Chapter 96: Soul grades

Arthur’s eyes lit up with anticipation as he listened to Noer’s words. A Life-Bound Weapon was precisely what he needed, and having a Divine Blacksmith forge one for him was an opportunity he couldn’t afford to miss.

However, Arthur had another request.

"Senior, I have two things I would like you to help me with. First, I want you to repair my spaceship. Second, I would like you to forge a Life-Bound Weapon for me."

Noer raised an eyebrow and looked at Arthur with renewed interest.

"Young man, you really aren’t simple." He stroked his white beard, a smile gradually spreading across his face. "Very well. I’ll give you a chance to prove yourself. If you achieve a satisfying result, you won’t have to provide any materials. I’ll make everything for you free of charge."

Arthur’s expression brightened considerably.

"Please tell me, Senior, what kind of test is it?" he asked, his voice filled with excitement.

"It’s nothing complicated. I’ll simply test your soul power." Noer’s expression became serious as he continued explaining. "You see, the quality of a Life-Bound Weapon depends heavily on its owner’s soul. The stronger your soul, the greater the potential of the weapon I can forge for you."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"There are seven recognized grades of soul power: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, and Violet. To possess a Life-Bound Weapon, your soul must reach at least the Yellow Grade. However, if you want me to forge one without charging you for the materials, you’ll need a Blue Grade soul or higher."

Noer looked at Arthur with a faint smile.

"So, are you ready?"

"Yes." Arthur nodded without hesitation.

He was genuinely curious about the test himself. He had no idea whether soul power was related to his Spirit attribute or whether it represented an entirely different aspect of his existence.

Regardless, there was only one way to find out.

The moment Arthur agreed, a terrifying pressure erupted from Noer’s body.

However, unlike ordinary pressure, which could crush mountains or force powerful beings to their knees, this pressure did not affect Arthur’s physical body.

Instead, it struck directly at his soul.

Arthur’s surroundings vanished.

In the next instant, he found himself trapped in an endless darkness. There was no ground beneath his feet, no sky above his head, and no visible boundary separating one direction from another. An indescribable sensation of terror washed over him, making him feel as though he had fallen into the deepest depths of hell.

It was a feeling that words could never adequately describe. It had to be experienced to be understood.

Meanwhile, outside the darkness, Noer carefully observed the changes taking place.

Suddenly, a tiny figure emerged above Arthur’s head.

It looked exactly like Arthur, except that it was entirely red and radiated a faint spiritual glow.

Noer remained calm.

This was the normal process. Every soul initially appeared in its Red Grade form when exposed to the pressure of his soul-testing technique. It would then absorb the surrounding energy and gradually transform, with its ultimate grade determined by its innate potential.

However, the size of Arthur’s soul immediately caught his attention.

"Ten centimeters?"

Noer stared at the tiny figure in surprise.

Ordinary Red Grade souls were generally only one or two centimeters tall. Even in the Divine Realm, he had rarely encountered souls exceeding seven centimeters at their initial stage.

Yet Arthur’s soul was already ten centimeters tall before undergoing its first transformation.

"This young man is rather unusual."

Noer’s interest deepened as he increased his attention.

Boom!

The red soul suddenly began absorbing the surrounding energy like a miniature tornado. Spiritual energy surged toward it from every direction, causing its body to expand rapidly.

Within moments, its color changed from red to orange.

At the same time, its height doubled, reaching twenty centimeters.

Noer’s eyes widened.

Not only had the transformation occurred remarkably quickly, but the soul had also doubled in size. Normally, the growth between consecutive grades was far less dramatic, with increases of around one to one and a half times being more common.

Yet Arthur’s soul had already broken that expectation.

"Excellent! This is an extraordinary foundation!"

Noer could barely contain his excitement.

But the transformation had only begun.

Five minutes later, another explosion of spiritual energy reverberated through the dark space.

Boom!

Arthur’s soul changed from Orange Grade to Yellow Grade.

Its height increased dramatically, reaching an astonishing one meter.

Noer’s jaw nearly dropped.

Five times its previous size!

Even among exceptionally talented individuals, such a transformation was practically unheard of.

Before he could recover from his shock, the soul underwent another evolution.

Its color turned green, and its enormous body expanded to ten meters in height.

The surrounding spiritual energy surged violently as the transformation continued. The soul stood like a giant in the darkness, its appearance identical to Arthur’s, yet its presence had become incomparably more imposing.

Noer took an involuntary step backward.

He had tested countless souls throughout his long existence, including those belonging to powerful beings from the Divine Realm. However, Arthur’s growth was already far beyond anything he had expected.

Then came the next transformation.

Boom!

The green soul turned blue.

Its body expanded to an astonishing two hundred meters, becoming an enormous spiritual giant that towered over the surrounding darkness.

Noer stood frozen in place.

His hands began to tremble as he stared at the gigantic blue soul.

He had never heard of a Blue Grade soul reaching such a height, not even in the ancient legends passed down through the Divine Realm. A soul of this magnitude represented a level of potential that ordinary beings could scarcely comprehend.

"What kind of monster is this young man?"

Noer muttered in disbelief.

He had initially intended to test whether Arthur possessed sufficient soul power to qualify for a free Life-Bound Weapon. Yet the test had already surpassed every expectation he had held.

And it still wasn’t over.

The enormous blue soul continued absorbing spiritual energy, its body expanding as its color gradually deepened.

Finally, another transformation occurred.

Boom!

The soul turned purple.

Its height increased to an astonishing ten kilometers, its enormous figure piercing through the darkness like a colossal pillar connecting heaven and earth.

A terrifying pressure spread outward from its body.

Even Noer, a fallen divine being, felt his heart tremble.

"Ten kilometers..."

His voice came out barely above a whisper.

He had heard of Purple Grade souls before. In fact, he remembered the legendary Holy Son of a family descended from a God of Creation, whose Purple Grade soul had reportedly reached a height of three kilometers.

That individual had been regarded as a once-in-billions-years genius, possessing the potential to reach the pinnacle of existence.

Yet Arthur’s soul had already surpassed that legendary figure’s recorded height before even reaching the final grade.

Noer felt his mind go blank.

"What kind of existence have I encountered?"

Before he could gather his thoughts, the soul began transforming once more.

The purple light intensified, illuminating the endless darkness.

Then, with a deafening roar, Arthur’s soul expanded to an unimaginable scale.

A thousand kilometers!

The colossal spiritual giant towered over the surrounding space like a primordial behemoth, its enormous body radiating an overwhelming pressure that seemed capable of shaking the very foundations of existence.

Noer stared at the scene, his entire body trembling.

He had never witnessed anything remotely comparable to this.

"Hahahahaha!"

Suddenly, his shocked expression transformed into uncontrollable excitement.

"A Violet Grade soul! After billions of years, another Violet Grade soul has finally appeared in this world!"

His laughter echoed through the darkness as he struggled to contain his emotions.

A Violet Grade soul represented the potential to become a God of Creation, an existence standing at the very pinnacle of the known hierarchy.