It was the morning of the fourth day after Luo Chen had failed to awaken his Martial Soul.
Titled Douluos could fly through the air at tremendous speed. It had taken them only half a day to reach Nuoding City from Spirit City.
"We're here."
With Hu Liena in tow and Yue Guan and Gui Mei protecting them, Bibi Dong slowly landed in the forest outside Nuoding City.
"Teacher, aren't we going to hunt for a soul ring? Why have we come here?"
Hu Liena was only six years old. She had awakened her Martial Soul three months ago, and Bibi Dong had taken her as a disciple because of her exceptional talent.
Hu Liena was clever, obedient, and sensible, and Bibi Dong was very fond of her.
"Nana, I came here to see someone."
Bibi Dong did not mention Yu Xiaogang's name. Looking for Luo Chen also counted as "seeing someone," after all, so there was nothing wrong with what she said.
"Ghost Elder, investigate the background of that child named Luo Chen. See whether his origins are clean."
In Bibi Dong's view, a Martial Soul that even a Soul King's Soul Power could not awaken had to be at least a super Martial Soul.
If she was to acquire such talent, she naturally needed to establish his origins and background.
Although these things were not important within Spirit Hall, understanding a person also meant learning what he needed more quickly.
Start with his heart, then take control of him.
What Bibi Dong needed was an obedient blade. Only then could she wield it as she pleased.
"Yes, Your Holiness!"
Gui Mei vanished from everyone's sight. He swiftly entered the city and headed straight for Spirit Hall.
"Teacher, is the person we're looking for called Luo Chen? Who is he?"
"A child around your age, Nana."
With Hu Liena, Bibi Dong displayed a tenderness and maternal love she had never given Qian Renxue. She explained very patiently, "His situation is unusual. His Martial Soul couldn't awaken, so the branch reported it."
"His Martial Soul couldn't awaken?"
Hu Liena was still only a child, but she had already spent three months studying Martial Souls.
As far as Hu Liena knew, everyone could awaken a Martial Soul. The only difference was whether they possessed Soul Power.
But to be unable to awaken even a Martial Soul, that...
Hu Liena admitted she could not think of a reason, so she looked at Bibi Dong. "Then do you know what's going on, Teacher?"
"I only have a few guesses myself."
Bibi Dong said, "If a Martial Soul cannot awaken, it is very likely that the external Soul Power guiding it is insufficient."
Why was it difficult for Soul Masters to awaken on their own? Because before their Martial Souls awakened, their bodies contained no Soul Power. All their innate Soul Power was within their Martial Souls.
"Nana, do you know where Martial Souls come from?"
"Yes."
Hu Liena nodded. "A person's Martial Soul comes from their bloodline. In the vast majority of cases, they randomly awaken one of their parents' Martial Souls."
"Correct. You've been working hard, Nana. I'm very pleased."
Bibi Dong said, "Furthermore, a Martial Soul's strength is actually directly proportional to innate Soul Power."
This was precisely one of the points in Yu Xiaogang's "Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul."
Everyone's Martial Soul was actually fixed at birth, but a Martial Soul was merely a Martial Soul. Like a seed, it needed to be watered for a certain length of time before it could sprout and grow.
"In a newborn, the Martial Soul has not yet taken shape. It is an embryo."
"As the child gradually grows, the Martial Soul within their body actively absorbs Soul Power from the outside world until it has fully formed."
Bibi Dong continued, "Depending on how efficiently a person absorbs Soul Power, this process takes at most six years, and at least five."
Although a high-quality Martial Soul absorbed Soul Power quickly, it also took longer to form completely.
A low-quality Martial Soul absorbed Soul Power more slowly, but required less of it than a high-quality Martial Soul.
With one factor increasing and the other decreasing, the time needed for high- and low-quality Martial Souls to form completely was much the same.
"That is why the rule was established that Martial Souls are awakened at six."
When Bibi Dong finished, Hu Liena's eyes widened, her expression showing that she had learned something.
"As for innate Soul Power, it is actually the Soul Power needed for a Martial Soul to take shape."
Children themselves had no Soul Power, and the awakening ceremony did not bestow Soul Power upon them.
In that case, where did their Soul Power come from?
There was only one answer: the Soul Power inherent in the Martial Soul itself. This was the essence of innate Soul Power.
Thus, a Martial Soul's strength was directly proportional to innate Soul Power. The stronger the Martial Soul, the higher the innate Soul Power. Even Martial Souls of the same type differed in quality.
It could be said that, in this world, the quality of a person's Martial Soul determined their future.
"But Teacher, what about that child?"
"According to what you said, strong and weak Martial Souls take the same amount of time to form," Hu Liena said. "He's already six, so his Martial Soul should definitely have formed. Why can't it awaken?"
"For this matter, we first have to rule out the possibility that he has no Martial Soul."
Having no Martial Soul was impossible.
