—
At dawn the next day.
Sunlight spilled over the land, and a breeze carrying the scent of ripening summer fruits, with a touch of warmth, gently brushed across Chen Xiaojun, who stood atop Stone Monument Slope after a morning jog. It left his whole body feeling relaxed and refreshed.
He stood there quietly, watching the magnificent sunrise. When a radiant beam of sunlight pierced the horizon, the beauty of the dawn vanished.
At eight o'clock, Chen Xiaojun arrived at the Martial Lecture Hall beside the ancestral shrine. Upon entering the main gate and stepping into the training ground called the Drill Arena, he saw several clan brothers and their followers already cultivating, including his older brother and the chubby Zhu Wukui, the eldest of the Zhu brothers. Uncle Chen Wu was supervising nearby.
It was June 20th—the time when several clan brothers who were away studying came home for summer break. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many peers present yesterday.
On the Douluo Continent, schools typically take a summer vacation from mid-June to mid-August, so two months later, his elder brother would also leave to continue his studies.
After exchanging greetings, he walked across the large arena. Ahead stood five or six large rooms, which were the teaching facilities.
The clan school and the children attending the local kindergarten never exceeded twenty in number—a form of elite education.
The central room was the primary classroom. Above its door hung a plaque that read "Zejizhái" (泽继斋)—meaning "to bestow grace upon future generations and continue the clan's legacy."
Inside, Chen Yu and Chen Cong were already present. The Martial Lecture Hall was typically managed by Chen Cong and Chen Wu, with support from several auxiliary instructors like Ye Xiuxin, who specialized in healing. Occasionally, elders would come to guide their direct descendants.
Chen Cong had a face that wasn't very large, yet all his facial features were tightly packed together without seeming awkward. His deep, gentle eyes glowed with a captivating brilliance—particularly striking.
He was the clan's top expert in soul master theory, and naturally suited to the role of educator. Every family needed someone like this.
The Douluo Continent had a history of soul masters spanning ten thousand years. One should never underestimate the collective wisdom of human civilization. Contrary to what people in Chen Xiaojun's previous life thought—soul master society did value theory.
Look at his past life in China—five thousand years of history was essentially one of constant warfare, and the study of weapons never stopped. Soul masters were the Douluo Continent's noblest profession, the pinnacle of martial power. How could they not have studied the theory behind it?
The theory wasn't something people failed to appreciate. Many martial soul principles were learned through blood and sacrifice—such as soul ring duration, attribute clashes, and more. A single mistake could result in devastating consequences—or even death.
With such high stakes, how could theory be taken lightly?
The continent's academies all offered theory classes. It wasn't possible to rely on practice alone. Even a maverick school like Shrek Academy taught theory—it just resembled more of a master-disciple inheritance model.
Moreover, in every generation, some simply love pure theory. The power of time is immense, and with such long-term accumulation, the results of their research are astonishing.
Some of the more important or exclusive martial soul theories weren't made public—they were deliberately hidden or reserved by individual families.
Chen Wu, son of Chen Wenchao, was in his early forties, a Soul Sage, and responsible for teaching combat practice to the children.
After some polite greetings…
Chen Yu nodded and said,
"Xiao'er, starting today, you'll begin six years of soul master foundational education. I hope that during this time, you gain a solid understanding of the soul master system. In six years, when you break through to Soul Elder, you'll be allowed to leave for further studies."
Chen Cong explained:
"The standard education system on the continent starts at age six. Six years of primary school, six of intermediate, six of advanced. Step by step. Students generally complete their studies by 24—of course, outstanding ones may graduate early.
"That's why the elite continental soul master tournaments are limited to those under 25.
"Our Chen clan encourages clan members to study and travel. The Seven Kill Sword can only progress through extensive combat experience.
"But from ages six to twelve, one must first complete the clan's foundational training, gain knowledge of the soul master system, and develop basic self-preservation skills before being allowed to venture out."
After a short pause, Chen Cong added,
"Back to the point. Before you begin learning about soul masters, you must remember two ancestral teachings:
First, from our fifteenth-generation ancestor Chen Xili—'What exists is reasonable,' even flaws have their purpose.
Second, from our twenty-second-generation ancestor Chen Feiyi—'Everything is possible.'
"These two teachings form the core spirit of our clan:
'Do not fear soul mutation, do not blindly follow the ancestors, and do not worry about the criticism of others.'
"This means: do not fear even top-tier martial souls or top-tier soul masters, or even our own Seven Kill Sword. We must build upon the research of those who came before us—inherit the legacy, innovate boldly, and never rigidly follow the rules due to others' opinions or even our own clan's traditions.
"Truth is, while our clan has had its ups and downs each generation, our overall strength has steadily risen. Even Title Douluo-level powerhouses have appeared generation after generation. So you must remember this!"
