Soul Emperor Martial God Chapter 1: Twin Martial Spirit

Inside a room filled with antique objects, Xiao Yi suddenly regained consciousness.

"Huh, I'm not dead?" This was his immediate thought.

The next instant, he realized he was in an unfamiliar setting. Without any hesitation, he instinctively raised his hand, preparing to spring into action.

This was the ingrained reaction of a highly skilled killer.

As soon as his hand made contact, an intense pain shot through his arm, rendering it weak and heavy.

How could my body be so frail?

....

Xiao Yi, a Chinese national, was a prodigy in the realm of martial arts.

He was a master of Xingyiquan, capable of developing profound internal strength.

When those narrow-minded foreign individuals derided Chinese martial arts as mere showpieces, merely decorative with no true practical application...

He rose in righteous anger, dominating the world's most notorious underground boxing arenas. He forged an incredible record of three hundred consecutive victories.

Though he faced opponents who were gold belt champions, none could withstand even ten moves from his fists.

The name Xingyi Quan became a symbol of dread, a taboo throughout the global underground boxing circuit.

Furthermore, he operated as a phantom, holding the number one rank on the international assassin list, widely acknowledged as the uncrowned king of the underworld.

Since his emergence, his mission success rate had consistently remained at an astonishing 100%.

Those seeking his lethal services were desperate, willing to pay any price.

Yet, despite his killer's professionalism, he possessed the ethical code and sense of responsibility befitting a citizen of China.

Tasks detrimental to China were firmly declined.

His love for his motherland was unwavering, and he harbored intense hostility towards any entity or individual seeking to harm it.

Even while operating abroad, his thoughts were always with his homeland.

When a notorious SSS-level mercenary group disregarded his warning and accepted a covert mission aimed at China...

He unleashed his fury, orchestrating a brutal massacre upon the world's top-ranked mercenary team. Within a single night, not a single member escaped.

From that day forward, China became a sanctuary, a no-go zone for mercenaries. Regardless of their infamy or ferocity, none dared to violate Chinese territory.

When the prideful agents and spies from Country M attempted to infiltrate China to pilfer state secrets...

He did not hesitate, embarking on a ruthless campaign to assassinate these operatives.

Following the demise of several agents who had become legends within Country M's intelligence community, they all met their end...

Those agents from Country M, who once held themselves in high regard, finally confronted his power and ruthlessness.

Consequently, China transformed into a place of dread for foreign agents. Regardless of their training or exceptional skills, none dared to set foot in China again.

Naturally, this earned him a multitude of enemies.

The number of individuals who desired his death was immense.

On the global underworld bounty list, the reward for his capture or demise was staggeringly high, placing him at the very top.

However, when elite assassins and legendary figures accepted this bounty, they vanished one by one from the face of the earth. Eventually, no one dared to even mention the mission.

Ordering the killing of Xiao Yi had become a forbidden topic on the underworld bounty list.

The reward remained, but the audacity to claim it was gone.

A few days prior, he received intelligence through a secure, clandestine channel.

A foreign mercenary team, masquerading as archaeologists, had infiltrated China and successfully unearthed a priceless cultural artifact from ancient ruins.

Furthermore, it had been secretly transported out of the country.

In response, Xiao Yi could not simply stand by and let this happen.

How could the magnificent treasures of China be allowed to be exiled abroad?

He immediately pursued the mercenary team, eliminating them and recovering the stolen artifacts.

Just as he was preparing to depart, satisfied with his mission's success.

Hundreds of individuals armed with firearms surrounded him.

He recognized them instantly: some were elite operatives from Country M, others were mercenaries with notorious reputations, and some were top-tier assassins...

Xiao Yi immediately grasped that he had fallen into a meticulously planned trap.

A conspiracy orchestrated specifically against him.

The mercenary team had merely been a ruse, a lure to draw him out.

Numerous factions had united their forces with the sole objective of eliminating him.

Despite his exceptional cunning, he had been ensnared by this multi-party conspiracy.

However, Xiao Yi felt no fear.

He was confident that even if he had to fight his way out, sustaining severe injuries in the process, he could escape and later exact his revenge on these conspirators.

Just as he carved a bloody path, poised to break free.

The blood seeping from his wounds dripped onto the ancient Chinese artifact within his grasp.

A sudden, dramatic shift occurred.

As if struck by lightning, his body went numb, his limbs profoundly weakened. He was rendered immobile.

He could only watch, powerlessly, as his enemies advanced, their faces contorted in triumphant grins.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Xiao Yi always carried a powerful explosive device on his person.

This bomb possessed the capability to obliterate everything within a hundred-meter radius into dust.

Even for routine tasks, Xiao Yi would ensure this bomb was with him.

It was a precaution against unforeseen circumstances.

The instant he activated the detonator, the triumphant grins of his enemies transmuted into expressions of sheer panic.

The catastrophic explosion engulfed him and every single one of his adversaries.

