Recalling Tang San's divine inheritance, and comparing it with her own efforts to protect the continent from the chaos of evil soul masters for tens of thousands of years—only to be forgotten and even despised— Angel God couldn't help but feel a surge of bitterness.
People did not revere the Angel. Still, Angel God had no regrets about her choices. After all, as the founder of a divine path, she took it upon herself to protect all beings. How could she easily stray from that path?
Pulling herself from her chaotic thoughts, Angel God said, "You mean after your reincarnation, you also brought with you an Angel God Seed? Can I take a look?"
"Yes, Divine Ancestor, please take a look." Qian Renxue took out the god seed and handed it to Angel God.
Angel God accepted the god seed, feeling the aura emanating from it—an aura that was the opposite of her own. Although the aura was contrary, it still shared the same origin as her Angel God Seed. As Qian Renxue had said, it was an isomer from another time and space.
If she had harbored any doubts before about the truth of Qian Renxue's words, then upon seeing the god seed, Angel God completely believed her. A flicker of cold light flashed through her eyes.
Because a variable had emerged—the existence of the Eternal God. The structure of the Divine Realm was completely different from what Qian Renxue described of her past life. The Sea God, before ascending, had been schemed against by the Eternal God. He was originally set to become a First-Class God, but instead fell to the Second-Class level. After his godhood, his vile reputation isolated him from the other gods, and he was constantly suppressed by the Eternal God, leaving him no strength or opportunity to plot against others. Ironically, this meant the Eternal God had indirectly saved Angel God's life.
Compared to the Sea God, the Angel God—herself—was thriving in this timeline. The Divine Realm was currently split in opposition: the Eternal God King vs. the Five Great Divine Kings. Some gods had aligned with the Five Kings, some with the Eternal God, and others had yet to take a side. As a peak-level Main God, Angel God had more room to maneuver than the Sea God. Until the situation became clearer, she had chosen to remain neutral and uncommitted. Her neutrality, coupled with her strength, had made both sides try to win her over.
Though she had not sided with either faction yet, upon learning the fate that had befallen her and her descendants in the other timeline, Angel God had made up her mind.
"Now that we know the future," she asked, "Xue'er, what do you plan to do next?"
"Divine Ancestor, I hope to travel to the Douluo Continent through your planar passage," Qian Renxue said. "I want to defeat the successors of the Sea God and Asura God and settle an old debt."
Angel God nodded and said, "Very well. I will inform the guardian of my inheritance—the one you call Grandfather—to come and meet you."
"Thank you, Divine Ancestor."
Angel God held the god seed and gave Qian Renxue a long, meaningful look. "This is an Angel God Seed, but it is not enough to become the Angel God. Either you refine this god seed and defeat me to take my place, or you inherit my divine position directly." She paused, then added, "However, because this god seed's attribute is the opposite of mine, it presents us with a new possibility."
"A new possibility?" Qian Renxue asked.
Angel God tossed the seed back to Qian Renxue and explained, "If you had brought a god seed with only the Holy attribute, it would be meaningless—you would only have two choices: take my place or inherit. But with an opposite attribute, you can first refine the god seed's power, then inherit my divine position. You could fuse both god seeds, born from the same source, into one. I don't know what the final result would be—but perhaps it might even allow you to break past the Main God level and become a Divine King."
"Then why don't you try it yourself, Divine Ancestor?" Qian Renxue asked.
"Xue'er, your life experience is different from mine. You embody both holiness and corruption, light and darkness—you are compatible with both god seeds. You are more suited to take that step than I am. I suppose that's also why the Eternal God King had you bring that seed to me," Angel God said thoughtfully.
"Oh right, Divine Ancestor, if I inherit the god position, will Grandfather still have to sacrifice himself?" Qian Renxue asked.
Qian Renxue replied, "That's the duty of the divine test's offering. But you needn't worry too much—his soul will remain after the sacrifice. With your divine power, you'll be able to resurrect him."
"But… why did Grandfather…" Qian Renxue thought of how her grandfather Qian Daoliu had completely disappeared after her ascension.
They quickly realized the truth.
In her past life, the divine test had been administered by the Sea God—that old schemer. After Qian Daoliu's sacrifice, his soul fell into the Sea God's hands. Of course nothing good could come from that.
So it's you again, Sea God.
Qian Renxue clenched her fists
Angel God and said to Qian Renxue, "Go to the lower realm without worry. Take my divine test. With me in the Divine Realm, I won't let that despicable Sea God or Asura God manipulate you."
