Evening.
In the rickety wooden shack where Tang San lived, the drunken Tang Hao was leaning against the bed that looked like a chicken coop.
His normally clouded eyes flashed with a glint the moment he heard "Innate Full Soul Power" and "Clear Sky Hammer."
His attention was completely fixed on Tang San's Twin Martial Souls.
He had tossed the matter of Fu Qin, the "other person with Innate Full Soul Power," far beyond the nine heavens.
Late at night
Fu Qin lay on his little bed, constantly contemplating his Martial Souls.
As a transmigrator, he knew better than anyone how important Martial Souls were.
They were the foundation of Douluo Continent and the key to determining one's future achievements.
He focused his mind and sensed his Martial Souls.
"Buzz—"
Deep within his sea of consciousness.
Besides the Alchemy Gloves floating there, another image of light hovered quietly.
It was also a pair of gloves, made of something like jade but not quite. Intricate cloud patterns were carved across their surface, and they radiated an indescribable, mysterious aura.
"Godhood Mask..." A wave of excitement welled in Fu Qin's heart!
He cautiously extended his mental power and touched the mask.
Yet the moment his fingertips made contact, it was like a stone sinking into the sea. There was no feedback from any Soul Power fluctuation, no awakening of any special ability. He couldn't even sense the faintest trace of Soul Power flowing through it. It was just like an ordinary pair of gloves, devoid of any spiritual quality.
"Hm?"
Fu Qin furrowed his brow and tested it repeatedly, but the result was the same.
It seemed completely cut off from his Soul Power and mental power. No matter how he tried to activate it, it remained motionless.
But for some reason, as he stared at the patterns on it, unfamiliar fragments of memory inexplicably surfaced in his mind.
Most of them were cultivation techniques related to Deity Performance, Power of Faith, and Idealistic Divine Ability.
There were also a few other miscellaneous but no less potent martial arts techniques.
Feeling these martial arts memories,
Fu Qin's pupils contracted. He instantly understood.
"Damn! Aren't these Wang Zhenqiu's memories, that southwestern menace from Under One Person?!"
He remembered then. When he'd gone to the comic convention, he'd painted his face and cosplayed as Wang Zhenqiu.
As a transmigrator, he naturally knew the plot of Under One Person. The Godhood Mask's heaven-defying power—"performing as a god with one's own body, then becoming a god by borrowing the faith of all living beings"—was the pinnacle of idealistic abilities.
But why had it become a lifeless object with no response in his hands?
"No fluctuation in power doesn't mean there's no potential."
Fu Qin quickly calmed down, his gaze sharpening.
"An ability of the Godhood Mask's caliber, one that crosses worlds, might need special conditions to activate. It could be my opportunity to become a god!"
Putting aside his expectations for the Godhood Mask, he turned his attention back to his First Martial Soul.
The Alchemy Gloves.
When he'd awakened them that day, he'd only sensed vaguely that they let him feel the structure of the materials around him.
At a mere thought, the gloves instantly appeared on his hands.
Fu Qin channeled Soul Power into them, and the miniature Transmutation Circle in his palm lit up with golden light.
His gaze fell on the iron bed rail. With a thought, the runes on his gloves shimmered, and an invisible force enveloped the rail.
The next moment, the hard iron rail gradually softened and warped.
Under his control, it slowly twisted into a long, slender iron needle with an extremely sharp tip.
At the sight, Fu Qin's heart jolted. Then he tried extending his mental power outward.
Several fine threads of Soul Power shot from his fingertips and wrapped precisely around the needle. With a light flick, it shot away like a bullet.
"Pfft."
It embedded itself in the wooden wall opposite, penetrating half an inch.
But after using that move, Fu Qin's forehead was instantly beaded with cold sweat.
"It can not only reshape things, but control them remotely?"
Although that had drained nine-tenths of the Soul Power in his body, delight still flashed in his eyes.
Because this ability was remarkably similar to the Eight Miraculous Skills technique Divine Machine Hundred Refinements from Under One Person!
Divine Machine Hundred Refinements could rapidly materialize objects, mass-produce tools, and remotely control them. One person alone could assemble an army of magical artifacts.
But what he sensed now went far beyond that.
He was too weak at the moment to bring out the Alchemy Gloves' true power.
Time passed quickly.
News that Holy Soul Village had produced two people with Innate Full Soul Power spread to the surrounding villages as if it had grown wings.
Old Jack was busier than ever, receiving neighboring village chiefs who came to offer congratulations every day. The smile never left his face.
Fu Qin and Tang San became the village's little celebrities, admired wherever they went.
But Fu Qin stayed low-key. Every day, he did nothing but cultivate the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record and "play" with Tang San.
Every so often, he would "accidentally" display a tiny bit of talent, making Tang San even more determined to "take him in as a younger brother."
[Name: Fu Qin (transmigrator) Soul Power: Level 10 (Innate Full Soul Power, peak of the first layer of the Mysterious Heaven Skill) First Martial Soul: Alchemy Gloves (Level 10) Second Martial Soul: Godhood Mask (Level 10, hidden) Skills: Mysterious Heaven Skill (first layer), Purple Demon Eye (first layer), Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track (first layer) Affection: Tang San (80), Old Jack (95)] [Name: Tang San (God King reborn) Soul Power: Level 10 (Innate Full Soul Power, peak of the first layer of the Mysterious Heaven Skill) First Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass (Level 10) Second Martial Soul: Clear Sky Hammer (Level 10, hidden) Skills: Mysterious Heaven Skill (first layer), Purple Demon Eye (first layer), Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track (first layer) Thoughts: Head to Nuoding Academy in two months. Test Fu Qin along the way; if he proves reliable, try to bring him under my command.]
Looking at the information on the panel, Fu Qin knew Tang San had already started preparing to take him in as a younger brother.
But he didn't care. With the Intelligence-Reducing Halo and Fate Arises and Fades buff, Tang San would never discover his true strength.
Over those two months, Old Jack had run himself ragged trying to secure work-study student slots for the two children.
He'd badgered Nuoding Academy until he got the slot originally meant for the neighboring village, and even managed to secure some extra funding—enough to cover the two children's initial expenses at the academy.
The day before they set off, Old Jack prepared new clothes for the children and packed them food for the journey. He reminded them over and over.
"When you get to the academy, study hard, don't cause trouble, and look after each other..."
Fu Qin nodded obediently.
"Don't worry, Grandpa Jack. Xiao San and I will look after each other."
Tang San also said,
"Don't worry, Village Chief. I'll take good care of Fu Qin."
[Old Jack's affection +2 (97), Tang San's affection +1 (81)]
Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Old Jack set out with Fu Qin and Tang San.
It was dozens of miles from Holy Soul Village to Nuoding City, a full day's walk.
Old Jack walked in front, with Tang San and Fu Qin following behind.
Tang San deliberately slowed his pace now and then, walking alongside Fu Qin.
"Fu Qin, does your glove Martial Soul have any special effects?"
Tang San asked as if it were a casual question.
Fu Qin had expected him to ask, and immediately put on a puzzled expression.
"Special effects? It's just an ordinary pair of gloves. Master Su Yuntao said it's a Trash Martial Soul, but I feel like I get a little stronger when I wear them."