After leaving Pine Creek Ferry, the road gradually leveled out. The stream turned into a small river, which flowed into a wider channel, and the woods on both banks gradually became more open.
The six of them walked south along the riverbank for three days, passing through two villages, but did not encounter any children with the Body Martial Soul.
On the afternoon of the third day, Jiang Lin stopped on a riverbank to let the team rest.
The four children sat on the Shitou on the riverbank. A Shan took off his shoes and soaked his feet in the water. Xiao Man followed suit and took off his shoes as well. Yi Chen sat on Shitou on the bank, while Lin Du squatted at the farthest point from the water, holding a blade of grass in his hand.
Jiang Lin found a flat patch of sand on the riverbank, sat down cross-legged, and beckoned to the four children. "Come here, all of you."
The four children sat in a circle, with A Shan sitting closest and Lin Du sitting furthest away.
"You have all awakened your Martial Soul and possess Soul Power, but do you know what it feels like to have Soul Power inside your body?"
The four children looked at each other in bewilderment.
A Shan scratched his head. "It's just... hot?"
"That's called feeling," Jiang Lin said. "Close your eyes, don't think about anything, just feel if there's a warm sensation inside your body, like something slowly flowing from your chest or stomach. Don't try to grab it, just be aware that it's there."
The four children obediently closed their eyes.
A Shan quickly hummed in agreement and nodded slightly. Yi Chen remained silent for a few moments, then her eyelashes fluttered, but she didn't speak.
Xiao Man frowned, as if she was searching for something with great effort. Lin Du closed his eyes, pursed his lips, and remained silent for a long time.
After about ten breaths, Jiang Lin said, "Those who can sense the Soul Power don't need to open their eyes; continue to sense it. Those who can't sense it don't need to rush; this thing was originally yours, you just didn't know it was there before."
A few breaths later, Xiao Man's brows relaxed, and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly. Lin Du, however, remained frowning, his lips pressed even tighter.
Jiang Lin glanced at him but didn't urge him.
"Okay, open your eyes."
A Shan was the first to open his eyes, grinned, and said, "I can feel it, it's going up from my stomach."
Yi Chen opened her eyes, nodded, and said nothing, but her expression was more relaxed than before.
Xiao Man opened her eyes. "... I felt it too, it was very light, like a thread moving."
Jiang Lin nodded, then looked at Lin Du.
Lin Du's eyes were still closed. His brows were furrowed and his lips were pursed, as if he was searching for something with great effort.
" Lin Du."
Lin Du opened his eyes, his expression tense. "... I didn't."
"No need to rush," Jiang Lin said. "Your Soul Power is in your legs, not your chest, so it's normal that you can't feel it."
Lin Du was taken aback. "On your leg?"
"Your Martial Soul is your legs, so your Soul Power is naturally in your legs," Jiang Lin said. "When you run, feel the warm sensation in your legs; that's your Soul Power."
Lin Du looked down at his legs, said nothing, but his brows relaxed a little.
Bai Lingyu leaned against a tree trunk and watched this scene without making a sound.
After the children dispersed to drink water, he walked over to Jiang Lin and whispered, "It's harder to sense the Soul Power in the legs. At their age, no one has ever taught them. Being able to sense it while sitting is already quite good."
Jiang Lin didn't reply, but only glanced at Lin Du's back.
As evening fell, the six of them passed through a small village. At the village entrance, several adults were looking worried about a child who looked about six or seven years old. The child was sitting on the ground, holding his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking with sobs.
Jiang Lin stopped and asked, "What's wrong?"
An old man looked up at him, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke, "This child... a couple of days ago, people from the Spirit Hall came to awaken his soul power, saying he had no Soul Power."
But our village has never had a child without Soul Power before. His parents were unwilling to accept it, so they consulted Soul Master from the next village, who said he had Soul Power. We don't know who to believe."
Jiang Lin squatted down and glanced at the child. His Spirit Eyes flickered and disappeared in no more than three breaths.
"He has Soul Power," he said, standing up. "It's weak, but it's definitely there. The people from the Spirit Hall probably didn't detect it because the child was too nervous during the test."
The child looked up at him, his eyes red-rimmed.
