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Chapter 184: Invisible Shackles
"With only Level 10 Soul Power, how long will it take to cultivate and recover my original strength?" Bo Saixi looked at the Mermaid Martial Soul in her hand, lost in thought as more concerns surfaced in her mind.
Now that she had lost her strength and her Martial Soul was no longer the God-bestowed Sea God Martial Soul, was she still the Sea God Douluo Bo Saixi that Tang Chen loved?
No, no, no! How could I think like that?!
Bo Saixi shook her head, quickly casting that terrifying thought from her mind. Even if she was no longer the Sea God Douluo who reigned supreme in the current era, she was still Bo Saixi. How could anyone's heart change just because of this?
If he truly changed his heart because of this…
…then was it her strength and status he loved, or simply the "Sea God Douluo Bo Saixi" who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him in power?
For a moment, Bo Saixi was overcome with anxious uncertainty.
When Neptune saw her expression, he thought she was feeling down about losing her strength. He immediately comforted her, saying, "You don't need to worry about your strength. You once reached the Realm of a Limit Douluo, and your years of experience are still there... Therefore, there's no need for any Trials. I can directly bestow Soul Power and Spirit Rings upon you, helping you quickly return to your peak state."
"However, since your Martial Soul is different from before, you'll need some time to adapt and won't be able to jump multiple levels in a short period. But rest assured, it won't take long for you to return to your peak level," he guaranteed.
Since Neptune had resurrected Bo Saixi, it was impossible for him to just abandon her. He would definitely give her special assistance to help her quickly recover her strength. Otherwise, if she were to cultivate on her own, she could forget about recovering to her peak state without dedicating decades, or even centuries, to the task.
Something like Soul Master levels becomes increasingly difficult to raise the higher one goes. Don't be fooled by how Tang San and the others in the original work achieved Godhood in their twenties; that was because the Sea God gave them special treatment, frequently giving them Trials within just a few years and bestowing Soul Power and God-bestowed Spirit Rings... blatantly giving them cheats. Only then were they able to reach that realm at such a young age.
If they were to cultivate on their own, setting aside how much time it would take to accumulate Soul Power, the bottleneck shackles of each level alone would have been enough to trap them for a very long time. Some Soul Masters even remain stuck at a certain level for their entire lives, unable to advance even a single step.
As for why Neptune didn't simply give Bo Saixi a Sea God Martial Soul as well, it was primarily because such a thing would ultimately be a gift from someone else, not her own. Since it was a God-bestowed Martial Soul, what could be bestowed could naturally also be reclaimed, always remaining under another's control.
Since he had promised her freedom, he wouldn't do something so superfluous, even if it was something any of the Sea God's believers would eagerly seek.
Moreover, for Bo Saixi, the Sea God Martial Soul was tied to the position of Great Priestess, representing her past. Now that she was prepared to face a new life, cutting ties with her past might not be a bad thing.
"Thank you, Lord Sea God." Indeed, upon hearing him, Bo Saixi's eyes lit up, and her previous disappointment vanished instantly. Having been accustomed to possessing great strength, suddenly becoming an ordinary person and having to painstakingly cultivate from scratch was a change no one could face with a calm heart.
Now, hearing Neptune's guarantee, Bo Saixi had no doubts whatsoever. For a deity, helping people increase their strength and bestowing Spirit Rings was an entirely trivial matter. Her own previous power wasn't because her talent was extraordinary; it was simply because she was chosen by the Sea God that she could possess such strength at such a young age.
"No need for thanks. This is what you deserve." Neptune waved his hand, not thinking much of it. After all, she had guarded Sea God Island for her entire life and even sacrificed herself in her old age for him to become the Sea God. No reward would be too great for such a contribution.
…
On the other side.
Inside White Cloud City's City Lord's Manor.
Ye Cheng was currently in a dedicated seclusion chamber, undertaking an important task: breaking through to Level 100—achieving godhood!
Originally, he was already infinitely close to the god-level. To be precise, he was at Level 99.9; with just a tiny bit more, he would officially break through to Level 100!
Now, having received feedback from his clone, Neptune, although his soul power hadn't increased, his soul had transformed into a divine soul, unique to deities! This made him feel that the time for his breakthrough had arrived.
Today was the day he would become the Sword God!
Inside the seclusion chamber.
Ye Cheng sat cross-legged on a meditation mat, his eyes tightly shut. The aura unintentionally leaking from him caused the space around his body to twist, appearing exceptionally terrifying.
However, as time passed, although the aura emanating from him grew increasingly powerful, it always seemed to be held back by a barrier. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break through that thin membrane.
Finally, after an unknown amount of time, he gave up.
