This chapter is a long one, 9,000 words, and serves as a settings chapter. (Readers on QQ Reading can't see the work's settings, so I can only put them here.)
It is meant to show the theoretical perspective of a Thousand-Year Aristocratic Family and the weight of the worldbuilding.
So feel free to choose whether to read it.
If you like reading settings, it may clear up some of your questions about Douluo. It also lays groundwork for the battles in later chapters, making them leave a stronger impression when you read them.
Readers who prefer a faster pace should just skip it. I'm afraid it'll make your head hurt, haha.
Thank you for your support!
"A soul master has three thresholds. Did you know spirit beasts have thresholds too?" Chen Yu asked in return.
"Ten years, a hundred years, a thousand years, ten thousand years, a hundred thousand years?" Chen Xiaojun guessed.
"Ten years isn't a threshold. Or rather, ten years is recognized because of the white soul ring left after death. In truth, there is only the tier below a hundred years, not a tier below ten years. You could also say that once a spirit beast awakens, it starts at ten years," Chen Yu explained.
"Then what about hundred-year and thousand-year spirit beasts?" Chen Xiaojun asked curiously.
Chen Yu said, "A soul master's cultivation is closely tied to three things: soul power, physical constitution, and Mental Power. For a soul master, soul power is the foundation."
"A spirit beast's cultivation is also related to these three things, but relatively speaking, spirit beasts place more emphasis on cultivating the physical body. It is a kind of bloodline Inheritance System."
"Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts in particular gain far more in physical strength than they do in soul power or Mental Power. The Thousand Year Soul Ring cleansing they grant a soul master after death greatly improves a soul master's physique."
"Look. The conventional Second Soul Ring is seven hundred years. Compared with the four hundred years of the First Soul Ring, the increase in soul power age is less than double. The third soul ring is seventeen hundred years. Compared with the seven hundred years of the Second Soul Ring, the increase in soul power is double."
As Chen Yu spoke, he drew lines on the paper to illustrate his explanation. "By the time a soul master receives the cleansing of the third Thousand Year Soul Ring, their physique will improve greatly."
"The Fourth Soul Ring at five thousand years, compared with the third soul ring at seventeen hundred years, increases the soul power to three or even four times as much. The higher ones can reach six or seven thousand years. That is all thanks to the cleansing from the third soul ring."
"The main reason here should be that the physical cleansing of a Thousand-Year Spirit Beast is a huge leap compared to that of a hundred-year one. This is also what makes Soul Elder one of the three major landmark ranks for soul masters, widening the strength gap between them and the soul masters below."
Chen Yu paused then, giving Chen Xiaojun some time to digest it.
"What about spirit beasts above ten thousand years?" Chen Xiaojun asked.
"For spirit beasts from ten thousand to a hundred thousand years, the range of their strength is very large, so they are also divided into several stages," Chen Yu explained.
"Because human ranks are restricted by heaven and earth, one needs to add a soul ring to break through, so it is clear at a glance.
"Spirit beasts, however, do not need to do that. That is why, within their own kind, they are ranked by combat power, not soul power. When combat power differs, their titles naturally change as well.
"First are ten-thousand-year spirit beasts. Usually, only upper-rank spirit beasts can break through to this level, or those that break through ten thousand years can evolve into upper-rank spirit beasts.
"For example, yesterday's Gale Wolf pack—from hundred-year Gale Wolves to thousand-year Azure Gale Grey Wolves, and then to ten-thousand-year Hurricane Demon Wolves." Chen Yu spoke unhurriedly, but his words were clear and easy to understand.
"Ten-thousand-year spirit beasts at this stage are similar to thousand-year ones, in that their physical bodies also undergo a tremendous improvement. But unlike Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts, their intelligence and Mental Power also increase greatly. They can understand human speech, and they hold extremely high status within their groups."
Chen Yu continued, "After they die, they leave behind a remnant-soul consciousness impact, known as Soul Shock. Therefore, in the Soul Master World, ten-thousand-year spirit beasts are called Beast Kings—in other words, kings among beasts."
"Next are 50,000-year spirit beasts. Although they, like 40,000-year spirit beasts, possess Soul Saint Level soul power, their soul power has not undergone a qualitative change, while their Mental Power has increased substantially."
As Chen Yu spoke, he drew a three-color diagram representing soul power, body, and spirit. "At the same time, the strength of their bodies also increases greatly, especially the power of their innate skills, which multiplies along with it."
"Overall, their comprehensive strength is two to three times what it was before breaking through 50,000 years. Therefore, in the Soul Master World, spirit beasts of this level are called True King Level, to distinguish them from ordinary Beast Kings."
