Shadow Martial Soul—King of the Dark Night

Shadow Martial Soul—King of the Dark Night

Spirit City, before the Pope's Palace.

Everyone looked at Jiang Hao, who possessed Innate Full Soul Power, their expressions stiffening for a moment. His Martial Soul was already so powerful, and he even had Innate Full Soul Power. Were people like them supposed to live at all?

Qian Daoliu slowly composed himself, took several steps forward, and said, "No one is allowed to spread word of what happened today. Whoever does so will bear the consequences."

Everyone's expressions sharpened at once. Who would dare question Qian Daoliu's words? They hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Qian Daoliu's expression softened somewhat. He continued, "Jiang Hao, come in with me." With that, Qian Daoliu strode away ahead of everyone.

After greeting the others, Jiang Hao quickly followed Qian Daoliu.

Before long, the two were inside the Pope's Palace. Its doors closed behind them, leaving only Qian Daoliu and Jiang Hao in the entire hall.

Tall, vast, cold, silent.

That was how Jiang Hao felt about the Pope's Palace at that moment. Glazed jade and purple-gold beams supported the ceiling, while milky-white White Marble stretched as far as the eye could see. At the head of the hall, atop the high platform, everything was extravagantly luxurious and glittering. The throne symbolizing supreme authority shone with dazzling golden light, radiating sacred majesty.

This was not Jiang Hao's first time in the Pope's Palace, but every visit gave him a different feeling.

At that moment, Qian Daoliu turned around. His face was solemn as he said in a deep voice, "Jiang Hao, release your Martial Soul."

Jiang Hao obediently nodded, forcibly suppressing the excitement in his heart as he took a small step back.

The next instant, a faint Soul Power Fluctuation suddenly appeared within the Pope's Palace. Immediately afterward, Jiang Hao's body vanished into thin air amid a bizarre distortion, disappearing without a trace.

The solemn expression on Qian Daoliu's face changed, turning to astonishment. He could no longer remain calm.

"He disappeared?" Qian Daoliu muttered softly.

Then, a strand of golden Mental Power extended outward, seemingly searching for Jiang Hao's whereabouts.

Shock, confusion, and countless other emotions flashed through Qian Daoliu's golden eyes.

"What exactly is this Martial Soul?" Qian Daoliu blurted out.

Only five seconds later, Jiang Hao's figure slowly reappeared where he had stood, a faint shadow forming behind him.

"I gave it a name—Shadow Demon," Jiang Hao said.

"Shadow Demon... like a shadow, like a demon, formless and incorporeal. Not bad," Qian Daoliu mused.

"Based on my years of experience, your Shadow Martial Soul does not possess any attribute," Qian Daoliu said.

"What? My Martial Soul has no attribute? Doesn't that mean my Martial Soul is basically a useless Martial Soul? I..." Jiang Hao stammered, a hint of dejection appearing on his face. He had thought he had awakened an extraordinary Martial Soul, only for it to be a useless one.

"Don't panic. Listen to me first."

"Under normal circumstances, Soul Masters who awaken Shadow Martial Souls will have shadows that carry some natural element—for example, a shadow of fire, a shadow of water, or even a shadow of lightning. Yet your Martial Soul has no attribute. In other words, your Martial Soul has greater compatibility and plasticity," Qian Daoliu explained.

"Compatibility? Plasticity? What are those?" Jiang Hao asked with a puzzled expression.

"Your Soul Power is level ten Innate Full Soul Power. This means that, at the very least, you can cultivate to become a Titled Douluo in the future. Therefore, your choice of Soul Rings will be extremely important. Although your Shadow Martial Soul has no attribute, if you choose Soul Rings with different attributes, you will gain Soul Skills of multiple attributes. In this way, your Martial Soul's potential will be raised invisibly," Qian Daoliu said.

Jiang Hao thought it over. That's right. Although my Martial Soul doesn't have an attribute, I can accommodate many attributes.

"Moreover, you possess a special talent," Qian Daoliu said meaningfully.

"A special talent?" Jiang Hao looked confused. Me, Jiang Hao, with a special talent? Then he suddenly remembered. Could it be...?

"Looks like you've remembered."

"That's right. It's the invisibility trait that comes with your Martial Soul. Once you become invisible, no Soul Power or Mental Power can detect your whereabouts, and it ignores Soul Power Level entirely. Even I cannot see through it." There was no lack of envy in Qian Daoliu's tone.

