Spirit Master
The Soul Masters are humans on Douluo Planet that possess a martial soul and have soul power. Another branch of Soul Masters are Dark Spirit Masters.
Since the beginning of when humans first appeared, Soul Masters are regarded as the noblest profession for a person to have. This has continued to the modern era of SL3 and space era of Soul Land 4, where there are other jobs normal humans and soul masters can both do like piloting a Mecha or Fighter Pilot. With the invention of soul devices and soul weapons, normal humans are able to fight on par with a Soul Grandmaster. With a Mecha, they can fight on par with a Soul King.
With the invention of Battle Armor, a Soul Master can increase their physical and other abilities to a higher level. A Soul Sage, with Battle Armor, can fight on par with a normal Titled Douluo.
"In the tens of thousands of years of history the Douluo Continent has witnessed, one fact has never changed: Soul Masters are the most powerful existence!" - Wu Zhangkong
A normal human in Soul Land 3 can never hope to fight against a Soul Douluo or even a Titled Douluo.
Every Soul Master has soul power, spiritual power, and blood essence, the same as Soul Beasts.
Cultivation
1. Soul Power
In the world of Douluo Dalu, children undergo their first Soul Power test, along with the Martial Soul Awakening, at age six. Only those possessing Soul Power can cultivate their Martial Souls to become Soul Masters. Soul Power is primarily energy derived from their Martial Soul by absorbing the essence energy of heaven and earth for their own use. The quantity of Soul Power determines a Soul Master's strength.
Innate Soul Power refers to the quantity of soul power a soul master possesses before having the Martial Soul Awakening. Innate Soul Power is indicative of a soul master's potential, as individuals with higher innate soul power tend to cultivate at a faster rate compared to those with lower innate soul power, even when both are at the same cultivation rank. The accumulation of innate Soul Power requires ample physical nourishment. high level martial souls voraciously drain nutrients from the body during growth. Theoretically, dietary intake before age six can alter a person's innate Soul Power.
The cultivation of Soul Masters is an extremely crucial process before the age of 20. It can be said that one's achievements before 20 determine future accomplishments. The rank 30 is a make-or-break turning point. Crossing this barrier before the age of 20 promises limitless potential in the years to come. In the cultivation of Soul Power, growth speed is fastest before the age of 30. After 30, as the body solidifies, cultivation speed gradually declines. Nearly all top-tier powerhouses establish their foundational strength before 30, with some soul masters even reaching Soul Douluo level or attaining Titled Douluo status by that age.
When a soul master reaches rank 40, their advancement speed slows down due to the difficulty in compressing their soul power. The compression of soul power has different levels, and ranks 50 to 60 are considered a significant milestone. Tang Hao, for example, took five years to progress from rank 50 to rank 60, which was considered fast during his time. This is also especially evident with soul masters with the ultimate attribute like Huo Yuhao, who was still a Soul Douluo despite having a much more pure soul power than even some Titled Douluos. Elevating the soul power's condensation level is even more challenging than cultivating the soul power itself, particularly after reaching level 5. The purer and denser a soul master's soul power is, the further they can progress in the future.
At a certain level of soul power, quantity becomes less important compared to its quality, which is measured by concentration level. The concentration level indicates how condensed and pure the soul power is. For instance, the soul power of a nine-ring Titled Douluo achieved through consuming Heaven and Earth Treasures is vastly different from the power obtained through gradual cultivation until rank 90. The concentration levels differ by at least three levels, with higher concentration levels indicating greater condensation of soul power. Each level corresponds to a rank. Soul masters possessing the Ultimate attribute will have an extremely pure soul power, hence will also need to be compressed even more than normal.
Soul Rank Chart
Soul Trainee : 1-9
Soul Master : 10-19
Soul Grandmaster : 20-19
Soul Elder : 30-39
Soul Ancestor : 40-49
Soul King : 50-59
Soul Emperor : 60-69
Soul Saint : 70-79
Soul Douluo : 80-89
Title Douluo
Average Titled Douluo : 91-94
Super Douluo : 95-98
Limit Douluo: 99
2. Spiritual Power
Spiritual Power is used to control one's emotions and enhance focus and perception of the surroundings. With further cultivation, it can be utilized to exert greater control over one's soul skills and even directly affect another person's Spiritual Sea. Spiritual power also aids in improving the Soul Master's thinking or have inspiration.
Before the advent of Soul Spirits, there were no official rankings for spiritual power among humanity. However, when Soul Spirits appeared, it became evident that fusing with a Soul Spirit required a higher level of spiritual power compared to fusing with a Soul Ring. As a result, extensive research was conducted, leading to the creation of an official ranking list for spiritual power. This ranking system took shape over a period of two thousand years after the events of "The Unrivaled Tang Sect".