Chen Yu said with fired-up intensity, "A Soul Saint can contend with a 40,000-year spirit beast, but without the combat power of a Soul Douluo, or without two or three or more high-level Soul Saints, if you run into a 50,000-year True King Level spirit beast, you'd better run early."
"Moreover, the Soul Impact after its death is no longer a remnant soul. Although it becomes rather violent due to resentment after death, its soul is relatively complete, making it far more difficult to withstand the impact. Even a Soul Saint must be cautious when absorbing it." Chen Yu was very serious when he said this.
Chen Yu finally added, "In addition, compared with a 40,000-year spirit beast, the soul skill granted by a 50,000-year spirit beast is far more powerful. At the very least, there is a difference of an entire grade."
"Grandfather, I don't quite understand the line 'although fifty thousand years spirit beasts, like forty thousand years spirit beasts, possess Soul Saint Level soul power,'" Chen Xiaojun said after hearing this description, feeling that something did not quite flow.
Seeing Chen Xiaojun's face full of confusion, Chen Yu could not help frowning slightly and asked doubtfully, "Did your second granduncle never explain the soul power classification of spirit beasts to you before?"
Chen Xiaojun shook his head, a helpless expression appearing on his face.
Chen Yu pondered for a moment, then said, "Mm, then I'll explain it to you. Because soul masters are divided into ten ranks, some people, based on the soul power levels and qualities of soul masters, inferred the corresponding spirit beast ages for equivalent soul power."
At this point, Chen Yu paused, organized his wording, and then continued:
"After many years of summarizing in the Soul Master World, the age and soul power of spirit beasts roughly correspond to soul master ranks as follows:
Spirit beasts below a hundred years compare to Soul Scholar, hundred-year spirit beasts to Soul Masters, five-hundred-year spirit beasts to Soul Grand Masters, thousand-year spirit beasts to Soul Elders, five-thousand-year spirit beasts to Soul Ancestor, ten-thousand-year spirit beasts to Soul Kings, twenty- to thirty-thousand-year spirit beasts to Soul Emperors, forty- to fifty-thousand-year spirit beasts to Soul Saints, sixty- to seventy-thousand-year spirit beasts to Soul Douluos, starting from eighty-thousand-year spirit beasts, they are Titled Douluo level.
This division refers only to the quality and total amount of soul power. It does not involve the spirit beast's physique or Mental Power.
That is why the Soul Master World currently uses this as the basis for matching the optimal soul ring configuration.
According to existing knowledge, when soul masters absorb soul rings, they generally adopt a method of absorbing them from low to high.
That meant starting with a hundred-year soul ring and gradually absorbing higher-level soul rings.
This ensured that a soul master's cultivation and abilities improved step by step, while also avoiding negative consequences such as backlash or losing control of their abilities from absorbing a soul ring that was unsuitable for them.
Of course, for some soul masters with special abilities, they might adopt different methods of absorption.
For example, some soul masters might choose to absorb soul rings above their level, meaning they absorbed soul rings with a higher age than their own cultivation, in order to gain stronger abilities and skills.
But this method of absorption required caution. If it was done improperly, it could lead to adverse consequences.
In short, the optimal soul ring allocation involved the color combination of soul rings and the Soul Power range absorbed, but to a certain extent it varied from person to person. It had to be considered comprehensively based on each person's cultivation, abilities, and future development direction.
At the same time, when absorbing soul rings, one also had to pay attention to safety and act cautiously to avoid adverse consequences."
After listening, Chen Xiaojun looked somewhat surprised. So the Chen Clan's research into soul ring limits had already reached this level. It was far better than Grandmaster's.
Then he thought of something and could not help asking, "Wasn't it said that a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was comparable to a Titled Douluo?"
Chen Yu was also a little surprised, clearly caught off guard by Chen Xiaojun's question. He explained:
"Who said that? If they were only comparable to Titled Douluo, a 100,000 Year Soul Ring wouldn't be so hard to obtain, or so extremely rare.
"As long as one obtains a 100,000 Year Soul Ring, a Quasi-Title Douluo can more or less rise by two levels. You have to know that it's extremely difficult for a Titled Douluo to level up. Taking ten-plus years for two levels is completely normal.
"A soul master who has just obtained a 100,000 Year Soul Ring, with level 92 Soul Power plus two 100,000-year Soul Skills, along with the Soul Power baptism from a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone and two more soul skills, can have combat strength comparable to a Level 95 Titled Douluo, or even surpass one. That isn't difficult."
"Look at our Chen Clan. In over a thousand years, only two ancestors ever obtained one. From that, you can tell how hard it is to obtain a 100,000 Year Soul Ring."
