Douluo: Soul-Breaking spear

Chapter 261: Ye Lingling's Inheritance

With Yang Tianyue and Yang Ping'an away from Armo Mountain, only Ye Lingling, Niu Mang, and Dugu Yan remained at the Heaven Journey Academy. They seemed to be getting along well with their peers, like Feng Xiaotian and others in their age group.

Following their recent journey to the extreme north, the Academy group returned with significant gains. Shui Qingrou, the lone additional member who accompanied them, had her own moment of growth, advancing by three ranks.

That night, after an intimate moment together, Yang Potian noticed a trace of conflict on Ye Lingling's face. Gently running his fingers through her silver hair, he felt enveloped by her serene, wood-element aura. He watched as she seemed hesitant to speak.

Curious, he asked, "Lingling, is something bothering you? You look conflicted. You know I'll help you with whatever's on your mind."

After a long pause, Ye Lingling finally spoke. "Potian, what does it truly mean to be a god? Why are you and Tianyue so focused on reaching godhood?"

Yang Potian thought carefully before responding. "Godhood, in essence, is a higher form of humanity. Soul masters live only so long—reaching Title Douluo may let someone live to 200 years, and Ultimate Douluo can even live a thousand years, but gods go beyond that. Once a soul master reaches level ninety-nine, their soul power evolves into divine power. Divine power far surpasses ordinary soul power in strength."

"Think of the Skydream Iceworm you absorbed in the north—its energy was divine power. That's why you all saw such rapid improvement."

He paused, studying her. "Lingling, what's bringing up all this now?"

After another hesitant moment, Ye Lingling finally admitted, "Ever since I broke through level ninety-five in the north, I started hearing a voice in my mind. It said that if I reach level ninety-nine, I'll be able to undergo the divine trials and inherit a godly position."

Yang Potian's eyes widened in surprise. This world is full of surprises, he thought. Here he had been striving to obtain a divine inheritance only to be handed a perilous Asura God trial, while those around him seemed blessed with effortless fortune.

But he held back his own frustrations and smiled. "That's incredible news! Gods aren't like ordinary soul masters. They're ageless. Did this god say anything about their identity?"

"She... seemed to be a goddess. I remember she called herself the Goddess of Life."

Yang Potian's face lit up. "The Goddess of Life? Lingling, this is an incredible opportunity! The Goddess of Life is one of the five supreme god-kings in the Divine Realm—a top leader and one of the strongest gods!"

"But Potian, I've seen how difficult your and Tianyue's trials have been. Is there anything in particular I should be prepared for?"

Yang Potian took a moment to consider. "The path to godhood is indeed challenging. Becoming a god requires a divine position, a divine body, a divine soul, and sometimes a divine weapon."

"Your divine position and weapon are likely covered, given the Goddess of Life's interest in you. For your divine body, though, it would help to have a complete set of high-level, wood-attribute spirit bones—preferably ones of over 100,000 years, though even 50,000 years would help. For the divine soul transformation, however, you'll need to face the most grueling parts of the trials."

"The divine soul transformation will test you in ways that go far beyond any other trials. It will push your patience, wisdom, and self-mastery to their limits, and that's why I sent Tianyue to the Slaughter City. She needs that personal growth to withstand the trials awaiting her as the Sea God's inheritor."

"Don't worry, Lingling. As long as you keep working hard, once you reach level ninety-nine, you'll be ready to take on the trials and ascend to godhood."

Reassured, Ye Lingling's expression softened. After a pause, she asked, "Potian, I've never really asked—what kind of god is the Asura God? Are his trials as challenging as they say?"

Yang Potian tried to reassure her. "Don't worry about me. Yes, I'm only on the third Asura God trial, but I think I'll manage just fine with the challenges ahead."

"Then why are you still here in the Academy? Shouldn't you be focusing on passing those trials as quickly as possible?"

"I do need to pick up the pace," he replied. "I've been laying plans for completing the third trial. Everything is nearly set; there are just a few final pieces left to fall into place."

With that, Ye Lingling finally felt her worries ease completely.

"Potian, I miss my grandfather. I wonder where he is now and if he's doing well."

"Lingling, when things settle down a bit, let's go find him together. With how chaotic the world is, bringing him back to Armo Mountain would be the safest choice."

After some more conversation, Ye Lingling finally drifted off to sleep in his arms. Yang Potian brushed a hand gently over her face, unable to resist planting a light kiss on her forehead. Seeing her so peaceful stirred his protective instincts.

