Completing the Soul Master Path

Chapter 37: Completing the Soul Master Path

The night in Martial Soul City was very quiet.

Meow Meow lay sprawled across the long desk in the Pope's Palace, his tail sweeping the corner of the table back and forth, a complicated look in his eyes.

Bibi Dong sat behind the desk, several dossiers sent by Martial Soul Hall placed at her hand.

One of them recorded the results of martial soul awakenings from various regions.

Another detailed conflicts arising from soul beast hunting in the forests.

The last one was an account of the expenditures for training Soul Masters within Martial Soul Hall.

Meow Meow stared at them for a long while, his head starting to ache.

"Soul Master training is really troublesome."

He had originally thought the cultivation path on the Douluo Continent was already quite complete.

Innate Soul Power, Martial Soul Awakening, Soul Ring breakthrough, Soul Bone enhancement, finally Title Douluo, then Level 100 and becoming a god.

The process looked perfectly clear on the surface.

But now that these dossiers were laid out before him, Meow Meow realized this path was actually full of holes.

For ordinary people to awaken a martial soul, they had to rely on luck.

After awakening the martial soul, they still had to depend on their soul power.

With soul power, they then needed to find a teacher.

When they hit a bottleneck in cultivation, they had to hunt soul beasts.

If the soul ring's age limit wasn't suitable, it could cripple half their life.

If the soul beast was too powerful, the Soul Master could be killed in return.

Even if someone smoothly cultivated all the way to Title Douluo, not everyone could find the path to godhood.

"No wonder after all these years on the Douluo Continent, so few have become gods."

Meow Meow scratched his chin, feeling he had previously underestimated this world.

Bibi Dong watched Meow Meow, a hint of contemplation in her eyes.

Lately, she had heard him say many strange things.

Things about education, about clans, about inheritance, about foundational systems.

At first, she only found it novel.

But as time passed, she discovered that some of Meow Meow's seemingly casual remarks were actually quite useful.

At the very least, many of the things Martial Soul Hall had done over the years could be clearly dissected in Meow Meow's words.

"You think the Soul Master system has problems?" Bibi Dong asked softly.

Meow Meow nodded.

"Quite a few, actually."

Bibi Dong's gaze shifted. "Tell me."

Meow Meow rolled over, changing from lying on his stomach to lying on his back, his four paws dangling in the air.

"First, Soul Masters rely too much on soul beasts."

"Without a soul ring, you can't break through."

"But soul beasts aren't radishes that grow out of the ground. Kill one, and there's one less."

"Low-level soul beasts are fine, but high-level ones are limited in number. Soul beasts over ten thousand years old are already rare, let alone Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts."

"In the long run, the more Soul Masters there are, the fewer soul beasts there will be."

"The fewer soul beasts there are, the harder it is for Soul Masters to break through."

"In the end, something is bound to go wrong."

Bibi Dong did not refute him.

Martial Soul Hall controlled information on Soul Masters across the continent; she understood this point better than anyone.

The more powerful a Soul Master, the higher the age of soul ring they needed.

But high-age soul beasts did not just appear out of thin air.

The Star Dou Great Forest, the Sunset Forest, the Far North, the Sea Soul Beast regions—these places seemed vast, but facing the demands of Soul Masters across the entire continent, they were still insufficient.

Especially as the number of Soul Masters continued to grow, the conflict would only become greater.

"Second, Soul Master training depends too much on background," Meow Meow added.

"Nobles have resources, sects have inheritances. Although Martial Soul Hall can help commoners awaken their martial souls, after awakening, most commoner Soul Masters still struggle to receive systematic training."

"Some people clearly have good talent, but because they have no teacher, no cultivation method, and no suitable soul rings, they end up as Low-Rank Soul Masters their whole lives."

"That's also a waste."

Bibi Dong's gaze darkened slightly.

This was something the Martial Soul Hall had always been working on.

But no matter how strong the Martial Soul Hall was, it couldn't cover every corner of the continent all at once.

Soul awakening was just the first step.

There was still too much to fill in afterward.

"Third, Soul Masters have too shallow an understanding of their martial souls."

Meow Meow paused his tail as he spoke.

"Many Soul Masters just treat their martial souls as tools."

"Tool martial souls are used for fighting, beast martial souls for transformation, and innate martial souls for self-enhancement."

"But what exactly is a martial soul?"

"Is it bloodline? Is it the soul? Is it an outward manifestation of the world's rules given to living beings?"

"If they don't even understand this, and just pile on soul rings and Soul Bones, aren't they just cultivating more and more confusedly?"

Bibi Dong fell silent.

These words sounded a bit far-reaching.

