Chapter 8: Soul Core

With just a thought, a surge of soul power mysteriously appeared in his body, flowing through every part before gathering in his dantian and merging with the core source of his soul power.

He didn't release all the stored soul power at once but instead opened a small channel, allowing it to trickle in gradually. If he were to release it all at once, his meridians might be overwhelmed and rupture, turning something beneficial into a disaster.

As he felt his soul power steadily increasing, a constant smile played on his lips.

By the time he had absorbed all the stored soul power, his level directly rose to 14. It was surprising, considering he had only recently broken through to level 13. The soul power fed back by his soul beast clone had pushed him up another level effortlessly.

However, just as he was basking in his success, he noticed something unusual about the soul power in his dantian.

"What's going on?"

Closing his eyes, he carefully examined his condition. After a while, he opened them again and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thankfully, it's nothing serious. It's just that my rapid increase in soul power caused it to become slightly diluted... It looks like I can't rely solely on the soul beast clone to boost my soul power too frequently, or else the quality of my soul power will decrease."

"Going forward, I'll need to continue with my regular meditation and training, ensuring my soul power remains solid. Otherwise, despite the rapid increases, the diminishing quality of my soul power will become a major issue," Li Chang'an reflected.

The sensation of rapidly increasing his soul power through the clone's feedback was addictive, so giving it up was out of the question. Moreover, the power transmitted from the clone came with no side effects, except for the temporary dilution of his soul power.

Fortunately, this issue was easy to solve—he just needed to spend some time stabilizing and condensing his soul power.

Compared to the benefit of rapid growth in soul power, this minor drawback was negligible. He would have to be foolish to give it up.

After identifying the problem, Li Chang'an spent the next three days meditating and solidifying his soul power.

It took him three days to restore its lost quality.

In the world of soul masters, the quality of soul power was critical. Higher-quality soul power meant lower consumption when using soul skills and significantly increased their power. That's why the same first soul skill, when used by a Grandmaster versus a Title Douluo, had such vastly different effects.

The importance of soul power quality couldn't be understated. It was also a key factor in breaking through higher levels.

Moreover, having read the second, third, and fourth series of Douluo Dalu, Li Chang'an knew that soul power quality was crucial for condensing a soul core. Some individuals had even managed to form their soul cores at the Soul Sage level.

Once a soul master successfully formed a soul core, they gained numerous advantages. Their soul skill power, recovery rate, and overall combat ability would undergo a qualitative transformation. They could far surpass their peers of the same level and achieve unrivaled dominance.

Li Chang'an originally didn't dare to dream of forming a soul core at the Soul Sage level. His goal was to attempt it when he reached the peak of Soul Douluo, using it as a springboard to break through to Title Douluo and become the first person in this era to form a soul core.

But now, with the discovery that he could accumulate soul power through the feedback from his soul beast clone, he realized that forming a soul core at the Soul Sage level wasn't entirely out of reach.

For a soul master to condense a soul core at the Soul Sage stage, they had to suppress their level and avoid breakthroughs while continuously refining their soul power to reach a quality approaching that of a Title Douluo. Only then could they attempt to form a soul core.

This process was typically long and arduous. Without consuming precious heavenly treasures, it could take years or even decades. However, for Li Chang'an, accumulating soul power wasn't an issue at all.

While others needed to suppress their level to accumulate and compress their soul power, he didn't have to. The soul beast's cultivation relied on devouring other soul beasts to rapidly improve, without the bottlenecks humans faced.

If not for the physical strength requirements involved in forming a soul core, Li Chang'an would have dared to attempt it at the Grandmaster level by relying on the clone's feedback.

Unfortunately, a minimum level of Soul Sage-level physical strength was necessary to endure the pressure of forming a soul core, which left him feeling slightly disappointed.

However, since the feedback from his soul beast clone didn't just provide soul power but also enhanced his physical strength, he speculated that by the time he reached the Soul King level, his body might be strong enough to match that of a Soul Sage, allowing him to begin the process of forming a soul core.

The Heaven Dou Imperial Academy was an institution directly under the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family. It catered exclusively to the nobility and the children of high-ranking officials, offering top-tier resources and instruction. Only the Spirit Hall and a few ancient sects could rival its teaching quality.

In name, the academy's principal was the reigning Heaven Dou Emperor himself. Thus, the position of principal didn't exist within the academy. Instead, a council of the three most senior and powerful Contra-level instructors oversaw all affairs. For major decisions, they still needed to seek approval from the royal family.

The academy strictly admitted only noble children. Ordinary civilians could forget about enrolling. Of course, there were exceptions—if a commoner's talent was extraordinary, the academy wouldn't hesitate to break its rules for such a prodigious student.

This academy was the cradle of soul masters for the Heaven Dou Empire. The royal family took it very seriously, and while the emperor couldn't personally oversee its affairs, a prominent royal member was usually appointed to manage the academy. The council of elders would report significant matters to the royal family.

At present, the council consisted of three elders, each of whom was a soul master above level 80, supported by several other powerful Soul Saints and Soul Emperors. The academy's teaching strength was formidable.

Li Chang'an had now arrived at this academy. As a newly appointed marquis and the emperor's future son-in-law, he naturally qualified for admission. Besides, with his innate talent, even without his noble status, enrolling in the academy would have been a breeze. After all, no academy would turn away a prodigious student.

The academy divided students into three tiers. New students and those below level 25 belonged to the first tier, known as Tianwei rank. Those between levels 25 and 30 formed the second tier, Tianzhi rank, while students above level 30 were in the highest tier, Tiandou rank.

With only level 14 soul power, Li Chang'an naturally joined the Tianwei rank upon enrollment. He didn't mind, though. He had only just awakened his martial soul and was six years old, with plenty of room for growth.

For now, his goal was simple—learn everything.

He needed to study all the essential knowledge a soul master would require.

The descriptions in the Douluo Dalu novels merely provided a broad framework. In a real world with a thousand-year-old power system, things couldn't be that simple. There must be countless intricate details and interconnected pieces of knowledge that the novels hadn't covered.

And what Li Chang'an lacked were precisely these finer points.

Anyone who assumed they fully understood the soul master system just because they had read the novels would be gravely mistaken. It wouldn't be surprising if they ended up dead from an accidental cultivation mistake.

Having now arrived in this world, Li Chang'an realized that he was living in a real world governed by a logical system of its own. The path of a soul master was far more complex than he had initially imagined.