Holy Soul Village's martial soul awakening ceremony finally drew to an earth-shaking close.
Two children with innate full soul power, both possessing the Blue Silver Grass martial soul, exploded like two massive bombs in the tiny village. The villagers rushed to spread the news, and the normally quiet village boiled over with excitement. Everyone discussed Lin Chen and Tang San, two geniuses rarely seen in a century, their words brimming with pride and wonder.
Holy Soul Village prided itself on having produced a Soul Saint, yet over all these years, scarcely anyone had become a soul master, let alone possessed the peerless, one-in-ten-thousand gift of innate full soul power. Now two had appeared at once. It was nothing short of a miracle.
Su Yuntao, the Spirit Hall steward, was so excited that he could not sleep all night.
He repeatedly checked Lin Chen's soul power and martial soul. Looking at the blade of Blue Silver Grass wreathed in a halo of life, he was filled with bewilderment. Both were Blue Silver Grass, yet Tang San's exuded a cold toughness, while Lin Chen's brimmed with gentle vitality. They were clearly the same martial soul, yet their qualities were worlds apart.
But his confusion could not change the fact that Lin Chen possessed innate full soul power. Not daring to delay, Su Yuntao hurried out of Holy Soul Village that very day and reported the news to the Spirit Hall Branch as quickly as possible. He knew these two children were destined to become leading powers on the Douluo Continent, and he was the discerning judge who had discovered these exceptional steeds.
For a time, all of Holy Soul Village basked in unprecedented joy. Only Lin Chen retained his distinctive clearheadedness.
He knew innate full soul power was merely a starting point. To gain a foothold on the Douluo Continent and acquire the strength to contend with Tang San, talent alone was nowhere near enough. Soul rings, soul skills, cultivation resources, connections, and influence—he could not do without any of them.
Tang San had Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao protecting him in secret, twin martial souls, and the foundation of the Mysterious Heaven Skill from his previous life. His starting point already far surpassed that of ordinary people. Lin Chen, however, was alone, without an illustrious family or a powerful backer. His only advantages were his Life Blue Silver Grass and the foreknowledge he had brought with him from his previous world.
If he wanted to stand against Tang San and protect his future path and the people around him, he had to fortify every step and seize the initiative.
On the third day after their martial soul awakening, the elderly village chief came to find Lin Chen and Tang San. He held two letters of recommendation, his face creased with a kindly smile.
"Little San, Lin Chen, you're both the pride of our village! With innate full soul power, you're destined to become powerful soul masters! These are recommendation letters for the Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy. With them, you can study the knowledge of soul masters systematically and begin your true journey as soul masters!"
The village chief handed them a letter each, his voice full of hope.
The Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy was the finest junior soul master academy among the surrounding cities. It was also Tang San's first stop upon entering the soul master world in the original story. There, he met Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang, became acquainted with Xiao Wu, and began his legendary journey.
Tang San accepted the recommendation letter and gripped it tightly, his gaze resolute. Raised from childhood by his father, Tang Hao, alone, he was determined to grow stronger, discover his origins, and protect those around him. The path of a soul master was his only choice.
He turned toward Lin Chen beside him, his gaze complicated.
Both possessed Blue Silver Grass, both had innate full soul power, and both had awakened their martial souls on the same day. This should have been a bond of fate, yet ever since their awakening, he had sensed a faint aloofness from Lin Chen, even a barely perceptible trace of hostility.
That feeling had nothing to do with good or evil. It sprang from their martial souls, from the innate opposition between their paths.
Reserved by nature, Tang San did not initiate a conversation. He merely nodded slightly to the village chief, accepting the arrangement.
Lin Chen took the recommendation letter and rubbed the paper between his fingertips. He had already made his decision.
He naturally knew what the Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy meant. He knew it would be the first step in Tang San's rise, and that Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang and Xiao Wu would both appear there.
By all ordinary reasoning, he should have gone with Tang San and used his foreknowledge to seize opportunities. But Lin Chen would not.
He and Tang San stood on different sides to begin with. Those who walked different paths could not make plans together. If they went to Nuoding Academy together, they would inevitably be tied to one another and regarded as companions by the world. That was the last thing he wanted.
More importantly, Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's theories were ultimately tailored to Tang San's twin martial souls. They would be useless to his Life Blue Silver Grass and might even lead his Life Soul Power cultivation astray.
He would walk a path of a life soul master that belonged to him alone. He did not need to lean on anyone else's theories, much less travel alongside Tang San.
Besides, his destination had never been the Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy.
In the surrounding region, there was another academy, little known yet rich in heritage, devoted to plant-type martial souls and the cultivation of Life Soul Power—the Qinglan Life Academy.
The academy lay deep within Qinglan Mountain on the outskirts of Nuoding City. It never recruited students with great public fanfare, accepting only promising soul masters with plant-type martial souls, especially those attuned to Life Soul Power. Every instructor possessed considerable strength and expertise in wielding Life Soul Power. It was far better suited to cultivating his Life Blue Silver Grass than Nodling Academy, where fish and dragons mingled indiscriminately.
