—
"So that's how it is."
"Across the entire continent, the number of innate full soul power individuals per century ranges from as few as five or six to at most a dozen or so. It rarely exceeds twenty. On average, it takes five, ten, even twenty years for one to appear—rare beyond imagination."
Chen Xiaojun quietly gave a mental thumbs-up:
"As expected of an ancient and long-standing clan. In the original Douluo Dalu, among the three great peerless Douluo and Gu Rong, the Golden Crocodile Douluo is suspected to have been one—that was last century. This century, among the protagonist group, there's Tang San, Oscar, Feng Xiaotian, Qian Renxue, Bibi Dong, and possibly Tang Hao—six in total. Xiao Wu was a soul beast and doesn't count as human.
"There might be more—hidden ones not yet revealed. After all, this is the real world. But still, what Grandpa said is true."
"In summary: as long as an innate full soul power soul master matures, they almost always become a Title Douluo. If they belong to a small faction, it's no big deal—they'll likely become just an ordinary Title Douluo.
"But if they come from an ancient clan with a top-tier martial soul and long-standing inheritance, there's a strong chance they can break through to become a Super Douluo. That, some major powers can still tolerate.
"But if such a person ascends to Peerless Douluo, they're half a god, capable of reshaping the balance of the entire continent...
That is something the great powers will never allow!"
"The world bustles for profit; the world hurries for gain. Everything comes down to that one word: 利益 (利益 = benefit/profit). Duke Jinwen stood in their way."
Chen Xiaojun let out a breath and sighed.
Everyone was visibly shaken and turned to look at Chen Xiaojun.
"'The world bustles for profit; the world hurries for gain'—what a profound truth," murmured Chen Hong, visibly moved.
Grandfather Chen Yu looked deeply at Xiaojun and thought,
"A six-year-old with such insight? A true prodigy! The ancestors are surely watching over us—our Chen clan has a worthy successor!"
"We had Peerless Douluo among our ancestors?"
"Yes," Chen Yu nodded. "Ancestor Chen Xili and Ancestor Chen Feiyi were both Peerless Douluo.
Chen Xili, one of our intermediate founders, slew a high elder of the evil Crimson Church who was at the Peerless Douluo level. His decisive action in that calamity shifted mainstream soul master opinion back in our favor and allowed our clan to be accepted once more.
Ancestor Feiyi, the one who revived our clan, led the destruction of Zhizong, then the dominant sect of the entire continent. That act shook the soul master world and changed the entire landscape of the realm.
"They shared three traits:
Both had innate full soul power.
Their martial souls had ultimate elemental attributes, classifying them as super martial souls.
They possessed 100,000-year-old soul rings.
"It's possible all three contributed to their breakthrough to the Peerless Douluo level.
"According to Feiyi's notes, innate full soul power played the most crucial role in breaking through the final bottleneck. Of the three traits, it was the most decisive.
"After all, martial soul ascension and 100,000-year soul rings can be obtained through encounters and destiny. But innate full soul power... that's pure luck.
"Unfortunately, both ancestors were born with full soul power. That doesn't help us much—most of us only have innate level eight or nine. In the centuries since, our Chen clan has had soul masters who reached level 97—Peak Douluo, and even one who reached level 98—Supreme Douluo, but none could break through to Peerless Douluo.
"Feiyi has been gone for a long time now, and few descendants have ever personally witnessed the power of a Peerless Douluo.
"For generations, our ancestors have tried to blaze a trail—challenging Peerless Douluo to find a path for soul masters who weren't born with full soul power. A unique path belonging to our sword-wielding Chen clan.
"But the outcomes were often tragic. Many were gravely injured—or even died—martyrs to our cause."
Hearing this, Chen Xiaojun stood upright in solemn reverence and declared loudly,
"May the ancestors be eternal!" He bowed deeply toward the main hall.
A flash of pride appeared in Chen Yu's eyes. With reverence, he stepped forward and bowed as well,
"May the ancestors be eternal!"
The rest rose and followed suit, bowing with a long solemn chant:
"May the ancestors be eternal!"
"Grandfather, I swear I will become a Peerless Douluo and find a path for our Chen clan, to honor our ancestors in the afterlife!" Chen Xiaojun thought to himself:
"If that's the case, then maybe those protagonist characters who weren't born with full soul power got theirs patched by immortal-grade herbs... or maybe inherited it through divine legacies. Or perhaps it didn't matter at all for them."
Grandfather Chen Yu smiled in approval and nodded, clearly gratified.
"You should rest for today. Starting tomorrow, report to the Martial Lecture Hall next to the ancestral shrine. Your Second Granduncle will begin teaching you about martial soul knowledge."
"Grandfather, I already have full soul power—shouldn't I go hunt a soul beast for my first ring?"
"Haha! Good lad," laughed Chen Cong, the Second Granduncle.
"You have a mutated martial soul—do you fully understand its traits yet? Do you know which soul beasts are compatible? Also, have you decided what kind of soul master you want to be?"
This triple-question combo left Chen Xiaojun speechless.
"As expected, top-tier martial soul clans are so much more rigorous than the schools in the original novel. They don't rush to add soul rings."
Second Granduncle thought Chen Xiaojun was worried and reassured him,
"Don't worry. Even without a soul ring, you can continue cultivating. Your soul power will be stored. Once you add a soul ring, it will be released. There's no rush to add a random one."
"Understood, Granduncle."
"Xiao'er, you may return. Your grandfather has other matters to handle," said Chen Yu.
"Yes. Elders, I take my leave." Chen Xiaojun bowed and slowly exited the side hall.
After he left, Chen Cong asked,
"Did we ever find the mastermind behind Duke Jinwen's assassination?"
"It's either this group or that," said Chen Wenchao slowly.
"This grudge is remembered. We'll settle it one day," Chen Yu said with a wave of his hand.
"For now, let's discuss the information Xun'er brought back…"
…
Chen Xiaojun returned to his courtyard. His older brother, Chen Jianjun, wasn't home—probably training with the others at the Martial Lecture Hall. His mother, Ye Xiuxin, was busy in the kitchen, carefully preparing the Awakening Feast.
On the Douluo Continent, people always host a feast on the day their martial soul awakens. If the awakening is successful, it's a celebration. If the result is disappointing, the meal serves as a comfort for the child. Thus, it's called the Awakening Feast. The great roc that Jianjun had brought home would be perfect for the occasion.
Her son had awakened a top-tier martial soul, not inferior to the Seven Kill Sword, and even had innate full soul power. Ye Xiuxin's smile hadn't left her face all day—her mood radiant and joyous.
That night, the moonlight was clear and pure, gently casting its silvery glow like flowing water.
Chen Xiaojun looked at the spinning Sword God Beads in his hand, vibrant with dazzling colors and perfectly rounded. They seemed to shine in competition with the moon above.