Holy Soul Village's Twin Stars

Morning light flowed across the wheat field at the eastern end of Holy Soul Village like molten gold. Seven-year-old Lin Ye crouched on a ridge between the fields, his fingertips hovering above a stalk of foxtail grass as a pale golden glow quietly spread from his palm. Its leaves unfurled at a visible pace, fresh green returning to their withered yellow edges, while several inconspicuous weeds nearby straightened up as well.

"Xiao Ye, what are you fiddling with again?"

A rough voice came from behind him. Lin Ye snatched his hand back, and the golden glow vanished instantly. He turned to see Village Chief Jack leaning on his jujube-wood cane, his hunched back like a miniature mountain in the morning light. The original owner of this body had lost his parents early, and Village Chief Jack had raised him, looking after him just as attentively as he did the child named Tang San at the western end of the village.

"Nothing, Grandpa Jack." Lin Ye stood and patted the dirt off his trouser legs. "I just saw that this grass was about to wither."

Relief flashed in Jack's cloudy eyes. "Good boy, you've got a kind heart. Martial Soul Awakening is in two months. Grandpa hopes you'll become a Soul Master and bring some pride to Holy Soul Village." He paused and pointed his cane westward. "That boy Tang San should be awake by now. Why don't you two go practice on the hill behind the village?"

Lin Ye nodded in agreement. Seven years had passed since he transmigrated to Douluo Continent, and his initial fear and unease had long since given way to acceptance of this world's rules. He knew how Holy Soul Village had gotten its name-a Soul Saint-level expert had come from here a century ago. More than that, he knew the quiet boy at the western end of the village would one day stir up storms across the entire continent.

After crossing two muddy dirt roads, Lin Ye stopped outside the smithy. Its wooden door stood ajar, and the clang of hammering came from within, the rhythm steady, the force behind it unlike anything a seven-year-old could muster. He pushed the door open and saw Tang San standing before the anvil, his little arms swinging a hammer nearly as tall as he was. A red-hot piece of iron was gradually taking shape beneath his blows.

"Xiao San, the village chief wants us to go to the hill behind the village."

Tang San stopped, sweat sliding down his youthful cheeks and falling onto the red-hot iron with a faint sizzle. He wiped his hands on a piece of coarse cloth lying nearby, his dark eyes holding a calm beyond his years. "Wait until I finish making this hoe."

Lin Ye didn't hurry him. He found a small folding stool and sat down. He knew Tang San rose before dawn every day to work the forge, not just to help shoulder the burden for his hard-drinking father, Tang Hao, but also to temper his body. Though Soul Masters in this world were powerful, the physical body was always their foundation, and Tang San had grasped this through the experience of living two lives.

Half an hour later, a sharply defined hoe lay in the pile of finished goods. Tang San untied the coarse cloth apron around his waist, revealing a short jacket washed pale underneath. "Let's go."

The two walked side by side toward the grove behind the village. Morning dew dampened their trouser cuffs, and Lin Ye could clearly feel the warm power flowing slowly within him. It was the bloodline of the Three-Legged Golden Crow, the greatest trump card he had brought with him when he transmigrated. Unlike any Martial Soul known on Douluo Continent, the Three-Legged Golden Crow was a legendary spirit of the sun, innately endowed with vast powers of life and flame. Upon awakening, it had directly granted him level twenty Soul Power-a number enough to drive any Spirit Hall deacon mad.

But Lin Ye had always kept this power well hidden. He knew the danger of exposing his talent too early, and he had even less desire to disrupt Tang San's original path. He only wanted to be a bystander-no, perhaps a guardian-growing alongside this future Sea God in this magnificent, turbulent world.

"How's the breathing technique I taught you yesterday coming along?" Tang San asked suddenly. His voice was soft, but it carried a convincing force.

Lin Ye smiled. "Not bad, but I always feel like I can't get my Qi to sink." He wasn't lying. What Tang San had taught him was a basic Tang Sect cultivation method, something the people of this world would consider a divine technique. But the Golden Crow's power within him was too domineering, and the two powers often clashed in subtle ways.

Tang San stopped and turned to look at him seriously. "Don't force it. Developing a sense for Qi takes time. If it really doesn't work, I'll teach you another method." He pulled an oilpaper packet from his clothing. Inside were several wheat cakes baked golden brown. "It's a recipe my mother left behind. I added some honey. Have a taste."

Lin Ye accepted a wheat cake, its warmth reaching his fingertips. He knew the "mother" Tang San spoke of: Ah Yin, the Blue Silver Grass Soul Master who had died when he was born. Whenever Tang San mentioned his mother, his gaze always softened a little. She was the softest corner of his heart.

"By the way, Xiao San," Lin Ye said suddenly after taking a bite of the wheat cake, "do you really think Blue Silver Grass is a Trash Martial Soul?"

