Douluo: Dream Overlord

"Yes, they underestimated us a bit because it was our first time competing, and we won by luck."

Shi Guang spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, sizing up the old man before him.

The old man was dressed in a gray cloth robe, seemingly a style favored by people his age.

He had a kind face, and although he was very old, he occasionally exuded a powerful aura.

"It seems that when Soul Masters get old, they can no longer perfectly control the Soul Power within their bodies."

Shi Guang seemed to be pondering: "In youth, soul power is the greatest aid for a soul master. Relying on soul power in battle for a long time will inevitably cause some damage to the meridians."

In old age, Soul Masters not only suffer from declining blood and energy but also experience mental exhaustion, and their Soul Power becomes depleted and cannot be effectively restored, resulting in extremely slow recovery.

Therefore, soul power is a non-renewable resource for veteran soul masters, and they should conserve it whenever possible.

Combat should be avoided if possible, and if it must be fought, only low-cost soul skills should be used. Experienced soul masters usually rely on their experience to maneuver and fight against their enemies.

Judging from the soul power fluctuations revealed by this old man, his soul power is at least at the Soul King level or above.

With the enhancement of his martial soul and external soul bone, Shi Guang's mental power has increased significantly, allowing him to judge the strength of his opponent by their soul power.

With his Soul Master strength, he could detect the Soul Power fluctuations of a Soul King through his mental power.

Once he exceeds this detection limit, he can only sense that the other party is stronger than him.

"There's no such thing as underestimating the opponent; a win is a win."

The old man shook his head and said, "There aren't that many reasons. A Soul Master's battle is all about the result."

Although his eyes were covered by his eyelids, time keenly sensed the longing in them.

It seemed that the words about time had stirred up the old man's memories.

It seems that even Soul Masters, in their old age, retain a fondness for the past.

"May I ask your honorable name, sir?"

Time clasped his hands and asked.

Upon hearing this, the old man snapped out of his reverie. He stroked his white beard and chuckled, saying, "I've lived here for a long time and have been detached from the world of Soul Masters for far too long. I'm afraid there are no more stories about me in the martial arts world, so it's best not to mention my name."

"This is none other than Zhang Fengshuo, the 'charlatan' who was famous in the Soul Master world decades ago."

A staff member standing nearby said, "This old man is a Soul Emperor level expert. Back then, he was unparalleled in the world with his high-level Martial Soul Divine Wood Staff, and he was invincible!"

"The past is nothing but fleeting smoke."

The old man smiled and waved his hand, saying with some regret, "Perhaps it's because I fought too fiercely when I was young that my soul power has not improved despite years of hard work."

I understand that my talent has reached its limit, and no matter how much I refine my body, I can only maintain its current state. Therefore, I have chosen to retire from the world of Soul Masters.

Fortunately, I once befriended a titled Douluo powerhouse, who was the master of various Soul Arenas and a true figure standing at the pinnacle of the Soul Master world.

He gave me the job of guarding the arena, so that I could have a place to live out my remaining years in peace.

As he pondered, the old man was suddenly lost in memories again, truly reminiscing about the past and shedding tears.

Upon hearing this, Shi Guang's eyes lit up, and he said, "Senior, to be honest!"

My specialty is the staff! It was with a staff that I pinned the scum you're talking about to the wall…”

As Shi Guang recounted the events of the match, the old man listened with narrowed eyes, a glint of shrewdness flashing in them.

"Yes, senior! I can testify!"

Lingjian, who had been silent all along, clasped his hands and said, "The Dream God's staff technique is indeed extraordinary; he has already been able to condense 'momentum'."

"Oh?"

The old man was somewhat surprised. He looked Shi Guang up and down and said, "Your martial soul is clearly not a staff type, but I can feel that your mental strength is much stronger than that of your peers. It must be the improvement brought about by your mental martial soul."

But judging from your description and age, you seem to have a connection with club-type weapons... How strange!

The old man scratched his snow-white hair, thought for a moment with some distress, and said, "You may be a natural genius of staff-type weapons, but your martial spirit was born at the wrong time."

In the world of Soul Masters, it's not uncommon for someone to sweep aside other Soul Masters of the same level by leveraging the advantages of their Martial Soul to create a unique "momentum" specific to their weapon.

However, there are soul masters like you who, despite lacking the advantage of a martial soul, have cultivated their "momentum" through talent and hard work, but their potential is generally not high.

These types of Soul Masters, in their dedication to mastering their weapons, neglect the cultivation of their Martial Soul, resulting in a significantly lower Soul Power compared to normal Soul Masters.

Their fighting style is basically based on the weapons they forge, while the martial soul, which is the essence of a soul master, becomes a tool to assist them.

Such a perverse and confused Soul Master might gain an advantage in the beginning by relying on his weapon talent, but in the end, he will only be lost among the masses.

I once met a Soul King who specialized in weapon crafting. He devoted a great deal of energy to weapon training, neglecting his soul power cultivation. As a result, compared to other Soul Masters of the same stage, his soul power was of lower quality, lower in quantity, and had a much lower recovery efficiency.

Therefore, he chose to abandon his Martial Soul and use it as a tool to release Soul Skills to enhance the strength of his weapon. He deliberately selected Soul Skills that could enhance the weapon, completely disregarding whether his Martial Soul matched his Soul Rings.

Because his soul power cultivation was inadequate, the quality of his soul rings varied greatly, some lasting a thousand years, some a hundred years, and some even ten years!

There are certainly advantages to pursuing established combat power like him. He can be invincible in the early stages of battle because he can unleash many low-level soul skills even without high-level ones.

However, as his soul power increased, his weaknesses in combat also became apparent. Because he was too focused on increasing his strength, his soul skills became weak and his attack methods became limited, making him unable to cope with high-intensity battles.

Ultimately, despite having only an advantage in weaponry, he made a name for himself in the world of soul masters by creating his own soul skills that were compatible with his weapons and by using soul skills that consumed little soul power.

But in the end, the somewhat famous him died in a battle between Soul Kings. Without any defensive measures, he was the only Soul Master to die at that time...

At this point, the old man glanced meaningfully at Shi Guang and said, "Do you understand what I mean? Weapons are just a minor skill; don't get too caught up in them."

Martial Soul is the true path to heaven for Soul Masters; don't waste time and effort on trivial matters.

"I understand what you mean, senior."

Shi Guang clasped his hands and said, "But the boy's martial soul is a spirit-type martial soul, which is helpless in close combat."

That's why I learned staff techniques, so I'd have another way to fight against melee-type Soul Masters.

But unexpectedly, the kid had a good talent for staff-type weapons, and was able to reach the "artistic conception" after only one week of training.

Therefore, I will certainly not give up my weapon training, but I will also not slack off in my soul power training. I would appreciate any guidance you may offer, senior.

"Oh? You can achieve 'artistic conception' in just one week?"

A glint of shrewdness flashed in the old man's eyes. He gestured for the staff member to leave, and only after they had left did he slowly speak:

"Then show us your 'artistic conception'. There's no one else here but the three of us. This room is soundproofed to prevent eavesdropping."

If you can really cultivate 'momentum' in a week, then your talent is truly monstrous!

"Then I can teach you my staff techniques and experience. After all, there aren't many Soul Masters in the world who use staffs as their means of attack, and even fewer who can condense 'momentum'."