Biodata
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Martial Soul |
| Original Name | 武魂 |
| Role | Awakened manifestation through which a person may cultivate and use Soul Power as a Soul Master |
| Status | Active |
| First Appearance | Chapter 1 |
Power Progression
| Stage / Realm / Level | Chapter | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Awakening | 1 | A Martial Soul is awakened through a Martial Soul Hall ceremony. The accompanying Soul Power test determines whether its bearer can become a Soul Master; Su Ming awakens the Cloud Martial Soul with Innate Soul Power level 6. 1 |
| Level 10 / First Soul Ring | 7 | Upon reaching level 10, a Soul Master may hunt and absorb a first Soul Ring, gaining a Soul Skill. A compatible ring may also strengthen or begin evolving the Martial Soul. 7 46 |
| Successive Soul Rings | 46 | Soul Rings are described as a Martial Soul's repeated opportunities for incremental evolution. Continued absorption of compatible Soul Beasts can reinforce an attribute, bloodline, or physical quality over time. 46 |
| Complete evolution | 23, 51 | Evolution is most pronounced for lower-quality Martial Souls and becomes harder for high-quality ones unless the Soul Beast is an exceptionally close match. Incomplete evolution can leave flaws unresolved. 23 51 |
Awakening and Soul Power
Martial Souls are awakened annually by Martial Soul Hall attendants using an arrangement of six black stones and a Soul Power testing crystal. The awakening determines both the form of the Martial Soul and the bearer's Innate Soul Power. A person without Soul Power cannot become a Soul Master. 1
Innate Soul Power is not a complete measure of a Martial Soul's quality. Su Ming's Cloud Martial Soul possesses Innate Soul Power level 6, yet its group flight, enhancement, and healing capabilities lead Flender to consider it potentially top-tier. 1 14
Recorded Forms
| Martial Soul Type | Recorded Examples | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon / tool | Scythe, axe, hammer, blade, sword | Tool-type Martial Souls can be strengthened by absorbing Soul Rings from metal-consuming Soul Beasts, improving such qualities as sharpness, hardness, and weight. 1 51 73 |
| Plant | Blue Silver Grass, Nine Heart Begonia | Plant Martial Souls may follow an envisioned ultimate form during cultivation. The Nine Heart Begonia's curse restricts it to a single healing-oriented Soul Skill. 7 53 |
| Beast | War Tiger, White Tiger, Jade Phosphorous Serpent, Phoenix | Beast-type Martial Souls can gain attributes and evolve their bloodlines through Soul Rings from compatible Soul Beasts. 10 13 23 |
| Food | Sausage | Oscar's Sausage Martial Soul is identified as food-type. 13 |
| Body | Fire Shadow, Ghost | Shadow-type body Martial Souls can develop through independent shadows, multiple shadow clones, and position-swapping. 70 71 |
| Summoning | Luo Sanpao | Yu Xiao Gang's sentient Luo Sanpao is classified as a summoning-type Martial Soul; its potential combat ability lies in strengthening the summoned entity and using its traits through Soul Power. 45 |
Soul Rings and Soul Skills
A Soul Ring grants a Soul Skill after absorption. The Soul Beast chosen for the ring can determine both the immediate skill and the future direction of the Martial Soul. 7 46
- A Wind Splitting Falcon ring gives Su Ming's Cloud Martial Soul a controllable cloud skill that boosts the user's or another person's attributes and allows group flight. 7 13
- A Crimson Flame Tiger ring changes Wang Sheng's War Tiger into a fire-aligned Flame Tiger. 9 10
- A Bright White Tiger ring grants Dai Mubai the light-attribute skill Bright White Tiger Break, which ignores defensive Soul Skills, pierces targets, and leaves wounds that burn with light energy. 16
- A Radiant Deer ring causes visible changes in Yu Xiao Gang's Luo Sanpao and advances its light-aligned evolution. 55
Evolution and Mutation
Martial Soul Evolution
Martial Soul evolution is achieved by repeatedly selecting Soul Rings whose attributes, species, and bloodline match the desired evolutionary direction. This process can improve a Martial Soul's attributes, cultivation efficiency, physical traits, and bloodline. 46 51
