As Tian Sheng held his Wine Gourd in hand, a single yellow ring now adorning it, he realised how different his Martial Souls were compared to others.
Usually, Soul Rings would float around the Martial Soul in set positions- it was how people could tell a First Soul Skill from a Second or a Third.
However, looking at what had happened with his Staff and now his Gourd, the Rings seemed to fuse into the Martial Soul and become part of it.
Still, he only smiled as he opened up his System Panel.
Soul Power: 15 (+)
Mental Force: 17 (+)
Physique: 10 (+)
Control: 10 (+)
Freedom Points: 1,240
Food-Type Martial Soul: Sacred Wine Gourd (Yellow)
First Soul Ring: White-Silver Grass (122 Years) (+) - Sacred Life Dew
Produces Healing Wine that restores Vitality and heals wounds. Minorly restores Soul Power. Effect increases with Soul Power.
A little over a month had passed since he'd obtained his First Spirit Ring and had continued his journey. While he had considered buying someone from the System Store to have a companion, he'd ultimately put off doing so in order to focus on strengthening himself first.
It was by happenstance that, during a foray into a forest, he came across a Mutated Blue-Silver Grass that had turned white- enriched with the Life Element. He hadn't hesitated to kill it immediately and attach the Soul Ring to his Wine Gourd.
And it seemed he'd been favoured. Not only was his Soul Skill extremely useful, but the mutated grass had even resulted in his Martial Soul evolving from White to Yellow. It was no longer a 'Trash' Martial Soul, but instead simply 'Low-Tier.'
He admired the changes in his gourd, now adorned with white patterns while the wood had become smooth and polished- clearly different from the simple wooden gourd it had been before.
The satisfaction he'd felt from learning his Martial Soul had evolved and receiving such a good Spirit Ring had even given him a total of 400 points- double what he'd gotten from his Stone Staff's Soul Ring, and putting him at over a thousand points.
"Well then, let's try it out!" He grinned. "Sacred Life Dew!"
The gourd glowed and he lifted it to his lips, liquid glowing silver slowly pouring into his mouth.
His eyes lit up with delight. He could feel the exhaustion from travelling fading away, the vitality even infusing into his bones and filling him with more energy. It still used up a fair bit of soul power, but he recovered half of what he'd used to activate it.
"Mmm refunding skills are the best," he wiped his lips. "On top of that, that tasted delicious... A hint of coconut with a bit of spice, if I'm not wrong? Absolutely wonderful!"
He lowered the gourd from his lips, letting the Martial Soul vanish as he got another notification.
[Host is enjoying the delicious taste of Sacred Life Dew! + 20 Points!]
His eyes lit up and he grinned... Martial Soul Evolution really was the way to go for easy points, at least for his new Sacred Wine Gourd. An easy 20 points just for enjoying the drink.
He hummed as he eyed those 1,260 points he had and nodded. It was time to make his purchase.
[You have purchased Body-Type Martial Soul: Eyes (Yellow) for 800 Points!]
A pleasant shudder ran through his spine as he felt his eyes sting for only a moment before they sharpened. The world suddenly looked to be in even more clarity in detail... It was like before he was on 720p, and now he was on 1080p, maybe even 1440p. Incredible.
[You have become a Quad-Martial Soul User! Detecting extreme satisfaction! Refunding 400 points!]
His eyes lit up with joy... He hadn't expected his satisfaction with becoming a Quad Martial Soul user would directly refund him 400 points! That left him with 800 to use as he wished!
In that case, it was time for him to buy a companion or two- he had no problem with buying cheap ones and raising them up. And in this case...
Saeko Busujima (Yellow) - 100 Points
Courtney (Pokemon) (Yellow) - 100 Points
Saeko Busujima, raised in the Busujima Sword Style- she was a prodigy of the sword, and an elegant woman... Save for one small thing.
Saeko was born in the wrong era.
Her entire body craved to tear through the flesh of others, to see their life fade before her eyes. She craved combat and battle with every fibre of her being. If she had been born in Historical Japan, she would have become renown as a Sword Demon or perhaps a Sword Saint- it all depended on who she killed.
She was a perfectly fine fit for the world of Douluo, despite her low price. She was likely only priced so low because she was limited by the constraints of a mortal body and a modern world- otherwise she might have even reached Black Rarity.
Courtney, on the other hand, was a strategist. An Admin for Team Magma, who whole-heartedly supported Maxie's ambitions... And when Maxie's plan failed and he began to turn over a new leaf, she desired to destroy the world that had denied their plans.
She was resourceful, cunning, clever, and merciless. On top of that, she also held a minor gift of prophecy that allowed her to see brief visions of the future.
Truthfully, Tian Sheng was surprised that Courtney was so cheap- he would put her value above Saeko. However, she clearly lacked in physical ability what Saeko had in abundance- the two were simply on different ends of the Spectrum.
Courtney was also extremely clever, she would likely devour any books he gave her and start to come up with her own theories and ideas- something he was in desperate need of since he wasn't a thinker, he just did what he wanted and worried about consequences after.
"Purchase both," he told the System.
[Would you like to make them the same age as you?]
He raised an eye. Now that was an interesting offer, one he hadn't considered.
If they were all the same age, then they wouldn't be looked down on for having low soul power in their teens... Plus, they could grow up alongside him, which would help further cement their loyalty to him.
"Yes," he agreed.
[Purchase complete!]
There was a soft glow in the small clearing, two lights materialising and slowly forming into human shapes. When they faded, he finally got a good look at his two new companions.
Saeko's purple hair was short compared to the long hair she'd have in the future, her blue eyes sharp even at the young age of six as she took in her surroundings. She wore a black dress and boots, a pendant around her neck. She was very cute, no questioning that.
