"Raging waves churn the frost and snow"
"The towering peaks stand between the clouds
A formidable natural barrier."
On the cobblestone path along the riverbank, Minghui gazed ahead at the crashing waves and the distant river stretching beyond sight. Further in the distance, jagged mountain peaks pierced the sky, leaving him in awe.
This was his first time seeing such a vast river.
Well, in his past life, he had died young and hadn't had the chance to explore the great rivers of his homeland.
Before his death, during the era of intense competition, he too had been caught up in it—competing in studies, games, and anime. He had no time for travel. Well, even playing was a form of competition.
"Isn't it breathtaking, Hui?" Standing beside him, Dugu Bu Si noticed his disciple's daze and smiled.
"Yes, Master," Minghui nodded. "It's my first time seeing such a wide river."
He had heard of it before. His mother had mentioned that this river was formed when the Sun Moon Continent collided with the Douluo Continent. It also served as a natural barrier between the Sun Moon Continent and the Heavenly Soul Empire. The Běn Tǐ Zōng was situated atop the highest peak.
Indeed, it was high—towering like a pillar supporting the heavens!
"In the original story, the Běn Tǐ Zōng, as the guardian sect of the Heavenly Soul Empire, likely protected this natural barrier," Minghui thought to himself.
Unfortunately, they had overlooked the development of the times.
Soul tools not only provided flight capabilities but also long-range attacks, rendering such rivers and natural barriers no longer formidable.
"I was also shocked when I first saw it," Dugu Bu Si gazed at the distant river, "But after seeing it often, I got used to it."
"Hui, you'll get used to it too."
Saying this, he patted his disciple's shoulder.
"Let's go; the boat is here."
After traveling for several days, taking the boat would allow his disciple to rest and also familiarize himself with the sect's entry methods.
As they thought, a small wooden boat appeared on the river.
Minghui noticed it, nodded, and followed his master toward the wooden dock.
Soon, with a gentle leap, they landed steadily on the boat.
The boatman was a young man dressed like an ordinary fisherman. His skin was dark, and he appeared travel-worn. His exposed arms were exceptionally muscular.
Seeing Dugu Bu Si boarding, he respectfully cupped his hands.
"Greetings, Sect Master!"
Dugu Bu Si smiled and turned to Minghui. "This is Minghui, my newly accepted direct disciple."
Direct disciple! The young man's eyes flashed with surprise, then he smiled warmly. "Hello, Junior Brother Minghui. I'm Meng Tao, with the twin martial souls of the arms."
Twin arms? Minghui immediately realized that this fisherman's work was part of his training regimen. It was a practical approach, fitting for the current age. To match his current age, he immediately bowed deeply.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Meng!"
Seeing Minghui's polite gesture, Meng Tao was very pleased. He grinned, revealing white teeth, which gleamed against his dark face in the sunlight.
"Junior Brother is too courteous. Once you're in our Běn Tǐ Zōng, we're all family!" With a hearty laugh, he raised the oar. "Junior Brother, please enter the cabin and sit. We'll set off now."
"Thank you, Senior Brother," Minghui politely responded and followed his master into the cabin to sit.
The river was vast, and after a long time, the shore was still not in sight. The wind was strong, and the boat rocked violently. Although Minghui didn't get seasick, he couldn't adapt immediately. He couldn't concentrate to meditate and rest, so he chatted with the talkative Senior Brother Meng along the way.
During the conversation, he introduced his martial soul, which was his main martial soul. This was in response to the earlier disclosure of Meng Tao's martial soul.
As for his other martial soul, his master, Dugu Bu Si, had asked him to keep it confidential for now.
About half an hour later, with Meng Tao's powerful arms swiftly rowing, a natural stone cave appeared among the rugged rocks.
After entering and traveling for a while, they passed through the dark and cold passage and finally saw light.
Beyond was a village, aptly described as "a glimmer of light in the dark," with a sign at the entrance dock reading "Guangjiangkou."
"This is the village where the sect's disciples' families usually reside. Many of them don't have soul power," Dugu Bu Si explained.
"But they are equally important to the sect."
"We, the disciples, rely on these families to help procure most of our daily necessities."
Minghui nodded lightly. His master helped him off the boat, and as they walked forward, he observed the surroundings.
The valley's terrain was undulating, with most houses built on the mountainsides. Below were terraced fields planted with crops, and several small streams converged in the middle. Tracing the streams upstream, they all flowed from the surrounding lush green mountains, and the water was clear and clean.
"Greetings, Sect Master!" The villagers were very enthusiastic. Upon seeing Dugu Bu Si, they either saluted or waved hello.
The children looked up at him, some with envy in their eyes.
Being personally brought back by the Sect Master clearly indicated that he had awakened his main martial soul and possessed certain talent.
Minghui estimated the children's ages. Some, judging by their height, were over six years old, and he understood.
These were most likely children who hadn't awakened their soul power.
The inheritance of martial souls was like this. Even if both parents were soul masters, the children might not awaken soul power.
Otherwise, after years of natural selection, soul masters would be everywhere on the continent.
Even his Qing family and the Běn Tǐ Zōng were like this, let alone ordinary civilian families. Some hadn't even awakened their martial souls. Thinking of this, Minghui felt a bit emotional.
Although he had always stayed at home, he had heard about the outside world.
Currently, in the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Douling Empire, awakening martial souls required money, and the fees were not standardized.
Because the responsibility for conducting the awakening ceremony had shifted from the Wuhun Hall sending elders to the villages during the Dou I period to the local city lord's office handling it.
In remote areas, they charged as much as they wanted. What could an ordinary civilian do?
Losing control over power was the most troublesome.
As for the Star Luo Empire, it was even harsher!
At least the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Douling Empire had places where civilians could pay to awaken their martial souls, but the Star Luo Empire didn't have any official awakening institutions.
Therefore, the vast majority of civilians in the Star Luo Empire didn't have martial souls, including soldiers in the army.
Even if martial souls didn't have soul power, they still provided certain enhancements to the host. Logically, soldiers, as defenders of the country, should have their martial souls