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*****
"Lord Count!"
It was Ling Meng, the cat-eared woman, who saw Tang San and immediately ran over, her steps light like a breeze. "Is it really you? It's been over two years! Am I dreaming?"
As Ling Meng approached, a small, delicate hand blocked her. "Hey, it's only been two years. No need to get so excited!"
In the time perception of soul beasts, two years were akin to two days, insignificant.
Of course, Gu Yuena did this because she didn't want Tang San to get too close to other women, avoiding potential conflicts in the harem, which she, as the "master," would have to resolve.
[Sigh, I'm so responsible. But who told Tang San to be my half-citizen?]
Ling Meng calmed down but looked at Gu Yuena with some resentment. This little girl, though younger than her, already knew how to "protect her master" and could stay by the Earl's side all the time. How envious!
However, she maintained her manners, "Welcome home, dear Lord Count."
"Ahem, no need for the formalities. It sounds too official, and I'm not used to it," Tang San chuckled, handing over an unopened Sprite before turning his attention to the twelve people with innate martial spirits.
Innate martial spirits were rare. Finding these twelve must have taken considerable effort from Lingxi, Ling Meng, and perhaps some covert assistance from the families in Tian Dou City.
"What are their names?" Tang San asked.
"Lord Count, they were bought from the slave market. Their awakened martial spirits didn't match either of their parents', and most had innate soul power of zero. Suspected of not being their parents' biological children or considered unlucky by their villages, they were abandoned and had no names," Ling Meng explained while sipping the Sprite. "After purchasing them, I gave them codenames: A1, A2, and so on up to A12."
"Greetings, Lord Earl!" X12
The twelve, male and female, stepped forward in unison, clearly well-trained.
"Impressive presence," Tang San noted. These individuals all had traces of killing intent and bloodlust. Each must have a story before Lingxi and Ling Meng bought them.
However, their soul power was low. The strongest had a soul power of nine, and the weakest, only two.
But the advantage of innate martial spirits was that with proper nourishment, their cultivation speed could increase. According to Tang San's theory, martial spirits were closely bonded to their owners. Innate martial spirits were part of oneself, and no matter how much one's conscious mind rejected the martial spirit, one would never want to abandon a part of one's body.
Compared to other beast or tool martial spirits, innate martial spirits lacked inherent attack, defense, or auxiliary abilities but had unique cultivation advantages—if the right methods were found.
Unfortunately, in this era, most children with awakened innate martial spirits either perished young or gave up cultivation, following in their parents' footsteps.
One undeniable fact was that innate martial spirit cultivators required more resources, especially to enhance their blood energy.
"I'll give you new codenames," Tang San thought for a moment and named them after the twelve Earthly Branches: Zi Rat, Chou Ox, Yin Tiger, Mao Rabbit, Chen Dragon, Si Snake, Wu Horse, Wei Goat, Shen Monkey, You Rooster, Xu Dog, and Hai Pig.
"Thank you, Lord Count!"
The twelve were overjoyed. This meant the Earl recognized them.
While these names still sounded like codenames, they were better than A1, A2, and so on.
Tang San then confirmed their martial spirits. Most were not particularly strong or suitable for combat:
- Zi Rat: Nose
- Chou Ox: Left Arm
- Yin Tiger: Right Hand
- Mao Rabbit: Ears
- Chen Dragon: Right Foot
- Si Snake: Tongue
- Wu Horse: Waist
- Wei Goat: Hair
- Shen Monkey: Heart
- You Rooster: Skin
- Xu Dog: Mouth
- Hai Pig: Bones
The soul rings' enhancements to martial spirits were crucial for most soul masters, as soul skills derived from these enhancements, unless involving special cases (such as one-hundred-year soul beasts' offerings or unique soul beasts), represented the martial spirit's capabilities.
The drawback of innate martial spirits is their uniqueness, which often leaves soul masters uncertain about which soul rings to add for maximum enhancement.
In Tang San's view, the strength of an innate martial spirit is singular. When adding soul rings, it's necessary to not only enhance that single strength but also find a compatible self-created soul skill to fully harness its power. Otherwise, at the same level, a nose martial spirit would not match the olfactory capabilities of a canine beast martial spirit; an eye martial spirit wouldn't match the visual acuity of an eagle beast martial spirit; and a martial spirit of arms or legs would not match the attack power of common farming tools.