When he had read the original story in his previous life, Lin Chen had remembered this academy vividly despite its passing mention. Now, it would be the first stop he chose for himself!
He would stay far from Tang San, avoid interference from the original storyline, devote himself to cultivating Life Soul Power, and build a solid foundation. At the same time, he would seek opportunities of his own, meet his own heroine, and amass the means to contend with Tang San.
At that thought, Lin Chen raised his head and slowly shook it at the village chief.
"Grandpa Chief, thank you for your kindness, but I don't intend to go to Nuoding Academy."
Both the village chief and Tang San froze at his words.
The village chief looked stunned and hurriedly said, "Lin Chen, what nonsense are you talking about? Nodling Academy is the best junior soul master academy! People practically crush their heads trying to get in! With your innate full soul power, how could you not go?"
Tang San also frowned at Lin Chen, his eyes filled with incomprehension. In his view, Nuoding Academy was the best choice. Lin Chen's decision was simply too unusual.
Calm-faced, Lin Chen explained firmly, "Grandpa Chief, I know Nuoding Academy is good, but my martial soul is Life Blue Silver Grass. It leans toward healing through life energy and nourishing plants. Nuoding Academy's teaching doesn't suit me. I've already asked around. There's a Qinglan Life Academy on Qinglan Mountain that's better suited to my martial soul. I want to study there."
"Qinglan Life Academy? What sort of place is that?" The village chief looked utterly bewildered. He had never heard the academy's name, which only deepened his concern. "No, absolutely not! I've never even heard of that academy. What if it isn't safe and ruins your future?"
"Don't worry, Grandpa Chief. I know what I'm doing. That academy suits me very well. It certainly won't hold back my cultivation." Lin Chen spoke with absolute certainty, without the slightest wavering.
His mind was made up. No amount of persuasion would change it.
Watching the resolute Lin Chen, Tang San felt that sense of opposition grow stronger. At last, he was certain that Lin Chen had never intended to walk the same path as him. Their seemingly identical beginnings were destined to lead in completely different directions. They might even become opponents along the way.
Tang San said nothing more. He merely gave Lin Chen a long look, then turned and left.
He would not force others, nor did he consider it worth doing. Since their paths differed, they would each establish their own camp. Their future journeys as soul masters would reveal the outcome.
Watching Tang San's retreating back, Lin Chen's lips curved slightly. He did not mind in the least.
Parting ways was precisely the outcome he wanted.
From now on, you take your broad, sunlit road, and I'll cross my single-log bridge. You'll accumulate your advantages at Nuoding Academy, and I'll lay my foundations at Qinglan Academy. When we meet again, we'll be opponents!
Faced with Lin Chen's repeated insistence, the village chief could not sway him and reluctantly agreed. He only reminded him again and again to stay safe and take care of himself while away.
Lin Chen agreed to every reminder. That very day, he packed his few belongings, bid farewell to the village chief and Holy Soul Village, and set off alone toward Qinglan Mountain.
The journey from Holy Soul Village to Qinglan Mountain passed along a woodland trail. Lush trees lined both sides, and flourishing vegetation filled the air with nature's fresh scent, perfectly harmonizing with the aura of Lin Chen's Life Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.
As he walked through the woods, Lin Chen could clearly feel the surrounding plant life resonating faintly with his martial soul. The Life Soul Power within him also began circulating slowly of its own accord, subtly increasing his cultivation.
This was the advantage of Life Blue Silver Grass. In a natural environment, he could absorb the Life Force between heaven and earth and strengthen himself without deliberately cultivating, progressing far faster than ordinary soul masters.
Just as Lin Chen reached the depths of the woods, a flurry of footsteps sounded nearby, accompanied by faint fluctuations of soul power and a weak, stifled groan of pain.
Lin Chen's brows lifted slightly. Slowing his steps, he quietly followed the sound.
After passing through a dense patch of shrubs, he emerged into an open view.
In a woodland clearing, a girl in a pale green dress was surrounded by three grayish-brown Gale Wolves, hundred-year soul beasts with bared fangs.
The girl looked only six or seven years old. She was slender, with exquisitely beautiful features and fair skin. Stubbornness and panic mingled in her eyes, yet even in danger, she held on without retreating.
In her hand, she clutched a crystal-clear Ice Spirit Flower glowing faintly blue. Clearly, this hundred-year soul beast, the Ice Spirit Flower, was the martial soul she had just obtained.
The girl was only at level ten. She had yet to absorb a soul ring and had no soul skills whatsoever. With her meager soul power alone, she was no match for three Gale Wolves.
A Gale Wolf's sharp claws had already slashed her arm, drawing blood. Her face was pale, and her soul power fluctuated chaotically. She was on the verge of collapse. Ferocity gleamed in the three wolves' eyes as they advanced step by step, ready to launch a fatal attack at any moment.
There was no one else nearby. The girl was trapped in a hopeless situation, her life hanging by a thread!
Lin Chen's gaze sharpened, and he did not hesitate.
He was not cold-blooded to begin with. Moreover, the girl's Ice Spirit Flower was a plant-type martial soul, faintly compatible with his Life Blue Silver Grass. Her clothing and bearing also suggested that she was no ordinary family's child. More importantly, her face instantly reminded him of someone—Ning Rongrong!