"What? Even His Holiness the Pope cannot detect me?" Jiang Hao asked in astonishment.

"Yes. Unless it is a Soul Master especially skilled in Mental Power, or one whose Martial Soul shares the same origin as yours, they will be unable to discover you. But there are very few people in this world whose Mental Power is stronger than mine, so you may rest assured," Qian Daoliu said.

Jiang Hao nodded, then continued asking, "His Holiness the Pope, how should I cultivate my Martial Soul from now on?"

"Do you know? Your talent is perfectly suited for becoming an assassin. You can be called the king of the dark night. From now on, cultivate under me. I will teach you carefully and not waste your talent."

The moment Jiang Hao heard those words, his entire body trembled with excitement. He nearly cried out, but managed to hold himself back.

With a thump, Jiang Hao dropped to his knees and respectfully called out, "Teacher."

Qian Daoliu smiled in satisfaction. "From now on, you are my student. I have never accepted a disciple in my life. You are the first."

"My name is Qian Daoliu. I am the Angel Douluo, one of the three Peerless Douluo at level 99 in this age. Spirit Hall was founded by our Angel Family, and it has existed for ten thousand years."

"Spirit Hall's mission is to protect the Douluo Continent, suppress Evil Soul Masters, and preserve peace across the continent. Hao'er, you must remember this," Qian Daoliu said.

Jiang Hao nodded firmly. "Teacher, I understand." Jiang Hao had not expected the Pope to be a level 99 Peerless Douluo. In his mind, Titled Douluo were already incredibly powerful.

"Let me tell you one more thing. The one who saved you back then was my son. His name is—Qian Xunji. He is my only son, but he made a ten-year pact with me and went alone to train across the continent. He will return in ten years," Qian Daoliu revealed a bombshell.

"What?" This time, Jiang Hao was the one who was shocked. He had previously guessed that Big Brother might have some connection to his teacher, but he had never expected him to be his teacher's son.

At the same time, Jiang Hao thought to himself, Ten years? Big Brother, I will definitely cultivate diligently. When you return, you'll be in for a huge surprise.

"Teacher, does that mean I can obtain a Soul Ring now?" At the thought of obtaining a Soul Ring and becoming a Soul Master, Jiang Hao could not contain his joy.

Qian Daoliu had long considered this matter. He immediately smiled and said, "There is no need to rush this. With your current Body Strength, you are still far from reaching your peak. Therefore, I have decided to begin training your physique in advance. Once you reach a suitable level, I will take you to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for an appropriate Soul Ring. During this time, I can also make plans for the direction of your future development."

"Alright, Teacher. I'll listen to you," Jiang Hao said with a smile.

For the time that followed, Qian Daoliu devised specialized training tailored to Jiang Hao's physical strength. Every morning, someone woke him up early for morning drills.

The morning drills consisted of carrying a stone slab from Martial Soul Mountain to its base, then running from the foot of the mountain back to the summit.

He could slow down along the way, but he was not allowed to stop and rest.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were prepared by chefs specially hired by Martial Soul Hall. The meals were highly nutritious—after all, one needed to eat well to have the strength to work.

The mornings were mainly devoted to systematically teaching Jiang Hao all kinds of theoretical knowledge, common knowledge of the Soul Master World, as well as the types and ranks of Soul Beasts and how to obtain Soul Rings.

For the afternoon training, Qian Daoliu specifically invited an Agility System Soul Master skilled at concealing his tracks to train Jiang Hao. This Soul Master was also highly conscientious and taught Jiang Hao with great care.

The training combined suitable movement techniques with various tools to develop agility, with the aim of honing Jiang Hao's stealth and concealment skills.

It also improved his bodily responsiveness.

This kind of training was quite rare; even among ordinary Agility System Soul Masters, few had use for it.

However, Jiang Hao raised no objections and continued training diligently, which Qian Daoliu greatly appreciated.

Even at night, Jiang Hao did not idle away his time. Instead, he voluntarily read books in the Martial Soul Hall Library. The books there represented Martial Soul Hall's collection of over ten thousand years, and their value could not be underestimated.

In this way, every day of Jiang Hao's schedule was packed full. He could feel his strength rapidly improving, and each day was incredibly fulfilling.

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