Su Ming's universal evolution meditation method supplements Soul Ring selection. Its user visualizes a superior intended form while cultivating; the method is applicable to artifact, plant, food, beast, and body-type Martial Souls, but requires prolonged practice rather than producing immediate results. 7
- Lower-quality Martial Souls generally evolve more readily after absorbing a matching high-quality Soul Ring. 23 51
- High-quality Martial Souls require a particularly suitable Soul Beast for a major evolutionary effect. 51
- Evolution may be directed by elemental affinity, species, and inherited bloodline. 10 13 46
- An evolved Martial Soul may receive a new name reflecting its altered form. 10 73
Martial Soul Mutation
Mutations can arise from inherited traits and prior Soul Ring attributes within a family's lineage. Their direction is not arbitrary: Su Ming notes that a tiger Martial Soul cannot naturally mutate into a dragon. 13
An incomplete mutation can provide unusual power while retaining severe flaws. Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire Phoenix gains powerful, adhesive flames but risks worsening instability and loss of control unless its future Soul Rings support a complete Phoenix evolution. 12 13
Documented Evolutions
| Original Martial Soul | Result | Method / Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| War Tiger | Flame Tiger | Wang Sheng absorbs a 300-year Crimson Flame Tiger Soul Ring, gaining fire-element abilities. 10 15 |
| Flame Tiger | Blazing Burning Heaven Tiger | Wang Sheng refines a pill and absorbs the Blazing Burning Heaven Tiger Soul Bone, advancing his Martial Soul and reaching level 40. 40 |
| Jade Phosphorous Serpent | Jade Phosphorous Ice Flood Dragon | Dugu Yan absorbs a sub-dragon Soul Beast ring; her Martial Soul gains ice-blue scales, horns, and four legs. 31 |
| Jade Phosphorous Ice Flood Dragon | Jade Phosphorus Ice Dragon | Dugu Yan later refines a pill and absorbs the Frost Giant Dragon Right Arm Bone. 40 |
| Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda | Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda | Ning Rongrong's evolved Martial Soul is publicly displayed at the Great Soul Arena; Ning Fengzhi later renames his sect for the same evolved Martial Soul. 44 65 |
| Ordinary snake | Golden Flood Dragon | A Golden Earth Dragon first ring gives the Martial Soul horns, four claws, golden scales, and faster cultivation; a second Radiant Earth Dragon ring further sharpens its draconic traits. 72 73 |
| Luo Sanpao | Dragon-type evolution | Luo Sanpao is identified as a god-tier prototype and a Radiant Sacred Dragon cub-like Martial Soul. Light-attribute Soul Rings are prescribed for its evolution. 44 45 55 |
| Nine Heart Begonia | Evolved form unspecified | Ye Lingling's Martial Soul evolves after refining a medicinal pill intended to remove its curse; she reaches level 40. 57 |
Notable Martial Soul: Cloud
Su Ming's Cloud Martial Soul initially appears as a pale white cloud in his palm. It is an all-rounder Martial Soul with innate wind, lightning, rain, healing, and flight applications. 2 70
- Flight — The bearer may stand on the cloud and fly; after training, Su Ming can carry Old Jack and Tang San to Nuoding City on separate clouds. 2 4
- Lightning — The Martial Soul can use lightning innately. Its second Soul Skill, Thunder Cloud Possession, covers Su Ming in lightning, increases his attack power, and includes Lightning Flash. 2 20
- Healing — It can heal superficial injuries from awakening onward. When combined with the first Soul Skill, its healing effect doubles. 5 14
- Rain of Life — Su Ming's fourth Soul Skill heals the injured Thunder Academy team following their defeat. 65
- Group support — The first Soul Skill creates controllable clouds for multiple targets, allows them to fly using their own Soul Power, and grants a full-body enhancement. Its amplification rises from 10% to 20% after Su Ming strengthens the Soul Ring with Creation Qi. 7 13 14