After listening, Chen Xiaojun nodded thoughtfully. "That's true. Before Tang San, not many people could obtain a 100,000 Year Soul Ring. His old man Tang Hao's soul ring came from his mother's sacrifice. Bibi Dong was a favored child of heaven, but she still had to bring Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo and rely on the help of a Martial Soul Fusion Skill to obtain one, and in this whole century there was only this one Bibi Dong.
"Among the protagonist group, most of Tang San's first few hundred-thousand-year ones were sacrifices or God-Bestowed Soul Rings. Even the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts he killed at the beginning required help from others, or help from a 'god.' The others all had God-Bestowed Soul Rings.
"Putting it that way, with this level of difficulty, a hundred years ago, aside from Golden Crocodile Douluo, whose method of obtaining one is unknown, the other Three Peerless Douluo—Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi—might have raised their soul ring ages through divine trials. As for Tang Chen, maybe he killed his himself?"
Chen Xiaojun looked like he had once again drifted off into "deep thought."
Seeing that Chen Xiaojun seemed a little distracted, Chen Yu coughed lightly and pulled his thoughts back, then continued, "Back to the point. An 80,000-year soul beast has already reached the highest level among 10,000-year soul beasts. Their Soul Power is already equivalent to that of a Titled Douluo. These soul beasts can already speak, so they are also called Saint King Level soul beasts."
Chen Yu paused for a moment before continuing, "The souls left behind after these Saint King Level soul beasts die possess extremely high spirituality and have already formed complete spirit bodies. Soul Impact becomes extremely powerful. Although its power has become a rootless source, the danger increases greatly."
Hearing this, Chen Xiaojun could not help frowning. "So That's How It Is. Have these Saint King Level soul beasts' strength already reached this extent?"
Chen Yu nodded. "Yes. The soul skills they provide are already tremendously powerful, especially soul beasts over ninety-five thousand years and close to a hundred thousand years. Without three or four Titled Douluo, they simply can't be taken down. That's why a Titled Douluo's Ninth Soul Ring is usually over eighty thousand years, and some are even only sixty or seventy thousand years."
"Actually, among 10,000-year soul beasts, there are two other titles:
"Battle Kings, with twenty to thirty-thousand years of cultivation, between Beast King and True King, have strength equivalent to a Soul Emperor among us soul masters.
"Ancient Kings, with sixty to seventy-thousand years of cultivation, between True King and the Saint King at the Title Level, have average strength greater than a Soul Douluo among us soul masters.
"These are all ancient titles. It's just that soul masters today are used to distinguishing soul beasts by cultivation age. These two levels, unlike True King and Saint King Level, are not threshold-type levels with huge jumps in strength, so fewer people use them now. Many soul masters don't even know about them."
"So troublesome. So many titles." After listening, Chen Xiaojun felt as if his head were about to swell.
"It is a bit troublesome. Different titles represent different strengths and levels. These Beast King Level, Battle King Level, True King Level, Ancient King Level, and Saint King Level are titles passed over from the soul beasts' side. However, you can also understand them simply as being similar to our soul masters' Soul King, Soul Emperor, Soul Sage, Soul Douluo, and Titled Douluo, with combat strength stronger than soul masters of the same rank," Chen Yu said with a smile.
Although there were some wrinkles on his face, one could still tell that he must have been very handsome when he was young.
"Huh?"
"As soul beasts with countless tens of thousands of years of history, they are not as tightly organized as our human society, but they do have their own social system. Though it's a little rough, primitive, and vast. When you deal with high-age soul beasts in the future, it will be useful."
"Then what about a hundred thousand years?" Chen Xiaojun pressed.
Chen Yu said in a warm and steady voice, "A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast can be called an emperor among soul beasts. Its Soul Power quality has undergone a qualitative change and is already comparable to the Soul Power of a level 96 Super Douluo."
"Moreover, these soul beasts all possess extremely powerful innate skills and can unleash extremely strong combat strength in battle.
"Their innate skills are extremely powerful. If you add certain special circumstances, such as noble bloodlines—for example, some transcendent-grade soul beasts—or if they just happened to encounter certain opportunities, or comprehended some even stronger innate skill...
"Then their actual combat strength can almost contend with a Level 97 Titled Douluo. In reality, soul beasts that reach the hundred-thousand-year level are all top soul beasts with extraordinary talent and powerful physiques, almost without exception. Their actual combat strength is extremely strong."
After hearing this, Chen Xiaojun could not help feeling a little dejected. He had originally thought he had already grasped enough knowledge about soul masters, but after listening to Chen Yu's explanation, he realized that there were still many things he needed to learn and understand.
However, at the same time, he also felt extremely inspired, because he was filled with yearning and anticipation toward these powerful soul beasts.
Chen Yu continued, "Without two or three Super Douluo helping you, don't even think about killing them.
