"Blue Silver Grass, a useless martial spirit."
Inside a grand hall stood a young man in his twenties. He had sharp eyebrows, striking eyes, and a handsome face. Dressed in a white suit with a black cloak draped over his shoulders, he carried an air of pride. Etched onto the center of his chest was a soul sigil, about the size of a clenched fist. The young man looked down at the small, tan-skinned boy before him, disappointment flickering across his face. He called out softly, "Next."
"Sir, you haven't tested my soul power yet!"
"No need," the man replied. "I've never seen anyone with a Blue Silver Grass martial spirit possess soul power."
"But sir, just give it a try. It won't take long."
"Fine. One quick test."
As expected, the small boy's plea played out exactly as he had anticipated. The boy had black hair, deep black eyes, patched clothing, and sun-kissed skin. His eyes were especially piercing, as if they could see through the world.
This boy's name was Ren Arakawa. He had entered the hall today for his martial spirit awakening.
"Your situation is... unique. A natural genius born with full soul power is extremely rare. But... what a shame. Even a farming tool would be more useful than Blue Silver Grass. Ah, what a waste," Su Yuntao shook his head with a sigh and glanced at Ren, who was last in line. "Next!" he barked.
Tang San still had questions, particularly about soul rings, but upon hearing Su Yuntao, he stepped aside and allowed Ren Arakawa to enter the formation.
As Ren stood within the formation, golden soul power began to seep into his body. It felt warm, even comforting, as if something deep inside him had just broken free.
Ding!
"System has detected that the host is undergoing martial spirit awakening. System binding conditions met. Initiating system integration!"
"Binding Attack Power: 10%."
"Binding Attack Power: 20%."
"Binding Attack Power: 30%."
A holographic progress bar appeared in Ren's mind.
"A system?! I finally get my golden finger!"
"Six long years... do you know what I've endured these past six years?"
"A golden finger... I finally have one of my own!"
The desire to grow stronger surged within him, and Ren could barely restrain the elation bubbling up inside. But a kind heart held him back from laughing out loud.
"Binding Attack Power: 100%."
"So it's finally time for my martial spirit awakening," Ren thought, glancing over at Tang San, who was still digesting Su Yuntao's earlier explanations.
Ren pondered, "Tang San isn't even from Holy Soul Village. Grandpa Jack told me I'm not from here either. My parents entrusted me to him just before they passed away. So my martial spirit shouldn't be a useless one."
"Still, I really envy Tang San for awakening twin martial spirits. He really is the chosen one, different from the rest of us."
Ding!
"System has detected the host's envy of Tang San's twin martial spirits. System is displeased. Awakening triple martial spirits for host!"
"Wait, what? Triple martial spirits?" Ren was stunned, eyes wide.
"Yes, host." the system confirmed.
"Are you kidding me?" Ren asked, shocked. No one in history had ever had three martial spirits. But within a year, the world of Douluo would see such a monster appear.
"System doesn't joke. Host, please select your first martial spirit."
A holographic interface unfolded in his mind.
"The Sea-Calming Divine Needle, the Sun-Shooting Bow, the Xuanyuan Sword..."
"I choose the Xuanyuan Sword for my first martial spirit!" Ren declared without hesitation.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely!"
In his homeland, the sword was hailed as the king of all weapons.
"Congratulations. You have obtained your first martial spirit: Xuanyuan Sword. Please proceed to select your second martial spirit."
A new set of options appeared, completely different from the first. These were not attack-type spirits.
"Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Blue Silver Emperor, Nine-Hearted Mysterious Hall, Ice Staff..."
"System, what is this Nine-Hearted Mysterious Hall? How is it different from the Nine-Hearted Begonia?" Ren asked curiously.
"The Nine-Hearted Mysterious Hall is a mutated version of the Nine-Hearted Begonia. Its rank is comparable to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and Blue Silver Emperor. Unlike the traditional healing-only variant, this one focuses on the profound and the unknown, granting infinite possibilities."
"Then I choose the Nine-Hearted Mysterious Hall for my second martial spirit," Ren said with awe.
As a time traveler, Ren knew there were two paths for martial spirit mutations: degeneration or enhancement. The latter could turn weak spirits into powerful assets. Given its comparable rank to the top-tier support spirits, this was clearly an enhanced mutation.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
"Congratulations. You have obtained your second martial spirit: Nine-Hearted Mysterious Hall. Please proceed to select your third martial spirit."
Another vision appeared in his mind. This time, it featured all eye-type spirits.
"Asura Eye, Golden Pupil, Celestial Eye, Holy Light Eye, Eye of Hell, Eye of the Undead..."
Ren deduced the pattern: first martial spirit was offensive, second was supportive, third must be spiritual. The system clearly intended for him to become a one-man army.
"I choose Eye of Hell," Ren stated.
"Are you sure?"
"I don't know which to pick, so I'm choosing randomly. Eye of Hell it is."
"Congratulations. You have obtained your third martial spirit: Eye of Hell."
A surge of warmth filled Ren's eyes. His hands tingled as power settled within him.
"Boy! Are you deaf? I told you to stretch out your right hand!" Su Yuntao's voice snapped in Ren's ears.
Ren obediently raised his right hand. In it appeared a colorless begonia flower. Though devoid of color, the flower was beautiful, crystal clear like fine jade — anything but ordinary.
Yet Su Yuntao shook his head with a sigh. "A pear blossom, without even a hint of color. Another useless spirit. Looks like my trip to Holy Soul Village was a waste. Let's move on."
Ren said nothing. He quietly withdrew the Nine-Hearted Mysterious Hall back into himself. He knew it didn't matter what others saw. What mattered was what he knew inside.
He looked at Su Yuntao with a smile and reminded, "Sir, you still haven't tested my soul power."