Martial Soul

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Martial Soul (武魂)
Occupation / Role	Supernatural manifestation awakened by individuals; its quality and accompanying innate soul power determine whether one can become a Soul Master. 1 2
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Awakening

Martial Souls are awakened during formal ceremonies, where an attendant manifests the child’s Martial Soul and tests their innate soul power with a crystal. Children with weak Martial Souls and insufficient innate soul power are deemed unqualified to become Soul Masters. 1

• Common low-quality awakenings in Morgan Town include Blue Silver Grass, sickles, and hoes. 1
• Chen Fan awakens the unusual Book of Darkness, a book-form Martial Soul absent from the recorded Martial Soul compendium. 1 3
• A Martial Soul may be projected independently, such as Hu Liena’s Demon Fox floating over her hand, or integrated into its owner through Martial Soul possession. 7 8
• Martial Soul possession can alter the user’s appearance and aura; Hu Liena manifests fox ears and a tail while using her Demon Fox. 8

Classification and Function

Martial Souls are commonly associated with combat roles and forms, though unusual examples do not always fit conventional categories.

• Beast-type Martial Souls manifest animal forms, such as the Demon Fox, Evil Eye White Tiger, and Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon. 7 16 97
• Tool-type Martial Souls take the form of weapons or objects, including the Clear Sky Hammer, Seven Kill Sword, Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, and Book of Darkness. 41 112 154
• Auxiliary Martial Souls specialize in supporting their user or allies. The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda is initially an auxiliary Martial Soul, while the Book of Darkness is repeatedly described as auxiliary despite possessing offensive applications. 24 112 165
• Control-type Martial Souls can restrain or influence opponents. Ning Rongrong’s evolved pagoda is described as becoming a control-type Martial Soul capable of suppressing evil powers. 112
• Martial Soul Fusion Skills require exceptional mutual understanding and soul compatibility. They are especially common among twins or Soul Masters with compatible Martial Souls. 101

Soul Power and Soul Rings

Soul Power is the foundation of a Soul Master’s strength, while soul rings grant Soul Skills connected to a Martial Soul. 2 58

• A Soul Master’s innate soul power is tested immediately after awakening. Chen Fan’s crystal fills beyond capacity and explodes during his first test. 2
• Soul rings can substantially strengthen a Martial Soul’s abilities; Chen Fan’s first ring enhances Dark Thunder Devours Heaven after Xiao Wu’s sacrifice. 14 44
• A Martial Soul’s existing Soul Skills may change after the Martial Soul evolves, becoming more closely aligned with its new characteristics. 57
• Martial Souls remain central even at high rank: Soul Power increases are valuable, but stronger soul rings also improve the power of released Soul Skills. 58

Alteration by Darkness

Martial Souls are conventionally considered fixed once awakened, but the Book of Darkness can both degrade and evolve them through dark power. 20

Degradation

Darkness can weaken a Martial Soul in successive stages, stripping away its original traits and potentially rendering its Soul Skills unusable. 8 20

Target	Original Martial Soul	Result of Degradation
Death-row prisoner	Flame Bull-Bull	Lost its flame attribute, regressed from a bull to a calf, then became a palm-sized lizard. 8
Dai Mubai	Evil Eye White Tiger	Shrunk to the size of a dog; his attempted Third Soul Skill backfired and shattered the Martial Soul. 16 17
Tang Hao	Clear Sky Hammer	Degenerated into a Wooden Hammer, later further eroded into an inflatable hammer incapable of releasing power. 13 35
Tang San and Yu Xiaogang	Twin Martial Souls / Three-Eyed Golden Toad	Their Soul Power was stripped and their Martial Souls were disintegrated and reassembled into degraded forms as punishment. 162

• Degradation does not inherently kill the target, but losing one’s Martial Soul and Soul Power is regarded as worse than death by its victims. 162
• Dai Mubai’s Martial Soul is later restored under Chen Fan’s conditions, proving degradation is not always permanent. 24

Evolution

Evolution enhances or transforms a Martial Soul through darkness. Early attempts require a Darkness Baptism; failure may cause negative effects. 7

• The Darkness Mark is a concentrated form of dark essence used to safely guide evolution, though recipients may experience coldness, pain, and discomfort in their souls. 47
• The 2.0 version of the Darkness Mark requires absorption rather than the earlier endurance test and can lead to more drastic transformations. 112
• The Book of Darkness records information on those who evolve through its power, including their names, Soul Power, evolved Martial Souls, and traits. 14 50 56

Documented Evolutions

Recipient	Original Martial Soul	Evolved Martial Soul	Result
Xiao Wu	Soft Bone Rabbit	Dark-Eyed Spirit Rabbit	Gains the innate ability Black Pupil, which can perceive residual traces for tracking and searching. 1 14 44
Bibi Dong	Death Spider Queen	World-Destruction Spider Queen	Gains destructive and ruinous power effective against elemental power, Soul Power, and spiritual power. 47 50
Zhu Zhuqing	Netherworld Spirit Cat	Netherworld Evil Tiger	Gains Netherfire, which can freeze Soul Power and create illusions; her Soul Skills change to match the evolved Martial Soul. 56 57
Ning Rongrong	Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda	Yin-Yang Evil Suppressing Pagoda	Changes from a purely auxiliary Martial Soul into a control-oriented form with suppression and Eight Trigrams-based support powers. 112 116
Liu Erlong	Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon	Black Dragon	Her Martial Soul and demeanor both change following cultivation with Chen Fan. 97
Tang Yuehua	Fragrant Extreme Ice Lotus	Stamen of the Crimson Lotus	Gains the power of Crimson Lotus Karma Fire. 123
Ma Hongjun	Evil Fire Phoenix	Dark Phoenix	Gains control over dark fire after receiving dark-power enhancement. 157 201

Book of Darkness

The Book of Darkness is Chen Fan’s unique book-form Martial Soul and the principal known source of Martial Soul degradation and evolution. 1 2

Recorded Abilities

• Darkness Power — Weakens and regresses another person’s Martial Soul. 2
• Evolution Guidance — Uses darkness and the Darkness Mark to improve or transform compatible Martial Souls. 7 47
• Soul Master Evolution Record — Records the status, evolutionary paths, and traits of subjects affected by its power. 14 47 56
• Inherited Characteristics — Chen Fan can use the inherent traits of Martial Souls evolved through Darkness Mark 2.0, though he cannot use their individual Soul Skills. 116
• Passive Memory Enhancement — Allows its owner to read one hundred lines at a glance and retain an exceptionally strong memory. 2

Limitations

• The Book of Darkness initially appears blank and lacks obvious offensive power. 6
• Its evolution process can be dangerous when the recipient lacks the ability to endure the Darkness Baptism. 7
• Chen Fan’s ability to borrow evolved Martial Soul traits does not grant him control over the owner’s Soul Skills. 116
• After Chen Fan’s Book of Darkness shatters, he retains the powers learned through it, but his soul rings disappear and integrate into his body. 181
• A later Book of Darkness is fused into Chen Fan as a magical treasure rather than functioning as a conventional Martial Soul. 183

Martial Soul Fusion Skills

Martial Soul Fusion Skills combine the power of two compatible Soul Masters into a technique stronger than ordinary Soul Skills. 101

• Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing can perform Black Tiger Chaotic Beat after their Martial Souls evolve. 101
• Their fusion differs from a complete merged form: Dai Mubai transfers power to Zhu Zhuqing, allowing her to wield both powers simultaneously. 101
• Dark-power evolution makes their fusion easier to activate even without perfect coordination. 101