3 4 years later

(A BIT OF INFO DUMP FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T WATCHED OR READ DOULUO)

Fighting sounds reverberated across the open field beside their usual practice spot, a large rock, mingling with the rustle of leaves and the distant chirping of birds. Two boys seemed to be engaged in a combat practice session. 

In the open field, bathed in the soft light of the rising sun, two boys engaged in hand-to-hand combat. The taller boy seemed to have the upper hand. His punches were powerful, each blow delivered with precision and force. Despite his opponent's size advantage, the smaller boy moved with agility, evading the incoming strikes with swift dodges and well-timed blocks. However, as the fight wore on, it became increasingly clear that the taller boy's strength was overwhelming.

With a sudden burst of speed, the taller boy closed in, unleashing a barrage of punches that forced his opponent to retreat. Despite the smaller boy's efforts, he found himself struggling to keep up with the relentless assault. With a powerful roundhouse kick, the taller boy sent the smaller one flying and crashing to the ground with a resounding thud. The smaller boy lay sprawled on the grass.

"That's it for this morning's practice, Hongjun" Sheng Jun declared, his voice firm yet gentle as he addressed his panting friend. Ma Hongjun lay sprawled on the ground, his chest heaving with exertion, but determination burned bright in his eyes.

Indeed, the two boys were Sheng Jun and Ma Hongjun. Sheng Jun, with striking white hair that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight, exuded an air of confidence beyond his years. At just six years old, Sheng Jun stood tall at a height of 115 cm. The boy on the ground, his friend Ma Hongjun, possessed a rugged charm despite his tender age of six. With tousled black hair and a hint of determination in his eyes, he stood at 110 cm tall. After cultivating the Heavenly Dao Sutra, their physique and prowess far exceeded that of their peers.

"Brother Jun, I can keep going" Ma Hongjun insisted, breathless, his words punctuated by gasps for air. Ever since the loss of his mother to depression three years ago, Ma Hongjun had grown more serious in his pursuit of martial arts and cultivation. With his only relative gone, he felt a deep sense of responsibility to hone his skills and protect those he cared about. His greatest wish now is to safeguard the Sheng family who adopted him and stand by his brother, Sheng Jun.

Looking down at his friend and brother with a mixture of concern and understanding, Sheng Jun gently extended a hand to Ma Hongjun, offering him support as he struggled to catch his breath. "It's important to balance rest and work" he explained patiently, his voice carrying a wisdom beyond his years. "If you focus too much on one, you won't be able to make progress. Let's go wash up now. We have our martial soul awakening ceremony later, and we don't want to keep Old Jie and Mister Flander waiting"

Ma Hongjun nodded gratefully, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten as he accepted Sheng Jun's help to stand, and they started walking towards the stream.

As they walked, Sheng Jun's mind drifted to the events of the past few days, particularly the arrival of Mister Flander in Phoenix Village. A mysterious figure with unclear intentions, but given the respect Old Jie, the village chief, showed him, he was likely a Spirit Master. Sheng Jun didn't dwell on it much; after all Mister Flander had been very kind to them, even providing detailed explanations to the questions regarding martial souls Sheng Jun had asked, leaving Sheng Jun with a favorable impression of him.

Over the years since his reincarnation into this world, Sheng Jun had learned that the way people get stronger in this world is different from his previous life. Unlike the concept of spiritual roots, the people of this world possessed the ability to awaken their martial soul at the age of six. Sheng Jun couldn't help but tremble with excitement and anticipation as he was about to awaken one himself today.

Because despite his efforts, Sheng Jun found himself unable to progress any further in The Heavenly Dao Sutra, the cultivation technique he had created, had remained at the 1st level for the past three years akin to a bottleneck. As the creator of the sutra, he should have been exempt from such limitations, yet his progress had inexplicably halted.

Deep in thought, Sheng Jun contemplated the connection between his cultivation bottleneck and the concept of martial souls. In this world, a person's martial soul played a crucial role in their cultivation journey, serving as the foundation upon which their strength and abilities were built. It is possible that only by unlocking the martial soul and obtaining spirit ring can he continue cultivating the Heavenly Dao Sutra.

