Passionate Sword and the Mysterious Elder

"Emotion Shakes Heaven!"

In the ruined mountain village, the stench of blood stood out starkly against the surroundings. Grotesque corpses lay twisted and scattered across the ground, and the once-peaceful village had become a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

The thatched cottages that had still been intact during the day were now utterly devastated. The butcher responsible for all this stared in disbelief at the child before him, who moments ago had not shown the slightest fluctuation of soul power.

At that moment, the boy, dressed in coarse hemp clothing, held two somewhat illusory longswords that seemed utterly out of place amid the surrounding scene.

The two swords hummed without end, their shadows overlapping. Streams of silver light soared skyward, then, upon reaching a certain height, suddenly burst forth in layered, multicolored radiance, illuminating the dark night as brightly as day.

Intense emotional fluctuations erupted from the enormous sword phantoms in an instant, covering the entire village and crushing one thatched cottage after another.

Perhaps startled by the sudden turn of events, or perhaps affected by some special force, the butcher stood there blankly. The white and yellow soul rings behind him had both stopped moving.

The silver light emitted by the two swords enveloped him, forming a massive silver cocoon of light. Countless sword energies raged and shredded everything within, killing the trapped man so thoroughly that not even a trace of debris remained.

"Hu—, hu—!"

Once he sensed that there was no longer any movement inside the cocoon of light, exhaustion flooded Jiang Yue's body all at once. He had not a shred of strength left, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and with a thud, he collapsed beside the corpses. The thick blood on the ground soaked into his body.

Yet as Jiang Yue came into contact with the corpses, he felt no fear at all—only the relief of having cast down a heavy burden. Tears streamed down uncontrollably.

Before he lost consciousness, the sound of footsteps in the distance grew clearer and clearer. Yet Jiang Yue was utterly exhausted, as though he had been hollowed out. His throat was dry and hoarse, and he could not make a sound.

His consciousness grew murkier. The person approaching seemed to be... an old man?

He did not know who the man was, nor did he have any strength left. He did not care whether he lived or died. After all, he had already killed the murderer who had slaughtered his parents and loved ones.

Living was good, but he now had nothing left and no further connection to this world. Even death did not seem frightening.

With those thoughts in mind, Jiang Yue no longer resisted the exhaustion deep within his body, and his consciousness completely sank into darkness.

"Hm? This fluctuation of soul power?"

The old man looked at the six-year-old child lying beside the corpses, still showing signs of life, then at the pulp that could no longer even be called minced flesh. Yet he could still sense the sinister, cold soul power unique to an evil soul master from it. He clicked his tongue in wonder.

With merely a few glances, the old man had inferred roughly what had happened, and he could not help being surprised.

"Did he awaken his martial soul on his own under the threat of death? What a rare occurrence. Heh, and he's even a rare innate full soul power talent. Yet his village was massacred by an evil soul master. Are you fortunate, or unfortunate?"

"Fine, fine. Though this old man can hardly be considered a good person now, you look pitiful, and you've sparked a bit of my interest. I'll help you out this once."

The old man still could not understand how the child before him had managed to kill a two-ring evil soul master immediately after awakening his martial soul on his own.

However, the old man clearly had no intention of investigating further. After lifting Jiang Yue out of the blood and filth, he merely willed it, and the scenery around them changed. The village that had been a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood vanished, replaced by a small city.

The next day, at dawn, dazzling sunlight shone onto the face of the child curled up on the bed. Seemingly irritated by the sunlight, Jiang Yue slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze was calm, without collapse or pain. He did not look at all like a child his age who had just suffered such a terrible calamity.

"An unfamiliar ceiling, an unfamiliar room. Was I saved?"

"Awake?"

Before Jiang Yue could figure out where he was or why he had appeared here, the suddenly appearing old man had already given him the answer.

"Thank you for saving me."

After offering his thanks, Jiang Yue simply looked quietly at the tall, unfamiliar old man before him. The old man was somewhat taken aback by Jiang Yue's reaction, but he did not say much.

"You needn't thank me. You saved yourself. I merely brought you here and settled you down."

"I should still thank you."

"Fine, then. There were no survivors in that village. All the villagers died. You were lucky to survive. What do you plan to do from now on?"

"I'll make the world my home. Since I survived, I'll do my best to keep living."

"..."

He had not received the confused and helpless answer about the future that he had expected, and the old man was briefly taken aback. But he quickly composed himself.

"You awakened a martial soul. Show it to me. If it happens to be suitable, I'll help you obtain a soul ring. Consider it a little assistance from me."

Hearing the old man's words, Jiang Yue looked at him quietly. He had not expected the old man before him to make such a promise.

After thinking for a while, Jiang Yue slowly extended his left hand. A silver-white longsword appeared in his grasp, its surface flowing with radiance, with a crimson line running along the blade from the hilt to the tip.