But as a Twin Martial Souls owner, her perception of martial souls ran much deeper than an ordinary Soul Master's.

The Death Spider Emperor and the Soul-Eater Spider Emperor weren't just two tools.

They were more like a part of her body and soul.

Sometimes they even affected her emotions.

Especially after the Rakshasa God's divine thought erosion appeared, this feeling became more pronounced.

"So what then?"

Bibi Dong lifted her gaze. "How do you want to change it?"

Meow Meow's eyes lit up slightly.

When it came to this, he perked up.

"First, establish a complete path for Soul Masters."

Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow.

"A Soul Master path?"

"Mm."

Meow Meow sat up and patted the table with his claws.

"Not just teaching them how to absorb soul rings and release Soul Skills, but starting from soul awakening, telling them what a martial soul is, what soul power is, and what a soul ring is."

"Let them know why they cultivate."

"Let them understand that a Soul Master isn't just about using Soul Skills to fight."

"They also need to know the relationship between Soul Masters and soul beasts."

Bibi Dong looked thoughtful.

"How is this different from the Martial Soul Hall Academy?"

"The difference is huge."

Meow Meow shook his head.

"Current academies are more like teaching students how to get stronger."

"What This Cat is saying is, let them know what to do after getting stronger."

"Soul Masters can guard cities, heal the sick, farm, forge tools, scout, and do many things."

"Not all Soul Masters should end up only thinking about fighting and vying for power."

"That would throw the world into chaos."

Bibi Dong was somewhat surprised.

She hadn't expected Meow Meow to go this far.

On the Douluo Continent, Soul Masters had always been exalted beings.

The strong dominating the weak was almost a universally assumed rule.

But what Meow Meow was saying seemed to point to another path.

A path that didn't rely solely on power to suppress everything.

"You want Soul Masters to do the work of ordinary people?"

Bibi Dong asked.

"It's not about ordinary people."

Meow Meow shook his head. "It's about letting Soul Masters know they're not just killers."

"Of course, killing enemies is also important."

"Bad people must be killed, enemies must be fought, and those who bully Martial Soul Hall can't be let off either."

Having said that, Meow Meow added another sentence.

"Especially those who bully This Seat's Poop Scooper in the future."

Bibi Dong was taken aback, then couldn't help but smile.

Meow Meow spoke with righteous confidence.

But those words, falling on her ears, carried a hint of warmth.

She lowered her head to look at the documents on the table, and her mind suddenly calmed down quite a bit.

"What about the soul beast problem?"

Bibi Dong asked.

"The soul beast problem is trickier."

Meow Meow turned serious.

"The path of killing soul beasts for soul rings can't be abolished overnight."

"Douluo Continent has been doing it this way for so many years. If you say now that soul beasts can't be killed, Soul Masters definitely won't agree."

"And soul beasts won't immediately shake hands with Soul Masters just because you say 'peace'."

"So it can only be changed slowly."

Bibi Dong nodded.

She agreed with that.

No change should be rushed.

Especially one that affects the entire continent's cultivation foundation.

"This Seat has an idea now."

Meow Meow raised a paw, and the Soul-Calming Bell chimed softly.

A faint golden light spread across the tabletop.

Above it, the phantom images of a small cat and a small rabbit appeared.

Bibi Dong glanced at it.

That little rabbit was round and plump, not looking fierce at all.

Meow Meow also glanced at it, then paused for a moment.

"Never mind why this rabbit is so round for now."

The corner of Bibi Dong's mouth twitched slightly.

"This Seat wants to try making a kind of Soul Pact."

"Soul Pact?"

"Mm."

Meow Meow nodded.

"Soul beasts don't necessarily have to die to give soul rings."

"If a soul beast is willing, it can use a pact method to condense part of its own soul power and essence into a Soul Ring Seed and give it to a Soul Master."

"The Soul Master gets the soul ring, and the soul beast doesn't die."

"In fact, as the Soul Master grows stronger, the soul beast can even receive feedback."

Bibi Dong's gaze sharpened.

"Is that possible?"

"Not really possible right now."

Meow Meow was honest.

"At least This Seat hasn't fully figured it out yet."

"Soul rings are tied to the heavenly laws of Douluo Continent; it's not something you can just make by pinching a circle."

"But we can start testing with low-level soul beasts."

"For example, hundred-year soul beasts, thousand-year soul beasts."

"If it succeeds, we can reduce some of the killing in the future."

Bibi Dong fell silent in thought.

If there really were such a method, the relationship between Soul Masters and soul beasts might undergo a massive transformation.

But at the same time, once something like this appeared, it would inevitably spark contention among countless forces.

It might even be more precious than a Soul Bone.

"This must not be spread."

Bibi Dong said in a low voice.