"Moreover, they live deep within soul beast gathering grounds. First, they're extremely hard to find. Second, even if you find them, it's very likely to result in being besieged by 10,000-year soul beasts."
"Most importantly, after they die, during the Soul Impact, their spirit bodies can actually still use certain individual innate skills. In other words, the soul master has to fight them once more in the Sea of Soul Consciousness of his own Upper Soul Nest.
"Of course, because it's only a spirit body, its strength drops by a lot, but it still has Titled Douluo-level strength, no question. Yet in the sea of spiritual consciousness, the soul master is alone, and no one else can help. It's extremely, extremely dangerous.
"So when fighting a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, even if the kill succeeds, there are countless Quasi-Title Douluo who die spiritually or explode and perish while absorbing the soul ring.
"That's why later on, everyone stopped daring to try. For one thing, they basically couldn't beat or kill them. For another, the odds of absorbing the soul ring were simply too slim, unless it was an extraordinary prodigy who appeared only once every few hundred years.
"In short, soul masters with 100,000 Year Soul Rings more or less all have the makings of a level 99 Peerless Douluo."
"No wonder grandfather just said 100,000 Year Soul Rings were hard to come by. My Chen Clan has a Top Martial Soul and top-level inheritance, yet in nearly two thousand years, only two ancestors obtained one." After listening, Chen Xiaojun could not help clicking his tongue in amazement, thinking to himself that these soul beasts truly were powerful.
Chen Xiaojun sighed. "Then how did soul masters throughout history obtain them? Is there anyone in the current Soul Master World who has obtained a 100,000 Year Soul Ring?"
Chen Yu then answered, "Among present-day soul masters, as far as is known, there is only one. But that person should be around two hundred years old.
"As for how soul masters obtained them throughout history, that's all hidden in fog. These are soul masters' secrets, and others may not necessarily know.
"However, according to scattered records, aside from a tiny handful of Unrivaled Evil Genius soul masters who killed them by force, most of the other soul masters who obtained 100,000 Year Soul Rings all did so under the same circumstances. It was a relatively effective way to obtain a 100,000 Year Soul Ring, and also the method with the least danger," Chen Yu said in an ethereal voice.
"What method?" Chen Xiaojun's voice was a little hurried, and he thought, It can't be a man-killing type of soul beast, can it?
Chen Yu's expression grew distant, as if he were lost in some memory. "Once a soul beast breaks through the limit of 100,000 years, what it faces is another, even greater challenge—heavenly tribulation.
"A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast can only live for one thousand years. After one thousand years, heavenly tribulation descends. If it survives, it can live through another hundred thousand years, and so the cycle repeats.
"Those who can survive the heavenly tribulation are few in the end. At that point, even the bloodlines of higher soul beasts seem somewhat ordinary; more often, they simply scatter and vanish beneath the tribulation.
"And so, at that time, there is a second path—transformation!
"Because of the danger of heavenly tribulation, some soul beasts transform into humans, becoming soul masters with Innate Full Soul Power and innate soul rings. They cultivate their soul power all over again, and their martial souls are their original forms.
They are divided into three stages. Before Level 60 is the juvenile stage; at that time, soul masters with powerful Mental Power can see through them, and Titled Douluo definitely can. From Level 60 to level 80 is the mature stage; by then, they basically can't be seen through. At Level 90, they reach the god-transformation stage, and they have basically recovered the strength they had before transforming.
"God-transformation, god-transformation—charging toward level one hundred to become a god.
"If soul masters strike before they break through to the Level 90 god-transformation stage, when their combat strength has yet to recover, and kill them, they can still obtain a 100,000 Year Soul Ring and a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.
"So once a transformed soul beast is discovered, the Soul Master World is thrown into upheaval."
Sure enough! The best way is to develop feelings with transformed soul beasts and have them sacrifice themselves. That makes absorbing them much less dangerous. Thinking of the Tang Clan father and son, Chen Xiaojun inwardly mocked.
"Is it possible for a growth-type soul skill to reach the 100,000-year level?" Chen Xiaojun thought of another possibility for obtaining a 100,000-year soul skill.
"Impossible. Soul skills must follow the laws of soul beasts, the basic laws.
"Those laws are the thresholds of soul beasts I mentioned before. Soul beasts themselves have major thresholds, so how could a growth-type soul skill break through them so easily? It also has its own upper limit.
"For growth-type soul skills, if the initial soul skill is below ten thousand years, that's a little better—it can break through to ten thousand years. But basically, its growth ends there.
"A ten-thousand-year growth-type soul skill cannot break through fifty thousand years. Those above fifty thousand years cannot break through eighty thousand years. Those above eighty thousand years cannot break through 100,000 years.
"These thresholds are all qualitative changes!
