"Awakening my martial soul? It was finally about to begin. I wondered whether my martial soul would be Mom's Iron Wire or Dad's Iron Box."
Nan Xuan thought about it, then dismissed the idea. Whatever martial soul he awakened would be what it was. He was not worried about Innate Soul Power either. If his talent was good, he would become a soul master and cultivate properly. If it was poor, he would just scrape out a living.
That night.
"Ugh, I can't sleep. I'm still a little excited." Nan Xuan tossed and turned in bed, without the slightest bit of sleepiness.
"I hope my parents from this life and my past life are watching over me from heaven. Please bless me with good talent tomorrow. I can accept being ordinary, but since I've transmigrated here, I want to go out and see the world." Nan Xuan knelt on his bed, gazed at the moon, and prayed.
Early the next morning, the village chief came to gather everyone.
There were around ten children in Iron Box Village who were the same age as Nan Xuan. The village chief led them to the entrance of the village's Spirit Hall, where they waited for the Lord Soul Master who would awaken their martial souls.
Before long, a middle-aged man dressed in a white robe arrived.
Purple energy appeared in the white-robed man's hand. He placed his hand on the door of the village Spirit Hall, and as dust shook loose, the door opened.
"Everyone, go inside," the middle-aged man said to the children.
The village chief bowed to the middle-aged man.
The man waved his hand and walked inside. The door closed behind him.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Su Haisheng. I am a white-robed deacon of a Spirit Hall branch, as well as a twenty-seven-rank Soul Grandmaster at the age of thirty-five. My martial soul is Lone Wolf. All right, let me awaken your martial souls now." Su Haisheng briefly introduced himself before beginning the awakenings.
Wait, could he be the father of Su Yuntao, that blind Douluo? That guy was famously blind. Could it be hereditary? After all, his martial soul is Lone Wolf. What if he really only has one eye? Nan Xuan silently mocked as he watched Su Haisheng awaken the others' martial souls.
"Iron Box. No Soul Power. Next."
"Sickle. No Soul Power. Next."
"Iron Box..."
"Iron Box... no... Hm?" Su Haisheng's eyes widened. This Iron Box was a little different.
Nan Xuan stared at the martial soul in his right hand in shock as well.
A black box with three metal wires attached behind it—wasn't that a Wireless Router?
Well, damn. An Iron Box plus Iron Wire really could make this thing. Does this count as a mutated martial soul? Nan Xuan silently pondered the origin of his martial soul.
"Little friend, tell me the name of your martial soul. This shouldn't be an Iron Box, right?" Su Haisheng asked as he looked at the martial soul in Nan Xuan's hand.
"Respected Lord Soul Master, my martial soul is called a Wireless Router," Nan Xuan replied calmly while looking at Su Haisheng.
Su Haisheng thought it over and realized that Spirit Hall had never awakened a similar martial soul before. He then said, "All right. Let's first see your Innate Soul Power."
Following Su Haisheng's instructions, Nan Xuan put away his martial soul and pressed his hand against a crystal ball. Light immediately burst forth in all directions.
"Innate Full Soul Power? Heavens!" Su Haisheng was startled by the sight before him. This was the first time in his career awakening martial souls that he had encountered Innate Full Soul Power.
"Innate Full Soul Power?" Nan Xuan muttered.
"Oh, it seems you don't know what Innate Full Soul Power is. It means that your Soul Power was already at rank ten the moment you awakened. What others need years of cultivation to achieve, you were born with. Once you obtain a soul ring, you'll become a soul master." Seeing Nan Xuan's expression, Su Haisheng patiently explained.
"So that's how it is. I'm that amazing?" Nan Xuan's acting was not bad. At the very least, all those television dramas from his previous life had not gone to waste.
This is a genius seedling. Even if I don't know what his martial soul is, his talent is right there. If I arrange for him to join Spirit Hall, it'll be a major achievement. Looking at Nan Xuan, Su Haisheng began making calculations in his heart.
"Innate Full Soul Power. Looks like I have the talent; all I'm missing is hard work. In that case, let me make something of myself in Douluo Continent. Hahaha." Nan Xuan could not help feeling excited as he looked at his talent.
"Child, child, wake up." Su Haisheng looked at Nan Xuan, who was grinning foolishly, and felt a little worried. It was rare for such an "achievement" to appear—he hoped the boy was not an idiot.
Seeing Su Haisheng calling to him, Nan Xuan came back to his senses and said, "Do you have a question, Lord Soul Master?"
Seeing Nan Xuan like this, Su Haisheng was relieved.
