In the depths of Wang Chen's soul, the Black Book glowed with a faint, mysterious light.
Wang Chen guided his consciousness, opening the newest page—where a brand-new technique was etched: Soul-Fused Blade.
The moment his awareness merged with the technique, an ocean of knowledge flooded his mind. Countless insights and understandings about the art of fusing one's soul and weapon surged through his consciousness like a storm.
Moments later, his awareness returned to his body.
He exhaled slowly, murmuring to himself,
"So that's how it is…"
A sharp gleam flashed through Wang Chen's eyes. Now he finally understood what Ji Juechen's cultivation method—"Soul-Fused Blade"—really meant.
Ji Juechen had an extremely profound understanding of his own Martial Soul. By relying on that understanding, he merged his spiritual will into his sword Martial Soul, gaining total control over it. In doing so, he turned his sword Martial Soul into a pure energy form—allowing it to fuse perfectly with a physical weapon.
Then, by channeling his soul power into the blade, he inadvertently completed a crude but genuine fusion of spirit, will, and power.
The process was rough—merely the embryonic stage—but it was undoubtedly the correct path forward.
Wang Chen touched his chin thoughtfully.
"If spiritual will and Martial Soul can be completely merged… then once I fully master my Artifact Spirit Martial Soul, what kind of transformation would occur?"
That thought sent a ripple of excitement through his heart. Without hesitation, he fed Ji Juechen's "Soul-Fused Blade" technique into the Black Book's Crystal Imprint, letting it begin the process of analysis and perfection.
Ji Juechen's method was powerful, but it was crude and highly personal—something only Ji Juechen himself could truly practice. Wang Chen's goal was to let the Black Book evolve into something broader, purer, and truly his own.
After a short while, the Black Book glimmered with new lines of script. Wang Chen smiled faintly.
The new, refined version of the technique was more elegant—simpler, clearer, and easier to execute. He named it "Secret Art of Martial Soul Control."
Following the steps precisely, Wang Chen began his practice.
Behind him, a pale white figure slowly appeared—his Artifact Spirit Martial Soul, faintly flickering between material and ethereal form.
Step by step, Wang Chen guided his spiritual will into the Martial Soul. Gradually, the two began to merge—like two streams of light intertwining.
An hour later.
Wang Chen opened his eyes. Behind him, his Martial Soul flickered and shifted—changing shape continuously: at one moment a sphere, then a cube, then an oval.
As the fusion deepened, Wang Chen felt an indescribable sense of harmony and control.
Every fragment, every inch of his Martial Soul became vividly clear to his senses—he could feel it as if it were his own flesh and blood.
Even the six dark soul rings that encircled it—he could sense them as extensions of his will.
With this complete connection, his soul now felt like limbs he could command at will. There was no resistance, no delay.
He discovered something even more astonishing—he could now use soul skills directly without entering Martial Soul Possession!
(Just like in legends, when Super Douluo can activate soul skills without spirit manifestation.)
This level of control was intoxicating.
He released the possession state, but through his mental link to the Martial Soul, he still activated his fourth soul skill—Instant Step.
A black ring of light flashed faintly, and his figure vanished from the bedside—appearing instantly by the door.
Now, his activation speed was faster than ever—instantaneous, without any delay or chant. In battle, that meant absolute initiative.
He looked down at the faint glow of the black soul ring, then, with a thought, suppressed it—drawing the rings back into the Martial Soul.
For the first time, he realized he could control whether his soul rings appeared visibly or not.
That was a powerful tactical advantage—many soul masters judged an opponent's threat level by the color of their soul rings.
If he could conceal them, he could strike without warning.
Wang Chen tested it again—another "Instant Step"—and this time, no soul ring light appeared at all. Smooth, silent, deadly.
Satisfied, he calmed his mind and sank his consciousness deeper into the very core of his Martial Soul.
What he saw there took his breath away.
At the deepest point of the Artifact Spirit Martial Soul, the Origin Power revealed itself—a brilliant white radiance, brimming with boundless vitality and mystery.
This… was the true essence that defined all top-tier soul masters.
Every supreme powerhouse who stood at the pinnacle of the world—without exception—had mastered the Origin Power of their Martial Soul.
The Body Sect's master possessed the indestructible Poison Origin.
The Dragon God Douluo, Mu En, wielded the sacred Light Origin.
The Dark Saint Dragon, Long Xiaoyao, commanded the abyssal Darkness Origin.
Such beings could decide the fate of nations with a single battle. A single one of them could dominate a continent, their existence alone enough to deter entire empires.
Their strength came not from soul rings—but from their own self-created techniques and the awakening of their Origin Power.
Wang Chen stared at the luminous white Origin Power within his Martial Soul, his pulse quickening.
"Let's see if I can control it…"
He tried first using spiritual will—failure.
Then, he tried channeling pure soul power—again, nothing.
The Origin Power remained cold and aloof, like a proud queen ignoring his attempts.