Courtney, on the other hand, looked almost bored as she appeared- her lilac hair looking exactly the same now as it would when she was older. Her eyes, however, lit up with fanatical worship upon seeing him. She wore dark red sweater and baggy black pants.
"Master Sheng," Courtney hummed happily as she slid over to him with practised ease, wrapping her arms around his and resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you for taking me in~"
"Courtney, you cannot be so disrespectful to Lord Sheng," Saeko chastised her sternly, before she fell on one knee and bowed her head. "Saeko Busujima, ready to serve My Lord."
Tian Sheng cleared his throat, this about lined up with some expectations... Courtney's loyalty also came with her undying love and worship, fanatical as though Sheng was her God. Saeko's was much more respectful, like a Samurai towards the Shogun...
Clearly, even though their bodies were younger, their minds were still in the same sate as when they were teenagers. Very good, he preferred having mature conversations.
"There will be plenty of time for this later, Courtney," Sheng pat her head lightly. "For now, both of you show me your Martial Souls."
Courtney pouted but nodded, stepping back. "I will go first," she declared, her eyes narrowed as she focused.
Moments later, her eyes changed. Before they were the same colour lilac as her hair- but now they morphed and become a light-yellow colour. They shone with a mysterious and faint light, revealing the power they contained within them.
Tian Sheng was shocked as he saw her eyes, realising that she had a Body-Type Martial Soul... Specifically her eyes... In fact, if he wasn't wrong, then this Martial Soul should be related to Yuhao's own Martial Soul! Weaker and not exactly the same- Yuhao's had likely evolved after taking the Skydream Ice Worm as a Martial Soul- but they had potential!
[Status]
Courtney
Age: 6
Martial Soul
Spirit Eyes (Body-Type) (Yellow)
Attributes
Soul Power: 2 (+)
Mental Power: 12 (+)
Physique: 2 (+)
Control: 3 (+)
Soul Power Level 2... Slightly better than Yuhao who was born with an Innate Soul Power of one, but still extremely bad. But that just confirmed that the Martial Souls were the same kind!
'System, is there a way to raise Innate Soul Power?'
[Using points to raise Soul Power up to Level 10 is the same as raising Innate Soul Power.]
How convenient! And cheap too, this meant he wouldn't have to worry about Courtney or Saeko falling behind.
"An amazing Martial Soul," Tian Sheng complimented her. "With those eyes, you'll become an essential member of our team."
Her eyes lit up and she smiled. "Thank you, Master Sheng~"
"Just call me Tian Sheng, or Sheng," he told them. "Or Xiao Sheng if you must be somewhat affectionate."
"As you wish~" Courtney giggled happily, her eyes returning to normal as she de-activated her Martial Soul.
Saeko frowned at Courtney with disapproval, but she stepped forward and called forth her own Martial Soul- revealing a sleek Katana.
[Status]
Saeko Busujima
Age: 6
Martial Soul
Blood Craving Sword (Mutated Weapon-Type) (Yellow)
Attributes
Soul Power: 5 (+)
Mental Force: 10 (+)
Physique: 3 (+)
Control: 3 (+)
The Blood Craving Sword? Tian Sheng restrained the urge to frown, since that sounded like the weapon of an Evil Soul Master- and if it was, Saeko's situation just got tricky.
Blood Craving Sword (Mutated Weapon-Type) (Yellow)
Originally a Steel Katana, the user's own nature and potential as an Asura caused it to mutate. The user becomes stronger the more blood they spill- be they human or beast.
It was close, dangerously close, but it wasn't quite an Evil Martial Soul.
The key point was that blood only had to be spilt, the sword itself didn't absorb blood, life force, or soul power. It simply wanted to spill blood- which barely kept it out of the threshold of being the weapon of an Evil Soul Master.
He couldn't help but feel relieved at that... Given Spirit Hall was sworn to eradicating Evil Soul Masters, Saeko being one would have made things rather tricky for them joining Spirit Hall.
While he did plan to build up his own faction, he still had plans for allying or joining Spirit Hall- he would never join Tang San in this lifetime, simply because he knew Tang San was far too cunning and cruel- he couldn't be trusted.
Unlike many of the community though, he didn't believe Asura was the secret mastermind- Sheng believed that he just took advantage of an opportunity when he saw one, and Tang San provided him the perfect opportunity, so he just helped him along at certain points so he could leave the God Realm.
After all, once Tang San took his place who would punish him? He was already going to be leaving the God Realm at that point.
More than that, he knew that Tang San couldn't accept the idea that people better than him existed in the world. He plotted to replace the Will of Douluo Star with his father, turned his mother into the World Tree, and even split his own daughter's soul- all in the name of eventually being able to surpass the God of Destruction and remove him from the equation so he could rule without restraint in the God Realm.
He even conspired to obtain the Silver Dragon King as a Daughter-In-Law.
The Monarch of Soul Beasts, becoming part of a God's Family? After being sworn to get revenge on the God Realm for what they did to the Dragon God?
No, Tian Sheng simply couldn't trust someone like that.
"Both of your Martial Souls are amazing," he told them with a warm smile. "I'll strengthen your Soul Power right away, that way you'll be able to fight even sooner and grow far faster."
Both girls smiled gratefully and then gasped as he spent a total of 110 points to send their Soul Power from Level 4 and 5 up to Level 10.
"Incredible..." Courtney whispered in awe, looking at Tian Sheng as though he were a divine being. "Thank you, Dear Sheng~" She cooed happily.
"Thank you for this gift, Lord Sheng," Saeko took looked at him with a similar look. "This sword shall always be at the ready to cut down your foes, this I swear."
He just smiled and reached out, patting both of their heads. "Now, let's see if we can find some suitable Soul Rings for you both."