Ye Xixuan

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Chapter 1: Ye Xixuan

Neither stars nor moon shed any light that night. A pitch-black curtain of sky shrouded the earth, weighing upon it with an invisible oppression.

A bitter wind raged through the empty valley, its shrill howls rising one after another. Amid the endless darkness, only a flicker of firelight guarded the last patch of sanctuary.

Lying beside the campfire, Ye Xixuan instinctively pulled the beast-hide blanket tighter around himself. The flames swaying in the wind illuminated his young, finely sculpted face. A few soft strands of black hair fell across his brows, and the smudges of dirt on his cheeks could not conceal his fair, delicate skin. One glance was enough to tell that he was the scion of a noble family, raised in comfort from childhood.

A black bracelet encircled his exposed left wrist. At first glance, its material looked as unremarkable as ordinary metal, yet in the dim shadows, a strange halo shimmered faintly across it.

In his haze, Ye Xixuan's long eyelashes trembled, and his eyes slowly opened. The firelight before him seemed to become a towering sea of blood, startling him awake in an instant. Then two utterly different sets of memories surged into his mind.

One came from his previous life and felt somewhat distant. The other belonged to this life, its impressions far more vivid and bone-deep.

"The Night Family of Heavenly Spirit City..."

Heavenly Spirit City ranked among the three largest cities in the Heaven Dou Empire and was the largest in its central region. The Night Family was the strongest soul master family in Heavenly Spirit City. Though its lineage stretched back only two hundred years, far less than those of the greatest soul master sects, it still had a Titled Douluo standing guard over it.

Yet even a family as powerful as the Night Family had been wiped out overnight. Not even the city lord's estate in Heavenly Spirit City had noticed in time.

Only Ye Xixuan had been sent out through the combined abilities of his elders. They had urged him to flee to Shrek Academy, southeast of the Heaven Dou Empire, and seek shelter there, preserving the family's bloodline and glory.

He had only recently awakened his martial soul-a powerful martial soul that had undergone a beneficial mutation-and possessed innate full soul power. That was precisely why he had been regarded as the family's hope.

A rank-ten Soul Scholar with innate full soul power had physical abilities considerably greater than those of an ordinary adult.

If nothing unexpected happened along the way, Ye Xixuan would have needed no more than five days to reach Shrek City, where Shrek Academy stood. But driven by searing pain and hatred, he had unexpectedly awakened the memories of his previous life, piercing the mystery that had veiled them since the womb. His Sea of Consciousness had suffered a shock as a result, and he had fallen unconscious upon reaching the depths of the Heavenly Spirit Mountain Range.

All his memories came to an abrupt end there.

"You're awake?!"

Just then, a delighted cry rang out. The voice was clear and sweet, yet it made Ye Xixuan's entire body abruptly tense. He rolled over, crouching with his left palm braced against the ground, and raised his head to look behind him warily.

His pitch-black eyes were as unfathomable as an abyss. His entire presence seemed to merge with the darkness, an indescribable chill lurking within its deep, deathly stillness.

Black demonic markings, seemingly almost tangible, spread outward from his chest, reaching his limbs and cheeks. At that moment, Ye Xixuan looked uncanny and sinister.

The Night Family had established itself in Heavenly Spirit City in little more than a century precisely because of the powerful dark element martial soul passed down through its bloodline.

Any elemental martial soul could be considered a top-tier existence. Such martial souls were usually exceptionally pure and of an extremely high grade. Elemental martial souls with definite forms, such as fireballs or nether lightning, were actually considerably inferior by comparison.

Ye Xixuan's martial soul had not only inherited every characteristic of the dark element martial soul, but also manifested them in another, unusual form.

His martial soul was his own shadow. More precisely, it should have been called the mind demon shadow. Strictly speaking, it could even be classified as a body martial soul. After all, a shadow was also part of the body; the two were like reflections of one another across two dimensions.

;psme&;psme&

The demonic markings covering Ye Xixuan's body were an innate ability he had possessed since his martial soul awakening, called the mind demon mark. That alone revealed how powerful his martial soul was.

This innate ability could enhance all his attributes-not merely physical capabilities such as strength and speed, but also the power of his martial soul and soul skills.

The mind demon shadow was not a beast martial soul, but the innate ability of the mind demon mark granted him something equivalent to beast martial soul possession, and something even stronger at that. Once he obtained soul rings in the future, that advantage would reveal itself all the more fully.

The mind demon shadow possessed the characteristics of a body martial soul, an elemental martial soul, and a beast martial soul alike, so it naturally received great attention. Unfortunately, before he could grow into his potential, the Night Family had inexplicably suffered total annihilation.

Looking toward the source of the voice, Ye Xixuan got a clear look at the newcomer.

She was a girl of about ten, with long black hair tied into a ponytail that hung down her back. A pale-blue, close-fitting outfit wrapped her budding figure. Her dark eyes were large and lively, her nose finely shaped, and her oval face almost perfect. Though her features still looked somewhat immature because of her age, she possessed a bright, graceful air that invited affection.

The girl held an armful of dry branches. Struck by the aura of Ye Xixuan's martial soul, she abruptly froze. A bright yellow ring instinctively rose from beneath her feet, and blue vines sprang rapidly from her body at that same instant, spreading over the stony ground.

"...Grass Silver Blue." ;psme&;psme&

Ye Xixuan stared intently at the girl's face and her highly distinctive blue silver grass martial soul. Memories of his previous life involuntarily surfaced in his mind, and he began to form a vague guess about who the girl before him might be.

Apparently afraid of frightening Ye Xixuan, the girl set down the branches, withdrew her martial soul, and hurried over to him, concern written across her face as she asked him a question.

"Little brother, why did you come to the Heavenly Spirit Mountain Range? You even passed out all alone on the road. Where's your family?"

"I don't have any family left. There's only me." Ye Xixuan lowered his eyes and spoke calmly. As he gradually absorbed and integrated the memories of both lives, his disposition had become much steadier. Naturally, he would no longer react as sharply as he had earlier.

Something seemed to occur to the girl. Her eyes reddened, and she pulled Ye Xixuan tightly into her arms, paying no heed to the terrifying demonic markings on his body that resembled tattoos of evil ghosts.

"I don't have a home anymore either."

"Thank you for saving me. My name is Ye Xixuan. What's your name, big sister?"

Moved by the girl's innocent kindness, Ye Xixuan relaxed and withdrew the power of the mind demon mark into his body. At the same time, he did not forget to confirm his suspicions.

"Ye Xixuan. That's a lovely name." The girl released him and looked at him, an instinctive sympathy welling up between fellow sufferers. She wiped the glistening tears from the corners of her eyes and broke into a smile, making everything around her seem to lose its luster.

"My name is Tang Ya. I'm from the Tang Sect in Heaven Dou City."

Although he had already prepared himself for it, Ye Xixuan still froze when he heard Tang Ya introduce herself.

...Ya Tang Sect Tang;psme&;psme&

(End of chapter)