Tang San froze for a moment. A trace of gloom flashed through his dark eyes, but he soon regained his composure. "That's what the elders in the village all say. But I think it's pretty useful. It can bind things, and it can sense what's happening nearby." He casually picked a stalk of Blue Silver Grass by the roadside and brushed its leaves with his fingertips. The grass swayed gently, as though it had come to life.

Lin Ye watched the Blue Silver Grass unfurl in Tang San's palm and said seriously, "I don't think it's ordinary either. Look, its roots can push into cracks in the hardest stone. Even if it's snapped underfoot, it'll sprout again a few days later. Is there a more tenacious Martial Soul in this world?"

Tang San's eyes lit up. Since he was little, the village children had mocked him for his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, and even his father, Tang Hao, always asked him, "What use is Blue Silver Grass?" This was the first time anyone had affirmed his Martial Soul like this.

"Vitality," Lin Ye continued. "Whether you're fighting or trying to survive, staying alive is what matters most. Blue Silver Grass has such strong vitality. Maybe it can blaze a trail no one else has walked."

Tang San lowered his head and looked thoughtfully at the Blue Silver Grass in his palm. He could feel that this inconspicuous little plant did indeed possess a tenacious strength; he had simply never thought deeply about it before. Lin Ye's words were like a pebble, sending ripples across his heart.

"What Martial Soul do you want to test for on the day of the Martial Soul Awakening?" Tang San asked suddenly. He remembered that Lin Ye had never shown any sign of a Martial Soul in front of him.

Lin Ye thought for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe it'll be some ordinary plant Martial Soul too." He hadn't lied outright. Though the Three-Legged Golden Crow wasn't a plant, it contained the power of life, so it was a tenuous connection at least.

The two practiced a set of basic punches adapted by Tang San in the grove, then exchanged a few blows in sparring. Tang San's movements were swift and precise, bearing traces of the Tang Sect Secret Arts. Lin Ye, meanwhile, relied on the powerful physique granted by the Golden Crow's power, always finding an opportunity to counterattack amid what looked like desperate dodges. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, dancing over them in golden spots.

By the time they returned to the village, quite a few people had gathered outside the smithy. A middle-aged man in a long white robe stood there, a black sword emblem embroidered on his chest. Behind him were two youths holding crystal balls.

"It's a Spirit Hall deacon!" someone cried in a low voice.

Village Chief Jack squeezed to the front, his face creasing into a broad smile. "Sir, you're here to awaken the children's Martial Souls, aren't you? Please, come inside. I've already gathered all the children of the right age."

The middle-aged man gave a faint nod and swept his gaze over the villagers watching before it finally settled on Lin Ye and Tang San, who had just returned. "Are these two from Holy Soul Village as well?"

"Yes, yes!" Jack nodded quickly. "This is Tang San, and that's Lin Ye. They're both good children!"

The middle-aged man said no more and walked straight into the smithy. Tang Hao had disappeared somewhere, leaving the shop empty except for iron filings scattered across the floor and a few half-finished farming tools.

"Everyone, line up." The middle-aged man's voice carried unquestionable authority. "My name is Su Yuntao, a level twenty-six Soul Grandmaster. I'll be your guide. Now, do as I say."

A dozen or so children formed a line, with Lin Ye and Tang San standing in the middle. Su Yuntao took six round black stones and a blue crystal ball from his pack and arranged the stones in a hexagon on the floor. "Next, stand in the circle one at a time, close your eyes, and feel with your heart."

The first child stepped into the circle. Su Yuntao muttered an incantation, and the six stones suddenly shone with pale golden light, forming a dome around the child. A moment later, a rusty iron sword appeared in the child's hand.

"Tool Martial Soul, iron sword." Su Yuntao recorded it without expression. "Come test your Soul Power."

The child placed a hand on the blue crystal ball, but it showed no reaction.

"No Soul Power. Next."

The next few children awakened their Martial Souls in turn: a sickle, a hoe, Blue Silver Grass... They were all ordinary farming tools or plant Martial Souls, and the crystal ball remained dim whenever their Soul Power was tested. Su Yuntao grew increasingly impatient. He visited dozens of villages every year, and he was lucky if he found even one child with Soul Power, let alone Innate Full Soul Power.

"Tang San."

Tang San stepped into the hexagonal circle. As Su Yuntao recited the incantation, the pale golden dome enveloped him. A slender stalk of Blue Silver Grass slowly emerged from his palm, its leaves still bearing drops of morning dew.

"Blue Silver Grass again." Su Yuntao frowned. "Trash Martial Soul. Next."

"Wait," Lin Ye said suddenly. "Sir, he hasn't tested his Soul Power yet."

Su Yuntao glanced at him, his tone mocking. "Does Blue Silver Grass need testing? It's a waste of time."

"Test him. There might be a surprise," Lin Ye insisted, looking at Tang San with encouragement in his eyes.

Tang San glanced at Lin Ye, then silently walked up to the crystal ball and placed his hand on it.