Rank of Spiritual Power
Spirit Origin Realm : 0~99
Spirit Connection Realm : 100~499
Spirit Sea Realm : 500~4,999
Spirit Abyss Realm : 5,000~19,999
Spirit Domain Realm : 20,000~49,999
Regarding Spiritual Power cultivation, human spiritual power naturally peaks at 40 years old. After 40, natural progression of spiritual power ceases and gradually diminishes with advancing age.
To become a Titled Douluo, a Soul Master needs to reach the Spirit Abyss Realm. However, it is possible to achieve this realm in the Spirit Sea Realm if the Soul Master's first Soul Spirit is purple and they acquire a second Soul Spirit at rank 40, since a purple soul spirit can give a soul master three rings. Another path is to possess one yellow Soul Spirit, a purple Soul Spirit at rank 30, and a black Soul Spirit at rank 60. Approximately 80% of Soul Masters barely reach the Spirit Sea Realm and host three Soul Spirits. It is common for most Soul Masters to have four Soul Spirits by the time they attain the Titled Douluo rank. The Spirit Domain Realm is said to be the rank that signifies a Limit Douluo's rank.
A Soul Master that reach the Spirit Domain Realm is capable to produce a Spiritual Domain. Every Domain is different for each person but a person with a Domain is the ruler of the their Domain, being able to control everything inside of it. A Spiritual Domain is formed through the comprehension of the laws, making it so those without one would be suppressed by their laws and spiritual power. Until the quantification of spiritual power, ancient soul masters simply saw spiritual domains as a mark of a top genius Titled Douluo.
The Spiritual Sea (精神之海) or Sea of Consciousness, is the realm situated within the mind (upper dantian) of a Soul Master and Soul Beast. It serves as the storage space for their spiritual power and parts of their soul. When a Soul Master transcends to Godhood, the Spiritual Sea evolves into a Divine Consciousness. Within the Spiritual Sea, a Spiritual Core is housed, which aids in the faster restoration of spiritual power. The Spiritual Sea is also where the Soul Master's soul spirits reside. Its size and form change as the Soul Master cultivates their spiritual power, transitioning from a gaseous form to a liquid state at higher ranks.
An individual develops a Divine Consciousness (元神) once they reach God-level. Their spiritual realm reaches the Divine Origin Realm before they reached God-level. Once they become a God, the Spiritual Sea becomes golden and they Spiritual Sense transforms into a Divine Consciousness, that can't be noticed or sense by those without one. Their Divine Consciousness also allows them to summon and draw on their power no matter where they are. A Divine Consciousness is able to cover a dimensional range, allowing them to control and manipulate their own higher-dimensional spaces and the lower ones.
3. Elemental Power
The Elemental Power is the energy present in the element's molecules, and, one of the eleven energy types used in "Shenlan Qiyu". The Soul Masters's control over Elemental Power depends on their Elemental Affinity Physique, Spiritual Power, as well as their comprehension over the elemental laws.
The Elemental Affinity Physique to Soul Masters is dependent on the type of martial soul they possess or the quality of soul beasts they have hunted down for soul ring absorption upon their every breakthrough. There are only a few instances in which Soul Masters already possess elemental-attributed martial souls at birth. Even physical-attributed Soul Masters have a high possibility of obtaining an elemental attribute(s) upon absorption of soul rings. Of course, this constitution must correspond to their martial soul system classification.
When the element reach pinnacle and achieve the purest form, it'll known as Ultimate Element. It is able to not only suppress weaker forms of the same element, but also overpower and take control of it. Normal weaknesses do not apply to these elements, and are nullified in the face of the Ultimate Element, unless it is of the same tier.
The Douluo Planet Heaven and Earth Laws is the sublimation of the four basic elements and the three advanced elements. The combination of these elements causes Elemental Tribulations, which is a requirement for Heavenly Refinements or for Soul Masters attain the God-Level and above. These primary elements resemble the Douluo Divine Realm's Seven Elemental Gods. Many soul beasts and martial souls also possess these elements as well as variant elements, sometimes even a combination of these due to some being derived from their original nature like ice and water.
Basic elements is included Fire, Water, Wind, Earth.
For advanced elements is Light, Darkness, Space, Time
4. Blood Essence
The Blood Essence (气血), also known as Bloodline Power (血脉之力) is energy derived from one's body and utilizes the nutrients, or vitality, within their bloodline as a power source. In combat, Blood Essence can serve as an alternative power source to soul power and spiritual power. Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon Nine Moves, for example, is a technique that uses blood essence, more specifically dragon blood essence, as a primary source of energy.
Blood Essence plays a significant role in influencing a soul master's potential rank and the quality of their martial souls. As a soul master grows older, their blood essence naturally diminishes, which is why the optimal time for cultivation is typically before the age of 40.