Ye Cheng opened his eyes, his brows tightly furrowed. He clearly realized something was wrong.
"How is this possible...? Logically speaking, with my foundation and the help of a divine soul, even if the final hurdle was incredibly difficult, achieving godhood at Level 100 should be no problem, right?”
"But why, why is that barrier so stubborn! When I try to break through it, it feels as if I'm fighting against the entire world, unable to shake it in the slightest.”
"Why is this happening? Wasn't it said that after a Soul Master reaches Level 99, as long as their soul power is sufficient, they can forcefully break through to Level 100 without a godhood position?”
"Does one truly need a godhood position to break through?”
"But that makes no sense; it's illogical.”
"Unless... the problem isn't the Soul Master, but this world itself!" Ye Cheng seemed to realize something and looked up. His gaze seemed to pierce the void, seeing the lofty God Realm.
He closed his eyes once more, beginning to meticulously recall the Douluo series novels he had read in his previous life. Now that his clone had achieved godhood, he could freely access his own memories. Anything forgotten could be recalled.
Although he had only skimmed the Douluo novels in his previous life, sometimes even skipping chapters and missing content, he still knew the general setting and plot.
After reviewing the Douluo novels in his memory, combining the information the Sea God had left him with the various abilities he possessed after becoming the Sea God... he gradually understood why he couldn't break through to Level 100.
"Damn it! The God Realm was actually so ruthless!"
"Soul Masters, Spirit Rings... they were set with countless restrictions right from the start.”
"Even the planet's rules were tampered with. No wonder, no wonder... Under the suppression of these universal rules, it would be a miracle if I could break through to Level 100!”
Ye Cheng had now figured everything out.
Simply put, Douluo Star was a planet under the central control of the God Realm, so its rules could be arbitrarily altered to some extent. Thus, the gods of the God Realm set the rules for this planet, dictating that when its Soul Beasts died, the energy in their bodies would condense into Spirit Rings. Furthermore, for a Soul Master to break through to Level 100, they must possess a certificate of permission—a godhood position.
As for a godhood position, even if you were to gather faith and condense one yourself, because it was created within the planet, the position you formed would naturally fall under the God Realm's control.
You think the godhood position is yours?
No, you're just a worker for the God Realm. The godhood positions you create also fall under the God Realm's jurisdiction.
(end of chapter)
"With only Level 10 Soul Power, how long will it take to cultivate and recover my original strength?" Bo Saixi looked at the Mermaid Martial Soul in her hand, lost in thought as more concerns surfaced in her mind.
Now that she had lost her strength and her Martial Soul was no longer the God-bestowed Sea God Martial Soul, was she still the Sea God Douluo Bo Saixi that Tang Chen loved?
No, no, no! How could I think like that?!
Bo Saixi shook her head, quickly casting that terrifying thought from her mind. Even if she was no longer the Sea God Douluo who reigned supreme in the current era, she was still Bo Saixi. How could anyone's heart change just because of this?
If he truly changed his heart because of this…
…then was it her strength and status he loved, or simply the "Sea God Douluo Bo Saixi" who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him in power?
For a moment, Bo Saixi was overcome with anxious uncertainty.
When Neptune saw her expression, he thought she was feeling down about losing her strength. He immediately comforted her, saying, "You don't need to worry about your strength. You once reached the Realm of a Limit Douluo, and your years of experience are still there... Therefore, there's no need for any Trials. I can directly bestow Soul Power and Spirit Rings upon you, helping you quickly return to your peak state."
"However, since your Martial Soul is different from before, you'll need some time to adapt and won't be able to jump multiple levels in a short period. But rest assured, it won't take long for you to return to your peak level," he guaranteed.
Since Neptune had resurrected Bo Saixi, it was impossible for him to just abandon her. He would definitely give her special assistance to help her quickly recover her strength. Otherwise, if she were to cultivate on her own, she could forget about recovering to her peak state without dedicating decades, or even centuries, to the task.
Something like Soul Master levels becomes increasingly difficult to raise the higher one goes. Don't be fooled by how Tang San and the others in the original work achieved Godhood in their twenties; that was because the Sea God gave them special treatment, frequently giving them Trials within just a few years and bestowing Soul Power and God-bestowed Spirit Rings... blatantly giving them cheats. Only then were they able to reach that realm at such a young age.
If they were to cultivate on their own, setting aside how much time it would take to accumulate Soul Power, the bottleneck shackles of each level alone would have been enough to trap them for a very long time. Some Soul Masters even remain stuck at a certain level for their entire lives, unable to advance even a single step.
