Douluo Dalu 1: The Tang Family Rebel

Time passed quietly, just like that.

In the blink of an eye, six years had gone by.

Yun Chuan, now twelve years old.

Over these six years, his training had evolved from the simple weight-bearing running to more diverse and intense forms. He practiced everything from push-ups, sit-ups, squat jumps, to weight-bearing climbing on cliffs... almost every conceivable physical training method he could think of.

Of course, during these six years, his daily life wasn't just about physical training. He also didn't neglect exploring and developing his two martial souls. With the support of the Spirit Hall's long-standing documents and the guidance of several Title Douluo-level powerhouses, and using his active mind influenced by the information explosion of the modern world, he had developed many attack methods. In the context of this world, it could be said that he created his own Soul Skills.

...

A white robe, adorned with the Spirit Hall's angel emblem and golden embroidery, was worn by a young boy who appeared to be in his teens.

As a soul master's training progressed, their physical development accelerated, although some might develop slower due to the nature of their martial soul. Thus, the majority of soul masters couldn't be accurately judged by their appearance, and the only way to determine their true age was through methods like bone measurement.

Yun Chuan, now twelve, appeared to be in his teens based on his looks. Standing at around 1.7 meters, he was not considered tall by Douluo Continent standards, since many individuals with martial souls could grow to be two meters tall, or even over three meters. Soul masters were generally very tall unless their martial soul had special characteristics. It was uncommon for them to appear short.

[T/N: Finally an average height for a boy]

Currently, his title was Holy Son of the Spirit Hall! Under the command of the Pope, he had come to a small, unknown village within the boundaries of the Heaven Dou Empire to help the locals and promote the greatness of the Spirit Hall!

As a religious organization, the Spirit Hall naturally needed to maintain a good reputation. Yun Chuan's abilities made him extremely effective in this regard. Over the past few years, he had frequently been sent out on similar missions.

This was a small village located in the Heaven Dou Empire.

Since everyone in the village had the last name "Niu" it was called Niu Family Village.

The village had a small population of only a few hundred.

The villagers' martial souls were mostly tools like sickles, hoes, and oxen, and they made their living from farming, living a simple life, working from dawn to dusk.

[T/N: No Cow Martial Soul?]

However, one day, an evil soul master wandered into the village, disrupting their peaceful life.

What is an evil soul master?

The history of soul masters in the Douluo Continent is long, and they hold a revered position in society, enjoying honor. In contrast, there are those known as evil soul masters—people who are utterly wicked and infamous for their nefarious deeds, the kind of individuals that everyone despises.

So, how do evil soul masters emerge?

After the profession of soul master was established, those who fought hard for their place eventually rose to prominence, enjoying a high status in the Douluo Continent. But as with any profession, not all soul masters are virtuous. Many, due to their overwhelming strength, developed arrogance and even evil desires. Others, with lower talents and slow progress in cultivation, resorted to evil paths, becoming evil soul masters.

In short, evil soul masters are those who, unable to resist the desires in their hearts, resort to various wicked means to gain power, committing atrocious acts like murdering the innocent.

The evil soul master who entered Niu Family Village had a martial soul called the "Bloodthirsty Bat." By sucking human blood to absorb soul power, he could rapidly increase in strength. As a result, the villagers, numbering in the hundreds, were slowly drained of blood over time, becoming a constant source of nourishment for this evil soul master.

Human blood can regenerate over time, and as long as too much blood is not lost at once, the loss of some blood does not have a significant impact on the human body. Therefore, the evil soul master initially did not kill the villagers but used them as a steady supply of blood.

At first, the evil soul master would drain the blood of ten villagers each day, taking about one-tenth of their blood. With a village of a few hundred people, it would take quite some time to drain all of them. The people who were drained early would recover enough to be drained again.

As a result, the evil soul master's movements remained hidden, as only a little blood was lost, and no one was in immediate danger. However, a deadly measure was planted on each villager: if anyone were to report, the entire village would perish. Everyone knew what choice they had to make.

