After the village chief's explanation, Ning Chuan realized that the target of this system mission had suffered much the same fate as Ma Hongjun.
However, the girl's condition was more serious than Ma Hongjun's. She had suffered a backlash on the very day she awakened her martial soul.
Although her innate soul power had not been tested, Spirit Hall could tell from her aura that it was certainly far from low.
Thus, Spirit Hall had later sent a Soul Emperor specifically to examine her condition.
The examination revealed severe damage to all her internal organs and major meridians. Forget cultivating soul power-it was already a miracle that she had survived.
Spirit Hall's Soul Emperor had helped suppress it once, but that had only treated the symptoms, not the root cause.
Over the years, the girl had spent most of her time lying in bed. Every so often, her martial soul's flames would turn against her again.
Each episode nearly took half her life.
She had endured like this for eight years. Whenever a Soul Master passed through the village, her parents would approach them and plead desperately, begging them to examine their daughter. They always held on to a thread of hope, praying for a miracle-for someone who could cure their child.
After learning the whole story, Sword Douluo rose and said, "Take me to see her!"
Overjoyed, the village chief hurried forward to lead the way.
Most Soul Masters who had visited the village in the past had been difficult to approach. Those who offered to help of their own accord, like Sword Douluo, were rarer still.
Seeing that Sword Douluo was willing to examine her daughter, the woman immediately tried to kneel, only for him to lift her with his soul power.
With the woman leading them, Ning Chuan and Sword Douluo soon arrived at a humble dwelling.
Inside, the girl lay in bed, but she was not asleep. Her brow was tightly furrowed, and her body trembled. Clearly, she was constantly enduring the pain of Martial Soul Backlash.
"Senior, this is my daughter." As she spoke, the woman turned toward her daughter. "Xiao Yun, get up and greet these two Lord Soul Masters. They're here to help you!"
Seeing the woman move to help the girl sit up, Sword Douluo quickly stopped her.
"There's no need for formalities. Let me examine the child first!" With that, Sword Douluo released his spiritual power to inspect the girl's body.
While Sword Douluo examined her, Ning Chuan asked the system, "If Sword Grandpa can save her, will that count as completing the mission?"
The system replied, "Of course, but her condition isn't something a Titled Douluo can resolve!"
Just as the system had said, Sword Douluo frowned after only a brief examination.
"G-Grandpa, whatever the problem is, please tell me plainly. I can take it," the girl said haltingly. Clearly, she understood her own condition.
Sword Douluo nodded, then explained the girl's condition.
"Her body has suffered extremely severe damage from the backlash. If there were a healing-type Titled Douluo, there might be a chance of curing her." Sword Douluo had led with a trump card. How exalted were Titled Douluos? To ordinary villagers like them, such figures were impossibly distant.
Sword Douluo continued, "However, the most difficult problem is Martial Soul Backlash."
"A martial soul is inseparable from the body and soul. Even if someone could temporarily heal her body, she would still suffer severe damage when Martial Soul Backlash erupted again."
"Although I can temporarily suppress Martial Soul Backlash, the effect is limited. Moreover, every time it is suppressed, the next backlash becomes more severe."
As he spoke, Sword Douluo looked at the girl. "Child, I can temporarily suppress Martial Soul Backlash and spare you its pain for about half a year. But when it erupts again, your condition will only be worse—more serious than it is now!"
The girl's mother's eyes instantly reddened.
Although Sword Douluo had not explicitly said how serious it would be, how could a mother fail to hear the meaning beneath his words? She knew that if this senior intervened, her child would most likely not survive when the backlash struck again six months later.
"Grandpa, do you mean I won't feel any pain for half a year?" the girl asked, her face full of hope.
"That's right!" Sword Douluo nodded. "Although I can't promise you'll be able to play as freely as a normal child, at least you won't have to stay in bed all the time!"
"Then please help me, Grandpa. Ever since my martial soul awakened, I've forgotten what it feels like not to be in pain!" The girl made her decision at once.
After speaking, she turned to her mother. "Mom, please don't stop him. I know my own body. Even if this senior Soul Master does nothing, I probably won't last another six months. If I can spend half a year peacefully with you and Dad, without being tormented by terrible pain, I'll already be more than content."
The woman had wanted to say something, but her daughter's words silenced her.
Sword Douluo sighed at the sight. There truly was nothing he could do about this.
Meanwhile, Ning Chuan had already learned from the system how to save the girl, so he spoke up. "Sword Grandpa, how about letting me try?"
Sword Douluo paused in surprise. In his view, if even he could not solve this problem, Ning Chuan certainly could not.
But upon seeing Ning Chuan's determined gaze, Sword Douluo addressed the village chief and the others. "Sorry for the trouble, but please step outside for a moment. I need a quiet environment."
The village chief immediately helped the girl's mother outside.
After closing the door, Sword Douluo asked curiously, "Xiao Chuan, what do you intend to do?"
"It's simple. I plan to use my first soul skill, Suppression Seal, on the flame soul power inside her!" Ning Chuan said.
This was the system's recommendation to Ning Chuan.
The system had stated plainly that the only way to cure the girl completely was to let her absorb the creation power within the pagoda.
However, with Ning Chuan's current strength, he could not mobilize creation power at all.
Although the system had previously used creation power to preserve the souls of the Heaven Dou Empire's three princes, it had not let their souls absorb that power. It had simply used creation power to draw their souls into the pagoda.
In the system's words, the living beings of this world could not directly absorb creation power. Only once Ning Chuan became a little stronger could he bring its effects into play through the Creation Exquisite Pagoda.
Although Ning Chuan's first soul skill still could not cure the girl completely, he only needed to keep using Suppression Seal on her throughout the period of Martial Soul Backlash.
Anyone whose soul power level was lower than Ning Chuan's would be unable to move after being placed under Suppression Seal, and the soul power within their body would likewise remain still.
Thus, as long as he helped her weather the period when Martial Soul Backlash erupted, he could ensure that she would not die!
However, unless the girl was completely cured, the mission would not count as complete. Ning Chuan could therefore only take her back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect first, then resolve the problem of Martial Soul Backlash completely once his own cultivation advanced a little further.
After asking Xiao Yun to close her eyes, Ning Chuan released his martial soul and tried using his first soul skill.
Just as he had expected, Xiao Yun's body immediately relaxed once she was under Suppression Seal.
With her flame soul power brought to a state of stillness, it did not harm her body at all. Of course, she still had to endure the damage her body had sustained from previous bouts of Martial Soul Backlash.
But as long as Sword Douluo helped temporarily suppress her soul power's backlash, and they then found a physician to nurse her back to health slowly, her body would recover sooner or later.
Of course, to be safe, she had to return to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda with Ning Chuan. Only then could he place her under Suppression Seal the moment Martial Soul Backlash appeared.
"Xiao Yun, would you like to become a Soul Master?" Ning Chuan asked.
A glimmer of hope flashed through the girl's eyes, but she knew her own condition. She shook her head and said, "I'd already be more than satisfied if I could live for half a year without injury or pain!"
"Don't be so pessimistic. I have a way to free you completely from the pain of Martial Soul Backlash, but there's one condition. You must join our sect and leave the village with us, living apart from your parents for the time being!" Ning Chuan said.
Before you continue