Dream Begins in Holy Soul Village (Newbie Asking for Votes TvT)

Dream Begins in Holy Soul Village (Newbie Asking for Votes!!! TvT)

(PS: Brain storage area. I'm a newcomer and have been seriously filling in the settings and writing the plot, so please don't stubbornly nitpick certain things! Please comment civilly!)

Douluo Year 2607, southwest Heaven Dou Empire, Fasino Province, Holy Soul Village.

A little-known village named after the Soul Saint who had once come from it.

A six-year-old boy lay lazily on a lawn covered in Blue Silver Grass, staring blankly at the sky with a tender blade of Blue Silver Grass between his teeth.

"So boring. My original world was much more comfortable. I only stayed up for three days and three nights writing my postgraduate entrance exam thesis—how did that make me die from sudden cardiac arrest? The older generation could stay awake for seven days and nights. Sigh, I've disgraced my forebears." Ye Wen muttered to himself.

That was right. This boy was what people commonly called a transmigrator. In his previous life, he had been a top student pursuing graduate studies in order to write a medical thesis. Unfortunately, his body had been a little too frail. After staying up for three days and nights, he had overdone it, died suddenly, and transmigrated to Douluo Continent.

As a well-known domestic IP, even Ye Wen, who had focused wholeheartedly on studying, had at least read this novel.

It was worth mentioning that, like Tang San, Ye Wen had transmigrated as a soul. Unfortunately, after six years of life here, Ye Wen had realized that he was probably much more unlucky than Tang San.

First, Ye Wen had confirmed that this was indeed the era of Douluo Continent I. However, the timeline was likely several decades before Tang San's birth. As for how Ye Wen knew this despite living in a remote village, it was naturally because he occasionally followed the village chief into Nuoding City to run errands. Even in a remote small city, the Three Upper Sects remained famous, while the lofty Pope of Spirit Hall was named Qian Xunji.

Furthermore, Ye Wen's previous life had been a standard Era of Dharma Decline. He did not have some cultivation method like the Mysterious Heaven Skill in his mind. Normally, he could only rely on the most basic physical training and better food to make his body stronger. As for Innate Full Soul Power, he could forget about it.

Then there was his background. Tang San could be said to have started with a max-level family background. His mother was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, while his father was a direct descendant of the Clear Sky Sect, one of the Three Upper Sects.

Ye Wen had it much worse. His mother had died in childbirth when giving birth to him, and she had only been an ordinary person. His father had been a Soul Elder, but he had also been a conceited fool. Three years ago, during the war between Heaven Dou and Star Luo, he had gone to the battlefield with several Soul Master friends to earn military merit, hoping to become a military noble.

Unfortunately, he had indeed fallen on the battlefield. After all, on this Douluo Continent, where Soul Elders were everywhere and Soul Saints roamed the streets, a support-type Soul Elder on the battlefield was basically pork tossed into a meat grinder. He was bound to be minced.

As for compensation for dying in battle, forget it. Although the original work had not specifically described the social conditions of Douluo Continent I, it was fine to broadly compare it to the Western Middle Ages and Eastern feudal dynasties. After all, even a Primary Academy in the original work had nobles bullying commoner Work-Study Students. There was no need to mention this even more chaotic era.

So now, Ye Wen lived with the village chief. It was worth mentioning that the current village chief was actually Ye Wen's grandfather, not the Old Jack from the original story.

The village chief was named Ye Buyi, a one-ring Soul Master whose current combat ability could be ignored.

Therefore, Ye Wen did not have a very optimistic view of his future. First came the Martial Soul Awakening that would determine his fate, which was happening today. Ye Wen felt that his chances of becoming a Soul Master were probably fifty-fifty.

While flipping through his family genealogy out of boredom, Ye Wen had discovered that his ancestors were descendants of the Soul Saint spoken of in Holy Soul Village.

However, no matter how good a bloodline was, without a corresponding high-quality bloodline to reproduce with, it would eventually grow thin. Still, rare cases of Mutated Martial Souls did exist on Douluo Continent.

Unfortunately, good examples were too few. For instance, a certain famous Grandmaster's fart Martial Soul was simply outrageous.

"Xiaowen, it's time to go." Ye Buyi walked over shakily.

"Got it, Grandpa." Ye Wen brushed the Blue Silver Grass off himself and briskly walked over to support Ye Buyi.

Ye Buyi wore old, patched clothes, and his entire body seemed steeped in the twilight gloom of someone who could scatter in the wind at any moment.

After the war between the two great empires ended and his own son failed to return, the old man had become utterly disheartened. If Ye Wen, his grandson, had not remained by his side, he likely would have passed away long ago.

