manynovel Chapter 1: Martial Soul Awakening, the Twin of Ultimate Destruction and Life!
Chapter 1: Martial Soul Awakening, the Twin of Ultimate Destruction and Life!
Douluo Continent, Holy Soul Village.
The afternoon sun, carrying a lazy warmth, shone on a huge rock whose edges had been smoothed by time.
A boy of about six years old was lying on it with his eyes closed. Although he was small and thin, his features were delicate and exquisite, like jade carvings. He was more handsome than any other child in the village.
He had a slender blade of grass between his teeth, which swayed gently with his breathing.
His name is Tang Ren, a time traveler whose soul holds a secret.
His brows were furrowed almost imperceptibly, a look of worry that shouldn't be present at his age.
For six years, he remained a silent bystander.
He witnessed the birth of himself and his twin brother Tang San, saw the tragic sacrifice of his mother Ah Yin to protect them, and felt the despair of his father Tang Hao's fall from a titled Douluo to a drunkard.
A颓废 father signifies a broken home.
His and Tang San's life was incredibly difficult; hunger was the norm, and the meager amount of thin rice in the pot that barely filled their stomachs was their greatest luxury.
"Sigh..." Tang Ren sighed silently in his heart.
He knew that his seemingly equally frail younger brother, Tang San, possessed a mature soul from another world and a peerless secret manual called "Xuantian Baolu".
Every morning, while he was still worrying about making a living, Tang San was already practicing his Purple Demon Eye on the mountaintop, cultivating his inner strength.
As for Tang Ren, he had nothing.
It can only struggle like a weed on barren land, waiting for that vague and uncertain future.
However, one thing is strange. Despite living in the same environment, and even with Tang San having the Xuan Tian Gong to nourish his body, my physical development far surpasses his.
She herself had a well-proportioned figure and a rosy complexion, while Tang San appeared thin and much smaller.
"Could it be... that I inherited more of my mother's Blue Silver Emperor bloodline?" Tang Ren wondered more than once.
This tenacious vitality and this handsome appearance that far surpasses Tang San's seem to confirm this point.
Just as Tang Ren was lost in thought, a small figure appeared silently beside the rock like a ghost.
"Brother, it's time to go back."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a composure beyond his years.
Tang Ren opened his eyes and saw Tang San's equally handsome but slightly pale face.
He carried a bundle of gathered firewood on his back, fine beads of sweat glistened on his forehead, and his eyes were calm and still, as if nothing in the world could move him.
Tang Ren spat out the horsetail grass in his mouth and leaped off the rock with clean, swift movements.
He dusted himself off, said nothing, and silently followed behind Tang San.
The two brothers remained silent the entire way.
Tomorrow is the day of the Martial Soul Awakening.
Whether one is a dragon or a worm, whether one continues to sink into endless darkness or manages to grasp a glimmer of hope to break free from fate, all the answers will be revealed tomorrow.
Back in that familiar blacksmith shop, the dimly lit room was filled with a strong smell of alcohol mixed with the rusty smell of metal, which was nauseating.
In the corner, the tall figure lay dead drunk, snoring loudly, completely oblivious to the return of his two sons.
Tang Ren and Tang San were already used to all of this, skillfully starting a fire, cooking, and sharing the meager food.
……
The next day, it was dawn.
"Knock knock knock!" The urgent knocking broke the morning's tranquility.
"Xiao San, Xiao Ren, come out quickly, Grandpa will take you to awaken your martial souls!" Jack, the old village chief, called out from outside the door with his loud and expectant voice.
Tang Ren and Tang San exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of seriousness in each other's eyes.
They quickly tidied their clothes and opened the dilapidated wooden door.
In the center of Holy Soul Village, the so-called "Spirit Hall" is nothing more than a wooden house that is slightly larger than the homes of ordinary villagers.
At this moment, seven children of similar age had gathered in front of the wooden house, their faces showing a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
Inside the wooden house, a handsome young man dressed in the uniform of the Spirit Hall was already waiting.
He was tall and imposing, with an extraordinary air about him, completely out of place in this simple village. He was none other than the famous "Blind Douluo"—a level 26 Great Soul Master, Su Yuntao.
"Children, come in." Su Yuntao's voice was gentle and magnetic.
Old Jack sent the nine children into the cabin, then discreetly withdrew, pacing anxiously outside the door, praying that a Soul Master would emerge from the village.
The awakening ceremony has officially begun.
Su Yuntao skillfully took out six black stones, arranged them in a hexagonal shape on the ground, and infused them with soul power.
A pale emerald-gold light instantly shone, forming a protective shield.
"Children, come in one by one. Remember, don't be afraid, feel the power within you."
The first seven children took turns, and the martial souls they awakened were all kinds of things: sickle, hoe, blue silver grass... Without exception, they were all useless martial souls, and none of them had soul power.
Su Yuntao's face also changed from initial anticipation to a formulaic calm.
"Next up, Tang San."
