Martial Spirit

The room fell silent, the air heavy with anticipation. A dark purple glow enveloped me as several translucent strings shot out from my hands, shimmering with an otherworldly energy.

The strings soon coalesced and formed into a puppet—a young female figure dressed in a black gothic outfit with a white, expressionless toy face, resembling a girl about 7 or 8 years old.

"Your Martial Spirit is...?" the old man asked, clearly confused.

"It's a puppet," I replied confidently, and he nodded, though still puzzled.

"Alright, let's check your spirit power," he said, motioning me toward a glowing crystal orb. I nodded but inwardly contacted the system.

'System, make my innate spirit power half of its original value,' I commanded.

[Confirmed.] The system's voice echoed in my mind.

"Place your hand on this spirit testing ball," the Spirit Master instructed. I complied, placing my hand on the smooth surface of the orb. Almost immediately, the ball lit up brightly with a radiant glow.

"Innate full spirit power!" the old man exclaimed, his voice filled with astonishment.

I stared at the orb, speechless, but inwardly, I was frowning.

'System, didn't I ask for half spirit power?' I asked, feeling both surprised and annoyed.

[You did, and I complied. Your innate spirit power is level 20.]

'Oh! But I guess full innate spirit power still applies in this case,' I thought, shaking my head.

"Kid, do you want to join our Martial Spirit Hall?" the old man asked eagerly. His excitement was apparent as he waited for my response.

I thought for a moment. In this era, the Martial Spirit Hall is the most powerful organization. If I want to develop faster, I should join them.

After deliberating, I nodded.

"Good!" he said, smiling broadly. "I'll take you back with me after I've finished awakening the Martial Spirits of the other children."

After awakening the Martial Spirit of others he looked back at me.

"Child, what is your name?" the Spirit Master asked, his voice uncharacteristically serious.

"Su Yang," I replied firmly.

"Let's go. I will inform your parents," the Spirit Master said.

I shook my head. "I don't have any parents. My grandpa adopted me," I replied.

The Spirit Master nodded, then turned to the village chief, who was approaching us.

"Sir Spirit Master, what was the result?" the village chief asked eagerly.

"Two children have innate spirit power of level 1, and their Martial Spirits are the Blue Rose. But this one here is exceptional. His Martial Spirit is called Puppet, and he has innate spirit power at level 10," the Spirit Master explained, pointing at me.

The village chief—my grandpa—beamed with pride as he looked at me. "Good, great, Xiao Yang! Now you can become a powerful Spirit Master and go out into the world to find your parents," he said.

I was momentarily stunned but managed to nod. A memory played in my mind.

Flashback:

"Su Yang, you know I am not your real grandfather, right?" Grandpa said as he looked down at a younger version of me.

"Yes, Grandpa. But one day, I'll become a powerful Spirit Master and find out what happened to my parents," the younger me replied, his voice filled with determination.

The memory faded, and I clenched my fists. I see... so this is this body's lingering regret. I will fulfill it, I thought to myself, a strange lightness settling over me.

'System...'

[It is as you think, Host. Your soul has traveled through time and now inhabits this body, which recently died. This is your chance to fulfill its wish.]

I nodded silently, resolving to honor the original owner's final desires.

"He has also decided to join our Spirit Hall," the Spirit Master announced.

The village chief gave a deep bow. "Please take care of him, Sir Spirit Master."

"Of course. He's one of our Spirit Hall's children now," the Spirit Master said with a hearty laugh.

***

"Um, why do you want to come here?" the Spirit Grandmaster asked, looking at me with a puzzled expression as we stood outside the gates of Nuoding City Junior Spirit Academy.

"I want to explore the world a bit before I return to the Spirit Hall," I replied, meeting his gaze calmly.

He sighed, clearly unconvinced. "But this is a small city, with limited resources. You won't be able to grow strong if you cultivate here," he said, frowning as though wondering why I was wasting my innate spirit talent.

"It's okay," I assured him. "I promise, if I don't reach level 30 in five years, I'll leave and return to Spirit Hall City with you."

He hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded. "Alright, but let's get you settled first before you register here," he said, turning to lead the way.

I followed him with a nod, my thoughts elsewhere. I don't really want to come to this low-level academy either, but the System gave me a quest I can't ignore.

[New Quest]

[Defeat Tang San]

[Rewards: First Spirit Ring for Strings of Domination, a 100,000-year Spirit Bone of Host's Choice]

[Penalty: Thunder Shock]

Soon, we arrived at the branch of the Spirit Hall in the city. As we entered, everyone immediately bowed to the old man upon noticing the badge he wore.

He nodded in acknowledgment but didn't stop to address them, walking directly to the branch director's office.

"Who are you?" the branch director, an older man named Grandmaster Ma, frowned at first but then lit up upon recognizing the visitor. "Ah! Old Li! What are you doing here?"

Grandmaster Ma stood up and shook hands with Old Li enthusiastically.

"I'm here to register this young prodigy under my care," Old Li said, gesturing toward me.

Grandmaster Ma looked at me curiously. "What's his level?"

"He just awakened his Martial Spirit. As for his level, it's innate spirit power—level 10," Old Li said confidently.

"What?! You mean he has innate full spirit power?" Grandmaster Ma exclaimed, clearly shocked as he glanced at me.

Old Li nodded. "Of course. Why would I lie? You can test it yourself if you don't believe me."

Grandmaster Ma quickly retrieved a spirit measuring device. "Place your hand on this," he instructed.

I complied, putting my hand on the device. Instantly, it began glowing brightly before shattering into pieces.

"This…!" Both Old Li and Grandmaster Ma were stunned.

"It can only measure up to level 10, you know," Grandmaster Ma said, gulping in disbelief.

"Maybe it's faulty," Old Li muttered as he prepared to fetch another device.

A second measuring device was brought in, but the result was the same—it shattered upon activation.

The two elders exchanged glances before Old Li turned to me. "Xiao Yang, do you have another Martial Spirit?"

I nodded and raised my left hand. From it emerged a stunningly beautiful blue rose that radiated a mysterious glow.

"It's called Blue Misty Rose Emperor," I said as they stared at it in awe.

"As I thought," Grandmaster Ma murmured, looking thoughtful as the two old men exchanged knowing looks.

"Listen, Xiao Yang, you must not tell anyone about this, okay?" Old Li said firmly. I nodded obediently.

"Still, now we have a problem," Old Li said, turning to Grandmaster Ma. "Which Martial Spirit should we cultivate first?"

The two elders were deep in thought while I stood there pondering as well.

[System Notification]

[Both Martial Spirits are Super Martial Souls.]

[Blue Misty Rose Emperor]

[Skills: Blue Mist Domain, Frozen Mist, Frozen Crystal Creations]

[Attributes: Illusion, Charm, Spiritual, Misty Ice]