The sudden turn of events left Jiang Ci'an confused. He couldn't make heads or tails of what was happening.
But before he could think it through, Tang San seemed to notice something and suddenly turned around, meeting his gaze.
Their eyes met.
Confusion flickered in Tang San's eyes. He seemed to be wondering why a stranger his age was here.
At the same time, Tang San had just revealed his Innate Full Soul Power and was attracting everyone's attention. The moment he turned, the others couldn't help following his gaze.
Su Yuntao noticed, as did several of the villagers gathered around.
The old man in the cloth shirt looked Jiang Ci'an up and down, then frowned and asked in confusion,
"Which family are you from? I don't think I've seen you before."
Jiang Ci'an paused.
He parted his lips, wanting to say something.
But in the next instant...
A sudden sensation of rising swept over him.
It was as if an invisible hand had yanked him up from beneath the water. The hubbub around him rushed away, growing fainter and more distant by the moment.
The scene around him began to warp. Its colors faded, and its outlines dissolved.
Jiang Ci'an's vision blurred. When he came to, he was no longer at the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony in Holy Soul Village. Instead, he was staring at the familiar ceiling of the main room in the back courtyard of Ping'an Pharmacy.
Dark brown beams, carved with simple patterns. Afternoon sunlight slanted through the carved wooden windows and fell across his face, warm and soothing.
Had he... come back?
Jiang Ci'an was dazed for a moment.
Then he felt a pair of small hands gripping the hem of his clothes. They weren't squeezing hard, but they held on tightly, as if afraid he'd run away.
He lowered his head.
Xiao Xiao was looking up at him, her little face tense, lips pressed together, and her emerald eyes full of worry.
When she saw that he had come around, some of the worry in Xiao Xiao's eyes eased.
"Ci'an..." Xiao Xiao spoke softly, her voice sweet and childlike, though still tinged with worry.
Jiang Ci'an froze for a moment, then couldn't help asking,
"What happened to me just now?"
Xiao Shan, standing nearby, looked at Jiang Ci'an. His brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed, and he answered with some uncertainty,
"After your Martial Soul Awakening, you just stood there, frozen and completely motionless. For about a dozen breaths."
"...Was that so?"
Jiang Ci'an murmured, deep in thought.
Frozen in place, completely motionless, for a dozen breaths.
In that world of Douluo World, he'd probably only stood there for a moment. He'd glanced at Tang San, but hadn't even had time to say a word before coming back.
The time that had passed seemed about the same as the time that had passed in the real world.
So time flowed at the same rate?
Jiang Ci'an pondered it, but didn't let anything show. He lifted his head naturally, a smile coming easily to his face, and replied in a casual, relaxed tone,
"Don't worry, Grandpa Xiao. I'm fine. I just got a little absorbed in sensing my Martial Soul."
Xiao Shan looked at him. His gaze lingered for a moment, as if he'd noticed something, but he didn't ask. He nodded.
"Good, as long as you're fine... So, what Martial Soul did you awaken?"
Jiang Ci'an paused.
He closed his eyes and focused, sensing the thing that had just awakened and now lay dormant deep within him.
Then a name surfaced naturally in his mind.
It seemed to have been there all along, simply waiting for him to discover it.
"'World.'"
...Modulation Mode.
Jiang Ci'an silently added the last two words in his mind.
He'd better keep a little back.
Explaining his Martial Soul would be troublesome enough, and its name was rather improper. Even if no one in this world knew what it actually was, he still couldn't quite bring himself to say it aloud.
Xiao Shan paused at the answer, as if searching his memory for whether he'd ever heard of such a Martial Soul. But he soon shook his head and didn't press the matter.
He picked up the blue crystal ball from the table and handed it to Jiang Ci'an.
"Come on, let's test your Innate Soul Power."
Jiang Ci'an took the crystal ball and held it in his palm.
It felt smooth and cool, like a piece of jade warmed by the sun.
He closed his eyes, naturally rousing the Soul Power that had just awakened within him, still tinged with a hint of unfamiliarity, and slowly channeled it into the ball.
The next instant, light blazed.
Brilliant golden radiance burst from the crystal ball, warm and gentle, brightening the whole room.
"Innate Full Soul Power."
Xiao Shan sighed, but there was little surprise in his voice. Instead, he sounded as if he'd expected it all along.
After what had just happened, it would've been stranger if Jiang Ci'an hadn't had Innate Full Soul Power.
He set down the crystal ball. His gaze shifted from Jiang Ci'an to Xiao Xiao, then back again. Looking at the two little ones, neither of whom even reached his chest, he felt a jumble of emotions.
One had Twin Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power.
The other had a "World" Martial Soul and Innate Full Soul Power as well.
