The Master Is So Strong—He Must Be Powerful, Right?

After the ceremony to confer the title of Holy Son ended, Wang Chen left the Pope's Hall directly, only to be stopped on the way by Yan, Hu Liena, and Xie Yue.

Yan stepped directly in front of Wang Chen, pointed at him, and said, "I want to fight you and see what qualifies you to be named a Holy Son of Spirit Hall alongside Nana."

The Spirit Hall elders and Platinum Bishops passing by all stopped and looked toward Yan and Wang Chen.

They also wanted to see what qualified Wang Chen to become a Holy Son of Spirit Hall, so none of the elders, Platinum Bishops, or others present stepped forward to stop them.

Perhaps Yan had dared to openly block Wang Chen's path because an elder or Platinum Bishop had put him up to it.

Wang Chen naturally knew what the elders and bishops nearby were thinking. He did not want to be tested like this again and again either. Since so many elders and Platinum Bishops were here, this was the perfect opportunity.

He could reveal part of his strength and make all those harboring prying thoughts shut up.

Wang Chen looked at Yan. According to memories from his previous life, Yan was about the same age as him now, around eight or nine.

Yan's current cultivation was only in the teens, and he had absorbed just one hundred-year soul ring. Wang Chen, on the other hand, had absorbed one thousand-year soul ring and three ten-thousand-year soul rings.

Though he had no soul skills, Wang Chen had the beginner-level Indestructible Diamond Body technique he had developed himself. With his Alchemy Furnace Martial Soul, which had already evolved several times, he could completely withstand Yan's attacks before closing in to counterattack.

With that thought, Wang Chen looked at Yan with disdain.

Yan felt that Wang Chen was ignoring him and immediately shouted, "Martial Soul Possession!"

In an instant, Yan's martial soul, the Flame Lord, appeared behind him before merging into the surface of his body.

A layer of dark-red magma flames covered Yan's body. His frame swelled, his muscles bulging, and a yellow soul ring lit up beneath his feet.

Seeing this, Wang Chen spread open his right hand. A golden Alchemy Furnace Martial Soul, its furnace walls gleaming with a dragon-shaped flame burning within, appeared in his palm.

At the same time, yellow, yellow, purple, and purple soul rings appeared beneath Wang Chen's feet—two hundred-year soul rings and two thousand-year soul rings revealed before everyone.

He had not revealed his thousand-year first ring and ten-thousand-year second ring because he feared that some Titled Douluo might disregard their status and come assassinate him.

It was simply unnecessary. Being a level-forty Soul Ancestor at less than nine years old was already enough.

The pupils of the Spirit Hall elders and Platinum Bishops watching nearby shrank sharply. As for Yan, Hu Liena, and Xie Yue, the three of them were completely dumbfounded.

Wang Chen looked at Yan, who stood frozen in place, and asked, "What did you just say? I didn't hear you clearly. Say it again."

Yan looked at the single soul ring beneath his feet, then at the four soul rings beneath Wang Chen's.

That meant Wang Chen was nearly thirty levels above him.

If Wang Chen had only been a few levels higher, Yan would have dared to curse him to his face.

If Wang Chen had only been ten levels above him, Yan could have endured it and still dared to spar with him for the sake of his pride.

But now, Wang Chen's cultivation was nearly thirty levels higher than Yan's. That was practically equivalent to Yan needing another seven or eight years of cultivation just to catch up.

Faced with such a gap, Yan instantly calmed down.

Seeing this, Xie Yue hurriedly stepped before Wang Chen, bowed, and said, "Your Highness Holy Son, Yan merely spoke carelessly. He did not mean to disrespect you."

When Hu Liena saw Wang Chen's four soul rings, envy flashed through her eyes, along with a hint of fighting spirit.

Hu Liena was also a proud person. Wang Chen was the Holy Son, while she was the Holy Maiden and the disciple of Pope Bibi Dong. It was not impossible for her to catch up to Wang Chen in the future.

Hu Liena walked over to Yan's side and sternly said, "Yan, hurry up and apologize to His Highness Holy Son."

As for Xie Yue and Yan, they lacked the confidence that came from having Pope Bibi Dong as their teacher.

Moreover, the three had yet to become the Spirit Hall Golden Generation of the future, nor had they received Spirit Hall's focused cultivation.

At present, they were merely talented children.

They had not yet developed the bearing and pride of future prodigies.

Xie Yue and Hu Liena's persuasion gave Yan a way out. Yan hurriedly withdrew his martial soul, bowed to Wang Chen, and said, "Yan was impudent. I hope Your Highness Holy Son will forgive me."

Hu Liena came to Wang Chen's side and said, "Holy Son, Yan has already apologized. Please spare him this time."