"Of course not."

Meow Meow retracted his claws, and the phantom on the table vanished.

"This Cat isn't stupid."

Bibi Dong looked at him.

Meow Meow blinked. "Occasionally not stupid."

Bibi Dong finally let out a laugh.

After laughing, her expression slowly calmed again.

"If you can complete this path, Martial Soul Hall will fully cooperate."

"But what do you want?"

Meow Meow tilted his head.

"What do I want?"

"You're helping Martial Soul Hall, helping the Soul Master system, even helping the entire continent—you must want something." Bibi Dong said.

Meow Meow thought for a moment.

He really hadn't thought about it seriously.

At first, he just felt that Douluo Continent had too many regrets.

Bibi Dong's extremism, Qian Renxue's loneliness, Martial Soul Hall's ending, the conflict between soul beasts and Soul Masters, and that future Protagonist Group who preached justice while being hypocritical at every turn.

All these things piled up, making Meow Meow uncomfortable.

Since it was uncomfortable, he'd change it.

If he couldn't change the big things, he'd start with the small.

If he couldn't change the whole continent, he'd start with Martial Soul Hall.

If he couldn't change everyone, he'd at least take care of the people around him.

"This Cat wants a happy ending."

Meow Meow suddenly said.

Bibi Dong froze.

Those four words sounded a bit childish.

But Meow Meow said them very seriously.

"What do you mean by a happy ending?"

Meow Meow thought for a moment. "It means the people who should live, live; the people who should smile, smile; the bad guys get beaten flying; the good guys don't suffer."

"And also, cats should have food to eat."

When Bibi Dong heard the last part, she couldn't help but press her forehead.

"The first part was good."

"The last part is also important." Meow Meow said solemnly.

Bibi Dong didn't laugh again.

She suddenly thought of herself many years ago.

Back then, she wasn't the Pope yet, nor was she sitting in this cold hall.

Back then, maybe she too had thought that the future would have a good ending.

It was just that later, many things went off course.

So far off course that she couldn't be bothered to turn back.

But now, a cat was lying on her table, talking to her about a happy ending.

Bibi Dong looked at Meow Meow, and somewhere cold inside her, something stirred gently.

"Alright."

She said softly.

"If that day really comes, Martial Soul Hall will help you."

Meow Meow nodded in satisfaction.

"Now that's more like a Poop Scooper."

Bibi Dong's gaze turned cold.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

Meow Meow lowered her head and licked her paw.

Just then, the system's voice suddenly rang out.

[Ding, detected host has preliminarily proposed a direction for completing the Soul Master Path.]

[Ding, Holy Flame Cat Cat Sect's foundational principles are being refined.]

[Ding, key Martial Soul Hall figure Bibi Dong's mental state fluctuated, radicalism value slightly decreased.]

[Ding, congratulations host for receiving a Small Gift Pack for Completing the Soul Master Path.]

Meow Meow's eyes instantly lit up.

There was such a good thing?

She had only chatted with her Poop Scooper, and she got a gift pack for it.

"System, open."

[Soul Master Path Completion Small Gift Pack: Treasure: Soul Contract Stone x1, Divine Ability: Martial Soul Insight, Treasure: Meow Meow Academy Jade Slip Set.]

[Soul Contract Stone: Can assist the host in researching the contractual relationship between Soul Masters and Soul Beasts, somewhat helpful for condensing Soul Ring Seeds.]

[Martial Soul Insight: Can briefly glimpse the origin of a Martial Soul, judging its inclination, potential, flaws, and some possibilities of mutation.]

[Meow Meow Academy Jade Slip: Can record basic cultivation knowledge and impart it to Low-Rank Soul Masters through dreams, images, text, and other methods.]

Seeing this, Meow Meow's tail perked up.

Although this gift pack didn't directly give divine-level treasures, every item was practical.

Especially the Soul Contract Stone.

This came at just the right time.

To solve the problem between Soul Beasts and Soul Masters, she at least needed an experimental tool first.

Martial Soul Insight was also good.

It would make judging people much easier from now on.

Whose Martial Soul had flaws, whose could mutate, who was suited for what path—one glance would tell, saving the trouble of guessing blindly.

As for the Meow Meow Academy Jade Slip...

A scene suddenly popped into Meow Meow's mind: a group of young Soul Masters sitting in neat rows, earnestly listening to a cat giving a lecture.

"Tsk."

"Feels pretty impressive."

Bibi Dong watched Meow Meow suddenly look smug and knew this cat had gotten some benefit again.

But she didn't ask.

Meow Meow had many secrets.

She was used to it by now.

As long as this cat was still willing to stay in Martial Soul Hall, willing to roll around on her desk, willing to pat her with a paw when her thoughts were darkest—

That was enough.

