Kacha...
At this moment a hooded man wearing a robe with purple dragon designs guided a six-year-old boy with black spiky hair to what looked to be a small and rundown house.
"This will be your lodging for the time being until the clan decides otherwise... You will be receiving food and supplies once a week... make sure to conserve them as much as you can. If you have any inquiries or requests, go ask the clan's guards that are patrolling nearby and we'll see what we can do." Said the hooded man to the spiky haired boy as he handed him the keys to the small rundown house.
"I understand." Replied the black-haired boy as he nodded obediently with a calm face.
The hooded man simply nodded and left the rundown house closing the door behind him.
However despite being outside, the black-haired boy could still barely hear the hooded man's voice from outside the door.
"What a shame... and here we thought since he's the half-brother of young master Tianxin, he would be just as excellent... who could've known that he would end up awakening a Martial Soul similar to that infamous Yu Xiaogang... Half a Spirit Rank, what kind of talent is that even?!" Said the hooded man as he walked away from the rundown house.
Having heard the hooded man's words, the black-haired boy simply shook his head with a forced smile and thought: "If only they knew."
After waiting a few moments when he was certain that no one was nearby, the black-haired boy took a deep breath and said: "Alright little guy... time to come out."
Shiiing!
The boy's body then flashed with purple gold light as a small ball of purple energy formed into a creature in front of him.
"Hawawawawaha!" Sounded the small purple ball like creature as it flew around the black-haired boy looking excited.
"Haha..." The black-haired boy chuckled a bit as he watched the small creature circle around him. This was his Martial Soul after all... and yet shockingly enough, it actually had it's own consciousness.
....
This black-haired boy's name is Yu Zixing, a child of the Douluo Continent's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan which is known as one of the Upper Three Sects.
At first glance he looks to be a completely ordinary boy... when in truth once upon a time he had actually lived another life as a nameless mercenary in a completely different modern-day world.
As an avid reader of most of Tang Jia San Shao's works as well as a fan of most forms of media regarding the Soul Land shared universe stories, he was naturally very familiar with the world he reincarnated in.
He was within the territory of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan near the borders of the Heaven Dou Empire during the era of Soul Land 1... This is where he was born and where he had spent the first six years of his new life as Yu Zixing.
Prior to awakening his Martial Soul, Zixing had mostly spent his time reading and learning within the clan's library where he would anticipate the day he would awaken his Martial Soul.
However... the night prior to his Spirit Awakening Ceremony, a mysterious occurrence had befallen him.
A bright purple symbol suddenly appeared on his forehead, accompanying it was excruciating pain as if his entire body was being changed and molded from the inside out... if Zixing had to describe it in detail he felt as if his bones and organs were being shifted about like Rubik's cubes.
In fact, Zixing believes that if he had not trained his willpower and mental fortitude during his days as a nameless mercenary in his previous life, he was certain that he might've already died of pure shock just from the sheer pain.
After an entire night's worth of unbearable pain, the black-haired boy realized his entire body felt so much more lighter and stronger than before.
But what he didn't expect was that the next morning after experiencing such a night full of pain, he would unfortunately awaken his Martial Soul with nothing more but half a Spirit Rank.
Just as he was feeling somewhat demoralized by all of this, he suddenly saw the true form of his Martial Soul... which is when he thought that if his hunch about his Martial Soul is correct then his future as a Spirit Master might not be as bad as he thought.
....
"Yawawawawa!" Sounded the small purple ball like creature as it happily devoured the grilled fishes on the table.
Observing his Martial Soul's actions and feeling the changes within his body, Yu Zixing who was sitting at the corner of the room thought: "I can feel my stomach slowly becoming full and my hunger from earlier had already dissipated... So I guess whatever the little guy eats is transmitted back to me?.... Or at least something along those lines?"
"Harawa!" After finishing it's meal, the small purple creature Martial Soul immediately floated towards Zixing and gestured as if it wanted to thank him.
Realizing that he could instantly understand his Martial Soul, the black-haired boy's eyes grew wide with surprise as he then nodded and replied: "You're welcome."
