Shrek City.
In the back hall of Ping'an Pharmacy.
Afternoon sunlight slanted through the carved wooden windows, turning the dust motes in the air golden as it fell across the dark-brown table in the center of the hall.
A number of things had been set up inside.
On the floor, six gray, unremarkable stones had been arranged in a hexagon. A small table stood in the middle, with a blue crystal ball on top. Nearby, a burner of sandalwood incense smoldered, calming the mind and steadying the breath.
Three figures stood in the hall.
One was an elderly man with white hair and beard. At that moment, however, the usually composed old man, whose eyes and brows always held the calm of someone who had weathered many storms, was staring wide-eyed.
The composure on his face had shattered, and his expression was filled with unconcealed shock.
"Twin Martial Souls, and Innate Full Soul Power?!"
The old man's voice rose several notches. He stared fixedly at the little girl with emerald eyes standing in the middle of the hexagonal Awakening formation, as though he had seen something utterly inconceivable.
The little girl with emerald eyes jumped at the sudden exclamation.
She instinctively took half a step back, her small body ducking behind the black-haired, golden-eyed boy beside her. Only her pair of emerald-green eyes peeked out as she stared timidly at the old man, wariness and fear in her gaze.
The boy shifted to the side, naturally stepping in front of the little girl.
Then he looked up at the old man, a warm smile on his face, and spoke in an unhurried voice:
"Grandpa Xiao, you startled Xiao Xiao."
Xiao Shan paused at his words. He looked down at his hand, still raised in the air, then at Xiao Xiao, who was hiding behind the boy with half her head showing. Only then did he realize how badly he had lost his composure.
He cleared his throat, reining in his shock and putting on his usual kindly expression again, though the tumult in his eyes had yet to settle.
"Sorry, Ci'an. I got a little carried away." Xiao Shan looked at the boy, still sounding somewhat incredulous. "After all, Xiao Xiao's Martial Soul is simply..."
He didn't finish, but his meaning was obvious.
Twin Martial Souls. Innate Full Soul Power.
Those words would be enough to keep the elders of any Soul Master clan so excited they couldn't sleep for three days and nights.
Especially in a clan like the Xiao Clan, which had been in decline for some time.
The Xiao Clan had enjoyed glory in the past, but these days it could hardly be called a great clan. It was merely middling, with him, a Soul Douluo, still able to hold up the family's reputation.
But each generation had been weaker than the last. Among the younger generation of Xiao Xiao's age, there were only two whose Innate Soul Power was above level five...
Who could have guessed that his granddaughter would awaken Twin Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power in one go? How could he not be excited?
Jiang Ci'an watched Xiao Shan's expression and gave a slight nod, then said seriously:
"So I hope you won't reveal Xiao Xiao's Martial Soul situation for the time being." His voice was quiet, yet steady.
"Better safe than sorry."
Xiao Shan immediately understood and nodded.
"I understand, Ci'an."
It was always better to be cautious. He had originally planned to take Xiao Xiao back with him, but it seemed it would be better for them to stay in Shrek City.
Xiao Shan looked at Jiang Ci'an, his gaze turning solemn.
This six-year-old child was far more level-headed than he was.
Jiang Ci'an's gaze was calm. He simply held Xiao Xiao's hand and murmured a few words of comfort, while his thoughts drifted away despite himself.
He had been in this world for six years.
In his previous life, he had stayed up late working on experiments and data, going three days and nights without sleep. In the end, his chest hurt, his vision went black...
And then he knew nothing more.
When he opened his eyes again, he had become an infant in a merchant's family in the Dou Ling Empire.
In this life, his parents were both Soul Masters who had worked their way up from the bottom. Their Soul Power Levels weren't particularly high—they were both Soul Emperors.
They weren't especially illustrious, but they were impressive all the same. Both were also skilled at business, and over the years they had built up a decent, if not enormous, fortune. They had lived quite comfortably.
Xiao Xiao's parents had been old friends of his parents for many years. His parents had also been something like half-students of Elder Xiao, so the two families were close, the best of friends.
That was why he and Xiao Xiao had known each other since childhood.
When Xiao Xiao was two, her parents had gone out to hunt for Soul Rings and met with an accident. One died on the spot, while the other was gravely wounded and on the brink of death.
After being brought back, the injured parent clung to their last breath long enough to entrust the young Xiao Xiao to Jiang Ci'an's parents. Not long afterward, they succumbed to their injuries.
From then on, a little girl slightly younger than him was always at Jiang Ci'an's side. They ate together and grew up together, and his parents treated Xiao Xiao as if she were their own child.
Unfortunately, it all came to an abrupt end when he was five.
His parents had gone away on business and encountered Evil Soul Masters along the way. Not a trace of their bodies remained.
On the day the news came back, he stood in the empty main hall at the age of five, watching the mourners come and go. He didn't cry or make a fuss. He simply stayed quietly in a corner with Xiao Xiao, saying nothing.
Just like that, he became an orphan.
Fortunately, he had started helping with the family business at a young age, simply because he was interested in it. And with his parents' years of business connections still intact, he didn't end up like a truly helpless orphan, devoured until not even his bones remained.
Xiao Xiao's family, for instance, had a close relationship with his.
After something happened to Jiang Ci'an's parents, Elder Xiao stepped in and shielded him from a great deal of trouble and covetous attention, both open and hidden.