Grandfather and grandson supported each other as they walked to the small Spirit Hall in the village. Though it was called Spirit Hall, it was really just a larger, tidy wooden house. It was a small building Spirit Hall had specifically constructed to help commoners awaken their Martial Souls, basic infrastructure found in every village.

"Go in, Xiaowen. Your life will begin here." Ye Buyi wore a longing smile as he spoke lovingly.

Ye Wen silently nodded and walked inside.

Soon after, several children from the village also entered curiously.

At that moment, a burly man wearing the standard uniform of Spirit Hall entered and spoke sternly.

"Silence. Everyone, line up!"

There was no overwhelming pressure descending upon them, but his stern expression and burly frame still made the five children present tremble as they hurriedly formed a line.

"My name is Su Zhenhua. I am a Level 26 Soul Grandmaster, and I will guide you. Now, I will awaken each of your Martial Souls in turn. Remember, no matter what happens, do not be afraid."

As he spoke, Su Zhenhua opened his bundle on a nearby table and removed two items: six pitch-black round stones and a shining blue crystal ball.

Su Zhenhua placed the six black stones one by one into the grooves of the hexagram formation on the ground. Then he gestured for the first child to stand within it.

"Don't be afraid. Close your eyes and feel carefully." As he spoke, Su Zhenhua's eyes suddenly lit up. Under the children's horrified gazes, he gave a low shout. "Lone Wolf, possess!"

Standing in the middle of the line, Ye Wen watched this scene and could not help but complain inwardly, Well, damn. You people inherited the family business and have been passing it down through a single line for generations, huh?

That was right. Hearing that name and seeing that Martial Soul, Ye Wen could not help thinking of Su Yuntao from the original story, the comic relief known as the Blind Douluo who had helped Tang San awaken his Martial Soul. After all, Tang San, whom Su Yuntao had looked down upon, had eventually become a god.

GENDER: Su Yuntao: male

Su Yuntao thought, Damn it! My reputation was ruined before I was even born!

The Martial Soul Awakening and testing proceeded quickly. Before long, it was Ye Wen's turn.

The two children before him had awakened a sickle and a hoe respectively, but unfortunately, both were useless Martial Souls without Soul Power.

My turn, my turn. Whether I succeed or fail in life, whether I get to eat and drink well, it all comes down to this. Jade Emperor, bless me. Three Pure Ones, bless me. Amitabha Buddha, bless me. Hallelujah, bless me!

"Come forward," Su Zhenhua said flatly.

Ye Wen calmed himself and slowly stepped onto the awakening formation. Su Zhenhua repeated the process, activating the Soul Power in his body and pouring it into the six black stones to activate the formation. A faint golden light enveloped Ye Wen.

This time, however, the golden light was clearly much more abundant than it had been for the children who had not awakened Soul Power. A flicker of delight appeared in Su Zhenhua's eyes. Although he could not judge how strong Ye Wen's awakened Martial Soul was, Ye Wen definitely had Soul Power. His bonus was secured now.

Ye Wen frowned slightly. A force within his body emerged uncontrollably from his right hand. Immediately afterward, a Black Shadow appeared, and a square piece of black cloth roughly one meter on each side materialized before him.

A silvery-white circular pattern also appeared on the back of Ye Wen's right hand.

At the center of the pattern was a twisted slanted square, with what seemed to be a vortex in its middle.

Seeing this pattern, Ye Wen immediately understood. This was the Spirit Mark mentioned in the manga version of Douluo, something original to the manga. That meant this Douluo World also had True Body Armor. That was rather exciting. After all, what boy could resist the temptation of cool armor?

But why had he never noticed it in the village before? Could it be that everyone was used to hiding them? Hmm, Grandpa should have a method for that. He would ask him when they got home.

Su Zhenhua frowned as he looked at this Martial Soul and thought, A rag? It's a little large, but a rag doesn't seem useful as a Tool Martial Soul for battle.

(PS: Martial Souls came in all sorts of strange forms, and Spirit Marks varied just as widely. Other than commonly known Martial Souls that had been recorded, the rest were named by Soul Masters themselves. Thus, Su Zhenhua could not be bothered to reexamine this unremarkable Mutated Martial Soul.)

Still, as the public face of Spirit Hall among commoners, Su Zhenhua remained composed and spoke slowly.

"Extend your left hand and test your Soul Power."

Ye Wen followed instinctively. Due to the formation, his head was still buzzing a little. Yet Ye Wen did not merely feel that he had a piece of cloth in his hand—there also seemed to be something in his left hand.

The instant his hand was about to touch the crystal ball, Ye Wen understood what was happening.