Tang San took a deep breath and stepped steadily into the awakening array. His dark eyes gleamed with wisdom and confidence.
Enveloped in golden light, specks of light surged from Tang San's body and gathered in his palm.
A slender blue blade of grass quietly appeared, with glistening dewdrops still clinging to its leaves.
"Blue Silver Grass?" Su Yuntao frowned. "Another useless martial soul?"
However, Tang Ren keenly noticed that Tang San's left hand was clenched tightly from beginning to end, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force, as if he was trying his best to suppress some terrifying existence.
"Come, let's test your soul power." Su Yuntao handed over the blue crystal ball with a somewhat disheartened expression.
Tang San placed his hand on it, and the crystal ball instantly burst forth with dazzling blue light, illuminating the entire wooden house as bright as day!
"What?!" Su Yuntao exclaimed in shock, nearly dropping the crystal ball from his hand. "Innate... full soul power!!"
He stared intently at Tang San, his eyes filled with shock, ecstasy, and deep regret.
"It's innate full soul power! But... why is its martial soul Blue Silver Grass?!"
Tang San withdrew his hand, a hint of disappointment perfectly displayed on his face, but the fleeting smugness deep in his eyes did not escape Tang Ren's notice.
"The last one, Tang Ren."
It was finally my turn.
Tang Ren's heart began to race. He walked to the center of the magic circle and closed his eyes.
As the pale emerald-golden light enveloped him, an unprecedented feeling swept over his entire body.
He felt as if two terrifying forces, completely opposite yet sharing the same origin, were awakening within him!
A warm, powerful, and boundless vitality, as if it could nurture all things!
Another force, cold, domineering, and containing the ultimate destruction, seems to want to end everything!
"boom--!"
The entire wooden house suddenly shook, and the six black stones in the magic array trembled violently, emitting light several times brighter than when Tang San had awakened. The emerald-gold light almost materialized and soared into the sky!
Su Yuntao was so shocked by this astonishing phenomenon that he took two steps back, his face filled with disbelief!
What kind of powerful martial spirit could cause such a spectacular scene?
Amidst the light, Tang Ren felt as if two divine forces were piercing through his left and right hands, and something was about to burst out of his body!
Almost subconsciously, he remembered Tang San's tightly clenched left hand.
A thought flashed through my mind in a split second—hide!
Just as his martial soul was about to take shape, Tang Ren suddenly put his left hand behind his back, covering it with his body!
At the same time, he raised his right hand!
In an instant, all the light receded and surged toward his right palm.
A small sapling, its entire body gleaming like it was cast in gold, floated quietly in his palm.
The sapling was no more than three inches tall, with gnarled branches that exuded a sense of strength. A few tender, emerald-green leaves unfurled, radiating a life force that was refreshing and invigorating.
"This...this is..." Su Yuntao stared in disbelief at the small, emerald-gold tree he had never seen before.
With such a grand display, this is the result? Although it looks more magnificent than Blue Silver Grass, isn't it still a plant-based martial soul in essence?
"Sigh!" Su Yuntao sighed heavily, his face full of heartache.
"What a waste of such a big effort!"
He handed over the crystal ball listlessly: "Let's test your soul power."
Tang Ren placed his right hand on it as instructed.
The next second, an even more dazzling and purer blue light erupted!
The light was so intense that it even caused a brief stinging sensation in Su Yuntao's eyes!
"Another...another one with innate full soul power!!" Su Yuntao's voice was already trembling with sobs, and he felt his heart clenching.
What day is it today?
In this remote and impoverished village of Holy Soul, two geniuses with innate full soul power, a rarity even in a century, have emerged in succession!
But... but one of their martial souls is the universally acknowledged useless Blue Silver Grass, and the other is an unheard-of emerald-gold sapling. They probably aren't much stronger either!
What a waste! This is simply the cruelest waste of resources in the world!
After the awakening ceremony ended, Su Yuntao, distraught, told the anxious old Jack outside the door the results. When he heard that two of the children were born with full soul power, the old Jack was so moved that tears streamed down his face.
But when he heard that his martial soul was Blue Silver Grass and an unfamiliar sapling, the smile on his face instantly froze.
Su Yuntao did not linger any longer and left Holy Soul Village quickly, filled with regret and resentment.
Inside the wooden house, only Tang Ren and his three brothers remained.
Tang San stood still, staring intently at Tang Ren. For the first time, a crack appeared on his usually composed face.
Shock, confusion, bewilderment... a mix of emotions swirled in his eyes.
He couldn't understand why his older brother, whom he had always considered mediocre, could also possess innate full soul power!
He had at least cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Technique in advance, which was why he possessed innate full soul power.
"Could it be that my talent is really inferior to this older brother's?" For the first time, Tang San began to doubt himself.
Tang Ren felt the two distinct yet perfectly coexisting forces within his body, and then glanced at Tang San's shocked face in the distance.
A barely perceptible smile appeared on Tang Ren's lips.