The Tianling Mountain Range
Located at the southern border of the Tiandou Empire, the Tianling Mountain Range stretches east to west and spans over a thousand miles, making it one of the largest mountain ranges on the continent.
To the south of the mountains is a flat, fertile plain, which serves as the territory of the Balak Kingdom, one of the four vassal kingdoms of the Tiandou Empire.
At the heart of the mountain range stands the imposing Jialing Pass.
Jialing Pass is a natural fortress, difficult to attack but easy to defend. Historically, it has been a strategically critical location, often described as a "gate that a single person can defend against thousands."
Inside the Military Camp
A middle-aged man, about thirty to forty years old, sat cross-legged on a couch, deep in meditation.
"General."
A young soldier entered the tent, giving a standard military salute before speaking in a suitable tone:
"Lord Lin, the current Duke of the Lin family has arrived with his entourage and is waiting outside the gate. He requests an audience with you."
"Lin Xianshi?" The middle-aged man opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing across them.
Then, rising from the couch, he turned to the soldier and ordered:
"Let them in."
Fifteen minutes later.
Lin Rong entered the tent with his old butler, Xu Pan, and Ma Hongjun.
"Uncle Ge, long time no see."
By seniority, Lin Rong's grandfather and Ge Long's father were of the same generation. Lin Rong's father and Ge Long were also contemporaries, making Lin Rong and Ge Long cousins by a single generation.
"Yes, it's been a long time. The last time we met was at your full moon banquet, but you were too young to remember. I believe your butler must have told you about me," Ge Long replied, stepping forward and lifting Lin Rong, holding him over his head. He chuckled, saying:
"Back then, you were just a little baby."
"Eight years have passed in the blink of an eye, and my dear nephew is already so grown. You're much heavier than when I held you at your full moon."
A moment later, Ge Long gently set Lin Rong down and turned to look at the three people behind him, asking:
"Who are these people?"
Among Lin Rong's companions, Ge Long recognized only the old butler, Yu Yuan. As for Xu Pan and Ma Hongjun, he didn't know them.
"Uncle Ge, let me introduce them," Lin Rong said, pointing at the two. "This is Xu Pan, the captain of my household's guard."
"And this boy is Ma Hongjun, a talented soul master from a commoner background. He possesses the rare and powerful Fire Phoenix Martial Soul."
Fire Phoenix Martial Soul?
Ge Long couldn't help but glance at the red-haired boy in front of him, his mind racing.
Ge Long had climbed to the position of Grand Marshal of the Tiandou Empire's three armies, not just because of his impressive martial prowess but also due to his strategies and intelligence.
When Lin Rong emphasized Ma Hongjun's humble origins and his Fire Phoenix Martial Soul, Ge Long quickly began to connect the dots and deduce Lin Rong's intentions.
"The distance between Tiandou City and Jialing Pass is thousands of miles. Since my nephew is bringing a common-born genius soul master here, it's not just about having him join the military," Ge Long thought to himself, his eyes twinkling. "Wait... does he want my position?"
After a moment of realization, Ge Long gave Ma Hongjun a closer look, then turned to Lin Rong, asking:
"Nephew, this boy seems only a little older than you—perhaps just over nine years old?"
"With a Fire Phoenix Martial Soul, his innate soul power can't be low."
"Since this child has been brought all the way here, is he already a Great Soul Master?"
Lin Rong did not immediately respond but shook his head, indicating that Ge Long was mistaken.
Ge Long was not particularly disappointed. After all, a nine-year-old Great Soul Master, even one with innate full soul power, would require a year or more of training to break through to level 11.
Although innate full soul power was rare, even a top-tier beast martial soul like the Fire Phoenix couldn't guarantee such a phenomenon.
Still, it was highly likely that Ma Hongjun's innate soul power was at level 9. Moreover, since his Fire Phoenix Martial Soul was mutated, such souls typically came with higher-than-average innate soul power.
Ge Long thought again, "If he's not a Great Soul Master, then at least he must have soul power around level 18 or 19, right?"
Lin Rong shook his head again, a subtle denial. Ge Long frowned deeply, puzzled.
Seeing his confusion, Lin Rong offered a small hint:
"Uncle Ge, you're underestimating him. Try guessing a bit higher."
"Guess higher?" Ge Long instinctively blurted out, "If he's not a Great Soul Master, then is he a Soul Sovereign?"
"A nine-year-old Soul Sovereign? How is that possible!"
Seeing Ge Long's firm belief, Lin Rong turned to Ma Hongjun and said:
"Hongjun, show Uncle Ge your soul rings. Let him have his eyes opened!"
"Understood!" Ma Hongjun responded, stepping forward and summoning his martial soul.
As he activated his Fire Phoenix Martial Soul, the soul rings that represented his rank and power appeared one by one.
Ge Long stared in astonishment.
The first soul ring—yellow, a hundred-year soul ring.
The second soul ring—yellow, another hundred-year soul ring.
The third soul ring—purple, a thousand-year soul ring!
Two yellow and one purple, the best soul ring configuration, indicating Soul Sovereign rank.
While this might not have been too surprising to Ge Long, what really caught his attention was that Ma Hongjun was only nine years old!
"Really... a nine-year-old Soul Sovereign?"
Even after seeing it with his own eyes, Ge Long could hardly believe what was unfolding before him.
"Nephew!" Ge Long came to his senses and, with a meaningful look at Lin Rong, asked:
"Such a rare genius. Why didn't you keep him at your estate? Why send him to the army?"
"At your age, you could train him to take over your position in the Lin family in the future."
Hearing this, Lin Rong responded by showing him another surprise.
"Uncle Ge, look. Besides Hongjun, there is another genius right in front of you."
With that, Lin Rong's own soul rings appeared beneath his feet—two yellow and one purple.
"I can easily hold up the Lin family on my own, so there's no reason for me to keep Hongjun in the Duke's household."
Looking at the deeper-colored rings beneath Lin Rong, Ge Long was left speechless, still reeling from the shock.
It took a while before Ge Long realized that Lin Rong hadn't even summoned his martial soul; his soul rings had appeared without doing so.
In Ge Long's experience, only a Title Douluo could reveal their soul rings without summoning their martial soul.
But Lin Rong was just a three-ring Soul Sovereign—how was he able to perform such a feat?