Holy shit! These symptoms mean I have Twin Martial Souls! And Twin Martial Souls mean both Martial Souls are at least high-end, top-grade ones. If I reveal that now, there's an eighty percent chance I'll be dragged to Spirit Hall for training. Then all sorts of bullshit will happen around me. No, my goal is to lie low and grow stronger, staying away from unnecessary disputes.

I have to avoid that risk. Right, I must have Innate Full Soul Power. But what is the essence of Soul Power? I don't have the Mysterious Heaven Skill to sense so-called internal force, but if I follow this world's cultivation system, then the Meditation Method means Soul Power cultivation relies on an extension of thought. If I want to control my Soul Power now, I can only use self-suggestion. Damn it, I'm going for it.

Ye Wen instinctively placed the black cloth behind him. The black cloth began flickering in and out as though it would vanish at any moment. The Soul Power that had originally surged forth also began to thin, while the crystal ball in Su Zhenhua's hand emitted a faint glow. However, its light seemed somewhat unstable.

Su Zhenhua did not think much of it, merely assuming that the child before him could not yet properly control his Soul Power.

Surprise flashed through Su Zhenhua's eyes as he said, "Innate Soul Power Level Four. Not bad, not bad. Work hard, kid. You may have a chance of becoming a Soul Ancestor in the future."

Su Zhenhua was in a good mood at the moment. Over the past few days, he had awakened Martial Souls in several villages in a row, yet not a single child had possessed the qualifications to become a Soul Master. His job bonus was closely tied to the number of children with Soul Master aptitude he awakened.

Fortunately, the room had already been dim, and everyone present had been drawn to the light of the awakening formation. No one noticed the faint layer of platinum-gold Spirit Mark on Ye Wen's left hand. Su Zhenhua, who was presiding over the Martial Soul Awakening, did not see it at all due to his angle. Afterward, Ye Wen consciously kept his left hand hidden as well.

It had been a close call, but he had finally muddled through the awakening ceremony.

Once the ceremony ended, Ye Buyi impatiently stepped forward outside the door and asked Ye Wen.

"How did it go, Xiaowen?"

Seeing the expectation in Ye Buyi's eyes, Ye Wen smiled happily. "I awakened a piece of cloth, Grandpa, and I have Innate Soul Power Level Four. Master Su said I can cultivate to become a Soul Ancestor in the future, even stronger than Dad."

Tears filled the corners of Ye Buyi's eyes, and his lips trembled as he involuntarily murmured again and again, "The Ye Family's inheritance hasn't ended. It hasn't ended. It hasn't ended."

At this moment, Su Zhenhua emerged after packing up his things. He was already accustomed to the sight of such an excited old man. For a remote rural village that might not produce even one Soul Master in eighteen generations, having a child with cultivation talent was simply a gift from the Angel God.

"Old sir, this is the child's test certificate. Nuoding Academy will begin classes in one month, so remember to send him there. Don't worry, it won't cost money. Our Spirit Hall promotes the Work-Study Student system throughout the continent. As long as the child does what he can at the academy, he can offset both tuition and meal costs. And if this child reaches Level Ten and obtains a Soul Ring in the future, remember to bring him to Spirit Hall in Nuoding City to register his Soul Master rank. He can also receive a subsidy of one Gold Soul Coin every month."

Su Zhenhua clearly regarded Ye Buyi as an ignorant old commoner and carefully explained everything.

Ye Buyi, overwhelmed with excitement, had no desire to interrupt him. He simply nodded over and over, saying, "Good, good, good."

After Su Zhenhua left, Ye Buyi joyfully brought Ye Wen back to their old brick house.

Even after living in this house for six years, Ye Wen could not help but criticize the era's glaring wealth gap. It was no less severe than that of ancient feudal dynasties. Even this brick house was already the best house in Holy Soul Village. The other villagers lived either in wooden houses or mud houses. It was simply unbearable to look at.

Ye Buyi first had Ye Wen enter the house. Then he carefully looked around outside twice before locking the door tightly.

Seeing this behavior, Ye Wen was greatly surprised. It was obvious that his grandfather wanted to give him something extremely important, something valuable enough that it could not be exposed.

Ye Buyi entered the inner room, moved aside an old cabinet, and finally revealed a hidden compartment in the floor.

Seeing this, Ye Wen was also a little astonished. He had not expected such an ordinary home to have a place like this to hide things. But then he remembered that his family seemed to count as a modest Soul Master family. Having some family assets that needed hiding did not seem strange.

"Grandpa, what is this?" Ye Wen asked curiously.

Ye Buyi did not answer Ye Wen's question immediately. Instead, he gazed tenderly at the small box, barely a foot square, before him.

Slowly opening it, he revealed not only a small booklet, but also a large bag of Gold Soul Coins and a crude ring.

