In his previous life, Lin Jie wasn't exactly a top student, but he was a proud, devoted fan of all things anime—a well-rounded, three-good student of the otaku kind.
He knew series like Naruto and One Piece like the back of his hand.
Back when he watched Naruto, he was especially fond of Kakashi Hatake. And Kakashi's signature move—Chidori—was something he'd practically memorized frame by frame.
Some might say, "So what? You only know the move—you don't understand how it works."
To that, Lin Jie would gladly respond:
Chidori is formed by concentrating lightning-attribute energy into the hand and continuously compressing it, before unleashing it at high speed. The faster the user moves, the greater the piercing power. During the attack, the compressed lightning releases a high-pitched screech resembling the chirping of a thousand birds—hence the name Chidori.
Of course, executing it wasn't nearly as easy as it sounded. It had taken him over a year of constant practice to make it work.
Looking at the tree ahead, pierced clean through by his Chidori, Lin Jie couldn't help but feel a touch of pride. All that effort into creating a self-developed soul skill hadn't been wasted. With its powerful penetration, Chidori was a solid trump card—though it was a bit of a shame about the old locust tree in their courtyard.
By now, Lin Jie could wield the soul skills granted by his spirit rings as effortlessly as moving his own arms.
His Martial Soul—the elemental lightning—could function in both the Assault System and Control System paths. Initially, Lin Jie had intended to follow a control-type cultivation path, but as his abilities developed, he realized that both paths were open to him.
His first spirit ring came from a roughly 400-year-old soul beast. At the time, he was too weak to hunt one on his own and had to spend a fortune hiring a team of Soul Hunters to venture into the Star Dou Great Forest. The soul ring wasn't the most optimal match, but it was usable.
The first skill he obtained was called Body of Thunder—an enhancement-type ability that boosted his speed, defense, and attack power by 40%.
Think about it: lightning is already fast and destructive by nature. Add a 50% boost to its offensive capabilities on top of that, and if you pair it with Chidori... well, you can imagine the result.
That was just a soul skill from a ring. But upon acquiring it, Lin Jie thought of another ability that mirrored it—perhaps even stronger. By continuously using his lightning Martial Soul to temper his body, stimulating his cells into higher activity, that new ability was slowly taking form.
He turned back to look at the skewered tree again, head tilted slightly in thought.
"Hm..."
"Speed's good, but the compression isn't tight enough. I need to accelerate the soul power compression rate. That'll push Chidori's power up a few notches."
Lin Jie's soul power was naturally lightning-attribute, so there was no need for element conversion—he simply had to concentrate and compress it faster.
He stretched out his right hand. Lightning crackled and danced across his palm, slowly building in intensity.
Crackle-crackle—
The sound was unmistakable—like the chirping of a thousand birds.
"Now it's ready," Lin Jie murmured. He thrust the Chidori straight into the center of another thick tree trunk.
Boom!!
His hand pierced clean through more than sixty centimeters of solid wood.
With a crisp pop, he withdrew his arm.
He observed the two holes he'd punched through the tree. One had ragged bark around the edges and was slightly blocked inside. The other was smooth, unobstructed, and perfectly clean.
It seemed that both speed and soul power compression had to reach a precise equilibrium for Chidori to unleash its maximum, stable force.
Just then, a soft voice piped up from behind him.
"Brother, what are you doing? Why are you destroying the trees in the courtyard? What if the old locust tree dies?"
Her voice held a hint of accusation.
Lin Jie sighed inwardly. Why couldn't his little sister be one of those gentle "Onii-chan~" types from anime? Why did he get stuck with the sharp-tongued, uncooperative kind? Of course, he only thought that to himself—he'd never dare say it out loud.
"Ranran, what are you doing home? Don't you have class?"
Lin Ran—his not-so-adorable little sister. Well, personality-wise she wasn't adorable. Looks-wise? She was quite cute. Her Martial Soul was Lotus, and at age ten, she was already a Soul Master at rank 19, with the same innate soul power level 4 as Lin Jie.