"Though they say anything is possible, how could the Heaven and Earth Rules have that many loopholes to exploit?
"In fact, people have tried this idea before, and not one succeeded." Chen Yu's voice was dry.
"Ah?"
"Let me give you an extreme example: the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Its growth-type soul skills are bestowed through the martial soul itself, bypassing soul rings, but even the two Nine Treasure Douluo recorded in their history never evolved them to 100,000 years. There's also another piece of evidence—soul bones!"
"Soul bones?"
"Yes. After long-term nurturing by a soul master, soul bones can increase the age and power of the soul skills they carry, but for a ten-thousand-year soul bone's soul skill, increasing its power by ten or twenty thousand years is possible.
"But just like a soul ring's growth-type soul skill, it still cannot break through fifty thousand years; fifty thousand years cannot break through eighty thousand years; and eighty thousand years cannot break through the threshold of 100,000 years.
"Since soul bones can't do it, the same reasoning applies to soul skills not being able to break through the thresholds—unless the breakthrough is supported by divine power." Chen Yu opened the window, and a cool breeze slipped in.
"Supported by divine power?"
"Yes. Spirit Hall has a Soul Bone Set passed down for several thousand years, and every bone is 99,999 years.
"They are only one step away from the 100,000-year level. It can't be that they were all hunted, right?
"Obtaining one 99,999-year bone could be called coincidence, but all six soul bones? Where in the world would there be that many 99,999-year soul beasts for them to kill, and with compatible attributes too!
"So only gods could possibly achieve such a result," Chen Yu said with endless emotion.
"That's true. Such simple reasoning! Grandpa, you're awesome!" Chen Xiaojun raised his thumb.
"..."
"Then Grandpa, what you just mentioned was a Soul Bone Set?" On this point, Chen Xiaojun still wanted to see if he could draw out some information.
"Only soul masters who possess the Six-Winged Angel martial soul can use these six soul bones.
"Unless someone can use all six soul bones at the same time, only then can they activate them all to the 100,000-year level and thereby become a godlike existence.
"These six soul bones are called the Angel God Armor.
"This is the true foundation that the Angel God left to Spirit Hall."
"Then why didn't the Angel God directly make the whole set 100,000 years?" This had always been one of Chen Xiaojun's doubts.
"Perhaps even the Angel God couldn't do it." Chen Yu turned away, his back to Chen Xiaojun, and gave a long, quiet sigh.
"Even so, it's terrifying. Wouldn't Spirit Hall be able to sweep across the world?"
"The Angel God Armor isn't that easy to wear. Although soul bones can strengthen a soul master's physique, too much is as bad as too little. In the end, if they are activated at the same time and become Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones, the physique required of the soul master carrying them is astonishingly demanding.
"If the burden is too great, once it exceeds the limits of what the human body can endure, the result is absolutely miserable. At best, the meridians burst and the person becomes crippled; at worst, the body explodes and they die.
"That's why, among the Six-Winged Angel soul masters who inherited it over ten thousand years, only a few ever managed it." A trace of gloom flashed between Chen Yu's brows.
"Grandpa, are there any other sets?"
"Perhaps Sea God Island has one. Since the Angel God could do it, the Sea God might be able to as well. As for others, I haven't heard of any."
Chen Xiaojun brought up the idea he had conceived before. "Grandpa, I have an idea. The soul power in soul bones is comparatively gentle. Could someone increase the age limit of the soul rings they can absorb by fusing with soul bones?"
Chen Yu frowned, patted his shoulder, and said, "Not appropriate. First of all, compared with soul rings, the soul power contained in soul bones is indeed gentler, but that's only relative.
"As I just said, because of long-term nurturing by predecessors, soul bones can surpass their original age. Even if they've been left unused for a long time and lost some soul power, they still won't fall below their original age.
"Once you fuse with a soul bone, if you can't withstand it, your body will also explode and you'll die."
According to research records, a Soul Scholar couldn't absorb a soul bone over a thousand years old, and anyone below Soul Elder couldn't absorb a ten-thousand-year soul bone.
Unless the only thing you could absorb right now was a hundred-year soul bone—but in truth, the birth rate of hundred-year soul bones was extremely low. Their numbers were so small they were almost comparable to 100,000 Year Soul Bones.
In any case, our Chen Clan didn't have any. I didn't even know who did.
For someone below Soul Elder to absorb a thousand-year soul bone was not worth it for you. It would occupy a precious soul bone slot and overdraw your future potential and prospects.
So that idea wasn't suitable for you.
In fact, people before us had had the same line of thought, but because it had no practical meaning, they gave it up."
