Chapter 188: The Transformation of the Soul Master World!
In the video, after hearing Neptune's words, Ye Cheng smiled for the first time in a while and said, "Besides you, the Angel God and the Rakshasa God also chose to stay behind during the Abyss invasion. They did not ascend to the Divine Realm. Because of the presence of you three gods, the army's morale has remained stable, and the people have not fallen into complete despair. It seems I must hurry and ascend to godhood as well."
[What?!]
[So in the future, aside from the Sea God, two other gods also chose to stay?!]
[The Angel God and the Rakshasa God?!]
[I know the Angel God is the one worshipped by the Spirit Hall.]
[But what is the Rakshasa God? Doesn't sound like a benevolent deity…]
[Who cares if it's a benevolent god or not? The fact that they stayed behind in such dire times already makes them a righteous god in my eyes!]
As the chat filled with scrolling comments, many viewers praised the Angel God and the Rakshasa God for their choice to remain in times of crisis.
Spirit Hall.
Watching the live broadcast, Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes slightly. She immediately realized that the "Rakshasa God" mentioned in the video was most likely herself.
As for the Angel God, there was no doubt it could only be her daughter, Qian Renxue.
She hadn't expected that, after both of them ascended to godhood, they would choose to stay behind rather than flee. Even Bibi Dong herself was surprised. Was the Rakshasa God in the video really her?
Heaven Dou Empire, Crown Prince's Mansion.
Qian Renxue, who was also watching the broadcast, immediately knew that the "Angel God" mentioned in the video referred to herself. This meant that in the future, she would successfully inherit her divine position.
"But… that woman actually chose to stay behind too?" Qian Renxue found it hard to believe. In her eyes, Bibi Dong was a cold, ruthless, and selfish woman. There was no way she would stay behind for the sake of the world.
But the content of the video was right in front of her. There was no doubt Bibi Dong had chosen to remain.
"Or maybe… she was only ever cold hearted towards me?"
At this thought, Qian Renxue's mood suddenly darkened.
In the video.
After hearing Ye Cheng declare that he must ascend to godhood as soon as possible, Neptune's expression became troubled. "Brother Ye, perhaps it's not my place to say this, but I feel I must tell you the truth. When a soul master reaches Rank 99, advancing to Rank 100 is no longer just a matter of accumulating power. One crucial thing is needed…"
"You mean that without a divine position, one cannot break past Rank 100?"
Before Neptune could finish, Ye Cheng interrupted him and calmly said, "I already know that."
"You… you know?" Neptune was surprised. "Then does that mean before the Divine Realm cut off its ties with our world, you had already received a divine inheritance?"
"No."
Ye Cheng shook his head.
"Then why are you so confident that you can reach godhood?" Neptune asked, still in shock. "Without a divine position, one cannot become a god. This is a law established by the Divine Realm. Even though the gods have now severed their connection with this world, the modified rules remain unchanged. As long as you are in this world, soul masters still require a divine position to break past Rank 100 and ascend!"
[Damn it! Those gods left, but they still left behind this kind of restriction just to mess with us!]
[Rule modification… I don't fully understand, but from what they're saying, it sounds like soul masters can't become gods because of the Divine Realm's interference, right?]
[The Divine Realm is absolute trash!]
[If it weren't for this restriction, with Lord Ye Cheng's talent, becoming a god would be the easiest thing in the world!]
[What a shame…]
The comments poured in, and many people expressed their disappointment. Even Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue felt it was unfortunate. If it weren't for the Abyss invasion, with Ye Cheng's talent, there would be countless gods willing to pass on their divine positions to him.
But while the audience was feeling sorry for Ye Cheng, the Ye Cheng in the video showed no change in expression. Instead, he simply smiled and said, "Brother Ne, nothing in this world is absolute. No divine position, no godhood? That might not be entirely true."
"Oh? I'd love to hear your thoughts," Neptune responded, genuinely interested.
The audience was also hooked, eager to hear Ye Cheng's explanation.
"Long ago, I started pondering a question," Ye Cheng said, standing up and walking to the grand hall's entrance. Staring at the abyssal rift in the sky, he spoke with a deep gaze, "Why do soul masters need soul rings from soul beasts to advance? Why can't we generate our own soul rings?"