But as time passed, the evil soul master's strength grew, and so did their hunger for more blood. What started as ten villagers per day eventually grew to twenty or thirty... The amount of blood taken also increased from one-tenth to one-fifth, one-third, and so on. As the evil soul master's appetite grew, the villagers grew weaker from blood loss, and the fear in their hearts grew.

Eventually, one day, a villager was found dead from excessive blood loss. This death was the spark that ignited the villagers' desire to resist.

The villagers secretly reported the situation to the Spirit Hall, which was the most famous and trusted organization for dealing with evil soul masters. It was widely known that the Spirit Hall, with its belief in the Angel God, despised evil soul masters, who were the opposite of their sacred ideals.

Thus, the Spirit Hall frequently sent groups of Title Douluo-level experts to track down evil soul masters. Once an evil soul master reached a certain level, they would be hunted by multiple Title Douluo or even a few Super Douluo.

During this time, due to reforms by Bibi Dong, the Spirit Hall had branches all over the Douluo Continent, helping six-year-old children awaken their martial souls. With eyes and ears everywhere, as soon as an evil soul master dared to commit a crime, Spirit Hall experts would be dispatched immediately.

This made it nearly impossible for evil soul masters to gain strength, especially in this period when they had no way to grow powerful. The evil soul master who had infiltrated Niu Family Village had started with low strength and only needed small amounts of blood, which kept their actions undetected. But as they grew stronger and required more blood, they were exposed.

Trying to limit their blood intake would prevent them from growing stronger. On the other hand, increasing their intake would attract the attention of Spirit Hall's powerful experts, creating a vicious cycle that ultimately ensured no evil soul master could thrive during this period.

As long as Spirit Hall existed, it was unlikely that any evil soul master would have the chance to grow. Only if the Spirit Hall were destroyed could evil soul masters rise again.

In the original story, the Spirit Hall was eventually destroyed by Tang San, and its vast power was divided between two empires. But these empires didn't care about evil soul masters, unlike the Spirit Hall, which actively hunted them. Without the Spirit Hall's suppression, evil soul masters slowly began to grow bolder.

Once they obtained resources for cultivation, evil soul masters would rapidly increase in strength, and even soul masters of the same rank would not be able to defeat them. They would eventually form organizations, including the Holy Spirit Cult, the largest evil soul master organization in history. This organization even produced a 99th-level Extreme Douluo.

The true scourge of the world had begun with the fall of the Spirit Hall.

The rise of the evil soul masters, including the formation of the Saint Spirit Sect, could be traced back to the downfall of Spirit Hall, which had kept them in check. Without its influence, they began to thrive.

...

"Holy Son, we have arrived at Niu Family Village," a servant's voice snapped Yun Chuan out of his thoughts. He slowly stood up and stepped out of the carriage.

Outside, a large group of people was kneeling, perhaps several hundred, young and old, men and women.

These people were all gaunt, pale, and seemed on the brink of death. Especially noticeable were the numerous blood holes on their necks, left by repeated blood draining. Their bodies had suffered greatly, and if no one helped them, they would not survive long. Even if they did manage to stay alive, their health would deteriorate to the point where life would hardly be worth living.

Blood is essential to the human body, and long-term blood loss would cause severe damage.

When the villagers saw the boy stepping out of the luxurious carriage, radiating light like a savior, they began to cheer with joy.

"It's the Holy Son! We are saved!"

"The Holy Son has come!"

"Greetings, Holy Son!"

"Holy Son, please save us!"

"Holy Son..."

The villagers, old and young, all fell to their knees, tears of joy streaming down their faces as they looked at the boy like he was their savior.

This was all thanks to Yun Chuan's efforts over the years. Coupled with the Spirit Hall's grand propaganda, his reputation as the Holy Son who saved the world had spread across the Douluo Continent, making him one of the most prominent figures in the Spirit Hall.

As for his portrait, though it could only capture a hint of his likeness, anyone who had seen it would recognize him upon seeing him in person.

(End of Chapter)