"Thank you, Divine Ancestor," Qian Renxue replied.
With that, Angel God opened the planar passage from the Angel God Temple and allowed Qian Renxue to enter.
Douluo Continent, Spirit Hall
Pope Qian Xuanji held a paper slip, which detailed someone's information. Qian Daoliu stood behind him, also looking at it.
Drawn on the paper was a portrait of a six-year-old girl with wine-red hair, along with her details. She was a once-in-a-lifetime genius from this year's Spirit Awakening—Bibi Dong.
Qian Daoliu looked at the paper solemnly. "Death Spider Emperor, Soul-Eating Spider Emperor—these are two of the most extremely evil martial souls, yet they've both appeared in one person."
"Twin martial souls, full innate soul power—she's a gift from heaven to me, Qian Xuanji!" Qian Xuanji's eyes were burning with fervor.
Qian Daoliu gave him a sidelong glance and said, "Her martial souls are completely incompatible with our Seraphim. A soul master's spirit influences their path. The Soul-Eating Spider Emperor cultivates by devouring souls, and the Death Spider Emperor gains power by slaughter and death. If she strays even a little from the right path, she could become a great disaster. But an evil martial soul doesn't mean she must become an evil soul master. If we discipline her properly and restrain her gifts, she can still become a pillar of the Spirit Hall."
"That's not something Father needs to worry about. I have my own ways to train her," Qian Xuanji said casually.
Qian Daoliu was about to say more, but a divine edict from the Divine Ancestor descended, and he had no choice but to head to the Angel God Temple.
Qian Xuanji glanced at his father's departing figure and chuckled. "Restrain my future beloved disciple? No—I have a bold plan."
( Worship Hall )
Inside the Worship Hall, the five chief worshippers, led by Qian Daoliu, were all prostrating on the ground. At the moment Qian Daoliu received the divine oracle, disbelief was written all over his face.
"When did I ever have a granddaughter?" he thought to himself.
Even as the sacred radiance enveloped the Angelic Realm and Qian Renxue slowly stepped out from that light, Qian Daoliu's face still reflected utter disbelief.
Returning to the familiar Spirit Hall and looking at the five familiar grandfathers before her, two thousand years of memories seemed to merge with the present. Complex emotions surged within Qian Renxue, and tears slid down her cheeks. At last, she stepped in front of Qian Daoliu and embraced him tightly. All her feelings condensed into one word: "Grandfather."
Although Qian Daoliu was full of doubts, since the Angel God had declared her to be his granddaughter—and he could also feel a trace of blood connection from her—then she truly was his granddaughter. He could sense the sorrow and longing from her, and so he embraced this descendant with whom he shared his bloodline.
A long time passed before the grandfather and granddaughter finally separated.
"I know you have many questions in your heart, Grandfather, but please allow me to explain them one by one," Qian Renxue said as she wiped away her tears.
A moment later—
"Xue'er, you say you're the daughter of Qian Xuanji and Bibi Dong, and that you eventually ascended to become the Angel God, while Bibi Dong became the Rakshasa God—but in the end, you both failed. Bibi Dong died by Tang San's Asura God Sword, your divinity shattered and you fell from godhood, and the Spirit Hall was destroyed?" Qian Daoliu said in shock.
Qian Renxue said nothing more, only nodded.
Inside the Worship Hall, it took a long time for the five worshippers to digest all this information.
Golden Crocodile Douluo, who had been stuck at Rank 98 for years, said coldly, "Hmph! Big Brother, if this is the case, then let's wipe out the Clear Sky Sect and eradicate the threat at its root. As long as we kill Tang Hao, then Tang San won't even be a problem, right?"
Lion Worshipper added, "Don't forget that hundred-thousand-year-old Blue Silver Emperor. Kill her too—take her spirit ring and bone, and crush the threat to Spirit Hall in the cradle."
"This…" Qian Daoliu still harbored concerns upon hearing this.
Azure Luan Worshipper said, "Big Brother, surely you're not still worried about Tang Chen? Don't forget, when Tang Chen ascended Spirit Hall back then, he was chosen by an unknown god and became a God Trial Worshipper, losing any hope of becoming a god. What's there to fear?"
Lightplume Worshipper said, "Exactly, Big Brother! I've been itching to take my Lightplume Divine Bow into battle against the Clear Sky Sect!"
