Martial Soul

Biodata

Awakening and Cultivation

• Martial Souls are awakened during a formal ceremony using six black stones; the awakened form manifests from the subject's body, commonly through a hand. 2
• A crystal ball is used to test innate Soul Power after awakening. Tang San's Blue Silver Grass registers Innate Full Soul Power, while Xu Zhou's Black Ancient Book initially produces no reaction. 2
• Innate Soul Power is publicly treated as the basis for conventional Soul Master cultivation: practitioners with it can guide external energy through meditation, while those with innate zero Soul Power supposedly cannot. 20
• Xu Zhou is an exception. His Black Ancient Book lets him gain Soul Power from others' incorrect judgments, then stabilize and circulate that existing power through meditation without externally detectable energy absorption. 2 20
• Soul Rings grant Soul Skills related to their source Soul Beasts. Yu Xiaogang's unexpected third Soul Ring grants Luo Sanpao the spatial-transfer skill Golden Gate. 7
• A Martial Soul may be dismissed and resummoned along with its Soul Rings, as Yu Xiaogang demonstrates with Luo Sanpao. 7

Forms

Black Ancient Book

Cognitive Bias Conversion

The Black Ancient Book identifies when another person's judgment of Xu Zhou is incorrect and converts the resulting Cognitive Bias into Soul Power. Greater or more influential misunderstandings yield greater gains. 2 4 5

• Repeatedly exploiting the same type of judgment provides diminishing rewards. 5
• Broad public belief can form a Public Script, creating a condition Xu Zhou must overturn for a reward. 3
• The Book can reinforce an existing misconception with temporary real-world evidence, as when Yu Xiaogang's spatial theory manifests through Luo Sanpao's Golden Gate. 7
• It does not gain power when a judgment is substantially correct, such as Tang San's suspicion that Xu Zhou possesses a system-like opportunity. 3

Proofreading Ability

The Book can compare written materials and identify obvious contradictions between them. 19 21

• It exposed the conflict between Xu Zhou's Soul Hunting Permit and patrol records showing its assigned entrance had already been closed. 21
• It helped Xu Zhou detect fabricated Ghost Vine attack records and trace inconsistencies surrounding the Ironthorn Vine incident. 16 18
• It cannot determine whether a statement is inherently true or false; if all records agree on the same false conclusion, it does not react. 19
• Its documented function leads Nuoding Academy to appoint Xu Zhou as a temporary file verifier. 19

Soul Rings and Soul Skills

• Soul Rings are associated with Soul Beast hunting and absorption; Tang San's first-ring selection becomes the subject of competing plans, public hearings, and attempts to force a predetermined outcome. 15 16 24 26
• A Soul Ring's age matters to whether a Soul Master can safely absorb it. Tang San cannot use a 768-year-old Ironthorn Vine because it is too old for him. 18 19
• Luo Sanpao's third Soul Ring is purple and grants Golden Gate, which transfers objects through a small golden door. Its exit initially appears near Xu Zhou. 7
• Martial Souls can be closely tied to their users' well-being; Yu Xiaogang is deeply concerned when Luo Sanpao is poisoned. 25

Misidentification of the Black Ancient Book

• Su Yuntao initially records Xu Zhou's Martial Soul simply as a “Black Book” with no innate Soul Power. 3
• Yu Xiaogang theorizes that it is an unopened Spatial Gate containing sealed Soul Power, later expanding this theory into multiple layers of space. 4 5 6
• Tang San accepts the Spatial Gate explanation and suspects it may connect to another world. 6
• Nuoding Academy ultimately classifies it as a special book-type Martial Soul suited to cross-checking information and lacking combat ability. 19
• These conflicting interpretations are the primary source of the Black Ancient Book's Cognitive Bias-generated Soul Power. 4 5 13 19