Soul Tool, Heart of the Sea Blue

As evening approached and the sun sank in the west, the sunset clouds reflected off the many buildings of Nuoding City, creating a strikingly beautiful scene.

Knock, knock. The sound of someone at the door roused Lan Si from his cultivation.

Lan Si slowly opened his eyes, got up, and opened the door. Otto's familiar figure stood outside.

"You've been cooped up in your room all day. You didn't even eat the meal I made for you at noon." Otto rubbed Lan Si's little head. Though he was scolding him, his tone was gentle.

"After you left, I went to Spirit Hall again and asked Grandmaster Su Yuntao about how to improve my Soul Power. He said I just needed to meditate, so I followed his instructions. I didn't expect time to pass so quickly. Before I knew it, night had fallen." Lan Si obviously couldn't reveal his cultivation arts, so he made up an excuse to brush Otto off.

"I'll let it go this time, but don't forget to eat next time. You're still young, and you're at the age when you're growing." Otto didn't scold him further. He smiled and said, "All right, go eat. I've already warmed up the food for you. It's on the table. I'll go to my room and get something for you."

As he spoke, Otto turned and headed into the room next door.

Lan Si nodded, rubbed his rumbling stomach, and left the room.

He really was hungry.

In the main room,

night had completely fallen.

Beneath the dim glow of the candlelight, Lan Si shoveled food into his mouth.

Just then, Otto returned from his room carrying a brocade box.

"A-Si, this is for you." Otto handed him the box.

"What is it?" Lan Si set down his bowl and chopsticks and asked curiously.

"A keepsake your father left behind." Otto's voice grew heavy.

Lan Si was slightly taken aback. His memories of his previous life had awakened only two months ago. Before that, he'd been an ordinary person, so he no longer had much of an impression of what his parents in this life looked like. When Lan Zong and his wife had left, he'd been less than two years old. How much could he possibly remember?

Seeing Lan Si's expression, Otto thought he was too upset, so he changed the subject. "Go on, open it. I hear it's something called a Storage Soul Tool. Your mother gave it to your father. Just channel your Soul Power into it, and you can store things inside."

Lan Si nodded and opened the brocade box. Inside was a silver-gray wrist guard, three fingers wide, with a blue gemstone set into its surface. Its design was rather unisex.

When Lan Si tried channeling his Soul Power into the wrist guard, he was surprised to find that the Soul Tool had a storage space of seven or eight cubic meters. There was also a full bag of gold coins and some books inside.

Lan Si waved his hand, and several books appeared out of thin air. He flipped through them. They were full of knowledge about Soul Beasts and Martial Souls.

"Looks like it suits you," Otto said, smiling with relief.

"Does it have a name?" Lan Si asked. He put on the wrist guard and wrapped it several times around his slender left forearm.

Otto thought for a moment before replying, "What was it called again? Oh, right. Heart of the Sea Blue."

"Heart of the Sea Blue?" Lan Si murmured. He smiled, then put the books back into the Soul Tool.

"Heart of the Sea Blue. It really is a lovely name."

At dawn, Lan Si sat cross-legged in the courtyard with his eyes closed, his hands forming the seals for cultivating the Supreme Universe Art and the Five Thunders Heart Art.

Nearly three months had passed since his Martial Soul Awakening.

It was late autumn, and fallen leaves swirled through the air.

The small courtyard was now covered in withered leaves.

Only the spot where Lan Si sat remained clear. The withered leaves drifting down were flung away by the arcs of electricity and aura radiating from him before they could get close.

"I've mastered the first layers of the Supreme Universe Art and the Five Thunders Heart Art." Lan Si abruptly opened his eyes. Blue arcs of electricity and white wisps of aura flickered in his pupils.

"But I feel like my Soul Power can still improve. I probably haven't reached level ten yet."

Having made up his mind, Lan Si raised his right hand and activated the Supreme Universe Art, summoning his Martial Soul as he usually did.

White light rippled, and a Mortal Green Lotus wreathed in pale white flames appeared in the palm of Lan Si's right hand.

"I feel like the quality of the Cyan Lotus improved after the Supreme Universe Art broke through to the first layer. Its colors look even more vivid." Lan Si stared at the Cyan Fire Lotus in his right hand, deep in thought. Then he raised his left hand and activated the Five Thunders Heart Art. A small, pendant-shaped hammer covered in spiral patterns appeared in his palm.

"What's this?" Lan Si stared at the two Martial Souls in his hands, his pupils contracting.

After both the Five Thunders Heart Art and the Supreme Universe Art broke through, he could actually use two Martial Souls at the same time.

In the original Douluo story, neither Bibi Dong nor Tang San could release more than one Martial Soul at a time in battle. Yet he could use two.

Didn't that mean he was about to hit the jackpot?

Still, using two Martial Souls at once consumed a tremendous amount of Soul Power. It seemed he shouldn't use them unless absolutely necessary.

Just then, someone knocked at the courtyard gate. Otto's voice came from outside. "A-Si, are you done meditating? It's time to register at Nuoding Academy."

"Uncle Otto, I'm ready." Lan Si got to his feet, opened the gate, and walked over to him.

"Then let's go. Quite a few people have already registered by now." Otto rubbed Lan Si's head, closed the gate behind them, and set off for Nuoding Academy.

A short while later, Lan Si arrived at Nuoding Academy with Otto.

Thanks to Otto's good connections in Nuoding City, Lan Si wasn't treated the way Tang San had been in the original story. After presenting his Martial Soul certificate, he was easily admitted to Nuoding Academy.

Since Otto wasn't a Soul Master, he couldn't enter the campus.

He had no choice but to give Lan Si a few parting instructions before leaving.

Following the doorman's directions, Lan Si went to the academic affairs office to register.

The teacher in charge of receiving new students was a man who looked to be in his sixties.

Lan Si placed his Martial Soul certificate on the desk and addressed the teacher in a childish voice. "Teacher, this is my Martial Soul certificate. Sorry for the trouble, but could you register me?"

The teacher looked Lan Si up and down, then accepted the certificate in a businesslike manner and glanced at it.

At first, he thought nothing of it. But the moment he looked, his eyes lit up.

Innate Soul Power: level five. Mutated Martial Soul: Cyan Fire Lotus.

This talent made Lan Si an exceptionally rare genius in all of Nuoding Academy.

After all, most people with Innate Soul Power of level five or higher joined Spirit Hall.

"You're Lan Si, right? I'm Su Nuo, the academy's director of instruction. Could you show me your Martial Soul?" Director Su looked at Lan Si warmly.

Lan Si nodded, raised his right hand, and released his Cyan Lotus Martial Soul.

"As expected—a Mutated Martial Soul, and a Plant-type Martial Soul with a fire attribute. Truly rare." Director Su smiled. He took a blue crystal ball from beneath his desk and said, "Lan Si, let's test your Soul Power too."

Lan Si did as he was told. He withdrew his Martial Soul and rested his right hand on the blue crystal ball. In an instant, the ball emitted an incredibly dazzling light.

"Level ten Soul Power—no, level nine. Your Soul Power has actually reached level nine, almost level ten."

Director Su stared at him in disbelief.

Didn't the certificate say Lan Si's Innate Soul Power was only level five? How had his Soul Power reached level nine?

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the open door of the academic affairs office.