"No." Qian Renxue shook her head. "Behind the Clear Sky Sect stands the Asura God. That shameless Asura God has been secretly supporting them since Tang Chen's era. If we act against them now, the Asura God might not remain idle."
"Can gods casually interfere in the mortal world?" Qian Daoliu frowned. Having frequently interacted with the Angel God, he knew a bit about the divine rules: gods were not supposed to interfere easily in the lower realm.
Qian Renxue said with disdain, "The Asura God is one of the Six Divine Kings of the Divine Realm, holding control over the central authority. He makes the rules—he uses them when they serve him and discards them when they don't. He's interfered in the mortal world more than once. For example, that technique Great Sumeru Hammer was a divine skill taught to Tang Chen by the Asura God, based on the Clear Sky Hammer's nature."
"What… wasn't Great Sumeru Hammer something Tang Chen comprehended himself?" Qian Daoliu's face twitched slightly.
Qian Renxue said, "Yes, and precisely because he 'comprehended' it himself, no one questioned it. But how do you think he comprehended it?"
"Wait—Xue'er, did you say Great Sumeru Hammer is a divine skill?"
"Grandfather, you lost to Tang Chen by just one move due to that technique. Later, my father—at Rank 95—was gravely injured by Tang Hao using that hammer, even though Tang Hao had only just become a Titled Douluo. And then Tang Hao, with Rank 97 strength, fought Grandfather Golden Crocodile at Rank 98 to a standstill—also using that terrifying Great Sumeru Hammer. Tang San could use it even as a non-god, detonating his rings and fighting me—an already ascended god. Even though I held back then, doesn't all this prove how extraordinary this technique is?"
Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile exchanged looks, their expressions heavy. After a long silence, Lightplume Douluo broke it and said to Qian Daoliu, "Big Brother, you got played."
Qian Daoliu froze, then his expression darkened with realization. He shouted furiously, "Tang Chen, you actually tricked me!"
"What happened?" Lion Douluo hadn't yet caught up.
"Third Brother, don't you remember? Before Tang Chen went searching for a way to become a god, he made a pact with our Big Brother to have one final duel. In that battle, both agreed not to use soul skills. They fought for three days and nights, and in the end, Tang Chen narrowly won by half a move using Great Sumeru Hammer. Afterward, the two agreed that no future Spirit Hall Pope would ever set foot in the ancestral grounds of the Clear Sky Sect," Azure Luan Worshipper explained.
"Well, well…" Qian Daoliu laughed from sheer anger. "You asked me not to use divine skills in our duel, but then used one yourself. Tang Chen, you really got me. In that case, I hereby declare: the pact with Tang Chen is nullified!"
Even so, though the agreement was declared void, the worshippers understood well that they couldn't recklessly attack a sect backed by the Asura God. Everything circled back to the original dilemma.
"If the Clear Sky Sect is backed by a Divine King of the Divine Realm, what can we do?" Lion Douluo said in frustration. "Do we just sit here and wait for death?"
"Don't be afraid, Grandfathers," Qian Renxue said confidently. "In the past, Spirit Hall didn't even know who the enemy was. Our ancestor, the Angel God, was ambushed and perished due to the despicable Sea God. The Asura God shamelessly plotted against us. But this era is different. Behind us now stands our ancestral god—and another Divine King whose power rivals the Five Great Divine Kings of the Divine Realm. His hatred for Tang San is no less than ours. This time, our chances of victory are far from hopeless."
She then explained the current Divine Realm power structure to the worshippers, finally putting their hearts at ease.
"Grandfathers, I trust you deeply, which is why I shared this with you. But these matters must remain secret. We must not leak a single word," Qian Renxue repeatedly warned them.
The worshippers, not being gossipers, all promised not to reveal anything.
Qian Daoliu asked, "What about Qian Xuanji? He is your father, after all. Do you want me to speak with him?"
"No, absolutely not," Qian Renxue said firmly. "Don't tell him anything about me. There are some things I want to verify myself. I want to see what kind of parents I have in this era."
"…Very well," Qian Daoliu said.
In her previous life, her mother revealed the truth to her on her deathbed: the reason her mother had always been cold to her was because her teacher—her father—had severed her relationship with Yu Xiaogang and forced her to give birth to her. From that moment on, the image of her father in her heart began to crack.
