The Martial Soul Is a Soul Spirit

"Where is this..."

Shen Nanxun's eyelids felt unbearably heavy. When he opened them, all he saw was a stark expanse of white. The smell of disinfectant stung his nostrils.

He glanced to his side, and the first thing he saw was a head of pale blue hair.

The long hair fell to the girl's shoulder blades, its ends curling slightly. As she leaned over, it swayed gently before Shen Nanxun's eyes.

She looked to be in her teens, with delicate features and a graceful figure. Her eyes were an even paler shade of icy blue. They were slightly red at the moment, and tear tracks still clung beneath them.

"Xiao Xun!" The moment Shen Nanxun opened his eyes, the girl abruptly straightened, her voice full of surprise and delight. Her final words were still hoarse from crying. "You're finally awake! Do you know you were unconscious for five whole days?"

Shen Nanxun shifted slightly into a more comfortable position before asking, "Second Sister, why are you back? Weren't you studying in the Ming Capital?"

Shen Nanxun's second sister, Shen Xing, was currently studying at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy.

"Hmph, it's all because of you." Shen Xing gave a soft snort and pinched his nose, chiding him. "We should've kept you at home in the Ming Capital. You just had to listen to Big Sister and come here for classes. And now look what happened."

As she spoke, her eyes reddened again. She reached out and lightly poked Shen Nanxun on the forehead. "Do you know how scared I was when the news reached the Ming Capital? Evil Soul Masters—they were Evil Soul Masters! And one Soul Saint and one Soul Emperor, at that. You're just a child with two levels of Soul Power. How did you have to run into them of all people..."

Shen Nanxun let her poke him without dodging.

He knew his second sister was just like this: the more she cared about someone, the less she spared them with her words. When he was little, if he fell in the courtyard and scraped his skin, Shen Xing would scold him for not watching where he was going while searching the entire Shen residence for the best medicine. Now that he had nearly died at the hands of Evil Soul Masters, she might sound like she was scolding him, but he could only imagine how terrified she had been.

Sure enough, as Shen Xing went on, her voice softened. She lowered her lashes and absently tugged at the corner of the blanket. After a long silence, she finally spoke in a low voice. "Xiao Xun, and about your Martial Soul... don't rush."

Shen Nanxun looked up at her.

Shen Xing pressed her lips together, seeming to consider her words. "Innate Soul Power of two, and no Martial Soul... It's certainly unusual, but that doesn't mean you have no future. The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy has instructors who specialize in researching abnormal Martial Soul Awakenings. Big Sister said she's already asking around. Besides, with our Shen Family's connections, if you want to attend the Ming Capital's mecha academy, you can get in whenever you like."

She reached out and ruffled Shen Nanxun's hair, her tone turning serious. "Don't listen to those people's nonsense. Calling you useless, or whatever—it's all bullshit. You're my little brother. Do you think I don't know you? You've been sharper than anyone since you were little. You could read at two and recite the Martial Soul compendium at three. Even if you really can't become a Soul Master, you'll still be no worse than anyone else."

Shen Nanxun listened quietly, warmth welling up inside him.

"Alright, alright. I'll call Big Sister. She'll be so happy when she hears you're awake." Shen Xing was a woman of action, and immediately went out to make a soul-guidance call.

The room fell quiet. Shen Nanxun lay in bed, his mind still somewhat muddled. He tried to recall what had happened back then.

"Qian Renxue?"

He seemed to remember seeing Qian Renxue. She had even said something to him about becoming a Soul Spirit, or something like that.

Thinking of this, Shen Nanxun raised a hand and rubbed his temples, the corner of his mouth twisting into a self-mocking smile.

It must've been a dream.

This was the Dragon King era, not two thousand years ago. How could he possibly have seen Qian Renxue? With his talent, even meeting the 'brilliantly wise' Silver Dragon King would be difficult.

Let alone becoming her Soul Spirit.

Besides, how could someone without even a Martial Soul have a Soul Spirit?

He was probably just especially familiar with Qian Renxue from his memories before transmigrating. While he was unconscious, his brain had jumbled fragments of information together and made up a golden-haired, purple-eyed savior. That was perfectly normal.

Shen Nanxun lowered his hand and stared at the ceiling, unable to tell whether he felt disappointed or relieved.

So it really had been a dream.

He let out a quiet sigh and was about to close his eyes and rest a little longer.

But just then, a voice sounded in his mind.

"Awake?"

Shen Nanxun's eyes flew open, every hair on his body standing on end.

He whipped his head around and searched the entire hospital room.

There was no one there!

Damn it! If no one was here, who was talking?

Was Douluo Continent haunted too?

"Who?" Shen Nanxun's voice tightened slightly.

There was no reply.

He held his breath and waited for several heartbeats. The room remained quiet, with only the distant sound of sea wind outside the window.

A hallucination?

Shen Nanxun slowly exhaled and sank back against the pillow. It seemed his injuries hadn't healed properly after all. His mind was getting hazy, too.

The thought had barely formed when, the next moment, he felt his mind suddenly sink.

It wasn't dizziness or drowsiness.

