Ch.6: Twin Martial Spirit? That's An Obvious Yes!
Lu Sheng blinked several times, his gaze darting across the frozen faces around him.
Mo Jun stood mid-gesture, his mouth slightly open as if still speaking.
The air hung unnaturally still, the flickering lights of the formation paused in mid-glow.
Even the faint breeze that had been brushing past moments ago was gone.
"What... happened?" Lu Sheng muttered, his voice echoing louder than it should in the silence. His heart thudded once, twice, and then...
A sound, like static breaking through silence.
Then, a translucent screen shimmered into view before him. Lines of glowing text appeared in neat sequence, a crisp chime echoed in his head.
{Welcome back, Lu Sheng.}
{The Game's Online.}
Lu Sheng froze.
His eyes widened, a trace of disbelief crossing his face."Game?" he whispered.
"What game?"
But then he joined the puzzle.
Still before he can even utter the next words the screen flickered again, as if responding to his will.
{Analyzing host... completed.}
{Congratulations, Lu Sheng. You have survived six years without the system's assistance.}
{Remarkable perseverance.}
{Initiating delayed system activation protocol...}
"Delayed... system?" he muttered, furrowed brows relaxing an an excited expression crossed over his face.
Then another message appeared.
{You have received your beginner gift pack.}
{Due to late system awakening, your starter pack rewards will be multiplied by ten.}
For a moment, Lu Sheng forgot to breathe. "Ten times...?"
Another line appeared, calm and almost playful in tone.
{You have received a Beginner Gift Pack (×10 bonus). Would you like to open it now?}
His hand trembled as a small, translucent cube materialized in front of him—pulsing faintly like it was alive. Without thinking, he reached out and touched it.
The cube dissolved into particles of light that scattered into the air, leaving behind lines of text scrolling rapidly before him.
The screen pulsed once—then another series of bright blue boxes appeared, expanding and hovering in front of him. One by one, their contents revealed themselves.
{Item 1: Twin Martial Spirits – (Host's Choice)}
{Item 2: Mutation Coupons ×20 (usable on ringless martial spirits)}
{Item 3: Genius-level innate talent (Host's Choice)}
{Item 4: Appraisal Skill Card}
For a moment, Lu Sheng just stared.
His mind blanked.
"Twin Martial Spirits… of my choice?" he said quietly, almost disbelieving his own words.
In this world, having even one decent Martial Spirit could decide a person's entire fate.
To have two, that to by ones own choice, this much was beyond comprehension.
And the mutation coupons? That was the kind of ability that could redefine bloodlines.
Afterall a weak spirit like Blue Silver grass can become something called Dark Silver grass a spirit with strength on par with the Blue Silver Emperor itself.
He swallowed hard, staring at the floating light screens.
There was a mix of complicated emotions in his mind.
For once he resented the system for it was the one to kill him and second it was the one who was bringing him such unexpected benefits.
"Just what kind of... game are you?"
As if sensing his confusion, another message appeared.
{The Game System has two core functions.}
The text rearranged itself, forming a new display with two glowing icons.
[1. Proficiency Panel] – All skills, techniques, and soul abilities will have visible progress bars. Training efficiency and mastery speed will increase linearly. No bottlenecks. No regression.
[2. Sign-In Function] – Sign in once per day for a random reward. Rewards may originate from parallel versions of the Soul Land, or even other worlds.
Lu Sheng frowned, reading carefully. "Parallel worlds… other worlds?"
The idea sent a strange chill down his spine. It didn't feel like a dream. Everything felt too solid, too deliberate.
A final note appeared beneath.
{Difficulty Setting: Easy Mode.}
{Many system limitations have been removed. Some functions will operate automatically.}
{Even smallest of rewards and descriptions provided by the system will have multiple implications and vastly superior effects than normal.}
He didn't know whether to laugh or panic.
"Easy mode," he muttered dryly. "So I've been playing on hell mode all my life until now?"
No response.
The screen remained still, waiting.
Waiting for him to choose his martial spirits.
Slowly, his eyes returned to the first item on the list, the twin Martial Spirits.
His fingers twitched slightly as if reaching toward the screen, though he wasn't sure how it would respond.
"Choose any two…" he repeated, the possibilities racing through his head.
Dragons type.
Weapon Spirits.
Elemental one's.
Even Body martial spirits are possible.
Even some of the lost spirits mentioned in ancient records. He could feel the temptation stirring, a kind of hunger he hadn't felt in years.
Then, the reality hit him again, the others were frozen in time. Mo Jun, Zhou Yueling, everyone. None of them could see this.
Whatever this "Game System" was, it was his alone.
He looked back at the translucent screen and exhaled.
"Alright, system," he said under his breath, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Let's see what you've got."
The screen flickered once more, a soft chime echoing in his mind.
{Please select your Twin Martial Spirits.}
The blue glow deepened. The world seemed to dim around him.
And as Lu Sheng reached forward, his fingertips brushed against the surface of the light.
The frozen silence of the hall trembled, just slightly, as if reality itself was waiting to see what he would choose next.
...
{Selection Parameters Updated.}
{You may choose the Martial Spirit of any person or creature you have physically touched.}
{Alternatively, you may choose the Martial Spirit corresponding to the essence of any being or lifeform you have come in contact with.}
Lu Sheng blinked. "Any person… I've touched?"
He frowned clearly displeased.
"And here I was dreaming of choosing Dragon God itself as my first martial spirit. Followed by something like the Heaven Opening Axe from chinese myth."
This vastly narrows the scope or rather just a few options are there to choose from.
His frown deepened.
This kind of thing, when you are shown big dreams but the reality is something far different is really unsettling.