Although innate martial spirits can awaken a second time, other martial spirits can also evolve by adding soul rings. According to the records of the Golden Civilization:
"In comparison with other types of martial spirits, innate martial spirits are similar to those evolved to the ultimate attribute. The difference is that most innate martial spirits have a low baseline but share characteristics with ultimate attribute martial spirits (as they have reached the limit, there can be no further progress without the intervention of a being above level one hundred). Adding soul rings cannot make innate martial spirits evolve; instead, the enhancement comes from the improvement of the physical qualities of the soul master, not from the soul rings themselves.
Thus, in most cases, an innate martial spirit holder who gains soul rings will only acquire soul skills, while the energy of the soul rings is retained by the martial spirit in anticipation of a future second awakening (evolution).
Based on current experimental results, innate martial spirits can awaken four times. Generally, the first awakening occurs at the seventh ring, when the soul master possesses the true form of their martial spirit, and the innate martial spirit reveals its true form, completing the second awakening.
The second awakening occurs upon reaching the Titled Douluo level, where the soul master's physical body changes under the nourishment of soul power, naturally strengthening the innate martial spirit.
The third awakening happens at the critical level of ninety-five. Breaking through this threshold ushers the soul master into a new realm, with the innate martial spirit evolving accordingly.
The final awakening is at level one hundred—"
Unfortunately, the remaining information has been destroyed by the Dragon God. To retrieve it, one must defeat the large mecha on the periphery of the Golden Ancient Tree...
Among the twelve, the strongest is Shen Hou, a female with a soul power of nine and a heart martial spirit. She is the youngest at sixteen but has the strongest vitality.
From a soul master's perspective, they are unsuitable for cultivation and unlikely to achieve greatness. However, for Tang San, these innate martial spirits are excellent research subjects... or rather, exceptionally talented individuals. With the right cultivation methods tailored to them, they could advance rapidly.
Shen Hou, with a heart martial spirit, Hai Zhu with a bone martial spirit, and You Ji with a skin martial spirit, all possess more complete body parts as their martial spirits.
Shen Hou's martial spirit, when activated, directly covers her original heart. The loud, pounding heartbeat and the glowing red and blue veins visible on her skin make her appear mysterious and powerful.
Shen Hou's martial spirit includes not only her heart but also the arteries and veins connected to it.
It is foreseeable that if Shen Hou had adequate nutrition before awakening her martial spirit, her innate soul power would not be low. Unfortunately, most children who awaken innate martial spirits are commoners, often born in remote villages without good conditions, preventing them from showing their true potential.
"How does Lord Count plan to train these people?" Lingxi and Ling Meng asked during dinner, bringing dishes they had prepared to the table.
"I can't stay here for long, and taking them all to Spirit Hall would be inconvenient, given my busy schedule," Tang San pondered for a moment. "We'll divide them into four groups. The first group will go with me to Spirit Hall, where I'll teach them for three months, then they'll return, and so on."
"That's a good idea. But what if some of them run away?" Ling Meng asked worriedly.
"If they run away, it's simply not meant to be. For us, it's no great loss... By the way, have you returned their indenture contracts?" Tang San suddenly asked.
"Not yet," Lingxi shook her head and retrieved the twelve contracts from upstairs. "I thought it would be better for Lord Count to give them personally."
"Thoughtful," Tang San acknowledged Lingxi's consideration for his prestige and accepted the gesture. "But there's no need for this in the future. Once we buy slaves, return their contracts immediately. Employ them without binding them. I fear that one day, I might grow accustomed to it and change my original intentions, especially with—"
Inside his upper dantian still resided the "Greed, Anger, Ignorance" state with three heads and six arms, making it essential for him to remain vigilant about all his actions to avoid being subconsciously influenced.
Even Electrolux couldn't see through that!
"I understand," Lingxi nodded, promising to do so next time but resolved to add, "This is an order from the Count of Silver Blue!" Only then would those people feel grateful.
Sigh~
Lord Count is just too kind...
(End of Chapter)