And if Luo Chen truly had no Martial Soul, Bibi Dong's trip would still not have been in vain.
Because she would have witnessed an unprecedented exception: a person without a Martial Soul!
Incredible. It would truly open her eyes!
"After ruling that out," Bibi Dong said, "I can only guess that his Martial Soul is of such high quality that it cannot awaken."
"The process of Martial Soul awakening actually involves a Soul Master stimulating a child with external Soul Power, thereby inducing resonance in the dormant Martial Soul."
"And when a Martial Soul's quality is too high and it contains too much Soul Power," Bibi Dong said, "the output of Soul Power can become blocked, preventing the Martial Soul from awakening normally."
"So when something like this happens, a Soul Master needs to guide it from the outside to complete the awakening ceremony."
However, such cases were extremely rare. Even Spirit Hall's records contained fewer than could be counted on one hand.
"A Martial Soul can fail to awaken because its quality is high?"
"That is only my guess."
In fact, Bibi Dong did know of a similar case: her daughter Qian Renxue, whom she regarded as a vile spawn.
The Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul was a god-bestowed Martial Soul. Everyone who awakened it would receive god-bestowed Soul Power from the Angel God; the only difference was how much.
When Xiao Xue'er awakened her Martial Soul, Bibi Dong had been training in Slaughter City, so she had not witnessed it herself.
But she was her birth mother, after all, and knew more or less something of Xiao Xue'er's circumstances.
In fact, even if Bibi Dong did not, Qian Xunji would tell her.
When Qian Renxue awakened her Martial Soul, she had the basic innate full Soul Power plus ten levels of god-bestowed Soul Power, giving her innate Soul Power of level twenty.
Such aptitude was unique throughout the Qian Family's history.
And that child's awakening ceremony had only been successfully completed with Qian Daoliu personally intervening.
"Could it be a god-level Martial Soul?"
The thought sprang into Bibi Dong's mind, but she quickly rejected it. "Impossible. How could a god-level Martial Soul appear in such a remote little place?"
Soon, Bibi Dong and the others arrived at the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City.
There, Su Yuntao, Ma Xiunuo, and Sisi were kneeling respectfully on the floor, paying their respects to Bibi Dong. "Greetings, Your Holiness, honored elders!"
"Rise."
Bibi Dong did not look at them. Casually choosing a seat, she asked, "Where is the child you mentioned?"
"Your Holiness, Xiao Chen caught a chill the day before yesterday. His fever only broke last night, and he is still resting at the orphanage."
"A chill? A fever?!"
Bibi Dong froze for a moment. It had been a very long time since she had heard anyone mention illnesses such as chills.
Because Soul Masters had Soul Power in their bodies, they almost never fell ill.
Unless they were injured and their Soul Power could no longer regulate their bodies' balance, illnesses simply did not occur in Soul Masters.
"This child has a poor constitution, falling ill even at this age..."
Bibi Dong began to doubt the strength of Luo Chen's Martial Soul. With such a frail body, did he really possess a high-quality Martial Soul?
"Why didn't you seek out a healing-type Soul Master?"
Luo Chen's case had already been reported to the Spirit Hall Main Hall, which certainly had healing-type Soul Masters. Bibi Dong's expression darkened slightly. "Did they refuse to treat him?"
Soul Masters were arrogant and looked down on ordinary people.
But this was Spirit Hall, and they were Spirit Hall's Soul Masters.
Spirit Hall had always treated commoners fairly well. A case like Luo Chen's would take only a casually cast healing Soul Skill, yet they would not even do that?
Bibi Dong did know that petty scheming and sordid dealings existed within Spirit Hall under Qian Xunji's rule.
She had already intended to rectify matters with thunderous force once she took office. Even if it meant rivers of blood and rolling heads, Bibi Dong would not hesitate.
Thus, if such a thing truly had happened here, killing intent appeared in Bibi Dong's eyes. "The branches, the main halls, the temples-Spirit Hall has so many healing-type Soul Masters. Was not a single one willing to help?"
"Please forgive us, Your Holiness."
Seeing that Bibi Dong had misunderstood, Ma Xiunuo hurriedly explained, "It isn't that the bishops refused to treat the child. They treated him, but it didn't work."
"It didn't work?"
Bibi Dong's delicate brows furrowed slightly. She did not quite understand what "didn't work" meant.
Just as she was about to order someone to bring Luo Chen over, Gui Mei suddenly appeared before her and dropped to one knee. "Your Holiness, this is the child's personal information, including his age and his living circumstances at the orphanage over the years."
"But as for this child's origins..."
"What is it?"
Bibi Dong lightly beckoned with a finger, using Soul Power to draw the documents from Gui Mei's hands. "Is there a problem?"
Bibi Dong casually skimmed through the information Gui Mei had collected.
