a record from ancient times to the present of a single person below the Spirit Saint Realm being able to perform it alone.
Su Yuntao also felt these words were too exaggerated: "Little Brother, isn't this too far-fetched? I only have two rings, and I'm still a long way from seven rings. How could I possibly perform a Martial Soul True Body?"
"Why is it impossible? Big Brother, tell me, what are the usual characteristics of a Beast Spirit's Martial Soul True Body?"
Su Yuntao recalled the books he had read, thought for a moment, and answered: "The body transforms into the Spirit itself, all attributes are significantly increased, and all Spirit Abilities except for the seventh ring have zero cooldown, with the consumption for performing Spirit Abilities greatly reduced."
Tang Shan grinned, revealing a row of white teeth: "Then look, Big Brother, besides lacking the killing experience of a Spirit Beast and having a limited duration, what's the difference between a Beast Spirit Spirit Master in that state and a true Spirit Beast?"
Su Yuntao fell into deep thought, but Tang Shan's words did not stop: "When Spirit Beasts release innate Spirit Abilities, except for a few special skills, there is essentially no cooldown. In my view, a Beast Spirit Master performing a Martial Soul True Body is no different from a true Spirit Beast, except for the limited duration—they have converted their spirit ring Spirit Abilities into innate Spirit Abilities. And your previous state was similar to that; they obtain the ability of Spirit Beasts to release Spirit Abilities, while you obtain the killing and survival experience of Spirit Beasts. In essence, both are manifestations of Spirit Beast abilities. As for not transforming into a Spirit Beast, perhaps a half-human, half-beast form is what a true Martial Soul True Body looks like."
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