Chen Xiaojun swallowed and continued asking softly, "Speaking of soul bones, Grandpa, some books say that among the traditional six soul bones, the strongest is the Torso Bone, followed by the skull, then the Left Arm Bone, Right Arm Bone, left leg, and right leg. Is that right?" This was a question he had always had in his previous life.
"Not necessarily. The birth of soul bones follows certain patterns.
Spirit Type soul beasts are mostly the head, Strength System ones are mostly arm bones, speed types are generally leg bones, while Defense Type soul beasts and soul beasts with powerful physiques produce Torso Bones.
After a soul beast dies, its soul bone will become the thing that was most distinctive in life, or the part with the greatest combat power.
So the quality of a soul bone and its effect on a soul master mainly depend on how early it is absorbed and whether its attributes match the soul master, whether it is used to strengthen the soul master's combat power or make up for shortcomings.
Then here comes the question. The so-called 'strongest is the Torso Bone, followed by the skull, then the Left Arm Bone, Right Arm Bone, left leg, and right leg' can only be relative. Who do you think said this, or what type of soul master was it relative to?" Chen Yu guided Chen Xiaojun into thinking.
Chen Xiaojun thought silently for a moment, then said uncertainly, "Right-handed soul masters?"
Chen Yu nodded and said, "Not quite right, but not far off.
The most important enhancement a Torso Bone brings isn't a soul skill, but strengthening the physique. Among the six great soul bones, its amplification to physique and defense is the greatest.
The skull mainly affects Mental Power. Of course, spirit skills are rare as well.
The Three Pillars of Soul Masters are Soul Power, physical physique, and Mental Power. But soul masters generally value Soul Power and physical physique, while Mental Power is relatively lacking, so there's no problem with Torso Bone and skull ranking in the top two.
But the other four aren't necessarily fixed. That saying—'Left Arm Bone, Right Arm Bone, left leg, right leg'—suits right-handed soul masters who value hand techniques, and balanced-flow ones at that.
Perhaps for a right-handed Extreme Flow soul master, the Right Arm Bone is more important than the Left Arm Bone; for a left-handed balanced-flow soul master, the Right Arm Bone is also more important than the Left Arm Bone.
For soul masters who place greater emphasis on leg techniques and leg explosiveness, or Agility Attack Type soul masters—such as those with rabbit, cat, frog, goat, leopard, some lion and tiger, and even flying-type martial souls—leg soul bones are more important than arm soul bones.
So that statement is only relative! At the very least, Grandpa prefers prioritizing the Left Arm Bone, while your father is probably the type to choose the Right Arm Bone first."
Chen Xiaojun then asked, "Grandpa, what about External Soul Bones?"
"External Soul Bones are the most special type among soul bones, and also one of the rarest. They are special existences outside the six main categories of soul bones.
Any soul bone outside the traditional six great soul bones is called an External Soul Bone, such as shoulder bones, chest and rib bones, wings, tails, palm bones, sole bones, eyeball soul bones, horns, claws, many-legged limbs, and weapon-type soul bones.
Their preciousness can almost compare with top-grade soul bones. In the Soul Master World, for a soul master, they are second only to a 100,000 Year Soul Ring.
The most special aspect of an External Soul Bone is that it evolves as its owner's Soul Power increases. In other words, the earlier one obtains an External Soul Bone, the longer it has to evolve. So the earlier an External Soul Bone appears, the better.
If the probability of an ordinary soul bone appearing from a soul beast is one in a thousand, then the probability of an External Soul Bone appearing is not even one in ten thousand.
An External Soul Bone does not appear in the form of a soul bone. Only after a soul master finishes absorbing a soul beast's soul ring can an External Soul Bone subsequently appear."
"In other words, it doesn't appear naturally." Chen Xiaojun immediately grasped the key point.
Chen Yu said with satisfaction, "Correct. Your comprehension really is outstanding! Our Chen Clan's theoretical genius Grandmaster, Ancestor Chen Qianhua, researched a great amount of material and concluded that an External Soul Bone is a kind of bone hyperplasia. That means it grows out of a soul master's body on the basis of absorbing a soul ring.
The principle behind it is that a soul ring carries innate skills, Soul Power, physical body essence, and Mental Power. The problem lies with the physical body essence.
If the soul beast killed exceeds the age limit, and the soul beast's own body is comparatively powerful, the physical body essence it carries will exceed that age limit. If that excess essence does not cause the soul master to explode and die, but instead undergoes some unpredictable reaction with the soul master's powerful constitution, and the soul master's physique also manages to withstand it, then it may condense a new soul bone in a place outside the traditional six great soul bones. That is an External Soul Bone.
The supporting evidence is that soul rings are guided by innate skills, which is why soul skills appear. But External Soul Bones do not have soul skills; they only possess certain physical functions, which is enough to prove they are guided by essence.
