Chapter 54: Commander
"What?" Muria shot up from his bed, fully alert upon hearing the maid's words, "Is the news confirmed? Has a storm giant really broken through the racial limits?"
"Master Muria, why would I lie to you about something like this?"
"Alright, alright." Muria excitedly got out of bed and paced back and forth in his room. The breakthrough of a storm giant to the soul intent level signified many things.
For instance, it indicated that his influence on giants was no less than that of a true-blood Titan. Alternatively, it meant that the power level of his subordinates was about to advance by a whole tier. With one storm giant ascending, a second would soon follow, signaling more such advancements in the near future.
"Where is the breakthrough giant? Take me to see him. I want to witness the power of the soul intent level myself," Muria urgently demanded, looking intently at his personal maid.
"In the martial arts hall."
...
When Muria entered the martial arts hall, he immediately spotted a twenty-one-meter-tall storm giant with purple hair and skin battling against ten ordinary storm giants.
Muria raised his hand to stop the many giants who were watching the battle and started to greet him; he did not wish to disrupt the ongoing combat.
"This is the Ring of Soul Intent." Muria's attention was not drawn to the battle in the hall but to a pale blue halo of light under the storm giant's feet.
Bronze level, silver level, and gold level—in strict terms, these three stages of power could be considered as one. For melee professionals, continually strengthening their physique theoretically allowed them to reach the peak of gold level eventually.
The same applied to magic professionals; through constant meditation and increasing mental power, they could theoretically break through to the gold pinnacle. Hence, these three power stages were fundamentally similar, all being mere phases of accumulating power.
Of course, in theory, breaking through these limits was not so simple, with numerous restrictions involved. Many beings were constrained by their bloodlines, which, while granting them strength, also bound them.
Their power, once it reached the limits set by their bloodlines, could not advance further without finding alternative methods, leading to a lifetime of stagnation at their bloodline's upper limit—an utterly despairing prospect.
Therefore, many giants, disregarding their own lives, tried every means to cross the Thunderstorm Ocean to reach the Titan Isles, hoping to offer their loyalty to Muria in exchange for a chance to break their bloodline constraints.
And now, one such storm giant, who had long served at Muria's side and been influenced by his Titan bloodline, had successfully freed himself from the constraints of his bloodline and entered a realm previously thought impossible for storm giants.
The soul intent level, unlike the previous three power realms, could not be achieved through mere training. This realm required one to perceive their own soul and comprehend the true essence of power. The greatest symbol of this realm was the Ring of Soul Intent.
"The symbol of combining the comprehension of soul and power," Muria stared fixedly at the pale blue halo under the storm giant's feet, then began to observe the battle of the storm giant who had reached the first tier of soul intent.
"The physique is enhanced, the body has grown larger, and the power has increased, yet the speed has also become faster," Muria noted every move of the soul intent level storm giant, accompanied by a breeze, thoughtfully: "Logically, the larger the body, the slower the movement, but he completely defies this common sense. This storm giant has comprehended the soul of wind, which is the effect of the Ring of Soul Intent."
"Ha!" "Ah!"... The storm giant, now at the soul intent level, overwhelmingly overpowered the ten storm giants surrounding him, none of whom could match him, each being knocked down one after another.
"Your Highness!" It was only then that the soul intent level storm giant, having defeated all his opponents after a hearty fight, noticed Muria watching him.
"Master Muria." The many giants, previously stopped by him, also saluted him in unison.
"Rise, everyone," Muria said indifferently, then turned to the twenty-one-meter-tall storm giant in front of him and smiled, "Now that you've broken through to the soul intent level, how does it feel?"
"Very good, Your Highness," the storm giant replied with a simple, honest laugh.
"Hmm, what is your name?" Muria asked, knowing there were many giants in the fortress, but not their names.
"My name is Terence," the storm giant replied respectfully.
"Then, Terence," Muria narrowed his eyes, "spar with me. Let me feel the power of the soul intent."
"Alright!" Terence showed no displeasure at Muria's request. Having been overwhelmingly defeated by Muria's terrifying strength before, he still harbored fears about Muria's power, doubting he could win even now at the soul intent level.
"Be careful then," Muria responded as Terence agreed, stepping forward and swinging his fist without any fancy moves, launching a straight punch.
