Xiao Wu, who had transformed into a human after being a soul beast for a hundred thousand years, was mature in some aspects, but after mingling in human society for just a day or two, she developed a sense of shame. She spat, "How can your thoughts be so impure? Aren't you still a child?"
"Are you any different? Other six-year-old girls wouldn't understand what I just said." Tang San gave her a serious glare, making her visibly uncomfortable.
"Ahem, let's skip this topic. We're still children. We must stay pure."
Tang San coughed and turned away from her gaze.
"You're the one who started it," Xiao Wu muttered.
"Different martial souls have different strengths and weaknesses. The Soft Boned Rabbit isn't suited for power attack type. Agility attack type is your best option," Tang San said calmly.
"Why agility?" she retorted. She liked strength more than speed. Before her transformation, she wasn't slow, and now she wanted to emulate Da Ming and Er Ming—dominant through brute strength.
"When cultivating a martial soul, you must play to its strengths, not cover its weaknesses excessively. Overcompensating leads to mediocrity," Tang San explained. "Rabbits—Soft Boned or otherwise—are known for their speed and agility."
"Running."
"And flexible running!"
Xiao Wu's fists clenched. She didn't like the word "running," but she listened.
Watching her fists tighten, Tang San broke a cold sweat but pushed on: "Ordinary wild rabbits run with extreme speed and agility, able to pivot at sharp angles. That's an advantage most animals don't have. The Soft Boned Rabbit, being a soul beast, has that advantage even more."
"If you don't use that strength but instead choose charm, it feels like a random idea. You haven't thought seriously about your long-term path."
"Waist Bow is a good first skill. It enhances waist strength—key for generating power, especially when running. Without a strong waist, sustained high-speed movement is impossible."
"Soul rings enhance a soul master's physical traits—especially beast-type martial souls. What enhancement does charm offer you?"
"At best, mental power. But how much will that grow from a soul ring granting charm?"
"If your first skill is Waist Bow, and your second is Charm, your third must help you quickly close distance. As your opponents grow stronger, your charm will likely fail unless you're close—and even then, it's not guaranteed."
"But if the charm fails or the enemy reacts instantly—"
"You're in danger."
"So your fourth soul ring must be defensive, or Waist Bow won't work. You'll need a survival skill in case you miss. And teleportation skills don't have a short cooldown."
In the original story, Xiao Wu's first four soul skills all plugged weaknesses:
Attack: Waist Bow
Control: Charm
Speed: Teleportation
Defense: Leakless Golden Body
It looked balanced but lacked focus. A jack-of-all-trades setup couldn't form a strong system.
After Tang San's explanation, Xiao Wu was stunned—because she had planned just like that.
"What's wrong with those kinds of soul skills? I think they're good."
"Sister, every soul ring evolves your martial soul. You're playing around—you're gambling with your future."
Tang San was exasperated. Trying to explain martial soul cultivation to a rabbit that lived a hundred thousand years in the forest felt like playing the piano for a cow.
Yes, a 100,000-year soul beast might have stronger instincts than humans. But humans constantly learn, reflect, and adapt. That was wisdom.
Soul beasts relied on instinct. Even after a hundred thousand years, without the influence of human society, their perspective was still naïve.
"Huh? That's a thing?"
"Commoners wouldn't know this. But you don't act like a civilian. You're more like a brainless noble girl sneaking out," Tang San teased.
Xiao Wu's face turned red with fury. She clenched her fists but restrained herself.
"So what skill would the Wind Listening Rabbit give me? Increased speed?"
"Obviously. Rabbits are known for two things: fur and speed. Any rabbit soul ring will boost speed. But I recommend the Wind Listening Rabbit not just for speed—"
"But for reaction time. According to Spirit Hall records, the Wind Listening Rabbit can grant a soul skill: Wind Listening Chant."
Tang San's eyes gleamed. "Do you know why it's called the Wind Listening Rabbit?"
Before Xiao Wu could answer, he continued: "It senses the flow of wind, foresees danger, and escapes. It has an extremely keen perception. Even for enhancing mental power, it's better than charm. With this skill, you might be able to predict enemy actions before they occur."
"That saves you from needing a defensive soul skill."
"If you know what your opponent will do and still get hit, it's your fault. If your opponent is too strong, no defense will save you anyway—just accept your fate."
Xiao Wu gritted her teeth. What Tang San said made sense—but why was he so irritating?
Three out of every ten words were sarcastic.
She had never been lectured like this.
Realizing he might've overstepped, Tang San coughed and softened his tone.
"I read about Wind Listening Chant in a biography from the Soul Hall—Wind Rabbit Soul Hunting Legend. The author's martial soul was Wind Listening Rabbit. Their first soul ring came from the same beast. The resulting skill let them sense air currents and mentally visualize the next three seconds."
"It was described poetically—listening to the wind's song and becoming the wind's darling."
"In my opinion, the skill boosted mental and cognitive processing. The brain extrapolated a future image based on wind fluctuations. Makes sense, even Earth had people who could do this based on current data."
"And in a world of soul power and soul rings? It's perfectly reasonable."
Xiao Wu nodded, then frowned. "That sounds useful. But does reaction time count as agility?"
"Of course. Your martial soul is naturally fast. As your power increases, so does your speed. But speed without control is dangerous. Without a reaction-based soul skill, you can't make full use of it."
"You're not a real rabbit. If you go too fast, you'll crash. You need precision. The Wind Listening Chant grows with your power—it's a lifetime skill."
Some auxiliary soul skills could evolve—like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's amplification abilities. Most soul skills, though, had fixed bonuses.
If others could make scaling skills, Spirit Hall would've created their own version of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
But they hadn't. That's why the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was considered the strongest support martial soul.
"That makes sense." Xiao Wu was convinced. She decided her second soul ring would come from a Wind Listening Rabbit. She was a Soft Boned Rabbit—close enough in lineage to inherit a similar skill.
"What about my third soul ring?" she asked.
"That's premium content. I charge one hundred gold soul coins." Tang San suddenly looked like a greedy merchant. "I helped you for free with your second ring only because we're classmates. That's already a bargain."
—
Note: Not all amplification soul skills scale with level. For example, Yu Tianheng's Thunder Fury increases attack by 100% and soul power by 50%. If this scaled with level, a Titled Douluo would get 190% attack and 140% power, making the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon surpass even the Six-Winged Angel.
Thus, in this setting, most amplification skills start high (50%+), but don't scale further. Only a few rare skills can grow with the soul master's power.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's skills are a rare exception.