Tianhun Empire, Anyang City.
A quiet and peaceful village appeared in the dim night. There seemed to be many houses in the village, their dim yellow lights flickering intermittently, creating a warm and beautiful scene on this moonless night. The cold wind blowing down from the northern ice plains seemed to have no effect on these families. At
the village entrance, one house still had its lights on. This house, with its blue bricks and red tiles, was quite different from the others in the village, appearing more prosperous. It had three rooms and a courtyard with two trees, exuding a sense of home.
In the middle room, the light, though dim, was still relatively bright compared to the others. By the window, a desk stood against the wall, and in front of it sat a handsome boy, engrossed in a book. His dark eyes occasionally flashed with thoughtful concentration, showing that he was truly focused on his reading.
Beside the boy was a strangely shaped lamp. It resembled an oil lamp, but the wick was nowhere to be seen, yet the light was brighter than a normal oil lamp. The peculiar lamp emitted a bright yet soft glow, illuminating the book the boy was reading.
Upon closer inspection, it was a brand-new, ink-scented, thread-bound book. The title, "On the Influence of Soul Ring Quality on the Development of Soul Masters," was written in the header of each page.
"...When a Soul Master absorbs a Soul Ring, their Martial Soul is simultaneously strengthened... In the same year, the stronger the Soul Beast, the higher the quality of the Soul Ring it generates, and the greater the strengthening of the Martial Soul... If the attributes of the Soul Beast that generates the Soul Ring are more compatible with the Soul Master's Martial Soul, and the closer its bloodline is to the Soul Master's Martial Soul, the higher the quality of the generated Soul Ring, the more significant the enhancement to the Soul Master's Martial Soul, and the greater the improvement to the Soul Master's abilities... Taking a cat-type Martial Soul as an example, if the Soul Master continuously attaches a tiger-type Soul Beast Soul Ring, their Martial Soul's origin is constantly strengthened and accumulated, eventually causing a second awakening and evolution into a tiger-type Martial Soul... In short, Soul Masters should fully consider the quality when choosing Soul Rings..."
The boy was so engrossed in reading that he didn't even notice someone entering the room. The person who entered was a beautiful woman, bearing a striking resemblance to the boy; clearly, she was his mother.
"Yangyang, it's late, go and get some rest. You're awakening your Martial Soul tomorrow, so go to bed early tonight to conserve your energy, okay?" The woman's voice was full of love as she walked to the boy's side.
Then, before the boy could react, she picked up the strange lamp with her slender hand, shook it gently, and the lamp went out.
"Mommy!" the boy called out helplessly, a hint of unhappiness appearing on his delicate face, but he didn't disobey his mother and obediently went to the bed.
After the boy lay down and covered himself with the blanket, the woman finally smiled with satisfaction, lowered her head to kiss the boy's forehead, and whispered, "Goodnight, sweetie!"
The woman left the room, and the lights in the room went out as well. Only the starlight coming through the window barely illuminated the books on the desk, and the books gradually faded in the starlight, as if they had never been there.
At this moment, the boy, who had been asleep with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them, sat cross-legged on the bed, his palms facing upwards, his eyes, which were exceptionally bright in the darkness, slowly closed. He entered an indescribable state of peace, like an old monk in deep meditation.
A quarter of an hour later, the boy lay down again.
The boy's name was Zhu Ziyang, he was six years old, and he was from Anyang City, Zhenbei Province, Tianhun Empire.
After lying down, Zhu Ziyang's mind was unusually clear. Long-lost, sealed memories, some of which were now vague, surfaced and intertwined with his knowledge, shaping the wonders of this world in his mind.
Tianhun Empire, one of the four great empires, and also one of the three great empires of the original Douluo Continent, was one of the two great empires after the split of Tiandou Empire. Although its area was only half the size of the original Tiandou Empire, its strength was greater than that of its other ancestral nation, Douling Empire.
On Douluo Continent, everyone possessed something called a Martial Soul. Regarding the essence and origin of the Martial Soul, the currently accepted theory in the Soul Master world is: the bloodline theory, that is, bloodline is the root of the Martial Soul, and the Martial Soul is the manifestation of bloodline.
It is generally believed that the purer, older, and higher the bloodline, the higher the quality and potential of the Martial Soul. Bloodline determines Martial Soul, which is why there are very few tragic cases of raising the wrong child on the Douluo Continent.
Surrounding Martial Souls are a series of knowledge and content related to Soul Masters, Soul Rings, Soul Beasts, Soul Skills, Soul Bones, Soul Tools, etc., flashing rapidly through Zhu Ziyang's mind.
Unconsciously, he was thinking a bit too much. Zhu Ziyang turned over, his eyes wide open, wide awake.
Zhu Ziyang wouldn't awaken his Martial Soul until tomorrow, so his pre-sleep behavior, which resembled Soul Power cultivation, was definitely not meditation.
In fact, he wasn't cultivating Soul Power, but practicing a special breathing method called the Little Brightness Breathing Technique.
Perhaps it was the reward for many good deeds in his previous life, but Zhu Ziyang was born with innate wisdom, his intelligence far exceeding that of ordinary children. He could speak at three months old, walk at six months old, and had already read thousands of books at a young age, making him a renowned child prodigy.
Besides his past life's wisdom, a fragmented memory from his previous life lingered in his mind. The Little Brightness Breathing Technique originated from this memory, and the incomplete recollection seemed to constantly emphasize its importance.
Driven by curiosity, Zhu Ziyang began practicing the Little Brightness Breathing Technique at the age of three. After practicing it from memory, Zhu Ziyang was astonished to discover that his Tanzhong acupoint had been opened, and a wisp of energy had been generated.
Although he was only three years old, he was already well-read and naturally knew the function and importance of the Tanzhong acupoint. As the source of bloodline, the Tanzhong acupoint, commonly known as the Crimson Palace and Golden Palace, normally opens with the awakening of a Soul Master's Martial Soul.
In fact, along with the Tanzhong acupoint, his Niwan Palace and Huangting Palace also opened—the three major Dantians opened simultaneously, but Zhu Ziyang was unaware of it.
Under the circumstances, he knew that his Tanzhong acupoint had opened prematurely, and a wisp of mysterious energy, definitely not Soul Power, had been generated. This greatly excited the naturally curious Zhu Ziyang, and his desire to explore instantly led him to practice the Little Brightness Breathing Technique again.
To his surprise, he discovered that while practicing the Little Brightness Breathing Technique, the wisp of energy at his Tanzhong acupoint also changed. It left the Tanzhong acupoint and traveled along his meridians throughout his body, from the Baihui acupoint on the top of his head to the Guanyuan acupoint on his abdomen, from the Shaofu acupoint on his hands to the Yongquan acupoint on his feet—every meridian, every acupoint.
Wherever the wisp of energy flowed, Zhu Ziyang felt a faint warmth, very comfortable, like basking in the winter sun, warm and cozy. When he finished one round of the Little Brightness Breathing Technique, the wisp of energy returned perfectly to his Tanzhong acupoint, becoming quiet and still.
Although Zhu Ziyang didn't know the origin of the Little Brightness Breathing Technique or the origin of that mysterious energy, he realized that the energy was not harmful to him! That lingering wisdom from his past life seemed to be proof of all this.
So, adhering to the idea of seeing things through to the end, Zhu Ziyang continued to practice the Little Brightness Breathing Technique without giving up.
(End of this chapter..)