The Misunderstood Waste Martial Soul

The atmosphere in the village square was so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

"Greetings everyone, I am Hun Yuntao from the Martial Soul Hall. My martial soul is the Lone Wolf, and I am a level 26 assault-type battle soul master." The deacon in the center introduced himself to the villagers. Upon hearing that this Lord Soul Master possessed an Innate Soul Power as high as level 26, everyone wore expressions of astonishment.

"You may have heard of me. I have a younger brother named Su Yuntao who visited here a few years ago. Because he loved eating vegetables as a child and I loved eating meat, that is how our parents gave us these names."

Hearing the name Su Yuntao, Gu Tian knew that at this very moment, over at Holy Soul Village in the Heaven Dou Empire, that cunning and treacherous Tang San was also awakening his Twin Martial Souls.

"Alright, enough chatter. Let's begin! First, Wang Ergou."

Hun Yuntao frowned as he called out. Beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, and his face appeared somewhat pale. As a level 26 Soul Grand Master, he could clearly feel his soul power rapidly draining away. It felt as if he were standing beside a leaking barrel, watching his own cultivation wither away.

"Hurry up, don't dawdle!" Hun Yuntao urged impatiently. He had only one thought in his mind: finish testing these last few brats and get out of this godforsaken place immediately.

The boy named Wang Ergou walked forward trembling and placed his hand in the center of the awakening stone array.

A faint yellow light flashed.

"Martial soul, hoe. A trash martial soul with no attack power." Hun Yuntao waved his hand dismissively, signaling the boy to test his soul power.

The boy pressed his hand against the crystal ball. After a long while, the transparent sphere did not emit even a glimmer of light.

"Innate Soul Power, zero. Next, Li Er'ya." Hun Yuntao didn't even lift his head.

The following children—Hang Dali, Zheng Daniu, and Chen Xiaobao—fared no better. Sickles, Blue Silver Grass, even a rooster raised at home. These martial souls were the most mediocre existences on the Douluo Continent. While they could be awakened, the lack of Innate Soul Power meant they were destined to be nothing more than tools for commoners.

In truth, it wasn't necessarily a curse; with names like these, who else but extras could they be?

"Damn it, this place really is cursed," Hun Yuntao muttered under his breath. He put away his record book, his eyes filled with disdain. The quality of the children's martial souls here was shockingly low; it was a complete waste of his soul power and time.

"Last one, Gu Tian." The village head called out Gu Tian's name with some embarrassment.

Gu Tian took a deep breath and walked forward under his parents' encouraging gazes. He communicated silently in his heart: "Sister Linxi, I'm counting on you. Please disguise it."

"Rest assured, little one. This Seat's methods are beyond the reach of such small fry at this level," Ao Linxi replied playfully.

The moment Gu Tian's hand touched the awakening stone, a warm energy surged through his entire body. In the palm of his hand, nine-colored brilliance was forcibly suppressed by a deep, dark gold.

"Hum—!"

The phantom of a ferocious dark golden claw flashed behind him and vanished. The claw was covered in thick, horny scales, looking powerful and vigorous, even carrying a hint of violent aura. Yet, compared to the majestic and sacred Dragon God image from last night, this claw appeared extremely crude and savage, lacking any sense of divinity.

"Martial soul, Dragon Claw?" Hun Yuntao's previously unfocused eyes brightened slightly, but then dimmed again. "Although it's an assault type, it looks like some kind of sub-dragon mutation, not pure. In a place like your village, it probably just grants a bit more strength. Come, test your soul power."

Hun Yuntao handed over the somewhat worn crystal ball.

Gu Tian reached out, and the moment his palm touched the crystal ball:

BOOM—!

An energy of absolute purity surged madly from Gu Tian's palm. At that moment, the crystal ball erupted with blinding light, so intense it eclipsed the sunset on the horizon.

Immediately following, under Hun Yuntao's horrified gaze, countless dense cracks appeared inside the crystal ball.

"Bang!"

The crystal ball shattered completely, turning into crystalline fragments that filled the air.

Hun Yuntao was knocked back two steps by the shockwave, his palm sliced by a shard. He stared at his empty hands, stunned for a moment before spitting on the ground.

"Pah! This broken place, even the crystal ball got corroded!" Hun Yuntao angrily shook the fragments off his hands, his eyes full of bad luck. "This crystal ball has been fine for years, but it breaks the moment I enter your village. Judging by that kid's martial soul, it's nothing special anyway; probably just level one or two, or maybe no soul power at all. No more testing!"

Complaining all the while, Hun Yuntao quickly packed his bags. Without even glancing at Gu Tian, he hurried through the Purple Mist and ran toward the outskirts of the village. He didn't want to spend another second in this ghost place that could suck his cultivation dry.

The village fell into a deathly silence.

Gu Hai and Lin Ping's faces turned deathly pale.

"The crystal ball shattered... does that mean there's no result?" Lin Ping's voice was choked with tears.

In their understanding, a shattered soul power crystal ball meant a failed test. Combined with the deacon's harsh words before leaving, they assumed Gu Tian was just like the other children in the village—an ordinary person with no soul power.

Gu Hai sighed heavily. He placed his thick right hand on Gu Tian's shoulder, his previously straight back appearing somewhat hunched at that moment.

"Tian'er, it doesn't matter. It's fine if you have no soul power; you can stay by your father's side. You can handle the carpentry work in our family just fine."

On the way home, the atmosphere was suffocatingly heavy.

