Half-Ranked Soul Master

"Half-Ranked!"

"Half-Ranked?" Li Yuan stared blankly at Tang Weiwei, feeling that she might be messing with him.

To be honest, Li Yuan had already guessed that his Soul Power probably would not be very high. He could tell from the faint glow in the crystal ball earlier, so dim it had been nearly invisible.

But what the hell was Half-Ranked? Did Douluo Continent's Soul Power really have something like a half rank? That was way too lacking in prestige.

Li Yuan could already imagine how he would introduce himself to an enemy in the future.

I am Li Yuan, a Half-Ranked Soul Master. My spirit is a keyboard. Please enlighten me!

There were way too many things to mock about that. Was a mighty Keyboard Knight really going to be this pathetic?

Sure enough, he should give up on his spirit as soon as possible. He would keep walking the path of hand-to-hand combat in the future. Fists meeting flesh—that was a man's true romance.

"That's right. Your Soul Power is only half a rank. I'm not lying to you." Tang Weiwei tried hard to put on a serious face as she explained to Li Yuan. Even she felt a little gloomy as she continued, "Soul Power of only half a rank is an extremely rare case. It's said to be even rarer than Innate Full Soul Power."

"On this continent, there seem to have been only one or two Soul Scholars with Innate Soul Power of half a rank."

"Then can people like that cultivate?" Li Yuan's heart, which had gone ice-cold, immediately stirred back to life. A strange spirit was not really a big deal. This was Douluo Continent, not Earth. No one here knew what a keyboard was, much less the joke behind a Keyboard Knight.

Having a spirit that could cultivate was better than having none at all.

"They can, but the problem is..."

Seeing the eager look on Li Yuan's face, Tang Weiwei did not quite know how to tell him the truth.

"But the problem is, Soul Scholars with talent as terrible as yours find cultivation extremely difficult. As far as I know, those Soul Scholars with Innate Soul Power of half a rank in the past never managed to raise their Soul Power to Rank Ten in their entire lives, obtain a soul ring, and become true Soul Masters."

As she spoke, Tang Weiwei shook her head at Li Yuan. Though she said nothing more, the expression on her face made her meaning perfectly clear.

No hope. Just wait to die. Goodbye.

"Is that so?"

Li Yuan looked somewhat dejected. Discovering that he could not cultivate his spirit, it would have been impossible for him not to feel disappointed.

After all, he had finally transmigrated to Douluo Continent. Who would not want to become a Soul Master? Although his spirit was a little unusual, it was still better than having nothing.

Now, he had finally obtained a spirit and Soul Power as well, yet he was practically unable to cultivate. That felt awful.

Of course, while Li Yuan was quite disappointed, he was not truly despairing. Unlike most people on Douluo Continent, he was not limited to the single path of becoming a Soul Master.

Even without relying on his spirit, the brute strength of his body alone was no weaker than that of a Soul Master. Moreover, Li Yuan could feel that the power contained within his body was far from fully developed.

As he grew older, his strength would only increase. In the end, he might even be able to rival the powerhouses of Douluo Continent. The only problem was that his whole style might be a little different from everyone else's on Douluo Continent, that was all.

"Forget it. I should wash up and sleep early. I still have to go hunting tomorrow!"

After his initial frustration, Li Yuan quickly adjusted his mindset.

"Xiao Yuan, don't be too disappointed. Your talent may be a little lacking, but your strength is no worse than that of a Soul Master." At that moment, a kind voice suddenly rang out beside Li Yuan's ear.

Only then did Li Yuan notice that the village chief, Duke, was standing before him with a benevolent smile on his face.

Huh? When did Grandpa Village Chief get here? Didn't he just escort that Soul Grandmaster named Tang Weiwei out of the village? How did such a big village chief suddenly pop out of nowhere?

"Oh, Grandpa Village Chief, don't worry. I won't be disappointed. It's just that I don't have much Soul Power. It's no big deal." Though he was still somewhat disappointed inside, Li Yuan did not show it. Instead, he put on an unconcerned look and spoke in a childish voice.

"Uh, it's good that you understand. Well, I still have something to do, so I'll be going now. I'm off!" Hearing Li Yuan's childish voice, which utterly did not match his appearance, Duke could not help but shudder.

Seeing that Li Yuan had already adjusted his attitude, Duke did not wish to remain any longer. In a flash, he disappeared.

Two years later.

At the entrance of Douhun Village, Li Yuan lay atop a pile of grass with a blade of grass between his teeth and one leg crossed over the other, looking completely relaxed.

After two years, Li Yuan had grown even sturdier. He was now over two meters tall and looked like a little giant. Simply standing there gave people a terrifying feeling.

Over the past two years, Li Yuan's appearance had not changed much. He was still as youthful and cute as before, with delicate features. However, his head looked even more out of proportion when paired with his body.

"Why do I feel like that girl was lying to me? Didn't she say my talent was terrible and that I was destined never to become a Soul Master?" Li Yuan muttered to himself while basking in the sun, looking deeply puzzled.

Over the past two years, Li Yuan had barely cultivated his Soul Power. After all, even the Spirit Hall Soul Master had said there was no hope for him and that he would definitely never become a Soul Master.

Thus, he had not actively cultivated his Soul Power during those two years. Instead, he had focused more on tempering his body. Though his style looked a little strange, the strength he gained was real.

By now, Li Yuan had no rivals among hundred-year soul beasts through physical strength alone. Even eight- or nine-hundred-year soul beasts could be beaten to death with ease. If measured by the standards of Soul Masters, Li Yuan's current strength was roughly equivalent to that of a Three-ring Soul Master. Even among Soul Elders, he would be considered relatively powerful.

However, what Li Yuan could not understand was that as his strength increased, his Soul Power had also continued to rise, and at a rather fast rate.

Only two years had passed since his Spirit Awakening, yet Li Yuan's Soul Power had already reached Rank Ten. Unless he went to hunt a soul beast and obtain a soul ring now, it could not continue increasing.

What puzzled Li Yuan even more was that after his Soul Power reached its bottleneck, the rate at which his physical strength increased also began to slow. Even his appetite had decreased. In the past, he had needed to eat at least half a pig per meal just to get half full. Now, he could only eat a quarter of one.