"Soul power... level 0.5?"
Kong Ming'an was slightly dazed. His previously blurry vision gradually cleared, yet an unfamiliar, alien sensation lingered—as if this body wasn't entirely his own.
He lowered his head, slowly raised his hand, and clenched it. Feeling the tangible sensation, his pupils trembled involuntarily.
*Am I... reborn? No, not fully. More like I've awakened the memories of my previous life?*
Kong Ming'an felt bewildered. He instinctively began recalling everything, piecing together his current situation. Soon, key fragments of information surfaced in his sea of consciousness.
Sun Moon Empire... Mingdu (the capital)... the Hall of Worship... Kong Deming... the sole heir of the Kong family... He was Kong Ming'an, grandson of Kong Deming, the Hall Master of the Sun Moon Empire's Hall of Worship.
A... good-for-nothing who had just awakened only level 0.5 innate soul power—in his own grandfather's laboratory, no less?
Kong Ming'an stood in a daze. The vast memories of his previous life far outweighed the mere six years of this life's experiences. The process of awakening those memories had been anything but gentle, leaving him with a splitting headache.
Just then, a broad, thick hand gently rested on his somewhat frail shoulder.
"Ming'an."
The authoritative voice carried an inexplicable power, steadily pulling him out of his stupor.
His chaotic thoughts snapped back to reality. He slowly raised his head, his vision sharpening.
Before him stood an old man with white hair and beard, a resolute face, and a stern demeanor.
Yet at this moment, those usually commanding eyes held genuine worry and concern.
Kong Deming.
Memory fragments instantly clicked into place: identity, bloodline, relationships—all crystal clear.
The brief daze finally passed, replaced by a calm that belied his young age—no trace of panic remained.
Sensing the pitifully weak soul power sluggishly circulating through his body, Kong Ming'an completely steadied himself.
He didn't respond to Kong Deming's comforting gaze, nor did he acknowledge the pity and regret on the faces of the surrounding ninth-level Soul Engineers.
His eyes met Kong Deming's calmly, his voice clear and steady.
"Grandpa, I want to try manifesting my martial soul again."
A flicker of surprise crossed Kong Deming's eyes. He hadn't expected his grandson to recover so quickly. His gaze shifted to one of deeper curiosity and encouragement.
He didn't stop him, merely giving his grandson's shoulder a slight press before slowly withdrawing his hand.
Beside them, the black-robed Spirit Master overseeing the awakening stepped forward consciously. Once Kong Ming'an placed his hand back on the awakening crystal ball, soul power slowly flowed into it.
There was no dazzling burst of light.
No overwhelming soul power pressure.
Even the usual faint fluctuations during martial soul manifestation were so weak they were nearly imperceptible.
Only above Kong Ming'an's outstretched right palm did the air distort in an extremely peculiar manner.
It was as if an invisible pebble had been dropped into still water—faint, almost undetectable ripples spread outward.
The air grew viscous and hot. Light passing through that area refracted and bent subtly, making the edges of Kong Ming'an's hand appear blurry and distorted.
"This...?" The black-robed Spirit Master opened his mouth, his voice inexplicably dry.
As one of the few scholars in the Sun Moon Empire who studied martial souls—and having awakened spirits for commoners and nobles alike for decades to gather more samples—what kind of martial soul hadn't he seen?
But this one... he had truly never encountered before!
The black-robed Spirit Master leaned in slightly, curiosity burning in his undisguised eyes as he searched for any trace of the martial soul.
A beast martial soul phantom? The outline of a tool martial soul? Plant-type characteristics? Why was there... nothing?
The black-robed Spirit Master began to doubt his own expertise.
Beside him, a hint of confusion unconsciously appeared on Kong Deming's face as well.
"Ming'an," Kong Deming said, his voice carrying unprecedented solemnity and inquiry, "what is your martial soul?"
Kong Ming'an's eyes remained calm as he slowly closed his five fingers. The faint spatial ripples subsided, as if they had never existed.
"Energy itself, Grandpa."
His voice was calm and unwavering, ringing clearly in the pin-drop-silent laboratory.
"Energy... itself?"
Kong Deming repeated softly. Then, at a certain moment, his eyes flashed with brilliant light. A tremor of excitement—as if touching upon an unknown domain—arose amid his confusion.
Energy... this concept was far too fundamental in the world of soul masters, even more basic than soul power itself.
It was nearly equivalent to the origin of the world, yet it had never been directly defined as a "martial soul."
"Invisible and intangible energy..." Kong Deming murmured, staring intently at Kong Ming'an as if truly seeing his grandson for the first time.
Kong Ming'an paid no attention to any of this.