"Hawaha!" Sounded the small purple creature as it then suddenly extended it's small little hands and touched Yu Zixing's forehead.
Shiiing!!!
Without warning the mysterious purple symbol from the night before appeared on his forehead once again.
"Ugh!... What are you..." Muttered the black-haired boy as he suddenly felt a slight headache.
Suddenly faint purple smoke like energy began to transfer from the small creature to Zixing's forehead.
It was then that the black-haired boy began to see an image within his mind.
It was the image of a gigantic Nine Headed beast that covered the entire starry sky... with but a roar from it's largest head, space instantly shattered as if being destroyed itself... and now a hole as big as the moon could be seen within the starry skies.
"Guh!!"
Thud!
Upon seeing this overwhelming image, Yu Zixing instantly fell to the ground unconscious.
"Haaa!!" Screamed the small purple creature as it immediately returned inside Zixing's unconscious body.
....
"Uh?..." When Yu Zixing next opened his eyes, he found himself looking illusory and transparent in a large space with nothing more but faint twinkling blue and purple lights.
"Where... am I?... Woah!!" As he was looking around his surroundings, he was shocked to suddenly see the phantom of a gigantic beast with nine heads. It was so large that it pretty much covered more than half of what he could see from his surroundings.
Whoosh...
"Hawawa!!" Without warning the phantom of the nine headed beast instantly transformed into the small purple ball like creature which he knew was his Martial Soul.
"That was you little guy?" Asked Zixing as his Martial Soul approached him.
"Humhum!" Replied the small purple creature as it happily nodded with a smile.
"Then that means you are really... The God of Heavenly Calamity... Austin Griffin!" Said Zixing while taking a deep breath as he now confirmed his suspicion.
"Harwa!!" Hearing his words, the small creature then began circling around Zixing excitedly upon hearing his true name.
"Although I had a hunch... but if that really is the case then... just what kind of future does my Martial Soul actually have?" Thought the boy as he stared at small purple creature with a somewhat serious expression clearly having some unsure thoughts about his Martial Soul.
As someone who had read the novel of Sealed Divine Throne as well as it's side story and sequel, he was naturally well aware of what the existence known as 'Austin Griffin' really represented.
"The God of Heavenly Calamity... or The God of Heavenly Protection..." Thought Zixing as he then shook his head and said: "No... this isn't what I should be thinking about right now... first I gotta figure out where I am."
He then turned to his Martial Soul that was still excitedly circling around him and asked: "Hey little guy... do you know where we are?"
Hearing Zixing's question, the small purple creature immediately stopped what he was doing and said while pointing at the illusory boy's forehead: "Rahwahwa!"
"You're saying... we're in my head?" Asked Zixing instantly understanding the small purple creature.
Understanding Austin Griffin's words, Zixing couldn't help but mutter: "Could this place actually be... my Spiritual Sea?"
"Hauyaya!" Replied the small purple creature as it constantly nodded.
"Seriously?!!" Said the illusory boy as he was somewhat captivated by the sights around him. Must know that he had read about the Spirit Master's Spiritual Sea very many times in the Soul Land novels and manhuas. As such he couldn't help but be a bit dazzled by the fact that he had now entered his own Spiritual Sea.
"It's still a bit unbelievable for me I guess... that I'm really in the Soul Land world now." Thought the boy with calm eyes as he stared at his surroundings with some slight anticipation in his heart.
"Hawawawawa!" Sounded the small purple creature as it had begun pulling on Zixing while pointing upwards clearly wanting to show him something.
"Ok ok.... What is it?" Replied the boy as he raised his head and looked upwards to see what the little one was pointing at.
"W-What the..." Muttered the boy in shock as he saw a gigantic sphere that looked to be completely made up of pure purple colored energy. And inside the gigantic purple sphere were what looked to be countless numbers of books.
"Haphwa!" Sounded the small purple creature acting as if he was proud of his own handywork.
"You're saying... you made this?" Asked the boy as he continued to stare at the gigantic purple sphere filled with innumerable floating books.