The instant the sword appeared, even the old man froze. His eyes locked tightly onto the sword in Jiang Yue's hand, which faintly emitted spiritual fluctuations.

This lasted only an instant before the old man regained his senses. Looking at the sword in Jiang Yue's hand, he clicked his tongue in amazement.

"A fine sword, a fine sword indeed! Judging by its appearance, it is likely no inferior to the legendary Seven Kill Sword!"

"Yet this sword seems to carry fluctuations of spiritual power. Strange, truly strange. A sword with a spiritual attribute—I've never heard of one before. It must be the result of a beneficial mutation of a martial soul."

"Yes. It's called Passionate."

Looking at the sword in his hand, Jiang Yue's gaze was firmly drawn to the Passionate Sword. It was this sword that had saved him from that hateful bastard.

This was his martial soul, the Passionate Sword, one of the most elite martial souls of the era of the Legend of the Dragon King.

The old man looked thoughtfully at Jiang Yue's left hand gripping the Passionate Sword, but he still said nothing. Only after Jiang Yue put the Passionate Sword away did he ask, "A genius rarely seen in this world. Since you have encountered this old man, I might as well be a good person for once. Over the next few days, I'll teach you more about soul masters. But before that, we must first decide on your first soul ring."

"A soul master's first, third, fifth, seventh, and ninth soul rings are extremely important, with the first, seventh, and ninth being the most crucial. You possess innate full soul power, something rarely seen across the entire continent. The first soul ring marks the true beginning of a soul master's path, so it must be chosen carefully."

"For a sword martial soul, the strength attack and agility attack paths are more suitable. In my opinion, the quality of your sword is absolutely no lower than that of the legendary Seven Kill Sword. I would recommend taking the strength attack path. What do you think?"

"Assault-type? No, I wanted to follow the control-type path."

Jiang Yue looked into the old man's eyes in silence for a moment before finally voicing a choice that left the old man utterly stunned.

For an instant, the old man seemed as though he had heard the greatest joke in the world. Yet the child's earnest expression left him speechless, making him feel that this little boy simply did not understand what he had just said.

Looking at Jiang Yue, who had only just awakened, pale-faced and frail, the old man said nothing more. He decided to postpone any decisions until Jiang Yue had learned some basic knowledge about soul masters.

"Forget it. You little brat don't understand anything right now; telling you more would be pointless. I'll stay with you for the time being. Once you obtain your first soul ring, I'll send you to a junior soul master academy. Study properly when the time comes."

"You... why are you treating me like this? Saving me was already an act of great kindness on your part. You had no reason to concern yourself with what came afterward. There's nothing on me worth your doing this much for."

"I could indeed do as you say. But since you said I acted out of great kindness, then it's only natural that I wouldn't want to see an uncut jade buried in dust and would want to offer you a little guidance, wouldn't it?"

"Your physical condition is far too poor right now. You can't absorb a soul ring with too many years to it. During this time, I'll teach you some basic knowledge about soul masters and help nurse your body back to health."

"Thank you. Could you tell me your name? I'll repay this kindness someday."

"Hahaha, let's talk about the future when it comes. The prerequisite for you repaying me is that you can grow up safely. Once you've grown strong enough, you'll naturally learn my name."

Seeing the earnest look on Jiang Yue's little face, the old man could not help but smile.

He then stepped forward, took several pieces of clothing from the belt around his waist, and tossed them onto Jiang Yue, signaling for him to put them on.

Only then did Jiang Yue realize that he was completely naked, though he did not feel much else about it.

Compared to his current state, Jiang Yue was far more curious about the storage soul tool at the old man's waist.

Six years ago, Jiang Yue had been born into this world. He had not spent those years knowing nothing. The village where he lived was not absurdly remote, and he had long heard adults returning from town speak of martial souls and soul masters. From that, he had deduced that this world was Douluo Continent.

Jiang Yue could even guess that the current era was that of Unrivaled Tang Sect. If this had been the era of Douluo I, then given the village's fairly accessible location, people from Spirit Hall would have long since come to conduct the martial soul awakening ceremony.

There was even less need to mention the era of Douluo III. Although evil soul masters had also been rampant during that time, if places as backward as Jiang Yue's village still existed in Douluo III—places that had not even heard of soul tools—then the Sun Moon Federation might as well have been destroyed already.

Even during the era of Unrivaled Tang Sect, despite the existence of the Sun Moon Empire, storage soul tools were still expensive. Ordinary soul masters had to save for a long time before they could afford one.

Whether through his manner of speech, his bearing, or the storage soul tool on his body, the old man before him displayed an extraordinary identity.

Jiang Yue had reason to suspect that the old man was actually a soul master with an extremely high soul power rank, perhaps even a pillar of some sect.