Meow Meow put away the gift pack and suddenly thought of something else.

"By the way, Poop... Your Holiness the Pope."

Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes.

Meow Meow immediately corrected herself. "This Cat thinks Martial Soul Hall could first build a true commoner Soul Master academy."

Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow. "Martial Soul Hall already has an academy."

"It's different."

Meow Meow shook her head.

"Martial Soul Hall Academy trains outstanding Soul Masters."

"What This Cat means is a Basic Academy."

"Let children who have just awakened their Martial Souls first learn the most fundamental things."

"Understand Martial Souls, understand Soul Power, understand Soul Beasts, understand the Douluo Continent."

"At least let them know that cultivation isn't about using Soul Skills to bully others."

Bibi Dong pondered for a moment.

This idea wasn't earth-shattering, but it was very practical.

Martial Soul Hall had already won the trust of many commoners by awakening Martial Souls for them every year.

If Basic Academies were added on top of that, the Martial Soul Hall's influence among commoners would only deepen.

Moreover, this approach wouldn't need to cover the entire continent from the start.

It could first be trialed near Martial Soul City.

"Agreed."

Bibi Dong said.

"I'll have someone draft the regulations."

Miaomiao nodded in satisfaction.

"Also, the academy's name should be Holy Flame Cat Cat Academy."

Bibi Dong: "..."

Miaomiao was dead serious.

"Names matter."

Bibi Dong rubbed her brow.

"Call it Martial Soul Hall Primary Academy for now."

"Holy Flame Cat Cat Academy!"

"Martial Soul Hall Primary Academy."

"Holy Flame Cat..."

Bibi Dong reached out and pressed down on the cat's head.

Miaomiao instantly flattened.

"Fine, Martial Soul Hall Holy Fire Primary Academy."

Bibi Dong conceded a step.

Miaomiao thought it over and reluctantly accepted.

Anyway, everyone would eventually know this academy was this cat's idea.

Names could be changed slowly.

Just as Miaomiao was thinking this, footsteps sounded from outside the hall.

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan entered, bowed, and said, "Your Holiness the Pope, the training records of Her Highness the Saint have been delivered."

Bibi Dong took the scroll and casually opened it.

Miaomiao's ears twitched.

Saint?

Hu Liena?

In the mainline of Douluo 1, the Golden Generation of Martial Soul Hall was already starting to grow?

Miaomiao craned her neck to glance at the scroll.

It recorded the training progress of Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan.

Miaomiao's eyes narrowed slightly.

These three were originally meant to be the face of the younger generation in Martial Soul Hall.

But in the original ending, they were crushed by Tang San all the way, ending up somewhat stifled.

Since this cat was now in Martial Soul Hall, that couldn't be allowed to happen again.

"Your Holiness the Pope."

Miaomiao suddenly spoke.

Bibi Dong looked at him.

"These three can also enter the advanced class of the Holy Fire... Martial Soul Hall Holy Fire Primary Academy."

Bibi Dong was taken aback.

"They're no longer beginner Soul Masters."

"Then call it an Advanced Class."

Miaomiao said.

"This Seat will take a look at their martial souls."

"Maybe we can adjust their paths in advance."

Chrysanthemum Douluo looked at the cat on the table, his expression somewhat odd.

A cat saying it wanted to adjust the training path of the Golden Generation.

If anyone else had said that, Yue Guan would have laughed.

But coming from Miaomiao's mouth, he couldn't muster a single chuckle.

After all, this cat had already done far too many outrageous things.

Bibi Dong thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."

Meow Meow immediately perked up.

Hu Liena, Xie Yue, Yan.

Plus Qian Renxue.

If the younger generation of Martial Soul Hall were properly retrained, when the time came to fight Tang San and his group, they wouldn't have to suffer the same losses as before, right?

Thinking this, Meow Meow's mouth curled into a slight smile.

"Tang San, Tang San."

"This Cat isn't targeting you specifically."

"It's just that if you want to use Martial Soul Hall as your stepping stone to glory from now on, that definitely won't work anymore."

Bibi Dong didn't catch what Meow Meow was muttering, only noticed that this cat suddenly had a mischievous grin.

She reached out and tapped Meow Meow's forehead.

"What are you plotting now?"

Meow Meow blinked.

"This Cat is thinking about a happy ending."

Bibi Dong didn't believe it.

Meow Meow didn't explain either.

Anyway, a happy ending.

The villains get beaten away.

The regrets get filled in.

And those who deserve a lesson won't be spared.

As for certain people who might turn Martial Soul Hall into a stepping stone in the future...

Meow Meow licked its paw.

We'll deal with that when the time comes.