Chapter 8: Soul Power and Soul Core
With just a thought, it began.
A surge of soul power emerged within Li Chang'an's body—not drawn from the world, but appearing seemingly out of nowhere. It coursed through his meridians, flowing steadily through every inch of his frame before settling into his dantian and merging with his soul power core.
He didn't absorb it all at once. That would've been reckless. Instead, he controlled the flow like opening a valve, letting it trickle in at a measured pace. A sudden deluge of soul power could rupture his meridians, and that would turn a blessing into a disaster.
As the energy steadily poured into him, a satisfied smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
The soul power continued to rise—stronger, denser, more refined with every passing second. By the time he had finished absorbing the accumulated feedback from his soul beast clone, he had broken through to Level 14.
That was no small feat. He had just advanced to Level 13 a short time ago.
The feedback from the Emerald Scale Snake Emperor clone had forcibly pushed him to the next level.
But just as he was grinning ear to ear, he suddenly frowned. There was something wrong with the flow of energy in his dantian. The soul power felt… unstable. Thin.
"What the hell?"
Closing his eyes, Li Chang'an focused inward, sensing the change. After a few moments, he opened them again and let out a soft breath of relief.
"It's just diluted… too much soul power too fast."
The quality of his soul power had dropped. The cause was obvious—absorbing clone-fed energy in bulk without pause. It was a shortcut, yes, but an unbalanced one. Relying on the soul beast clone too heavily risked damaging the foundation of his cultivation.
He had to adjust course.
"I can't depend entirely on the clone. Daily meditation and cultivation still need to be the cornerstone of my growth. Otherwise, the quality of my soul power will plummet."
The feedback from the clone was incredibly efficient. Addictive, even. The energy had no harmful side effects, no backlash, no instability—just an occasional dilution in quality. That, at least, was manageable. All he needed was time to consolidate and refine the power.
It was a trade-off he was more than willing to make.
Once he understood the issue, he devoted the next three days entirely to meditation. Steady, disciplined cultivation. No shortcuts, no feedback, just slow refinement.
And after three full days, his soul power had regained its former density and sharpness.
Because when it came to being a soul master, quantity wasn't everything—quality mattered just as much, if not more.
A high-quality soul power reserve meant less energy spent activating soul skills and greater destructive force behind them. That was why a Titled Douluo using a first soul skill could unleash a power far beyond that of a mere Soul Grandmaster using the exact same ability.
It was also why advancement to higher ranks became more difficult over time: each breakthrough demanded not only more soul power, but better soul power.
Li Chang'an, having read every sequel and side story of the Douluo Dalu series, understood this perfectly. He knew that quality of soul power wasn't just important for combat—it was critical if he wanted to one day condense a soul core.
In the later eras of the series—especially in Douluo II, III, and IV—the concept of the soul core became central. Those who could condense one would enjoy vastly improved soul skill potency, rapid soul power recovery, and overwhelming advantages in battle.
Condensing a soul core early—at the Soul Saint level or even sooner—was considered near-impossible for most. But for Li Chang'an… it might actually be within reach.
Originally, his plan was conservative. He had hoped to attempt soul core condensation at the peak of Soul Douluo—Level 89. That was already ambitious by this era's standards. No one in the current generation had achieved it.
But now, with the clone feeding him free power and subtly improving his physique, the idea of forming a soul core at Soul Saint level no longer seemed unrealistic.
The key, as he understood from the lore, was this: to condense a soul core, one must suppress their level—holding back from advancing—while continuously cultivating and refining the density of soul power until it approached the quality of a Titled Douluo's. This process normally took years, even decades.
But not for him.
Thanks to his soul beast clone, Li Chang'an could increase his reserves rapidly while dedicating his human body to quality cultivation and refinement. Unlike ordinary cultivators who hit bottlenecks and had to rely on natural treasures, he could continuously accumulate strength without advancing levels—exactly what was needed to prepare for soul core condensation.
In fact, if physical fitness weren't a prerequisite for enduring the pressure of forming a soul core, he might even dare to try it at the Soul Grandmaster level.
Unfortunately, that wasn't possible.
Even with clone-fed strength, a soul core placed an incredible burden on the body. At the very least, the foundation of a Soul Saint was required to survive the process.
Still... perhaps with the body enhancements shared from the soul beast side, he could reach Soul King and possess a physical constitution strong enough to bear it.
If that happened, he might truly become the first in history to condense a soul core before reaching the title of Titled Douluo.
Tian Dou Royal Academy.
Located in the heart of the Heaven Dou Empire, this institution served as the official cradle for nurturing the next generation of elite soul masters—most of them born of noble blood. Backed by the royal family and rivaled only by the Spirit Hall and ancient sects, Tian Dou was a symbol of status, power, and potential.
Its nominal dean was none other than the Emperor himself. As such, the role of active administrator fell to the Education Committee—a trio of Soul Douluo-level elders with both strength and authority. Though they governed the day-to-day operations, major decisions still had to be reported to the imperial court.
The academy was thoroughly aristocratic. Commoners had no place here—unless, of course, their talent was so overwhelming that the school couldn't afford to ignore them.
Li Chang'an, newly appointed Marquis and imperial son-in-law, had no problem qualifying. Even without his political status, his innate full soul power alone would've earned him a place among their elite.
The student body was divided into three levels: Tianwei, for those below Level 25; Tianzhi, for those between Level 25 and 30; and Tiandou, reserved for students above Level 30.
At just Level 14, Li Chang'an naturally started as a Tianwei student—but that didn't bother him.
He was only six years old. His soul power growth had only just begun, and his foundation was already stronger than most.
More importantly, what he truly came for wasn't just cultivation—it was knowledge.
The Douluo Continent novels he'd read in his past life provided a broad overview of this world's power system. But they were stories, simplified and dramatized. This world was real. Its systems were vast, intricate, and filled with subtle mechanics the novels never touched on.
And right now, what Li Chang'an lacked most was that deeper understanding.
Anyone who believed they could thrive here just because they "read the books" was asking to die from a dumb mistake—some obscure technique backfiring, or a misunderstood cultivation method leading to inner rupture.
This world had its own logic. Its own danger.
Li Chang'an knew that if he wanted to become a god, he couldn't just rely on talent, cheats, or ambition.
He needed knowledge.
And so, the young Marquis enrolled in Tian Dou Royal Academy—not just to grow stronger, but to truly learn what it meant to walk the path of a soul master.
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