Awakening the Martial Soul

In the Holy Soul Village, a village on the outskirts of Nuoding City in the Fasinuo Province of the Heaven Dou Empire, Jiang Huai was lying on his bed in a dilapidated thatched cottage, waiting for Village Chief Jack to come and pick him up.

Jiang Huai was a fine young man of the new era. In his past life on Blue Star, he came from a very poor family; the family's monthly income had to be used to pay for his tuition, and there were several younger sisters to support as well.

Jiang Huai earned his high school tuition through part-time jobs, and he also earned his living expenses for university with his own two hands. However, with the father's salary supporting the three younger sisters at home, the father was already struggling to bear the burden.

After graduating from university, Jiang Huai went out to work. Once his sisters had all graduated from high school, Jiang Huai finally relieved the academic financial pressure on his family.

One day, Jiang Huai walked into a McDonald's alone to buy a hamburger. Due to his family's circumstances, he was thirty-two years old before he finally ate his first hamburger.

But this hamburger contained some ingredients that shouldn't have been there, which caused Jiang Huai to lose consciousness as soon as he finished eating it and lay down on his bed at home.

The moment he opened his eyes, he realized he had transmigrated. His soul had arrived in a small village on the outskirts of the Fasinuo Province in the Heaven Dou Empire on the Douluo Continent, and his soul had entered the body of a child who had died not long ago.

Furthermore, he was taken back to Holy Soul Village by Village Chief Jack to be raised, and the chief even gathered the skilled craftsmen of the village to build him a small thatched cottage.

When Jiang Huai began to walk, the villagers started to support him collectively, meaning Jiang Huai grew up eating from a hundred families.

Jiang Huai was also very self-reliant. Usually, if there was nothing to eat at home, he wouldn't go to other people's houses. Basically, as long as there were ingredients at home, he would light the stove and cook for himself. Jiang Huai was born with a talent for cooking; he made delicious food and had excellent knife skills.

When Jiang Huai was five years old, because his body was so small, he almost accidentally fell into the cooking pot.

It was the young Tang San who happened to be passing by and pulled Jiang Huai back; otherwise, Jiang Huai would have truly turned into stir-fried pork with green peppers.

Jiang Huai and Tang San became best friends because of this, and Tang San would always give Jiang Huai some of the wild herbs he gathered.

Jiang Huai was young and lived alone, so Tang San kindly gave him some wild vegetables.

Soon, the year they turned six arrived. Jiang Huai was in his house, waving a wooden sword in his hand.

Jiang Huai had been a sword enthusiast in his past life. His daily morning sword practice also allowed him to feel something flowing within his body.

Tang San also often practiced the Mysterious Heaven Skill on the rocks behind Holy Soul Village, and every time he finished, he would see Jiang Huai practicing swordplay at his doorstep, covered in sweat.

This afternoon was the Martial Soul Awakening Day for Holy Soul Village. Every child who reached the age of six had to have their Martial Soul awakened with the help of the Martial Soul Hall. Moreover, the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire, and the Martial Soul Hall would irregularly count the number of people with and without Martial Souls.

At 3:30 PM, Village Chief Jack arrived outside Jiang Huai's house. Village Chief Jack was advanced in age and often walked with a hunched back.

When Jiang Huai was practicing swordplay outside his house and saw Jack, he would go up to support the village chief home.

Hearing the knocking at the door, Jiang Huai walked over with his short legs and opened the door.

Jiang Huai respectfully called out, "Grandpa Jack," and Village Chief Jack smiled and patted his head.

Jiang Huai tidied up his house, changed into a new set of clothes, and then closed the door to follow Village Chief Jack to Tang San's house.

Just as they arrived outside Tang San's house, Jiang Huai stepped forward and knocked on the door. They heard the sound of a ceramic bowl crashing to the ground inside.

Before long, the door opened. The person who opened it was a disheveled man with a beard who reeked of a foul odor. Jiang Huai looked up and politely said, "Uncle Tang Hao."

This was because the wooden sword Jiang Huai carried was carved by Tang Hao. At the time, Jiang Huai was young but already knew how to brew wine with grain, and he would go up the mountain with Tang San to collect wild vegetables every so often.

Usually, the branches of all sizes on the mountain paths would disappear; if you went to Jiang Huai's house, you would see the room full of branches. Every morning, when Jiang Huai didn't have his wooden sword, he would use a branch as a sword.

Tang Hao had also inadvertently tasted a sip of the 8+1 grain wine Jiang Huai brewed. After that one sip, Tang Hao immediately felt that the wine he had drunk over the past few years had been a waste.

Village Chief Jack walked to Jiang Huai's side, patted his head, and smiled at him. Then, he looked up at Tang Hao, his expression turning displeased as he said, "Where is Little San? I've come to take him to awaken his Martial Soul."

Hearing this, Tang Hao's body trembled. He thought of the scene where Ah Yin, the Blue Silver Emperor, sacrificed herself. As a Title Douluo, his heart was afraid; he was afraid that his son would awaken the Blue Silver Grass and have no soul power.

Tang Hao said stubbornly, "He's not going! What use is a Martial Soul? With the time it takes to awaken a Martial Soul, he might as well cook me a few more meals."

Hearing this, Jack's face turned angry. "What do you know? A Martial Soul is an indispensable part of us. If Little San awakens a Martial Soul with soul power, then we can send him to a Soul Master Academy to study. Once he graduates, he will be a person above others."

Tang Hao hesitated, wondering whether he should let Tang San go. At this moment, Jiang Huai spoke up: "Uncle Tang Hao, take him with you. What if he awakens a powerful Martial Soul? Even if it's not a powerful one, there's no loss, right?"

Hearing this, Tang Hao was swayed. "That's true. Then you can go to the back mountain; Little San goes there to train every day."

After Tang Hao finished speaking, he closed the door. Although he did it gently for fear of scaring Jiang Huai, he still used some force at the end.

Just then, Tang San walked back and saw Village Chief Jack cursing outside his house. Tang San also noticed Jiang Huai standing at his door and walked over quickly, asking, "What's wrong, Ah Huai?"

Jiang Huai looked at him and said, "You're finally back. Let's go awaken our Martial Souls."

Tang San asked in confusion, "Wha—what Martial Soul?"

Jiang Huai didn't waste any more breath on him and pulled him toward the village's Martial Soul Hall. Jack waved his hand with a smile from behind: "Wait for me, children!"

Jiang Huai and Tang San stopped to wait for Jack, and soon the three of them were walking side by side on the road.

Before long, Village Chief Jack led them to a somewhat dilapidated wooden house that no one tended to. Not long after Jiang Huai and the others arrived, the villagers also brought their children of age to the spot.

Suddenly, something unusual appeared on the roof of the dilapidated house. You and Tang San looked up at the same time, but the two of you observed in different ways: Tang San used his Purple Demon Eye, while you were able to see the newcomer clearly with your naked eyes.

The man wore a white robe embroidered with the character "Soul," representing the Martial Soul Hall. As soon as he landed, he looked at Jack and said, "How many children in your Holy Soul Village are awakening their Martial Souls this year?"

Jack bowed and said, "Lord Soul Master, there are eleven children in our Holy Soul Village awakening their Martial Souls this year."