In Nuoding Academy's library, a pile of books lay before Xiao Yan. Looking at them, he could not help marveling.
"Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy might not be very big, but it certainly has plenty of books on soul master cultivation."
In other words, this world did not restrict access to knowledge about soul master cultivation. That was perfectly normal, really. It was like the modern world Xiao Yan had originally lived in: knowledge was there for anyone to read, but plenty of people still could not understand it.
If someone let you read about relativity, would that mean you could build an atomic bomb?
There was simply no need to restrict knowledge.
"There are a few thicker ones here, too. Let's see what treasures they hold." Xiao Yan picked up several books and began looking through them.
"Basic Principles of Soul Master Cultivation," "Soul Beast Identification Handbook," "A Detailed Guide to Martial Souls of the Douluo Continent," "The History of the Douluo Continent," "The History of Spirit Hall," "A Soul Master's Self-Cultivation"...
Xiao Yan picked a book at random and began leafing through it:
It explained that people on the Douluo Continent divided martial souls into two broad categories: beast martial souls and tool martial souls.
Beast martial souls combined with the human body, imbuing it with a beast's strength to achieve a state of unity between person and martial soul. This was commonly called Martial Soul Possession.
Tool martial souls were different. Most operated outside the body. They could not only attack and defend but also provide support, and some tool martial souls could even serve as food.
"Food? You can eat them?" Xiao Yan paused when he read this.
Martial souls such as sausages, sugar beans, and steamed buns were all edible food-type martial souls. Soul power could be understood as a special form of energy, and eating was how living creatures took in energy.
After martial soul awakening, every ten-level increase in soul power granted a new title. These were, in order, Soul Master, Soul Grandmaster, Soul Elder, Soul Ancestor, Soul King, Soul Emperor, Soul Saint, Soul Douluo, and Titled Douluo.
For soul masters to advance to the next title, their soul power first had to reach the peak of their current rank. They also had to hunt down a soul beast and obtain a soul ring. After absorbing that soul beast's soul ring, they would gain some of the slain beast's abilities.
Although absorbing soul rings could enhance a soul master's abilities, the requirements for adding one were extremely strict. First, the soul ring duration after a soul beast's death was exceedingly short.
Furthermore, the resulting soul ring could not be absorbed by other soul masters.
Hunt soul beasts to gain abilities?
"Isn't that just forcibly stealing a soul beast's cultivation? How is that any different from demonic cultivation?" Reading the martial soul cultivation method recorded in the book, Xiao Yan furrowed his brow slightly and exclaimed.
Suddenly, a dark figure surfaced in Xiao Yan's mind.
The figure gave a proud smile, then his expression turned sinister. With a light sweep of his sleeve, countless heads flew from their bodies. Blood gushed out as the bodies rapidly withered. Then came the rushing sound of water, and blood surged into the dark figure's body like a tide.
"Xiao Yan, I have fueled this formation with the blood of tens of millions of my descendants. To fall within it today is a death worthy of your status as a Dou Di."
A moment later, Xiao Yan came back to his senses. He seemed to have remembered something again, yet it also felt as though he had remembered nothing at all.
Looking at the book in his hands, Xiao Yan's expression grew solemn. He said quietly, "This world's cultivation system is utterly self-destructive. The ages of soul masters and soul beasts are completely out of proportion. Given that disparity, if things develop normally, the day will come when soul masters wipe out every last soul beast. When that happens, neither soul masters nor soul beasts will exist anymore."
Xiao Yan's words were not without reason. As soul masters on the Douluo Continent advanced in cultivation, the age of the soul beasts they needed to hunt also increased. Supply and demand were entirely out of proportion.
That was also why soul beasts later faced extinction in Douluo Dalu III: The Legend of the Dragon King.
In truth, all of this was manipulated by the gods on high.
The Douluo Continent's bizarre cultivation rules required people to hunt soul beasts to advance their cultivation. They were really no different from the practices of demonic cultivators in other fantasy worlds.
And where had these cultivation rules come from?
Naturally, the gods of the Divine Realm had deliberately designed them that way.
The Divine Realm had long possessed a way to condense soul rings without killing soul beasts, such as the God-Given Soul Rings in the Sea God's Nine Trials. They simply refused to pass it down.
Even ten thousand years later, in Douluo II, when soul beast numbers had already declined drastically, it still took an outsider stumbling upon a chance opportunity to create a soul spirit system that was only somewhat better than hunting soul beasts.
Yet even that could not completely resolve the problems between humans and soul beasts.
Perhaps the Douluo Continent's bizarre cultivation rules were the gods of the Divine Realm deliberately guiding humans and soul beasts into slaughtering one another.
After all, both soul masters and soul beasts had emerged under the influence of the Dragon God's power after his fall, and the Dragon God had been an enemy of the gods of the Divine Realm. Their intent was like Sima Zhao's ambition-known to every passerby.
Xiao Yan's arrival might be able to change this system.
Seeing the book titled "The History of Spirit Hall," Xiao Yan recalled Tang Hao's warning: if he ever dared to join Spirit Hall, Tang Hao would personally purge him from the Tang Family.
Curious, Xiao Yan opened the book. He very much wanted to know what sort of soul master organization could inspire such deep hatred in Tang Hao.
Legend had it that ten thousand years ago, evil soul masters had run rampant across the Douluo Continent. Ordinary people suffered terribly, unable to eke out a living. At that moment, a woman bearing six wings appeared. Her eyes brimmed with compassion for the people, and the sacred, radiant aura surrounding her filled the evil soul masters with dread.
She possessed incomparable strength and wielded a Sacred Sword capable of harnessing the sun's power. She swept through the evil soul masters across the continent, then founded Spirit Hall alongside heroes from all corners of the land, putting an end to the evil soul masters' uprising.
In the end, the woman vanished mysteriously, leaving Spirit Hall behind to continue suppressing evil soul masters and safeguarding peace on the Douluo Continent.
(I don't want to see contrarians picking fights and claiming that a little place like Nuoding Academy wouldn't have records like this. Didn't you study modern Chinese history in middle school? Anyone coming here to argue probably barely spent a few days in school.)
After reading the broad account of Spirit Hall, Xiao Yan quietly closed the book. Only then did he learn that Spirit Hall's history stretched back even further than that of the continent's Two Great Empires.
Since Spirit Hall isn't an evil organization, why does Tang Hao hate it so deeply? Could the problem lie with Tang Hao himself, causing him to make enemies of Spirit Hall's people?
Xiao Yan pondered silently.
No wonder I've noticed the empire downplaying Spirit Hall's influence over recent years. It must be to preserve the supremacy of imperial authority.
Meanwhile, in Dorm Seven of the dormitory building.
A pretty little girl stood in the doorway. She looked to be about the same age and height as Tang San. Her lovely face was rosy against fair skin, its delicate pink hue making it look just like a ripe honey peach.
Her long black hair was woven into a scorpion braid that hung past her hips, and her large, watery eyes shone with curiosity.
"Hello, is this Dorm Seven?"
P.S. Please send monthly tickets and recommendation votes.
Before you continue