Douluo: Jianmu Martial Soul—Am I an Abomination of Abundance?

Ever since that day, she had watched him train with extreme diligence, rain or shine.

Although she knew it would benefit his future, he was still her son. She wanted him to have a happier childhood.

"Mom, it's fine. I'm already used to it." Mu Ci took the hand stroking his head and looked at Li Qin, whose face was full of heartache.

Mu Ci looked around, somewhat puzzled.

"Don't I need to go to the main hall in the city to awaken my martial soul?"

"Silly child, your grandmother is the bishop of Godwood City. Why would you need to go to the main hall for your awakening?" Li Qin rolled her eyes at Mu Ci, feeling that all his daily training had turned him dumb.

Mu Ci scratched his head, nearly forgetting that detail.

Lin Ya, who had been sitting nearby, also walked over and smoothly took over the conversation.

"Grandma will help you awaken your martial soul today."

Then, Lin Ya took six pitch-black martial soul awakening stones and a blue-white crystal ball from her storage Soul Tool.

She arranged the awakening stones beneath her feet into a six-pointed star, then beckoned Mu Ci over.

"Come, stand in the middle."

Upon hearing this, Mu Ci walked over with barely concealed excitement. After waiting so many years, his martial soul awakening would finally happen today.

He stepped into the center of the formation, took several deep breaths, and said to the kind-faced elder before him, "Grandma, I'm ready."

Lin Ya nodded without saying much and summoned her martial soul.

"Martial Soul Possession."

A faint red glow of Soul Power rose from Lin Ya's body, and the temperature in the surrounding area suddenly began to soar.

The wrinkles on her face gradually smoothed away, her slightly stooped body straightened, and behind her appeared the phantom of a phoenix-like bird wreathed in flames.

Looking at the martial soul manifested behind his grandmother, countless thoughts ran through Mu Ci's mind.

He thought of Spirit Kite Douluo, his distant aunt who was far away in Spirit City and had always treated him well.

Ever since Bibi Dong had become Pope, even a Title Douluo like her had grown busy, constantly carrying out missions across the continent.

Then he recalled Spirit Kite Douluo's hasty death in the future. Mu Ci silently made up his mind that he would not accept that ending.

There were still at least a dozen years before that hunt. Many things could be changed. To ensure his family would not be wiped out in the future, Tang San would just have to suffer a little.

After Martial Soul Possession, Lin Ya's senses were exceptionally sharp. Seeing her grandson's expression, she assumed he was anxious about his martial soul awakening.

She smiled faintly. "Don't be nervous. Martial soul awakening depends on the strength of one's bloodline. You'll most likely inherit the Mu Family's hereditary martial soul, the Everlasting Tree. There's also a chance you might inherit my Blazing Spirit Kite. Nothing unexpected will happen."

Thinking of her own martial soul, she added with a smile.

"If you awaken the Blazing Spirit Kite, Grandma will have your distant aunt become your mentor and send you to study in Spirit City."

Hearing his grandmother's words, Mu Ci quietly considered it. The Everlasting Tree was the most likely outcome, but the Blazing Spirit Kite was not impossible.

Having Aunt Ling Yuan as his teacher would not be bad. He could also go to Spirit City and meet those characters from the original story.

But no matter which martial soul he awakened, he would definitely go to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye, the treasured land that would be passed down on Douluo Continent for tens of thousands of years. Not just to strike at Tang San, but also so he could become stronger and go farther.

Having made up his mind, Mu Ci raised his head and nodded at Lin Ya.

"Grandma, let's begin."

Crimson Soul Power flared from Lin Ya's body. Two yellow, two purple, and four black soul rings—the standard configuration—circled around her, rising and falling.

The formation beneath Mu Ci's feet began to glow as well. A vast surge of Soul Power erupted from it, making his entire body feel as though it had been soaked in a hot spring, warm and comfortable.

Countless golden motes of light also appeared across Mu Ci's body. Seeing this, all four of them grew excited. Such a huge Soul Power reaction meant his Innate Soul Power was at least Rank Eight or above. He had the potential to become a Title Douluo!

At that moment, Mu Ci felt something emerge within him. It began domineeringly devouring and absorbing everything, then fusing what it had absorbed together, as if extracting the essence and discarding the dross.