After several tries, he merged spiritual will, soul power, and intent into one flow—and this time, the Origin Power trembled slightly.
But still, it didn't fully respond. The resonance was unstable.
Frowning, Wang Chen sent the technique into the Black Book's Crystal Imprint for analysis and perfection.
If he couldn't figure it out manually, he'd let the Black Book do it.
An hour later, a new understanding flowed into his mind.
The problem lay in the fusion ratio of spiritual will and soul power.
His previous technique, "Sovereign's Dominion", had been created by the Dragon God Douluo Mu En. It was tailored for the Light Origin, not his Artifact Spirit Origin. The proportions didn't match.
To control his own Origin Power, he needed to find his unique balance—the ratio that suited his own Martial Soul.
Fortunately, with the Black Book's help, he found it quickly.
Unlike Mu En's method (which was soul power dominant), Wang Chen's fusion favored spiritual power first, soul power second.
This was no longer "Sovereign's Dominion."
It was something entirely new.
He named it Spirit War Art (Ling Zhi Zhan Ji).
Taking a deep breath, he activated it.
Two hours later—
A vast, pale-white domain erupted from Wang Chen's body, spreading hundreds of meters in every direction—then vanishing in an instant.
But even that instant was enough to make every soul master below the Soul King rank collapse unconscious from the sheer spiritual pressure.
The shockwave startled the entire Wang family compound.
Elders rushed out of their chambers, eyes wide with disbelief.
"That aura… came from the Patriarch's hall! Did the Patriarch awaken a new divine technique?"
Inside the hall, the air shimmered with silver-white light.
Wang Chen stood motionless in the center, his entire body glowing faintly. His black eyes had turned pure white, his presence ethereal—like a deity descended.
He murmured,
"So this is… my Origin Power—Spirit Origin."
His Spirit Origin possessed the power to grant sentience to lifeless matter.
The domain he had released moments ago was born from this power—he called it Spirit Domain.
Within the Spirit Domain, everything non-living—air, soil, water, even the ambient energy of the world—gained awareness, all under his command.
Inside that field, Wang Chen was absolute.
The most potent use of it was to bestow awareness upon heaven and earth energy itself. Within his domain, the world's energy would assist him, amplifying his attacks—while rejecting his enemies, suppressing their strength.
He had finally achieved it—the true mark of the top tier.
With control over his Origin Power, Wang Chen had stepped into the realm where he could challenge Titled Douluo and Rank 9 Soul Engineers alike!
He gazed out the window at the moonlit night, excitement burning in his heart.
"At last… I have the power to protect myself—and my family."
For the first time, he allowed himself to smile.
In a nearby chamber, Juzi (Orange) slowly woke up, rubbing her head.
Her mind was foggy.
"What… just happened? Why did I suddenly faint?"
She blinked, confused, completely unaware that her Patriarch had just taken a step toward godhood.
Meanwhile…
Far away, in Xu Tiannan's residence—inside a secret chamber.
Xu Tiannan sat in his wheelchair, eyes closed, fingers gripping the armrests tightly. Anxiety weighed on him like a mountain.
"Three days have passed," he muttered under his breath.
"I wonder if the Holy Spirit Church has agreed to cooperate—to help me install a weak prince as their puppet…"
Sleepless, restless, he knew time was running out.
If the Holy Spirit Church refused, his downfall was inevitable. His influence had already been devoured bit by bit by the Second and Third Princes. If this continued, soon there'd be nothing left.
Just when despair threatened to overwhelm him—
A figure in a black robe appeared before him silently.
A chilling, oppressive aura filled the room.
Xu Tiannan's heart lifted.
"Holy Spirit Church's leader… Zhong Liwu," he said with relief, forcing a smile. "A pleasure to work with you."
Zhong Liwu didn't return the smile. His tone was cold and heavy.
"Cooperate? We can. But you will obey my Holy Spirit Church."
His words struck like a hammer.
Even in alliance, it was clear who would stand above.
Zhong Liwu's true intent was simple:
He had convinced his mother—the Holy Spirit Empress—to approve cooperation with Xu Tiannan. They planned to help a useless, pleasure-seeking prince ascend the throne—a puppet emperor.
Supporting a weakling meant freedom for the Holy Spirit Church to expand unchecked within the Sun and Moon Empire.
As for Xu Tiannan's promise to hand over "half the empire"? Zhong Liwu didn't believe a word of it.
The empire belonged not only to the emperor, but to the aristocracy, the military, and the soul engineer corps. Even if a fool sat on the throne, the great clans would never allow half their land to be gifted away.
If a puppet emperor ever tried to cede half the empire to the Holy Spirit Church, he wouldn't live to see sunrise.
Still, some profit could be reaped—and that was enough for Zhong Liwu.
His cold eyes glimmered under the hood. "Remember, Xu Tiannan… in this alliance, we command. You obey."