Soul Master

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Soul Master (魂师)
Occupation/Role	Practitioner who cultivates Soul Power, develops a Martial Soul, and obtains Soul Rings and Soul Skills
Affiliation	Martial Soul Hall, the two empires, sects, academies, or independent groups
First Appearance	6

Overview

A Soul Master is a person whose awakened Martial Soul is accompanied by Soul Power. Reaching level 10 and absorbing a Soul Ring allows them to become a true Soul Master; without a ring, Soul Power cannot advance beyond level 10 21.

Soul Masters gain strength through Soul Power cultivation, Soul Rings, Martial Soul development, Soul Skills, and Spirit Bones. Their combat strength is generally judged first by major realm and Soul Power level, then Martial Soul quality, Soul Ring age, and finally Spirit Bones 67.

Cultivation and Advancement

Milestone	Requirement	Result
Martial Soul awakening	Awaken a Martial Soul with Soul Power	Gains the potential to cultivate as a Soul Master 21
Level 10 bottleneck	Cultivate Soul Power to level 10	Must hunt or otherwise obtain a Soul Ring to progress 21
Soul Ring absorption	Personally kill and absorb a Soul Beast's ring	Gains a Soul Skill and allows further Soul Power advancement 205
Continued cultivation	Form Soul Power cycles within the body	Strengthens Soul Power and raises level over time 21
Higher-level development	Obtain additional Soul Rings and potentially Spirit Bones	Expands Soul Skills, develops the Martial Soul, and improves combat potential 67

Soul Ring Grades

Soul Beast age	Ring color
Ten years	White
Hundred years	Yellow
Thousand years	Purple
Ten thousand years	Black
One hundred thousand years	Red

Ring grades are classified by the age of the Soul Beast from which they originate 8.

Martial Souls and Soul Power

Martial Souls determine a Soul Master's fundamental traits, while the Martial Soul also influences the nature and manifestation of their Soul Power. Consequently, Soul Masters with similar Soul Power levels can produce substantially different damage and effects 46.

• Martial Souls are broadly divided into Tool Martial Souls and Beast Martial Souls 8.
• A Martial Soul can possess inherent strengths in areas such as strength, speed, stamina, defense, energy, and special abilities; these traits can be assessed through dimensional charts and testing 41 88.
• Soul Rings contribute both Soul Skills and advantageous traits from their originating Soul Beasts, causing the Martial Soul to grow 202.
• A Soul Skill’s manifestation is linked to the Soul Master’s Martial Soul, thoughts, intended development path, and the absorbed Soul Beast’s abilities 30 69 205.
• A Soul Master normally possesses up to nine Soul Skills from nine Soul Rings, excluding exceptional circumstances such as Spirit Bones 9 59.

Soul Skill Formation

Soul Skills are fixed when a Soul Ring is absorbed. The Soul Beast’s innate ability becomes a Soul Skill expressed through the absorbing Soul Master’s Martial Soul; its name may change, but its core manifestation remains the same 202 205.

Gu You’s research proposes that a Soul Master’s expectations can influence skill acquisition through psychological suggestion. This may make desired results more likely, but also risks producing predictable and easily countered combat styles across the same lineage 30.

Classifications

Mainstream roles

The mainstream classification divides Soul Masters into the following combat roles 39:

• Power Attack System — frontline combatants or offensive breakthrough specialists.
• Agility Attack System — high-speed assault or reconnaissance specialists.
• Control System — restrict enemies or improve allies’ ability to secure kills.
• Support System — strengthen teammates.
• Defense System — protect allies; often treated separately in the mainstream system.
• Food System — provides logistical support.
• Healing System — restores or sustains allies.

All Soul Master roles are ultimately connected to combat, whether through direct offense, protection, control, enhancement, or logistics 39.

Gu You’s sub-classification

Gu You considers the mainstream roles overly broad and proposes further classification according to a Soul Master’s primary combat style and team function 39 40.

