Soul Master

Biodata

Power Progression

A Soul Master at the level-60 threshold still needs a sixth Soul Ring to advance; Ning Chen reaches that threshold before obtaining his ring. 35 Rank 95 Tang Hao is described as a Super Douluo whose attacks far exceed what Ning Chen can withstand as a level-83 Soul Douluo. 56 59

Core System

Martial Souls

A Soul Master’s Martial Soul determines their broad combat role, Soul Skill tendencies, and cultivation path. Martial Souls may be inherited, newly mutated, or—in rare cases—exist as Twin Martial Souls. 5 20

• Tool Martial Souls are tangible manifestations, such as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. 5 9
• Beast Martial Souls can possess and transform their users, exemplified by Yu Tianheng’s Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. 5 23
• Body Martial Souls use a body part as the Martial Soul; those tied to vital organs possess especially high potential. 5
• The Heart Martial Soul is a Body Martial Soul centered on the heart, described as the body’s source of life. 5
• Present-day Douluo Continent does not widely recognize the concept of Body Martial Souls, causing some users to be dismissed as possessing Soul Power without a proper Martial Soul. 5 20
• A Twin Martial Soul user can cultivate one Martial Soul first, then attach older Soul Rings to the second after becoming stronger. Ning Chen adopts this approach for his Heart Martial Soul. 7 90
• Martial Souls can evolve: the Qiluo Tulip transforms Ning Chen’s Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda into a Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. 29 31

Soul Power

Soul Power is the energy cultivated and expended by Soul Masters for Martial Souls, Soul Skills, and Soul Tools.

• Cultivation halts at major bottlenecks until the Soul Master obtains an appropriate Soul Ring. 6 10
• Innate Soul Power strongly affects how talent is judged; Ning Rongrong’s innate level nine is regarded as exceptional among support-type Soul Masters, while Ning Chen’s original half-level aptitude caused him to be abandoned by his sect. 4 5
• Physical strength affects the age of Soul Rings a Soul Master can endure. Whale glue is valued for strengthening the body and enabling the absorption of stronger rings. 6
• Extraordinary meridians and powerful cultivation techniques can refine Soul Ring energy, accelerate cultivation, and reduce the risk of violent backlash. 9 27 33
• Cultivation accumulated while a Soul Master is held at a ring bottleneck may contribute to a rapid increase in Soul Power after the ring is absorbed, as shown by Ning Chen’s first and second rings. 10 15
• Immortal herbs can strengthen a Soul Master’s foundation as well as raise Soul Power. The Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid purges impurities and hidden injuries, while its medicinal effects continue nourishing the recipient over time. 40
• Self-created techniques can supplement Soul Skills. Ning Chen’s Thousand Mountains Formula draws on mountain energy to temper his body and strengthen his Soul Power; its mountain phantom can exert crushing battlefield pressure. 34 35 38

Soul Rings and Soul Skills

Soul Rings are acquired by hunting and killing Soul Beasts, then absorbing the rings they leave behind. They raise Soul Power and grant or strengthen Soul Skills. 9 15

• Soul Masters typically select Soul Beasts whose attributes suit their Martial Soul; Rock Crystal Beasts are especially compatible with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda’s enhancement role. 7
• Soul Ring age affects both power and absorption danger. A roughly seven-hundred-year ring is considered beyond the normal limit for a newly advanced level-ten Soul Master. 9
• Yellow, purple, and black Soul Rings are documented from increasingly dangerous Soul Beasts, including a seven-hundred-year Rock Crystal Beast, a millennium Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake, and ten-thousand-year or greater beasts. 9 15 27 33
• Ten-thousand-year rings can violently damage or widen a Soul Master’s meridians during absorption; thirty-thousand-year rings may shatter an ordinary level-fifty Soul Master’s meridians outright. 27 33
• A Soul Ring can impart a distinctive trait of its source beast. Ning Chen’s fifth Soul Skill gains both attack enhancement and corrosive venom from a thirty-thousand-year Human-Faced Demon Spider. 33
• The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda’s attribute-amplification skills grow stronger as their user advances. Ning Chen’s first-ring strength amplification begins at thirty-five percent; after his second ring, both strength and speed amplification reach fifty percent. Its amplification ratio remains the same whether applied to the user or an ally. 9 15
• Ning Chen’s seventh skill, Nine Treasure True Body, halves the Soul Power cost of his enhancement skills and allows them to affect others simultaneously. His eighth skill, Nine Treasure Divine Light Body Protection, can negate attacks below the power of a ninth Soul Skill from ordinary Title Douluos and withstand a limited number of ninth-skill-level strikes. 56 57
• Soul Bones are another source of power, but removing one after absorption carries an enormous cost. Ning Chen consequently postpones absorbing a tournament prize while seeking a higher-age bone. 87

