Chapter 14: Soul Mentor Tianmeng
"Wait a minute, what did you just say? Soul mentor? Me?"
In the sea of spirits, Tianmeng stared at Xiao Qiang in disbelief, thinking he'd misheard.
"Yeah."
Xiao Qiang nodded with certainty.
The idea had come to him ever since he learned he needed to reach level 40 to fuse with the Ice Emperor. It wasn't something he came up with on a whim—it was born out of necessity.
Back when he was still at level 32, and even now at level 33, it was nearly impossible for him to reach level 40 within a year through ordinary means. There were only a few exceptions to this, and they were all incredibly difficult.
The first method was similar to what the first generation of Shrek's Seven Devils experienced—consuming rare immortal herbs. But that was off the table for now. The poisonous miasma outside the Yin-Yang Ice and Fire Eye alone was something Xiao Qiang couldn't handle, not to mention the possibility of encountering 100,000-year soul beasts nearby. Venturing there wouldn't just risk his life—it would be certain death.
The second method was undergoing the intense training of Shrek Academy.
Despite the ridicule Shrek often received for being a "runaway academy," no one could deny the thousand-year heritage they possessed. In terms of genuine cultivation resources, Shrek absolutely had them.
For example, just the cultivation room inside the golden tree that helped Huo Yuhao improve his spiritual power was more valuable than countless top-tier soul bones. And that room was merely one of many. Shrek truly had treasures—but they just weren't handed out freely.
Take Moon's casual gift to Wang Dong—a 100,000-year-level soul bone—as another example. Since the era of Douluo Dalu II, Shrek had never lacked good things. Not to mention the immortal herbs—Shrek likely had plenty of slightly inferior genius treasures that could still significantly boost cultivation. With just two of those, consumed over time and supplemented with steady cultivation, even a three-ring Soul Master could realistically gain 7–8 levels within a year.
However, Shrek was never an option for Xiao Qiang. He wasn't one of their own, and he knew full well they would never truly support him. Even if he enrolled, the result would only be exploitation, not reward. The true treasures would never make it into his hands.
So, Xiao Qiang eliminated Shrek Academy as an option.
That left him with two potential paths: the Body Sect and Mingde Hall.
But the Body Sect presented its own issues. First, Xiao Qiang had no way of locating them. Second, he was from the Sun Moon Empire, and even though the Body Sect was known for protecting its own and having close bonds, he couldn't guarantee they wouldn't eventually treat him as an outsider—perhaps even an enemy.
Unless the Body Sect was the only option left, he wouldn't risk seeking them out.
Thankfully, he had another choice: Mingde Hall.
In Douluo Dalu II, Xuan Ziwen had once defected from the Sun Moon Empire to Shrek, claiming that while the Sun Moon Empire's soul tools were superior, their alchemy was also top-tier. This allowed even those with poor martial spirits to reach the level of Titled Douluo.
While Mingde Hall might not have immortal herbs like Shrek did, their refined elixirs were second to none. Backed by the Sun Moon Empire, their resources were formidable.
For Xiao Qiang, a native of the empire, joining Mingde Hall wouldn't trigger suspicion or rejection. There would be no political hurdles—only one key issue: his talent.
Would the elders of Mingde Hall see enough potential in him?
If they did, resources would follow. If they deemed him exceptional—truly gifted—then he might even receive overwhelming support.
But there was still one major problem: Xiao Qiang's current lack of experience with soul tools.
His innate talent was only level 5, yet he had already reached level 30 at thirteen and a half years old—an achievement rivaling even those with innate full soul power, like Tang San and Xiao Wu. This level of progress was no easy feat.
Still, soul tools were a completely different domain. There was no way for him to become a genius in that field overnight.
Fortunately, Xiao Qiang had an ace up his sleeve: Tianmeng.
As a million-year-old spiritual-type soul beast, Tianmeng possessed mental strength far beyond even most Titled Douluo.
While Xiao Qiang's three-ring self couldn't quickly master soul tool theory, Tianmeng might be able to borrow Xiao Qiang's body and mind to study and manipulate soul tools.
That way, Xiao Qiang could appear to be a soul tool genius—and that was enough to earn resources and attention from Mingde Hall.
Of course, Xiao Qiang kept all of this to himself. Out loud, he took a different approach.
"Brother Tianmeng," Xiao Qiang said gently, "don't you want to get revenge on those 100,000-year soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest?"
"Hmph! When I become strong enough—say, a Limit Douluo—I'll help you get that revenge. But… would that kind of revenge make you truly happy?"
"What do you mean?" Tianmeng frowned. "Of course I'd be happy if you helped me take revenge!"
Xiao Qiang smiled. "But what if… instead of me doing it, you were the one to beat them all up with your own strength?"
"Me? Beat them up? Are you kidding? I don't even have any offensive power!"
"That's true—for now," Xiao Qiang said calmly. "But that's only because you've never used soul tools."
Tianmeng blinked.
"Soul tools," Xiao Qiang continued, "can transform soul power into offensive capabilities. With the right tools, you could easily overwhelm those arrogant beasts from the Star Dou Forest."
Tianmeng looked stunned. "That's… possible?"
"Think about it, Brother Tianmeng. You've lived over 900,000 years. If you had been exposed to soul tool theory and trained to use them over the years, wouldn't you have been the true king of the Star Dou Forest? Not those younger beasts who just happen to be strong in combat?"
Tianmeng scratched his head, starting to waver.
"But… I'm not really good at fighting," he mumbled. "Honestly, I like my current life—eating and sleeping comfortably."
Xiao Qiang chuckled, and with a mischievous glint in his eye, he said, "Oh? That's surprising. I thought you'd love the idea of standing atop all soul beasts—of having countless female fierce beasts gaze at you with admiration, begging you to father their offspring."
"Wait, wait, what did you just say?" Tianmeng perked up. "Female fierce beasts looking at me with admiration? Offspring? Huh?"
"Oh, you know," Xiao Qiang shrugged innocently, "in the human world, strong individuals naturally attract women—they want security, strength, protection. It should be the same in the soul beast world, right?"
"Say that again?"
"I said… Brother Tianmeng, how about becoming a soul mentor?"
There was a moment of silence.
"…Okay."