But Jiang Ci'an knew that a man was not guilty of a crime, yet his treasures could bring disaster upon him.
A five-year-old child guarding such a vast estate was simply too conspicuous, even with Elder Xiao watching over him.
So he sold off most of the fixed assets and exchanged them for Gold Soul Coins. Then, with Elder Xiao's help, he moved to Shrek City with Xiao Xiao and opened an inconspicuous pharmacy. That was how he finally found his footing.
Until now.
"All right, Ci'an."
Xiao Shan's sudden voice pulled Jiang Ci'an back from his thoughts.
He pointed to the Awakening formation and said:
"It's your turn to awaken your Martial Soul."
Jiang Ci'an came back to himself and nodded in understanding.
He and Xiao Xiao had been scheduled to awaken their Martial Souls together today. Now that Xiao Xiao was done, it was naturally his turn.
He took a deep breath and stepped forward.
The six Awakening Stones lay quietly on the floor in a hexagonal formation, gray and unremarkable, with nothing special about them. The blue crystal ball rested nearby, its surface as smooth as a mirror, faintly reflecting his face.
Jiang Ci'an stepped into the center of the formation and held out his hand, gently pressing it against the crystal ball.
His parents' talents weren't bad. Two Soul Emperors were already quite impressive among ordinary people.
On top of that, he had been soaking in medicinal baths since childhood, and he had never lacked basic resources. Awakening Soul Power shouldn't be difficult.
The real question was what his Martial Soul would be.
If both his Martial Soul and Soul Power were mediocre—or if his Martial Soul underwent a harmful mutation and he awakened with something like level 0.5 Innate Soul Power...
He would probably have to cling to Xiao Xiao's leg and say, "Rich lady, I'm hungry."
With all sorts of random thoughts running through his mind, Jiang Ci'an closed his eyes and focused.
Beside him, Xiao Shan began the ritual.
Pale golden light rose from the Awakening Stones, enveloping Jiang Ci'an.
The light was soft and warm, gently drawing out the power hidden within his body.
A moment later, Jiang Ci'an felt something.
His breath hitched slightly, and the aura of Soul Power began to radiate from him, rising and falling unevenly, as if something were waking from sleep and slowly opening its eyes.
Xiao Shan watched from the side, his eyes lighting up.
This aura... His Innate Soul Power was sure to be strong!
That was a genuine relief.
But...
Xiao Shan frowned slightly, looking all around Jiang Ci'an, yet no phantom appeared. He saw only Jiang Ci'an's body glowing with brilliant golden light...
What kind of Martial Soul was this?
Xiao Shan was puzzled, while Jiang Ci'an's aura suddenly sank.
As if drawn by some force, his breathing grew long and steady, and he naturally entered a state of meditation.
Jiang Ci'an simply followed that pull, and his consciousness seemed to slowly drift away from his body.
Then...
He fell.
It was like leaping from a ten-thousand-zhang-high platform into an abyss. Wind seemed to howl in his ears, while the world around him was pure darkness.
The room, the Awakening Stones, the blue crystal ball—all of it rapidly receded into the distance.
In their place, countless buildings appeared from thin air, their outlines taking shape out of the void. Streets, houses, trees—layer after layer spread out, enveloping him.
At some point, the sensation of falling abruptly stopped.
Jiang Ci'an froze, then opened his eyes.
His golden eyes lit up, light rippling in his pupils, and an ineffable, lofty quality appeared in them—one Jiang Ci'an himself didn't even notice.
Jiang Ci'an staggered slightly without meaning to. His body hadn't yet adjusted to the sudden sensation of falling, and it took a while before he slowly stood straight.
Before he could figure out what had happened, a voice drifted over from the distance.
"Another Trash Martial Soul. Looks like we've wasted our time in Holy Soul Village again..."
Jiang Ci'an paused.
He raised his head and looked in the direction of the voice.
Not far away stood a gray-haired middle-aged man. His body was slightly swollen, and one white and one yellow Soul Ring hovered beneath his feet. His aura was not weak.
His face wore an impatient expression as he looked at the little boy standing in front of him, who didn't even reach his waist.
The little boy held a pale-blue sprig of grass in his hand. He raised his face and spoke earnestly to the middle-aged man.
"Uncle, you haven't tested my Soul Power yet."
Jiang Ci'an froze.
This scene...
He blinked, feeling that it looked strangely familiar.
Then he watched the gray-haired middle-aged man step forward and hand the blue crystal ball to the little boy. The boy reached out with his small, tender hand and pressed it against the ball.
The next moment...
Brilliant light burst from the crystal ball, dazzling enough to almost blind anyone who looked at it.
"Innate Full Soul Power!"
The gray-haired middle-aged man cried out again, this time in utter disbelief.
Jiang Ci'an stood at a distance and watched, blinking once, then again.
He recognized this.
Holy Soul Village, Blue Silver Grass, Innate Full Soul Power...
Wasn't this the iconic scene from when Tang San first awakened his Martial Soul?!
Jiang Ci'an fell silent for a moment. He looked at the little boy holding up Blue Silver Grass, his face full of earnestness, then at his own hands glowing with golden light. The corner of his mouth twitched.
Had he...
Crossed over again?
Before you continue