Chapter 50: Master-Level Commentary – Part 1
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Bibi Dong escorted Ye Wen as he left, but neither of them said much.
Though Bibi Dong admitted that she was drawn to the unique aura Ye Wen exuded, the two were still far from familiar. After all, this was their first meeting, and as a young girl, she remained reserved, unable to express her feelings.
As they neared the edge of the Spirit Hall's grounds, Bibi Dong's love-struck mind began to spiral.
"What should I do? Should I ask for his contact information?
But would that make him think I'm a frivolous girl?
Ah, this is so frustrating! What is this feeling?"
Ye Wen, on the other hand, didn't overthink it. Glancing at the delicate and beautiful girl beside him, he thought of her tragic fate in the original story.
Unable to suppress his sympathy, he finally spoke to Bibi Dong.
"Holy Maiden, though it may not be my place to say this, it's better for you to keep some distance from people from the two empires and the upper three sects.
Especially avoid forming emotional attachments. It won't benefit you or anyone else, because you are the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall. That's all I'll say. I wish you happiness, Holy Maiden Bibi Dong. Farewell."
Hearing this, Bibi Dong froze momentarily. By the time she snapped out of it, Ye Wen had already disappeared. Frustrated, she muttered to herself,
"What a strange person! Of course I know I'm the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall!" Pouting, she stomped off.
Clearly, Bibi Dong hadn't yet realized the gravity of the situation. From a distance, Ye Wen watched silently for a moment before leaving.
There was truth to the saying: men were indeed pigs' trotters—after all, any man would glance twice at a beautiful woman.
When watching historical dramas, how many men hadn't fantasized about having multiple wives?
Though Ye Wen had Ah Yin and some resistance to beauty, he still appreciated pretty women. A stunning beauty like Bibi Dong was undeniably pleasing to the eye.
But more often than not, Ye Wen was a rational person. The karmic ties surrounding Bibi Dong were immense.
Not only was she the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall, but her innate talent was also at the limit level—comparable to Ye Wen's own. In the future, when she entered the City of Slaughter, even with Ye Wen's guidance, she might avoid being defiled as in the original story, but she could still catch the attention of the lofty Rakshasa God.
The Rakshasa God—everyone knew what that meant: an evil god.
Thinking about the kind of twisted world that could give rise to such a deity under the premise of faith-based ascension sent shivers down Ye Wen's spine.
Meanwhile, inside the Pope's Hall, Qian Xunji listened intently as his subordinates reported what Ye Wen had said to Bibi Dong upon leaving.
Experienced in matters of the heart, Qian Xunji understood the meaning behind his disciple's gaze. Seeing Ye Wen's tact and his advice to Bibi Dong to avoid self-destruction, he nodded in satisfaction.
Though Ye Wen's papers were impressive, in such a superhuman world, strength was paramount. Bibi Dong's unparalleled talent was something Qian Xunji intended to nurture as a guardian for the Spirit Hall. If the two empires or the upper three sects dared to meddle with her, Qian Xunji wouldn't hesitate to spill blood.
The streets remained bustling as usual, but many high-level soul masters secretly kept an eye on Ye Wen as he emerged from the Spirit Hall.
Fully aware of this, Ye Wen pretended not to notice and returned to the hotel unbothered.
Without hesitation, he leaked the details of his conversation with the Pope inside the hall. This caused ripples beneath the surface.
Gradually, more and more soul masters approached Ye Wen to exchange greetings. To protect his safety, Ye Wen refrained from arousing too much curiosity among the major powers.
Instead, he began selling copies of his three treatises, which he had prepared in advance.
The price was modest—one gold coin per book. For high-level soul masters, this was negligible. The production cost was low, just a few copper soul coins, but pricing it too low might come across as insulting.
The factions that had been observing hesitantly rushed to purchase the treatises once they saw Ye Wen selling them without hesitation. They brought the books back to their masters, and some soul masters even bought multiple copies, flaunting their wealth.
Smaller factions, hidden deeper in the shadows, initially hesitated but eventually believed Ye Wen's claims after seeing no interference from the Spirit Hall. They too flocked to buy the treatises from Ye Wen.
Unfortunately, Ye Wen had only brought 300 copies, and they sold out quickly.
Top-tier soul masters weren't fools. Upon reading Ye Wen's three treatises, they recognized his value. Once they understood his ultimate goal, they relaxed—there would be no new rival power emerging on the continent to compete with them.
They also began considering sending talented disciples from their clans to study at Ye Wen's proposed academy. After all, even the weakest of Ye Wen's eight disciples, Su Qiaoqiao, possessed optimal soul ring configurations.