"Xiaowen, although your father and I did not have much cultivation talent, our ancestors were still a prominent family that had produced a Soul Saint. We have some family assets after all. But a man's wealth can bring disaster, so for all these years, our family has presented itself as fairly poor to the outside world.

"This booklet contains the Meditation Method left behind by that Soul Saint ancestor of ours. It is the Meditation Method best suited to our clan's Will Headband Martial Soul. Although the Martial Souls we awaken are those of support-type Soul Masters, as long as we have this Meditation Method, our cultivation speed will definitely not be inferior to that of other Tool Martial Soul Soul Masters.

"Unfortunately, I only had Innate Soul Power of half a level. Even with this technique, I could not reach the realm of a Soul Grandmaster in my entire life. Your father had better talent than me, but he was dragged onto the battlefield by that damned empire while still so young. Sigh."

As Ye Buyi recounted the glory of his ancestors, he also lamented his own poor fortune and the tragedy of Ye Wen's father. If he had been a Strength Attack System Battle Soul Master, perhaps he could have escaped forced conscription. Unfortunately, the Martial Soul inherited by their family belonged to the Support System. By the time they received the news, they had not even been able to run.

However, when Ye Wen heard Ye Buyi say that his Innate Soul Power had only been half a level, he could not help recalling that useless Grandmaster, Yu Xiaogang. He too had possessed only half a level of Innate Soul Power, yet had still cultivated all the way to Level 29 through his family's resources. The difference between nobles and commoners truly was like heaven and earth.

Then Ye Wen remembered that his Martial Soul did not seem to be that Will Headband thing. Embarrassed, he interrupted Ye Buyi. "Um, Grandpa, the Martial Soul I awakened doesn't seem to be the Will Headband you mentioned."

Ye Buyi, who had just been overflowing with thoughts and ready to speak endlessly, suddenly froze. He looked at Ye Wen in disbelief.

"What? Isn't your Martial Soul a piece of cloth?"

"It is a piece of cloth, but I feel like it has nothing to do with the Will Headband you mentioned. I can't explain it clearly right now. I'll summon it and let you take a look."

As he spoke, Ye Wen summoned his Martial Soul again.

Seeing this Martial Soul, Ye Buyi's expression turned serious. He could clearly sense that this piece of cloth was not the same thing as the Will Headband his family had inherited for generations. It seemed to contain a more mysterious force, and the unsummoned Will Headband within his body faintly felt suppressed.

"Xiaowen, does your Martial Soul have any special ability? After our family's Will Headband awakens, tying it around the head can make one's mind enter a slightly excited state," Ye Buyi said.

Ye Wen scratched his head. He had not examined his Martial Soul carefully before. After all, concealing his Soul Power during the test had cost him quite a few brain cells. Only now did Ye Wen begin carefully sensing his Martial Soul.

"It seems there's a space inside this piece of cloth that can store some inanimate objects? For now, I think I should call this Martial Soul Nab Cloth."

The strange and mystical sensation left Ye Wen unable to determine things for certain just yet. Ye Buyi, on the other hand, was much more decisive. He directly picked up a cup from the table and tossed it toward the cloth.

The moment the cup touched the black cloth, there was no sense of impact at all. It vanished directly, as though swallowed by the cloth.

Seeing this scene, Ye Buyi suddenly understood. He had attended school, after all, unlike those ignorant villagers who believed that if a child's Martial Soul differed from both parents', the child must be illegitimate. He knew that Martial Souls had an extremely rare special category called Mutated Martial Souls.

Clearly, his grandson had not awakened the Will Headband passed down through the family line, but had instead gained a Mutated Martial Soul through misfortune turned to fortune.

Perhaps Ye Buyi had forgotten much of his Soul Master knowledge after living in the countryside for too long. He thought hard for a long time about the subject of Martial Soul mutation. Finally, he dredged up memories from several decades ago.

Ye Buyi said in a grave voice, "Xiaowen, your Innate Soul Power should not be only Level Four, right?"

Ye Wen was very curious how Ye Buyi had known about his Soul Power, but his long-standing trust in his grandfather made him nod unconsciously. "Yes, Grandpa. You know I'm afraid of trouble, and you often told me about the way major factions on Douluo Continent deal with geniuses. So when I tested my Soul Power, I instinctively held some of it back, and the result only showed Level Four."

Hearing this answer, Ye Buyi revealed a gratified smile. Although his Soul Power was low, he had traveled the continent in his younger days. He could be considered knowledgeable and well-traveled.

He had seen countless cruel methods used by those great factions to gather talented people.

Ye Buyi was deeply pleased that his grandson had learned to hide his abilities rather than show off.

Recommending a friend's new book. It was just uploaded for the New Year and has already received a contract offer. Book friends who want to earn some coins can check it out: "Heavens: Douluo Is Not a Sewer."