Douluo Continent, Heavenly Soul Empire, Valan Village.
Dark clouds churned in the sky as thunder rolled. Thick purple lightning twisted like serpents, flickering incessantly as if divine wrath had descended, radiating an unsettling aura.
Raindrops as big as beans poured down in torrents, forming streams on the ground and turning the main road leading out of Valan Village into a muddy mess.
"Sigh, with weather like this, I wonder where the Soul Master we hired could be…"
The elderly village chief, Laike, spoke with concern. Beside him stood several villagers, all looking similarly anxious.
Ever since the Spirit Hall was destroyed by the "Pure and Noble" Tang San ten thousand years ago, no organization had offered free Martial Spirit awakenings for commoners. Ordinary civilians who wanted to awaken their Martial Spirits now had to pay a fee.
Valan Village was located in a remote area of the Heavenly Soul Empire, surrounded by mountains that hindered transportation and communication with the outside world, making it a poor and isolated place.
Each year, the cost of inviting a Soul Master to conduct awakenings consumed nearly half the village's annual savings. Even so, few Soul Masters were willing to travel to this secluded area.
Today was a crucial day for awakening Martial Spirits. Several families had brought their six-year-old children to the designated awakening site.
The site was the village's only well-maintained building, but the villagers remained outside, sheltered under the eaves. The adults stood in the outer area while the children were protected closer to the walls inside.
This building was considered sacred in Valan Village and was not entered lightly, even under such harsh weather conditions.
Among the group was Jiang Jue, whose small figure was protected by the adults. His delicate face showed a mix of anticipation and nervousness. After all, awakening a Martial Spirit was the greatest chance to change one's destiny on the Douluo Continent.
In truth, Jiang Jue was not originally from this world. He had reincarnated from a planet called Blue Star. In his previous life, he had been sorting through his deceased grandfather's belongings when he stumbled upon a strange little flag. The moment he touched it, he lost consciousness.
At first, Jiang Jue thought his grandfather's spirit had come to take him away.
But when he woke up, he found himself as a baby in the Douluo Continent.
Through years of investigation, Jiang Jue discovered that Shrek Academy was currently led by Yan Shaozhe, with no mention of Huo Yuhao.
This meant Jiang Jue had a chance to make great achievements using his knowledge of the plot.
But all that hinged on him awakening a decent Martial Spirit today.
"Mom, I'm hungry," a child's crisp voice broke the tension. A woman beside him quickly comforted him.
"Be good, baby. After the awakening, Mommy will make something delicious for you."
Hearing this, Jiang Jue rubbed his own stomach. They had already been waiting for four hours, from morning till afternoon, without even having lunch.
"Heavens, please don't let anything go wrong," Laike muttered worriedly, the wrinkles on his face creasing further. His cloudy eyes were filled with unease.
Having grown up under Laike's care, Jiang Jue felt sympathy for the usually composed and capable village chief. Laike managed the village's affairs meticulously and always maintained a calm demeanor—except when it came to matters involving Soul Masters.
After all, it had been ten whole years since anyone in Valan Village had become a Soul Master. Not a single one.
Laike was perpetually troubled, unsure how he would face the ancestors of the village if this continued.
"Village Chief! I think the Soul Master is here!"
A surprised voice cut through the sound of rain, instantly lifting everyone's spirits. They looked toward the source of the voice.
A figure dressed in black was rapidly maneuvering through the pouring rain, making their way toward the village.
"Er Niu, hurry up and get me an umbrella so we can greet the Soul Master!"
Laike's face lit up with joy as he urged the young man next to him. Despite usually moving slowly with his walking stick, he now strode briskly forward.
"Soul Master, you've endured much. Please, come in!"
Laike greeted the visitor warmly, taking the umbrella from Er Niu and personally holding it over the Soul Master.
Jiang Jue observed the newcomer, who wore a loose black robe but appeared somewhat bulky. Due to the dim lighting and the robe's coverage, it was impossible to see their face.
"Please come in, please come in," Laike gestured politely, signaling the villagers to open the door.
A faint jasmine fragrance wafted through the air as the door opened, revealing a room meticulously cleaned and illuminated by a few oil lamps emitting a warm yellow glow. Animal furs were spread across the floor for added comfort.
As the Soul Master passed by Jiang Jue, he caught a faint scent of earth mixed with blood.
Looking closely, Jiang Jue noticed a large dark red stain on the lower part of the black robe—clearly dried blood.
"Did they encounter a soul beast along the way?" Jiang Jue speculated inwardly.
The mountains surrounding Valan Village were home to numerous low-year soul beasts, though most were only ten-year beasts, with few reaching the century mark.
"Wasn't Master Li Yuntao supposed to come this time?" Laike asked as he led the Soul Master inside.
"He had something come up, so I'm here instead. You can call me Master Zhou," the Soul Master replied in a gloomy voice from under his robe.