Wang Chen withdrew his soul rings and Alchemy Furnace Martial Soul. "Let it go this time. If you dare disrespect me again, you'll spend three months cleaning toilets!"

With that, Wang Chen headed straight for Spirit Hall's library.

He urgently needed Spirit Hall's records to develop his soul skills and further refine his Indestructible Diamond Body technique.

In the blink of an eye, three months passed.

Wang Chen remained in Spirit Hall's library the entire time and did not interfere in Spirit Hall's affairs, which made Bibi Dong somewhat curious.

Previously, she had only known that Wang Chen had cultivated past level forty, that his first soul ring had been a thousand-year ring, and his second had been a ten-thousand-year ring.

As for what other abilities Wang Chen possessed, Bibi Dong had never truly looked into it in detail.

Out of curiosity about Wang Chen, Bibi Dong followed him when he went to the scripture library.

Wang Chen examined the records in Spirit Hall's scripture library one book at a time. He paid especially close attention to materials concerning body refinement and soul refinement.

After finishing a document on soul refinement research, Wang Chen casually picked up another. When he saw the words "Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls" on its cover, he quickly shoved it back, a look of disdain appearing on his face.

In Bibi Dong's eyes, the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls were the most perfect theory. Wang Chen's disdainful reaction was something she could not tolerate.

"I see you quite enjoy reading martial soul theory. The Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls is the culmination of martial soul theory, so why aren't you studying it?"

As she spoke, Bibi Dong walked forward.

Wang Chen froze when he heard that. Looking toward the source of the voice, he saw Bibi Dong approaching. She wore a luxurious black robe embroidered with golden patterns, a Nine-Curved Purple-Gold Crown upon her head. Her skin was fair, and her bearing was noble, elegant, and serene.

As she drew closer, Wang Chen could even smell a faint fragrance.

"Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope."

Wang Chen hurriedly bowed.

Bibi Dong took that copy of Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls from the bookshelf and began flipping through it.

The corners of Wang Chen's mouth twitched as he fought back a laugh.

To Wang Chen, who had read a vast amount of material on martial souls, Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls was simply ridiculous.

It was like a student whose knowledge and experience only reached the third year of middle school watching some video of amateur pseudoscientific bragging, then believing he understood everything and shamelessly publishing Ten Core Competencies of Science.

If they learned a little more and read a few more books, they would discover that every so-called rule they had found had already been proposed by others.

Moreover, others had even organized them into systematic fields of knowledge.

However, this Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls before him was the "masterpiece" of the man this woman loved.

If Wang Chen directly confronted and refuted it now, and the woman happened to fly into a rage and beat him up, it would be troublesome for him to handle.

After pondering for a moment, Wang Chen said, "Your Holiness the Pope, since you hold this Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls in such high regard, the person who proposed this theory must be someone with an extraordinarily profound understanding of martial souls!"

Wang Chen's praise of Yu Xiaogang made the corners of Bibi Dong's lips rise, and her expression softened as well.

Bibi Dong said, "Of course. He is the person in this world with the deepest understanding of martial souls. His martial soul theories can influence Douluo Continent for thousands, even tens of thousands, of years."

Taking advantage of the moment, Wang Chen asked, "Since this master understands martial souls so thoroughly, he must be among the strongest people on Douluo Continent, right?"

The corners of Bibi Dong's lips, which had just lifted in delight, immediately fell. She shook her head. "No."

Bibi Dong knew exactly how strong Yu Xiaogang was.

Level twenty-nine, and he had been stuck there for many years.

Bibi Dong then explained, "Researching martial souls has no necessary connection to whether one is strong or not."

"Some special support-type martial souls may not possess any combat ability. Your Holiness is absolutely right."

Wang Chen nodded, acknowledging Bibi Dong's explanation.

Then, with the puzzled look of a scholar, he asked, "If he is not one of the strong experts on Douluo Continent, then this master's realm must be very high, right?"

"Not that either!" Bibi Dong's expression worsened slightly, carrying a hint of embarrassment. "Martial soul research does not require such a high realm."

Wang Chen nodded, still looking curious as he continued asking, "Since the master is so remarkable, he must have trained many Titled Douluo, right?"

Bibi Dong's embarrassed expression turned even uglier. "Uh, no."

"Then such a remarkable master must have trained quite a few Soul Douluo experts, right?"

Bibi Dong's tone grew a little heavier. "No."

"What about Soul Sages?"

"Still no." Bibi Dong said impatiently, "He... he has only just taken on a disciple."

Bibi Dong occasionally sought information about Yu Xiaogang, so she naturally knew that Yu Xiaogang had taken Tang San as his disciple.

Of course, she also knew that Wang Chen had spent two years at the Junior Soul Master Academy in Notting City, that he knew Yu Xiaogang, and that he had once confronted and argued with Yu Xiaogang.

