Every Martial Spirit had its own unique traits. Take the Shrek Seven Devils for example:
Dai Mubai's White Tiger: raw strength and overwhelming attack power.
Xiao Wu's Soft-Boned Rabbit: agility, flexibility, and a touch of charm.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass: tough, adaptable, and paired with the terrifying weight of the Clear Sky Hammer.
Ma Hongjun's Phoenix: flames with devastating side effects.
Zhu Zhuqing's Nether Cat: lightning fast.
And of course, Oscar and Ning Rongrong, whose support-type spirits granted their teammates a variety of powerful buffs.
But Qian Jue… things were different for him.
The moment he awakened his Martial Spirit, Kindred, he instinctively received fragments of information from it—like whispers etched into his very being. That's how he came to understand just how unusual his Martial Spirit truly was.
Kindred wasn't just one soul. It was two.
The first was the 'Lamb Spirit'. When Qian Jue allowed it to merge with him, something strange happened: his attacks no longer caused pain. That's right—struck by him, and yet the enemy would feel no agony at all. A chilling kind of mercy. Alongside that came a special ability: 'The Mark of Kindred'.
With it, Qian Jue could mark his enemies—be they spirit beasts or spirit masters. The mark was invisible, had no time limit, but was bound by cooldowns and restrictions. Against spirit masters, he could only mark those at or above his own soul power level. Against spirit beasts, only those whose cultivation years were at least equal to the age of his highest spirit ring.
For example: if Qian Jue's soul power was level 35, with his third ring being two thousand years old, then he couldn't mark a spirit master below level 35, nor a beast under two thousand years old. And even then, the Mark could only be placed once every seven days.
The reward, however, was terrifying.
If Qian Jue killed a marked target, he would permanently gain a 5% boost to all of his physical and spiritual attributes—soul power, physique, reflexes, sight, hearing, smell… everything.
There was a catch, of course. The more he hunted, the more the effect diminished. The details were complicated, a tangle of numbers he barely understood, but the essence was clear: the ability wasn't limitless. He couldn't keep stacking power forever.
Then there was the 'Wolf Spirit', utterly different from the Lamb. Unlike the Lamb, the Wolf couldn't fuse with him. Instead, it could fight alongside him while he was under the Lamb's possession. Its nature was the polar opposite: if the Lamb erased pain, the Wolf inflicted it a hundredfold.
The Wolf's strength scaled with Qian Jue's own—roughly half his attributes—but its brutal tearing attacks, amplified by its Pain effect, made it far more dangerous than numbers suggested. Sometimes, its presence alone was deadlier than Qian Jue himself.
Its gift to him was 'Kindred's Veil'—invisibility. Not for Qian Jue's body, but for the Martial Spirit itself. To the outside world, the Wolf and Lamb were unseen, hidden from mortal eyes.
That was why, during his awakening, no one in the wooden cabin noticed either spirit floating around him. All they saw was the eerie mask that formed across his face when the Lamb fused with him. They assumed that the mask itself was his Martial Spirit.
And indeed, if he wanted, Qian Jue could even make the mask vanish. But he decided against it—it looked stylish, and could serve as the perfect smokescreen to conceal his true abilities.
(At last, the full explanation of Kindred's Martial Spirit was complete!)
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"Qian Jue…? So tell me," Su Yuntao asked curiously, "is that the name of your Martial Spirit, or did you simply name it after yourself?"
"It's not 'Qian Jue', but 'Kindred.' 'Qian' as in the vast world," Qian Jue corrected.
"Oh… I see. So your Martial Spirit is called the Kindred Mask, then? That makes it an tools-type spirit, capable of greatly enhancing your physical abilities."
Su Yuntao scribbled his notes quickly, then handed Qian Jue a certificate. It recorded his Martial Spirit, innate soul power, and bore both Su Yuntao's signature and the official seal of the Spirit Hall.