Xiao Yi's parting words always contained a hidden trump card, ensuring that even in death, his enemies would have no chance for a final laugh.

.....

"Hahahaha..."

A booming laughter escaped Xiao Yi's lips.

"It's worth it! Even if I die, all of you will be buried with me!"

"Ugh, the pain." Xiao Yi's laughter abruptly ceased, replaced by a profound weakness washing over his body.

"No, I'm not dead." Xiao Yi was stunned, utterly perplexed.

The sensation of physical weakness was proof that he was still alive!

In the very next second, a flood of unfamiliar memories surged into his mind...

"My f*ck, I've actually transmigrated!"

Even though Xiao Yi had long since come to terms with life and death, having weathered countless storms, he couldn't help but exclaim.

This was no longer Earth, but an entirely different world known as the Yanlong Continent.

It bore a resemblance to ancient Earth.

In this world, the strong reigned supreme, and martial artists roamed freely.

Possessing sufficient strength meant transcending all limitations.

The reason he hadn't perished was due to his transmigration, inhabiting the body of a recently deceased young man.

Coincidentally, this young man's name was also Xiao Yi.

This Xiao Yi was the sole heir of the Xiao family, one of the three prominent clans in Ziyun City, and the son of the current Patriarch.

However, he had lost his mother at a tender age, and his father had mysteriously vanished years prior.

He was raised by a family Elder during his formative years.

At sixteen, he possessed only the rudimentary strength of the first layer of the Mortal Realm, far beneath his peers. Bearing the title of Young Patriarch was a disgrace to his entire family, and he endured constant bullying.

In everyone's eyes, he was a complete and utter waste.

"To share the same name, Xiao Yi, why must your life be so miserable!" Xiao Yi curled his lips.

As for the cause of the original owner's demise, Xiao Yi learned it from the memories.

A few days prior, his fiancée, Murong Jiaoer, had summoned him to the rear mountain.

Foolishly, he believed he was being invited for a romantic rendezvous with his beloved.

Upon arriving at the meeting spot, he discovered not only Murong Jiaoer but also his cousin, Xiao Ruohan, waiting for him.

And Xiao Ruohan harbored a long-standing desire to eliminate him.

Before his very eyes, a mixture of fear and disbelief turning into anger, Xiao Ruohan and Murong Jiaoer shared a passionate kiss.

It was only at the precipice of death that he understood his cousin, Xiao Ruohan, was having an affair with his own fiancée.

Xiao Ruohan was renowned as a prodigy within the Xiao family, a seventh-tier warrior of the Mortal Realm, and the son of the Fifth Elder.

As one could imagine, Xiao Ruohan, with a shattering palm strike, crushed his heart and propelled him off a cliff.

Rescued from the base of the cliff, he was on the brink of death, unable to speak or even open his eyes.

Under the severe injuries, coupled with immense physical and psychological torment, he lingered for only three days before succumbing in his bed.

It was at this precise moment that Xiao Yi transmigrated, his soul merging with the essence of the deceased.

"What venomous women, a despicable cousin." Xiao Yi's brow furrowed, his gaze filled with icy disdain.

"Such a vile scheme. I orchestrated a burial for all those scum, yet you died so pathetically." Xiao Yi sighed.

"Very well. Since I've taken over your body, I have been granted a second chance at life. I shall exact vengeance for this profound grievance."

Xiao Yi disliked owing favors, even if the debt was incurred by chance, even if the original benefactor was already deceased.

After careful contemplation, Xiao Yi once again meticulously organized the fragmented memories within his mind.

Martial artists in this world possessed a unique aptitude: the awakening of a Martial Soul.

The earlier this awakening occurred, the greater the innate talent and the more potent the Martial Soul.

Martial Souls manifested in a multitude of forms.

Weapon spirits: blades, spears, swords, halberds, arrows, axes, etc.; beast spirits: lions, tigers, apes, snakes, and even formidable monster spirits; plant spirits: flowers, grasses, trees, woods, and even rare, special-effect variants.

Naturally, there existed other extraordinary Martial Souls beyond imagination.

In essence, anything that existed within this world could potentially become a martial artist's spirit.

Furthermore, Martial Souls were graded from lowest to highest across seven tiers: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple.

Naturally, a higher rank signified a more powerful Martial Soul.

For instance, Red-ranked Martial Souls often corresponded to mundane objects like ordinary knives, common domestic animals such as pigs, dogs, cattle, and sheep, or wayside wildflowers and weeds.

High-ranking Martial Souls, like that of Xiao Ruohan, the celebrated prodigy of the Xiao family, the Fire Cloud Python of the Yellow rank, allowed the wielder to command the fire cloud python upon unleashing an attack, engulfing the enemy in raging flames and incinerating them instantaneously.

It could be unequivocally stated that a Martial Soul was the most crucial element in this world.

It dictated a martial artist's future prospects, the pace of their Cultivation, their offensive techniques, and ultimately, their combat prowess.

