Ankit sat cross-legged, mind turning inward.
Talent… and soul color.
His family's souls had all been the same size with only colour difference—yet their core sizes varied: Kamal smallest, then Sanya, Neelam largest.
Could color represent talent? Like in the novels, where stronger soul individual is linked with Powerful talent?
His earlier sweep of the world had revealed diversity: most humans bore dull grey souls. A few shone with color—silver like his father, there were also blue, orange, green, red…
Red was exceedingly scarce. In his vast sensing range, only two mortals besides his mother possessed it.
An idea crystallized.
Perhaps soul color indicates talent tier.
But doubts lingered.
The Mortal Foundation Scripture had demonstrably elevated his family far beyond natural genius. Core size, therefore, reflected combined innate talent plus scripture-enhanced talent—not pure inborn gift alone.
He needed broader data.
With a subtle thought, Ankit summoned the Heart Clone.
"Go," he instructed. "Sweep the earth. Catalog every soul color visible and tally their numbers. Be thorough, but discreet."
The Heart Clone nodded and dissolved into warm light, vanishing toward the world beyond the fortress.
Ankit remained in meditation, golden soul-city pulsing steadily.
Answers would come.
For now, his family had taken their first true step onto the cultivation path—with foundations vast enough to shake the earth one day.
And whatever their colors or talents, he would forge them into legends regardless.
On the other side, Kamal stood frozen, face pale.
Lowest talent in the family.
The words echoed in his mind like a verdict. He, who had always led, protected, endured—now destined to lag behind his wife and daughter. The thought clawed at him: he would watch them soar while he crawled.
Sanya's excitement had vanished. She stared at the ground, small hands clenched, doubt creeping in like cold fog.
What if I'm not good enough?
What if I hold everyone back?
Neelam noticed immediately. She stepped close, placing a gentle hand on Kamal's arm and pulling Sanya into a soft embrace.
"Hey," she said, voice warm and steady. "You don't have to be sad. Remember the Mortal Foundation Scripture—it's already made us far stronger than any ordinary genius. And Ankit promised he would help us overcome any limits. He's never broken a promise to us."
Kamal exhaled slowly, tension easing just a fraction.
Sanya looked up, eyes still uncertain but brighter. "Really…?"
"Really," Neelam affirmed, smiling. "We walk this path together. No one gets left behind."
Some relief settled over them, fragile but real.
Half an hour later, the Heart Clone returned.
He appeared beside Ankit in the meditation chamber, and transmitted the complete findings directly into the unified soul.
Every living being—human, beast, bird, fish—possessed a soul of varying size and color.
Powerful beasts consistently showed larger souls, confirming the feedback loop: a stronger body nurtures and expands the soul.
Across Earth, exactly eight soul colors had been catalogued.
- Purple: only 3 individuals. One was Xinxuan, the prodigy who had independently created his own breathing technique. Another was a young girl from the Eurasian Union. The third: a Stage 2 aquatic beast deep in the ocean.
- Red: 50 individuals, including beasts.
- Blue: 1,000 individuals.
- Green: 50,000 individuals.
- Orange: 500,000 individuals.
- Brown: 1,000,000 individuals.
- Silver: 100,000,000 individuals.
- Dull grey: the overwhelming remainder of all life on Earth.
Ankit processed the data instantly, arranging the colors by rarity:
1. Purple (rarest)
2. Red
3. Blue
4. Green
5. Orange
6. Brown
7. Silver
8. Dull grey (most common)
It was a preliminary ranking—based solely on scarcity, not proven potential. Rarity often correlated with talent, but Ankit knew better than to treat it as absolute truth. He would verify through observation and experimentation later.
Importantly, these colors reflected innate talent alone. The Mortal Foundation Scripture enhanced talent separately, stacking atop whatever nature had granted. He knows this as a creator of scripture.
He also confirms that no golden souls existed on Earth but his own.
Three beings currently stood at the theoretical apex of innate talent—and one of them was Xinxuan, whose early accomplishments already lent credence to the scale.
Ankit closed his eyes.
The pieces were falling into place.
Soul size: influenced by physical refinement and feedback.
Soul color: indicator of innate cultivation aptitude.
No one under his care would ever be limited by the hand fate dealt them.
Not his father.
Not his sister.
Not even little Rudra, whose small but dense grey soul only promised growth within ordinary bounds.
His family's current achievement of core size, had already been elevated far beyond their original tier by the scripture's influence. He is not worried that they will fall behind.