"Child, I want to ask you something. Are you willing to join Spirit Hall?" Su Haisheng asked directly.
Hm? This isn't how the usual routine goes. Nan Xuan considered it for a moment.
"And what benefits would I get from joining Spirit Hall?" Nan Xuan asked tentatively from his own perspective.
"Given your talent, after I report you to headquarters, if they approve it, you can study at Spirit Hall Academy. Your tuition will be fully waived, and food and lodging will be provided. Teachers will help you hunt soul rings, and you'll also receive certain subsidies. Nuoding City will give you a reward as well." Su Haisheng laid out Spirit Hall's basic advantages, leaving it to Nan Xuan whether to agree.
"What if Spirit Hall headquarters doesn't approve? Wouldn't I have waited for nothing and lost my chance to attend school?" Nan Xuan scratched the back of his head as he asked.
"Don't worry about that. Even if you aren't approved, Spirit Hall will arrange everything for you. After all, losing any genius would be a tremendous loss for Spirit Hall." Su Haisheng smiled, signaling for him not to worry.
Nan Xuan pretended to think for a while before agreeing. "All right, then. I agree."
Hearing this answer, Su Haisheng was overjoyed.
But he did not forget the important matter. "All right. There are still three months until school begins. If you are approved, I will come notify you during that time, and someone will be sent to take you to Spirit City to register."
"Mm, then I'll have to trouble you, Lord Soul Master." Nan Xuan wore a delighted expression, making him look as though he had picked up an enormous bargain.
Nan Xuan glanced at Su Haisheng and silently mocked him. He's not blind at all. Why would Su Yuntao turn out like that later?
As for his feigned hesitation over whether to join Spirit Hall, he and Su Haisheng were simply taking what each wanted.
Besides, he needed to get as many benefits as possible. He was poor right now, after all.
"Congratulations, Village Chief Nan Lu. Your village has produced a genius with Innate Full Soul Power. We should keep in closer contact from now on." Su Haisheng wanted to use the village chief to strengthen his relationship with Nan Xuan.
"Lord Soul Master, you aren't pulling my leg, are you?" Nan Lu, the village chief of Iron Box Village, asked with a forced smile.
"Oh, it's nothing like that. I won't say more. Go ask for yourself. I have matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first." Su Haisheng did not linger. He still needed to hurry and report the information.
The village chief casually stopped one of the children who had come out and asked, "Er Gou, who among you awakened Innate Full Soul Power?"
Startled by the village chief's sudden question, the little boy nervously stammered, "It... it was Nan Xuan. He awakened a strange martial soul, but the Lord Soul Master said he had Innate Full Soul Power."
The little boy cast an envious glance behind him before leaving.
When the village chief saw Nan Xuan come out, he hurried over and asked, "Xuan, did you really awaken Innate Full Soul Power?"
Seeing the eager look in the village chief's eyes, Nan Xuan smiled and told him, "Yes, Grandpa Village Chief. My martial soul is called a Wireless Router, and I have Innate Full Soul Power."
As he spoke, he summoned his martial soul once more.
"Good, good! Although your martial soul is a little strange, it should be related to the inherited martial souls of our Iron Box Village. When we get back, I'll show you the records left by several generations of village chiefs. I hope they'll be of some help to you." Looking at the black Iron Box and Iron Wire in Nan Xuan's hand, the village chief did not know what a Wireless Router was, but Innate Full Soul Power made him immensely happy.
"Mm, thank you, Grandpa Village Chief." Nan Xuan looked at him and understood what he was thinking. As the head of a village, of course he hoped more soul masters would emerge from it.
"Oh, right, Grandpa Village Chief. I just accepted Lord Soul Master Su Haisheng's invitation and joined Spirit Hall. If my talent catches the attention of the higher-ups in Spirit City, I can go directly to Spirit City to study." Nan Xuan did not hide the matter. They would find out sooner or later anyway.
"Joining Spirit Hall? That's not bad either. Spirit Hall treats commoners quite well. They awaken martial souls for free and provide subsidies. I'll be more at ease with you going there, though it is a little far from home." The village chief spoke slowly, but his expression was incredibly animated.
The village chief's expression shifted between contemplation, joy, and concern, making Nan Xuan feel deeply touched. This was something only family would feel—they hoped you would have a bright future, yet worried that you would be too far from home to take care of yourself.
Nan Xuan rubbed the corner of his eye with his right hand, then looked up and smiled at the village chief. "Don't worry, Grandpa. I'll definitely take good care of myself. Can't you trust me?"
