The night was as dark as ink, and the medicinal bath's crisp fragrance had yet to fade.
In Chen Yu's study, warm lamplight glowed as Chen Xun led Chen Xiaojun inside.
Beneath the soft yellow light, Chen Yu's gaze rested gently on his little grandson.
"Xiao'er," Chen Yu said, his voice carrying a hint of concern that was difficult to detect, breaking the quiet of the room. "Tomorrow is the day you awaken your Martial Soul. Are you... nervous?"
Chen Xiaojun nodded vigorously, his small body stiff as a board. "N-nervous as can be! It's the only chance I'll ever get in my life! Whether I soar like a dragon through the nine heavens or perch like a phoenix on a low branch depends on tomorrow."
Beside them, Chen Xun gave his son's shoulder a reassuring pat. His steady voice brought a sense of calm. "Don't panic, child. We've all been through this."
His tone shifted, becoming certain yet gentle. "Even if you really inherit your mother Xiuxin's Seven-Color Bracelet Martial Soul, it's still a top-tier Support Martial Soul. Combined with the Chen Clan's secret Sword Techniques, it'll be more than enough to help you become an unparalleled swordsman!"
"True, you won't have the domineering Soul Skills of an attack-type Martial Soul. But with the pure support enhancements raising your foundations, and the Chen Clan's secret arts, tempered through a thousand trials..." He paused. "You can hardly be called 'weak.'"
"History resounds through the ages, leaving echoes behind! Long ago, there was a Mysterious Heaven Douluo with the Mysterious Heaven Gourd Martial Soul. Did his Sword Might and reach ever fall short of those of our ancestor?"
"Mm." Chen Xiaojun answered softly, and the light in his eyes seemed to brighten.
Chen Yu stroked his beard and nodded, a flash of wisdom in his eyes as he patiently prompted him. "Xiao'er, how much do you know about Martial Souls?"
Chen Xiaojun gathered his thoughts and answered clearly, "Everyone has a Martial Soul. It awakens at the age of six, connected to us by blood, and inherited from one of our parents."
He paused briefly, his train of thought growing smoother. "Martial Soul grades are divided into four tiers according to their power, potential, functionality, rarity, and so on: beginner, intermediate, advanced, and top-tier."
"Martial Souls come in Myriad Transformations, in all shapes and sizes, more numerous than the hairs on an ox. There's every kind imaginable."
"According to A Rough Study of Martial Souls, Definitions of Martial Soul Grades, and One Hundred Explanations of Soul Masters, rough estimates put the number of Martial Souls that have appeared at over ten thousand."
He spoke a little faster, with a trace of a young scholar's eagerness. "So, if they're further divided, then aside from beginner Martial Souls, which have no grade, intermediate, advanced, and top-tier Martial Souls can each be divided into upper, middle, and lower grades. That makes nine grades of Martial Souls."
"For convenience, these nine grades are also numbered. First Grade is the lowest, and Ninth Grade is the highest."
At this point, a hint of pride crept into his voice. "The Seven Kill Sword, passed down through generations of the Chen Clan, is a top-tier upper-grade Martial Soul. It stands proudly at Ninth Grade and is revered by all swords!"
"Good." Chen Yu smiled with satisfaction, then took the discussion further. "But there are also two special kinds of Martial Souls."
"Special?" Chen Xiaojun's eyes lit up as memories surged. "Which two? Could it be... Trash Martial Souls? Or... God-Level Martial Souls?"
As someone who had come from another world, those two terms had long been familiar to him.
Chen Yu chuckled and shook his head. "Trash Martial Souls? They're merely the lowest class of beginner Martial Souls. They still belong to that category, so they don't count as a separate grade."
"The main issue is that they don't stand out in any aspect, and they're very likely to have no Soul Power. Even when they do have some, it generally doesn't reach Innate First-Level Soul Power."
"Blue Silver Grass, the most famous Trash Martial Soul on the continent, is the one that appears most often without Soul Power."
His expression turned serious. "By 'special,' I mean something truly extraordinary, something that stands above the nine grades of top-tier Martial Souls, high in the clouds-the one-in-ten-thousand Super Martial Soul, and the... God-Level Martial Soul you mentioned!"
Chen Xiaojun's thoughts raced, and he immediately chimed in. "God-Level Martial Soul! I know that the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul inherited by Spirit Hall is said to be God-Level!"
"Correct." A deep light shone in Chen Yu's eyes. "God-Level Martial Souls can break through the limit of Innate Full Soul Power, reaching levels from 11 to 20."
"In fact, our ancestors suspected that it wasn't only God-Level Martial Souls. Many people's Innate Full Soul Power might exceed Level 10."
"But Soul Testing Balls can only detect up to Level 10. They can't measure anything higher unless you use the Secretly Crafted Soul Testing Ball that Spirit Hall never shares with outsiders."
Chen Xiaojun understood at once. "Never shares with outsiders? I see. So Soul Power beyond the full-power limit is valuable information."
Chen Yu nodded. "Information. That's a good way to put it."
Chen Xiaojun grew all the more eager to ask. "Grandpa, do God-Level Martial Souls have any other astonishing traits?"
As he spoke, Chen Yu's gaze seemed to pierce through time, carrying a sense of distance and solemnity. "Of course. Their ability to surpass the innate limit is the first."
He raised one finger. "The second is their companion destiny-they come with an Innate Domain! When the Martial Soul's owner reaches a certain level, the might of that Domain will descend upon them."
"The third..." Chen Yu's voice paused involuntarily. "Is their inborn tendency toward, or possession of... an Ultimate Attribute!"
"An Ultimate Attribute?" The concept, etched deep in his memories of his previous life, made Chen Xiaojun's heart jolt.