Once inside, Gu Tian closed the door and looked at his parents, who were filled with dejection. He knew he could no longer hide certain secrets from the two people who had given everything for him.

"Dad, Mom. Actually... that crystal ball didn't break."

Gu Tian said softly. He extended his right hand, and the Dragon Claw, previously disguised as dark gold, instantly shed its rough camouflage.

Nine-colored divine light, like morning clouds descending from the sky, instantly filled the narrow adobe house.

The martial soul was no longer a ferocious claw, but a noble and peerless divine dragon. The sacred aura did not absorb the essence of the air; instead, it made his two exhausted parents feel a heartfelt sense of relief, as if the old ailments accumulated from years of labor had been greatly alleviated.

"This... what is this?" Gu Hai was so shocked that the pipe in his hand fell to the floor. His own Dragon Claw martial soul emerged uncontrollably at that moment, but under the suppression of the nine-colored divine light, it clung tightly to his palm, not daring to move a fraction.

"My soul power is level twenty," Gu Tian calmly dropped the bombshell. "That crystal ball was blown up by me."

Gu Hai and Lin Ping looked at each other, their expressions shifting from horror to extreme ecstasy, and finally to a bewildered sense of urgency.

"Level twenty... Dragon martial soul... Son! This is my son!" Gu Hai repeated in a trembling voice. He suddenly rushed to the door like a madman, locking the doors and windows tight, fearing that even a sliver of this colorful light might leak out.

That night, Lin Ping cooked the half-smoked pig leg they had been saving for a long time. There was not only meat on the table, but Gu Hai also broke tradition and opened a jar of his own home-brewed aged wine.

At the dinner table, Gu Tian set down his bowl and chopsticks, looked at his teary-eyed parents, and shared the thoughts he had carefully considered.

"Dad, Mom. I want to leave Ancient Dragon Village tomorrow."

The laughter at the dinner table came to an abrupt halt.

Lin Ping's hand trembled, and a piece of meat fell back into her bowl.

"So soon? You're only six, Tian'er, the outside world is too dangerous." Lin Ping set down her chopsticks, her eyes filled with reluctance.

"Mom, you know about the curse on our village. If I stay in Ancient Dragon Village, my martial soul will mutate and degenerate because of the environment here. I must go out into the world to find my own path." Gu Tian spoke bluntly. He could not tell his parents about the Dragon God Trial, but he knew that leaving was the only choice.

Gu Hai remained silent for a long time before downing a mouthful of strong liquor, which made him cough twice from the burn.

"Go." Gu Hai looked up, his eyes filled with determination. "Our village is a dragon trapped in shallow waters. Since Tian'er is a true dragon, he shouldn't be trapped in this lifeless mountain ravine. Dad supports you."

"The child's father! He's only six!" Lin Ping shrieked, tears streaming down her face in large droplets.

"What if he's six? The child's mother, you know that little Tian'er is at the age to attend a soul master academy. Such great talent cannot be wasted; we must not let him end up like Wang Rong!"

That night, Gu Tian lay in bed, listening to his parents' hushed argument in the next room.

Lin Ping was crying, and Gu Hai was roaring—one expressing concern for their son, the other speaking of a man's ambition to roam the world. These sounds continued until late into the night, eventually fading into Lin Ping's suppressed sobbing and Gu Hai's heavy sighs.

Gu Tian gripped the corner of his quilt tightly, his heart aching. But he knew that only by becoming a god, only by reaching the pinnacle, could he truly protect these two mortals who loved him more than their own lives.

The next morning, before dawn had broken.

Gu Tian rose very early. He shouldered a simple pack, intending to slip away quietly before his parents woke up; he was afraid of seeing his mother's swollen, tear-filled eyes.

However, when he walked to the wooden table in the main room, he froze.

There were no leftovers from last night on the table, but rather a clean, neatly wrapped cloth bundle. Beneath the bundle lay a piece of crumpled yellow straw paper.

Gu Tian tremblingly picked up the paper, which bore Gu Hai's crooked handwriting, filled with the raw strength of a mason:

"Tian'er, we know you're afraid of seeing your mom cry, so we won't go to see you off. In the bundle are the dry rations your mom baked for you overnight, along with some money. It should be enough for you to attend school for a few years. Don't shortchange yourself out there; if you run out of money, write to your mom. If you're tired or get bullied, come back to the village; there's always food at home."

Gu Tian opened the bundle; inside were not only the warm, dry rations but also a heavy little pouch.

His hands trembled as he opened the money bag.

Inside lay three Gold Soul Coin, over twenty silver soul coins, and a large handful of loose copper soul coins.

According to the exchange rate of the Douluo Continent, one Gold Soul Coin could be exchanged for ten silver soul coins, and one silver soul coin could be exchanged for one hundred copper soul coins. A single Gold Soul Coin was enough for a family of three to live on for several months.

Gu Tian knew this was the blood and sweat money his father had earned, brick by brick, on construction sites for decades, and the dowry money his mother had saved, stitch by stitch, under the lamplight until her eyes grew dim.

It wasn't the amount of living expenses from his parents that he feared, but the fact that the money was gathered in such small, precise increments.

Because this was their entire life savings.

The morning mist was still thick, slapping against Gu Tian's face like cold waves.

He shouldered his pack, pressed the heavy money bag against his heart, and kowtowed three times toward the room inside.

"Dad, Mom. Wait for me to return and give you a different world."

The youth turned and plunged, without looking back, into the endless, purple-hued fog.