In simple terms, the greater the awakening of a martial soul, the more potent a martial artist's innate talent becomes, paving the way for them to become a formidable figure in the future.

"Martial artist, martial soul." Xiao Yi chuckled, a grin spreading across his face. "Intriguing. Although I am deceased, perhaps embarking on a new life in this world will be quite extraordinary."

However, in the very next second, the smile plastered on his lips vanished instantly, leaving him utterly dumbfounded.

This was because he had made a slight perception of the martial soul residing within his body.

A martial soul is known to reside alongside the dantian within a martial artist's physical form.

And currently, situated beside his dantian was a spherical, rather dim-witted entity, emitting a faint crimson luminescence.

A Chi-rank martial soul, the Fire Control Beast.

"Are you serious?" Xiao Yi nearly blurted out an expletive.

The Fire Control Beast, its name might sound somewhat impressive.

But in reality, this creature is considered the lowest echelon of monster within the untamed wilds.

To be precise, it's a disgrace, a veritable trash among beasts, as it often struggles to even defeat ordinary wild animals.

Spending its days in a daze, it subsists on weak prey like rabbits.

Even a ferocious wolf or a tiger could easily devour it in a single gulp.

An average adult, devoid of any cultivation level, could likely send it flying with a mere kick.

"My goodness, brother, you actually awakened this thing. No wonder you were always called trash," Xiao Yi exclaimed with a sense of disbelief.

The Fire Control Beast, infamously known as the most useless martial soul. Even among the lowest-tier Chi-rank martial arts, it occupies the absolute bottom, inferior to domesticated animal martial souls such as those of pigs, dogs, cattle, and sheep.

At the very least, those domestic animal spirits can offer the warrior some augmentation to their strength.

As for the Fire Control Beast, the solitary ability it bestows upon a martial artist is the power to manipulate fire.

Xiao Yi immediately tested this, channeling the martial soul within his body, and a small cluster of flames unexpectedly flickered from his palm.

Nevertheless, this insignificant wisp of flame, in Xiao Yi's previous existence, was less potent than a lighter. Far from being capable of offense, it would likely hinder any attempt at setting a fire.

Other martial artists, by the age of sixteen, typically possess at least the three levels of cultivation within the mortal realm. Yet, he was merely at the weakest level, the first stage of the mortal realm.

Conversely, other martial artists, much like the young scions of the Xiao family, generally possess orange-ranked martial souls. Those with poorer aptitudes might have more practical martial souls from the red stage.

He, however, had awakened the utterly worthless Fire Control Beast.

It was no surprise then that despite holding the title of Young Patriarch, he was constantly bullied by his own family members and scorned by everyone.

A martial soul fundamentally dictates the destiny of a martial artist.

"To heck with it, relying on mountains and landslides, everyone will fall." Xiao Yi swept away the dejection from his heart, his gaze alight with a resolute pride. "With my unique physique and Yi Quan skills, even without martial soul assistance, I shall carve out my own dominion in this world!"

Xiao Yi withdrew the pathetic flame from his palm, disinclined to even glance at the martial soul residing within him.

At this precise moment, he suddenly felt a choking sensation.

"Huh?" Xiao Yi knitted his brows, and then his countenance shifted dramatically.

This was because, alongside the dantian within his body, and beside the feeble Fire Control Beast spirit, there existed another mass entirely.

That entity, shaped like a sword, radiated a dazzling amethyst glow, a deep, profound purple.

"This... this... this is the Bingluan Sword? How did it become my martial soul, and a purple one at that!" Xiao Yi exclaimed, overcome with pleasant surprise.

The Bingluan Sword was not native to this realm; it was the very instrument that had caused Xiao Yi's demise on Earth.

Indeed, it was this Bingluan Sword that Xiao Yi had sought to reclaim as a Chinese cultural relic.

"How could this be?" Despite having witnessed much in his past life, Xiao Yi found himself utterly bewildered.

Merely a few days prior, upon receiving the intelligence and before making any move, Xiao Yi had diligently investigated the artifact.

Yet, even with his formidable capabilities as the uncrowned king of the assassin world, he could not unearth the slightest trace of information regarding the Bingluan Sword.

All that was known was that the sword's origins were exceedingly enigmatic, absent from any historical records, save for lingering myths and legends.

It was whispered that this was a treasure for which countless celestial beings and deities had fiercely battled in antiquity.

At that time, Xiao Yi had scoffed at these fantastical tales; but now, his perspective had undergone a radical transformation.

"It appears your origins are indeed extraordinary. Furthermore, if I am able to safely transmigrate into this world and begin anew, your contribution is undeniably indispensable," Xiao Yi surmised, though deep down, he was quite certain of it.

"Twin Martial Souls, and one of them is the supremely potent purple Martial Soul, tsk." Xiao Yi's previously somber mood now blossomed with a glimmer of hopeful anticipation.