Broad role	Sub-categories	Function
Power Attack	Frontline / armor-piercing; melee / ranged	Absorb pressure on the front line or break through enemy defenses 39
Agility Attack	Output / scout; melee / ranged	Attack enemy back lines or conduct reconnaissance 40 56
Control	Field-command focused	Manage positioning, enemy movement, and team battlefield control 58
Support	Comprehensive buff focused	Improve allied capabilities across multiple areas 58

This system is intended to help Soul Masters identify their strengths, select appropriate Soul Skills, and occupy clearer roles in battle 88.

Development Paths

Generalist and Specialist

Soul Masters commonly follow one of two broad development tendencies 9 58:

• Generalist type — maintains a main direction while acquiring applications from other roles. This offers flexibility but risks becoming competent at many tasks without excelling at any.
• Specialist type — concentrates Soul Skills and resources on one decisive strength, leaving weaknesses to teammates. This provides a strong role but can fail completely when faced with unsuitable tasks.

Gu You’s concept of Unified Integration aims to combine the advantages of both approaches: specialize clearly while using Self-Created Soul Skills and team composition to compensate for weaknesses 59.

Soul Skill Selection

A Soul Master’s Soul Skill choices should fit their Martial Soul’s inherent traits, personal talent, combat role, and intended team function. Selecting rings only for age or superficial similarity to a Martial Soul can produce inefficient or contradictory combat systems 77 115.

• Soul Skill effects may reinforce a Martial Soul’s natural strengths rather than simply imitate a Soul Beast 69.
• Higher-level Soul Skills can be used either to strengthen personal combat systems or to specialize further for team utility 78.
• Self-Created Soul Skills can broaden a Soul Master’s capabilities beyond their Soul Ring-granted role, though their usability depends on the user’s Soul Power characteristics 46 59.
• Martial Soul evolution may be influenced by heavenly treasures, bloodline changes, and potentially carefully chosen Soul Rings 150.

Team Combat

Soul Master tactics developed significantly through the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, which limits each side to seven active members 40.

The conventional seven-person formation consists of:

• Three Power Attack System Soul Masters
• One Agility Attack System Soul Master
• One Control System Soul Master
• One Support System Soul Master
• One Food System Soul Master 40

Team composition is not fixed: changing even one member’s specialized role can alter the group’s entire combat style. Effective teams cover individual weaknesses, create numerical advantages, and exploit matchups between opposing roles 58 59.

Social Position

Soul Masters form the continent’s upper social class because their power grants access to wealth, influence, and combat authority 39. They may serve empires, sects, Martial Soul Hall, academies, or private interests.

Martial Soul Hall provides subsidies to commoner Soul Masters:

Rank	Monthly subsidy
Soul Master	1 Gold Soul Coin
Soul Grand Master	10 Gold Soul Coins
Soul Elder	100 Gold Soul Coins

To continue receiving subsidies at higher ranks, a Soul Master must officially join Martial Soul Hall 21. The subsidy system was established to prevent commoner Soul Masters from being forced into service under nobles, states, or sects solely to afford cultivation 22.

Relationship with Soul Beasts

Soul Masters traditionally rely on killing Soul Beasts to obtain Soul Rings and become stronger. This dependence is characterized as the foundation of the profession and a major source of conflict between humanity and Soul Beasts 39 67.

• A Soul Beast must normally be personally killed for its Soul Ring to be absorbed 205.
• Soul Rings enable further cultivation and Martial Soul growth 67.
• Spirit Bones provide an additional advantage when Soul Masters of similar realm, Martial Soul quality, and ring age compete 67.
• The increasing efficiency of Soul Master advancement, especially through Soul Spirits, threatens Soul Beast populations and may lead to their extinction 67.

Notable Concepts

• Martial Soul Fusion Skill — an exceptionally demanding cooperative Soul Skill formed between compatible Soul Masters. Its power can allow combat across major rank gaps 22 171.
• Self-Created Soul Skill — a technique developed by a Soul Master rather than granted by a Soul Ring. Such skills are difficult to universally teach because Soul Power properties differ between individuals 46.
• Soul Ring Core — Gu You’s theory that every Soul Skill possesses a fixed internal core governing its possible manifestations 202.
• Self-Condensed Soul Ring — Gu You’s long-term theoretical goal of allowing a Soul Master and Martial Soul to break through without relying on an external Soul Beast ring; he considers the concept currently impractical 318.