When Jiang Shengyu woke up, the first thing he noticed was the smell. It wasn't the damp earth and rot of the forest; it was clean, with a faint, sharp scent of metal and polish. He was in a bed, under clean sheets.
For a second, his vision was blessedly singular. Then he blinked, and the world split again. In the other half of his sight, he saw an identical bed, where his other body, Jiang Qingtong, was also just stirring.
"Hey, you're awake." A friendly voice cut through his confusion. "Easy there. You two took a nasty hit."
Jiang Shengyu (both of him) turned his head. A young man with a kind face was sitting in a chair between their beds.
"My name is Xuan Ziwen," the man said. "My teacher and I found you in the Evil Demon Forest. You're at Mingde Hall right now. You're safe."
From Xuan Ziwen's words, Jiang Shengyu pieced together what had happened after he'd lost consciousness.
Mingde Hall? The name hit him like a physical blow. As in... "Unrivaled Tang Sect"? That Mingde Hall? The Sun Moon Empire's ultimate Soul Engineering academy?
He was shocked, but the panic only lasted a moment. He quickly pushed it down.
You know what? he thought, his dual consciousness feeling grimly amused. My soul just split into two different bodies. Being transmigrated into a story I've read is practically normal compared to that. Fine. Whatever. Let's roll with it.
Under Xuan Ziwen's guidance, the two of them were brought before Kong Deming.
The man was older, with an authoritative air that wasn't overbearing, but it still made Jiang Shengyu nervous. He was standing in a large, workshop-like office, and this was the future Class-10 Soul Engineer. This was a man who could probably see right through him. Jiang Shengyu felt a spike of fear that Kong Deming would notice his abnormality, the fact that the two children in front of him were really one person.
Kong Deming saw the identical, wide-eyed nervousness on both Jiang Shengyu's and Jiang Qingtong's faces and his expression softened. "Whoa, relax, kids. I'm not going to bite. You look like you've seen a ghost... which, I guess, you almost were. I just have a few questions to ask."
Jiang Qingtong remained silent, not uttering a word, huddling just behind her "brother."
Jiang Shengyu instinctively stepped forward, shielding Jiang Qingtong's body with his own. "You can just ask me," he said, his voice a little reedy.
He was already discovering that, in this short period, his spiritual power wasn't strong enough to support complex, independent movements for both bodies at once. It was like trying to pat his head and rub his stomach with one brain. To avoid revealing any flaws, he had to focus all his attention on one body—the Jiang Shengyu half.
As for Jiang Qingtong, he just had to make her act the part: a quiet, introverted, and terrified little girl.
Kong Deming didn't suspect a thing. In fact, he looked impressed, mistaking the maneuver for simple, brotherly protection. Good kid, he thought.
After pondering for a moment, Kong Deming asked, "Alright. First, this old man wants to know your names, and where you come from. And... about those spirit rings. My student told me what happened. You didn't hunt anything, did you? How did you attach a soul ring without a soul beast?"
Jiang Shengyu had been prepping for this ever since Xuan Ziwen had explained their situation.
Making up a background was a non-starter. A guy this important, in a place like this? He had connections. He would check. The second he discovered they were lying, they'd be in a much worse position.
Therefore, amnesia was the only play.
"I... I don't know," Jiang Shengyu said, looking at the floor. "I remember my name is Jiang Shengyu. And this is my sister, Jiang Qingtong. But... everything else is just... blank. Before that forest? Nothing."
Faced with Jiang Shengyu remembering nothing but his name, Kong Deming fell silent.
Amnesia? Kong Deming thought, his eyes narrowing slightly. Convenient. Too convenient. He remembers his name, and his sister's, but nothing else? That's a classic 'I don't want to tell you' move.
But then he looked at them. Really looked at them. Two tiny, underfed kids, maybe six years old, swimming in the clean robes the hall had provided.
What threat could they possibly be? he reasoned. Even if the three original Douluo Continent nations wanted to send spies, they wouldn't send ones this young. It makes no sense. And... I saw it with my own eyes. They died. Their hearts were pulp. And then they just... came back. This isn't a spy. This is something else.
He decided not to expose the lie.
Xuan Ziwen looked at his teacher and said, "Teacher, these two children are so pitiful. They have nowhere to go. Why don't we raise them in Mingde Hall?"
Kong Deming did not immediately answer. He looked at Jiang Shengyu, and then at Jiang Qingtong, who was still hiding. "Shengyu, Qingtong," he said slowly. "Release your martial souls. Show me."
Jiang Shengyu nodded slightly. He and his other half acted in unison. A crescent moon that seemed to ripple like water appeared behind him, while a stunning, multi-faceted lotus carved from a crystal prism appeared behind Jiang Qingtong. Their pulsing, deep purple first soul rings orbited their respective martial souls.
"Shengyu," Kong Deming said, his voice suddenly intent. "Use your soul skill."
