Mother's Gift

"Hehe, Mom's the best!"

Little Luo Heng dashed toward a street-side stall.

Su Junran could only glare gloomily at the brat, who was snickering. He couldn't argue his way out of this one.

What could he do? He was his son, after all~

When they got home, Su Junran called Su Luoheng into the courtyard to examine his Martial Soul.

First, he took out a crystal ball just like the one at Heaven Soul Hall and held it out to Su Luoheng. "Luo Heng, let's test your Soul Power again."

"Okay."

Though little Su Luoheng didn't understand why, he did as his father asked.

As his small, pale hand rested on the crystal ball, azure light blossomed from within it once more.

The light again stopped just short of the top.

It looked like his Soul Power was still at level eight, with no change.

But a flicker passed through Su Junran's eyes. He had noticed a subtle difference from before.

His Soul Power really had decreased!

This confirmed the suspicion he'd had at Heaven Soul Hall.

"Dad?"

"Luo Heng, summon your Martial Soul."

"Okay."

Su Luoheng focused his thoughts. An expanse of wasteland soon appeared behind him, accompanied by a sense of desolation and ruin. It had only grown a little stronger since it first awakened, but even so, he could feel the mental intent it gave off.

It really had grown stronger.

"Dad, is that enough?"

Nearly fifteen minutes had passed. Su Luoheng was trembling slightly, and fine beads of sweat had formed on his forehead.

He was almost at his limit.

"Put it away."

At once, Su Luoheng withdrew his Martial Soul and gasped for breath, then slumped to the ground, utterly relieved.

Su Junran, meanwhile, furrowed his brow slightly as silver Soul Power radiated from his body.

He began a series of different tests.

A short while later,

Su Junran's brow relaxed as the glow of Soul Power faded. He finally set down his pen and looked up. Recognizing the scene, Su Luoheng's heart leaped. He quickly sat up straight, waiting for his father to explain.

"Luo Heng, your Martial Soul should be a rare Mental Attribute type. I don't know what it can do yet, but judging by how much Soul Power it consumes, it's not weak."

"Mental Attribute!"

Before Luo Heng could speak, Su Junran continued.

"However, your Soul Power Level is lower now than it was at first."

"Huh?"

Su Luoheng frowned, confused.

"Your Martial Soul doesn't seem to have fully awakened yet. It's still absorbing the Soul Power in your body to complete its awakening. In other words, your Innate Soul Power Level wasn't eight. You have Innate Full Soul Power!"

"I have... full Soul Power?!"

He remembered that when he first tested his Soul Power, the crystal ball had lit up completely.

But then the light had receded, leaving him with Innate Soul Power at level eight.

"Dad, then doesn't that mean—" Su Luoheng suddenly realized something, and his expression changed.

"No, it won't."

Su Junran shook his head and smiled calmly. "Based on my tests just now, your Martial Soul is gradually slowing down its absorption of Soul Power. It'll probably set back your cultivation by a little over a year."

"Besides, your Martial Soul growing stronger is, overall, more of a benefit than a drawback."

"A little over a year... That's not so bad~"

Su Luoheng quickly thought it over. With his talent, a year wouldn't make much difference.

Innate Soul Power at level eight—no, now it should be Innate Full Soul Power!

His Martial Soul had absorbed two levels' worth of Soul Power when it awakened, but that wouldn't affect his talent as a Soul Master.

Just like the Soul Power he'd spent keeping his Martial Soul summoned a moment ago.

"Right, Luo Heng."

"Dad?"

"I'll teach you a meditation method first. It's different from the versions circulating across the Douluo Continent. Our family's elders improved it over generations, so cultivating Soul Power with this method is a little faster than with ordinary meditation. That should also help your Martial Soul fully awaken sooner."

"Okay."

Su Luoheng certainly wasn't going to refuse a way to speed up his Soul Power cultivation.

He soon began practicing under his father's guidance.

The meditation method passed down through their family made Soul Power circulate differently from normal meditation. It also required one extra circuit through the whole body to complete a full cycle.

The Su family's Soul Masters had discovered each of these acupoints through trial and error, then compiled them into this method.

That was why it yielded more Soul Power.

After lunch, Su Luoheng returned to his room.

After meditating, he'd gained a clearer sense of how things worked. Only a small portion of the Soul Power he'd just converted from the energy of heaven and earth stayed in his dantian. Most of it entered his Martial Soul Space.

And the absorption never stopped.

If he didn't meditate, it would draw on the Soul Power stored in his dantian.

After meditating for a while, Su Luoheng focused his thoughts.