As for why Neptune didn't simply give Bo Saixi a Sea God Martial Soul as well, it was primarily because such a thing would ultimately be a gift from someone else, not her own. Since it was a God-bestowed Martial Soul, what could be bestowed could naturally also be reclaimed, always remaining under another's control.
Since he had promised her freedom, he wouldn't do something so superfluous, even if it was something any of the Sea God's believers would eagerly seek.
Moreover, for Bo Saixi, the Sea God Martial Soul was tied to the position of Great Priestess, representing her past. Now that she was prepared to face a new life, cutting ties with her past might not be a bad thing.
"Thank you, Lord Sea God." Indeed, upon hearing him, Bo Saixi's eyes lit up, and her previous disappointment vanished instantly. Having been accustomed to possessing great strength, suddenly becoming an ordinary person and having to painstakingly cultivate from scratch was a change no one could face with a calm heart.
Now, hearing Neptune's guarantee, Bo Saixi had no doubts whatsoever. For a deity, helping people increase their strength and bestowing Spirit Rings was an entirely trivial matter. Her own previous power wasn't because her talent was extraordinary; it was simply because she was chosen by the Sea God that she could possess such strength at such a young age.
"No need for thanks. This is what you deserve." Neptune waved his hand, not thinking much of it. After all, she had guarded Sea God Island for her entire life and even sacrificed herself in her old age for him to become the Sea God. No reward would be too great for such a contribution.
…
On the other side.
Inside White Cloud City's City Lord's Manor.
Ye Cheng was currently in a dedicated seclusion chamber, undertaking an important task: breaking through to Level 100—achieving godhood!
Originally, he was already infinitely close to the god-level. To be precise, he was at Level 99.9; with just a tiny bit more, he would officially break through to Level 100!
Now, having received feedback from his clone, Neptune, although his soul power hadn't increased, his soul had transformed into a divine soul, unique to deities! This made him feel that the time for his breakthrough had arrived.
Today was the day he would become the Sword God!
Inside the seclusion chamber.
Ye Cheng sat cross-legged on a meditation mat, his eyes tightly shut. The aura unintentionally leaking from him caused the space around his body to twist, appearing exceptionally terrifying.
However, as time passed, although the aura emanating from him grew increasingly powerful, it always seemed to be held back by a barrier. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break through that thin membrane.
Finally, after an unknown amount of time, he gave up.
Ye Cheng opened his eyes, his brows tightly furrowed. He clearly realized something was wrong.
"How is this possible...? Logically speaking, with my foundation and the help of a divine soul, even if the final hurdle was incredibly difficult, achieving godhood at Level 100 should be no problem, right?”
"But why, why is that barrier so stubborn! When I try to break through it, it feels as if I'm fighting against the entire world, unable to shake it in the slightest.”
"Why is this happening? Wasn't it said that after a Soul Master reaches Level 99, as long as their soul power is sufficient, they can forcefully break through to Level 100 without a godhood position?”
"Does one truly need a godhood position to break through?”
"But that makes no sense; it's illogical.”
"Unless... the problem isn't the Soul Master, but this world itself!" Ye Cheng seemed to realize something and looked up. His gaze seemed to pierce the void, seeing the lofty God Realm.
He closed his eyes once more, beginning to meticulously recall the Douluo series novels he had read in his previous life. Now that his clone had achieved godhood, he could freely access his own memories. Anything forgotten could be recalled.
Although he had only skimmed the Douluo novels in his previous life, sometimes even skipping chapters and missing content, he still knew the general setting and plot.
After reviewing the Douluo novels in his memory, combining the information the Sea God had left him with the various abilities he possessed after becoming the Sea God... he gradually understood why he couldn't break through to Level 100.
"Damn it! The God Realm was actually so ruthless!"
"Soul Masters, Spirit Rings... they were set with countless restrictions right from the start.”
"Even the planet's rules were tampered with. No wonder, no wonder... Under the suppression of these universal rules, it would be a miracle if I could break through to Level 100!”
Ye Cheng had now figured everything out.
Simply put, Douluo Star was a planet under the central control of the God Realm, so its rules could be arbitrarily altered to some extent. Thus, the gods of the God Realm set the rules for this planet, dictating that when its Soul Beasts died, the energy in their bodies would condense into Spirit Rings. Furthermore, for a Soul Master to break through to Level 100, they must possess a certificate of permission—a godhood position.
As for a godhood position, even if you were to gather faith and condense one yourself, because it was created within the planet, the position you formed would naturally fall under the God Realm's control.
You think the godhood position is yours?
No, you're just a worker for the God Realm. The godhood positions you create also fall under the God Realm's jurisdiction.
(end of chapter)