"Brother Jun, do you know what a Martial Soul is?" Sheng Jun's thoughts were interrupted by Ma Hongjun, with a guilty look on his face. Speechless, Sheng Jun couldn't help but playfully slap his brother's head and scold him "This is what happens when you only focus on martial arts and sleep during theoretical lessons given by Mister Flender. If this continues, you will become a musclehead" Ma Hongjun just let out a guilty chuckle and promised to focus more on it in the future.

With a sigh, Sheng Jun began to share what he had learned with Ma Hongjun. "Every person possesses the potential to awaken their martial soul at the age of six. The quality of the martial soul and innate soul power awakened during the awakening are closely related to a spirit master's future achievements"

Ma Hongjun listened intently, slowly nodding. "I know that already, Brother Jun. What I want to know is what exactly are martial souls?" he said cheekily.

Sheng Jun rolled his eyes but still answered. "Martial souls can be roughly categorized into tree main types: Tool-type, Beast-type and Plant-type" he explained. "Each type has its own unique characteristics and abilities, which play a crucial role in determining the path of a spirit master's cultivation" He paused, allowing Ma Hongjun to absorb the information before continuing. "Within each type, there are further subdivisions, such as Control System, Attack Power System, Agility Attack System, Support System, Food System, Defense System, and Healing System. These subdivisions cater to different aspects of combat and support"

Ma Hongjun wondered "So, depending on the type and subdivision of our martial soul, we can develop different abilities and techniques?" Sheng Jun nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Exactly" he replied. "The strength of a spirit master is closely tied to both their spirit rings and soul power"

"Spirit Rings?" Ma Hongjun asked in confusion. Sheng Jun answered right away, as if anticipating Ma Hongjun's question. He nodded, preparing to explain.

"Spirit rings serve as a measure of our power and determine our rank among our peers. Ranging from level 10 to 99, also known as Spiirit Master and Titled Douluo, we acquire spirit rings by hunting spirit beasts every tenth level. Without spirit rings, we can't increase our soul power further" he explained.

"Spirit beasts manifest spirit rings depending on their age, and the color of the ring indicates their age range and power level. A white spirit ring signifies that the spirit beast is between 10 to 90 years old" he elaborated "It's the lowest level of spirit beast. People like us, who come from common backgrounds and are lucky enough to awaken soul power, usually get these rings as their first spirit ring"

Ma Hongjun nodded, showing his understanding.

Sheng Jun continued "A yellow ring indicates a range of 100 to 900 years, while a purple ring represents 1000 to 9000 years. At this age, the spirit beast already starts to develop spirituality. Black rings are for spirit beasts between 10,000 to 90,000 years old, and their intelligence is not much worse than humans. Finally, a red ring signifies that the spirit beast is over 100,000 years old"

...

As they reached the edge of the stream, Sheng Jun and Ma Hongjun paused to take in the tranquil beauty of their surroundings. Before they started to wash up their sweats, Ma Hongjun's excited voice broke the silence. "Brother Jun, what martial soul do you think we will awaken?" he asked, his eyes shining with anticipation.

Sheng Jun considered the question for a moment, his gaze drifting to the clear waters of the stream. "Well, considering our parents martial souls, mine will probably be a chicken, and yours might be a pheasant or a carrot" he replied, his tone matter-of-fact. After a slight pause, he added "Of course, there's always the possibility of getting Variant Martial soul, where we awaken something different from our parents due to martial soul mutation" he explained.

Ma Hongjun's eyes widened with excitement. "Wow, that would be amazing!" he exclaimed, imagining himself with a powerful martial soul. Sheng Jun nodded, but then tempered his brother's enthusiasm with a dose of reality. "Most of the time, they still result in weakened versions of the inherited martial souls" he explained, hoping to prepare Ma Hongjun for any possible outcome.

Ma Hongjun's hopeful expression faltered and nodded with disappointment. Seeing the dejected look on his brother's face, Sheng Jun couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. He knew how much Ma Hongjun longed for a powerful martial soul, but he also understood the importance of managing expectations.

"Don't worry, Hongjun" Sheng Jun said reassuringly, placing a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. "No matter what martial soul we awaken, we'll make the most of it and become the strongest Spirit Masters we can be" 

Ma Hongjun nodded, his spirits lifting slightly at Sheng Jun's words. Together, they finished washing up and made their way to the house, eager to learn more about the world from Mister Flender.