"War Lord Demon Body? Are you sure you want to call it that?" Wu Jing asked, looking at the boy before him.
That didn't sound particularly good.
Lu Guan nodded in confirmation.
Wu Jing asked no further questions and quickly wrote the name in his register.
According to the rules, whenever a new martial soul appeared, its owner could propose a name. Whether the Spirit Pagoda adopted it was another matter, of course.
After recording the martial soul's details, Wu Jing took a bracelet from a nearby compartment.
"Take this." Wu Jing pressed the bracelet into Lu Guan's hand. "This is the Spirit Pagoda's support for exceptional talents. If you're interested in the Spirit Pagoda, you can also use it to become a member."
Lu Guan ran his fingers over the bracelet. Faint soul power fluctuations rippled across its surface.
It was a Storage Soul Tool.
He swept it with his soul power and found a check inside as well, worth five hundred thousand Federation Credits.
Lu Guan raised his eyebrows. The Spirit Pagoda really was quite generous when it came to recruiting exceptional talents.
Were it not for the Federation keeping it in check, it would probably sweep every exceptional talent into its ranks.
Lu Guan accepted the bracelet. Free benefits were free benefits; he would be a fool to refuse.
The Spirit Pagoda had deep pockets. These things were a single hair off nine oxen to them, but they were very useful to someone like him, who was just starting out.
"Thank you, Deacon Wu," Lu Guan said politely.
Wu Jing waved a hand to indicate it was nothing.
Lu Guan then left.
As soon as he stepped out of the Spirit Pagoda, he saw Lu Beixuan still holding forth to several acquaintances, spittle flying.
"See him? That's my son! Innate full soul power! A body martial soul!" Lu Beixuan thumped his chest, his face and neck flushed red. "I always told you our Lu family had a great figure among our ancestors, but you wouldn't believe me! Opened your eyes now, hasn't it?"
"Yes, yes. When you soar to success someday, Brother Lu, don't forget the rest of us," the people beside him chorused.
Standing at the edge of the crowd, Lu Guan listened to his father's boasting and shook his head.
This father he'd acquired was easily satisfied.
Lu Guan didn't interrupt Lu Beixuan's fun. He turned, squeezed out of the crowd, and followed the street home.
He needed somewhere quiet to properly study his newly awakened martial soul.
As for a soul spirit, that could wait until he understood his War Lord Demon Body.
He returned home and pushed open the courtyard gate.
Lu Guan's family wasn't wealthy by Eastsea City's standards, but they did have a small private courtyard. An old pagoda tree grew there, with a stone table beneath it.
Lu Guan walked to the center of the courtyard and stood still.
With a thought, he sent the soul power within him surging through his meridians.
Above his forehead, flesh tore open once more, and two dark eyes opened. Below his elbows, four arms rapidly grew into shape.
Four Eyes and Six Hands.
The War Lord Demon Body.
Lu Guan lowered his head to examine his body, which resembled that of a demonic god.
Although it looked terrifying, the sense of strength filling his body to the point of overflowing was very real.
"And this is only its newly awakened state." Lu Guan clenched all six fists, feeling the explosive cracks coming from his knuckles.
Then his brow furrowed slightly.
He sensed that something else seemed to be hidden within this War Lord Demon Body.
It was an instinct. Just as people were born knowing how to breathe, this body was born with some kind of innate accompanying ability.
"Come out," Lu Guan commanded in a low voice. Following that instinct, he abruptly pushed his soul power outward.
Suddenly, the temperature of the surrounding air plummeted.
There was no wind, yet the old pagoda tree in the courtyard began shaking violently, its leaves rustling.
Then wisps of dark red fog seeped out from beneath Lu Guan's feet, spreading rapidly along the ground.
Within just two or three breaths, thick, dark red fog completely enveloped the courtyard.
The fog was incredibly dense, so thick it seemed about to drip blood. He couldn't have seen his own fingers held before him.
Yet Lu Guan smiled.
Within this dark red fog, not only was the vision of his four eyes unobstructed, he could see with exceptional clarity.
He could even make out the paths of tiny dust motes in the air.
"This fog..." Lu Guan raised his six hands and took a deep breath.
As the fog entered his lungs, it did not suffocate him. Instead, it set his blood boiling.
He could distinctly feel his six arms trembling with excitement, his muscles cheering, as though this dark red fog were the finest nourishment he could receive.
Not only that, but every stirring of wind or grass within the fog lay within his perception. He could pinpoint even an ant crawling in a corner by the wall.
Its range is about the size of a basketball court, Lu Guan quickly calculated. But this definitely isn't its limit.
He tried channeling more soul power into the ground.
Sure enough, the dark red fog began rolling beyond the courtyard walls, poised to swallow the entire street.
"Stop." Lu Guan cut off the flow of soul power.
The fog stopped expanding, but remained dense without dispersing.
An ability similar to a domain, right from the start, Lu Guan reckoned. Once I reach the later stages, who could fight me inside this fog when I unleash it? This War Lord Demon Body really is overbearing.
"As for this fog... the War Master's great fog, brimming with the will to battle. I'll call it 'Nine Li War Fog'!"
With a thought, Lu Guan drew all the fog back into his body.
Peace returned to the courtyard, but a thin layer of frost had formed on the old pagoda tree's leaves.
After withdrawing the fog, Lu Guan didn't stop.
He had more or less finished studying his body martial soul. Next came its accompanying Five Weapons.
He raised his six hands, and his palms grew hot simultaneously.
Amid flashes of golden light, five ancient bronze weapons were "squeezed" out once more.
Ge, Shu, Ji, Qiu, Yi.
With the five weapons in hand, that sense of being connected by blood welled up within him again.
The instant he gripped those five weapons, a sudden hum rang through his mind, and a massive torrent of information forced its way inside.
"Ugh!" Lu Guan gave a muffled grunt, all four eyes closing at once.
The torrent of information rapidly reorganized itself within his mind, finally forming the ancient characters for "War Lord Heart Method."
First form, [Hooking Ge Sinks the Earth]: Sweep the Ge across, skim the blade and crush the edge!
Second form, [Bronze Staff Shakes the Thousand Jun]: Might that shakes mountains, blunt force that shatters bones!
Third form, [Halberd Splits the Layered Clouds]: ...
"A cultivation art specifically for the five weapons?" Lu Guan's eyes snapped open, a sharp gleam flashing through them.
On the Douluo Continent, soul masters mostly relied on soul skills granted by soul rings to fight.
But to Chi You, the War Master, weapons were his hands and feet, and combat forms were instinct.
This War Lord Heart Method had no flashy effects, only the purest arts of slaughter.
"Let's try it."
Without hesitation, Lu Guan immediately mobilized his soul power according to the pathways described by the heart art in his mind.
His soul power no longer simply flowed through his meridians. Instead, it traveled along his six arms and poured directly into the five bronze weapons in his hands.
Hum-
All five weapons gave a soft hum at once. The ancient patterns on their surfaces seemed to come alive, emitting a faint glow.
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