'Sigh... Whatever I will just have to deal with this.'
He frowning ceased, thinking.
Then, an image surfaced in his mind—an old man with silver hair and deep, gentle eyes, the emblem of Qinglong City gleaming on his robe.
Grandpa Zhou. Or as others called him, City Lord Zhou Ming.
The moment he remembered the man, another holographic window appeared beside him.
A projection of a grand sundial hovered there, floating in quiet majesty. Its face was etched with runes that glowed faint blue, the gnomon shaped like a dragon's claw.
The shadow it cast was not black, but silvery-blue, and it pulsed faintly like a living thing.
[Heavenly Sundial]Type: Tool SpiritFunction: Auxiliary-type spirit that grants user with the talent for inventions and technology. It allows user to manipulate magnetic fields and electrical currents precisely, an ability applicable in both combat and invention. Has a martial spirit fusion with Heavenly Silver Needle martial spirit.
Lu Sheng exhaled, a mixture of awe and disbelief flashing across his face.
"So that's what Grandpa Zhou's spirit looks like…"
He'd seen the old man use it once, long ago, a momentary flicker of lightning and repelling force forming an explosion which stopped the beast wave long ago.
That image had burned itself into his memory.
Then, another face emerged in his mind. The City Lord's wife Li Xueya or Granny Li, as he affectionately calls her.
Her Martial Spirit was equally strange and terrifying: 11 Silver Needle, floating quietly above her palms, with golden aura which seemed to penetrate till the bones itself.
[Heavenly Silver Needle]Type: Tool Spirit
Function: A medical and auxiliary-type spirit capable of purifying toxins, accelerating cell recovery, and heal meridians and soul power pathways themself. Though seems completely auxiliary type has hidden potential to be top tier attack type martial spirit. Has a martial spirit fusion with Heavenly Sundail martial spirit.
Lu Sheng couldn't help but let out a low whistle. "No wonder those two are feared across the region…"
But then, another realization struck him, his master, Zhou Yueling, the granddaughter of the two.
Her Martial Spirits were even beyond theirs.
She had inherited both and transcended them.
Her first spirit, the Electromagnetic Chronos Core, evolved from her grandfather's version, while the second, the Aether Needle Matrix, evolved from her grandmother's version.
Together, they formed a self-fusion spirit, a rarity so absurd that even Spirit Hall would consider it mythic.
If he were to copy her twin spirits, he could surely stand shoulder to shoulder with her someday.
And even surpass her with enough evolution.
And if he used those Mutation Coupons, no one would even suspect a thing.
The thought made his pulse race.
He swallowed audibly. "That… would make me unstoppable."
For a long second, he let the idea simmer.
But then another thought hit him, too perfect, too easy.
This world wasn't Soul Land as he remembered it.
A side character can't be this strong... Or if they are they are either not side character or even more busted people are there.
The being who reincarnated him had warned them that the worlds they'd enter were enhanced, stronger, more dangerous, evolved versions of what he remembered from fiction.
And this… this was just the starting village.
And there could possibly even greater people to face in the future, perhaps people with 3 or 4 martial spirits may appear.
He clenched his fists slightly. "If I start by copying her Martial Spirits, am I setting my ceiling too low?"
A soft sigh escaped him.
The temptation was immense, but so was the doubt.
'Still,' he thought, 'I haven't seen anything greater yet. Tool-type twin spirits with self-fusion potential?'
'That's already god-tier for this stage!'
He couldn't believe himself that he was undermining such a seemingly impossible prospect.
He frowned. Focusing more trying to remember any details he might have overlooked.
A clue or trick of wording hidden in the constrains themself.
'Martial Spirit corresponding to the essence of any being or lifeform you have come in contact with...'
Corresponding to essence of a being...
Not touch but just a contact.
Then, a stray thought flickered across his mind, a memory, hazy but vivid.
"Wait… does it count if the contact was from my last life?"
He called out looking at the screen in front of him.
{ ... }
The system remained silent, offering no hint.
"Well, it's not like it costs money to try."
He smirked slightly, focusing his thoughts.
The image of those two beings, Deoxys and Rayquaza, from his previous life, flashed before his eyes.
Two lights formed in front of him, swirling into shape until two miniature figures materialized—a sleek, crystalline humanoid and a serpentine emerald dragon coiling around it.
He stared for a second, dumbfounded. Then, a grin broke across his face.
"And if I add the mutation coupon's all at once. Then...?"
With that his grin widened even more even going past his eyes.
Now looking at the enhanced forms of the two pokemon turned martial spirits his grin couldn't help but turn into laugh.
"…Hehehe… hahaha—HAHAHAHA—"
His laughter echoed through the frozen hall, but then he coughed violently, clutching his chest. "Cough, cough—okay, too evil. Need to tone that down…"
The laughter faded into a sheepish chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck.
{Twin Martial Spirit's Choice complete}
{Merging with the host}
{Initialization Complete}
At that moment, the light of the interface flickered.
The words 'Initialization Complete' flashed once—and time resumed.
Sound returned all at once. The children blinked, unaware that anything had happened.
Mo Jun's voice rang out again, picking up exactly where it had left off.
"Don't be afraid. Now, bring your palm forward."
Lu Sheng blinked as if waking from a dream. His eyes flicked to his hand, and then, in the next moment, an overwhelming aura erupted from him.
The hexagonal formation cracked, light pouring out like a flood.
Everyone in the hall, children, assistants, even Mo Jun himself, stumbled back in shock.
The man's expression froze as the pressure of twin, divine-tier spirits filled the air.
Lu Sheng just stared down at his hand, still half in disbelief.
"Well," he muttered under his breath, "that worked better than expected."