However, Bibi Dong could not tell Wang Chen that Yu Xiaogang, the author of Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls, was the very same Yu Xiaogang who had advised him to absorb a ten-year Lone Bamboo martial soul.

"Oh, so he has only just taken on a disciple!"

"Then why did he not take one earlier?"

"Perhaps he had not encountered anyone suitable."

The so-called failure to find a suitable disciple merely meant he had failed to find a genius as easy to fool as the early Tang San.

Wang Chen did not argue either. There was no answer to this sort of matter, and even if he refuted it, it would be useless if Bibi Dong refused to accept it.

Wang Chen picked up another copy of Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls from beside him, opened it, and pointed at the words written inside.

"There are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters.

Every martial soul has potential. Its strength or weakness depends on the soul master's development, direction of growth, and effort."

He asked, "Since the master could say something like this, he surely would not care about someone's aptitude or innate soul power."

"If that is the case, why did the master not take on a disciple earlier?"

This time, Wang Chen's words truly struck at Bibi Dong's doubts.

Bibi Dong knew just how desperately Yu Xiaogang wanted to prove his theories. It could be said that Yu Xiaogang dreamed of proving them.

Yu Xiaogang had traveled abroad for so many years and surely encountered plenty of students. Why had he not taken on any disciples?

Then Bibi Dong looked at Wang Chen, and her eyes lit up. "Aren't you the best proof of this theory?"

Wang Chen nodded, then said, "Your Holiness the Pope, you know how I obtained my abilities. And with me existing, doesn't that only highlight this master's incompetence?"

When Bibi Dong did not answer for a long time, Wang Chen continued, pointing to the next theory. "Innate soul power is directly proportional to martial soul quality. The higher one's innate soul power, the stronger the martial soul's innate quality; those without innate soul power generally possess useless martial souls."

Wang Chen said, "Isn't that just an obvious truth? Even students at the Junior Soul Master Academy know this. Does it really need to be specially turned into a theory and published?"

"Has this master never gone to school?

"Rephrase that as, 'Every Titled Douluo is strong.' It's nothing more than a correct but pointless statement."

"Besides, this wasn't even this master's own claim. Similar theories had already been proposed ten thousand years ago."

"Master was plagiarizing someone else's theories."

Wang Chen's words caught Bibi Dong off guard, and she recalled the information on Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang was the son of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's patriarch, a Rank 95 Titled Douluo, yet he had awakened only a half-rank martial soul, Luo Sanpao, whose skill was nothing but releasing three foul farts.

Having been mocked ever since awakening his martial soul, it made sense that Yu Xiaogang had never attended a Soul Master Academy.

It also explained why Yu Xiaogang did not know that Junior Soul Master Academies taught such things.

At the same time, Bibi Dong recalled her own past.

She herself had never liked studying. Whenever she read books or listened to teachers lecture, she felt like falling asleep.

On top of that, she was the Pope's disciple. Since she did not want to study, the teachers at the Soul Master Academy could do little about it.

As a result, although Bibi Dong had attended a Junior Soul Master Academy, it had been no different from not attending at all. She was completely unfamiliar with the martial soul theories Wang Chen had mentioned.

Looking at the ten theories in her hands from Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls, Bibi Dong felt the first flicker of doubt arise within her.

However, the image of Yu Xiaogang in white robes, standing by the window in the Library Pavilion as he examined martial soul theories, surfaced in Bibi Dong's mind and suppressed that faint suspicion.

Bibi Dong's expression darkened. Looking at Wang Chen, she said sternly, "If you cannot produce evidence today to prove what you said, then even if you are the Holy Son of Spirit Hall and a divine inheritor, you will not escape punishment."

Wang Chen continued, "Your Holiness, as you know, Spirit Hall has existed ever since the Angel God ascended to godhood.

And it has been nearly twenty thousand years since the Angel God's ascension.

In other words, Spirit Hall has existed for nearly twenty thousand years."

"Over those nearly twenty thousand years, Spirit Hall has collected a vast number of martial soul theories."

"Your Holiness, to be honest, I have seen the claims in Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls in earlier records before."

As he spoke, Wang Chen pulled out a book on martial soul theory from the Library Pavilion, flipped to a page, and pointed to a line. "For example, this theory that 'the stronger the quality of a martial soul, the higher one's innate soul power'—I found a similar statement in martial soul records from 13,536 years ago."

As he spoke, Wang Chen handed the record to Bibi Dong.

Bibi Dong accepted the document from Wang Chen and looked at the passage he had indicated. "After spending more than thirty years traveling across the Douluo Continent and awakening martial souls for over fifty thousand six-year-old children, I discovered that the higher the grade of the awakened martial soul, the higher the child's innate soul power tended to be.

As for children without soul power, most awakened useless martial souls."