After lingering in his new state for some time, Yun Chuan began to carefully observe himself. Externally, nothing changed—his hair and eyes remained black. But inside, the crystal-like five organs still radiated brilliant five-colored light, illuminating him from the inside out.
"Wait! What about my soul power?"
Suddenly, he noticed an important fact: the thick, viscous soul power he had cultivated for years seemed to have vanished.
"Could it be? Am I now just a brute who can only fight with his body?" Yun Chuan felt uneasy and tried to drive his soul power as before, unsure if it even existed.
To his surprise, a strange, transparent, colorless force surged from his five elemental organs. Although invisible, it quickly transformed into his familiar soul power—its quality surpassing previous levels by many ranks.
"Five elements? Transformation? Could it be that my body's energy source has become these five crystal organs? That they've replaced the dantian! And this transparent, colorless energy can transform into any form?"
Unsure but curious, Yun Chuan tried to convert this energy into vivid life force—and succeeded.
He gazed at the flourishing green energy pooling in his palm, falling into deep silence.
What was he now?
Since the five elements can generate all things, the energy from the five organs could apparently morph into any attribute.
He guessed that was the case.
"Will my twin martial souls change?" Curious, he summoned his martial soul.
First came the Supreme Clear Sky Hammer. A faint shadow of a small hammer took shape in his palm.
As it solidified, his hand suddenly grew heavy. Just as he prepared to place the hammer down, his five organs blazed with light. A powerful force surged through him, and the hammer he held felt lighter—I mean weightless.
But he knew it wasn't the hammer that had lightened, but that his strength had finally grown enough to wield it easily.
He examined his hammer's appearance: the previous brilliant electric flames and flashy effects were now gone, replaced by a low-key and muted grayish chaotic color, giving it a solemn, oppressive vibe.
This did not mean the hammer was weaker.
On the contrary, shedding the flashy effects left a single pure, overwhelming attribute: power capable of destruction and annihilation.
Although not yet capable of total destruction, the hammer's attack power had certainly not weakened.
"Wait! Where are my soul rings?!"
Yun Chuan suddenly realized an alarming fact.
How could he rank up and have no soul ring?!
Without soul rings, how could he grow stronger?
Well, maybe it wasn't such a big problem.
Finally, Yun Chuan understood.
Looking at his gray mystical hammer and feeling the colorful light glowing from his five organs, he knew he'd undergone a profound transformation—he had truly broken free from the soul master system's restraints and walked an entirely new path!
Losing the soul rings meant he was no longer a soul master.
But equally, he would no longer be bound by the soul master system.
When he was a Soul Saint, even if his soul power's amount and quality reached the Titled Douluo level, the soul master limit capped his attack power at the Soul Saint level—he could only have greater endurance, not raw destructive power.
Viewed as a reservoir, his vast inner soul power was bottled through a narrow outlet limiting output.
Now freed from these bounds, he could use as much or as little soul power as he wished without restriction.
"But… without the soul master system, how do I grow stronger?" After briefly rejoicing, Yun Chuan faced a practical question—before, cultivation was simple: train soul power, break through by absorbing soul rings.
But now he wasn't a soul master. How would his road ahead unfold?
He was briefly confused.
Yet he quickly dispelled doubt.
Ultimately, any system of power cultivation—be it soul masters, immortal cultivation, martial arts—aims to make oneself stronger and able to achieve the impossible.
Having left the soul master framework, how was he any worse off?
Longevity?
Soul masters cap at roughly a thousand years even at rank 99 Titled Douluo.
With his five crystal-like organs circulating eternal life forces, Yun Chuan sensed his body would stay at its peak indefinitely.
He would not age unless killed.
If not longevity, then power or combat methods?
He recalled his past arsenal as a soul master and realized he could still deploy those techniques, perhaps even more powerfully.
With the full five elements within, he could transform energy into whatever property he desired—wind, fire, thunder, earth, light, darkness.
Although not yet fully mastering this, converting basic elemental powers was now effortless.
In sum, he concluded—
He was far stronger now than when still a soul master.
(End of Chapter 98)