"If one day soul beasts go extinct, wouldn't soul masters also perish alongside them?"
"Is there a way to let soul masters advance without hunting soul beasts? A method to let them form their own soul rings naturally?"
Neptune's expression shifted upon hearing this. He immediately asked, "You mean… you've actually found a way for soul masters to generate soul rings without hunting soul beasts?"
"Haha, I must thank Senior Medicine King for that," Ye Cheng turned around and smiled. "His soul rings were also self generated. Although his case was a rare exception due to unique circumstances, it still gave me immense inspiration."
"I shared my theory with him, and he was very interested. So, together, we researched a way for soul masters to condense their own soul rings."
"Through our combined efforts, we actually developed a method to self condense soul rings. Many talented students at White Cloud Academy have already been taught this technique."
Hearing this, Neptune's expression changed as he finally understood. "No wonder I noticed that many of your students at White Cloud Academy clearly at the Soul Sage level had only century old seventh soul rings. Those rings… must have been self generated!"
"However…" Neptune hesitated for a moment before voicing his concern, "Isn't a century old soul ring too weak?"
"Hahaha! Brother Ne, you're only seeing the surface and missing the essence!" Ye Cheng laughed, then explained, "This new method of condensing soul rings is fundamentally different from acquiring rings by hunting soul beasts. The difference lies in one crucial trait growth potential."
"Growth potential?!"
Neptune's eyes widened as he suddenly understood. "You mean… these rings increase in strength as the soul master cultivates?"
"Exactly."
Ye Cheng smiled and nodded. "A soul ring obtained from hunting remains forever fixed in power. After all, it's just an external force. But a self generated soul ring is different it is truly part of the soul master. It grows and evolves alongside them."
"At first, these rings may seem weaker than traditional ones, but in the long run… it's not impossible for someone to reach the point where all their rings are 100,000 years old just like mine."
[Self condensed soul rings?!]
[That's… incredible!]
[This completely overturns everything we knew about soul masters!]
[And if this is real, then this method is more than just powerful…]
[If soul masters can generate their own rings, they'll never have to risk their lives hunting soul beasts again!]
[And they won't face any dangers when absorbing soul rings!]
[This technique is a blessing for commoner soul masters!]
[I wonder if Lord Ye Cheng has already perfected the Ring Condensation Method? I want to send my son to White Cloud Academy.]
As a stream of comments scrolled by, many viewers in the live chat were visibly excited. In reality, numerous powerful sects and influential families were unable to remain calm. They all understood that if the Ring Condensation Method was truly revealed to the world, it would bring about an unprecedented transformation in the entire soul master system.
In the video.
After listening to Ye Cheng, Neptune couldn't help but exclaim, "This... this Ring Condensation Method completely overturns the foundation of the existing soul master system! If it gets publicly released, wouldn't it render the ancient sects with their long standing martial soul inheritances completely obsolete?"
To his surprise, Ye Cheng simply shook his head and said, "It's not that simple."
"The Ring Condensation Method is indeed miraculous, but talent still matters. While soul rings can continue to grow in strength, how far they can evolve and what heights they can reach still depend on an individual's talent. Commoner soul masters generally lack high level talent, so there will still be a huge gap between them and those from great sects and powerful clans."
"This method merely eliminates the dangers of hunting soul beasts and absorbing soul rings, but it does not bridge the gap in innate talent."
In reality, upon hearing this, many sect leaders and powerful clans breathed a sigh of relief. They realized they had been overreacting. Just as Ye Cheng said, the gap in talent could not be erased by the Ring Condensation Method alone. Their advantage remained intact.
For example, the ability to increase soul ring age was undoubtedly tied to one's potential. Those with great talent could evolve their rings to ten thousand year or even one hundred thousand year levels, while those with weaker talent might cap out at a few hundred or thousand years.
This was the difference in talent.
In the video.
Ye Cheng continued, "Using the same principles behind the Ring Condensation Method, Senior Medicine King and I have spent years researching a way to break past Rank 100 without needing a divine position. We've now developed an initial plan."
"However, while the theory is sound, whether it can truly work in practice remains uncertain," he sighed before adding, "But with the Abyss invasion upon us, we no longer have the luxury of hesitation. If I succeed, not only will humanity gain another god level combatant, but soul masters will also finally break free from their dependence on the Divine Realm."