"Hahahwa!" Sounded the small creature again as it continued pointing towards the large purple sphere.
Yu Zixing: "You want me to... touch it?"
"Hum!" Replied the small purple one with a nod.
Yu Zixing simply nodded as well... trusting his Martial Soul's words, he extended his illusory hand towards the large purple sphere.
Shiing!
Suddenly a small hole in the purple sphere opened and several books descended down towards Zixing's hand.
Yu Zixing: "These are..."
Shiiing!!
Before the boy could even start examining these books, they suddenly shattered into light particles which then began merging with the boy's illusory body.
"W-What's happening?!!" Shouted Zixing as he was completely enveloped by the countless light particles.
....
"Uh.." When the boy next woke up, he suddenly found himself lying comfortably on a bed with a soft blanket over him.
"Did I... fall asleep?... Ugh?!!" Muttered Zixing as he suddenly felt sharp pain from his head. Without warning countless amounts of new information began appearing within his mind straining it... but also slowly strengthening it.
"Guh!!... This knowledge... this information... Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record... Eternal Life Technique... Magic Meditation... Knight Temple Inheritance Techniques... Assassin Temple Inheritance Techniques... Aren't these from Tang Jia San Shao's novels?... Why... Why do I suddenly know how to practice these techniques?!!" Thought Yu Zixing as he suddenly held his head while sweating bullets.
Kacha...
Suddenly... a somewhat elderly looking man wearing glasses entered the room and said: "Ah... You're awake... I hope you don't mind, I found you passed out on the floor and carried you over to the bed."
"C-Clan Master?" Said the black-haired boy as he wiped the sweat off his face hoping not to embarrass himself in front of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Sect Master.
Hearing the boy's words, Yu Yuanzhen simply waved his hand and said: "No need for any of that... When it's just the two of us, feel free to call me Granduncle."
Enduring the pain from his head, the black-haired boy simply replied: "Um... may I ask why you are here sir?"
Yu Yuanzhen: "I came to check on how you were doing... And by the looks of it, I made the right choice. It isn't everyday you suddenly find your own Grandnephew passed out by the side of a room."
"Oh... Um... thank you for your care sir... I was just feeling a little lightheaded." Replied Zixing as he did a slight bow.
Hearing the boy's words, Yu Yuanzhen couldn't help but remember his son that had been cast off by the clan... At that time due to the unanimous decision of the elders as well as the rules of the clan, his son Yu Xiaogang who had awakened with a very weak Martial Soul and only half a Spirit Rank was put in a position where he had no choice but to leave the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Not a day goes by that Yu Yuanzhen doesn't miss his son... and yet now he finds himself in front of a child who was in somewhat the same situation as Yu Xiaogang.
"Xiaogang... from the bottom of my heart I truly wish I could've done more for you back then." Thought the somewhat elderly Sect Master as he stared at Yu Zixing with calm eyes.
But then he recalled the look of the clan members this morning when Yu Zixing awakened his Martial Soul. They were the exact same looks the clan members had given Yu Xiaogang during his Spirit Awakening Ceremony.
Taking a deep breath Yu Yuanzhen suddenly walked over to the nearby window, opened it then asked: "Child tell me... what do you think of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?"
Not really understanding what Yu Yuanzhen wanted to hear from him, Zixing simply replied: "Um... it is an honor to be born in the clan with the strongest Beast Spirit in the continent."
"Strongest Beast Spirit?.... Puhahahahaha!" Hearing Zixing's words Yu Yuanzhen couldn't help but begin laughing... what's more it was the sarcastic kind of laugh.
He then turned to the boy and asked: "Do you know which influence is considered the strongest in the continent?"
Yu Zixing: "Um... I heard someone say it was Spirit Hall?"
With a nod Yu Yuanzhen then said: "That's right in a sense it is indeed Spirit Hall... next let me ask you this... do you know what Martial Soul best represents Spirit Hall?"
Naturally as someone who had seen and read many forms of Soul Land media during his previous life, Zixing obviously knew what it was... however he chose not to say it and simply shook his head: "I... don't know."
