Douluo: The Blind Ascendant

However, as the bishop thought about it, he realized that he had worked with Xu Qing for many years and understood his character. If Xu Qing hadn't brought the genius back, there must have been a reason.

"Is there something unusual about this situation?" the bishop asked in a gentler tone.

"Bishop, there is indeed a reason. The child is blind—congenitally blind. Although he is a genius with innate full soul power, this flaw is too severe. It's truly a pity," Deacon Xu Qing explained with deep regret.

If it weren't for this flaw, the discovery of a child with innate full soul power would have been a great merit, possibly even earning him rewards from the Spirit Hall headquarters.

"Congenital blindness… that is indeed a great pity. Innate full soul power isn't something you find on every street corner," the bishop mused, stroking his white beard. He was already in his sixties.

Hearing that the child was born blind, the bishop also felt troubled. Missing an arm or a leg would have been one thing, but blindness was a far more critical flaw.

"So, Bishop, here's what I think. We should report this situation to His Holiness the Pope and see if anyone at headquarters can treat this condition," Xu Qing suggested.

"Yes, we must report it. Even if there's only a sliver of hope, we can't let a genius with innate full soul power slip away. It's just a shame that congenital blindness isn't an illness—it's a defect. If it were acquired later in life, there might have been more hope for treatment," the bishop sighed.

He immediately took out a letter, wrote a report, and sent it out as an urgent message.

"By the way, what about the child's parents? Are they strong?" the bishop asked casually.

"They seem to be ordinary people. The child's martial soul is likely a variant," Xu Qing replied, not mentioning the strange phenomenon that occurred during Lin Yongming's martial soul awakening.

Xu Qing assumed that the phenomenon was just a result of the innate full soul power awakening and didn't think much of it.

If he had mentioned it to the bishop, and the bishop had included it in the letter, the Pope, with his vast knowledge, might have noticed something unusual about the phenomenon.

The bishop's letter reached the Spirit Hall headquarters and the Pope's hands within two days.

"Someone! Is Ye Tianxin still in Spirit City?" the Pope shouted immediately after reading the letter.

"Your Holiness, Ye Tianxin is scheduled to leave Spirit City tomorrow morning, so he should still be here," a rather flamboyant man quickly replied as he approached the Pope.

"Summon him at once. I have something to ask him."

"Yes, Your Holiness!"

Soon, the flamboyant man brought an elderly man before the Pope.

"Greetings, Your Holiness. What urgent matter requires my presence?" Ye Tianxin bowed slightly and asked curiously.

"Elder Ye, take a look at this. Can you treat this person?" the Pope said without hesitation, handing the letter to Ye Tianxin.

"Innate full soul power… congenital blindness…" Ye Tianxin quickly scanned the letter, which was less than a hundred words long, and understood the Pope's intent.

"Your Holiness, I must apologize. This isn't an injury—it's a congenital defect. As the letter mentions, his parents have already sought treatment from healing soul masters. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do," Ye Tianxin said regretfully.

"I see. Thank you," the Pope nodded, and Ye Tianxin left the hall.

"Teacher, this is innate full soul power! But to be born blind… what a pity. Is there really no way?" a lively and adorable girl standing beside the Pope asked in disbelief.

"Ye Tianxin is the continent's top healing soul master. If he can't do anything, then there's truly no hope. It's just a case of the gods bestowing talent on the wrong person," the Pope said indifferently.

If the child could be cured, that would be ideal. If not, it was no great loss to the Pope.

Five days had passed since Lin Yongming's martial soul awakening. During this time, he had been diligently practicing the three basic skills he had learned.

On the sixth day, Deacon Xu Qing returned to Thunder Rain Village with the Pope's response and relayed the message to Lin Chong.

"Thank you for your trouble, Honored Soul Master. Ah, this is just Ming's fate," Lin Chong said with a bitter smile after hearing the news.

However, he wasn't too disheartened, as he had already anticipated this outcome.

"I'm sorry we couldn't help the child," Xu Qing said helplessly.

"It's alright, Honored Soul Master. I've heard that soul masters have a method for cultivation. Could you provide something for the child?" Lin Chong asked somewhat sheepishly.

"There is indeed a method—the Spirit Hall's publicly available soul power meditation technique. Here, I'll give you this manual. You can read it to the child. It's not difficult; anyone with innate soul power can practice it."

"Also, since he has innate full soul power, he's already a level 10 soul scholar. He'll need a soul ring from a soul beast to continue cultivating. But…" Xu Qing trailed off, knowing that Lin Yongming's condition would make it extremely difficult for him to obtain his first soul ring.

Before leaving, Xu Qing handed over two books: one was the universal meditation technique, and the other was an introduction to soul masters and soul beasts.

By the time Lin Yongming returned home, Xu Qing had already left Thunder Rain Village.

"Ming, the Honored Soul Master left not long ago. He left behind a cultivation method for soul masters. I'll read it to you," Lin Chong said happily as soon as Lin Yongming arrived.

"Alright, Father. I'll listen carefully and remember it," Lin Yongming replied. He knew that Lin Chong had likely requested this from the Spirit Hall deacon.

Although the Wave Secret Manual contained its own unique cultivation method, Lin Yongming listened attentively, not wanting to disappoint his father's efforts.

Lin Chong read the book slowly, taking nearly half an hour to go through the few hundred words, worried that his child might not remember everything.

After finishing, Lin Chong took the other book and went to the village chief's house.

"Chief, the Honored Soul Master said that Ming needs a soul ring from a soul beast to become a soul master. What should we do?" Lin Chong asked for advice.

"A soul beast… Chong, that's not something we ordinary people can handle. Let me think," the village chief frowned and lowered his head in thought.

After a few minutes, he looked up and said, "I have an idea. Thunder Rain Village is rich in resources and relatively wealthy compared to other villages. We could pool our money and hire a soul master to capture a soul beast for us."

"That's a good idea, but it's going to cost a lot. As you know, our family can only afford a few gold soul coins at most," Lin Chong said with a bitter smile, feeling helpless.

A single gold soul coin was enough to support a family for a year, but to a soul master, it was a trivial amount.

"Chong, don't worry. Even though Ming can't see, once he becomes a soul master, his awareness will far surpass ours. When he grows up, he can help defend the village against wild beasts and such. So, I'll contribute some money, and after dinner, I'll explain the situation to the other villagers and ask them to chip in as well."

The village chief smiled and laid out his plan.

"Thank you, Chief. Thank you so much," Lin Chong said gratefully.

"We're all part of the same village. No need to be so formal. Besides, Ming's situation is such a pity—innate full soul power! I'm sure everyone will be willing to help," the village chief said, stopping Lin Chong from kneeling in gratitude.

After dinner, the village chief gathered the heads of Thunder Rain Village's sixty households and explained Lin Yongming's situation.