"From that moment on, the path to godhood will be wide open for all soul masters!"
"Perhaps in thousands or even tens of thousands of years, as civilization progresses, every soul master in the Douluo Continent will have the potential to become a god." He sighed with deep emotion.
["Everyone can become a god?!"]
["What an astonishing ambition!"]
["That's just wishful thinking…"]
["Thousands or even tens of thousands of years… that's way too far into the future."]
["Even Ye Cheng himself probably doesn't believe that. It's just a hopeful dream. Douluo isn't even certain to survive the Abyss invasion yet."]
As the comments scrolled by, many were shocked by his vision. Though it seemed impossible, they couldn't help but dream about such a future.
Divine Realm.
Hearing Ye Cheng's words, the God of Destruction let out a cold snort. "Hah! 'Everyone can become a god'? These mortals sure dare to dream. Not even we in the Divine Realm would ever entertain such a ridiculous thought."
"Just the ignorant musings of a foolish mortal," the God of Evil added with disdain.
The other three God Kings nodded in agreement. They didn't take Ye Cheng's words seriously at all only a naïve and ignorant mortal could dare to dream of something so impossible.
In the video.
After finishing his conversation with Neptune, Ye Cheng began preparing to break past Rank 100.
The scene suddenly shifted.
A massive blue planet appeared before the viewers.
At first, the audience was confused. They quickly realized, however, that this was their own Douluo Continent, viewed from space.
Then, the perspective shifted again.
Ye Cheng reappeared, but this time, he was in a bizarre, desolate landscape. The terrain was covered in craters, and as the camera zoomed out, everyone finally understood where he was.
["Wait… is this… the moon?!"]
["So this is what the moon really looks like? It's not beautiful at all! Why does the surface look so rough and full of craters?"]
["This place feels completely lifeless, like a wasteland."]
["So desolate… I always thought there was a Moon Goddess here. But looking at this barren place, what goddess would ever want to live here?"]
As comments flooded in, many were shocked by the true appearance of the moon. There was no celestial palace, no mythical laurel trees just a vast, empty wasteland.
In the video.
Ye Cheng had used spatial teleportation to travel from Douluo to the distant moon.
As he gazed at the massive spatial rift looming above Douluo like a giant mouth ready to swallow the planet whole, he muttered, "I didn't expect that even on the moon, I can still feel the same invisible restraints… It seems the Divine Realm's influence over this star system is even stronger than I imagined."
"Whatever. This place will allow me to absorb cosmic energy more efficiently… This will be my decisive moment."
With that, he sat down cross legged ready to begin his breakthrough.
The viewers in the live chat were on the edge of their seats, eager to witness how he would attempt to break past Rank 100. Many Titled Douluo in the audience were watching intently, hoping to gain valuable insights from his process.
On the silent, lifeless surface of the moon, there was no one to disturb him.
Oxygen deprivation?
Zero gravity?
Cosmic radiation?
None of these mattered.
For Ye Cheng, this was the perfect location for his breakthrough.
"HUMMMM!!"
A powerful resonance shook the air.
Surrounding Ye Cheng's body, soul rings began appearing two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red.
This was the dream configuration for any soul master!
"Rings obtained from soul beasts can never truly merge with me perfectly," Ye Cheng murmured as he gazed at the nine rings encircling him.
He summoned his Flying Rainbow Sword Martial Soul and held it in his left hand. With his right hand, he gently struck the sword's blade.
"BOOM!"
Though it seemed like he was merely tapping his Martial Soul, his nine soul rings trembled violently then shattered into pieces!
Every single one of them disintegrated!
The audience was completely stunned.
["Wait, wasn't he supposed to be ascending to godhood?! Why did he just destroy his soul rings?!"]
["Did he… fail?!"]
["No, maybe this is just the beginning."]
["Look at him! This was clearly intentional. He must have a plan!"]
["Hold on! Don't tell me… he's about to reform his soul rings?!"]
["This is insane!"]
["If he fails, won't he be crippled?!"]
As the comments poured in, everyone was now completely fixated on the screen, waiting for Ye Cheng's next move.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/cortez10