Duoluo Dalu: Path to Godhood

Time slips quietly through our fingers like water, leaving no trace behind.

More than a year has passed again. Fang Ling is now nine years old, and his soul power has successfully reached level ten.

Wang Sheng had already reached level ten in his second year at the academy and has graduated.

This is Fang Ling's third year at Nuoding Academy, and his final one.

He reached level ten half a year ago, and his current status panel looks like this:

**Host**: Fang Ling 

**Martial Soul**: Sickle (Lv1) 

(A common farming tool used for harvesting crops and cutting grass. The blade is crescent-shaped, 55 cm long, 18 cm spine, 16 cm edge, no fine serration, with a 30 cm wooden handle.)

**Soul Power**: 10 

**Soul Rings**: None 

**Soul Bones**: None

**Specialties**:

 Sharpness Lv1 (Innate trait of bladed iron tools, this is just a regular sickle, suitable for cutting grass, not for chopping trees.)

 Toughness Lv1 (Innate trait of iron tools, hand-forged iron but neither refined nor tempered. Don't expect too much in terms of durability from a farm sickle.)

Sickle Technique Lv1 (Skill-based specialty, your consistent training has given you a decent foundation, and sometimes your attacks show flashes of brilliance. Though only entry-level, it's already impressive for a beginner. You're a natural-born battle maniac! Skill training progresses faster.)

Movement Technique Lv1 (Skill-based specialty, an improvised movement technique born after countless failed attempts. Enables short-distance or obstacle-heavy fast movement.)

 Battle Maniac LvMax (Specialty, cannot be upgraded. Your inherent nature as a battle maniac has been awakened, greatly boosting skill-based training.)

**Points**: 2

Compared to when he first arrived at the academy, he has gained two skill-based specialties: Sickle Technique and Movement Technique.

His soul power has reached level ten, and the "+" sign next to it has turned gray and inactive again. Two points have been saved up.

He still has no soul rings or soul bones.

Despite training diligently in Sickle Technique and Movement Technique throughout the year, neither has advanced in level.

The "+" sign next to his martial soul is lit up, tempting him to spend his points there.

However, Fang Ling thought it over calmly and chose not to use them.

His martial soul is adequate for now. Soul power is the top priority.

He must also reserve points for potential soul ring upgrades and future cultivation.

The reason he's so cautious about soul rings is the fear of only obtaining a ten-year soul ring.

That would likely only unlock another Lv1 specialty at best.

Even if he could enhance the soul ring's age, he wouldn't dare to.

Upgrading soul rings draws too much attention. If people find out, it could mean death.

Even if he eventually gains the protection of someone like Dugu Bo, it wouldn't be safe.

Until he gains absolute strength, Fang Ling plans to stick to the optimal, widely accepted age range for soul rings.

He also doesn't intend to obtain too many soul rings.

As long as he keeps killing, he believes he can reach the peak.

So why be an outlier?

He must proceed steadily. He absolutely cannot seek momentary satisfaction and make decisions he would deeply regret.

Fang Ling has already submitted an application for early graduation.

Academic performance counts for little in soul master training, soul power is what truly matters.

Once a student reaches level ten and obtains a soul ring to become a one-ring soul master, graduation is easy.

They can then be recommended to a mid-tier soul master academy,

Or step directly into the world and face its harshness.

Fang Ling naturally chooses to continue his education at a mid-tier academy.

He needs a proper springboard to eventually enter the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.

There's still a month before the break.

This time every year, the academy holds its Soul Ring Acquisition Ceremony.

As the name suggests, the ceremony is held before sending students into the Soul Hunting Forest to obtain soul rings.

It's a grand event, full of pomp and celebration.

All students from first to sixth grade are required to attend and watch.

Even Tang San and Xiao Wu, who are nearly level twenty and hard to manage, came.

Because the cook who prepares their meals is leaving.

Fourteen students qualified to obtain soul rings stand on stage like an exhibit.

Fang Ling is among them.

All the others are sixth-year students, he's the only one from third year, a work-study student at that, and even a cripple, making him stand out even more.

The headmaster, a Soul Sect-level soul master, coughed and cleared his throat: 

"Time flies. It's once again time for our annual Soul Ring Acquisition Ceremony."

Then he went on...

In short, he congratulated the students on acquiring soul rings and encouraged those below the stage to train hard.

He ended with a warning: those who still haven't reached level ten by the end of sixth grade will be dismissed.

His speech was long-winded and tedious, honestly hard to sit through.

Below the stage, Xiao Wu munched on snacks while watching.

She looked at each of her little "underlings," including Fang Ling, neatly dressed and praised by the headmaster, soon to graduate and head into the broader world.

Besides feeling sorry for soul beasts, she couldn't help but feel a bit envious.

She tugged at Tang San's sleeve: 

"San-ge, when do you think we'll get to graduate?"

Tang San gently took her hand: 

"Just wait a bit longer."

Xiao Wu frowned: 

"How much longer? We're almost level twenty!"

They were both eight, nearly nine years old. Not counting past lives or origins, this life alone had seen them reach level nineteen in three years.

"Still stuck in Nuoding's Primary Soul Master Academy, does that make sense?"

"Fang Ling's already graduating!"

Tang San chuckled: 

"Hmph, so what if they graduate?"

"Their talent is limited. Progress afterward will be slow."

"Xiao Wu, tell me, has your cultivation speed been affected while in the academy?"

Xiao Wu rolled her eyes and thought back.

She hadn't really done much cultivation. Most of her soul power had grown naturally, it didn't really matter where she was.

"Not really?"

Tang San said: 

"We both

have innate full soul power. We're top-tier geniuses, why should we care about where we train?"

"I asked the teacher before, and he said to wait a bit longer. He'll explain things later."

"Really? Fine, I'll wait then."

Xiao Wu calmed down a bit but quickly asked another question. "Does your teacher know about Fang Ling's situation?"

"He only has level one innate soul power, yet his cultivation speed is pretty fast."

Tang San sighed. "I asked my teacher. Fang Ling's just having a short burst of fast growth."

"What kind of future can an ordinary sickle martial soul have? Level one soul power already caps his potential."

"Xiao Wu, this is the dilemma most soul masters face, low talent and no path forward."

"With only level one innate power, becoming a Grand Soul Master will already be hard for him. Becoming a Soul Elder is a mere sliver of hope."

What's a "sliver"?

Slightly better than Grandmaster, but without resources or background, it was just a dream.

Tang San lamented, "That sliver of hope, sometimes it's like a prison wall, impossible to break through in a lifetime."

"But we… we can become Soul Douluo, even Title Douluo!"

Xiao Wu's expression changed slightly.

Fang Ling was so diligent and kind, yet…

She saw the harsh inequalities of the world.

Then she thought of the many soul beasts, only ten or a hundred years old, about to be slaughtered, and felt even worse.

She leaned softly against Tang San.

He wrapped his arms around her gently, patting her back in comfort.

After sleeping side by side for three years and often playing around intimately, he no longer blushed easily.

But what he didn't realize was that the boundaries in his heart had already shifted.

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