At last, under Dong Zi'an's forceful insistence, Mu Ye could only settle for second place, and was "voluntarily" forced to become Jiang Xiu's second master.
"Just you wait. That position as his first master will be mine sooner or later."
Watching the smug Dong Zi'an, Mu Ye silently swore to himself that he would surpass him, one step at a time.
"By the way, good disciple, come test your mental strength. Then we can hurry and find you a First Soul Spirit that suits you, and officially begin your cultivation."
Mu Ye pulled out a silver-white metal helmet and handed it to Jiang Xiu, his expression filled with anticipation.
With two Ultimate Martial Souls, Jiang Xiu was clearly born with Innate Full Soul Power. Now they needed to see how strong his mental power was.
In Mu Ye's view, it probably wouldn't be too weak, but it wouldn't be too strong either. After all, neither of Jiang Xiu's Martial Souls had a Mental Attribute.
Jiang Xiu politely thanked him, took the helmet in both hands, and slowly put it on. His previously calm heart rippled with anticipation.
Two thousand years ago, mental strength had been divided into clearly defined realms. Compared to absorbing Soul Rings ten thousand years ago, the fusion of Soul Spirits now placed greater importance on mental strength.
Therefore, the stronger one's mental strength, the older the Soul Spirit one could fuse with.
As Jiang Xiu put on the helmet, it glowed with soft white light. The numbers on its front began to appear, then continued to jump higher.
"Ten... fifty... sixty... ninety... It's over a hundred!"
"No, it's still rising!"
As the numbers surged upward, Mu Ye and Dong Zi'an fixed their eyes on the display. Their gazes held delight, mixed with a hint of astonishment.
For a newly awakened Soul Master, unless they had a Mental Attribute, a mental strength of fifty was already considered genius-level. Breaking a hundred meant reaching an entirely different realm.
"Beep!"
With a soft chime, the numbers stopped, settling at one hundred and ninety-two.
The unexpected result left Mu Ye holding his breath. He looked at Jiang Xiu as though he were a priceless treasure.
Dong Zi'an, standing nearby, had a gleam in his eyes. A bold idea took shape in his mind.
Perhaps, in the future, we really can drive the Abyss out of Douluo Continent and turn the tide. The strongest on the continent? Heh! Maybe I really can create a god!
Of all the battles Dong Zi'an had fought, he had always been best at turning the tables when the odds were against him.
"My precious disciple, you're naturally born at the Spirit Connection Realm! Heaven truly favors the Body Sect."
Mu Ye gently removed the helmet from Jiang Xiu's head. His slightly trembling hands and barely restrained voice revealed just how excited he was.
Jiang Xiu had astonished him again and again. With twin Ultimate Martial Souls and the Innate Spirit Connection Realm, he had no shortcomings among his peers.
"Attuned mind and spirit, intent reaching its destination—the Spirit Connection Realm..."
Jiang Xiu murmured to himself. His mental strength was both beyond his expectations and entirely reasonable. After all, the Shadow Monarch represented the Shadow Torrent, so it was only natural that it would grant him powerful mental strength.
There were six levels of mental strength: Spirit Origin Realm, Spirit Connection Realm, Spirit Sea Realm, Spirit Abyss Realm, Spirit Domain Realm, and the legendary Divine Origin Realm.
The Spirit Origin Realm represented the beginning of all things and the renewal of all creation. Mental strength at this level ranged from 1 to 100.
The Spirit Connection Realm meant an attuned mind and spirit, with intent reaching its destination. Mental strength ranged from 100 to 500.
"Come, let your master arrange a Soul Spirit for you. I'll find the best one, the one most suited to you. I have connections at the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters."
Mu Ye put away the helmet, his eyes gleaming.
Mental strength at the Spirit Connection Realm meant a Soul Master could fuse with one Thousand-Year Soul Spirit or two hundred-year Soul Spirits.
"That sounds good. The world's finest Soul Spirits are all at the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters. Xiao Xiu, how about you cultivate your First Martial Soul with your second master for now?"
Dong Zi'an nodded, then asked Jiang Xiu gently.
"I'll do as you say, Master."
Jiang Xiu replied obediently, sighing inwardly. If he didn't have these two powerful backers, his life would probably be difficult in the future. He might even have to work to earn money for his Soul Spirit.
The compensation his parents had left him was substantial, but top-tier Soul Spirits were expensive all the same.
The three of them discussed things further and settled on Jiang Xiu's initial cultivation plan. Then Mu Ye left the Soul Guidance Emergency Center, took out his Communication Soul Tool, found a number near the top of his contacts, and called.
"What's made you think of calling me?"
An old but vigorous voice came through.
"Martial Uncle, I've been missing you."
Mu Ye replied with a broad smile.
"Save it. You need something from me again, don't you? Spit it out."
The voice clearly didn't believe him, as though the speaker had already guessed.
"You're as perceptive as ever, Martial Uncle. I've just done our Body Sect a great service. I've taken in a disciple with astonishing talent..."
Though Mu Ye had been seen through, he wasn't annoyed at all. He chuckled and told him about Jiang Xiu, then explained that he needed a Soul Spirit.
"Such a genius exists? Bring him here at once!"
The person on the other end was also taken aback. His voice turned urgent.
"And the Soul Spirit?"
"That's a small matter. A top-tier Dark Attribute Soul Spirit just arrived at the Spirit Pagoda. I'm sure your disciple will like it."
"Great. We'll be at the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters tomorrow morning."
Hearing that his request had been granted, Mu Ye promptly replied.
"Heh, Mu Ye, you've finally grown up. You know how to bring talented people into the Body Sect now."
The voice sounded pleased, then hung up.
"Ah, if we don't gather talent, the Body Sect will go extinct."
Mu Ye sighed, then pushed the thought aside. That had been the old Body Sect. Now that Jiang Xiu was part of it, the Body Sect was ready to return as kings!
"Spirit Pagoda, Tang Sect? My Body Sect can take your place!"
With a lofty goal in mind, Mu Ye turned and went back into the Soul Guidance Emergency Center.
As soon as he entered, he saw Dong Zi'an handing Jiang Xiu two medals. They were quite unusual: each had golden patterns and a piece of Abyss Crystal Core set into its center. They were the Blood God Legion's insignia.
"Xiao Xiu, from now on, you'll cultivate with your second master. I also managed to get these two medals back for you."
Dong Zi'an placed the medals in Jiang Xiu's hands and spoke earnestly.
"Thank you, Master."
Jiang Xiu looked at the two medals in his hands, gently brushed off the dust, and a glimmer of resolve crossed his eyes.
"Your second master is here now, so go with him. Remember, if you run into trouble you can't handle outside, or someone uses their power to bully you, come back to your first master. I'll make them pay."
Dong Zi'an patted Jiang Xiu's shoulder. A vicious glint passed through his eyes, and his tone left no room for argument.
When he was young, Dong Zi'an had experienced all that as a commoner. Back then, he had no one to rely on and could only endure it himself. But he would never let his disciple go through the same thing.
Now, in the vast Federation Legion, only Chen Xinjie and Yu Guanzhi outranked him. He wanted to see who would dare bully the disciple of Fierce Wolf Douluo in the future.
Before you continue