"It is known as the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul... The Seraphim!" Said Yu Yuanzhen as he turned back to the window and stared at the vast sky.
Yu Zixing: "Seraphim..."
Yu Yuanzhen nodded then said: "It is a Supreme Beast Spirit and regarded as one of the most unmatched Spirits in the world... If our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon can't even compare to such a spirit, then how can we truly regard ourselves as having the strongest Beast Spirit on the continent."
"Why is he saying this to a kid with just half a spirit rank?... Is he trying to demoralize me?" Thought Yu Zixing as he then replied: "I-I See..."
Yu Yuanzhen: "Anyway... what I'm trying to say is that even our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is inferior to others... as such try not to be too upset with what happened to your spirit."
"Y-Yes..." Said the black-haired boy as he thought: "I guess this was his attempt at trying to comfort me?"
Yu Yuanzhen: "Child... try not to feel too pressured by the clan's views and opinions... eventually you will definitely find a proper path for yourself."
"From his words it seems even he doesn't seem to believe that I could have an excellent future as a Spirit Master... Then again... Yu Xiaogang was indeed a prime example of this given that he couldn't even break through Spirit Rank 30 until Tang San came along." Thought Zixing as he then couldn't help but ask: "Clan Master... Will I be asked to leave the clan?"
With a sigh Yu Yuanzhen replied: "Don't think about such complicated things Zixing... You are only six years old... We are not gonna throw out a six-year-old child just because the clan believes you have a Martial Soul with terrible potential. I won't allow it!...The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan might have it's rules, but it's not heartless... However I do understand your worries regarding the clan's opinions, which is why I came to tell you today that I've contacted a friend of mine who will help you enroll in an Elementary Spirit Master Academy... He will come in about 3 months time... So you must cultivate as best you can until then."
"An Elementary Spirit Master Academy?" Muttered Zixing in surprise.
He didn't think such an opportunity would present itself to him so soon.
Bu then he couldn't help but ask: "Is there even a school willing to accept someone with half a spirit rank like me right now?"
Instead of simply replying, Yu Yuanzhen placed a small black little box on the table by the side of the bed and said: "Child... sometimes one must work hard to change one's fate."
After saying these words, Yu Yuanzhen said his goodbyes to the boy and left the rundown old house.
....
Now walking outside with a serious expression, Yu Yuanzhen couldn't help but recall the time when Yu Xiaogang first awakened his Martial Soul and the hardships he went through due to the clan's views and opinions.
Yu Yuanzhen: "Although I couldn't do much for Xiaogang back then, I'll at least do what I can to help this boy alleviate some of the pressures from the clan... Hm?"
Just then... he suddenly noticed something... a young boy around 8 years old was running around in a hurry... it looked as if he was desperately looking for something.
Yu Yuanzhen: "Tianxin?"
....
Back at the rundown house, Yu Zixing could be seen sighing as his Martial Soul appeared once more landing it's belly on the boy's head.
"Hawa!" Sounded the small purple creature with a smile on it's face.
Yu Zixing: "I'm guessing that headache I had just now had something to do with that dream you showed me earlier huh?"
"Haha!" Nodded the small purple creature stating that he was happy with what he had just done.
Yu Zixing: "Little Guy... Hm... Come to think of it I haven't really given you a name yet, have I?"
"Hawu?" Sounded his Martial Soul as it tilted it's head.
Yu Zixing: "Alright... since I'm not really good with names, how about I just give you the same name that Long Haochen gave you in Sealed Divine Throne... Hao Yue."
"Haowaha!... Hm?" As Hao Yue was celebrating it's name, something suddenly caught it's attention.
"Hm?.." It then approached the small black box left behind by Yu Yuanzhen and began sniffing it in interest.
"The box left behind by the Clan Master?... I wonder what's inside?" Thought Zixing as he took the small black box into his hands and opened it.
When he saw what was inside, he couldn't help but be a bit shocked as he muttered: "This is... Mystic Water Pill!"