Devouring Martial Souls
Ancient Sorcerer!
Ye Tian's curiosity was instantly piqued. As far as he knew, in the Divine Continent, sorcerers occupied a dualistic role, both righteous and wicked, and were exceedingly rare. They were akin to hermits dwelling in the mountains—discreet yet formidable and enigmatic figures not to be underestimated.
It was rumored that sorcerers could concoct elixirs to aid martial practitioners in their training, as well as potions that could poison them. Masters of various nefarious sorcery, they often appeared frail, yet were, in truth, immensely powerful.
Throughout the history of the Divine Continent, some sorcerers traveled the land, rescuing countless lives from peril, while others descended into malevolence, employing dark sorcery and sacrificing to infernal demons to obtain wicked power. Such sorcerers were known as Forbidden Sorcerers and were hunted down by martial practitioners across the continent.
In summary, sorcerers were an exceedingly rare and mysterious profession; in the vicinity of Baiyun Town, Ye Tian had never heard of any sorcerers emerging.
"I wonder what kind of sorcerer this is…" Ye Tian murmured to himself, increasingly intrigued, as he continued to scan the parchment.
The parchment was small, yet the writing on it was dense and numerous, comprising thousands of characters. Ye Tian scrutinized it closely, missing not a single detail.
Upon careful examination, he discovered that this parchment was a record kept by the sorcerer Balata. It documented not only various sorcery and the crafting of elixirs but also his daily life records.
"I was born without a martial soul, thus unable to become a martial practitioner. However, I was fortunate enough to be recognized by my master and became a rare sorcerer…"
Ye Tian felt a surge of envy; although Balata could not become a martial practitioner, he was esteemed as a powerful sorcerer.
"I have often wondered why one cannot become a martial practitioner without a martial soul. Why can I not create a martial soul? This curiosity led me to a new avenue of exploration in my mastery of sorcery. I have resolved to create a martial soul, enabling all people of the Divine Continent to become martial practitioners!"
"Hmm?"
Upon reading this, Ye Tian suddenly felt a jolt, and he sprang to his feet, bringing the parchment closer to the oil lamp to scrutinize it intently.
Illuminated by the lamp's light, the remaining content of the parchment came into view.
"After countless attempts, I finally discovered the mysterious connection between martial souls and the physical body. Some martial practitioners possess a mysterious energy within their physical forms that attracts martial souls. I have named this energy 'Martial Soul Energy.'"
"Conversely, a physical body devoid of Martial Soul Energy naturally cannot attract a martial soul, rendering the individual incapable of becoming a martial practitioner… This discovery has illuminated the path toward creating martial souls."
Ye Tian was instantly exhilarated, his eyes gleaming as he read further into the parchment.
"After extensive testing, I found that while martial souls are inherently difficult to create, I have succeeded in generating Martial Soul Energy…"
Unable to create a martial soul?
The initial thrill Ye Tian felt was abruptly doused as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, his gaze dimming. Nonetheless, he persisted in reading on.
"Though I cannot create a martial soul, I can utilize Martial Soul Energy to attract martial souls into a physical body, thereby granting those without a martial soul the ability to acquire one. I have termed this process 'Seizing.'"
"Alternatively, I could also refer to this process as Devouring, transforming a body without a martial soul using the Martial Soul Energy I have created, thus bestowing it with a devouring constitution."
"Whenever a martial practitioner dies, their martial soul dissipates after three days. This means that, should one possess a devouring constitution, I can utilize these three days to absorb the martial souls of the deceased martial practitioners…"
Upon reaching this point, Ye Tian could no longer contain his excitement and let out a resounding howl.
"Devouring constitution, devouring martial souls—indeed, there is always a way out! Hahaha…" Ye Tian exclaimed, holding the parchment aloft in wild jubilation, his heart swelling with joy. It felt as though a refreshing spring had surged within him, invigorating his spirit.
"Tian'er?"
"What's wrong, Tian'er…"
From outside the room, his mother Lin Mei's voice drifted in, drawn by Ye Tian's exclamation.
Ye Tian immediately fell silent and called out to the door, "Mother, I'm fine! Is dinner ready? I'm hungry." He quickly shifted the topic.
"Dinner will take a while. If you're hungry, eat some dried meat first. You're grown up now, yet still calling out like that when you're hungry…" Lin Mei sighed in relief, lightly chastising him before leaving.
Inside the room, Ye Tian continued to excitedly peruse the parchment.
There's always a way out; the gift from the old white tiger was indeed precious. An ancient sorcerer's forbidden manual recorded the method to seize the martial souls of others.
Ye Tian felt a renewed sense of hope for his future. The gates to martial mastery had reopened a crack for him.
Under the dim light, the ancient parchment exuded an aura of mystery.
The ancient characters appeared in Ye Tian's mind like divine blessings, resonating within him.
"The Divine Continent, vast and boundless, I have discovered that many ferocious beasts, despite lacking martial souls, can still evolve into formidable entities. What could be the reason? After over a hundred years of exploration, I finally discovered that the blood of every ferocious beast contains a trace of Martial Soul Energy. With this energy, they can attract the spirit of the world into their bodies, gradually evolving."