Moreover, the fact that they can grow as the soul master becomes stronger is because they fuse with the soul master's body. As the soul master's constitution and essence become stronger, they strengthen along with it.
At the same time, because they are guided by essence, they are not restricted by the Heaven and Earth Rules' limits on Soul Power, and only then can they grow without limit.
Also, if a soul master dies, the soul bones in the six traditional positions will be left behind, but External Soul Bones will not. That is because they are the soul master's own bones, grown from the soul master's body. Humans do not have Heaven and Earth Rules used to preserve soul bones."
"I've learned something." Chen Xiaojun nodded seriously, a trace of understanding flashing through his eyes. "No wonder Tang San's Eight Spider Lances grew out through his body after he absorbed the soul ring, rather than being a finished soul bone. And his Eight Spider Lances didn't have soul skills, only the functions of absorption and devouring."
"It seems you already had some questions of your own. I merely resolved your doubts. You've seen and learned a great deal, so naturally you have your own insights." Chen Yu's eyes held approval and encouragement.
Chen Xiaojun asked in puzzlement, "Grandpa, yesterday I heard you tell great-uncle that there was hope of breaking through to Titled Douluo before the age of eighty. Is there some reasoning behind that?"
This was a question he had already had yesterday.
"For humans, one hundred and twenty years old is a threshold. Theoretically speaking, a soul master's vitality and physique will decline once they reach a certain age, though it varies from person to person. As for soul masters, their vitality begins to weaken at around eighty, and they can no longer carry higher-level soul rings. So eighty is the best age limit for a breakthrough," Chen Yu explained.
Chen Xiaojun rested his chin in his hand, revealing a thoughtful expression. "Grandpa, I've always had a question while reading. The ages recorded in books vary greatly, with a very wide span. So what exactly is a person's lifespan?"
He asked this question because he very much wanted to know how long his own lifespan would be.
"Theoretically speaking, an ordinary person's lifespan is one hundred and twenty years. But in reality, due to individual differences such as constitution, hereditary factors, living habits, living conditions, and medical conditions, they only reach sixty to seventy percent of that. An ordinary person's lifespan is roughly sixty to eighty years," Chen Yu began explaining in detail.
Chen Xiaojun was a little surprised. "That short?"
"Soul masters are closely linked to martial souls, Soul Power, Mental Power, and physical physique, so their lifespans are also affected by these factors. However, due to factors such as the 'baptism' of soul rings, a soul master's lifespan is longer than an ordinary person's. If everything goes smoothly, it isn't difficult for a soul master to live to a hundred," Chen Yu continued explaining.
"A soul master's lifespan is affected by all kinds of factors. For example, Soul Power attributes, martial souls, hidden injuries, and so on—all these negative factors can affect a soul master's lifespan.
Generally speaking, a Soul Sage gains thirty additional years of life, a Soul Douluo gains another thirty, and a Titled Douluo gains sixty, making the theoretical lifespan two hundred and forty years.
But it is likewise only sixty to seventy percent. A Titled Douluo's lifespan can reach one hundred and fifty to one hundred and eighty years.
Super Douluo could add a bit more to that.
Of course, some martial souls were naturally suited to health preservation and granted longer lifespans, such as turtle clan martial souls.
Some Meditation Methods also had the same health-preserving effect," Chen Yu said with a sigh.
"But very few Titled Douluo could live that long. There were too many conflicts on the continent; who knew when disaster might suddenly come flying in?"
Chen Xiaojun sighed inwardly. So that means, as long as I don't die early, I might still live long enough to see the start of Douluo One's plot.
Chen Xiaojun suddenly remembered some of what he had seen yesterday and asked curiously, "Grandpa, yesterday I saw Uncle Chen Wu, great-uncle Yun Xiao, and the others use several different ways of wielding swords?"
A gratified look appeared on Chen Yu's face. "That's a good question. Sword arts have six forms of expression in total: sword howl, sword qi, sword light, sword aura, swordplay, and sword intent."
Chen Xiaojun was a little puzzled. "Grandpa, can you explain them to me in detail?"
"Of course," Chen Yu explained patiently. "When a soul master swings a sword physically at high speed and the blade trembles, producing a whistling sound, that is sword howl;
when the speed is fast and the power is heavy enough that the airflow left by the passing blade can injure enemies and increase the attack range, that is sword qi. Flinging sword qi out with Soul Power falls under the category of heavy power, and counts as a ranged physical attack;
when sword qi can be controlled at will and attached to the sword within a chosen range, that is called sword light;
when sword qi condenses into a solid aura and leaves the body to attack, that is sword aura;
when sword qi triggers a change in the surrounding field and gathers to form a presence, that is swordplay;
these five are not progressive stages, but different ways of using the sword. Sword qi is not necessarily weaker than sword light or sword aura.