Combat Roles

Support-type Soul Masters generally cultivate more slowly and may lack independent fighting ability; Ye Lingling therefore competes in two-person Soul Battles rather than solo matches. Ning Chen demonstrates that self-amplification, offensive equipment, and self-created techniques can give a support-type Soul Master independent combat power. 23 15 41 65

Body Martial Soul Awakening

Ning Chen hopes to develop a practical method of second awakening for overlooked Body Martial Soul users and establish a Body Sect. He has begun seeking people who possess Soul Power but appear to have no Martial Soul; the proposed method and sect remain plans. 20 90 91

Soul Tools and External Methods

Soul Masters are not limited to Martial Souls and Soul Skills. Soul Tools, artifacts, weapons, and movement techniques can compensate for weaknesses in a Martial Soul’s natural combat role. 11 15

• Offensive Soul Tools include the Fierce Slash Blade, which releases Flame Slash through infused Soul Power. 12 15
• Defensive Soul Tools include Earthguard Armor and its Thick Earth Protection spell, which can withstand three full-force Soul Elder attacks for ten seconds. 12
• Movement Soul Tools include Wind-Chasing Boots, which increase speed by thirty percent and provide a short burst of explosive movement. 12
• Artifact-refining methods can be adapted into Soul Tools up to roughly Level Four, comparable to equipment used by four-ring Soul Ancestors. 11
• Soul Tools are described as scarce in this era; offensive, defensive, and utility tools are all highly valuable. 18
• Storage Soul Tools can carry equipment and materials. Ning Chen also develops storage pouches capable of preserving living plants and medicinal herbs. 10 30 31
• Specialized artifacts can provide capabilities resembling Soul Skills: Ning Chen’s Starlight Bracer produces shields, physical enhancements, illusions, and a domain, while his Windrider Airship provides flight and concealment. 19 25
• Emergency items can enable escape beyond ordinary movement techniques. Ning Chen uses a Soul-Power-consuming Minor Teleportation Talisman to escape Tang Hao, though the teleportation aggravates his injuries. 59
• Hidden weapons allow a weaker Soul Master to threaten numerous opponents. Tang San’s poisonous needles and repeating crossbows inflict heavy casualties during the attack on the tournament convoy. 67

Organizations and Training

• Martial Soul Hall — Provides Soul Master certification and a monthly subsidy of one gold soul coin for newly certified low-level Soul Masters. Its intelligence network records Soul Masters throughout the continent. 10 20
• Martial Soul Temples — High-status institutions staffed by deacons whose weakest observed Soul Power is at the Grand Soul Master rank; a Heaven Dou City temple also includes Soul Ancestor-level deacons. 20
• Heaven Dou Imperial Academy — Its advanced division accepts cultivators above level 25, including Grand Soul Masters, Soul Elders, and Soul Ancestors. 23
• Soul Master academies — Train students for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, where cultivation, team composition, and Martial Soul compatibility are decisive. 23 36 37
• Martial Soul Hall’s public services — Its branches awaken Martial Souls for commoners free of charge, provide low-level stipends, and pursue Fallen Soul Masters who prey on ordinary people. 88
• Great Soul Arenas — Offer ordinary matches, deathmatches, and gambling matches in individual, two-person, and group formats. Competitors earn ranked battle badges, and academies use arena combat to develop practical skill and teamwork. 39 41 46
• Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament — Brings academy teams from the Heaven Dou and Star Luo empires together with Martial Soul Hall’s team. The imperial academy teams and Martial Soul Hall’s team receive seeded places in the finals. 66 69

Political standing can interfere with training: opponents at the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena hold back against students connected to powerful clans, the imperial academy, or a Title Douluo. Qin Ming moves the Emperor Team to Suotuo City so they can face opponents willing to fight seriously. 46

Notable Quote

“The world of soul masters was, in the end, a world of geniuses and a world of the strong.” 13