Lin Ya sensed her grandson's body rapidly absorbing Soul Power, and joy filled her face. The greatest fear during martial soul awakening was that nothing would happen. Conversely, the greater the reaction, the greater the possibility that the martial soul was powerful.

With that thought in mind, she began pouring out Soul Power at an even greater rate.

Before long, the energy within Mu Ci gradually stabilized, and Lin Ya withdrew her martial soul.

"Grandson, hold out your hands and let Grandma see your martial soul."

Chapter 4: Abundant World Tree

Carefully sensing the power within his body, Mu Ci followed his instincts and summoned it.

He extended both hands, and a small Azure Gold tree appeared in his palms. Its entire body looked as though it had been forged from metal, emanating an ancient and majestic aura. Its branches were covered in Azure Gold flames that flickered in and out of sight, seeming to form runes.

Looking at the Azure Gold ancient tree in his palms and the information transmitted to his mind by the martial soul, Mu Ci's entire body began to tremble slightly. His heart was filled with excitement.

"Abundant World Tree. This is the Divine Miracle the Abundance Star God bestowed upon the Xianzhou Alliance. Hahaha, why the hell should I be afraid of the Asura God now?"

The psychological pressure brought by the future war of the three gods and his family's safety over the past years vanished completely the moment he saw the Abundant World Tree.

This was a blessing from an Aeon!

The Abundance Star God was a top-tier existence in the Honkai: Star Rail Universe. In the entire known universe, there were only eighteen Aeons of equal standing, and every one of them possessed power capable of shaking the universe.

Known throughout the cosmos for selflessness and altruism, a single sentence from Them—"May all sentient beings obtain what they seek!"—had driven countless civilizations into the stars, searching the seas of stars for immortality.

No matter what kind of lifeform they were, regardless of good or evil, the Abundance Star God treated them equally, granting all eternal life. Yet because of this, those granted immortality formed an undying calamity that plagued the universe.

Compared to such beings, let alone the Asura God or Sea God, even if the entire God Realm joined forces with the Dragon Race at its peak, it was questionable whether they could reliably defeat a single tribe of Abundance People.

Take the Xianzhou Alliance, for example.

As he absorbed the information in his mind, Mu Ci's excited heart slowly calmed down. Possessing the Abundant World Tree did not mean he possessed the strength to disregard the God Realm.

On the contrary, like ordinary Pathstriders, he had to walk the Path and comprehend the Path. The Abundant World Tree was merely a seed of the Path, a stairway for one to embark upon the Path of Abundance.

The power of each level of the Path could roughly be divided into nine tiers. When a Pathstrider reached a certain limit, they could obtain a degree of authority and become an Emanator without needing the Aeon's attention. But when an Emanator reached their own limit, whether they could ascend to godhood remained unknown.

In the Honkai: Star Rail Universe, Emanator was merely an identity. Under an Aeon's blessing, they possessed nearly unmatched power, but they were not fundamentally different from Pathstriders. Top-tier Pathstriders could likewise possess combat power comparable to Emanators.

But in the Douluo Universe, an Emanator was no longer merely an agent of an Aeon's will. It was the name of a realm, one in which a person wielded greater authority over the Path than a Pathstrider.

"When I become an Emanator, every god in the God Realm will tremble before me. When I drive a living planet to your doorstep someday, I wonder what the Five Great God Kings will think!" At this thought, Mu Ci became full of confidence. The future before him was bright.

Then what?

How was he supposed to increase his Path Power? And how was he supposed to walk the Path?

The Abundant World Tree had only explained half of it, leaving Mu Ci speechless.

"A mutated martial soul?" Lin Ya and Li Qin stared at the Azure Gold sapling in Mu Ci's palms in astonishment.

"Yes, Grandma, Mom. I call it the Abundant World Tree." Mu Ci came back to his senses, only then remembering that he was still undergoing his martial soul awakening.

"Abundant World Tree? It looks like it mutated from the Everlasting Tree, but it should be a beneficial mutation. Xiao Ci, hurry and test your Soul Power." Hearing her grandson's words, Lin Ya nodded and gave her assessment.

Mu Ci placed his hand on the blue-white crystal ball she handed him. Instantly, the crystal ball erupted with dazzling light, without the slightest gap.

"Innate Full Soul Power!"

"My son has the potential to become a Peerless Douluo!"

