Douluo: Founding the Heavenly Court, Beginning with the Holy Spirit Cult
Author: Jianjia Dujiang
Synopsis:
Yang Hao's Innate Soul Power was less than ideal, and his Martial Soul had also been tainted by an evil aura, turning him into an Evil Soul Master. It left him feeling deeply insecure, and he urgently needed a powerful patron to protect him. After much deliberation, he finally set his sights on the Supreme Sect Leader of the Holy Spirit Cult.
This year, the Child of Luck, Huo Yuhao, awakened his Spirit Eyes Martial Soul and embarked on the path of becoming a Soul Master and attaining godhood!
This year, under his father's arrangements, Tang Wutong began her journey as the Holy Maiden of the Beast Taming Sect!
This year, Yang Hao slipped into the Holy Spirit Cult and began his journey to becoming an award-winning actor and the Heavenly Emperor!
I post over ten thousand words a day, and updates are plentiful. I've already accumulated over twenty million words, so please read with confidence.
Chapter 1: Three Years as an Award-Winning Actor
"Clang, clang, clang..."
In the forging workshop on the Strength Clan's grounds in the Star Luo Empire, the endless clanging of metal on metal rang out. Over a thousand people inside swung their hammers and forged away.
The Strength Clan had once followed the Tang Sect. After the Tang Sect declined, they broke away and came to the Star Luo Empire, where they sought the White Tiger Duke Mansion's patronage and built up their fortunes.
Although this was now the age of Soul Tools and the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons had long since fallen into decline, Soul Tools themselves were made from rare metals. Their Soul Tool cores, in particular, required high-purity rare metals. Forging was still a fundamental trade, so the Strength Clan's forging skills remained in demand.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
"Mealtime! Mealtime!"
The sound of a gong rang out. Dozens of sturdy women pushed carts into the workshop. Each cart carried several enormous buckets filled with food.
The aroma of the food spread through the air, making the hungry blacksmiths' mouths water. One by one, they set down their tools and lined up to get their meals.
Just then, a burly young man entered the workshop. Everyone hurriedly rose to greet him.
"Greetings, young master!"
He was Tai Wushuang, the young master of the Strength Clan. One boy in a short jacket called out the loudest of them all. He even stood ramrod straight, his eyes clear and bright as he bowed with utmost respect.
Tai Wushuang was startled by the booming greeting. His gaze fell on the boy holding a food bowl, standing at attention.
"Yang Hao, my father wants you to come with me tomorrow to the Star Dou Forest to hunt a Soul Beast for a Soul Ring. Wash yourself well tonight. Don't let me smell anything when we ride in the carriage, or I'll kick you out."
With that, Tai Wushuang turned and left without another word. If his father hadn't told him to come, he wouldn't have bothered.
He couldn't understand why his father and grandfather had taken in this Evil Soul Master's son. The little wretch had brought no small amount of trouble to the Strength Clan.
"Yes, young master!"
Yang Hao answered loudly, still standing ramrod straight.
Everyone turned to look at him. Some looked amused, others disgusted or scornful. Every gaze was hostile, making it clear the boy wasn't welcome here.
The boy said nothing. He continued eating from his bowl, then left the workshop after finishing his meal. He took a bath in the public washhouse nearby before returning to his lodgings.
He had a room of his own. It was small, barely two meters square, but it was a place that belonged only to him. All sorts of bottles and jars filled it.
Back in his room, he checked the windows and door. Once he was sure everything was secure, Yang Hao took two iron hemispheres, each half a meter in diameter, from his Storage Soul Tool and inspected them. After confirming they were in order, he carefully fitted two fist-sized devices into the bottoms, where they clicked into place. A thin metal wire connected the two.
At last, he gently put them away in the Storage Soul Tool his mother had left him. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and turn his gaze to a family portrait on the wall.
His father had commissioned it when he was a month old. In the portrait, his two-year-old older brother sat on their father's shoulders, while his mother held him, still swaddled, in her arms. The whole family was smiling happily.
Sadly, only he was left now.
"Dad, Mom, big brother, they're finally going to make their move against me. The time has come for me to take revenge and break free from this cage."
Yang Hao murmured inwardly. He knew that their supposed plan to hunt a Soul Ring for him wasn't born of kindness. They would undoubtedly use the trip as an opportunity to kill him.
Dying at the hands of a Soul Beast was a convenient excuse, and one unlikely to raise suspicion. Besides, three years had passed since that incident; people had long since forgotten it.