Blood Essence is related to Bloodline. When a soul master is born, they are born with a certain bloodline. The bloodline is usually related to the soul master's martial soul. However, there are instances where the bloodline may not have a direct connection to the martial soul, as exemplified by Tang Wulin inheriting the bloodline of the Golden Dragon King.
Bloodline Suppression occurs when a soul master with a weaker or lower-ranked bloodline fights against one with a stronger bloodline. This can cause the soul master with the weaker bloodline to feel weakened, although the difference in cultivation rank or battle prowess can partially offset this weakness. On the other hand, Bloodline Enforcement happens when a team of soul masters fights together, and the soul master with the stronger bloodline can boost the one with the weaker bloodline. Examples include Tang Xuanyu and Liu Feng, as well as Tang Wulin utilizing his Golden Dragon King bloodline to enhance his soul skills and domain. The effectiveness of Bloodline Enforcement is higher when the soul masters possess the same type of bloodline.
Spirit Soul
Soul Spirits are soul beasts in an energy form that are used by soul masters as a complement of the soul rings. It can be a animal, plant, tool, material, or elemental spirit. By becoming a soul spirit, soul beasts only change their form and not their existence by binding their spiritual and life origin to the contracted soul master.
The inventor of soul spirit is Electrolux, the Necromancer, teacher of Huo Yuhao. The first soul spirit is Snow Empress which her life is binded to Huo Yuhao by Electrolux. Under Di Tian's supervision, Huo Yuhao was able to create a general technique for soul spirits' creation.
After mastering the technique to create the soul spirit, a life-bound contract method derived from light element necromancy, Huo Yuhao and Di Tian built the Spirit Pagoda. Since then, soul masters must go to the Spirit Pagoda to get or purchase a soul spirit.
Soul Spirits are superior to conventional soul rings because the age or quality of soul rings given by them could be upgraded or evolved. But generally, it could only be done in the Spirit Pagoda's Spirit Ascension Platform. Strong spiritual power and a strong body is necessary to contract higher ranks of soul spirits.
Soul Spirits actually place their complete cultivation as soul rings that take up space on their contracted soul master. As a result, if the soul spirit voluntarily leaves, the contracted soul master permanently loses those rings.
Once bound, soul spirits merge their bloodlines into their contracted soul master and allow physical improvement. If their bloodline or compatibility is high, the bloodlines can possibly affect the soul master's martial soul and evolve them, awakening it. The bloodlines of the soul spirits also attain counter-resonance from the soul master's rising cultivation rank and the martial soul evolution, allowing the improvement of their bloodlines and their soul beast existence to a higher quality.
The soul spirit that was most synergistic with a Soul Master would always be one that was the same as their martial soul.
The three founders of soul spirits are:
1. Electrolux - Created the foundation technique, resulting in the Snow Empress as the first soul spirit
2. Huo Yuhao - Elux's disciple who refined and established a general purpose form of the foundation technique under Di Tian's supervision, then with Di Tian's soul beasts support, created the Spirit Pagoda
3. Di Tian - Provided insight and perspective of soul beasts, involved in creating the general purpose form of the foundation technique, he also participated in helping Huo Yuhao create the contract technique because of his higher knowledge as an ancient being.
Artificial Spirit Soul
Artificial Soul Spirits are still reliant on the genes of the soul beast they were created from. As a result of the gradual extinction of soul beasts, soul beast genes had also unceasingly depleted. The researchers of the Spirit Pagoda had tried many times to use non-soul beast genes to create a Soul Spirit and see if the result was acceptable. The experiment was a success, but the fact was, the Soul Spirits made from those genes were pitifully weak. Basically, no one would be willing to buy them. In Soul Land 3, Soul Spirits could take on the form of non-living objects, like a piece of metal or a hammer.
When a soul spirit is being manufactured, it won't necessarily succeed every single time. Sometimes, defective ones may appear. The defectives ones are also very expensive to manufacture and they can also be fused with too. Low level soul spirits (before reaching 10,000 years) do not have any sort of intelligence.
Once a soul master gets a soul spirit, they have 24 hours to absorb it, otherwise it will die.
The more powerful a soul spirit was, the more intelligent it would be. A soul spirit above the purple rank was even capable of communicating with its host. Legends say that a soul spirit that surpassed that rank could even help the host in battle.
In the later half of Soul Land III, the Spirit Pagoda are able to create black artificial soul spirits thanks to Gu Yuena. Before then, they were only able to artificially create white, yellow, and purple soul spirits.
By Soul Land IV, artificial soul spirits of 10,000 years are able to be created. The soul spirits of this time do not have any spiritual wisdom. They can only awaken once the Soul Master they are fused with reaches God Rank.