After leaving the Sea God Awakening Hall,
Li Changsheng returned to the hotel he was renting and went straight to his room.
Once inside, Li Changsheng ordered a meal: vegetables alongside an expensive steak made from ten-year Soul Beast meat. It sizzled with grease and tasted absolutely delicious.
Li Changsheng knew how to rest and recuperate. He had a set of rules he held himself to.
Be kind to others in everyday life.
When it came to enemies, kill them to vent your anger, and pull them up by the roots.
As the saying went, if you weren't ruthless and decisive, you'd die an ugly death!
In short, don't get angry.
He sat cross-legged on the bed.
First, he activated the inner force of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, linking it to his Soul Power, and summoned one of his Martial Souls, the Genesis Book.
At the same time, with a thought, he opened the attached storage space of the Sign-in and Clock-in System.
He took out the reward from this sign-in, which had already been transferred into the storage space.
The first item was a set of Level 10 Soul Engineer's Notes.
A parchment scroll with a brilliant, ancient charm appeared in Li Changsheng's hand.
The moment it touched his palm, a delicate sensation washed over him.
Li Changsheng immediately opened the Level 10 Soul Engineer's Notes the system had rewarded him with.
"Soul Tools are apocalyptic weapons capable of destroying Heaven and Earth—Foreword."
"Introduction to Soul Tools..."
"Advanced Soul Tools..."
"Methods for Creating Strategic-Class Soul Tools..."
Articles written in tiny, fly-like simplified characters appeared across the parchment.
"Why aren't these written in the characters commonly used on the Douluo Continent?" After reading the contents, a trace of puzzlement crossed Li Changsheng's mind.
But he didn't dwell on it.
It was a good thing, in a way.
At least, no one would recognize the characters when he read them openly.
"So Soul Tools have so many intricacies."
As Li Changsheng read about things like the core formation arrays that had to be engraved, the arrays that drew in Soul Power, and all sorts of materials capable of withstanding powerful Soul Power, he gained a deeper appreciation for the field of Soul Tools.
"Become a Level 1 Soul Engineer before the age of twelve."
Thinking of this task, Li Changsheng put the parchment away.
There was still plenty of time.
Besides, his main goal right now was to absorb a Soul Ring, officially begin cultivating, and quickly increase his Soul Power.
As for Soul Tools, he could take out the notes and read them, and try making something, whenever he had free time.
Soon, Li Changsheng took out the second item rewarded by the system.
Fssht.
A faint crackling sound rang out.
Before Li Changsheng's eyes, a ball of light wrapped in a radiant golden glow slowly appeared.
It was a dazzling golden ring, with peculiar patterns faintly moving across its surface. They were hard to make out, but he could sense a special, incredibly powerful force flowing within it.
A Soul Ring that could increase its own age!
Li Changsheng stared intently at the ring, his gaze burning.
"Once I absorb this Soul Ring, I'll become a Soul Master."
Li Changsheng reached out and poked the radiant golden ring with his index finger.
It felt solid.
When his fingertip touched the golden Soul Ring, it really did feel like he was touching a ring that could regulate its own temperature.
<Alert. It is not recommended that you attach this Soul Ring to your Genesis Book. You should attach it to your Second Martial Soul instead.>
As Li Changsheng tried to use his own Soul Power to gradually draw in the Soul Ring before him and absorb it,
the cold, mechanical voice of the God of Wisdom suddenly rang out again.
"Don't absorb it? What do you mean?"
Li Changsheng thought for a moment. He vaguely felt that absorbing it now should be the normal thing to do.
After all, his Mysterious Heaven Skill had reached the bottleneck of the first stage, and his Innate Soul Power was at level ten. If he wanted to keep cultivating, he first needed to give his Martial Soul a Soul Ring.
Li Changsheng knew that he could keep cultivating even after reaching a bottleneck, but that feeling of being full weighed heavily on him. It was uncomfortable, and his cultivation speed had slowed by several times. It was a complete waste of time.
