Douluo: I am the True Master

On his return trip to Holy Spirit Village, Ye Wen didn't take a carriage. Instead, he chose to run back on foot, treating it like a marathon. After all, at his current level of physical strength, traveling by carriage was far too slow compared to the speed of his legs.

With no high-speed transportation available in this era and few travelers on the road, Ye Wen maintained an impressively fast pace throughout his journey. In just half a month, he returned to Holy Spirit Village—twenty days faster than the original trip from Holy Spirit Village to the Great Northern Tundra.

The familiar scent of the countryside greeted him as golden fields of wheat stretched out before his eyes.

This was Golden Wheat Village, a place Ye Wen vaguely remembered passing through with Ye Buyi during his childhood. The village was renowned for its fertile soil and high-quality wheat production.

Initially, Ye Wen hadn't planned to stop here, intending to head straight back to Holy Spirit Village. However, he noticed a middle-aged man wearing the robes of a Spirit Hall official speaking with the village chief. Curious, Ye Wen hid nearby, holding his breath to eavesdrop.

He recognized this Spirit Hall official—it was Su Zhenhua, the father of Su Yuntao, the so-called Blind-Eyed Douluo who had awakened Ye Wen's martial soul years ago.

"Were there any children this year who awakened with soul power?" Su Zhenhua asked.

The village chief sighed deeply. "There were two, but neither is worth cultivating. One has a Blue Silver Grass martial soul with Level 1 innate soul power, and the other has a Heart martial soul with Level 5 innate soul power. Both are considered useless martial souls.

You can decide which one to send off as a work-study student. I need to move on to the next village to conduct more awakenings. Here are their awakening certificates; please take them."

The village chief reluctantly accepted the two Spirit Hall certificates, his expression somber.

While the awakening of children with soul power was typically a cause for celebration in rural villages, the fact that both awakenings resulted in supposedly useless martial souls left everyone feeling disheartened.

From the corner, Ye Wen watched the scene unfold with a stunned expression.

"Well, well, your title as the father of the Blind-Eyed Douluo is truly fitting," Ye Wen muttered to himself. "The little girl with Blue Silver Grass isn't surprising—it's a common useless martial soul with minimal soul power. 

But to dismiss the Heart martial soul as useless is absurd! Even though the concept of Body Martial Souls hasn't been widely understood yet, the basic principle that innate soul power correlates with martial soul quality should still apply. A Level 5 innate soul power is enough to surpass every genius in Notting City. To call it useless and abandon it outright?

Haha, looks like I've stumbled upon a hidden gem! The heart is one of the most vital organs in the human body. According to the principle that the more crucial a body part is, the greater its potential, the Heart martial soul is undoubtedly one of the top-tier Body Martial Souls. As for why her innate soul power is only Level 5, one only needs to look at Huo Gua's case for reference."

At this moment, the two children who had awakened their martial souls stepped forward. Though they possessed soul power, their spirits were low, clearly affected by Su Zhenhua's harsh words.

To Ye Wen's mild surprise, both children were girls. The gender imbalance among soul masters wasn't just talk—out of Dormitory Three, only Ah Yin was female, and the same was true for most other dormitories. This village seemed to have an unusual surplus of female talent.

Deciding the timing was right, Ye Wen approached and greeted the elderly village chief with a wave.

"It's been a long time, Grandpa Mike. How's your health been?"

Before the village chief could finish giving the two girls some basic instructions about being work-study students, Ye Wen interrupted.

Annoyed at first, the village chief looked up to see a handsome young man dressed in modest but clean attire—a stark contrast to the patched-up clothes of the villagers. He asked cautiously:

"And you are…?"

Ye Wen feigned sudden realization. "It's been five years since we last met, so it's understandable if you don't remember me. I'm Ye Wen, the grandson of Ye Buyi, the village chief of Holy Spirit Village."

At this, the old man's memory clicked into place. Though the name "Holy Spirit Village" might sound exaggerated, its chief was the only resident soul master within ten miles, and despite his lack of combat strength, he was deeply respected by the surrounding villages.

"So you're Chief Ye's grandson! It's been a while. I heard you're studying at Notting Academy. It won't be long before you become a full-fledged soul master. Congratulations!"

"Hehe, it's all thanks to good fortune," Ye Wen replied humbly.

"By the way, Grandpa Mike, are these two little sisters the ones who awakened with soul power this year? Your village is quite lucky. Since I was born, our village hasn't produced another soul-powered child after me."

Hearing this, the village chief's face brightened slightly. Regardless of whether their martial souls were deemed useless, if they could cultivate to become soul masters and receive subsidies from the Spirit Hall, it would still be a cause for celebration. Realizing that Ye Wen, as a student of Notting Academy, likely knew more than he did, the village chief decided to seek his advice.

"Young Ye Wen, what do you think these two little sisters' future cultivation prospects are? Although Master Su earlier said their martial souls are useless, I feel that Xiao Rui's Heart martial soul might not be inferior to Master Su in the future."

"That's exactly what I wanted to discuss with you, Grandpa Mike. Let's go inside your house to talk. Standing under the blazing sun might be fine for us, but these two little sisters might not handle it well." Ye Wen suggested smoothly.

Sensing something significant in Ye Wen's tone, the two previously disheartened girls perked up, following him eagerly to the village chief's home. It was clear that even the village chief's living conditions were only marginally better than those of ordinary villagers—dilapidated wooden houses were the norm in this area.

"Big Brother, my Blue Silver…" 

"Big Brother, my Heart…"

The two delicate-looking girls spoke almost simultaneously, each eager to learn more about their martial souls but blushing shyly due to their synchronized timing.

Ye Wen calmly retrieved four cups from Black Cloth, filling them with water before addressing the girls.

"Don't rush, little sisters. First, introduce yourselves. Afterward, I'll explain your martial souls in detail."

The girl with black hair streaked with blue spoke softly. "My name is Lan Lan. My martial soul is Blue Silver Grass, and my innate soul power is Level 1."

The other girl, frail and malnourished with messy golden hair, followed. "My name is Huo Rui. My martial soul is the Heart, and my innate soul power is Level 5."

"Mm-hmm," Ye Wen nodded, acknowledging their introductions.

------------------------------------------------------

Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow