NOVEL WEB Chapter 20: The Ten Core Competitiveness of Martial Souls
According to the book The Ten Core Competitiveness of Martial Souls, the limit for the first soul ring of a soul master is four hundred and twenty-three years. This is a feat achievable only by a few geniuses, while most ordinary soul masters can only manage around two hundred years.
Liuxing knows that The Ten Core Competitiveness of Martial Souls was written by the protagonist's teacher and master ten thousand years ago, drawing from the works of the master of the continent's overlord, the Spirit Hall, from the same era.
However, he didn't expect that even after ten thousand years, this book still exists, and people still remember the master. Yet, the true origin of this knowledge, the Spirit Hall, has gradually faded into obscurity.
In Liuxing's personal opinion, although the book contains some truths, they are limited. People's physiques cannot be generalized, and martial souls vary in type and quality. The increase in physical fitness differs from person to person, so how can a so-called "limit" apply to all soul masters?
If a gifted soul master, capable of absorbing a six-hundred-year soul ring, adheres to the book's claim that the limit for the first soul ring is four hundred and twenty-three years, and out of caution, chooses a soul ring just over four hundred years, then this book would have misled a potential genius.
Of course, while the book may not hold much value for geniuses or soul masters nurtured by sect forces, it still offers some utility for ordinary soul masters. At the very least, it provides civilian soul masters with a safe guideline for the age of the soul ring they can absorb without danger.
It prevents a one-ring soul master from attempting to absorb a thousand-year soul ring, though most ordinary soul masters lack the ability to hunt thousand-year soul beasts anyway. Their first soul ring is typically from a ten-year soul beast and is white in color.
Liuxing found this book in the library of the Earth Dragon Gate. Nan Shuishui also mentioned to him that while the book is somewhat useful for civilians, it holds little value for sects with established traditions and inheritance.
Take Nan Qiuqiu as an example. Her Rouge Dragon Martial Soul, though classified as a beast martial soul, leans more toward a mage-type and doesn't significantly enhance physical strength.
However, having been cultivated in the Earth Dragon Gate from a young age, with access to soul beast meat, medicinal baths, and other resources, Nan Qiuqiu's first soul ring could only absorb a four hundred and fifty-year soul ring. If not for the emphasis on safety, she could likely have handled a five-hundred-year soul ring without issue.
Indeed, for civilians who lack access to abundant resources and have a frail physique, even if they awaken a powerful beast martial soul, the first soul ring they can absorb will likely be limited to around two hundred years. Exceeding this limit increases the risk of failure. However, the situation changes drastically for those with twin martial souls.
Twin martial souls inherently possess physical qualities far superior to even the most powerful beast martial souls. Even if a civilian with a thin and malnourished body awakens twin martial souls, they can still absorb a first soul ring of around four hundred years.
If such an individual is cultivated from a young age and provided with a solid foundation, they could potentially absorb a soul ring of seven or eight hundred years for their first ring. By the time they reach their second soul ring, they might even be capable of absorbing a thousand-year soul ring.
As Nan Qiuqiu successfully obtained her first soul ring, Liuxing grew increasingly eager for his and Liuying's martial soul awakening. He wondered if they, too, could absorb soul rings beyond the conventional limits. Given that the ability to absorb soul rings depends heavily on physical fitness, Liuxing speculated whether Liuying, with her exceptional physical quality, could absorb a thousand-year soul ring right from the start.
Based on his observations of Nan Qiuqiu and his own physical condition, Liuxing felt confident that it might be possible.
However, he acknowledged that he lacked sufficient knowledge about the intricacies of absorbing soul rings. This was a matter best left to the expertise of elders like Nan Shuishui and Luan Yu, who had extensive experience and understanding of the process.
When Liuxing brought up this idea to Nan Shuishui, she considered it carefully. In her view, safety should always come first when absorbing the first soul ring. Even if one aims to exceed the typical limits, attempting to absorb a thousand-year soul ring right away would be unnecessarily risky.
That said, Nan Shuishui also recognized the potential benefits. If Liuxing and Liuying could successfully absorb a thousand-year soul ring as their first, they would immediately surpass the vast majority of soul masters and position themselves to potentially reach the pinnacle of the continent's power, perhaps even becoming Limit Douluo. However, she emphasized that such a feat should only be attempted with extreme caution and thorough preparation.
Nan Shuishui felt a mix of worry and anticipation. In her opinion, Liuying's physical fitness was truly exceptional, far surpassing ordinary standards at such a young age.
With two more years of natural treasures, medicinal baths, and a steady supply of soul beast meat, as long as Liuxing and Liuying's martial soul awakening went smoothly, it was indeed possible for them to absorb a thousand-year soul ring as their first.
The thought of this excited her. After all, Liuxing and Liuying were her godchildren, and the higher their achievements, the prouder she would be. With their potential, the future of the Earth Dragon Gate and Nan Qiuqiu would be secure, and she wouldn't have to worry about their well-being.
However, all of this hinged on the successful awakening of their martial souls. If, by some misfortune, they awakened useless or "waste" martial souls, all their potential would be wasted.
The origin of Liuxing and Liuying was still a mystery, and since martial souls are inherited through bloodlines, there was always the possibility that their parents were ordinary civilians with weak martial souls.
That said, Nan Shuishui remained optimistic. Given the extraordinary talent and physical qualities of the two, even if their parents were ordinary, the martial souls they awakened were unlikely to be weak.
While the awakening of a martial soul involves an element of luck, there are also patterns. Children who grow up with access to natural treasures, medicinal baths, and soul beast meat from a young age are far more likely to awaken with higher innate soul power compared to ordinary civilians.
For ordinary civilians, the only hope for a powerful martial soul lies in a rare mutation, and even then, only a few manage to rise above their circumstances. In contrast, families and sects can ensure that their descendants awaken strong martial souls with decent innate soul power, barring any unfortunate mutations.
Although Liuxing felt confident that his and Liuying's martial souls would not be weak, he couldn't help but feel a bit anxious before the results were revealed. Even if they ended up with weak martial souls, they could still grow and improve, but who wouldn't prefer a top-tier martial soul over a weak one?
In The Ten Core Competitiveness of Martial Souls, Liuxing came across a line written by the master: "There are no waste martial souls, only waste soul masters."
This statement left Liuxing feeling conflicted and somewhat exasperated. As someone familiar with the master's history, Liuxing knew that this line was essentially a reflection of the master's own experience. While it sounded profound and inspiring, Liuxing couldn't help but feel it was a bit self-serving. After all, the master's own martial soul was far from ordinary, and his success was largely due to his unique circumstances and relentless effort.
What baffled Liuxing even more was how this statement had endured for ten thousand years and was still widely quoted in the current era. It seemed to him that the people of the Douluo Continent were overly fixated on this idea, to the point of being almost dogmatic. He couldn't help but think that the continent's inhabitants were, in a way, "seriously ill" for clinging to such an outdated and oversimplified philosophy.
However, Liuxing had no intention of becoming a theorist or challenging these long-standing beliefs. His complaints were more of a personal venting of frustration.