But he had been preparing for this, too. It wasn't just a chance for revenge; it was also his chance to escape this cage.
For that purpose, he had built these two big contraptions. He'd spent three years gathering their materials, bit by bit. The purity wasn't high, given his limited circumstances, but they were large enough. If he found the right opportunity, they would definitely do the job.
"My eyes still need practice. Every second I can buy is a second gained."
Yang Hao picked up a small mirror and practiced his eyes, trying to express gratitude and remorse with just the right touch.
He took acting seriously. In The Name of the People, Cheng Du had practiced his salute countless times before meeting a high-ranking official. That was what had given him a chance to turn his life around.
On top of that, there were the psychological cues he silently repeated to himself. They were all practical little tricks. His painstakingly refined acting was what had kept him alive in the Strength Clan for three years.
While Yang Hao honed his acting with painstaking care, across the compound the Strength Clan patriarch, Tai Jingang, was discussing the hunt for a Soul Ring with his son Tai Wuji and daughter-in-law Zhao Min.
"Dad, isn't this choice too risky? The Soul-Devouring Demon Spider is one of the most savage and violent Soul Beasts around. Its Soul Ring is extremely difficult to refine."
Zhao Min was worried. Her son, Tai Wushuang, had excellent talent, had refined a Head Soul Bone, and had also consumed century-, millennium-, and ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber. But this was still his first time absorbing and refining a Soul Ring.
Starting off with a savage Soul Beast like the Soul-Devouring Demon Spider was truly risky. If anything went wrong...
"Don't worry. That's a 90,000-year Head Soul Bone, very close to the 100,000-year mark. The Soul Skill it grants may be a bit underwhelming, but its boost to mental power is real. It'll be more than enough to suppress a Soul Ring formed from a thousand-year Soul-Devouring Demon Spider."
Tai Jingang smiled reassuringly, completely confident in his decision.
Zhao Min wanted to say more, but her husband, Tai Wuji, cut her off.
"Wushuang has practiced the Mysterious Heaven Skill we obtained from the Tang Sect since he was little. After awakening his Martial Soul, he trained for another three years. His accumulated Soul Power is comparable to that of a level-twenty Soul Master. Add in the Whale Rubber and the training from the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, and his physical strength is enough to rival a level-thirty Soul Master. Refining a thousand-year Soul-Devouring Demon Spider won't be a problem."
"If he can start with a thousand-year Soul Ring, then when he reaches the Soul Saint stage, he can try absorbing a 100,000-year Soul Ring. That way, he'll have three 100,000-year Soul Rings."
Tai Wuji had absolute confidence in his son.
The Strength Clan's inherited Martial Soul had once been the Great Strength Gorilla. But thousands of years ago, one of their ancestors joined with a woman who possessed the Cyclops Martial Soul. Their child was born with an innate mutation, fusing the bloodlines of both parents to form an even stronger One-Eyed Vajra, on par with a top-tier Martial Soul.
The One-Eyed Vajra Martial Soul had then become the main branch of the Strength Clan. After the Tang Sect began to decline, their main branch broke away and moved to the Star Luo Empire to establish itself.
The Tang Sect Hidden Weapons were destined to fall into decline, while the Heaven Dou Empire stubbornly rejected Soul Tools. Neither was a good fit for the Strength Clan, who made their living through forging. Fortunately, the Star Luo Empire had started to vigorously develop Soul Tools around that time. Through the White Tiger Duke Mansion's connections, the Strength Clan's main branch was able to leave the Tang Sect and move here without issue.
Rare metals were still the foundation of Soul Tools, and the higher their purity, the better. This gave the Strength Clan's forging skills a market, allowing them to prosper.
And their son possessed Innate Full Soul Power. He was certain to become a Titled Douluo in the future, perhaps even a Super Douluo.
That was precisely why they were raising him with everything they had. They had poured a great deal of resources into him over the past few years. He had eaten more than a dozen pieces of Whale Rubber alone, ranging from century- to ten-thousand-year varieties. He had also taken plenty of pills such as Mystic Water Pills. If the Strength Clan hadn't had some reserves, they wouldn't have been able to afford it.
"But why does it have to be a Soul-Devouring Demon Spider?"
Zhao Min still wasn't at ease with that choice, and she had her doubts.
After all, it was one of the most savage Soul Beasts around, and its Soul Power was far more violent than most.