Jiang Lin turned to look at Bai Lingyu Bai Lingyu, who took out an array plate from her Mustard Seed Storage and handed it to him. Jiang Lin took the array plate and placed it on the ground in front of the child. "Test again, don't be nervous."
The result of this test is: Innate Soul Power level one, very weak, but it is indeed present.
The child's family was extremely grateful and insisted that they stay for a meal, Jiang Lin declined, only saying, "Take good care of him and see how he is when he's a little older."
As they left the village, A Shan followed Jiang Lin and asked, "Master, his Soul Power is so weak, can he become Soul Master?"
Jiang Lin didn't turn around. "Whether someone can become Soul Master isn't determined by their Innate Soul Power. It's determined by whether they want to."
A Shan said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions.
The next day at noon, the road began to turn into the mountains. Dense forests lined both sides, and the road grew narrower and narrower. Bai Lingyu, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped and raised a hand to signal everyone to stop.
Something's not right in the woods. It's too quiet.
"What's wrong?" A Shan asked in a low voice.
Bai Lingyu didn't answer, her eyes fixed ahead. After a few moments, seven or eight people emerged from the bushes on both sides of the forest.
Wearing tattered leather armor and carrying knives and clubs, the leader, a man with a scar on his face, squinted at them.
"Passing by?" the scarred man asked, his voice unhurried. "Leave some money for passage, and we'll let you through."
Jiang Lin glanced at Bai Lingyu. Bai Lingyu raised an eyebrow but didn't move.
Seeing that they remained silent, Scarface took a step forward, brandishing his knife. "Don't understand? Leave your valuables behind and get out of here."
"Things of value?" Jiang Lin said, "The most valuable thing we have is these four people behind us."
Scarface paused, his gaze falling on the four children behind Jiang Lin. He frowned. "Children? You're using children as tolls? Are you playing me?"
"I'm not joking," Jiang Lin said. "These four children all possess Soul Power, and each of them could become Soul Master. Taking them back is far more useful than robbing me of my money."
Scarface stared at him for a few moments, then suddenly laughed, "Don't try to fool me— Soul Master? These little brats? Do you think I'm stupid?"
Before his laughter could subside, Jiang Lin made a move.
His movements were so quick that it was hard to even see how he took those few steps—by the time Scarface reacted, Jiang Lin was already standing less than two steps in front of him, his fingers lightly resting on Scarface's wrist holding the knife.
You can give it a try.
Scarface glanced down at the hand, then looked up at Jiang Lin's eyes, and the smile on his face slowly froze.
His knife remained still.
None of the bandits in the surrounding mountains dared to make a move.
Bai Lingyu stood behind and slowly said, "I advise you to let go; he has a bad temper."
Scarface swallowed hard and slowly released his grip on the knife. The man behind him also took two steps back.
Jiang Lin withdrew his hand and stepped back to the front of the group, acting as if nothing had happened.
Let's go.
The six continued walking forward, and no one stopped them anymore.
After walking quite a distance, A Shan turned around and glanced back, then quickly caught up and asked in a low voice, "Master, was that... Martial Soul?"
"It's not Martial Soul, it's a movement technique," Jiang Lin said. "But even non- Soul Master can practice it. What you'll learn in the future is far more than what you just learned."
A Shan didn't ask any more questions, but he walked with his shoulders even straighter. Yi Chen followed behind him, saying nothing, but her steps were lighter than before.
Xiao Man clenched her right fist, as if secretly gesturing something. Lin Du walked at the back, his gaze fixed on the backs of the four people in front of him. After a while, he looked down at his legs, then started walking and followed.
That evening, the six of them set up camp in a mountain hollow. As the fire was lit, Bai Lingyu sat by the fire, watching the four children huddle together sharing their rations, and suddenly spoke up, "We've traveled for so many days, we've almost covered the south."
Jiang Lin sat opposite the fire, without responding.
Bai Lingyu added, "We've taken in all four children, and we've traveled this far. There's nothing special to see further down the road."
He paused for a moment, then looked up at Jiang Lin: "I think we should find them a permanent place to stay."
Jiang Lin did not answer immediately. The firelight illuminated his face, making it impossible to discern his expression.
After a long while, he spoke.
"Um."