The Huo siblings, as senior disciples, were especially remarkable. At their fourth soul ring, they had absorbed ten-thousand-year soul rings. Based on their performances in the spirit arenas, none of them were mediocre. This showcased Ye Wen's exceptional teaching ability. Though Ye Wen himself was only a four-ring soul master, the Huo siblings' talent was undeniable—they were destined to reach Soul Douluo, and even becoming Title Douluo wasn't out of the question.
Three days later, the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Tournament officially began. Watching young soul masters of similar age battling fiercely on the arena, releasing their soul skills, Ye Wen couldn't help but feel moved.
"Being a soul master isn't just about fighting and killing."
Due to the influence of his treatises, Ye Wen had been specially seated alongside the bishops of the Spirit Hall by the Pope's arrangement.
These bishops were all renowned powerhouses in their respective cities, with cultivation levels no lower than Soul Emperor.
At first, they assumed Ye Wen was merely someone connected to an elder through favoritism. But after learning about the quality of his treatises, their attitudes toward him warmed considerably.
This warmth grew even stronger after Ye Wen helped several bishops who had long been stuck at the peak of Soul Emperor break through to Soul Sage.
In the world of soul masters, there were plenty of combat-oriented individuals, but true scholars of martial soul theory were rare.
After a few Soul Emperor bishops broke through to Soul Sage thanks to Ye Wen's guidance, their enthusiasm for him reached its peak. This proved that Ye Wen's expertise was truly top-tier.
The representatives of prestigious factions near Qian Xunji couldn't hide their envy as they watched the bishops' rapid improvement under Ye Wen's tutelage.
Thunderclap Douluo Yu Yuanzhen observed Ye Wen conversing animatedly with the bishops. His expression flickered before he turned to Qian Xunji and suggested,
"Your Holiness, the current commentator's skills are rather mediocre. Why not let Master Ye Wen take over?"
Watching the two academies exchanging blows like chickens pecking at each other on the arena, Qian Xunji, who had been dozing off, suddenly became interested. However, mindful of his manners, he didn't immediately agree. Instead, he said,
"Since they are our guests, I shouldn't impose. Let me send someone to inquire."
With that, Qian Xunji signaled to a nearby attendant, who promptly approached Ye Wen to relay the request.
Caught off guard, Ye Wen was momentarily stunned. He had already considered his mission here nearly complete, but he hadn't expected Qian Xunji to pull this move.
However, Qian Xunji was the Pope, and Ye Wen, outwardly, was merely a four-ring Soul Elder. Refusing would damage the Spirit Hall's dignity and risk retaliation.
Better not to invite trouble unnecessarily, so Ye Wen agreed.
When Ye Wen took the microphone from the commentator, he noticed the latter's devastated expression. Realizing that Qian Xunji's decision might ruin the commentator's reputation, Ye Wen consoled him,
"Sorry, brother. I didn't expect the Pope to do this either. But if you ever lose your job, you can apply to the soul master academy I plan to establish."
The commentator's expression improved slightly. At this moment, Ye Wen noticed that the microphone itself was a weapon-type martial soul.
"Hmm, another strange martial soul added to the list."
Looking at the two groups of competitors on the arena—on one side was the Thunder Academy affiliated with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, and on the other was the Beast Academy from the Star Luo Empire—their battle was evenly matched.
Even the Thunder Academy couldn't have all its students wielding the super martial soul of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. Meanwhile, the Beast Academy fielded several formidable talents. Ye Wen spotted at least four top-tier martial souls among them, explaining why neither side could gain the upper hand in this protracted battle.
Collecting his thoughts, Ye Wen began his commentary.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let us first examine the competitors from the Thunder Academy. Among them are three leading power-oriented soul masters, each wielding the illustrious Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul.
Even in the most remote corners, every soul master should recognize this super martial soul renowned across the continent. However, few know that this martial soul possesses a special ability—it allows partial dragonification before reaching Soul Sage, significantly enhancing the soul master's combat capabilities. This is why the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is considered a super martial soul.
If you're interested, look for my book Detailed Analysis of Martial Souls in bookstores soon. It provides an in-depth description of this martial soul, including annotations in the martial soul compendium and analysis of variant martial soul cultivation methods."
While the initial praise for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon brought pride to Thunderclap Douluo Yu Yuanzhen, the blatant advertisement made the gathered higher-ups chuckle.
Though Ye Wen wouldn't earn a single copper soul coin from these books, given the lack of copyright laws on the Douluo Continent, his goal was to harvest fame.
Just like Yu Xiaogang's 'Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls'—though, unfortunately, Yu Xiaogang's theory was a joke.
"Master? That title sounds nice. It's mine now."
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