<Answer. Your Genesis Book Martial Soul will not become less effective based on the age of its Soul Ring. So even if you absorb a ten-year Soul Ring, its effect will still be fixed. Your Second Martial Soul is different. It needs to absorb a Soul Ring of the highest possible age to have any real power. Therefore, it is recommended that you attach this Soul Ring to your Second Martial Soul.>
As Li Changsheng listened, he thought it over, then asked in surprise, "So, if I attach nine ten-year Soul Rings to my First Martial Soul, that would be fine?"
<Alert. Please do not argue for the sake of arguing. Of course there would be a problem.>
It sounded especially awkward for the God of Wisdom to say "argue for the sake of arguing" in its mechanical voice.
But Li Changsheng nodded. Mm, the God of Wisdom had a point.
There was another reason, too, one Li Changsheng had just been thinking about.
He was going to the Pre-Education Academy to take an exam in three days. Somehow, having a Soul Ring right after awakening his Martial Soul felt strange.
"Fine, let's see what the second Martial Soul rewarded by the Sign-in and Clock-in System actually looks like."
Li Changsheng put the reward Soul Ring back into the attached storage space.
He rubbed his hands together, his face full of anticipation.
His Soul Power suddenly surged. He linked it with the inner force of the Mysterious Heaven Skill and focused on the strange sensation in his left hand.
Then, in the blink of an eye,
Li Changsheng suddenly found that the scene around him had changed.
The hotel room that had surrounded him vanished.
In its place was a desolate land.
Yes, a vast, desolate land stretching as far as the eye could see.
High in the sky, a setting sun gave off a crimson, frenzied glow.
The ground was cracked, and the searing magma below had hardened into a mass.
A wind filled with baleful energy blew against him, pushing Li Changsheng backward as his clothes snapped and fluttered.
"Where am I?"
Li Changsheng was dazed and swallowed several times.
Looking at this ruined world, he felt somewhat frightened and wary.
Then the God of Wisdom's voice rang out, easing his mind a little.
<Alert. This is your Second Martial Soul, a tool-type Martial Soul: the Immortal Execution Painting.>
"The Immortal Execution Painting?" Li Changsheng asked, his confusion growing more pronounced.
<Answer. That's right. As the saying goes, 'A flower is a world, a leaf a Bodhi.' Here, it is 'one painting, one world.' So your Second Martial Soul is a painting.>
The God of Wisdom seemed to know a great deal about the culture of Li Changsheng's previous world, casually borrowing a few phrases to explain.
"Th-this is the world inside the painting? The world manifested by my Martial Soul?"
The world was shattered and broken, like a shattered mirror. Darkness shrouded the distance, and everywhere he looked was desolation.
Answer. Yes.
"Then what does my Immortal Execution Painting Martial Soul do?"
Li Changsheng crouched down and touched the ground.
It felt real—unbelievably real. When he scooped up the sand, he could feel it slipping through the gaps between his fingers. It was utterly lifelike.
Beneath the cracked ground, molten magma flowed, giving off an intense heat.
<Answer. According to its world view, this Martial Soul can be classified as a control-type Martial Soul. When released, it can envelop the enemy and launch an attack.>
Li Changsheng was at a loss. He stood up and walked over to a massive fissure, then said, "That's too vague. Explain it in detail."
The God of Wisdom had made it sound far too simple. Trap the enemy?
What sort of attack would it unleash, and how would it strike the enemy?
<Alert. You must comprehend the specifics for yourself. I can only offer you one phrase: Within the world, creation manifests.>
Li Changsheng said, "Are you cultivating immortality now? Forget it. I'll investigate it myself."
Li Changsheng felt that the God of Wisdom probably knew, but hadn't explained, perhaps for a reason...
So he asked how he could get out, then left this Martial Soul world.
Before you continue