He didn't know what kind of Martial Soul "World" was, but judging from the aura during its awakening and Jiang Ci'an's Innate Full Soul Power, it couldn't possibly be anything ordinary.
With the two children supporting each other, their future was secure.
Xiao Shan gathered himself. Some of the warmth left his expression, replaced by a grave look.
He looked at Jiang Ci'an and Xiao Xiao and said in a low voice,
"Since that's settled, there's no time to lose. I'll get things ready, and in a few days, we'll go hunt Soul Rings and settle the matter for both of you."
Jiang Ci'an glanced at Xiao Xiao. She was looking at him too, and he immediately understood.
He looked back at Xiao Shan and nodded.
"We'll leave it to you, Grandpa Xiao."
"Good! I'll get ready right away!"
With that, Xiao Shan hurried out.
Evening.
Twilight seeped in through the window lattice, bathing the room in a warm, dusky gold.
After seeing Xiao Xiao off—she'd been clutching her pillow, looking so pitiful that she might as well have written "I don't want to go" across her eyes—Jiang Ci'an sighed.
Childhood sweethearts.jpg
He shook his head and put the thought aside.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Jiang Ci'an closed his eyes and focused, sensing the Martial Soul that had just awakened and still felt somewhat unfamiliar.
"World Modulation Mode."
The six characters surfaced naturally in his mind.
Jiang Ci'an's expression shifted slightly.
There was no doubt about it: this was a very improper Martial Soul.
But it was his Martial Soul.
He took a deep breath. He didn't rush to explore whatever potentially hard-to-explain functions it might have. Instead, he closed his eyes and made the most basic attempt first.
The next instant,
he opened his eyes.
His golden pupils glimmered faintly in the dusk. This wasn't the fleeting flash of light from before, but a steady, dazzling gold.
An ethereal air rose around him.
At that moment, Jiang Ci'an felt his perspective shift. It was as if he stood on a higher plane, looking down at everything around him.
The world around him shed its outward disguise, revealing something more fundamental beneath.
The walls were no longer just walls. He could see the gaps between the bricks, the grain inside the beams, and every hairline crack in the plaster.
The air was no longer empty. He could see dust drifting slowly through the light and trace the currents seeping through the window and circling the room.
He studied it all, lost in thought.
Then he turned and looked at the wall to his right.
Xiao Xiao's room was next door.
When they'd first moved to Shrek City, Xiao Xiao had planned to share a room with him. He'd refused.
Xiao Xiao had been very unhappy about it, her little face drooping for quite a while.
In the end, she couldn't talk him around, so she'd settled for the room next door, claiming, "That way, if Ci'an needs anything, I can come right over."
Now, his gaze passed through the wall with ease.
The brickwork turned transparent before his eyes. The wooden beams faded into faint outlines, and the layer of mortar peeled away like a thin veil.
He could easily see Xiao Xiao sitting on her bed in the next room.
She wore a light green nightdress, the soft fabric hugging her small frame. Her dark green hair spilled over her shoulders as she curled up amid the bedding.
She was still awake, head lowered, palm open. The phantom of a small black cauldron slowly revolved in her hand, dark light flowing over it and reflecting on her intent little face.
Jiang Ci'an took a look.
Then an inexplicable feeling rose within him.
Something instinctive told him that if he wanted, he could see more—deeper, more clearly.
That thin layer of fabric was just another wall. It was no different in essence from brick, timber, or mortar.
He could see right through it just as easily... if he wanted to...
Jiang Ci'an paused.
Then he looked away.
The golden light in his eyes faded. The room returned to its usual colors: dusky twilight, simple furnishings, everything as it had been.
Jiang Ci'an lowered his eyes, arriving at a conclusion.
His Martial Soul... really was messed up!
Whose Martial Soul came with "Perspective" as an innate ability?
That's right, "Perspective."
And judging by his firsthand test, it worked much like it did in certain strange works—or perhaps even better.
Jiang Ci'an took a deep breath and used every ounce of willpower to remind himself not to use this ability for anything strange... at least not until he understood its limits.
He calmed his thoughts and turned his attention elsewhere.
His Martial Soul was worth studying, but there was something more important he needed to figure out first.
...The world he'd entered instinctively while in a meditative state during his Martial Soul Awakening, the world set in the Douluo World Timeline.
Jiang Ci'an closed his eyes and focused, sensing the existence of that world.
The Martial Soul trembled faintly within him, as if responding to his call.
Before long, a hint of understanding arose in Jiang Ci'an's mind.
As long as he activated his Martial Soul while meditating, his consciousness could enter that world again.
Jiang Ci'an lowered his eyes, his thoughts settling.
He'd put his Martial Soul aside for now. Over the next few days, he would first figure out what was going on in that world.
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