Chapter 4: First Meditation

Yang Xiong heard his father's words with a hint of helplessness; this is how it is within the sect—there are all sorts of rules for nurturing children, especially those with better talent are given even more attention.

Recently Yang Xiong consulted some data and roughly grasped the state of martial soul awakenings in the Soul Master World; according to its statistics, there are about one hundred thousand Soul Masters in total, of which more than seventy percent are below Soul King, forming essentially a pyramid shape.

The proportions of Soul Masters, Great Soul Masters, and Soul Elders are the same; anyone whose awakened martial soul has an Innate Soul Power Level, as long as it is not a pitiful half‑level, can basically cultivate to the Soul Elder realm, only the duration varies.

From the Soul Sect onward the numbers drop sharply, and with each rank increase the count of Soul Masters dwindles by multiples, while the proportion of those remaining actually rises.

For example, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect is estimated to have five thousand Soul Masters, but only two Title Douluo, about twenty Soul Douluo, and at least a hundred Soul Saints.

Don't underestimate his father, the Soul King; although he holds the position of Outer Sect Steward, he doesn't have many sect affairs unless there are special missions, so he can rest about half the time.

If a Soul King were to go outside, he could become the lord of a small town, or serve as a leader at the Advanced Soul Master Academy.

Based on Innate Soul Power Level awakenings, probably fewer than five people in the entire sect have reached Innate Soul Power Level 7, and those exceeding Level 7 may not even be one or two; of course this is only the yearly situation.

At that moment Yang Lin continued, "Xiao Xiong, let me tell you some good news: our sect's young lady has awakened to Innate Soul Power Level 9, making her one of the highest‑level Innate Soul Power holders ever among the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda Weapon Soul."

Yang Xiong replied, a little puzzled, "What does that matter? Though the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda provides strong support, it has an innate flaw: soul power can only reach Level 79 at most."

Yang Lin sighed, "Indeed, that's the biggest limitation of our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect; otherwise, with the Pagoda's powerful support, we could definitely contend with the Clear Sky Sect."

Yang Xiong…

In the afternoon, Yang Xiong, under his father's guidance, began his first Meditation.

Meditation, simply put, is to empty one's mind and let Innate Soul Power circulate within the body, thereby absorbing the same‑type energy from the air.

The Meditation Methods across the Douluo Continent are largely similar, differing only in the internal pathways; each person's martial soul and physique cause them to gradually develop their own circulation style.

Fundamentally, it all comes down to Innate Soul Power: the higher one's Innate Soul Power Level, the faster the Meditation circulation; the higher the martial soul's quality, the broader the meridians, and a typical Soul Master's awakened Innate Soul Power Level matches the martial soul's quality.

That's why Soul Master sects grow ever stronger; they not only have a complete cultivation system but also training methods for the toughest martial souls, and their bloodlines and martial souls tend to be relatively stable.

In contrast, the primary martial soul has no element and can absorb all the air's energy, but that is also a flaw: the air's energy is extremely noisy and chaotic, making early cultivation of the primary martial soul rather difficult.

Another major drawback of the primary martial soul is that it cannot be summoned like other martial souls.

Across the Douluo Continent, whether Tool Spirit or Beast Soul, their martial souls can be summoned, and during a Soul Master's Meditation the practice can sync with the martial soul's form; when a Soul Master reaches Level 99, the body and martial soul achieve perfect fusion.

But the primary martial soul is different; because it cannot be summoned into view, early cultivation is extremely hard, relying only on continual bodily training. One must realize that current methods are far inferior to those after Yi Wan Nian, especially since the entire continent lacks any mental‑type cultivation methods.

After meditating the whole afternoon, Yang Xiong felt only a faint increase in his soul power, a very limited boost, far from what a Level 6 Innate Soul Power prodigy would exhibit.

During dinner, Yang Lin asked, "Xiao Xiong, today was your first Meditation; how did you find the effect?"

Yang Xiong carefully recounted the afternoon's Meditation: "Father, I think the afternoon's Meditation was poor; my soul power only rose a tiny bit, perhaps that's the body's flaw for the martial soul."

Mother Sun Yu comforted, "Xiao Xiong, when I first started Meditation it was the same; the body and martial soul seemed mismatched, but after gradual adaptation it will improve a little."

Yang Xiong smiled, "Mom, I plan to focus more on physical training from tomorrow, study and train the body by day, and reserve Meditation for night."

Yang Lin, a little puzzled, said, "Although we Soul Masters must also value physique, soul power is fundamental; training does have some effect, but it's not as good as spending more time on Meditation, especially since your Innate Soul Power has reached Level 6."

Yang Xiong replied, "Father, I have my own cultivation method and believe I'll adapt soon. By the way, I recall our sect provides Medicine Baths; could you register me to receive one?"

Yang Lin, even more puzzled, said, "Our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's wealth does indeed provide Medicine Baths for all disciples, but they're usually issued after age twelve or upon becoming a Great Soul Master. While Medicine Baths are great for the body and can speed a Soul Master's cultivation, a child's body isn't fully grown, so the bath may have side effects and could even affect your future growth."

Yang Xiong quickly added, "Father, my martial soul is rather special, so I'd like to start the Medicine Bath as soon as possible; it might stimulate my martial soul's growth."

Yang Lin, though still a bit confused, finally agreed: "Fine, as long as you have confidence and a plan. The Medicine Bath ingredients are precious but not a big deal for our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect; after all, we are the Douluo Continent's largest medicinal herb supplier."

The family found Yang Xiong's remarks unsurprising; he has always been low‑maintenance and approaches everything with his own thoughts and plans, appearing extremely mature.

Yang Lin seemed to recall something: "By the way, Xiao Xiong, Aunt Li's son is already twenty, he once worked in the Patrol Team for a while; I told Aunt Li to have her son look after your daily life, since at six you're still too young to manage school trips alone."

"When you train your body later, someone will watch over you to prevent any issues. I know you don't like being served, but sometimes you need someone nearby to help, at least to ensure your safety."

Yang Xiong helplessly nodded.

In fact, given Yang Xiong's background, his family is quite well off on the Douluo Continent; both parents are Soul Masters and also Outer Sect Stewards of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, receiving substantial yearly salaries and various sect subsidies.

Aunt Li is the family's hired maid, handling laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc.; a family of Soul Masters can't do all that themselves, so it's better to spend that time on Meditation.

(End of Chapter)