It felt as though something was pulling at him from within, like an invisible hand had grabbed hold of his very consciousness and was dragging it out of his body.

Shen Nanxun had no time to struggle before everything went black.

After a brief sensation of weightlessness, his feet suddenly touched solid ground.

Shen Nanxun steadied himself and looked up. Then he froze in place.

This wasn't the hospital room.

He stood in an endless void. Beneath his feet lay a surface of water as calm as a mirror, only a thin layer deep, barely covering his ankles. When he stepped on it, faint ripples spread out in circles.

There was no sky overhead. As far as the eye could see, the void stretched in every direction, water meeting sky.

And not far in front of him, at the source of that halo of light, stood a person.

Golden six wings, a palace-style gown, golden hair, purple eyes.

"Qian Renxue!"

Shen Nanxun blurted her name almost instinctively. He had just been thinking about her, and when someone with exactly the same appearance appeared before him, the name simply slipped out.

Qian Renxue didn't find anything amiss. After all, she had already told Shen Nanxun her name that day.

So the peerless beauty approached at a measured pace, her slender golden heels tapping across the water.

"Nice to meet you... Well, more or less. I'm Qian Renxue, the Angel God, and also... your Soul Spirit!"

She stood before Shen Nanxun, her cool eyes fixed on him, red lips parting as she described the very thing he had just thought impossible.

The two faced each other at close range.

Shen Nanxun stared at the Angel God before him, his mind quickly trying to process everything that was happening.

After a long moment, he asked slowly, "Why did you choose me?"

"I didn't choose you." Qian Renxue's voice was cool. "You chose us. Put it in terms that Soul Masters like you would understand: your Martial Soul is a Soul Spirit, and we are the manifestations of your Martial Soul."

Shen Nanxun thought it over briefly and seized on the key point. "You?"

"That's right." Qian Renxue nodded slightly. Her golden wings spread, and she drifted lightly down onto a seat. Crossing her legs, she propped her cheek on one hand, looking lazy and carefree.

"There are five Soul Spirits inside you. They'll gradually awaken as your Soul Power Level rises. One awakens every twenty levels, and the first one—the one for your first twenty levels—is me."

"The Angel God, Qian Renxue!"

Shen Nanxun fell silent for a moment as he processed this information.

Five Soul Spirits. One awakened every twenty levels. The first was the Angel God, Qian Renxue.

He looked up and met those purple eyes directly, asking the most crucial question. "Who are the other four?"

"I don't know."

Qian Renxue leaned forward slightly, bringing her stunning face closer. Her red lips parted. "But there's one thing I can tell you for certain: the four of them are no weaker than me. They're all Deities, at the very least."

"Deities..." Shen Nanxun repeated the word, unable to keep a stir of excitement from rising within him.

"Tsk..." Qian Renxue mused softly, then asked curiously, "You little rascal, aren't you even a little excited to see a Deity? Or don't you have anything admiring to say? I'm the Angel God, you know—a figure straight out of legend."

She really wanted to see that natural excitement on Shen Nanxun's face.

"I do, actually." Shen Nanxun nodded slightly, as if he'd thought of something.

"Oh? Let's hear it."

Qian Renxue bent forward a little, leaning closer.

"You lost to Tang San."

"..."

"You..." Qian Renxue gritted her teeth, forcing down the urge to give Shen Nanxun a thorough beating. Then she squeezed out through clenched teeth, "Don't you have anything else to say?"

"I do, I do." Shen Nanxun nodded like a pecking chicken.

"That's more like it." Qian Renxue gave a soft snort, finally calming down.

"Say it."

"Tang San beat you."

"******"

A truly impressive amount of Tang San.

"Alright, back to business." After venting for a while, Qian Renxue clapped her hands and grew serious again. "When you reach level ten and level twenty, I'll grant you a Soul Ring each time. Both will be based on my abilities."

"So cultivate hard. You're only at two levels of Soul Power right now."

"Alright." Shen Nanxun answered, clutching the huge bump swelling on his head. Then he asked, somewhat uncertainly, "Um... Sister Xue, can I call you that?"

"Of course." She lifted her snow-white neck slightly, clearly pleased by the title. At last, the little rascal had said something sensible.

"If my Martial Soul sounds so powerful, why do I only have two levels of Soul Power?"

Even the same Martial Soul could grant different Innate Soul Power to different people. But his Martial Soul sounded so powerful. He shouldn't have only two levels of Soul Power.

It didn't make sense.

"Ahem." Qian Renxue cleared her throat and turned away, her eyes darting about. "You should go now."

Before Shen Nanxun could ask another question, she waved a hand and sent him out of his Sea of Consciousness.

"Phew—"

Qian Renxue breathed a sigh of relief, then curled her lips into a smile.

"What did I do wrong? I only absorbed a tiny, tiny bit of your Soul Power. You're only at level eighteen, anyway. Besides, if I hadn't absorbed it, how could I have saved you?"

She arched her pretty brows and murmured, "Come to think of it, being a Soul Spirit is pretty interesting. Maybe one day you really will help me reclaim my place among the Deities, and then... I'll give Tang San a thorough beating!"