This incident also became a romantic tale widely told about Yu Xiaogang. After her mother's death, Yu Xiaogang brazenly embellished the story in his biography, turning what her father had done to her mother into a tool to humiliate the loser as a victor. Because of this, the Angel Clan was disgraced, nailed to a pillar of shame for tens of thousands of years, unable to recover.
At first, Qian Renxue had also resented her father. But she had twenty thousand years to reflect on the past.
Was her mother truly blameless?
Why did her mother fall in love with Yu Xiaogang? The Spirit Hall made her who she was; no matter what, she should not have loved Yu Xiaogang to the point of eloping. Moreover, many of Yu Xiaogang's teachings, his status as a worshipper, even confidential information like angel soul bones—all came from her mother. For a saintess of a major faction, these were things that should never have been done.
Her mother had not realized that her actions were already a betrayal of the Spirit Hall. Her father had every reason to punish her—but he chose the wrong method.
The fault could not lie with one side alone.
Even on her deathbed, her mother had never recognized her own mistakes. In her view, she should have left the Spirit Hall and eloped with Yu Xiaogang. In her eyes, it was her father who destroyed her life, and the Spirit Hall that imprisoned her.
Human beings possess two truths: the factual truth, and the needed truth. Subconsciously, people often distort the truth into something beneficial to themselves, then convince themselves to believe it—that is the "needed" truth.
What her mother told her on her deathbed was the truth she needed. But what was the actual truth? Given another chance, Qian Renxue was determined to uncover the root of this grudge with her own eyes.
…
Once, she was a beggar in a village, her parents nowhere to be found. She grew up by relying on the charity of others.
However, at the age of six, her life took a dramatic turn. During the annual spirit awakening ceremony, she awakened a terrifying spider spirit—and with innate full soul power.
When she saw that others had only one spirit mark while she had two, she innocently asked the steward, "Why do I have another spirit?"
She still remembered how the steward froze, then gripped her hand tightly and asked excitedly, "What is your name?"
"My name is Bibi Dong."
"Bibi Dong, would you like to join the Spirit Hall?" the steward asked urgently, his grip on her hands tightening.
Wincing from the pain, Bibi Dong nodded.
Thus, her spirit awakening shook the entire Spirit Hall. After layer upon layer of reporting, the Pope became aware of her and personally requested she be brought to the Spirit Hall.
Escorted by Douluo Jin Zhong, she arrived at the grand and magnificent Spirit City, where she saw him.
He was tall, handsome, standing with hands behind his back beneath the Angel Holy Statue in the Pope's Hall. Suddenly, he turned, walked up to Bibi Dong, knelt down, and gently extended his hand.
"Would you like to become my disciple?" he asked warmly. "I will cultivate you into the strongest person of this era, and help you even surpass that final step beyond the reach of mortals."
"Will becoming the strongest mean I won't go hungry, and can eat every day?" Bibi Dong asked.
He chuckled. "As long as you are my disciple, whatever you want to eat, servants will bring it to you."
"Okay. I'm willing to be your disciple." Bibi Dong placed her hand in his.
"My name is Qian Xuanji. From now on, you are my disciple, and the saintess of the Spirit Hall: Bibi Dong."
...
Qian Renxue sat atop the Angel Statue, using the concealment ability of her angelic head soul bone to hide her presence. With her current strength as a level 99 quasi-god, even the three ultimate Douluo would likely fail to detect her presence without using divine sense—let alone Qian Xuanji, who had only just reached Title Douluo at level 91.
Qian Renxue silently watched the scene of Bibi Dong meeting Qian Xuanji for the first time, watching the moment she became his disciple. She saw Qian Xuanji hold Bibi Dong's small hand and walk with her through the Spirit Hall, explaining everything around them. It was a warm scene—they looked just like a pair of loving parents.
Who would have thought that more than a decade later, the two would be locked in bitter enmity? The father would rape the mother, the mother would kill the father, and in the end, even on her deathbed, she still hated him to the bone.
Could Yu Xiaogang alone really have caused all this destruction?
Qian Renxue couldn't understand it. She looked at her younger mother and saw a flame flickering in the sea of her spirit—like a candle that had just been lit.
"This is…" Qian Renxue was startled.
As a bearer of the Angel Martial Soul and a deity, she instantly recognized the nature of that flame. It was a mental flame formed by angelic spiritual power—able to distort perception and trap people in illusions. It was the ability of the angelic head soul bone.