"Yes!
'What exists is reasonable!'
'Everything is possible!'
'Do not fear mutation, do not worship the old ways, do not heed the voices of others!'"
Chen Xiaojun recited loudly.
Chen Cong nodded.
"Now let me ask—do you know how the two broad categories of martial souls, tool-type and beast-type, can be further subdivided by usage?"
"Yes," Xiaojun replied,
"They can be divided into: Tool martial souls, Beast martial souls, Plant-type, Food-type, Support-type, Healing-type, Self-type, and other Special-types, including humanoid forms, elemental forms, summoning, and ancient creature types."
"Well said. Let's begin today's lesson:
All cultivation by soul masters revolves around the martial soul, so it's crucial to understand your martial soul's traits. Do you know what your martial soul's traits are?"
Chen Xiaojun fell silent. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but then paused and looked at Chen Cong.
"You just awakened it yesterday, so it's normal you don't know," Chen Cong said with a smile.
"Take your time to sense it. Martial souls have their spirituality. Now let me first explain the traits of our clan's Seven Kill Sword martial soul—yours is a sword-type martial soul as well, so you can use this as a reference."
"Martial soul traits are generally divided into common traits and exclusive traits.
Common traits are shared by all martial souls of a similar type.
Exclusive traits are the soul of a martial soul passed down by inheritance—what we usually call its 'signature features' or 'unique attributes.'
"For example, our Seven Kill Sword has several common traits:
First, as a tool-type martial soul, it can exist outside the body as an independent weapon—just like beast-type martial souls can possess the user's body. This is a trait shared between the two major categories.
Second, being a metal-type tool martial soul, it's hard to destroy. Unlike plant-type souls, which are often cut down or burned. Even if a metal martial soul is destroyed, it's difficult to repair. Plant types, on the other hand, regenerate quickly in proportion to soul power. So in some ways, we think martial soul users are more vulnerable than people think.
Third, as a sword-type weapon, it has the basic attribute of sharpness. Metal also inherently brings toughness and durability. This should be easy to understand."
"Mm. Is there more?" asked Chen Xiaojun, listening intently.
"Yes.
Fourth, there's the trait of singular manifestation—a sword only forms one entity. It won't spontaneously become two swords. If multiple appear, it's usually due to soul skills—temporary energy projections or short-lived physical manifestations that vanish when the duration ends.
"In contrast, many plant-type martial souls can endlessly produce parts based on soul power. The same for food-type souls—they can generate many consumables.
"But you may be different. You have ten Sword God Beads—ten swords. Not only can you attack with multiple swords, but potentially use multiple soul skills at once. This opens the door to combo techniques. If developed well, even low-level soul skills combined might rival advanced ones. You should explore this area."
"Brilliant insight, Second Granduncle!" Chen Xiaojun gave a thumbs-up.
The flattery pleased the elder, who squinted and smiled in delight.
"Now let's talk about the exclusive traits of the Seven Kill Sword.
First, it can absorb killing intent to boost its attack power—especially when paired with our clan's Seven Kill Aura Restraint Technique. It's like giving wings to a tiger. No need to explain further.
Second, the trait of Embedded Rings."
"Embedded rings?"
"Yes. Very few martial souls can handle ring embedding.
Embedded Rings means cultivating a soul ring to the point that it detaches from the typical soul ring layer and merges into the martial soul itself—forming nine stars embedded in the Seven Kill Sword, each corresponding to a soul ring color. This enhances the overall effect.
This is called a Soul Ring Secret Technique.
Soul Ring Secret Techniques are advanced applications based on soul rings. The known types include Embed Ring, Explode Ring, Merge Ring, and Stack Ring.
Explode Ring is exclusive to the Clear Sky Hammer Tang Clan. It detonates the soul ring to unleash massive power. The higher the ring level, the stronger the effect—potentially multiplying one's strength several times.
But it's a do-or-die move—afterward, the soul master cannot fight for a while. It damages the body, soul power, and even mental state.
I suspect that the higher the soul ring's age, the longer the cooldown recovery time.
They say this technique is only passed to one person per generation… whether that's true or not, who knows? But if our Chen clan obtained it, we could study it thoroughly."
Chen Cong's eyes sparkled with longing and ambition.
"Second Brother!" barked Chen Yu from the side.
This was family, so it was fine for now. But in an unsuitable public setting, a careless slip of the tongue could cause serious trouble.
Why? Because secret techniques are the foundations of entire clans. Some things can be done, but must never be spoken of.
"Professional habit, professional habit," Chen Cong replied with an embarrassed smile.
"What about Merge Ring and Stack Ring?" Chen Xiaojun interjected at the right moment.