Time flew by swiftly, six years passing in the blink of an eye. The six-year-old child who had first shown promise at the academy had now grown into a twelve-year-old youth. Over these six years, Marco Li had undergone systematic and comprehensive training, making significant progress in Soul Power, physical strength, Martial Soul development, and pharmacological knowledge.
In the early morning, Heaven Dou City was still shrouded in a thin mist. In the training ground of the Li family's backyard, a figure was already sweating profusely in the dawn light. Marco wore simple black training clothes, with Soul Power surging around him. Flickers of azure flame shimmered across his body, while the black luster representing Armament Haki flowed beneath his skin, showcasing the results of six years of rigorous cultivation.
Soul Power training had been the top priority during these six years. Every day at dawn, Marco would begin two hours of Soul Power condensation and circulation. Thanks to the extraordinary talent of his Azure Flame Phoenix Spirit and the specially formulated training assistance potions from the Breaking Clan, his Soul Power advancement speed far surpassed his peers. At twelve years old, Marco had already reached the thirty-sixth level Soul Honour realm. Such achievement would be considered exceptionally brilliant even in talent-gathering places like Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
As his body gradually matured, Marco began systematic physical training. He understood well that powerful Soul Power required a strong physique as its foundation. After daily Soul Power cultivation, he would engage in a full hour of physical training: weighted running, punching and kicking iron stakes, impact resistance practice... These monotonous and painful exercises, he persevered with day after day. The powerful recovery ability granted by his Azure Flame Phoenix Spirit allowed him to endure such extreme training, and his physique strengthened at a visibly rapid pace.
The tempering of his Armament Haki had never slackened. The faint black hue that had awakened when he was six years old had, through six years of persistent cultivation, expanded from initially covering only his fingertips to now enveloping his entire forearms and calves. Marco discovered that Haki training and Soul Power advancement complemented each other—the higher his Soul Power level, the faster his Haki cultivation; the stronger his Haki, the more refined his control over Soul Power became. Now, he could skillfully utilize the "Hardening" ability, covering any part of his body with Haki to greatly enhance his defensive capabilities.
In the study of pharmacological knowledge, Marco similarly invested considerable effort. Every other day, he would go to the Breaking Clan to study pharmacological knowledge with Yang Wudi for two hours. After six years, he could now identify hundreds of medicinal herbs, was thoroughly familiar with their properties and effects, and could prepare over a dozen common potions. Yang Wudi constantly praised this "nephew's" talent, often sighing with emotion: "If Marco focused solely on pharmacology, his achievements would certainly surpass mine!" This pharmacological knowledge not only enriched Marco's understanding but also provided significant assistance to his training—the specially formulated training potions from Yang Wudi made his Soul Power advancement twice as effective with half the effort.
What Marco devoted himself to most passionately was leg technique training. All of this stemmed from those memories buried deep within his soul.
In his first life, Marco was just an ordinary young man from Earth, yet he held a special fondness for Sanji from One Piece. He was captivated by the elegant yet fierce kicking techniques of that blond chef, particularly the Devil Wind Leg—a move that generated high temperatures through rapid leg rotation, turning it crimson red, combining burning effects with extreme speed upon impact, capable of charring an enemy's bones and even breaking through defensive techniques like Iron Body. Sanji's fighting style was both dashing and practical, leaving the young Marco utterly enchanted. He often imitated Sanji's movements, though only superficially, but his passion for leg techniques had already taken deep root in his heart.
In his second life, Marco unexpectedly crossed over into the world of One Piece and joined the Marines. Even more fortunate, he received personal guidance from the Marine Admiral "Black Arm" Zephyr. Zephyr was not only renowned for his Armament Haki but was also a master of physical combat, especially skilled in systematic battle training. Under Zephyr's rigorous training, Marco systematically learned the orthodox Marine leg techniques, including power exertion methods, attack angles, and practical applications. Zephyr emphasized that "the foundation of leg techniques lies in the unity of waist and stance," "power must originate from the dantian and flow through the legs," and "the perfect combination of speed and strength is true kicking technique." This training gave Marco a solid foundation in leg techniques, transforming his previous life's admiration into tangible ability.
In his third life, the present one, Marco was reborn in the world of Douluo Continent, carrying the memories and accumulations of his past two lives. As his body gradually matured enough to withstand leg technique training, those memories deeply buried in his soul naturally awakened. This wasn't about learning new skills but reclaiming arts that had long become instinctive.
Marco discovered that the orthodox Marine leg techniques and Douluo Continent's Spirit Ability system complemented each other wonderfully. Spirit Abilities provided energy support and special effects, while leg techniques offered more refined power exertion methods and combat rhythms. The combination of the two produced a synergistic effect greater than the sum of its parts.
Breaking through to level 30 in Soul Power was a crucial turning point for Marco. Not only did it mean he officially became a Soul Honour, but more importantly, the true power of his Azure Flame Phoenix Martial Soul began to awaken!
It was an unforgettable afternoon when Marco was breaking through his Soul Power in the training ground. The moment he successfully absorbed his third Spirit Ring and his Soul Power stabilized at level 31, he felt an unprecedented power surge within him. A burning sensation spread from his shoulder blades, followed by drastic changes in both arms—they became completely enveloped in azure flames, rapidly extending and transforming, eventually forming a pair of massive Azure Flame Wings!
"This is..." Marco stared in astonishment at his transformation. The wings formed from his arms were entirely composed of azure flames, edged with pale white flame markings, spanning over four meters wide when fully extended, radiating a blazing and sacred aura. The wingtips were sharp as blades, emanating intimidating energy fluctuations.