As for how a level 4 innate soul power cultivator like Lin Ran advanced so quickly, that was all thanks to Lin Jie's elemental lightning Martial Soul.
At first, Lin Jie believed his lightning powers only worked on himself. But when he noticed Lin Ran's soul power progressing at a snail's pace, he had the idea to help her temper her body—just like he did for himself—and boost her cultivation speed.
After many careful trials, it finally worked. As the saying goes: Heaven helps those who help themselves.
Of course, it all depended on Lin Jie's precise control of his soul power.
Normally, soul power can be used to heal or recover others. But lightning-attribute soul power? That should be harmful, right?
That was the unique aspect of Lin Jie's Martial Soul—so long as he maintained absolute control, even destructive lightning could be used to refine the body or support others. The possibilities were endless.
"Bro, I've been stuck at rank 19 for over a year now," Lin Ran said, voice trembling slightly, eyes beginning to redden. "I feel like I'll be stuck as a Soul Master forever. It's so hard to break through..."
"Don't worry, Ranran. You will break through."
"But you're already a rank 24 Soul Grandmaster, and I'm still stuck at rank 19..."
"Well, your big brother's been cultivating two years longer than you—of course I'm ahead," he chuckled.
"Relax, Ranran. Don't push yourself so hard. Take a break. When your birthday comes around, I'll give you a gift that's guaranteed to get you past rank 20. How's that sound?"
"Really?" she asked, eyes lighting up.
"Really."
"You promise you won't go back on it?"
"Of course not," Lin Jie said with a smile, silently thinking to himself: Once I gain even better control of my soul power—or if I can get my hands on an immortal herb—I'll give it to her.
Just then, a more mature woman's voice called from inside:
"What are you two doing out here? Why aren't you inside?"
"Mom, you're back!" Lin Jie ran over to her, grabbing her hand with a grin. "I missed you."
"You little rascal, just look at the mess you made of the courtyard! Are you okay?" she asked gently, checking him over with warm concern.
"I'm fine, Mom. I just lost control a little during training. I'll be more careful next time."
Looking at his mother's gentle face, Lin Jie felt his determination harden. One day, I'll find an immortal herb for Mom too—even if she can't cultivate, it'll improve her constitution and help her live longer.
Lin Jie had been an orphan in his previous life—he had never known what it was like to have parents. In this life, receiving a mother's love made him feel truly blessed. He was determined to make this family's life better.
Their mother turned back toward Lin Ran, who was still standing in the courtyard.
"Ranran, come inside."
Lin Ran rolled her eyes dramatically. "Hmph. Now she sees me."
She muttered under her breath, "Mom, how come you only have eyes for my brother..."
Lin Jie quickly changed the subject: "By the way, Mom, how's the store doing?"
"It's going very well, Jie'er. You don't need to worry."
When Lin Jie was younger, their family was quite poor. He'd encouraged his mother to start a small business, but she had been hesitant. Back then, she was content with a modest life. But after Lin Jie awakened his Martial Soul and their expenses shot up, he used every trick in the book to convince her. Now, money wasn't a big issue for them anymore.
"By the way, Xiao Jie," his mother said, "have you decided which Advanced Soul Master Academy you're going to attend?"
"Don't worry, Mom. I've already figured it out."
"How can I not worry?" she replied. "Let's not even think about those noble-run academies. We may be better off than before, but—"
"Alright, Mom. I've got it handled," Lin Jie quickly interrupted her, knowing full well she'd go on for half a day if he didn't stop her. His mom's only flaw was that she cared too much—once she started talking, she rarely stopped.
"Okay, okay. As long as you know what you're doing. I'll go make dinner."
Later, the family enjoyed a warm and cozy meal together. After chatting about everyday things, Lin Jie returned to his room to continue cultivating.
The night passed quietly.