Chapter 28: Tianxing Academy and Its Disciples
The young boy who asked Ye Wen the question was Huo Quan, the younger brother of Huo Rui. His martial soul awakening had been overseen by Ye Wen, and the outcome was thrilling it turned out that his martial soul was also a powerful variant of a true body martial soul, just like his sister's.
Although Huo Quan had been affected by a rough upbringing that weakened his soul's foundation, Ye Wen had helped him recover over time, ensuring that his body was not overly damaged. As a result, his innate soul power had reached an impressive nine ranks. And his martial soul? Simply put, it was his entire body an embodiment of the "true body."
In the world of Douluo Dalu II, even the Body Sect's leader, "Unkillable" Du Busi, had a true body martial soul. But the most awe inspiring figure of the Body Sect was his brother, Du Bisi. Despite possessing only a 98th rank Super Douluo level, Du Bisi had fought to a standstill against the 99th ranked Dragon God Douluo, Mu En, leaving Mu En permanently maimed and nearly dead. Although Du Bisi ultimately perished in the battle, his remarkable prowess proved the terrifying potential of a true body martial soul.
After much research, Ye Wen noted a particular downside to this martial soul: transforming every part of the body into a martial soul component led to well rounded but somewhat diluted strengths. For instance, a martial soul based on the brain could refine the wielder's mental strength to extreme levels, while Huo Rui's heart based martial soul empowered her with unmatched vitality.
Still, the "true body" martial soul had a unique advantage: complete mastery over one's body. This meant that Huo Quan could train his body and soul power simultaneously, mastering techniques with astonishing speed. When Ye Wen taught him certain self created soul skills, Huo Quan nearly mastered them instantly, hinting that he might one day become a soul master with the ability to replicate any close range combat skill at will a "copying master."
After Huo Quan awakened his martial soul, he eagerly followed his sister's example by formally becoming Ye Wen's disciple, feeling great affection for the warm and kind older brother who had transformed his family's life. Delighted with this outcome, Ye Wen accepted him as a student.
Due to Huo Quan's extraordinary talents, Ye Wen decided not to register him as a work study student with the Spirit Hall, choosing instead to pay for his education privately. With funds at his disposal, it was a small price to pay for safety.
Even though he began training a year after his sister, Huo Quan's high innate soul power allowed him to surpass Huo Rui in cultivation. His physical strength also turned out to be astounding: he reached his natural limit of 1,100 jin, surpassing all previous human records at only seven years old.
Recognizing his talent, Ye Wen planned for him to absorb a thousand year soul ring, though he avoided pushing him to the limit for his first ring, instead selecting a berserk bear with precisely one thousand years of cultivation. As with his sister, Huo Quan's first soul skill was Frenzied Power, but his power boost was a fearsome 40%, compared to Huo Rui's 30%.
This confirmed for Ye Wen that soul rings of the same origin still provided differing boosts depending on the martial soul's quality. And why had he chosen the same soul ring for both siblings? Because Ye Wen believed they each possessed the innate talent for powerful offensive roles, making any other path a waste of potential.
Returning to the present
"What does it mean to 'observe the way of heaven and follow its path'? That's an excellent question, Huo Quan." Ye Wen smiled. "This school was founded on the principle of understanding the fundamental truths of heaven and earth, which is the 'observation' part. Once we comprehend these truths, we use that power to pursue our own goals that is to 'follow its path.'
"That's what I expect from you, Huo Quan," Ye Wen continued confidently. "Strive to understand the essence of your martial soul and hone it to its fullest potential. Become the strongest body martial soul master in this world."
Time flew by, and three more years passed. Ye Wen, now fifteen, stood on the threshold of becoming a Soul King. Just one more ten thousand year ring, and he would ascend to the fifth rank.
The Huo siblings had progressed remarkably as well. With Ye Wen's careful guidance, both had reached the 30th rank, though neither had broken through to Soul Elder yet, as their physical limits far exceeded what Ye Wen had experienced. Ah Yin, too, had grown impressively, reaching 47th rank far beyond the strength she'd had when she first encountered the brothers Tang Hao and Tang Xiao in the original storyline.
A major factor in their rapid advancement was the ice cold training room Ye Wen had set up for them. The constant activation of their body's natural instincts kept their soul power cycling even as they slept, resulting in faster progress than standard methods could offer.
As for Lan Lan...
Ever since avenging her parents, Lan Lan had adopted a more relaxed attitude toward life. However, her refined, graceful demeanor remained, and she still loved to train near Ah Yin. She also enjoyed helping Ye Wen with various minor tasks around the academy.
Though merely an auxiliary type spirit master and Ye Wen's "research subject" or rather, his "named disciple" Ye Wen let her continue in this leisurely manner.
Lan Lan's second soul ring came from a 600 year old blue silver vine. Even though these plants lacked intelligence, Ye Wen hesitated before the kill, aware that they were kin to Ah Yin. Ah Yin, however, generously told him that simply planting their seeds would suffice; the life cycles of blue silver plants under 10,000 years were more akin to elemental reincarnation than true death. The seeds would carry on their life essence, and death for such creatures did not spell true extinction.
Lan Lan's second skill, Prosperity, allowed her to summon more vines with less soul power, and her martial soul had evolved further, producing increasingly thick and sturdy vines.
As for the Huo siblings, Ye Wen chose as their second ring a rare offshoot of the powerful Giant Strength Vajra Bear the Giant Strength Bear, a powerful creature known for its great strength and endurance. Though the Giant Strength Vajra Bear was not quite on par with the fabled Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, it still belonged among the top beasts of the continent, albeit with a more specialized development in strength and defense.
Ye Wen's decision proved sound. As expected, the Huo siblings acquired the same second skill, Giant Strike, which increased the power of a single attack by 50%. Though Huo Rui's talent capped her boost at 40%, the skill was still a formidable tool, underscoring their potential as elite power type soul masters.
(End of Chapter)
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