Douluo : Capture the goddess starting from peerless tang sect

Jing Hongchen's initial intention in involving Qian Ran had been to humble his academy's arrogant and complacent students. His plan was to let them experience defeat, then follow up with a rousing speech to inspire them. This approach, he thought, would invigorate their academic and practical pursuits.

What he hadn't anticipated was that Qian Ran would utterly shatter their confidence, leaving it in tatters.

"If someone as monstrous as Qian Ran were a part of the Sun Moon Empire, how amazing would that be?"

"No… that's wrong. Someone this powerful shouldn't exist at all. Even if he were a citizen of the Sun Moon Empire, the empire wouldn't tolerate him for long," Jing Hongchen mused with unease. A genius who was slightly ahead of others was an asset; someone who was thousands of steps ahead became a threat. Such a prodigy would grow uncontrollable, potentially rising to dominate all. Simply by existing, Qian Ran defied the natural order. Someone like him could never be allowed to thrive.

Meanwhile, in a concealed corner of the spectator stands, two figures clad in black robes had their gazes locked onto Qian Ran.

"Xiaoyao, you feel it too, don't you?" Ye Xishui's eyes swept over Qian Ran with a mixture of astonishment and apprehension.

What was this?

The Seraphim martial soul was supposed to be the nemesis of evil soul masters, yet the aura emanating from Qian Ran was more sinister than her own as the notorious "Dark Empress."

Initially, Ye Xishui had intended to eliminate Qian Ran at an opportune moment. While intrigued by him, she ultimately couldn't allow such a menace to exist. Any possessor of the Seraphim martial soul was a natural adversary to evil soul masters.

"Xishui, his martial soul seems to possess both the attributes of the Seraphim and the essence of an evil soul master. In other words, Qian Ran has fused two entirely opposing forces into one martial soul. It's beyond incredible. Do you know what I thought of the moment I saw him? You. He reminds me so much of you," Long Xiaoyao said excitedly, turning toward Ye Xishui.

Ye Xishui, the "Death God Douluo," was known for her twin martial souls: the Blood Soul Demon Puppet and the Radiant Phoenix.

As the most powerful evil soul master on the continent, she was also one of the rarest and most formidable light-attribute soul masters. Her Radiant Phoenix martial soul, a bane to other evil soul masters, verged on the pinnacle of light-based power.

This unique duality allowed Ye Xishui to remain clear-headed and rational despite her extreme cultivation as an Ultimate Douluo.

Her second martial soul had always been her trump card, known only to a select few, including Long Xiaoyao.

Now, both she and Qian Ran shared a striking parallel: wielding light and darkness simultaneously while also excelling as soul engineers.

No wonder Long Xiaoyao saw the resemblance.

However, even with their similarities, Qian Ran clearly surpassed Ye Xishui in one critical way.

Unlike her dual martial souls, Qian Ran's opposing forces were integrated into a single martial soul. In combat, this gave him an overwhelming advantage. After all, switching between martial souls wasn't as seamless as swapping characters in a game—it came with significant limitations.

For someone like Qian Ran, his Seraphim's corrupted state could suppress most soul masters, while its holy state could counter darkness, evil, and other shadowy forces. He was virtually invincible.

"He's incomparable. His martial soul… it's too perfect," Ye Xishui murmured.

"Light, fire, darkness…" she listed softly, her tone tinged with awe. This was her first time encountering a soul master of such monstrous power, and she couldn't help but feel a spark of admiration.

From what she sensed, Qian Ran possessed at least four ultimate-tier attributes, along with several others that, while not quite at that level, were nonetheless extraordinary.

For instance, the faint divine and deathly aura radiating from him defied easy classification but likely counted as ultimate attributes in their own right.

Beyond these, Ye Xishui detected numerous other enigmatic elements she couldn't quite identify.

The mystical aura of auspiciousness from the Three-Eyed Golden Lion combined with the robust vitality of the Life Gold…

To Jing Hongchen and the others, Qian Ran's most striking traits were his monstrous martial soul and soul rings. But to Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao, it was the deeper intricacies of his being that left them speechless.

Qian Ran's soul rings were impressive but not fear-inducing to these seasoned powerhouses. What rendered them silent was his martial soul, a fusion of the most elite traits into a single "monster" martial soul.

"This one's worth studying," Ye Xishui declared, her expression solemn.

She was conflicted. Qian Ran was an ideal candidate for the Holy Spirit Cult. His strong affinity for darkness made him a prime candidate for evil soul master training.

In addition to wanting to recruit Qian Ran, Ye Xishui was also deeply curious about how he had achieved the fusion of light and dark energies. If she could unlock that secret, it might benefit her own cultivation.

Her discerning eyes could tell that Qian Ran's martial soul wasn't naturally like this—it had mutated. Originally, his martial soul had been the standard Seraphim, the hallmark of the Spirit Hall's purest lineage. A fortuitous encounter must have transformed it into the amalgamation of righteousness and evil it was now.

"We'll decide later. For now, let's watch the matches. As long as he's still in the Sun Moon Empire, he can't escape us," Long Xiaoyao said, nodding in agreement.

Both turned their attention back to the Soul Engineering Trial Grounds.

By this time, Shen Musu had already been defeated by Qian Ran. The next contestant, the third of the day, was entering the arena.

"Boom!"

As soon as Xuan Ziwen announced the match, Qian Ran crossed the distance to the Mingde Hall challenger in mere seconds, felling him with a single punch.

The teachers and students of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy quickly realized that soul emperors were no different from soul kings when facing Qian Ran. The only distinction was that Qian Ran had activated his martial soul this time.

The matches were just as quick.

Not a single soul emperor had withstood even one of Qian Ran's strikes.

The audience fell into a heavy silence. Their hearts were even more conflicted than before.

Sixth-level soul engineers, comparable to Shrek Academy's soul emperors, were supposed to rival Shrek's inner court disciples. These individuals were the pride of the Sun Moon Empire. Bearing the Mingde Hall insignia on their uniforms guaranteed respect and adoration wherever they went.

Yet now, these elites were being crushed like brittle leaves by Qian Ran's overwhelming power. It made them want to curse. How could their academy's finest not endure even a single blow? Elite? What a joke!

"Bloodlines matter more than effort," Jing Hongchen reflected bitterly. He finally understood this harsh truth. No matter how advanced their soul tools became, without superior bloodlines, it wasn't enough.

Even if Qian Ran were dealt with, what if another like him emerged in the future?

Despair began to grip Mingde Hall's students and teachers alike. They resented the cruel reality of their world. Why couldn't martial souls be randomly assigned instead of inherited? This system was utterly unfair. Human determination? Worthless! Despite 3,000 years of integration with the Douluo Continent, the Sun Moon Empire's advancements in soul tools still couldn't surpass the superiority of top-tier martial souls.

Could their soul tools ever overcome the divine lineage of individuals like Qian Ran? Their bloodlines were too inferior. Countless members of the audience wanted to break down in tears.

Alas, this was the truth of the Douluo Continent. From ancient times to the present, the most powerful clans and martial souls—whether the Clear Sky Hammer or others—remained dominant. Even in the distant past, the celestial Angel Clan had ruled the soul master world unchallenged.

For those without inherited martial soul excellence, this world was indeed a cruel place.

(End of Chapter)