Soul skill?
Jiang Shengyu frowned slightly. How? He closed his eyes, instinctively trying to... communicate... with the crescent moon behind him. As his spiritual power sank in, he felt a click.
The first soul ring lit up. The air in the room didn't just get hot; it warped. A mass of inky-black flame, a void that seemed to drink the light, burned out from the crescent moon and began swirling around his side.
The scorching temperature made both Kong Deming and Xuan Ziwen's expressions change instantly. They both took an involuntary step back.
"What terrifying temperature!" Kong Deming smacked his lips, a new, excited light in his eyes. His own spirit power had flared instinctively to shield himself. "It can even move this old man! What is the name of your soul skill?"
Jiang Shengyu opened his eyes, staring in shock at the black flame swirling around him. The moment he used it, the name had simply appeared in his mind, but he couldn't believe it.
Under the intense gazes of Kong Deming and Xuan Ziwen, Jiang Shengyu took a long while before murmuring, "First Soul Skill... Nihility Swallowing Flame..."
How can this be! his mind screamed. How could the Nihility Swallowing Flame appear in the world of Douluo... and become my soul skill?! That's from a different universe!
"Nihility Swallowing Flame? Good, good, good!" Kong Deming was practically beaming. "I originally thought your martial soul was similar to my Silver Moon, but I never expected it to be like this. Not to mention the specific properties of this flame, its temperature alone is enough to stand above all fire-attribute martial souls I've ever seen!"
Kong Deming had a broad vision and had encountered countless fire-attribute martial souls, but none—none—had reached such a terrifying temperature at the very first ring.
Jiang Shengyu forced himself to calm down. He understood that the wisp of flame in his hand was vastly different from the true Nihility Swallowing Flame, which could devour worlds.
But even so, for a first soul skill? It was terrifying enough.
After Jiang Shengyu retracted his martial soul, the oppressive heat vanished. Kong Deming looked at Jiang Qingtong and said softly, "Qingtong, it's your turn."
Jiang Shengyu took a deep breath. Okay, switch tracks. His attention gradually returned to his other body. He made Jiang Qingtong close her eyes, sensing her soul skill... but as time passed, her expression became strange. The feedback from the crystal lotus was... weird.
Kong Deming noticed the change in her expression but did not react, watching patiently.
After a while, Jiang Qingtong opened her eyes and said in a small voice, "My... my soul skill is Imprint."
"Imprint?" Xuan Ziwen, hearing her speak for the first time, asked, "You mean like imprinting soul skills that others have used?"
Jiang Qingtong shook her head. "No... it's imprinting other people's martial souls."
"Imprinting other people's martial souls?"
The room went dead silent.
Upon hearing those words, Kong Deming and Xuan Ziwen both became agitated. In a literal blink of an eye, Kong Deming had crossed the room and was kneeling in front of Jiang Qingtong, his voice a low, intense whisper. "Tell me in more detail, little girl. Exactly what does it do?"
Jiang Qingtong (controlled by Jiang Shengyu) told them the specifics of the Imprint soul skill.
In simple terms, Jiang Qingtong could completely replicate a person's martial soul, including all of their soul skills. Afterward, she could use the imprinted martial soul and its skills as if they were her own.
However, there was also a limitation: the imprinted martial soul could be re-imprinted, but not abandoned. She couldn't just have an empty slot. And currently, she only had one imprinting opportunity.
But even with that limitation, the sheer power of the Imprint soul skill made the master and disciple unable to hide their excitement.
Unprecedented. A martial soul and soul skill like this were completely, utterly unprecedented.
Xuan Ziwen said excitedly, "Then we must choose a target martial soul carefully! We can't just imprint it lightly!"
Kong Deming said even more directly, "Shengyu, Qingtong... if you don't mind, this old man can be your teacher. In at most twenty years, I can help you reach the Titled Douluo realm! And I will equip each of you with at least seven level-nine soul tools!"
Even in a soul tool powerhouse like the Sun Moon Empire, a single level-nine soul tool was an immeasurable, nation-level fortune. The offer showed just how determined Kong Deming was to keep the two of them.
Their martial souls did not require hunting soul beasts to attach soul rings. Although it was unknown whether this was a special situation brought about by their awakening or if all their soul rings would be like this, Kong Deming had already made up his mind.
He wanted to ensure that both siblings had at least one 100,000-year soul ring.
After Kong Deming expressed his stance, he and Xuan Ziwen watched the two. Is this even a choice? Jiang Shengyu thought. Amnesiac orphans, one mind in two bodies, in a world full of monsters. And the most powerful Soul Engineer in the empire just offered us everything. This is a lifeline.
Jiang Shengyu knelt down without hesitation and bowed, his forehead touching the cool, metal floor. "Teacher, please accept your disciple's bow!"
After he bowed, Jiang Qingtong followed and knelt down with him.