"Hahaha, that's true. You're the bravest and most sensible child in our village." Nan Xuan's tone made the village chief laugh. After saying a few more things, he returned home and gave him a copy of the Chronicles of Past Village Chiefs—the soul master edition—for him to read on his own.
Nan Xuan accepted the book and thanked him. The village chief then left.
Nan Xuan sat cross-legged on his bed, spread the book over his lap, and began carefully reading through it.
"The fifteenth village chief of Iron Box Village, Nan Men. Rank-twelve soul master. Martial soul: Iron Box. Ten-year soul ring skill: expands the space inside the Iron Box."
"The eighteenth village chief of Iron Box Village, Nan Chuang. Rank-fourteen soul master. Martial soul: Iron Box. Ten-year soul ring skill: expands the space inside the Iron Box."
"The nineteenth village chief of Iron Box Village, Nan Lu. Did not awaken Soul Power."
"The twentieth acting village chief of Iron Box Village, Nan Tian. Rank-twenty-two Soul Grandmaster. Martial soul: Iron Box. Ten-year soul skill: expands the space inside the Iron Box. Hundred-year soul skill: Iron Box Materialization. Note: deceased."
Nan Xuan turned to the last page and looked at the summaries of the past village chiefs, as well as his father's position as acting village chief. He felt somewhat emotional.
Nan Xuan calmed himself, cast aside his previous thoughts, and summoned his martial soul, the Wireless Router.
"My martial soul has quite a few traits. Although it has no attribute, these traits should be one of a kind in Douluo Continent." Nan Xuan sensed the information transmitted by his martial soul and grinned.
Martial soul: Wireless Router Traits: Detection and Concealment, Spirit Amplification, Spatial Storage, Digitization, Materialization
"Materialization and Spatial Storage are similar to the Iron Box martial soul. The others probably came from my martial soul combining Mom and Dad's martial souls before mutating. It looks like my martial soul won't follow the assault-type path. As for its exact classification, that will depend on my soul skills. It would be best if I could make use of its martial soul traits, or that would be a waste."
"But my Spatial Storage apparently can't store objects. It can only store spiritual bodies. That's a bit of a shame."
Nan Xuan put away his martial soul and began combining it with the skills from his electromechanical profession to devise ideas for it.
He spent more than two months on that design work. Then, on this very day, Su Haisheng hurriedly delivered a letter—the Martial Soul Primary Academy Invitation.
Urged along by Su Haisheng, Nan Xuan packed up casually, bid farewell to the village chief, left Iron Box Village, and headed for Spirit City.
At the gates of Spirit City, a simple carriage was parked by the roadside, but no one got out.
"Nan Xuan, this is the reward subsidy from the Spirit Hall branch of Nuoding City: three hundred Gold Soul Coins. As long as you bring that Martial Soul Primary Soul Master Academy invitation to the designated academy to register, your tuition, meal costs, and lodging will all be free. However, those benefits will only be provided until you reach rank thirty and become a Soul Elder. After that, whether you can attend an intermediate academy or even an advanced academy will depend on your own efforts. I also hope our province can produce a high-level soul master." Su Haisheng took out a bag of Gold Soul Coins from his pocket inside the carriage, handed it to Nan Xuan, and reminded him once again.
"Lord Soul Master Su Haisheng, thank you for bringing me to Spirit City, and thank you for believing in me. I will definitely walk the path of the strong at least once." Seeing Su Haisheng's serious expression, Nan Xuan jumped down from the carriage and spoke resolutely.
"Haha, is that so? Then I'll wait for the day you become famous." Su Haisheng laughed, turned the carriage around, and left.
"Cough, cough." Watching Su Haisheng leave, Nan Xuan gave a light cough and thought that although what he had said just now was rather cringe-worthy, it was indeed the truth.
Following the address on the invitation, Nan Xuan found the Martial Soul Primary Soul Master Academy. He went to the registration office and submitted the academy invitation.
The teacher at the registration office looked over the introduction on the invitation and saw Innate Full Soul Power. As for the martial soul, he had never seen one like it. Still, according to academy regulations, anyone with Innate Soul Power above rank six had to be assigned to the same class, since they were all future geniuses of Spirit Hall.
"Mm, take this to the logistics office to collect your school uniform. Your class and dormitory number are written on it, so look for yourself. And remember to follow the academy rules." After looking it over for a while, the registration teacher took out a sheet of paper, filled in the information, stamped it, reminded Nan Xuan, and waved for him to leave.
Before you continue