The smell of damp earth and hay was the first thing that hit him. It was a far cry from the scent of instant ramen and old paperbacks that usually filled his bedroom.
Chen Fan opened his eyes and immediately squinted. The ceiling wasn't the popcorn plaster he was used to; it was made of rough-hewn wooden beams and thatched straw. He tried to sit up, but his limbs felt heavy, short, and strangely uncoordinated.
"I really shouldn't have stayed up until 4:00 AM finishing Volume 4," he muttered. Except, the voice that came out wasn't his. It was high-pitched, airy, and belonged to a child.
Memory surged back like a tidal wave. The truck, the screeching tires, and the final image of Soul Land IV: Ultimate Fighting slipping from his fingers. He looked at his small, calloused hands. He was in a village—Clear Water Village, according to the fuzzy memories of the boy whose body he now inhabited. It was a stone's throw away from the famous Holy Spirit Village.
"Little Fan! Get up!" an elderly voice barked from outside the hut. "The Spirit Hall attendant is already at the village square. If you miss the Awakening Ceremony, you'll be a farmer for the rest of your life!"
The Awakening
The village square was crowded with excited six-year-olds and anxious parents. Standing in the center was a young man in a crisp white suit with a pale green rose embroidered on his chest.
Su Yuntao, Chen Fan thought, his heart racing. Wait, no. This guy looks older. Maybe a different low-level deacon?
The man, a Grand Spirit Master named Lu Feng, laid out six black stones in a hexagon on the ground. One by one, children stepped forward.
"Blue Silver Grass. No Spirit Power. Next."
"Sickle. No Spirit Power. Next."
It was a grim parade of mediocrity. Finally, it was Chen Fan's turn. He stepped into the circle. As Lu Feng injected his Spirit Power into the stones, a golden light enveloped Chen Fan.
Usually, a Martial Soul manifests physically—a tool in the hand or a transformation of the body. But as the light dimmed, Chen Fan's hands remained empty. The air didn't chill. No beastly fur sprouted.
"Nothing?" Lu Feng sighed, his shoulders sagging. "Another dud. Your Martial Soul didn't even manifest. It's likely a 'Waste Soul' so weak it's invisible."
"Wait," Chen Fan whispered. He felt a strange, cold weight behind him. He turned his head and gasped.
Hovering just inches from his back was a figure. It was translucent, dressed in tattered, obsidian-colored robes that drifted as if underwater. Its face was a void of shifting smoke, save for two pinpricks of violet light where eyes should be. It was a Specter.
"Can't you see it?" Chen Fan asked, pointing.
Lu Feng looked at the empty air behind the boy and frowned. "See what? Kid, don't play games. Let's just check your Spirit Power so I can get to the next village."
He handed Chen Fan a blue crystal ball. Chen Fan pressed his palm against it.
In an instant, the ball glowed with a blinding, frigid light. The intensity was so great that Lu Feng nearly dropped it.
The Hidden Power
"Innate Full Spirit Power?!" Lu Feng shouted, his eyes wide. "But... how? You have no visible Martial Soul! Is it a body soul? An invisible tool?"
He waved his hand, sensing the air. As a Battle Spirit Master, his senses were sharp, but he felt nothing but a slight, eerie pressure—like the feeling of being watched in a dark room.
Martial Soul: Specter (Undead/Spirit Type)
Rank: 10 (Innate Full Spirit Power)
Visibility: Only visible to the host.
Detectability: Only "Sensor-type" Spirit Masters can feel its presence.
Chen Fan stared at the Specter. The ghost tilted its head, mimicking him. A thrill of excitement shot through him. He knew the lore—he knew that in this era of Soul Land 1, the world wasn't ready for a Spirit Master who could strike from the literal shadows.
"I... I don't know, sir," Chen Fan said, feigning confusion. "I just felt a cold shiver."
Lu Feng scribbled furiously on a piece of parchment. "A mystery. But Innate Full Spirit Power is a genius level regardless. Clear Water Village has finally produced a monster."
Chen Fan took the certificate with a shaking hand. He looked back toward the path leading to Holy Spirit Village. Somewhere over those hills, a boy named Tang San was probably looking at a blue blade of grass and a hammer.
The era of the Shrek Seven was beginning, and the unseen ghost of Clear Water Village was ready to haunt the ranks of the elite.