Most of it presented no issues. It was just that the child seemed extremely frail, frequently catching colds and fevers that left him bedridden.
"Oh?"
Suddenly, Bibi Dong reached the section on Luo Chen's origins, and her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. "Six years ago, a woman brought him to the orphanage and left nearly a thousand Gold Soul Coins..."
Reading the description of the woman's appearance in the documents, Bibi Dong seemed to remember something.
"Your Holiness, the woman who brought this child to the orphanage seems to have been..."
"Me?"
Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes shifted as she remembered. "He's that child! The child I rescued from the fallen six years ago!"
"He's still alive?"
Yet she soon looked incredulous. "How is that possible?"
"Quick, take me there right now!"
At that moment, Bibi Dong finally understood why Luo Chen was frail and sickly, and why healing Soul Skills did not work on him.
"Cough, cough, cough."
Inside the orphanage, Luo Chen finished dressing, then began making his way to the Spirit Hall Branch with Wang Sheng's help.
"Xiao Chen, are you all right?"
"Why don't I carry you there on my back?"
Wang Sheng looked at Luo Chen worriedly, but the latter waved dismissively. "I'm fine. I know my own body best. It flares up every so often. It's an old problem."
Luo Chen's illness was peculiar. Besides his usual frailty, he also suffered stabbing pains throughout his body every few days, along with weakness and exhaustion.
But once he endured it, it would not flare up again for several days.
Luo Chen did not know what was wrong with him. He had also asked the director to seek out healing-type Soul Masters, but unfortunately, none could do anything about it.
"Hm?"
Stepping out of the room, Luo Chen suddenly noticed someone ahead.
He raised his head and saw an extraordinarily beautiful woman. She had long pinkish-purple hair, wore a crown, and held a scepter. Her entire being exuded a sacred, noble, elegant presence that instinctively made one want to bow in worship.
However, Luo Chen paid no attention to her extremely familiar attire. At that moment, his attention was focused entirely on the woman's face.
"You..."
Luo Chen blurted out instinctively, "It's you!"
"Oh?"
Bibi Dong looked at the boy before her. She saw delight and fond remembrance in his eyes. "You know me?"
"I..."
Only then did Luo Chen realize he had lost his composure.
But things had already come to this, so Luo Chen did not intend to lie. Instead, he told the truth. "I remember what you look like. Six years ago, you were the one who brought me to the orphanage."
"..."
This time, even Bibi Dong looked surprised.
Gui Mei and Yue Guan, who stood behind her, exchanged a glance, wondering whether people with photographic memories truly existed in this world.
Six years ago, Luo Chen had only been a child in swaddling clothes.
Yet such a young child had actually remembered the appearance of someone he had seen only once.
It had to be said that this was rather incredible.
But before they could think further, Luo Chen's next words left everyone present frozen in place.
"Are you my mother?"
As those words fell, Bibi Dong felt her breath catch, and Qian Renxue's face instinctively surfaced in her mind.
Mother...
Bibi Dong's awareness grew somewhat hazy. She was just about to explain when Yue Guan and Gui Mei rebuked him in unison. "Child, do not be insolent!"
Fortunately, the two knew their limits and had not added Soul Power to their voices.
Children spoke without restraint. Why would they take a child's idle nonsense to heart? They were not nobles of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires.
Even Bibi Dong would not take it to heart.
"It's all right."
Bibi Dong raised a hand to stop them, then said gently, "Child, I am not your mother."
"Oh..."
Luo Chen was not particularly disappointed. That, too, was the truth.
He had long known that Bibi Dong could not possibly be his mother. He had entertained some speculation earlier only because he had not known the identity of the woman who had brought him to the orphanage.
But after learning that the woman in his memories was Bibi Dong, Luo Chen no longer harbored such thoughts.
Luo Chen had not thought that much about why he had asked such a question. He had simply felt that he should ask it, that doing so would better fit the persona of a child abandoned at an orphanage by his parents.
Luo Chen was nowhere near as innocent as Wang Sheng and the others thought he was. Otherwise, he would not have used Sisi as an opportunity to latch onto Su Yuntao, a Soul Grandmaster, and thereby gain permission to borrow books from the Spirit Hall Branch's collection.
After learning that this was the Douluo Continent, Luo Chen had decided to change the naive thinking of his previous life.
To survive, to become stronger, and to gain the power to control his own destiny, Luo Chen could not afford to pass up any resource he could draw upon.
And now Bibi Dong, the final boss of Douluo Continent 1, stood before him. How could he not hug such an absurdly overpowered golden thigh?
"Then, big sister, do you know where my parents are?"
The next moment, Luo Chen's eyes truly lit up.
Only this time, Luo Chen was not pretending.
He had lived two lives. In his previous life, he had grown up in an orphanage, without parents or family, and had never experienced the warmth of familial affection.
And this was what he truly wanted to know after asking his first question.
(End of chapter)