"Keep this. It's your Martial Spirit awakening certificate. You'll need it if you apply to a Spirit Master Academy. Of course, if you decide to join Spirit Hall directly, you won't need it—I'll file the report myself."
Qian Jue tucked the document away carefully.
"Good. Now take some time to rest and think it over—whether you'll join Spirit Hall or not."
Su Yuntao patted his shoulder. Qian Jue walked back toward Tang San, and the two exchanged a quiet smile.
Just as Su Yuntao was preparing for the next awakening, Tang San suddenly stepped forward.
"Uncle, why didn't you test my soul power?"
Su Yuntao, still in high spirits from earlier, glanced at Tang San—who had just awakened the Blue Silver Grass—and explained patiently:
"I didn't test you because Blue Silver Grass is one of the most common and weakest plant spirits. It almost never carries soul power. Even if it did, it wouldn't be enough to cultivate. That's why I didn't bother. Understand?"
"I understand… but I'd still like to try. May I, uncle?"
Tang San had caught his meaning perfectly, but he had his own reasons. He needed to confirm whether the inner energy he cultivated with Xuan Tian Gong was this world's version of soul power. If it was, then even with a weak spirit like Blue Silver Grass, he could still cultivate Xuan Tian Gong—and perhaps spirit rings could help him break past its bottleneck.
"…Very well. If you insist."
Amused, Su Yuntao handed him the crystal sphere.
Tang San pressed his palm against it—and immediately trembled. Just like with Qian Jue earlier, the sphere hungrily pulled at his inner energy, forcing it outward in a torrent. But this time, the crystal erupted with a brilliant, dazzling blue light.
Su Yuntao's jaw nearly dropped.
"What…? How's this possible? A useless spirit… with innate full soul power?"
He turned to Tang San, eyes filled with unspoken questions. But how could Tang San reveal the truth? That his cultivation came from another world? Naturally, he said nothing.
Unlike in the original tale, though, Tang San was no clueless child here. In the past three months, he had learned much from Qian Jue. Now, he understood clearly: his Xuan Tian Gong had become soul power in this world. And the reason he could never break past the first layer was simple—he needed spirit rings.
So instead of arguing, Tang San simply thanked Su Yuntao politely and returned to Qian Jue's side.
Su Yuntao finally regained his composure, shaking his head with a rueful smile.
"Innate full soul power or not, what good is it? Blue Silver Grass will always be Blue Silver Grass. A useless spirit will stay useless."
He called the next child forward, hoping for another miracle. But none came. The ceremony ended, and Su Yuntao packed away the black stones and crystal sphere.
Before leaving, he crouched before Qian Jue once more.
"Well? Have you decided? Will you join Spirit Hall?"
Qian Jue sighed inwardly. 'This guy just won't let it go.'
"I haven't discussed it with my family yet."
"Ah, right, of course. Then let's go together! You've awakened such a powerful Martial Spirit—I ought to bring the good news to your family myself."
"…Fine," Qian Jue muttered, realizing he had no choice.
When they stepped outside, Old Jack rushed over anxiously. "Master Su! How did it go? Did any of our children awaken a Martial Spirit strong enough to become spirit masters?"
Su Yuntao's face split into a wide grin. He clasped the old man's hands warmly. "Yes! Not just a spirit master, but a top-tier Martial Spirit with innate full soul power! Congratulations, Village Chief!"
Qian Jue's success had clearly brightened his mood.
"R-Really? Whose child is it?" Old Jack stammered.
"This boy here—Qian Jue."
Old Jack's eyes shone. "Xiao Jue! Wonderful… truly wonderful! Heaven has finally blessed our Holy Spirit Village again!" He raised his hands in prayer, tears brimming with pride at the choice he had made years ago to shelter the boy.
But Qian Jue quickly added, "Grandpa Jack, it's not just me. Tang San also has innate full soul power."
"What?! Tang San too?" Old Jack stared at the two boys side by side, overwhelmed by joy. This was too much good fortune at once.
…