"Very well, Master Zhou. Shall we begin the Martial Spirit awakening ceremony now?" Laike inquired cautiously, unsure of the Soul Master's temperament but eager to get the ceremony underway.
"Bring the children in. The sooner we finish, the better—I still have other matters to attend to."
Master Zhou's voice carried an odd, suppressed tone.
Though puzzled, Laike didn't dare ask further. He quickly summoned the children, including Jiang Jue.
"Listen to Grandpa and don't be nervous," he reassured them.
The seven children entered the room and lined up in a row, with Jiang Jue standing on the far left.
Laike gave a respectful nod to Master Zhou before stepping outside and closing the door behind him.
"Ah, I hope at least one child awakens a good Martial Spirit this year," he muttered.
"Step forward one by one," Master Zhou instructed coldly.
With a flash of white light from his left hand, six pitch-black round stones and a blue crystal ball appeared in his palm.
"Go!"
The six stones floated under Master Zhou's control, forming a hexagon on the ground. He infused them with soul power, causing them to emit faint light.
Jiang Jue watched in amazement. So this was the soul power one could wield after awakening a Martial Spirit.
Moreover, it seemed conducting awakening ceremonies was quite lucrative—Master Zhou was wearing a spatial ring, which was notoriously expensive even in this advanced era of soul tools.
The child on the far right stepped into the hexagonal formation first. The light dots from the black stones enveloped him in a golden glow, making his body tremble slightly.
"Extend your right hand!" Master Zhou commanded.
The child instinctively complied, and the light coalesced into a hoe in his hand.
"Place your hand on the crystal ball," Master Zhou instructed indifferently.
Jiang Jue watched nervously, his palms damp with sweat.
On the Douluo Continent, Martial Spirits were typically inherited through bloodlines. For commoners like them, the only hope lay in mutation. However, most mutations led to weaker forms.
"Next!"
As expected, the child who awakened a hoe Martial Spirit had no soul power.
"Trash Martial Spirit, no soul power. Next!"
"Sickle Martial Spirit, no soul power. Next!"
"Blue Silver Grass, level one soul power—useless. Next!"
Soon, it was Jiang Jue's turn.
"Come on, little guy," Master Zhou said impatiently. Out of the six previous awakenings, only one child had soul power, and it was tied to the weak Blue Silver Grass Martial Spirit.
Jiang Jue took a deep breath and stepped into the formation.
As Master Zhou infused soul power into the stones, more golden light dots entered Jiang Jue's body.
"Buzz!"
A roaring sound echoed from within Jiang Jue, as though something inside him had shattered under the guidance of the golden light.
Silver-white radiance began to emanate from Jiang Jue's body, converging behind him to form a majestic figure.
The figure stood eight feet tall, with a straight posture resembling an unyielding mountain. His sword-like brows extended to his temples, and his deep, bright eyes carried a cold detachment that commanded respect.
His muscular frame exuded immense power, with each muscle seemingly capable of explosive strength. Silver-white light surrounded him like moonlit radiance.
The figure bore an 80–90% resemblance to Jiang Jue, as though it were his future self.
"This... this is a body-type Martial Spirit!" Master Zhou's previously gloomy voice became sharp with astonishment.
Among all Martial Spirits, body-type spirits were rare and unique, using parts of one's own body as the spirit. The more critical the body part, the stronger the Martial Spirit.
Jiang Jue's awakened Martial Spirit was the most supreme of all body-type spirits—his entire being served as his Martial Spirit.
Unlike typical Martial Spirits, which manifested in the right hand, Jiang Jue's spirit floated behind him.
However, Jiang Jue's face did not show any joy. Instead, he clenched his teeth, his face slightly pale. His left hand was tightly balled into a fist as he tried to maintain a composed appearance.
Moments earlier, a powerful, sinister, and eerie force had surged from his left hand, invading his mind.
This force carried a manic aura, as if it sought to devour his soul, yet it refrained from causing outright destruction.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Jue assessed the situation: one good piece of news, one bad.
The good news was that he had twin Martial Spirits; the bad news was that one of them was an evil spirit.
Jiang Jue did not inherently reject evil spirits. To him, power was power—what mattered was maintaining one's moral compass and resisting temptation.
But now was different. He absolutely could not let Master Zhou detect anything unusual.
Jiang Jue knew full well the Douluo Continent's stance on evil spirits: kill on sight.
Yet Master Zhou's nose twitched slightly. His body jerked as if struck by lightning. A glint of excitement flickered in his eyes, and his entire form trembled uncontrollably.
"You all leave. You stay," Master Zhou said, his voice quivering as he locked eyes with Jiang Jue.
The other children were puzzled but obediently left the room.
Suddenly, the previously spacious room felt suffocating. Gusts of wind blew through the windows, making the lights flicker.
"Little boy, you must have another Martial Spirit, right?"
Master Zhou's sudden words struck Jiang Jue like a thunderclap.
"Crap!" Jiang Jue's heart pounded violently.
How did he know without me revealing anything?
Is this... kill without evidence?