No, she was not Ning Rongrong, but her beauty was no less stunning. Her bearing was cooler, gentler, and more graceful, and her soul power was pure. Clearly, she was a gifted daughter of a great sect, as well as a beauty he was destined to meet!
"Beasts, don't you dare hurt her!"
With a cold shout, Lin Chen burst forward. His level-ten innate Life Soul Power erupted instantly, and pale green Life Blue Silver Grass surged into being above his palm.
Unlike the frailty of ordinary Blue Silver Grass, Lin Chen's Life Blue Silver Grass grew incredibly tough beneath the infusion of life soul power. Its leaves shimmered green, sweeping toward the three Gale Wolves like nimble green ribbons!
Although he had not absorbed a soul ring and possessed no soul skills, his Life Blue Silver Grass had an inherent Life-Binding Power. Supported by his innate full soul power, its might far surpassed that of an ordinary level-ten soul master.
Startled by Lin Chen's sudden appearance, the Gale Wolves turned and lunged at him. But the Life Blue Silver Grass coiled around them in an instant, binding their limbs tightly and pinning them in place.
Life force seeped into them. Rather than harming the Gale Wolves, it gradually soothed their frenzied emotions. The restraints, however, only grew stronger. No matter how they struggled, they could not break free in the slightest.
The girl had already closed her eyes, ready to accept her desperate fate. But the expected attack never came. Instead, she heard a cool shout and opened her eyes to see a boy dressed plainly but standing tall.
The boy stood in the sunlight, the Blue Silver Grass in his palm shining with a gentle green glow. His gaze was firm, his posture upright. Though only six years old, he possessed composure and strength far beyond his peers, effortlessly trapping three savage Gale Wolves.
Sunlight spilled over him, setting off that living green radiance and making him especially dazzling.
The girl stared, spellbound. The panic in her eyes faded, replaced by astonishment and deep emotion. A faint blush rose unbidden to her cheeks, and her heartbeat suddenly quickened.
Lin Chen turned toward her with gentle eyes and a clear voice. "Are you all right?"
Coming back to herself, the girl quickly shook her head. Holding her injured arm, she thanked him softly. "I'm all right. Thank you for saving me. My name is Su Qingyuan. What's yours?"
Su Qingyuan came from a sect lineage and possessed the supreme plant-type martial soul, Ice Spirit Flower. She was also the first heroine to appear on Lin Chen's journey through the Douluo Continent.
Looking at her injured arm, Lin Chen made the Life Blue Silver Grass in his palm shine with a soft green light and gently brushed it over her wound.
Pure Life Force flowed into her, and the wound on Su Qingyuan's arm healed before their eyes. The pain vanished instantly, as though she had never been injured.
Su Qingyuan's eyes widened. She stared at her arm in disbelief, then looked at the Blue Silver Grass in Lin Chen's palm, her eyes full of wonder. "Your Blue Silver Grass... can actually heal? What kind of martial soul is it?"
Ordinary Blue Silver Grass could never possess such miraculous Life Healing power. This completely overturned everything she knew about it.
Lin Chen smiled faintly. Without offering much explanation, he simply said, "Lin Chen. That's my name."
With that, he raised his hand and withdrew his Life Blue Silver Grass. Soothed by the life force, the freed Gale Wolves turned and fled in panic into the depths of the woods.
Rescued from certain danger by this boy named Lin Chen, and having witnessed such miraculous martial soul power, Su Qingyuan looked at him with growing curiosity and affection. A seed of fluttering emotion quietly took root in her heart.
Lin Chen also knew that from the moment he rescued Su Qingyuan, his journey with multiple heroines had officially begun. The curtain had fully risen on a life as a soul master utterly different from Tang San's.
The two stood side by side in the woods, sunlight filtering through the leaves, warm and beautiful.
"Are you going to study at a soul master academy too?" Su Qingyuan asked softly, a trace of anticipation in her eyes.
Lin Chen nodded and looked toward Qinglan Mountain. "Yes. I'm going to the Qinglan Life Academy. What about you?"
Su Qingyuan's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed delightedly, "Really? I'm going to the Qinglan Life Academy too! I was traveling there alone, but I never expected to encounter soul beasts along the way. Thank goodness I met you!"
Their bond was ordained by heaven. Two people whose lives had never intersected had met through an unexpected incident, and they shared the same destination.
Lin Chen was a little surprised as well. Then a smile curved his lips. "In that case, let's go to Qinglan Academy together."
"Yes!" Su Qingyuan nodded without hesitation. A radiant smile blossomed across her face, as breathtaking as an Ice Spirit Flower in bloom.
They walked side by side toward the depths of Qinglan Mountain, chatting along the way and gradually growing closer.
Meanwhile, Tang San had already set out for Nuoding City, where he would soon encounter his opportunities and companions.
Two utterly different paths as soul masters had now parted completely.
One would begin the legend of twin martial souls at Nuoding Academy; the other would forge a flourishing age of Life Blue Silver at Qinglan Academy.
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