Chen Yu slowly nodded and explained, "Correct. It is the pinnacle of elemental power! Whoever possesses Ultimate power is an absolute sovereign, unmatched among all who wield that attribute!"
"They exert absolute pressure over all Martial Souls of the same attribute. Ultimate Martial Souls are the cream of the crop among Super Martial Souls."
He paused briefly before explaining further. "The attributes of all things are divided into three tiers. The third tier is the Ultimate Attribute."
"However, the strength of an attribute isn't simply equivalent to a Soul Master's level."
At this, Chen Yu's expression grew even more solemn. "Then what is a Super Martial Soul? It isn't an Inherited Martial Soul passed down by blood."
"It's a form born after a Martial Soul has undergone countless trials and tribulations, tempered and transformed, until it's reborn in flames. It has already broken free of the confines of ordinary Martial Souls."
The ancestors' painstaking research revealed that Super Martial Souls could not be inherited directly through blood. They could only be achieved through repeated bloodline awakenings or an evolution in one's level of life.
His voice was low and powerful. "For Beast Martial Soul users, their Martial Souls might transform into Divine Beast Martial Souls, so real they can't be distinguished from the genuine article, flawless and beyond reproach. As for Tool Martial Soul Soul Masters like us, the Ultimate Attribute is the only great path to heaven open to us!"
"Think back to the founder of my clan's resurgence, Chen Feiyi. He wielded Ultimate Gold, and the Seven Kill Sword in his hand shone with a world-cold light. In the end, he became a Peerless Douluo who looked down on all under heaven!"
He quickly gathered up his wistfulness, his gaze once more clear and sharp. "But let's return to the topic. You now know the three traits of God-Level Martial Souls: first, they can break through the innate Soul Power limit; second, they generate an Innate Domain; third, they tend toward or possess an Ultimate Attribute."
A bold light shone in Chen Yu's eyes. "Even so, these three great barriers aren't impossible to overcome."
"The advantage of exceeding Innate Full Soul Power will eventually be worn away and erased by the passage of time and diligent cultivation."
"As for the Innate Domain? Those of us who come after can also comprehend one through sheer perseverance and great Wuxing, amid trials of life and death and by peering into the hidden minutiae."
"Our Chen Clan has a secret ancient method, never shared with outsiders, that can greatly increase the chance of comprehending a Domain."
"Countless examples also show that Super Martial Soul owners are often more likely to comprehend and enter the Domain."
"And that supreme Ultimate Attribute?" His voice suddenly rose, brimming with encouragement. "As long as you push your own Martial Soul to Second-Tier Perfection before Level 99 and reach out toward the threshold of perfection... the door of opportunity will swing wide open."
"In conclusion," Chen Yu declared with absolute conviction, each word landing like a heavy hammer, "Super Martial Souls can stand against so-called God-Level Martial Souls head-on!"
"History is full of records of such astonishing clashes and legends."
He turned the conversation once more and looked at Chen Xiaojun with a gentle, hopeful gaze. "Xiao'er, do you remember what Grandpa told you a few days ago about the obstacle that Titled Douluo must overcome to break through?"
Chen Xiaojun immediately straightened his back. "I remember. You said that after comprehending Intent, the physical Martial Soul in the Middle and Lower Soul Nests and the illusory Martial Soul in the Upper Soul Nest merge into one. The Martial Soul is elevated, and Soul Power becomes liquid."
"Exactly! Phantom-Physical Fusion, the Martial Soul's elevation!" Chen Yu's eyes blazed. "Elevation, as the name suggests, is actually the most fundamental form of evolution for a Martial Soul."
His tone was firm as he revealed an ironclad rule.
"Thus, after their Martial Souls are elevated, all Titled Douluo attain at least Top Seventh Grade, without exception!"
"In other words, even those whose Martial Souls began as beginner or intermediate can eventually knock on the door to becoming Top-Tier Martial Souls."
"Xiao'er, this is the deeper meaning Grandpa wants to teach you-"
His words flowed like a warm stream. "Whether tomorrow you awaken your father's Seven Kill Sword or your mother's Seven-Color Begonia Bracelet, each holds a seed capable of reaching the peak, and each may transform into a Super Martial Soul that stands above all others!"
"The workings of heaven and earth are mysterious and boundless-anything is possible!"
"Therefore, you must put aside your hesitation and doubts. Keep your heart as clear as a mirror when you hold a sword. Above all, be confident and fearless."
Chen Yu's words were like a spring breeze, silently wrapping around the little boy.
As Chen Xiaojun looked at Chen Yu, a warm current suddenly surged in his chest, gathering into a tightness in his throat, mixed with excitement. "Grandson... thanks, Grandpa!"
But one great question still circled in his mind. "But, Grandpa..."
Chen Xiaojun tilted his head, his eyes shining with pure curiosity. "How did you learn all these things about other factions, especially such secret information about God-Level Martial Souls...?"
Chen Yu smiled calmly, with the detachment of someone who had seen the Storm Riders and a hint of the Chen Clan's distinctive pride. "Heh, silly child. Do you think the Chen Clan's thousands of years of heritage are empty talk?"
"Our ancestors served as Enshrined Elders in Spirit Hall or as guardian elders of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Some even served as generals and ministers, leaving illustrious reputations in the Court and on the battlefields of the Two Great Empires!"
"Otherwise, how could we have earned the fine reputation of making the Four Seas One's Home, with our footsteps crossing every mountain and river?"
Chen Xiaojun listened, spellbound, the light of eager curiosity flaring even brighter in his eyes. "By the way, Grandpa, as far as you know, how many kinds of God-Level Martial Souls are there in the world?"
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