In an instant, dazzling blue light burst from within the crystal ball, like a calm lake suddenly whipped into towering waves. The entire smithy was bathed in blue.

"Th-this is..." Su Yuntao's eyes widened, and the board in his hand clattered to the floor. "Innate Full Soul Power! It's actually Innate Full Soul Power!"

The watching villagers erupted into an uproar. Village Chief Jack trembled all over with excitement, even dropping his cane. "Heavens! Innate Full Soul Power! Holy Soul Village is going to have another Soul Master!"

Tang San himself was somewhat surprised. He looked at the Blue Silver Grass in his palm, then at the glowing crystal ball, a trace of confusion flashing through his dark eyes.

Su Yuntao took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his shock. "Good, very good! Tang San, was it? Come back to Spirit Hall with me, and I guarantee you a boundless future!"

Tang San shook his head. "I'm not going. I have to wait for my dad."

Su Yuntao froze, then snorted. "You don't know what's good for you. Next!" He took his anger out on Lin Ye, his tone becoming especially stern. "You, get in there."

Lin Ye stepped into the circle. He could feel the energy radiating from the six stones pouring into his body, guiding his Martial Soul to awaken. He didn't fully release the Three-Legged Golden Crow's true form, letting only a wisp of its original power take the shape of a Martial Soul.

Within the pale golden dome, a golden bird the size of a palm slowly appeared. It had three feet, and its feathers looked as though they had been cast from molten gold. A warm glow radiated from its body. Even though it was only a phantom, it felt as if a little sun were rising before their eyes.

"What Martial Soul is this?" Su Yuntao stared. He had never seen such a peculiar bird Martial Soul, and there was no record of it in the illustrated guides.

"I don't know. It looks like a bird," Lin Ye said, playing dumb.

"Test your Soul Power!" Su Yuntao suppressed his doubts and pushed the crystal ball in front of him. He didn't believe one village could produce two geniuses. Tang San had already been an anomaly.

Lin Ye placed his hand on it. This time, the crystal ball didn't shine blue. Instead, it erupted with brilliant golden light, even more dazzling than the blue light Tang San had caused, and carrying a hint of searing heat. The light instantly filled the entire smithy, and even Su Yuntao's robe billowed and snapped.

"An-another one with Innate Full Soul Power?! No, this light... at least level twenty!" Su Yuntao's voice trembled. He felt his understanding of the world had been shaken. "What's your name? What Martial Soul is this?"

"My name is Lin Ye." Lin Ye withdrew his hand, and the golden bird's phantom gradually dissipated. "I don't know what Martial Soul it is either. Maybe it's a mutation."

Village Chief Jack was already too excited to speak properly. He simply clutched his chest and repeated, "Two... two geniuses... Holy Soul Village is going to rise again..."

Su Yuntao looked at Lin Ye, his eyes burning. "Lin Ye! Come back to Spirit Hall with me! With your talent, you'll definitely be given special training. In the future, you'll be at least a Soul Douluo!"

Lin Ye shook his head and pointed to Tang San beside him. "He and I are going to Nuoding Academy together."

"Nuoding Academy? How can a place out in the countryside compare to Spirit Hall?" Su Yuntao said anxiously. "You're geniuses. You should receive the best education!"

"We've already decided." Lin Ye's tone was calm, but it carried an unshakable resolve. He knew Nuoding Academy had someone Tang San had to meet, and that it was where their story would begin.

Su Yuntao wanted to persuade them further, but Village Chief Jack held him back. "Sir, the children have ideas of their own. Let them go. Nuoding Academy is close by, so I can rest easy too."

Su Yuntao looked at the determination in the two children's eyes and could only sigh helplessly in the end. He took out two Spirit Hall certificates and handed them over. "Take these, and you can enroll in any academy. Remember, Spirit Hall's doors are always open to geniuses." With that, he left Holy Soul Village in a hurry with his two followers. He had to report this news to Spirit Hall as soon as possible.

After the crowd dispersed, Village Chief Jack took Lin Ye and Tang San by the hand, tears streaming down his aged face. "Good children, you've brought honor to Holy Soul Village! Grandpa will go prepare your tuition right now and send you to Nuoding Academy next month!"

Tang San looked at the certificate in his hand, then at Lin Ye. "We're really going to Nuoding Academy?"

"Yeah." Lin Ye nodded. "There's a wider world there, and an environment where your Blue Silver Grass can grow." He paused, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth. "And we can go together."

Warmth rose in Tang San's dark eyes, and he nodded firmly. "All right, together."

The sun sank in the west, and wisps of cooking smoke rose from the smithy's chimney. Lin Ye sat on the threshold, watching Tang San help tidy up the shop, and suddenly felt a deep sense of reassurance. He knew that from this day on, his fate and Tang San's were tightly bound together. The gates of Nuoding Academy were about to open for them, and the story of the Three-Legged Golden Crow and Blue Silver Grass had only just begun.