Seeing this, the two women could no longer remain calm. They hugged and kissed Mu Ci repeatedly.

Mu Changsheng and Mu Sheng exchanged glances, both beaming with joy as they burst into laughter.

"Our Mu Family is going to produce a Title Douluo!"

Everyone gathered around Mu Ci and laughed for a while before gradually calming down.

Mu Changsheng looked at his wife, his expression slightly serious. "Old lady, when you go back to the main hall to register his information later, list Xiao Ci's Innate Soul Power as Rank Nine. That way, he'll draw less attention."

There was still a difference between Innate Full Soul Power and Rank Nine. If nothing unexpected happened, someone with Innate Rank Nine Soul Power would have no problem becoming a Title Douluo. They had roughly the potential of Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo—worth recruiting, but not to the point where it was absolutely necessary.

But Innate Full Soul Power was different. It represented the near certainty of reaching Peak Douluo. With sufficiently good soul rings, even becoming a Peerless Douluo was possible.

Hearing this, the joy on Lin Ya's face faded into seriousness as well.

"Yes. Spirit Hall has been making rather large moves these past few years, and the friction between Pope Palace and Worship Hall has increased as well.

"Our Lin Family has always supported the Angel Faction, and family members have long held posts in the Angel Legion.

"But since Bibi Dong rose to power, her reforms have been drastic. She has constantly been trying to win Yan'er over. If Xiao Ci reveals Innate Full Soul Power at a time like this, it will certainly attract attention. It's better to keep something in reserve."

After considering it for a moment, Lin Ya agreed with Mu Changsheng's approach. No outsiders had witnessed the martial soul awakening anyway. She could register whatever rank of Soul Power she wanted.

Mu Changsheng nodded, and a smile returned to his face. "Factional struggles have nothing to do with us. We just need to handle our own affairs."

His gaze shifted back to Mu Ci, who was being held in his mother's arms. Smiling broadly, Mu Changsheng took an exquisitely crafted ring from his robe.

He slowly walked over, handed the ring to Mu Ci, and said loudly, "Good grandson, now that your martial soul has awakened and you have Soul Power, Grandpa will give you this storage Soul Tool as a gift. Pack some luggage tonight, and tomorrow morning, you'll go with Grandpa to hunt your first soul ring."

"Okay, Grandpa."

At dusk.

Mu Ci finished dinner under his family's affection and care.

After returning to his bedroom and closing the doors and windows, Mu Ci walked over to a barrel of ice water he had ordered the servants to prepare. Then he took a piece of gelatinous material resembling golden crystal from his cabinet.

This was thousand-year Whale Rubber, a special substance produced in the brains of whale-type soul beasts. Once softened by high heat and consumed, it could strengthen the body and increase the age limit of soul rings one could absorb.

However, in this era, Whale Rubber was generally used by nobles to enhance pleasures in the bedroom. No one knew that it could strengthen the physical body.

Godwood City lay in the heart of the continent, far from the Sea Region, so marine treasures like Whale Rubber rarely appeared there. The piece in Mu Ci's hands had been brought from Heaven Dou City by the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce under his father's name, and it had cost him most of his allowance.

He pulled a small stove from the corner, lit it, and carefully placed the Whale Rubber over the fire to roast.

Before long, the golden crystal-like Whale Rubber softened under the heat and turned into a golden gelatinous substance. A strange fragrance began to drift through the air. The scent was extremely rich, yet it did not disperse, lingering only around the stove.

Seeing this, Mu Ci knew the Whale Rubber was ready to consume, so he took it off the stove.

Holding the softened Whale Rubber, he tore off a small piece, blew on it to cool it slightly, and put it into his mouth. Instantly, an intense fishy stench shot straight into his head.

"Damn, this hits harder than taking a bite of wasabi!"

Mu Ci endured the discomfort and stuffed the rest of the Whale Rubber into his mouth in one go, swallowing it down.

The moment the Whale Rubber entered his stomach, the fishy smell rushing to his head vanished completely, replaced by a faint fragrance that escaped from his nose.

At the same time, Mu Ci's entire body began to flush crimson, and an uncontrollable surge of emotion erupted from within his heart.

Feeling this change, Mu Ci hurriedly climbed into the prepared barrel of ice water and fell into a deep sleep.