Marco instinctively flapped his wings, and his body lifted lightly off the ground! Initially unsteady, his accumulated aerial combat experience from his previous life in the One Piece world quickly resurfaced. He soon mastered his balance, freely circling, diving, and ascending through the air.
"Flight ability... finally fully awakened!" Marco was exhilarated. These Azure Flame Wings transformed from his arms were not merely tools for flight, but powerful weapons integrating both offense and defense. He attempted to strike a distant wooden stake with his wings—wherever the azure flames passed, the stake instantly turned to ashes!
As his cultivation advanced, Marco's control over the Azure Flame Wings grew increasingly refined. He discovered that the shape and size of the wings could be adjusted at will: fully extended, they were suited for high-speed flight and area attacks; half-extended, they were ideal for aerial combat and agile evasion; they could even be retracted close to his body for defense and instantaneous bursts.
The integration of flight ability with his leg techniques brought a qualitative leap in Marco's combat style. He developed unique aerial leg techniques: utilizing flight to attack from various angles, making it impossible to defend against; enhancing kicking power through aerial direction changes and rapid dives; even performing multi-stage aerial kick combos that swept over opponents like a storm.
Yet, an even greater breakthrough lay ahead. It was during the process of obtaining his third Spirit Ring and breaking through to the Soul Honour realm that Marco faced unprecedented pressure. The absorption of the third Spirit Ring was exceptionally arduous—the immense energy contained within nearly ruptured his body.
"This can't go on..." Marco gasped during the absorption process, his clothes soaked with sweat. Just as he was on the verge of collapse, a marvelous sensation suddenly emerged—everything around him seemed to slow down. He could clearly perceive the flow trajectories of the energy within the Spirit Ring, even vaguely sensing the direction of its next impact.
"Is this... Observation Haki?" Marco's heart shook. In his previous life in the world of One Piece, he had witnessed this ability—a miraculous power that could perceive energy movements and predict danger.
In this wondrous state, Marco successfully guided the flow of the Spirit Ring's energy and completed the absorption of the third Spirit Ring. After the process, he immersed himself in that mysterious sensation, attempting to recreate it.
After months of diligent cultivation, Marco finally achieved preliminary mastery of Observation Haki. This ability allowed him to perceive the "aura" of surrounding creatures, predict opponents' movements, and accurately capture targets' positions and motions even with closed eyes.
The awakening of Observation Haki brought another qualitative leap in Marco's combat capability. He no longer relied solely on vision but perceived opponents through "aura," significantly enhancing his reaction speed. In combat, he often gained the initiative, predicting opponents' moves and executing the most effective counters.
The combination of Observation Haki with flight ability and leg techniques forged Marco's unique combat style: soaring freely through the air, perceiving the entire battlefield with Observation Haki, and delivering lethal strikes with fierce leg techniques. This three-dimensional combat approach made him nearly invincible among Soul Masters of his level.
To verify his cultivation results and accumulate practical experience, Marco began frequently participating in matches at the Tiandou Great Soul Arena. He mainly competed in Soul Honour-level individual matches, quickly making a name for himself in the arena with his enigmatic azure flames, formidable physique, exquisite leg techniques, mysterious "Hardening" ability, and newly awakened Observation Haki.
"Marco the Phoenix"—this was the title given to him by the audience and opponents at the Great Soul Arena. People used this name to describe his unique combat style—primarily relying on sharp leg techniques, supplemented by azure flame burns and Haki defense; utilizing Observation Haki to predict opponents' movements, soaring freely through the air with azure flame wings formed from his arms, and launching attacks from various angles.
In battles at the Great Soul Arena, Marco gradually perfected his combat system: Observation Haki for perception and prediction, Armament Haki for offense and defense enhancement, azure flame wings for mobility and aerial combat, leg techniques as the primary means of attack, and the Phoenix Martial Soul providing powerful recovery.
Within just half a year, Marco achieved an astonishing record of twenty-eight wins and zero losses at the Great Soul Arena, even defeating several opponents with higher Soul Power than himself. The name "Phoenix" gradually spread throughout the Soul Master circles of Heaven Dou City, rapidly gaining fame.
However, the cost of focusing on cultivation was the growing distance in his relationships with other members of the Imperial Dou Team. Over these six years, although they were all at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, their interactions grew fewer due to differences in cultivation directions and progress. Yu Tianheng was obsessed with the draconic transformation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon; Osler focused entirely on speed improvement; Shi Xiaohu went further down the path of defense... Everyone was striving for their own path, and the frequency of their meetings dwindled from several times a week to several times a month, until eventually it became difficult to gather even once every few months.
The former tacit understanding and friendship gradually faded under the erosion of time and individual focus. Occasionally meeting at the academy, they would only exchange nods and brief greetings, no longer sharing the intimate bonds of training together and fighting side by side as in the past. Although Marco occasionally felt regret in his heart, he knew this was the price of growth—everyone had their own path to walk.
The only exception was the friendship between Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan. As fellow female Soul Masters with shared interests in pharmacology, these two girls grew closer over time. Ye Lingling often sought Dugu Yan's advice on Soul Power application techniques, while Dugu Yan learned finer Soul Power control from Ye Lingling. Over six years, they became inseparable confidantes, their bond growing stronger with the passage of time.
As the sun set in the west, Marco concluded a day of cultivation, standing at the edge of the training ground watching the fiery evening glow on the horizon. At twelve years old, he stood tall and straight, with handsome features and sharp yet steady eyes—already showing the makings of a powerful expert.
Six years of arduous cultivation had transformed him from a prodigious child showing early promise into the renowned "Marco the Phoenix." His Soul Power, physical prowess, Haki, leg techniques, pharmacological knowledge... all abilities had developed significantly. But he knew this was only the beginning—the road ahead was still long.