"The more powerful the ferocious beast, the greater the Martial Soul Energy contained in its blood. I have developed a sorcery that allows me to extract this Martial Soul Energy from their blood."
"Once I extract a vat of Martial Soul Energy and bathe in it, absorbing it entirely, I will refine it through my created sorcery, achieving the unique devouring constitution, thus completing the first step to seizing martial souls."
Extracting Martial Soul Energy from the blood of ferocious beasts?
When Ye Tian reached this point, his eyes widened in disbelief, nearly spitting out blood in shock.
"The old white tiger is a beast of martial master level. Had I known this earlier, what virtue could I possibly uphold? I could have simply utilized its blood." Ye Tian inwardly chastised himself, regretting his foolish adherence to a worthless code of ethics, wasting the blood of a beast of such high caliber.
It was evident that to cultivate the devouring physique, an immense amount of martial soul energy was necessary, and obtaining it would undoubtedly prove to be a formidable challenge.
Ye Tian continued reading; the subsequent content was brief, mainly detailing a particular sorcery that could allow one to seize another's martial soul after achieving the devouring physique, integrating it into oneself.
"Martial souls are indeed easier to obtain; when the elders in the village pass away, their martial souls can be utilized. However, this devouring physique..." Ye Tian furrowed his brow, lost in contemplation.
To extract enough martial soul energy, hunting down some weaker beasts would take an eternity, so he had to target the more formidable creatures.
But could he, with his current pinnacle of martial apprentice level ten, truly contend with such powerful beasts?
The answer was clearly no.
In Ye Jia Village, to become a member of the beast hunting team, one had to possess at least martial artist level three, highlighting the formidable nature of the beasts outside. Villagers below this level were merely courting death.
"Slap!"
Realizing this, Ye Tian felt a wave of regret wash over him as he slapped himself hard. Had he known earlier, he would have never disposed of the old white tiger's corpse; it was a beast above martial master level—its blood alone could have provided him with a sufficient amount of martial soul energy.
What should he do?
Ye Tian calmed his thoughts. He already had a method for creating a martial soul; now he just needed to gather a sufficient amount of martial soul energy. In simpler terms, he required a substantial amount of beast blood.
"The blood of fierce beasts contains immense energy and can enhance a martial artist's physique, making it highly valuable in the market. If I had enough money, I could simply purchase it, but..."
Ye Tian forced a bitter smile. As a fifteen-year-old boy, where could he possibly acquire such funds? Even with his father being a seventh-level martial artist, they didn't have that kind of savings.
What to do?
To solve the problem, one must first understand it. Ye Tian's gaze fell upon the sheepskin scroll; this artifact undoubtedly held significant value. If he sold it...
Just as this thought crossed his mind, he immediately shook his head to dismiss it. Armed with the wisdom from his previous life, he understood the scroll's worth. If others learned of it, he wouldn't just miss out on sufficient rewards; he might even face lethal repercussions.
"Devouring martial souls doesn't merely allow those without martial souls to gain one; it also enables them to continue consuming, thereby enhancing their own martial soul. This grants me a martial soul capable of gradual evolution—its value is incalculable! The entire Divine Continent would go mad for this!"
Ye Tian's eyes gleamed as he deeply reflected. He instantly grasped the true value of the sheepskin scroll; it was indeed a priceless treasure.
"Tian'er, it's time for dinner."
His mother Lin Mei's voice broke into Ye Tian's thoughts, awakening him from his reverie. He shook his head, self-deprecatingly muttering, "Since I have a direction, why rush? The path will reveal itself as I progress."
With that thought, Ye Tian felt a surge of clarity, carefully storing the sheepskin scroll before pushing open the door.
In the living room, his family enjoyed a cheerful dinner together, yet Ye Tian appeared distracted, eating while continuing to ponder ways to obtain martial soul energy.
"Come, Tian'er, eat more!" His mother Lin Mei urged, serving him food as she chattered on.
Beside them, his father Ye Meng boasted about his exploits in the beast hunting team.
"Tian'er, you have no idea! Today, your old man killed a ferocious tiger. The captain said they would send me the tiger skin tomorrow. I'll have your mother weave you a tiger coat for the winter! Hahaha!" Ye Meng laughed heartily.
"Dad, I don't want a tiger coat; can you get me some fierce beast blood instead?" Ye Tian's eyes lit up as he eagerly asked. After much thought, he realized he could only turn to his father for help, considering he was merely a weakling without martial arts prowess, incapable of acquiring enough beast blood on his own.
"You want to use fierce beast blood to enhance your physique?" Ye Meng inquired, looking at Ye Tian.
Lin Mei's expression darkened as she sighed, "That is indeed a viable approach. It is said that some individuals without martial souls can enhance their physiques by absorbing fierce beast blood, thereby gaining strength comparable to that of a martial artist. However, fierce beast blood is extremely precious, and our family..."
"Alright! Your old man promises you—tomorrow I'll get you as much as you need! As long as I'm alive, you'll have plenty of fierce beast blood!" Ye Meng declared loudly.
"Dad!"
Ye Tian's eyes glistened with tears; words escaped him as a singular thought anchored itself in his heart.
"I will become a martial artist, the strongest martial artist in Baiyun Town, and I won't let my parents down!"