"My Innate Soul Power is five."
"Not bad. Much stronger than mine was back then."
Su Yuntao smiled with satisfaction. In this small frontier town of the Heaven Dou Empire, five levels of Innate Soul Power was already quite impressive—enough to earn someone the title of genius.
Learning that his Innate Soul Power was five, Lan Si showed not the slightest surprise.
His situation now should be about the same as Tang San's in the original story. Tang San's Innate Full Soul Power came from practicing the Mysterious Heaven Skill, while Lan Si had only recently begun cultivating his two arts and hadn't even broken through the first layer. Once he felt he could no longer improve his arts, he should be able to reach level ten.
Su Yuntao crouched down and smiled at Lan Si. "Little brother, tell me, what's your name?"
"My name's Lan Si. Everyone calls me A-Si." Lan Si didn't act mature beyond his years.
In his previous life, he'd been targeted by the Bad Commander precisely because he'd drawn too much attention to himself. In the end, he'd paid for it with his life.
In this life, he'd decided that, in other people's eyes, he would act according to his age.
That way, he wouldn't repeat his old mistakes.
"A-Si, tell me: would you like to join Spirit Hall? If you do, you'll receive a monthly allowance. And once you break through to level ten, Spirit Hall can help you obtain a Soul Ring for free."
"Grandmaster Su Yuntao, I'd like to go home and ask my uncle first." Lan Si feigned fear and unease.
Though he was a commoner and had a favorable impression of Spirit Hall, he had too many secrets to let outsiders find out about them.
Besides, the potential shown by five levels of Innate Soul Power wouldn't earn him much attention, even if he joined Spirit Hall. He was better off growing on his own.
That would make it easier for him to plan for the future.
As for revealing his Twin Martial Souls?
Lan Si still wanted to live a little longer.
After all, in the original story, things like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect hunting down geniuses from rival forces happened all the time.
If you couldn't have it, destroy it.
That was practically an unspoken rule among the great powers of the Douluo Continent.
"All right, then. Here's your Martial Soul certificate. Once your family agrees, you can come find me at Spirit Hall anytime." Su Yuntao couldn't help looking disappointed at Lan Si's answer. He knew that in these circumstances, children rarely chose to join Spirit Hall.
Still, he didn't press the matter. After packing up the awakening equipment, he turned and led Lan Si outside.
"A-Si, how did it go?" The moment they left Spirit Hall, Otto hurried over and asked.
"Pretty well. My Martial Soul is a lotus with flames, and my Innate Soul Power is five." Lan Si smiled and handed over the Martial Soul certificate.
"A lotus with flames? Five levels of Innate Soul Power?" Otto read the information on the certificate, his breathing suddenly quickening. Overcome with excitement, he crouched down and gave Lan Si several bear hugs.
The Spirit Hall guard nearby watched with envy and couldn't help praising him. "Otto, you've got a fine nephew."
"Of course. My A-Si comes from a family of Soul Masters. Becoming one himself is a sure thing." Otto looked thoroughly pleased with himself.
Held in the arms of a burly, bearded man, Lan Si felt a chill run down his spine. He quickly changed the subject. "Uncle Otto, we should hurry home. Let's not stand in front of Spirit Hall, or Grandmaster Su Yuntao might see us and get angry."
"Haha, all right. Let's go." In high spirits, Otto took Lan Si by the hand and headed back to their lodgings.
As they walked down the street, Otto casually asked, "A-Si, your Innate Soul Power is already five. You only need to gain five more levels to get a Soul Ring. Did Grandmaster Su Yuntao invite you to join Spirit Hall?"
"He did, but I don't like being tied down. I want to go to Nuoding Academy," Lan Si replied.
Otto froze, then turned to Lan Si in surprise. After a moment, he sighed and patted his head. "So be it. If you don't want to join, then don't. You're my nephew. All I want is for you to stay safe. I've saved up a bit over the years running my blacksmith shop. It should be enough to get you through a junior Soul Master academy."
"Thank you, Uncle Otto. I'll repay you someday," Lan Si said firmly, warmth washing through his heart.
"Heh, it's enough that you feel that way." Otto's eyes grew a little moist, though he'd never expected Lan Si to repay him.
After all these years together, he'd long since come to think of Lan Si as his own son.
Now that he saw his son wanted to repay him someday, he was naturally deeply moved.
They crossed the street where Spirit Hall stood. In high spirits, Otto bragged to every acquaintance he saw that his nephew had five levels of Innate Soul Power, leaving Lan Si drenched in embarrassment.
Fortunately, Spirit Hall wasn't far from their lodgings. After taking Lan Si home, Otto headed to the blacksmith shop.
He'd already kept it closed for quite a while to help Lan Si awaken his Martial Soul.
The workers were all waiting for the shop to open.
Lan Si, meanwhile, was glad to have some peace and quiet.
Being praised by strangers as if he were a little child was painfully embarrassing for someone who'd lived two lifetimes.
Back in his room, Lan Si shut the doors and windows and eagerly inspected his Martial Souls.
He raised his right hand and silently circulated the Supreme Universe Art within him. A faint, pale-white aura flickered into existence, and in an instant, a cyan lotus appeared in his palm.
"It looks like the Supreme Universe Art has already fused with the Cyan Lotus Martial Soul." Lan Si gazed at the lotus in his palm, wreathed in the art's distinctive aura, and murmured to himself. He drew it back into his body, then raised his left hand and circulated the Five Thunders Heart Art.
Faint blue arcs of electricity flickered in his left palm. Then a strange black hammer appeared out of thin air.
It was only about the size of an adult's palm, pitch-black all over, its surface crisscrossed with fine streaks of lightning. It had a very unusual shape: a straight handle and an elongated, drooping head, covered in bright gold spiral patterns that ran all the way to the tip.
At first glance, it looked like a—
Bamboo shoot!
A straight spring bamboo shoot that had just pushed through the soil and was now crackling with electricity.
"Holy shit."
"Holy shit."
"Holy shit."
Having seen the painfully awful Douluo Continent TV series in his previous life, Lan Si couldn't help shouting "Holy shit" three times in a row.
On the Douluo Continent, a person's Martial Soul was directly related to their parents' Martial Souls. Generally, a child inherited the Martial Soul of one parent. Only when the two Martial Souls were extremely similar in quality was there a small chance of awakening Twin Martial Souls.
His First Martial Soul was a lotus, so it must have come from his mother. That meant his Second Martial Soul had to come from his father.
He'd known there was a good chance his Second Martial Soul would be a hammer. After all, Uncle Otto had told him that his father, Lan Zong, had awakened a hammer Martial Soul.
He just hadn't expected it to be a Clear Sky Bamboo Shoot—an ugly, wretched Clear Sky Bamboo Shoot.
Lan Si took a deep breath and fought to quell the urge to curse his father.
So be it!
A Clear Sky Bamboo Shoot was still better than not having Twin Martial Souls.
He'd just have to make a point of practicing hammer techniques later.
He wondered if Tang San had awakened his Martial Soul yet. If Tang San came to Nuoding City, he'd surely choose to do odd jobs at a blacksmith shop. When he used the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer technique to forge metal, that would be Lan Si's best chance to learn it secretly.
But before that, he had to hurry and raise his Soul Power to level ten. Compared to Tang San, who'd started building his foundation and cultivating at one or two years old, Lan Si had only been cultivating for two months. He was already far behind.
Having made up his mind, Lan Si sat cross-legged on the bed and began cultivating.
Before you continue