Although Ye Lingling was a support-type soul master, she'd worked harder than anyone else on their recent journey north. When Tianyue and the others fought the Ice Emperor, the Titan Snow Demon King, and the Ice Bear King, she had pushed herself to her limits, healing them relentlessly. Thanks to her dedication, they returned unharmed.

Especially during the battle against the Snow Empress, the entire group had pushed themselves to the limit to match her strength. Yang Zhentian, his father, had risked everything to break the Snow Empress's realm, detonating seven soul rings at once to reach his absolute peak. Such a move, however, was fraught with risk and left him with significant aftereffects. Only Ye Lingling's treatment allowed him to recover swiftly, fully healing even his internal injuries.

The following morning, Yang Potian called together Yang Wudi and a few others to discuss the Academy's future. He addressed them with a serious expression.

"Grandfather, Father, I plan to head to Wuhun City soon to negotiate with the Wuhun Empire. I'll be asking them to lend us the Angelic Sacred Sword, and it's possible we'll also need to discuss our Academy's stance going forward."

Yang Wudi's face grew stern. "Potian, you're not planning to support the Wuhun Empire in their conquest, are you?"

Yang Potian shook his head. "Not at all. I'm not interested in helping them unite the continent. I'm merely open to limited cooperation."

"The political situation is becoming clearer by the day. On one side, there's the Wuhun Empire. On the other, the two empires, Heaven Dou and Star Luo, along with the Upper Three Sects. And then there's us—though we may be few, the Heaven Journey Academy stands as an independent faction."

"Among the three main powers, the Wuhun Empire appears to be the strongest, but that's not actually the case. In reality, the two empires are the true powerhouse."

Dugu Bo looked puzzled. "That doesn't sound right, kid. The Wuhun Empire probably controls more than seventy percent of all soul masters, maybe even more. Theoretically, they should have the strongest overall force."

Yang Potian shook his head slightly. "That's just on the surface; the real strength doesn't lie in numbers alone."

"Although the Wuhun Empire has a large number of soul masters, I estimate that they only have around sixty to seventy thousand soul masters. A significant portion of these are lower-level soul masters."

"The two empires may be weaker in terms of soul masters, but they have millions of soldiers and a population that far exceeds that of the Wuhun Empire. They've also been established in their territories for thousands of years, giving them deeply rooted power structures."

"Moreover, the two empires' soul master forces aren't as weak as they seem. Over the past two years, they've recruited many advanced soul master academies and local soul master clans. Both empires are investing heavily to train soul masters, creating a substantial force of dedicated soul masters."

"With their armies and soul masters combined, their overall strength is not much weaker than that of the Wuhun Empire."

Dugu Bo shook his head. "You make some good points, but in terms of top-tier power—especially Title Douluo—the Wuhun Empire has the clear advantage."

Yang Potian sighed. "It's not as simple as that. The two empires together have at least ten Title Douluo-level combatants. The Star Luo Empire, in particular, keeps its high-end power well-hidden, and their Netherworld White Tiger fusion technique is incredibly powerful."

"Furthermore, you may recall the dragon claw that saved Tang Hao—that was Di Tian, the Beast God from the Star Dou Forest, one of its rulers."

"If you factor in the Star Dou Forest, that's actually the strongest power of all, even stronger than the Wuhun Empire."

Dugu Bo was shocked. "The Star Dou Forest is really that powerful?"

Yang Potian nodded. "More than you can imagine. The forest harbors many 100,000-year soul beasts, including several fierce ones. I estimate they have at least ten, all of which possess combat strength equivalent to Title Douluo."

"The ones we've seen—Di Tian and Bear Lord—are close to the rank of Ultimate Douluo. Di Tian, in particular, is formidable enough that even I don't have full confidence in defeating him."

Yang Wudi's expression grew serious. "Potian, if the Star Dou Forest is this powerful, then why would they support Tang San?"

Yang Potian sighed. "It's likely related to Tang San's bloodline. His mother was a 100,000-year Blue Silver Emperor, so Tang San carries half soul beast blood. Also, his girlfriend is a 100,000-year soul beast. The soul beast clan has invested a great deal in Tang San; I imagine they have their own plans for him."

"You may have heard that during the coup in Heaven Dou, Qian Daoliu fought Di Tian. The soul beasts are edging closer to coming out into the open. That's one of the reasons I'm wary of Tang San and the Clear Sky Clan."

"If I actually went to Heaven Dou City and wiped out the Clear Sky Clan, there's a good chance the soul beasts would retaliate by launching a massive beast tide against our Heaven Journey Academy."

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