His gaze swept across the laboratory, landing on the row of soul tool crafting stations gleaming with the cold, hard luster of metal.
Innate soul power of level 0.5 was a fatal weakness in the Douluo world. If he wanted resources and rapid growth, his first priority was to prove his value.
His goal was clear; the path lay open.
Kong Ming'an stepped forward, walking straight to the nearest soul tool crafting station.
Kong Deming watched in silence, his eyes filled with thoughtful expectation and scrutiny.
Standing before the station, Kong Ming'an didn't hesitate. He picked up a basic first-level soul tool core base plate.
It was a pale green metal plate, about half the size of a palm, its surface mirror-smooth.
As his fingertips touched the cold metal, the foundational soul tool knowledge this life's Kong Ming'an had begun learning early surfaced in his mind.
He paused briefly, then picked up the finest soul tool carving knife beside him.
His weak level 0.5 soul power began to flow—extremely slowly and with great difficulty.
The pace was agonizing; each push felt like wading through a swamp.
Yet just as this faint soul power struggled to reach the knife tip and was about to touch the base plate—
A fleeting, subtle fluctuation passed through the depths of Kong Ming'an's otherwise calm eyes—so fast it might have been an illusion.
The next moment, something anomalous occurred.
The instant the knife tip contacted the metal base plate, no soul power glow appeared (the usual sign when a Soul Engineer activated a core).
Instead, the hard metal surface softened and indented peculiarly—as if the knife weren't cutting metal, but shaping some fluid medium with will alone.
No harsh scraping, no flying metal shavings.
Guided by Kong Ming'an's terrifyingly steady hand, the carving knife glided across the plate like flowing clouds and water, without the slightest pause.
Despite soul power so sluggish and weak it induced despair, in his hands it gained an indescribable "penetrative" and "molding" quality.
It was no longer merely driving the knife; it acted like an invisible key, directly influencing the energy structure of the metal itself—easily taming and reshaping it.
The normally difficult fusion of soul power, mental force, and precise craftsmanship now displayed an almost eerie fluidity and coherence.
It was as if his invisible Energy martial soul resonated at the origin level with the material energy composing the soul tool.
Time passed in absolute silence.
Only the faint rustle of the knife tip gliding across metal and Kong Ming'an's steady (yet weak) breathing filled the air.
The final arc closed perfectly.
Kong Ming'an set down the carving knife; his fingertips trembled slightly—a sign his soul power was nearly exhausted.
A fine sheen of sweat beaded on his forehead, his face pale, but his eyes shone brighter than ever.
With a casual gesture, he injected his last trace of soul power into the core in his hand.
The next moment... *Buzz—*
A faint yet clearly audible resonance rang out.
Not a dazzling light, but a stable, soft pale-blue halo pulsed gently like breathing, illuminating every delicate pattern on the soul tool core!
Success!
A standard first-level soul tool core had been successfully activated in the hands of a boy who had just awakened his martial soul—with only 0.5 levels of innate soul power!
Dead silence.
The ninth-level Soul Engineers—who had been mere spectators, already pondering comforting words for their superior—fell into stunned silence.
...How could this be possible?!
Level 0.5 soul power... it was barely enough to operate a basic soul tool, let alone engrave and activate an entire core circuit with precision!
Even these seasoned ninth-level Soul Engineers, who had witnessed countless marvels, were speechless.
At that moment, Kong Deming stepped forward so quickly he stirred a faint gust of wind.
He ignored the stably glowing first-level core entirely. His eyes—sharp as the most precise soul tool scanner—locked onto the soul power circuits Kong Ming'an had just engraved.
His gaze swept over the grooves, so smooth they seemed naturally formed rather than carved... over the strange shimmering light flowing within... over the seamless integration with the base plate, as if they were one...
"Energy..."
Kong Deming's voice was low, tinged with uncharacteristic astonishment. His fingertips hovered above the core, trembling faintly.
"...So it can be interpreted this way?"
He sighed softly. After a long pause, he took a deep breath and turned to Kong Ming'an.
The worry and concern of an elder for his junior's future had vanished from Kong Deming's eyes. In their place burned the fervor of a researcher who had discovered a new continent.
With solemnity and seriousness, Kong Deming slowly asked:
"Ming'an, what do you need?"
Kong Ming'an didn't answer immediately.
He ignored the burning curiosity in Kong Deming's gaze and the shock rippling through the surrounding silence.
He simply stared at the slowly operating soul tool core in Kong Deming's hand, looking utterly exhausted.
The soft yet stable blue light illuminated his slightly pale face—calm as ever.
Against that pale-blue halo, the corner of his mouth curved into a relaxed smile.
*Well... it wasn't a completely disastrous start after all, was it?*