"If you don't work hard, then when danger comes, no one will be able to save you. Even if we build a deep friendship in the future, even if I would try to save you—you still have to survive long enough for me to arrive, right?"Tang San offered a reason that left Xiao Wu speechless.
But then Xiao Wu smiled slyly and said,"It sounds like you're still enchanted by my adorable appearance."
"Everyone has a love for beauty. Unless they have psychological issues, no one would ignore something—or someone—so cute." Tang San replied honestly."But don't think I'll always be there to protect you. If you're not strong, and you die, the most I'll do is put some fruit in front of your tomb on holidays—as a memorial."
"Hmph!" Xiao Wu snorted. "What a sharp tongue!"
Tang San didn't argue further.
At the very least, he had clearly laid out the pros and cons for her—and Xiao Wu had listened, if only a little.
A hundred-thousand-year soul beast that had transformed into a human was, in some ways, like a blank slate. Even if it had lived for millennia, spending that time in the unchanging environment of the Star Dou Great Forest meant limited exposure to knowledge.
Upon entering human society, such a being would initially retain its instincts and habits as a soul beast. But over time, as it interacted with people, it would develop new understandings—and new personalities.
Xiao Wu was indeed a genius among geniuses. She learned quickly, as long as she was willing to think.Most transformed hundred-thousand-year soul beasts were likely the same.
Still, it took time to erase the instincts and habits formed over ten thousand years.
On their way to the restaurant, Xiao Wu suddenly remembered,"By the way, you still haven't told me about the top three sects. I was too busy practicing tree climbing earlier."
Tang San responded,"The forces of the Douluo Continent can be summarized as: one hall, two empires, top three sects, and bottom four sects."
"'One hall' refers to the Spirit Hall. It has a branch in every city on the continent—even in villages. Though in villages, it's just a stone building, with no official manager. The village head is usually responsible for its upkeep and cleaning."
"It functions much like a religious institution, and its members are all soul masters. It recruits soul masters from across the continent and provides financial support to them."
"A soul master receives 1 gold soul coin per month. A Great Soul Master gets 10. A Soul Sovereign receives 100."
Xiao Wu's eyes widened in surprise."Wow, the Spirit Hall sounds like good people!"
Tang San replied objectively,"Maybe at the beginning, when it was just founded. But after thousands of years, corruption is inevitable. Still, even if there are hidden interests, the Spirit Hall provides a decent welfare system for civilian soul masters. And we've already benefited from it, haven't we?"
Xiao Wu nodded, then asked,"So if a Soul Sovereign gets 100 a month, does a Soul Ancestor get 1,000?"
Tang San looked at her and shook his head."Zero."
"Huh?"Xiao Wu blinked, confused."Why don't they give out subsidies after that?"
"Because by the time someone reaches Soul Sect level, they're usually over twenty—an adult. At that point, you're expected to fend for yourself. The Spirit Hall's purpose is to support soul master development, not to fund people indefinitely."
"Also, if a soul master hasn't reached Soul Sect by the age of forty, the subsidy stops anyway. Their potential is considered exhausted, and their body begins to age. The Spirit Hall's not going to offer retirement plans."
Xiao Wu nodded in agreement, feeling that what Tang San said made sense. It also gave her a bit of goodwill toward the Spirit Hall.
"Next, the two empires: the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire," Tang San continued."These are the only two true empires on the continent. The rest—duchies, kingdoms, and independent cities—are mostly affiliated with one of them. The Heaven Dou Empire has more kingdoms and duchies under its rule."
He paused, then elaborated,"The Heaven Dou royal family's inherited martial soul is the swan. According to the records—assuming they haven't been altered or deliberately hidden—the royal family has never produced a Titled Douluo."
"Their governance relies on granting autonomy to noble families across duchies and kingdoms, maintaining power through balance and delegation."
"The Star Luo Empire is different. The royal family's inherited soul is the white tiger, and its people are known for being fierce and warlike. If the records are accurate and nothing major has changed, fights are a common sight there."
"This fierce culture extends to the royal family itself. Succession is brutal, almost like raising gu—only the strongest survives to become emperor. The losers in the competition? One word: death."
"Each successive emperor has either met the conditions to compete—or was already at the Soul Douluo or Titled Douluo level."
"As for the top three sects, they are: the Clear Sky Sect, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
"First is the Clear Sky Sect, whose ancestral martial soul is the Clear Sky Hammer—rumored to be a mutation of a forging hammer. They follow an extreme path: all of their soul rings amplify strength. But they aren't merely brute-force types—their strength is refined, strategic, and deadly."
"Unfortunately, they offended the Spirit Hall. Their core strength was broken, and they've since gone into seclusion. It's now rare to see disciples from the Clear Sky Sect."
"Next is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, whose martial soul is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda—an auxiliary-type soul that follows the balanced path. Actually, they must follow the balanced path."
"Why?" Xiao Wu asked, puzzled.
"The pagoda has seven layers, allowing seven soul rings. Besides the soul body, the first six soul skills are all amplifications: strength, speed, defense, attributes, soul power, and attack. No matter what soul beast you hunt, the resulting soul skill will always be one of these six. However, users can choose the order of their amplifications."
Tang San sighed,"This unique characteristic makes the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda incredibly powerful in support—but limits its growth. Most soul masters with this martial soul can only reach Level 79 at best. Without extraordinary circumstances, they can't break through to Soul Douluo."
"However, because of their amplification power, they're invaluable to Titled Douluo. Many top powerhouses will give face to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
"The sect itself is wealthy and prestigious. They sell luxury goods and life-enhancing soul devices—very high-end. Ordinary people can't afford anything they sell."
Tang San paused again, gathering his thoughts for the third sect.
"The last one is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Although they're listed among the top three sects, in truth, they function more like a family."
"Their martial soul is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, a true dragon species. Their bloodline requirements are far stricter than the other two sects."
"They marry within the clan or to people with dragon-related souls. If someone falls in love with someone who doesn't have a dragon martial soul, the elders strongly oppose it. If they insist, they're forced to keep the relationship secret."
"Why? Because if that kind of precedent is set, others in the clan will follow. That could dilute the bloodline, leading to weaker future generations. Preserving the bloodline of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is everything."
Tang San had inferred all of this from scattered phrases in books he'd read in the Spirit Hall. The clan might not understand genetics, but after thousands of years of experience, they had figured out the importance of inheritance.
This also explained why someone as talented as Liu Erlong was treated as an outsider. Her father, Yu Luomian, never gave her the "Yu" surname, and possibly never even took her back to the clan.
After all, Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang weren't that far apart in age—likely within ten years. That made sense if they were to form the Golden Iron Triangle with Flender.
As for the Star Luo Empire's succession, it was never guaranteed that every generation would produce two people capable of soul fusion. Not every white tiger and ghost cat soul could fuse, after all.
If soul fusion were that easy, the Dai and Zhu families could have dominated the entire continent in just a few hundred years—and the Spirit Hall wouldn't have been able to stop them.