A projection of a desert-like wasteland appeared behind him, its desolate mood spreading in every direction.

"What kind of Martial Soul did I awaken?"

Ever since he'd transmigrated to the Douluo Continent, he'd been curious about Martial Souls. Now that he'd finally awakened this power himself, he couldn't wait to learn more.

Martial Souls were broadly divided into three categories: Tool Martial Souls, Beast Martial Souls, and Body Martial Souls.

But Luo Heng's Martial Soul was quite unusual. Even Su Junran, a man of wide experience, could only tell that it contained a Mental Attribute. What could little Su Luoheng, who was still utterly clueless, possibly know?

Although he'd read a few of the original novels, they hadn't said much about Martial Souls.

With nothing else to do, little Luo Heng could only explore on his own. He tried to control his Martial Soul, but couldn't manage it.

Once his Soul Power entered his Martial Soul, it was like a clod of earth sinking into the sea—there was no response at all.

After trying for a while, he ran out of Soul Power.

Little Luo Heng had no choice but to accept reality.

It seemed he'd have to wait until his Martial Soul fully awakened, just as his father had said, before he could discover what this strange Martial Soul could do.

His dad seemed to have high hopes for it. Though he still didn't know what use it had, he might as well look forward to its full awakening a little.

After all, he did have Innate Full Soul Power.

With talent this incredible, it couldn't be too bad, right?

And even if it really was a Trash Martial Soul, couldn't he still learn to use Soul Tools?

Soul Engineers didn't care how strong a Martial Soul was.

So he wasn't too concerned about his Martial Soul's strength. What mattered most was raising his Soul Power so he'd no longer be held back by his Martial Soul. As long as his Soul Power Level increased, nothing else mattered.

For a Soul Master, the strength of one's Martial Soul was only the starting point.

Innate Full Soul Power was what truly mattered most.

So Su Luoheng thought, then began meditating and cultivating again.

He didn't plan to sleep tonight.

Meditation could strengthen his Soul Power while also restoring his physical and mental energy.

Once Soul Masters awakened their Martial Souls and gained Soul Power, they could use meditation to replace ordinary sleep.

For Luo Heng, every moment he could spend cultivating had to be put to use.

That included sleep, naturally.

Outside the door,

Ye Lan and Su Junran watched little Luo Heng immerse himself in cultivation, then quietly closed the door.

"Hubby, is there really nothing wrong with our son's Martial Soul?" Ye Lan's beautiful eyes were filled with worry.

"Don't worry." Su Junran drew her into his arms and spoke softly. "I can tell that Martial Soul is definitely no ordinary one. At most, it'll cost Luo Heng a year. It'll be good experience for him."

"But he's only six..."

Ye Lan sighed, then her eyes suddenly lit up. "Hubby, I remember we still had some materials left over from last time, right?"

"You're not thinking of...?"

"Oh, let's prepare a little something to make the kid happy... Besides, our son's already a Soul Master, so he'll definitely be able to use it~"

"But—"

"But what?"

"All right, all right. I agree, okay~"

Ye Lan leaned against him, satisfied. Su Junran bent down and gave her an indulgent smile.

Time flew by.

Five months had passed since Su Luoheng awakened his Soul Power.

Though his Martial Soul meant he couldn't obtain his First Soul Ring anytime soon, the meditation he'd done during this period had sped up its progress. At this rate, Su Junran expected it to take less than a year.

Su Junran had also drawn up a strict training plan for little Luo Heng.

Though his Soul Power couldn't increase, he still had to build up his physique.

Whether one was a support Soul Master or a combat Soul Master, physical fitness was crucial.

Su Luoheng was still young, and his body hadn't fully developed. But with Soul Power nourishing it, he was already stronger than an ordinary person. Even so, the intensity of his physical training had to be adjusted to suit his age.

He also needed plenty of nutrition and medicinal herbs throughout his training.

Naturally, Su Junran didn't overlook any of that.

The expense was considerable, but it wasn't a problem for a Soul Master family.

Su Luoheng understood that all of this would benefit him.

He followed his father's training regimen and made steady progress. Though his Soul Power hadn't changed, his physique had improved considerably compared to a month ago.

Thankfully, his complexion hadn't been affected.

At breakfast,

Su Luoheng shoveled rice into his mouth as he asked, "Dad, do I have to train my body today too?"

"You're getting the day off today. Balancing work and rest is the best way to cultivate." After a brief pause, Su Junran suddenly gave him a mysterious smile. "Besides, your mom has a surprise prepared for you~"