Chapter 184: The Invisible Shackles
"Only rank ten soul power… how long will it take to regain my original strength?" Bo Saixi stared at the mermaid martial soul in her hands, momentarily lost in thought.
Then, an unsettling question crept into her mind without her previous strength, without the divine bestowed Sea God martial soul, was she still the same Bo Saixi that Tang Chen had loved?
No! How could she think that way?!
Bo Saixi shook her head vigorously, trying to dismiss such a terrifying thought. Even if she was no longer the peerless Sea God Douluo, she was still Bo Saixi. How could anyone's feelings for her change just because of this?
If they did… then what did they truly love? Her power and status? Or the legendary 'Sea God Douluo Bo Saixi' who could stand beside them as an equal?
For the first time, uncertainty crept into her heart.
Neptune, noticing her troubled expression, assumed she was simply distressed about her loss of strength. Wanting to reassure her, he said, "You don't need to worry about your strength. You once reached the rank of Limit Douluo, your years of experience are invaluable. Because of this, I can bypass unnecessary trials and directly grant you soul power and soul rings, helping you quickly return to your peak state."
"However, since your martial soul is different now, you'll need time to adapt. You won't be able to level up too quickly, but I promise it won't take long for you to return to your prime."
Since Neptune had revived Bo Saixi, there was no way he would just leave her to struggle on her own. He had to fast track her progress, otherwise, letting her regain her peak power through traditional cultivation would take decades, if not centuries.
Advancing in soul ranks wasn't easy the higher one went, the harder it became. In the original story, Tang San and his friends reached godhood in their twenties, but that was only because the Sea God had been spoon feeding them power ups. Frequent trials, free soul rings, and even divine bestowed soul power essentially cheating their way to the top.
If they had to cultivate normally, they would've been stuck for years at various bottlenecks. Some soul masters spent their entire lives at a single rank, unable to break through.
As for why Neptune didn't simply give Bo Saixi a Sea God martial soul again, the answer was simple divine bestowed martial souls were gifts, not truly one's own. Since they could be granted, they could also be taken away. She would forever be at the mercy of whoever bestowed it upon her.
Neptune had said he would grant her freedom, and that meant no more chains. Even if any other devout follower of the Sea God would dream of such a gift, it wasn't what she needed.
Furthermore, that martial soul was tied to her role as High Priestess a symbol of her past. Now that she was stepping into a new life, it was best to leave the past behind.
Bo Saixi's eyes lit up at his words, and her previous sadness vanished in an instant. Having lived with immense power for so long, suddenly losing it and having to start over from scratch was not something anyone could take lightly.
But hearing Neptune's promise, she had no doubts because for a god, bestowing power, granting soul rings, was nothing more than a flick of the wrist. Her past strength hadn't been due to some exceptional talent it was simply because she had been chosen.
"Thank you, Lord Sea God."
As expected, Bo Saixi felt completely relieved.
"There's no need to thank me. This is something you deserve." Neptune waved his hand dismissively. After all, she had guarded Sea God Island her entire life, and in the end, even sacrificed herself so he could ascend as the new Sea God.
No matter how much he rewarded her, it wouldn't be enough.
Meanwhile, in White Cloud City…
Inside the City Lord's mansion, Ye Cheng sat in his private cultivation chamber, preparing for a momentous event breaking through to rank 100.
He was already infinitely close to godhood, teetering on the edge at rank 99.9. Just one final step, and he would ascend.
Now, with his soul transformed into a divine soul thanks to his connection with Neptune, the time felt right.
Today would be the day he became the Sword God.
Inside the chamber, Ye Cheng sat cross legged, eyes closed. Even though he wasn't actively releasing power, the sheer pressure around him distorted the very air, making the space look warped and unstable.
As time passed, his aura grew stronger and stronger but something was off. It was as if he was pushing against an invisible wall. No matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't break through.
Finally, after an unknown amount of time, Ye Cheng gave up.
His eyes snapped open, his brows furrowing deeply.
"How is this possible?"
"With my foundation, combined with my divine soul, no matter how difficult the final step is, I should still be able to break through."
"But this blockade… it feels as if I'm fighting against the very world itself. No matter what I do, I can't shake it even slightly."
"Why?"
"Wasn't it said that after reaching rank 99, as long as one had enough soul power, they could break through to rank 100 without a divine position?"
"Is a godhood inheritance really necessary?"
"No… that doesn't make sense."
"Unless the problem isn't with me… but with this world itself!"
A terrifying thought flashed through Ye Cheng's mind. He lifted his gaze, as if looking beyond the heavens, straight towards the Divine Realm.
He closed his eyes again, this time delving deep into his past life's memories. Now that he had become a god, his recall ability had greatly improved, allowing him to perfectly remember everything he had read before.
He had skimmed through the Douluo series in his past life sometimes skipping chapters but he still knew the major plot points.
Now, cross referencing his memories, the information left by the previous Sea God, and his current knowledge of divine power, he finally understood why he couldn't break through.
And the answer infuriated him.
"Those bastards in the Divine Realm really went this far?!"
"From the very beginning, everything soul masters, soul rings was rigged!"
"Even this planet's very laws were altered!"
"No wonder… no wonder…! Under this kind of suppression, how the hell could I have ever broken through?!"
Ye Cheng had finally figured it out.
In simple terms, Douluo Planet was under the complete control of the Divine Realm.
The laws of this world had been deliberately modified by the gods.
They had made it so that soul beasts, upon death, would condense their energy into soul rings, ensuring that humans could never become independent of this cycle.
Even worse reaching rank 100 required divine approval.
And the concept of divine positions? It was nothing more than a license to godhood, a way for the Divine Realm to maintain control.
Even if someone gathered enough faith power to create their own god position, as long as they were still within this world, that god position would automatically fall under Divine Realm jurisdiction.
You think you created your own god position?
Wrong. You're just another cog in their system, another servant of the Divine Realm.
(End of Chapter)
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