Innate Talent

The higher the level of a meditation method on Douluo Continent, the more efficiently it absorbed Heaven and Earth Essence, the greater the proportion converted into soul power, and the better it was at tempering spiritual power.

This world's cultivation system emphasized physical fitness and the spirit. It was strange because cultivation breakthroughs required hunting Spirit Beasts and absorbing Spirit Rings in order to advance to the next stage.

Absorbing a Spirit Beast's Spirit Ring also imposed requirements on one's physical fitness and spiritual strength.

Soul Masters in this world had to absorb Spirit Rings to break through. The older the absorbed Spirit Ring, the greater the benefits gained. However, a Soul Master's physical fitness had its limits, which was why the so-called Optimal Spirit Ring Ratio existed.

Absorbing a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring invited backlash from the lingering soul of the Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beast. At that point, a Soul Master's spiritual strength would be tested. Thus, this world's cultivation methods were extremely simple and crude. Meditation methods merely refined soul power from Heaven and Earth Essence while also increasing spiritual power.

As for physical fitness, one had to train it oneself. Without specialized body cultivation techniques, most Soul Masters possessed roughly the same physical fitness at the same level. Only Beast Spirit Soul users were somewhat stronger, along with certain Twin Martial Soul users or disciples of powerful sects that possessed Body Tempering Secret Methods. Only they could absorb Spirit Rings beyond their age limit and surpass ordinary Soul Masters right from the starting line.

Even the protagonist of the first story in Liu Xing's memories had only been slightly ahead of others in terms of Spirit Ring configuration during the early stages because of the Mysterious Heaven Skill and the boost from Twin Martial Souls.

However, Liu Xing felt that he and Firefly held a tremendous advantage in this regard. Although Firefly had somehow reverted to childhood and become a little girl, her foundation was still there. Liu Xing had inherited Firefly's physical fitness, which likewise far surpassed that of children his age.

As for spiritual power, Firefly had been tempered through countless battles and slaughter, so her spiritual strength could not possibly be low. The same was true for Liu Xing. Otherwise, he would never have learned the writing of Douluo Continent in just one month. With his original spiritual strength and memory, learning a foreign language would have been impossible without years of persistence. Yet now, he needed only a month. This was the spiritual power he had inherited from Firefly.

In Firefly's universe, those who could embark upon an Aeon Path were all one in ten thousand. Every one of them possessed an unshakable will; otherwise, they would not be qualified to walk that path.

It was merely that Firefly did not know how to use her formidable spiritual power. But the subtle benefits brought by powerful spiritual power would not disappear. In areas such as learning, those with strong spiritual power naturally held far greater advantages than ordinary people.

What took others a year to learn, you could master in a month. Over time, the gap would naturally reveal itself.

As his foundational knowledge filled in, Liu Xing's understanding of this world grew deeper and deeper. Combined with the memories of his past life, he had already gained a thorough understanding of Douluo Continent during this period.

Of course, he would not blindly trust his own memories. This was a real universe, not a fictional one. His memories might not be accurate, and he needed to see everything with his own eyes before taking it as fact.

What if this world was merely a parallel world similar to the one in his memories? That possibility was not nonexistent.

Liu Xing looked out the window. A yellow ring of light rose and fell around Nan Qiuqiu's body. Her right hand formed a claw, glowing pink as it grabbed at Firefly, but Firefly merely shifted her body slightly and sidestepped Nan Qiuqiu's pounce.

Firefly did not counterattack. Relying on astonishing intuition and combat experience that seemed etched into her bones, she evaded every one of Nan Qiuqiu's attacks. Even when Nan Qiuqiu angrily used her First Soul Skill, Hand of Annihilation, Firefly swiftly dodged aside, making Nan Qiuqiu stomp her feet in frustration.

Nan Shui Shui watched from the side, her gaze toward Firefly filled with uncertainty and shock. She could not understand how a little girl barely over four years old could possess such terrifying combat instincts. In the end, she could only conclude that Firefly was innately gifted.

After all, this Douluo Continent was not one of those cultivation novels Liu Xing had read. There was no body possession, nor was there any concept of mighty experts being reincarnated. In the end, it could only be attributed to innate talent.

"I'm not fighting anymore, I'm not fighting! Firefly, you're way too good at dodging!"

Nan Qiuqiu panted as she braced herself against her knees, her little face flushed red. She had already exhausted her stamina in the chase just now, and she had even used her First Soul Skill. At her current Soul Power Level, she could use her First Soul Skill at most three times. Both consecutive Hand of Annihilation attacks had been nimbly evaded by Firefly, and she had no more soul power to spare. If she used it once more, her soul power would be exhausted, and that feeling was far too awful. This was only a sparring match—she was not going to go that far!

Still, losing to Firefly, who was two years younger than her and had not even awakened her Martial Soul, left her extremely unwilling to accept it. She, Young Miss Nan Qiuqiu, had defeated every peer in the Earthly Dragon Gate without a single worthy opponent, to the point where she had begun to feel that the world was vast and enemies were nowhere to be found. Yet she had been struck down so quickly that she felt wronged enough to cry.

Xu Shenshu scratched his head beside her and comforted her foolishly, "Big Sister Head, you're already very strong. Whenever I fight Second Sister Head, I get beaten black and blue every time."

As though recalling the sight of Firefly's little pink fists smashing into his face, Xu Shenshu shuddered. After being brutally beaten by Firefly several times, he had become utterly convinced of this Second Sister Head's strength. Those fists looked soft, yet they were as hard as steel. He never wanted to experience them again.

"Yeah, yeah! Big Sister Head, you're already amazing. At least you're stronger than all of us."

Xiao Feng, Feng Jue, and the other Earthly Dragon Gate disciples nodded repeatedly. To this group of little brats, Big Sister Head was already incredible for being able to chase after Second Sister Head, that freakish little girl, and only admitting defeat after running out of stamina.

"Hahaha! Of course I am! Otherwise, how could I be your Big Sister Head?"

After being flattered for a while, Nan Qiuqiu instantly swelled with pride again. With her hands on her hips, she smugly wiped her little nose.

Nan Shui Shui slapped a hand against her own face, utterly speechless. This girl was beyond saving. It seemed she had raised her daughter wrong.

Liu Xing chuckled as he watched the scene. He understood Firefly's physical fitness better than anyone. Although Nan Qiuqiu had seemed to be chasing Firefly around just now, to Firefly, it had amounted to nothing more than a warm-up.

Still, Nan Qiuqiu's Soul Skill had caught Liu Xing's attention. Nan Qiuqiu had broken through to Level 10 Soul Power a few days ago, and Nan Shui Shui had taken her to Sunset Forest to obtain her First Soul Ring. She had officially become a Level 11, one-ring Soul Scholar.

With Nan Qiuqiu's Innate Level 9 Soul Power aptitude, she should have reached Level 10 even sooner if she had not been so playful. According to her, the age of the First Soul Ring she had absorbed was around four hundred and fifty years, already slightly exceeding the theoretical limit for a Soul Master's First Soul Ring.