Aside from Sword Array Sword Light Seals the Sky and Sword Controls Objects and Shifts the Stars, the other five ultimate techniques of our Chen Clan Sword Control Technique are advanced applications of sword howl, sword qi, sword light, sword aura, and swordplay. 'Azure Sea Sky Sword' is 'sword light,' and 'Vast Sea Bright Moon' is swordplay.
As for sword intent, it is an even deeper application. It possesses materialized Mental Power that affects reality, and can be considered a kind of will."
"So accurately speaking, they're called 'Sword Light Azure Sea Sky Sword' and 'Swordplay Vast Sea Bright Moon,'" Chen Xiaojun said, wanting to confirm.
"Correct. Very good. Any other questions?" Grandpa Chen Yu looked at Chen Xiaojun with a face full of affection. Naturally, Chen Yu was extremely gratified that he had discovered this knowledge.
Chen Xiaojun hesitated for a moment, seeming a little reluctant to speak. "Yesterday's Gale Wolf pack seemed to have three colors: pale cyan, cyan, and dark cyan. Are those three different stages of Gale Wolves? Also, do Black Moon Wolves also have three kinds?"
Chen Yu smiled and nodded. "Mm, you observed very carefully.
The pale cyan ones were Gale Wolves. The cyan and dark cyan ones were advanced varieties of them, called Azure Gale Grey Wolves and Hurricane Demon Wolves.
There are three reasons they can advance: first, when their cultivation reaches a certain level, hundred-year Gale Wolves can advance into Azure Gale Grey Wolves, and thousand-year Azure Gale Grey Wolves can advance into Hurricane Demon Wolves, or become Azure Gale Grey Wolf Kings;
second, innate bloodline inheritance. If their parents are high-ranking wolf beasts, they may inherit it innately and be born with a higher rank;
lastly, swallowing certain treasures or devouring the flesh-and-blood essence of higher-bloodline wolves may also allow them to evolve ahead of time.
It's the same for Black Moon Wolves. They advance into Black Moon Nether Wolves and Black Moon Shadow Kill Wolves.
Oh, right, did you know? The wolf race has a strict hierarchy, and wolf names are very particular.
Those with 'grey,' 'nether,' 'blood,' or 'mad' in their names are basically mid-tier Demonic Beasts;
while those with 'demon,' 'kill,' 'king,' or 'violent' are all high-tier soul beasts.
In addition, the wolf race has many branches, so the chance of mutation is very high. The most common are multi-headed wolves.
'Two-headed' wolves all have dual attributes and are also high-tier soul beasts, while 'three-headed wolves' are top high-tier soul beasts, embryonic forms of transcendent-grade soul beasts."
After hearing this, Chen Xiaojun looked like he wanted to speak but stopped. "Grandpa, then since they're both wolf-type soul beasts, what causes them to fight to the death as soon as they meet?"
Chen Yu looked deeply at Chen Xiaojun, then slowly said, "Do you know the Howling Moon Sky Wolf?"
A trace of confusion flashed through Chen Xiaojun's eyes. "I do. It's a wolf-type divine beast, and might also be the strongest among wolf-type soul beasts."
Chen Yu nodded and continued explaining, "Mm. The Martial Arts Hall has a book over there introducing divine beasts. You can go and read it carefully.
Wolf types are divided into five categories: forest wolves, grassland wolves, icefield wolves, desert wolves, and underground wolves. Each has a divine beast. The Howling Moon Sky Wolf is the divine beast of the forest wolf category, and it is indeed ranked first among the wolf race.
It has two major descendants: the Howling Moon Silver Wolf and the Black Moon Shadow Kill Wolf. The degeneration of their bloodlines resulted in Silver Moon Wolves and Black Moon Wolves.
You can understand it as them using the power of the front and back sides of the moon respectively. They are naturally opposed.
According to legend, if they devour each other's flesh-and-blood essence, they may evolve and awaken the bloodline power of the Howling Moon Sky Wolf, or become the embryonic form of a Howling Moon Sky Wolf.
It just so happens that the two great wind-type groups, Gale Wolves and Black Wind Wolves, are the same. One focuses more on cutting and piercing brought about by speed, while the other pursues the Destruction Power brought by the Wind Attribute.
The pairs are on good terms: Silver Moon Wolves have allied with Gale Wolves, while Black Moon Wolves are friendly with Black Wind Wolves.
So, in truth, Gale Wolves and Black Wind Wolves are the real hereditary enemies. They merely don't get along with Black Moon Wolves, but after so many years, there are plenty of blood feuds between both sides too."
I rub my hands together in anticipation of your Recommendation Tickets and follows, hehe.
Before you continue