Having reached the summit, the surroundings were covered in lush green grass and large patches of greyish-white stones. Looking out, the view beneath the cliff revealed a boundless, emerald forest.
Sitting cross-legged on a grey stone, Lin Ye closed his eyes to face the rising sun and began his breathing exercises. Faintly, one could see wisps of intangible airflow being continuously drawn in and exhaled by Lin Ye, forming a perfect cycle.
"Still no progress. Why can't my Nine Yang Divine Art break through the First Heaven? My internal True Qi has clearly reached the limit of what the first stage can hold..."
After a long time, Lin Ye suddenly opened his eyes. Looking at his clean, fair hands, he furrowed his brows, a trace of doubt flashing in his bright eyes.
"Is it because I haven't awakened that 'Martial Soul' Grandpa mentioned?"
"I heard that after awakening a Martial Soul and becoming a Soul Master, your strength hits a bottleneck once it reaches a certain point. You must absorb something called a 'Soul Ring' to continue cultivating. This situation is quite similar to my current predicament."
Thinking of the miraculous power of Martial Souls that Old Jack always talked about, Lin Ye became pensive.
The Nine Yang Divine Art was the cultivation method Lin Ye currently practiced. According to the information that had suddenly appeared in his mind, it was described as such.
He hadn't learned this technique from a teacher. Rather, when he was three years old, Lin Ye was playing with the jade pendant he had worn since infancy. The jade had suddenly shot out a beam of light into his head, and the manual for the Nine Yang Divine Art had mysteriously manifested in his mind.
By practicing this art, Lin Ye produced a strange energy within his body called Nine Yang True Qi.
This energy circulated through his limbs, giving him physical attributes far beyond ordinary people from a young age. Whether it was strength, speed, or reaction time, Lin Ye far surpassed even grown adults.
Aside from physical enhancement, the Nine Yang True Qi possessed various other effects. For instance, it generated "Extreme Yang Qi," allowing Lin Ye to remain warm in winter even while wearing thin clothes. It also bolstered his constitution against diseases, protected his body from blade wounds, and could even repel weak attacks.
Because of the Nine Yang Divine Art, Lin Ye was extremely interested in his jade pendant.
To explore its uses, he had tried many methods and eventually discovered that injecting Nine Yang True Qi into the pendant could trigger an energy barrier. He had a feeling that if he could break through this barrier, he might gain more rewards—perhaps other martial arts similar to the Nine Yang Divine Art.
However, even though Lin Ye felt his True Qi was strong enough to break it, it felt as though a vital element was missing. He was always just one step away from success, failing at the very last second.
Based on what he learned from Old Jack, Lin Ye suspected the reason he couldn't break the barrier was likely because he hadn't awakened his Martial Soul.
"The Awakening Ceremony is today. If I can awaken a Martial Soul, I can verify my theory," Lin Ye thought to himself.
Beyond verifying his theory, Lin Ye had another goal: uncovering his heritage.
He wasn't Old Jack's biological grandson. According to Old Jack, he was found by chance outside the door after a knock was heard. At the time, he was wrapped in luxurious brocade that no ordinary family could afford, leading Old Jack to guess that Lin Ye's background was anything but simple.
Since Old Jack never saw the parents, everything remained a guess. The only proof of his identity was the jade pendant.
Originally, Lin Ye thought the jade was just a simple token of identification. But after receiving the Nine Yang Divine Art, he realized it was likely a treasure meant to reveal his identity once he was strong enough. He firmly believed his parents hadn't abandoned him; if they had, they wouldn't have placed him specifically at Old Jack's door. They must have faced some crisis that forced them to leave him in the care of others.
The energy barrier in the pendant was further evidence. Although he could only perceive one barrier now, there were likely more. As he grew stronger and broke more barriers, he would surely find more valuable treasures—and perhaps a message left by his parents.
If they could leave such a miraculous pendant, his parents were certainly not ordinary people. They were likely legendary, powerful Soul Masters.
"It's getting late. Time to head back."
After finishing his cultivation, Lin Ye stood up and prepared to head home.
He descended the mountain with agile movements and returned to the village. When he reached home, Old Jack had already prepared breakfast and set it on the table.
"Eat quickly. We have to go welcome the Lord Soul Master from the Spirit Hall soon," Old Jack urged as he sat down.
"Don't worry, Grandpa, I eat fast," Lin Ye replied calmly, picking up his bowl and chopsticks.
The two finished their meal in less than ten minutes. Old Jack didn't stop to wash the dishes, instead placing them in the pot with water and covering it before leading Lin Ye to the village entrance.
By the time they reached the entrance of Holy Spirit Village, the sun was rising and the air was warming up. As they waited under the shade of a tree, a figure appeared on the road in the distance.
It was a young man in his twenties with a tall stature, sharp eyebrows, and handsome features. He wore a greyish-white uniform. On the left side of his chest was a fist-sized character for "Soul" (魂), and on the right was a badge depicting a longsword. There were three intersecting swords carved onto the badge.
Thanks to Old Jack's frequent explanations, Lin Ye knew that the number of swords represented the rank of Grand Soul Master (the third rank of Soul Master), while the sword itself indicated he was a Battle Soul Master.
Soul Masters were people who, after awakening their Martial Soul, cultivated a power called Soul Power. Lin Ye suspected this cultivation was similar to his Nine Yang Divine Art.
The ranks were divided into ten stages: Soul Scholar, Soul Master, Grand Soul Master, Soul Elder, Soul Ancestor, Soul King, Soul Emperor, Soul Sage, Douluo, and Titled Douluo.
Legends said that high-level Soul Masters could crush an entire army single-handedly and decide the fate of nations. This was the kind of power Lin Ye yearned for.
"Respected Battle Soul Master, you have arrived!" Old Jack bowed respectfully.
"No need for formalities. Let us head inside. Once I finish the ceremony for your village, I must rush to the next one," the young man said calmly, stepping forward to help Old Jack up.
"Yes, Respected Battle Soul Master," Old Jack replied, still maintaining his respectful posture.
Would you like me to translate the Third Chapter for you? We are about to see what Martial Soul Lin Ye awakens!