14. The Martial Soul and Cultivation Theory

Su Hong arrived a little later than expected. Su Mo poured him a cup of tea before enquiring about the situation.

"Everything is the calm before the storm, Mo'er. I think you should have waited a bit longer before igniting the fuse." Su Hong expressed his worries. He wasn't sure of the outcome since the situation escalated very quickly.

"No need to worry, Dad. I have something being built for the occasion if a situation arises." Su Mo assured Su Hong.

"Dad, before that, I have some ideas about Martial Souls and cultivation. Let's discuss them first." Su Mo changed the conversation to his topic of concern.

"Ok, Mo'er, let's hear your opinion." Su Hong listened attentively.

Cultivation was a vast topic. Though everyone practised in the same general direction, every individual had their unique understanding of it. Su Hong was very open regarding this aspect.

Su Hong tried to learn something beneficial from everyone, irrespective of the situation. Su Hong also taught Su Mo the same attitude towards learning.

If Su Mo were to decide what could be his greatest cheats, then he would undoubtedly choose his parents from both lifetimes. Their attitudes towards life were always the guiding light for him. However, his decisiveness and wickedness can be attributed to the pioneers of online literature.

"First, Let's talk about cultivation." Su Mo began to narrate his idea.

"Dad, why do we divide each realm of cultivation into nine levels?" Su Mo asked.

Su Hong answered, "Mo'er, It is not imperative to describe each realm into nine. Surpassing the number Nine has always been a criterion for change among humans. Nobody knows when it began, but humans have become accustomed to it like an instinct. "

"So, we can always assess someone else's level in the same or lower realm but not judge people of a higher realm." Su Mo completed Su Hong's statement.

"So, does it mean that I may measure someone to be at Lv 3 or 4 while someone else may measure him at Lv 6? Since everyone has different ideas relatively."

"No, it is not that complicated, Mo'er. You would not face such a situation as one's level of cultivation is recognised relative to everyone, not two separate individuals." Su Hong felt that it was good that Su Mo had asked him these questions.

Su Hong had seen people cultivate their whole lives without understanding these peculiarities. These people could only become stepping stones in the other's path of success.

"Mo'er, remember one thing by heart. Never compete with people of a higher realm, nor underestimate a person of a lower level."

Su Hong taught a few more valuable lessons to Su Mo. After a few more questions, Su Mo switched the topic to Martial Souls.

"Son, This is a very delicate topic. Martial Souls affect our life at a fundamental level. So, small cultivators like us should try to avoid this topic." Su Hong discouraged Su Mo any discussion over it.

"Okay, Dad. But can you show me your Martial Soul?" Su Mo decided to breach the topic with a different approach. His Martial Soul was very different from others. Hence, he needed to study the peculiarities of the Martial Soul.

Su Hong nodded. Soon, a fog enveloped him. One could mark out five yellow halos originating from it.

"This is my Martial Soul. It's a Rank 5 Human Class, Fog." Su Hong added, "Though it does not help me much, its rank makes up for it."

"Dad, wait a moment." Su Mo brought out a spirit stone.

"Dad, my Martial Soul, is not highly ranked, but it absorbs Spiritual Qi at a tremendous speed. Your Martial Soul should be able to do that too but in a different way."

Before Su Hong could stop him, Su Mo crushed the Spirit Stone in his hand, releasing a large amount of Spiritual Qi in the air. Su Hong immediately began to absorb this Qi as Spirit Stones were truly precious.

Su Hong may have absorbed more than 50% of the Spiritual Qi from it under normal circumstances. He may only be able to absorb 20% of the Qi now since he was unprepared. It was still better than wasting the valuable Spirit Stone.

"Stupid!" Su Hong cursed inwardly. How could he have birthed such a prodigal son?

"Stop, Dad! Don't cultivate. Just let all the Spiritual Qi gather in your mist like Martial Soul. Try not to let the Qi dissipate in the air." Su Mo tried to direct him, but Su Hong did not listen.

When about 20% of the Qi in the air had dissipated, and Su Hong did not listen, Su Mo directly released his Martial Soul. He cleanly absorbed all the Qi in the air and began refining it to Genuine Qi in his body.

It was very stressful to push such a large quantity of Qi with his Medium Lv 1 [Refined Qi Art 1.0]. However, Su Mo's cultivation reached Lv 5 Qi Cultivation Realm amidst the ordeal.

Su Hong was amazed by the strength of Su Mo's Martial Soul. He was glad that Su Mo's Rank 1 Martial Soul was such a great help in Su Mo's cultivation.

Su Hong waited till Su Mo stopped cultivation. When Su Mo opened his eyes before Su Hong could speak a word Su Mo reprimanded him.

"Stupid Dad! Did I not tell you to stop cultivating. Now I have jumped up a level in such an unstable condition. Such a waste of a spirit stone." Su Mo glared at him.

Su Hong laughed, "Still, it was good that your Martial Soul is such a help in your cultivation. You stabilise the situation in your body first. We will talk later."

"Now, I won't have to worry about my son being left behind by his peers. Who dares to say my son is a waste?" Su Hong happily began to leave.

"Stop, right there. Give me a few minutes. We still have to talk about a lot." Su Mo stopped Su Hong from leaving.

Su Hong sat back as his son began a round of cultivation. Su Mo took half an hour to consolidate his Lv 5 Qi Cultivation Realm.

"Dad, you just made a mess about everything. I told you to stop cultivating. It's also partly my fault; I should have warned you beforehand." Su Mo spoke to Su Hong with a displeased expression.

"It's alright, Mo'er, But Spirit Stones are truly precious. Use them wisely in the future, okay?" Su Hong did not reprimand Su Mo as the situation served as a blessing in disguise. Elevating one's strength was never bad in this world.

"Okay, Dad. You saw what my Martial Soul can do. You also know that I often had visions since childhood, right." Su Mo had attributed all his ideas from Earth and Mercenary life to visions of another world. People also bought the fact as many such things were possible in this magical world.

"Dad, I saw a description of something which looks like my Martial Soul in my dreams. It could absorb everything, literally, everything. Be it the Sun, the Moon or even the stars of the sky. It would devour everything." Su Mo tried his best to describe a Black Hole to Su Hong in simple terms.

"So, I got an idea to absorb Qi using my Martial Soul. I can even absorb spiritual herbs with it." Su Mo added. Su Hong nodded, acknowledging Su Mo.

"Dad, My Martial Soul is similar to a Black Hole. It is a celestial body like the Sun and Moon, invisible in the sky as even the light cannot escape its destruction in it." Su Mo elaborated.

"So, I had a similar idea when I saw your Martial Soul." Su Mo explained his reasoning to Su Hong, to which he listened attentively.