"This…" Qian Renxue was full of doubt. Though she despised her father's methods, if that was the case, then her mother should have been even less likely to escape his control. So how did she eventually fall for Yu Xiaogang?
Could it be… the work of the Asura God?
"You saw it too, didn't you?" a voice came from the divine ring—it was Huo Yuhao.
"Your Majesty the Divine King, what does it all mean?" Qian Renxue asked.
"Rather than me telling you the factual truth, don't you think it's better for you to uncover the truth and make your own choice?" Huo Yuhao countered.
He continued, "To attain a god position—whether through comprehension of laws, belief-based ascension, or divine trials—you must align with the path of the divinity, gaining affinity with the god seat. The Sea God ascended through the faith of the sea, the Asura God through killing—thus, the Slaughter City and the Slaughter God Domain were his starting trials. And how one becomes an Angel God… you know better than I. That's all I can say."
"Thank you," Qian Renxue nodded thoughtfully.
"As for the Spirit Hall, you'll be in charge. But I do have one request: if Yu Xiaogang comes to the Spirit Hall in the future, exalt him as a grandmaster, just like in the previous life. And… don't kill him. The rest is up to you," said Huo Yuhao.
Qian Renxue replied, "Understood. On behalf of the Spirit Hall, I will fulfill your request."
…
God Realm, Eternal Temple
After finishing his conversation with Qian Renxue, Huo Yuhao turned his gaze to the Douluo Continent. Though being imbued with divine power and authority was a wondrous sensation, he still couldn't descend to the mortal realm as easily as Tang San had in his era. After all, that Asura God was watching him, waiting for him to make a mistake so he could unite with the other Divine Kings and put him on trial like they had done to the Dragon God.
But Huo Yuhao was prepared. Before his ascension, he left behind a spare body, which Snow Empress had frozen in the Eternal Forbidden Land of the Extreme North. This was his preparation for one day walking the continent again.
Douluo Continent, Extreme North, Eternal Forbidden Land, Frozen Cavern
The ice layer silently melted. A man who had been sealed in ice for tens of thousands of years slowly opened his eyes. He moved his body slightly, took a deep breath of icy mist, and a rare smile appeared on his face.
"Finally, I've returned to the Douluo Continent. Compared to merely observing from the God Realm, experiencing this world personally might be far more meaningful," he said softly.
"Yuhao, you're back," said the Snow Empress, who had been guarding the Eternal Frozen Cavern. Her voice carried a trace of relief.
Huo Yuhao nodded and said, "This body is named Huo Qiqiang. It will be my new identity as I walk through the Douluo Continent."
"How has the resource collection gone over the years, Snow Empress?" Huo Yuhao asked.
The Snow Empress replied, "Everything has been stockpiled within the Eternal Forbidden Land, waiting for your orders."
Huo Yuhao nodded, then began inspecting the storages one by one. Rare materials for refining Xuan Shui Pills and Soul Ascension Pills, whale glue to enhance physical constitution, and precious materials for soul tools—everything was available. It could be said that the resources stored in the Eternal Forbidden Land were enough to build several superpowers like the Clear Sky Sect.
To Huo Yuhao, who was born ten thousand years later and had studied the continent's development from the God Realm, every technique he mastered—and the advanced methods he deduced from Xuantian Arts—could easily bring about monumental change in this era. Even the soul tool knowledge alone could plunge Tang San, who aspired to rebuild and glorify the Tang Sect, into deep despair.
Yet, Huo Yuhao did not drastically alter the course of this era. He wanted Tang San to return to a world that still felt like home. He wanted that warmth of familiarity. And only at the critical moment would he reveal these hidden treasures.
Just as Huo Qiqiang was absorbed in inspecting these resources, a rough voice boomed from the direction of the temple: "Who dares trespass into the Eternal Forbidden Land?!"
The voice was accompanied by an overwhelming soul force. As the attacker was about to strike Huo Qiqiang, the Snow Empress stepped forward and raised her delicate hand to block the incoming giant soul-powered hammer.
"How dare you! Step down!" Snow Empress shouted, repelling the attacker.
Huo Qiqiang looked carefully and saw a muscular man with bronze-colored skin and hair standing upright like steel needles. He held a giant hammer, surrounded by nine soul rings—eight black and one red.
This was Tang Chen, now the Grand Priest of the Eternal God and the guardian of the Eternal Forbidden Land.
He looked at Snow Empress with a face full of suspicion and confusion.
