As the loser in the original timeline, Qian Renxue was naturally unwilling to let everything return to its original course.
She said, "First, I want to see an interesting story. Second, I'm not just watching for entertainment—I want to see this world undergo a fundamental transformation."
"Senior, is there something you wish to see changed in this world?" Qian Renxue asked.
"What kind of people do you think qualify as true geniuses in this world?"
Qian Renxue replied, "Naturally, those with high-quality Martial Souls and strong innate soul power. Martial Soul quality influences innate soul power. Those with superior Martial Souls have greater strength compared to others of the same level. For example, a soul master with the Clear Sky Hammer is far stronger than one with an ordinary weapon-type Martial Soul at the same stage. Currently, the only Martial Soul that rivals the Clear Sky Hammer is the Seven Kill Sword.
"And innate soul power affects not only a person's starting point but also their cultivation speed. The higher one's innate soul power, the faster they cultivate. That's what makes someone a genius."
She continued, "This is exactly why the world has remained unchanged for thousands, even tens of thousands of years."
"You're right—that is one type of genius. You and Tang San both fall into this category."
"But in the myriad worlds, there exists another kind of genius. These individuals have superior aptitudes, physiques, or, in your world, Martial Souls, giving them an advantage from birth and making their cultivation far more efficient."
"However, this kind of genius can only inherit—not create."
"There's another type of genius: those with profound comprehension and insight. They excel at synthesizing the knowledge of many and forging a path of their own."
"Geniuses born with strong physiques and aptitudes dominate early on, advancing rapidly. But they are dependent on those natural gifts, on top-tier cultivation methods, or divine artifacts. These things both elevate and constrain them. In contrast, geniuses of insight may not advance as quickly, but they can forge a path radically different from the norm."
"Let me ask you a question—you all know that the fastest way to become a god is to inherit a divine position. But do you know how the original gods—the first among the divine—gained their godhood?"
"There is a saying: 'To learn is to accumulate daily; to follow the Way is to diminish daily. Diminish and diminish again, until one reaches a state of non-action. In non-action, nothing is left undone. I act, and thus, I am limitless.'"
"Senior, are you saying that our Douluo Continent lacks comprehension-based geniuses because it overemphasizes natural aptitude?" Qian Renxue asked.
"Not exactly. Every world has geniuses based on insight. But whether such geniuses can thrive depends on the nature of their world. In your world, from the moment someone is born, they enter a race of cultivation speed. Those with high Martial Soul quality and innate soul power are deemed geniuses; those with poor quality and low power are branded as trash. There's no motivation to question the nature of the Martial Soul itself. People simply focus on reaching the next level to obtain spirit rings and bones."
"But once one reaches Titled Douluo—or even Limit Douluo—they begin to realize that understanding one's Martial Soul is far more important than just collecting spirit rings and bones."
"Spirit rings and bones are, after all, power taken from soul beasts. They are not truly your own."
When it comes to the pinnacle of cultivation, powerhouses like Qian Daoliu, Bibi Dong, and Qian Renxue have the most authority to speak.
At the Limit Douluo level, soul rings and bones are no longer the deciding factor. And once one becomes a god, these things are almost meaningless.
Take Sea God Tang San as an example—his two Martial Souls both had over 100,000-year soul rings. But didn't he still die at Bibi Dong's hands?
Bibi Dong's Martial Soul, the Death Spider Emperor, which she used to carry the Rakshasa God's position, had only a configuration of yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black, red.
"That's why I want you all to become gods not by faith, nor by inheriting, but by creating your own divine positions. And then, to spread a new path—one that abandons the soul-beast-based cultivation model, that reshapes the deeply entrenched class system of Martial Souls, that dismantles the nobility's monopoly over Douluo Continent, and gives light to those who have always lived in darkness."
"I understand. So, everything must be accomplished before Tang San is destroyed completely in body and soul. But—"
"Douluo Continent has already reached its extreme in terms of elemental attributes. It has not touched the domain of laws. In fact, the world's source of laws has already been depleted. There's no longer a path to becoming a god through comprehension of the laws. The only options left are creating a divine position through faith or inheriting one," Bibi Dong said, having once ascended to godhood.
"Becoming a god through laws is forbidden by the Divine Realm. Even a genius like the Sea God had to spend the second half of his life gathering faith and forging a divine position through belief. Only after becoming a god can one perceive the existence of divine laws!"
The path of law-based cultivation has been severed. Just as the Divine Realm blocked soul beasts from becoming gods, it also imposed limits on humans—humans cannot ascend through laws anymore. The two remaining paths are through faith or inheritance.
"I would never give you a task that you have no hope of completing."
From the void, two streams of law descended and entered Hu Liena's body.
Then, two more streams of law entered Qian Daoliu.
Next, six streams of law—three each—descended into Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong.
"I have granted you the origins of the fundamental laws of heaven and earth. Hu Liena, you have received the Laws of Charm and Spirit. Qian Renxue, you have received the Laws of Divinity, Light, and Flame. Bibi Dong, you now possess the Laws of Soul, Death, and Poison. And Qian Daoliu, you have been given the Laws of Sword and Light."
"To receive the source of laws is one thing—whether you can comprehend and master them depends entirely on your fate and understanding."
Laws are the essence of the Way. She did not directly grant them full comprehension of the laws, but rather, gave them access—like handing a vast library to people who had never had a chance to learn before. From elementary school to university, from postgraduate studies to doctoral research, everything was now available for them to explore.
Naturally, Bibi Dong and the others were profoundly grateful.
The divine laws are something only gods can even begin to touch. Even the Ice God wouldn't dare claim full mastery over the Law of Ice, and the Fire God wouldn't claim complete control of Flame.
The laws are boundless. The so-called gods have only walked a tiny portion of the path of the Dao.
Among the three paths to godhood—creating a divine position, faith-based ascension, and inheritance—the one who creates their own position understands the laws most deeply. Faith comes second, and inheritance is the shallowest.
In fact, whether it's Bibi Dong, Qian Renxue, or Tang San, the reason they could immediately wield the power of a primary god or even god-king upon inheriting a divine position is because they were using the position's power—the fruit of someone else's journey.
But gods like the Sea God or Asura God, who cultivated for hundreds of thousands or even millions of years, could give up their positions and still retain their strength.
If Tang San were to give up his godhood, well—heh.
(End of Chapter)
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