"What should I call this elder?"
On the way back, Chen Fu was curious about the old man who had appeared beside Elder Mu at some unknown point.
"My surname is Long. You may call me Elder Long."
Though the black-clothed old man usually kept a cold expression, he noticeably softened when speaking to Chen Fu.
"Hmm… cough, Elder Long, are you also a rank-99 Limit Douluo?"
This was clearly Elder Mu's backup,someone specifically invited to counter that dragon-type soul beast named Di Tian.
With Di Tian's terrifying spiritual senses, if Elder Mu had invited anyone below rank 99, Chen Fu would've suspected the old man had been replaced.
"Yes." Long Xiaoyao nodded, then couldn't help asking, "Did you really make that soul tool Ma Xiaotao used?"
"Yes. Is there something about it that troubles you?"
Chen Fu glanced at Elder Mu, who was flying ahead carrying Ma Xiaotao. He then understood,this old man was someone he himself had "requested."
"You… what do you think of evil soul masters?"
Long Xiaoyao asked cautiously after a moment of hesitation.
"Evil soul masters? Those whose minds are influenced or controlled by their martial spirits?"
"Yes, yes. What do you think?"
Chen Fu tilted his head up and examined the black-clothed elder who was carrying him by the collar, making the latter somewhat uncomfortable.
"What? Is something wrong?"
"How do you determine whether it's caused by the martial spirit and not the person's own nature?"
"…Some martial spirits amplify dark impulses. Like that girl's Evil Fire Phoenix. Once she cultivates to a certain stage, she can't suppress it."
"The Evil Fire Phoenix is the second category,where the martial spirit's core itself is flawed."
"And the others aren't? Wait… second category? Are you saying,?"
Long Xiaoyao had been ready to lecture this disrespectful brat, but then realized their definitions of "evil soul master" differed significantly.
"I originally thought you came only to dissolve the ring's influence. Didn't expect this to be what you focused on."
Elder Long sensed a darkness in Chen Fu, but not evil. Likely a martial spirit with dark attributes.
"A martial spirit is made of both spirit and bloodline. Changes in bloodline can be predicted; only the spiritual aspect is unpredictable. Most martial spirit mutations happen along the spiritual dimension, which in turn relates to aspects of the soul."
Shrek City came into view. Elder Mu carried Ma Xiaotao back to the academy, and Long Xiaoyao followed Chen Fu into Lin Pavilion.
"He's not even worried I might get kidnapped?"
Chen Fu silently complained as he watched Elder Mu ignore him completely.
"I did some research on inducing martial spirit mutation when I studied the Evil Fire Phoenix. I planned to test it on that girl, but she refused."
Long Xiaoyao's gaze drifted to the lively girl Chen Fu shoved aside. His eyes paused at her wrist,there, he actually felt a hint of danger.
"But she didn't know I succeeded anyway." Chen Fu hadn't addressed the root of Mo Ling's toxin problem. He had even installed a purification device on her wrist.
"Didn't expect she really swallowed a Green-Scaled Snake King's inner core." Chen Fu couldn't help but sigh at her luck.
"Right here before you is a case of post-birth martial spirit mutation. What do you think?"
He dodged her hamster-ramming skill. "Don't move. This is a good thing."
The two choices he had given her at the start were actually two different directions of martial spirit mutation: an active mutation granting offensive ability, and a passive mutation where toxicity formed a defensive system.
"Good thing my foot! I realized recently that my toxicity keeps increasing. Even my hamster is turning green!"
A projection of her martial spirit appeared,a round, yellow-white hamster now tinged green.
"As long as you're alive, it's fine. Collect your toxins regularly. All the poison in your body will form a perfect closed cycle. The longer you live, the safer you are."
Chen Fu had planned to record every stage of her changes, but the trip to Star Dou Forest delayed things.
"But how am I supposed to find a boyfriend?"
The hamster-girl was despairing.
"Figure it out yourself."
Chen Fu turned to Long Xiaoyao with a smile.
"Sorry you had to see that."
Long Xiaoyao looked at him deeply, then asked:
"So you're saying that at times, martial spirit mutation doesn't even require considering the martial spirit's own will."
"Exactly. So do you still believe good or evil is determined by the martial spirit?"
Chen Fu used formal speech.
"What about soul masters born with evil martial spirits?"
"Give them a chance. Killing forbidden."
"What about those who become evil soul masters later?"
"Not a single one stays."
His tone was calm. To those who stand above humanity, one cannot call them human.
"…Do you know who I am?"
Long Xiaoyao was puzzled.
"I just figured it out."
"And you're not afraid I'll kill you on the spot?"
Chen Fu said nothing, lying back and sipping tea brewed from leaves he kept in his robe. He placed a scale over the cup to trap the steam.
"…"
"Since Elder Mu trusts you to protect me, let's stop dancing around. Say it,what do you want?"
Chen-the-Wishing-Machine-Fu was online.
Long Xiaoyao's expression darkened, not because he was offended, but because being treated without flattery felt so unfamiliar.
This young man didn't even fully understand his relationship with Elder Mu, yet acted completely unguarded.
If his request didn't require the backing of powerful forces, he might've kidnapped this youth already and made him work.
Long Xiaoyao only had close ties with two factions. Compared to the one he loved deeply, his old sworn brother was still the more reliable option.
"Can you resolve the martial spirit issues of evil soul masters?"
Refocusing, Long Xiaoyao stared seriously at him.
"With one precedent, won't more follow?"
Chen Fu didn't answer directly. He countered.
"I mean resolve it completely. Your current methods are all shortcuts."
"All development has to follow gradual progress, right?"
Chen Fu shook his head, ignored him, and summoned Xiao Lan to check the new soul-ring inscription data. There were small details in the dual matrix technique for Soul-Call and Spirit-Return that needed refinement, discovered through repeated simulations.
"Ten years."
Chen Fu didn't keep him waiting long and finally gave an answer.
"What do you mean?"
"In ten years, I will give you an answer you're satisfied with. How about it?"
With a wave, he dispersed the soul power data model. Ideas for the second-generation soul-ring engraver were forming, but they needed time.
"…Fine. I agree!"
Though he felt Chen Fu could do it faster, Long Xiaoyao knew well,compared to countless others who had failed for tens of thousands of years, Chen Fu was already beyond exceptional.
"Chen Fu's Elder Support Group +1."
Chen Fu complained inwardly.
"Alright, find a comfortable spot and stay put. Don't disturb my experiments."
With that, he returned to his lab to test his new hypothesis.
Inside the lab, Chen Fu was busy as always. In Lin Pavilion, there were now not one but two old men drinking tea.
"Didn't expect you to come to me first."
"I wasn't planning to. You just happened to be along the way."
"Heh."