"Tang Chen, do you know who you just attacked?" the Snow Empress scolded.
"I did not reveal any of my identifying traits, so it's understandable that the Grand Priest mistook me for an intruder," Huo Yuhao said with a playful smile. "This actually proves our Grand Priest's loyalty to the Eternal Forbidden Land. Let him go back."
Seeing that Huo Qiqiang had no intention of punishing Tang Chen, the Snow Empress let it go: "Did you hear that? Get back to guarding the core of the Eternal Tower."
"Yes." Tang Chen respectfully replied to the Snow Empress, gave Huo Qiqiang one last puzzled glance, then withdrew.
"Next, I plan to walk openly through the continent," Huo Qiqiang said with a snap of his fingers. Instantly, his soul power surged to the extreme just below godhood, and around him coiled nine deep blood-red god-bestowed soul rings. "Do you think this might be a bit too flashy?"
"Would you like the truth?" asked the Snow Empress.
"Of course," Huo Qiqiang replied.
"It would!" the Snow Empress answered bluntly.
"Alright, best not to draw too much attention." With another snap, Huo Qiqiang's aura diminished, dropping from a Level 99 Ultimate Douluo to a Level 97 Super Douluo. His soul rings also changed to yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red, red, red.
"This is better," Huo Yuhao said. "Let the continental resource collection project continue as planned. I'll leave the affairs of the Eternal Forbidden Land to you."
The Snow Empress nodded and said, "Understood."
After bidding farewell to the Snow Empress, Huo Yuhao left the Extreme North and began his journey across the Douluo Continent of this era. He could clearly feel the differences between this time and the Douluo Continent ten thousand years in the future.
Comparing the two, Huo Yuhao could say that while this era was less advanced, it was more civilized. The future Douluo Continent, though more developed, was far more barbaric.
This era was still a primitive one. There was no soul tool legacy, and overall it lagged far behind the future. But order was more stable. In contrast, ten thousand years later, the world had become chaotic and corrupt.
The Spirit Hall was the antagonist of the first generation of Douluo, but its existence had no adverse effect on commoners. It was the nobility who saw them as enemies. In the second generation of Douluo, the antagonists were the Holy Spirit Cult—true evil soul masters who left devastation wherever they went, gaining power through slaughter and bloodshed.
In the first era, evil soul masters existed, but they hid in the shadows. In the second era, Huo Yuhao deeply understood how the Angel Martial Soul suppressed evil soul masters. Think about it: in the first generation, where the Angel lineage always held the title of Pope, there was no room for evil soul masters to rise. They all fled to the Slaughter City seeking freedom.
But given a choice, would these sinners prefer to walk the Douluo Continent openly, or live caged in the illusion of freedom that was the Slaughter City?
Yet this era was eventually brought to an end. Tang San destroyed the Slaughter City under the pretense of eliminating evil. But while a city is easy to destroy, can the evil in human hearts be erased? The answer is no.
After the fall of the Spirit Hall, sects like the Clear Sky Sect, Shrek, and Tang Sect—all left by Tang San—failed to replace it with a force capable of suppressing evil soul masters.
What you see in the second era are noble heirs attending school and saving the world. What you don't see are the remote villages and towns being massacred by evil soul masters. Only someone who lived through that era like Huo Yuhao understands the harsh truths behind Legend of the Divine Tang Sect—truths far beyond the surface shown in novels.
Even the awakening of martial souls was different across the two eras. In the first era—setting aside the Angel legacy and Bibi Dong founding her own nation—the Spirit Hall functioned more like a public institution than a religious one. Awakening was free. Even if you had talent and chose not to join the Spirit Hall, they wouldn't force you—and you still got a monthly stipend. That kind of system was unimaginable in the second era.
In the second era, although people still awakened martial souls, the system was different. Awakening was managed by nobles and sects in their territories. They charged fees and held the data on each awakened soul master—who was talented, who was loyal. Those willing to serve their family received training. Those unwilling? They had ways to change your mind—or ruin you and waste your talent, leaving you with nothing.
The recommendation letter system was a class barrier designed by the nobles. Only those with a letter could enroll in school, ensuring the nobility monopolized education. Schools gave nobles easy entry, while loyal and talented soul masters would get a recommendation to prestigious academies like Shrek. Once enrolled through such a letter, your life was tied to that power—just like how Huo Yuhao entered through the Tang Sect and was forever bound to it.