Terence, seeing the fist thrown by the young Titan who was eleven meters taller, did not dare to take it lightly. He crossed his arms in front of his chest to block, "Bang!" Terence blocked Muria's fist, but the force numbed his arms and involuntarily pushed him back several steps, each retreat cracking the large marble floor tiles beneath him.
"Not bad!" Muria, seeing that Terence was not knocked down like the other ordinary storm giants, praised him. Then, he swung his fist again and charged forward.
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"... The watching storm giants were stunned as Muria dominated the soul intent level storm giant Terence, a sight that completely shocked them and gave them a new understanding of the power of Titan bloodlines.
As the battle between Muria and Terence continued, the floor of the martial arts hall, specially reinforced by mountain giants, shattered, sending stones flying. Large pits, big enough to fit a cloud giant, were created by their blows, and the entire hall's stone tiles were shattered.
To avoid the aftermath of their battle, the watching giants had to retreat to the corners of the hall, and eventually, they had to exit the hall altogether.
"Boom!" Muria stretched out his hand and grabbed Terence, who was trying to use the soul of wind to dodge his attack, and with a force Terence had never experienced, smashed him into the hall's wall.
"Thunder!" The nearly five-meter-thick wall was smashed by Terence, but even so, it only slightly absorbed some of the force Muria had applied. Terence's body continued through, breaking through four more walls before embedding in the sixth marble wall.
"Soul intent level, huh," Muria looked at the stone "corridor" he had created by smashing Terence through it, smacking his lips, "Not bad, at least you can take a punch from me. That lets me use the Titan heritage martial techniques."
"…Your Highness." Terence, coming out of his daze and embedded in the wall, called out to Muria somewhat dispiritedly.
"What's wrong? Not satisfied?" Muria, walking over the scattered stones to Terence, smiled warmly at him.
"You haven't even used
the Titan's mastery of thunder and hurricanes, and I've already lost," Terence looked blankly at Muria, "Why is this? I've spent countless days and nights refining my martial skills, faced numerous life-and-death situations, yet still couldn't break through my bloodline's limit.
But I came to your side, followed you, did nothing but stand guard in the castle and accompany you, and just like that, I broke through to the soul intent level.
Even so, with the power of the soul intent level, I still can't force you to use the true power of the Titan."
"…" Muria silently observed the emotionally overwhelmed storm giant, then looked around at the other giants who had heard his words and were looking downcast. He finally spoke:
"On the entire Taiji Island, there are over fifty thousand giants, and you are the first to break through your bloodline's limits.
You might say it's because of my bloodline's influence that you reached the soul intent level, but there are over three hundred storm giants who have followed me closely, yet you are the first to break through.
In the castle, the number of cloud giant guards and maidservants exceeds a thousand, but none have broken through to the second tier of gold, yet you broke through from the pinnacle of gold to the soul intent level.
I was wondering why a soul intent level storm giant appeared so early among my subordinates. Now I understand.
My bloodline's influence on you was merely a catalyst. Your breakthrough is mainly due to the sweat you've shed and the trials you've faced between life and death. The fact that you are the only one among all the giants in the castle who has broken through says it all. Why are you disappointed?
You've only just formed a single wind soul intent. Your journey through the realms of soul intent is still long, and beyond soul intent lies legend. If you remain steadfast, you can still stand shoulder to shoulder with Titans in the future."
"Your Highness!" Terence stared at Muria, not expecting such acknowledgment from him.
"That's all I have to say." Muria watched the grateful storm giant, waved his hand, turned around to leave, but then seemed to remember something and turned his head, "My personal guard has always lacked a commander. From today, you will be the commander!"
"Oh, right." Muria looked at the ruined martial arts hall and the several walls he had smashed through, and instructed a team of rushing mountain giants, "Please repair this place. The workload might be a bit heavy."
"No problem, Your Highness." The mountain giants, accustomed to repairs every now and then since they stationed at the Five-Color Dragon Fortress, responded in unison.
"And inform the City of Giants to construct an arena capable of accommodating soul intent level battles. The Dragon Fortress's martial arts hall is no longer sufficient."
"Understood!"
Those who abandoned me yesterday cannot be retained; those who disturb my heart today bring many troubles.