General Treatise on Martial Souls: From Novice to Titled Douluo (Extra Update 2)

A month is neither long nor short, But for the current Douluo Continent, This month was like someone tossing a super-powered bomb into a calm latrine.

<General Theory of Martial Souls: From Beginner to Titled Douluo>

This plain-language educational guide, personally prefaced by Pope Qian Xunji of Martial Soul Hall and condensing thousands of years of the organization's heritage, Priced at three copper soul coins—a rock-bottom price not even enough to buy a few scallion pancakes—swept through every village and town on the continent like a storm.

It exploded!

The low-level civilian soul masters across the continent fell into a state of absolute, frenzied excitement.

For those civilians who had faced the yellow earth and turned their backs to the sky for generations, and who, upon accidentally awakening a Martial Soul, didn't even know what a soul beast looked like, this book was nothing short of a bible!

In the past, they didn't know what kind of soul ring to add to the sickle Martial Soul in their hands, so they would run off to kill a ten-year Soft Bone Rabbit, only to find their soul skill was useless, ruining their entire lives.

But now, the book clearly stated in large print:

For the tool Martial Soul Sickle, it is recommended to seek a Solitary Bamboo or a strength-type soul beast of ten years or more; exceeding 400 years is not recommended, and one must ensure physical fitness.

Martial Soul Hall even thoughtfully attached a map of common soul beasts across the continent at the end of the book, clearly marking the weaknesses of each type.

In an instant, the prestige of Martial Soul Hall in the hearts of civilians across the continent soared to the heavens.

Countless low-level soul masters set up spirit tablets for Qian Xunji in their homes, offering three sticks of incense every morning and evening.

The most direct feedback from this prestige was that the recruitment gates of every major branch of Martial Soul Hall were completely overwhelmed.

According to the statistics of the subordinate Cardinals, In just one month, the number of low-level geniuses and core talents absorbed by Martial Soul Hall surged by a full twenty percent compared to the same period last year.

And this number, as General Theory of Martial Souls continued to ferment, was still skyrocketing along a terrifying curve.

In the Pope Hall, Qian Xunji sat with his legs crossed, holding a glass of red wine, listening to the system notification sounds ringing in his mind like a cash register, grinning so wide his back molars were visible.

[Detected that the host has completely broken the monopoly on knowledge in the soul master world, significantly changing the fate of low-level soul masters! Gained Subversion Points +50; +90; +140]

[Detected that the host has intercepted the 'Ten Core Competencies' in advance, causing significant damage to the destiny of the original work's key character Yu Xiaogang! Gained Subversion Points +1000]

[Detected that...]

"System, pull up my total account balance for this month," Qian Xunji ordered happily in his mind.

[Settlement complete. Total Subversion Points earned by the host this month: 96,061 points. Current total balance: 108,061 points.]

"One hundred thousand! A massive fortune of a full one hundred thousand,"

The feeling of making money while lying down was ten thousand times more satisfying than struggling bitterly in the Far North.

Knowledge is power, and knowledge is even more so Subversion Points.

With the release of this General Theory of Martial Souls, the "Ten Core Theories" that Yu Xiaogang was brewing in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had been strangled in the cradle before he could even unleash them.

Just imagine, when Master Yu stood on the podium full of confidence, preparing to shock the disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect with his "423-year first soul ring" theory, The cleaning lady in the audience could pull out a three-copper-coin copy of General Theory of Martial Souls and slap it on his face, saying with disdain: "My grandson could recite this stuff at three years old. Who do you think you are?"

Just thinking about that scene made Qian Xunji feel like he could eat two extra bowls of rice.

Beyond the civilian response and the surge in Subversion Points, Martial Soul Hall itself was thriving this month.

Riding the tailwind of the General Theory of Martial Souls, Qian Xunji used thunderous means to purge several veteran-level parasites who relied on their seniority and had sticky fingers.

These old fogies originally wanted to rely on their seniority to complain to Qian Daoliu, but Qian Daoliu didn't even see them, directly ordering Golden Crocodile Douluo to slap them into the Inquisition.

Now, Martial Soul Hall was united as one, as solid as a rock.

"Report—"

Outside the study, a bishop in charge of the intelligence hub walked in quickly, his expression filled with irrepressible excitement:

"Reporting to Your Holiness the Pope, the Talent Recruitment Edict you personally issued a month ago has made major progress!"

Qian Xunji put down his legs and sat up straight: "Oh? How many of those freaks who 'have no Martial Soul but possess soul power' that This Seat was looking for have been found?"

"Replying to Your Holiness, in the secret training camp outside Martial Soul City, we have currently gathered over two hundred people of various ages who meet your requirements!"

The bishop swallowed, his tone filled with disbelief:

"These people were originally treated as disabled waste in their local areas and couldn't even get enough to eat, but after we re-tested them according to your instructions, we found that although they have no external Martial Soul, their physical bodies are surprisingly powerful!"

"Well done," Qian Xunji slapped the table and stood up.

Over two hundred Body Martial Souls.

This was an untapped peerless gold mine.

In the era of Douluo I, no one understood the concept of Body Martial Souls; this group of people was all thrown into the mud like trash, but now, Qian Xunji had gathered them all up in a sack.

"Lead the way. This Seat wants to see these treasures in person."

A moment later, at a valley camp on the outskirts of Martial Soul City.

More than two hundred people of varying heights, weights, and builds, all dressed in tattered rags, stood uneasily on the training grounds.

They had suffered cold stares since childhood, treated as trash without a Martial Soul; had it not been for the decree from Martial Soul Hall, they likely would have spent their entire lives waiting for death in the slums.

Qian Xunji walked onto the command platform, surrounded by a group of red-robed bishops, his deep gaze sweeping over the crowd below as if it were a physical force.

"Which one of them has the highest cultivation?" Qian Xunji asked indifferently.

"Your Excellency, it is that man with the scar on his face." The bishop pointed toward the front of the crowd, where an exceptionally burly, middle-aged man covered in scars stood.

"This man is named Lei Meng. When we found him, he was helping others hunt souls in the Star Dou Great Forest, and... his cultivation has actually reached the seventy-first rank, a Soul Saint!"

Qian Xunji's eyes lit up. Seventy-first rank?

A man who had never received any systematic guidance and did not even know the concept of a Body Martial Soul had managed to cultivate to the level of a Soul Saint through his own blood, sweat, and tears? How much suffering must he have endured, and how monstrous must his talent be?

"Lei Meng, step forward!"

Following Qian Xunji's command, the man, who stood like an iron tower, took a large stride forward and knelt heavily on one knee beneath the command platform: "Commoner Lei Meng pays respects to His Holiness the Pope."

"Raise your head. Release your Martial Soul and soul rings; let This Seat see."

Lei Meng took a deep breath.

No tool-type Martial Soul appeared, nor did a beast-type Martial Soul Possession occur, but his already massive fists instantly swelled in size. A layer of dark, golden, rock-like keratin emerged on the surface of his skin, and a pure, domineering physical power erupted forth!

White, yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black.

Seven soul rings pulsed slowly beneath his feet.

"Your Excellency, this commoner has no Martial Soul... my Martial Soul is simply this pair of fists." Lei Meng raised his fists, which were larger than sand pots, a trace of unconcealable inferiority flashing in his eyes.