"I got a secret method from an Evil Soul Master. It can raise a Soul Ring's age by devouring, but the Soul Ring must come from a creature with devouring properties. The Soul-Devouring Demon Spider is the best choice.
"A thousand-year Soul Ring is still a little weak for a Titled Douluo. Ideally, we'll raise it to ten thousand years."
Tai Jingang explained the reason behind the plan. As he spoke, the image of that figure from years ago came unbidden to mind.
Decades had passed, yet the memory still filled him with awe and reverence.
That person's Soul Ring Configuration had been astonishing: six black ten-thousand-year Soul Rings and three blood-red ones.
Every Soul Master could refine only nine Soul Rings. The higher the age of the Soul Rings, the better; only then could their future achievements rise higher.
If his grandson really succeeded in absorbing and refining a 100,000-year Soul Ring at the Soul Saint stage, then he might even be able to strive for a level like Mu En's in the future.
That was precisely why he had drawn up this plan and was putting the entire clan's strength into cultivating his grandson, Tai Wushuang. A few years earlier, when the Tang Sect had completely declined, he had even obtained the complete Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record for Wushuang to practice.
"How has that child been doing these past three years?"
Tai Jingang changed the subject. They were talking about that child, too. It was time to get rid of this hidden danger.
They had originally gone so far as to try to kill him back then. Who could have guessed the child would survive? To keep the news of that Soul Bone from leaking, they had no choice but to take him in under the pretense that Tai Wuji was an old friend of his father's, claiming they were fostering and protecting him.
"He's been fairly well-behaved. He just makes some strange things now and then, and seems to want to learn alchemy and Soul Tool crafting."
Zhao Min replied. She had stayed on the family grounds these past three years, keeping an eye on that little bastard. She had wanted to get rid of him for a long time.
Unfortunately, the incident back then had caused a huge stir. A student of Shrek Academy's Inner Court had died, and to avoid drawing suspicion, they'd had no choice but to spare the wretch's life.
"He's only a nine-year-old child, and we've crippled him. He's not worth taking seriously. Once we're in the Star Dou Forest, we'll get rid of him."
Tai Wuji didn't care. He was just a child, after all. He could kill him with a single slap.
"Don't be hasty. Wait until we've brought him to the Soul-Devouring Demon Spider's nest before making your move. Make sure you do it cleanly and leave no trace. And don't let anyone see you."
Tai Jingang warned him gravely. After all, a 90,000-year Soul Bone was involved, and a student of Shrek's Inner Court had died because of it. If this came to light, they would make an enemy of Shrek for good, and might even be called to account.
They would also offend the White Tiger Duke. Back then, the White Tiger Duke himself had signed the order stripping the child's parents of their military status and issued the warrant for their arrest.
And finally, they would offend the Star Luo Imperial Family, because that little bastard's parents had been part of the imperial faction. That was why they hadn't killed him in secret back then, but had instead framed him as an Evil Soul Master.
This matter absolutely could not be allowed to come to light.
(A reminder: this book's story follows the anime as its main source, with the novel as a supplement. Take a deep breath while reading. Dizziness... and some differences are normal!)
Chapter 2: External Soul Bone
"Uncle Tai!"
The next day, Yang Hao arrived at Tai Wuji's courtyard in a clean change of clothes and greeted him politely.
"Xiao Haozi, I'm sorry. I've spent these past three years on the front lines, and I didn't know how the clan members were treating you..."
Tai Wuji looked at the boy before him, showing a trace of remorse.
Yang Hao immediately returned a look full of gratitude and remorse, then shook his head. "I'm the one who should apologize. I owe you, Uncle Tai, and I owe the Strength Clan."
"If you hadn't had people care for me and treat me back then, Uncle Tai, I would have died long ago. And because of what happened to my parents, you and the Strength Clan have had to bear a great deal of pressure..."
As he spoke, the remorse and gratitude in the boy's eyes grew more intense, stirring a genuine pang of guilt in Tai Wuji, who had been observing him all along.
He and the boy's father, Yang Jun, had been through life and death together. Yang Jun had saved his life twice.
It was just a pity they had obtained something they shouldn't have, leaving him no choice but to do what he did.
It had all been for the Strength Clan.
"Good boy!"
Tai Wuji patted the boy on the shoulder and asked with concern, "How have your meridians recovered?"
Three years ago, he had used an evil Soul Tool to shatter the boy's Martial Soul and damage his meridians. He should have recovered somewhat over the past three years.
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