Soul Master

Biodata

Terminology and Ranks

“Soul Master” is used both as a broad term for practitioners in the Soul Master world and as a cultivation designation above a Soul Warrior. A Level 6 Soul Warrior is explicitly considered far below a Level 13 Soul Master 23.

Awakening and Cultivation

Martial Soul Awakening

• Soul Masters begin through a Martial Soul awakening, commonly conducted for children at six years old using an awakening array 1.
• An awakened Martial Soul may carry an elemental attribute, such as Lin Huo’s fire-attributed Charmander Martial Soul 2.
• Innate Soul Power is tested with a crystal ball and determines whether an awakened child can begin cultivation 2.
• Martial Soul quality is generally associated with inherited bloodlines, although commoners can occasionally awaken valuable Martial Souls through luck 1.
• Individuals with only one or two levels of Innate Soul Power may still work awakening Martial Souls in remote areas 1.

Meditation

Meditation is the fundamental method for cultivating Soul Power. It requires a Soul Master to calm their mind, establish a connection with their Martial Soul, draw external Soul Power into their body, and refine it with their own Soul Power 29.

• Even basic Meditation is difficult for ordinary young Soul Masters to learn 29.
• Soul Power cultivation is commonly treated as a matter of innate talent and persistent practice rather than refined cultivation methods 21.
• Blazing Fire Academy teaches Soul Power circulation and the practical use of Soul Power as foundations for future combat and research 28.

Soul Rings and Soul Skills

• Soul Rings grant Soul Masters additional soul skills; this advantage is a major difference between a Soul Master and a Soul Warrior 23.
• Soul Rings are acquired from Soul Beasts, and elite academy benefits can include assistance locating suitable Soul Beasts for students’ rings 8.
• A Soul Ring’s age must remain within the absorber’s limits. Failed attempts can cause severe backlash or death 26 27.
• Physical conditioning improves a Soul Master’s margin for error during absorption and can modestly raise the Soul Ring age they can withstand 27.
• Huo Lin estimates that complete body training may increase a Soul Master’s Soul Ring endurance limit by roughly fifty to one hundred years 27.
• Mental strength is also relevant when attempting high-age Soul Rings because of the soul impact involved in absorption 17.

Training and Education

Academies

Soul Master academies provide cultivation resources that unaffiliated practitioners often lack.

• Blazing Fire Academy offers a progression from junior to intermediate and advanced education; reaching Soul Grandmaster before eighteen is the requirement for advanced enrollment 6.
• Special-grade students may receive medicinal baths, Soul Beast meat, monthly Gold Soul Coin allowances, library access, physical monitoring, tailored training plans, and assistance finding Soul Rings 8.
• Fire-attributed academies may use volcanic environments as mimic cultivation grounds for fire-attributed Soul Masters 7.
• Academy training grounds can include fire-resistant facilities and Soul Guidance Device dummies for combat practice 11 12.

Physical Conditioning

• Physical constitution affects how much Soul Power a body can contain, the quality of Soul Rings it can absorb, and a Soul Master’s striking power 21.
• Running alone leaves parts of the body insufficiently trained, creating weak points during Soul Ring absorption 27.
• The Clear Sky Sect is cited as an example of a faction that uses self-created soul skills to comprehensively strengthen its disciples’ bodies 21.

Society and Status

• The total number of Soul Masters across the continent is said to be only slightly above one hundred thousand, making talented school-age Soul Masters a limited resource 6.
• Major factions compete to recruit young Soul Masters, particularly those with compatible elemental Martial Souls and notable Innate Soul Power 6.
• Soul Masters are regarded as a privileged social class; their status can provide wealth and opportunities unavailable to ordinary people 9 35.
• Children with Soul Master potential but no family backing are vulnerable to being purchased, indoctrinated, and used as estate guards by nobles 5.
• Spirit Hall performs Martial Soul awakenings and distributes subsidies, but other academies, nobles, and sects also conduct awakenings to prevent Spirit Hall from monopolizing new Soul Master talent 1 4.