After Jiang Yue had finished putting on the clothes, the old man tossed him a small bag. The moment he opened it, the fragrance of food hooked Jiang Yue's taste buds, making his throat bob involuntarily several times.

Feeling his body's desperate craving for food, Jiang Yue immediately began wolfing it down. Seeing him like this, the old man nodded. That was more like it. That was how a child ought to look.

Only after Jiang Yue had finished all the food in the bag and the old man saw the satisfied expression on his face did he reveal a pleased smile.

"Um, I want to go back to the village. Could you take me there?"

"Go back? There are no living people left in that village now. The evil soul master who caused all this is dead too. What are you going back for? Is there something you need to bring with you?"

"I want to go back and look at my home. Father and Mother are dead now. Everyone in the village is dead. I don't have a home anymore. I want to go back for one last look."

"And if I don't go back now, there won't be anyone to bury their bodies."

Hearing Jiang Yue's answer, the old man seemed to fall into memories. In the end, he silently nodded and agreed to Jiang Yue's request.

The old man was clearly not someone who liked to delay. After agreeing, he placed his broad palm on Jiang Yue's shoulder. The next moment, the two of them appeared in the mountain village.

This was... spatial power? Or some kind of special soul skill?

If it was purely spatial power, then the old man's identity was obvious. But with Jiang Yue's current knowledge, he could not rule out the possibility that it was some special soul skill or martial soul, so he could not fully determine the old man's identity.

Still, this made Jiang Yue even more certain that the old man was extraordinary. He knew something about the current Douluo Continent. With the ability the old man had just displayed, there could not be more than a handful of people in the entire world capable of doing the same.

His luck really was good. Not only had he independently awakened two super martial souls capable of performing a self martial soul fusion skill, but he had also encountered such an unrivaled expert.

But... this good fortune had been bought with so many lives. Why could it not have come earlier?

If he had awakened his martial souls sooner, if he had been able to use Emotion Shakes Heaven sooner, perhaps he would not have nothing left now.

Seeing the familiar scene before him, now utterly different from before, Jiang Yue's throat seemed to stick together, unable to produce even the slightest sound.

He silently walked to a corpse. By now, all the blood had drained from it, staining the ground a dark red.

He raised his left hand and summoned the Passionate Sword. The blade met no resistance as it easily pierced into the soil. Perhaps because he had awakened his martial souls, Jiang Yue felt that his physical condition had improved considerably. His strength and stamina had both become better.

After simply digging a pit barely large enough to hold the corpse and burying it, Jiang Yue's breathing had already grown somewhat strained.

"Come here. Come here."

Seeing the old man beckon to him, Jiang Yue walked over in confusion.

The moment he arrived before the old man, the old man placed a hand on Jiang Yue's body. Before Jiang Yue could ask what he wanted, he felt waves of swelling pain faintly spread through his body.

The pain was like being pricked by needles. It lasted only a few seconds, yet beads of sweat already covered Jiang Yue's forehead. His cheeks were flushed an unnatural red, and heat seemed to pour from his entire body.

Once the pain faded, Jiang Yue felt his body become much more relaxed than before. There also seemed to be a force within him that did not belong to him, guiding his soul power along a particular path through his body.

And with every circulation, Jiang Yue felt his body grow a little lighter. The sluggish sensation from the circulation of soul power within his body vanished completely.

Was this a meditation technique? No, no. Although soul power meditation techniques were the primary means by which soul masters increased their soul power, one had to meditate to use them. It was impossible to refine soul power outside of meditation.

The old man did not know what Jiang Yue was thinking. After finishing all this, he sat alone on a large stone and closed his eyes to rest, with no intention of explaining anything to Jiang Yue.

Only after Jiang Yue turned around and continued his work did the old man open his eyes. Watching Jiang Yue awkwardly hold the sword in his left hand before transferring it to his right, he smiled and shook his head.

If one only had a single martial soul, then a weapon martial soul that could be wielded one-handed would most likely appear in the soul master's dominant hand, with only very few exceptions. Yet Jiang Yue was clearly not among those rare exceptions.

His previously stiff movements made it obvious that he had barely used his left hand before. More importantly, the old man had witnessed Jiang Yue's move from last night from beginning to end.

The old man had clearly seen that Jiang Yue held two swords with completely different auras—repelling yet attracting each other. They were evidently a pair of exceptionally rare twin martial souls, both of extraordinarily high quality.

Moreover, the two martial souls could resonate with each other, allowing Jiang Yue to perform a martial soul fusion skill all by himself. The old man had never even heard of such a thing. Calling such talent unparalleled would not be an exaggeration.

Whether it was the twin martial souls or the unprecedented self martial soul fusion skill, both filled the old man with envy.

Jiang Yue was still wary of him, a stranger, so it was only natural that he was unwilling to reveal such a secret. Even if the old man knew everything, he had no intention of exposing him.

"Hehe, talented though he may be, he's still just a child in the end."