Douluo: I am the True Master

What were fallen soul masters? Ye Wen, of course, knew. They were a group of individuals who had gone mad in their pursuit of power. Not only did they recklessly slaughter spirit beasts, but they also showed no mercy toward their fellow humans. They would stop at nothing to enhance their strength—true lunatics.

Fortunately, this was the era of the Spirit Hall, and its hereditary martial soul, the Six-Winged Angel, was a divine martial soul specifically designed to counter fallen soul masters.

But thinking about this inevitably brought to mind that Tang Buddha. For his own selfish desires, he had directly destroyed the City of Slaughter—a prison for fallen soul masters. After Tang Buddha ascended, the entire Douluo world descended into a living hell. A calamity of fallen soul masters that lasted tens of thousands of years left the people of Douluo filled with resentment.

"Don't worry, Grandpa. I know exactly what I should and shouldn't do."

Hearing Ye Wen's reassurance, Ye Buyi felt slightly more at ease. Though he was a soul master himself, he belonged to the lowest rung of soul masters. Knowledge was both something he yearned for and feared.

Especially after his youthful encounters with fallen soul masters, the mere mention of them sent shivers down his spine. He feared that his promising grandson might stray onto the wrong path.

"Grandpa, you know everyone's martial souls in the village, right? Could you give me a list? I'll take a look and see which ones I need. After all, we're not in a position to waste resources. Besides, I'm ninety percent confident this experiment will succeed, so we can't afford to squander anything."

Seeing his confident grandson, Ye Buyi nodded approvingly. He could already envision his grandson standing at the pinnacle as a Soul Sage, restoring their family's former glory.

Though Holy Spirit Village wasn't a single clan—it was formed by various families gradually joining together—as the village head, Ye Buyi still possessed basic information about everyone. Although the village head wasn't an official position, it was one of the core governing bodies of the feudal society's lower strata.

Holy Spirit Village wasn't particularly large or small—it consisted of 120 households and 354 people. However, the majority of these villagers' martial souls were hoes, sickles, and Blue Silver Grass. Even if they possessed soul power, it didn't amount to much.

Upon closer inspection, Ye Wen discovered five families with somewhat unique martial souls.

These families possessed martial souls such as needles, small furnaces, walking sticks, rabbits, and ivy.

They weren't particularly strong, nor were they completely useless, but unfortunately, none of these families had produced a single soul-powered ancestor or descendant in decades.

Old Jack, the village elder during Tang San's time, had a carrot martial soul, which could theoretically be developed into a food-based soul master.

However, auxiliary martial souls were notoriously slow to cultivate, and carrots had such a low ceiling that it was hardly worth the effort. It would be better to focus on finding promising candidates among the commoners rather than wasting time on carrots.

"Grandpa, just invite these five families over. I'll speak with them personally."

Looking at the five families Ye Wen had listed, Ye Buyi glanced through them. Compared to sickles and hoes, the needle and ivy martial souls were already considered quite good.

"Mm, wait until the sun sets. This experiment shouldn't draw too much attention, or our entire family could be in danger," Ye Buyi said calmly.

Ye Wen nodded in agreement. Though his experiment might not produce top-tier martial souls, it could significantly boost the base combat strength of the nation, potentially even turning the tide of a battle. Therefore, it was crucial to keep it under wraps. If word reached the empire's nobility, the worst-case scenario would be execution, and the best-case scenario would be lifelong imprisonment, forced to conduct research for the royal family to enhance their power.

As night fell, Ye Buyi carried a lantern and went to invite these five families to his house.

Ye Wen took a deep breath, looking at the five bewildered couples before him.

Their coarse linen clothes were patched up with various sizes of mends. Their faces bore the marks of hardship, and premature gray hairs made them appear far older than their twenties. It was clear that these five families lived in dire conditions.

"You've probably heard a bit about me," Ye Wen said calmly.

The five couples exchanged glances and silently nodded. Though the boy before them was only eight years old, he was already a respected soul master—a figure from an entirely different world compared to their lives of toiling in the fields. They held deep reverence for him.

Ye Wen understood their circumstances and knew that complex theories would be lost on them. Instead, he got straight to the point.

"I've called you here today to offer your families an opportunity. I can make it possible for your descendants to become soul masters. In return, you and your descendants must swear loyalty to me and become part of the Ye family. In exchange, the Ye family will protect you.

Furthermore, when your soul master children grow strong enough, I will personally hunt soul rings for them and guide them onto the path of soul mastery. They will become my disciples."

At these words, the five couples' eyes widened in astonishment. They looked at each other, and a relatively burly man spoke in a low voice.

"Master Ye Wen, are you serious? As long as we swear loyalty to you, you'll protect us and give our children the chance to become soul masters?"

"Of course, Uncle Chen. You've watched me grow up—have I ever lied to you?

And to be frank, I'm already a Level 17 soul master.

After school starts, I'll soon be hunting for my second soul ring and becoming a Great Soul Master. By the time I graduate from Notting Academy, there's a high chance I'll reach the third ring and become a Soul Elder.

I'll have more than enough qualifications to stand as one of the most powerful figures in the academy, second only to the principal. Hunting soul rings for your children will be effortless."

At these words, the ten people in the room fell silent. Even without any soul master training, they understood what the ranks of soul masters meant.

This eight-year-old child would soon reach the level of a Great Soul Master—the same rank as the teachers at the school. It was undeniable proof that this boy was a true genius. They had nothing of value that he could covet.

There was no longer any reason to hesitate.

One by one, the five couples knelt halfway to the ground, pledging their loyalty to the young boy.

Outside the door, Ye Buyi watched this scene with emotion. His grandson had truly grown up, and their family had taken its first great step toward revival.

Thus, the rural noble family—the Ye family—was born.

Inside the room, the gathered crowd addressed Ye Buyi as "Master" and Ye Wen as "Young Master."

Ye Wen retrieved items he had prepared earlier from his storage space.

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