If he could recruit this kid into the Martial Soul Hall, the rewards would be immense, promotion would be just around the corner.
And indeed, the outcome did not disappoint Su Yuntao.
Instinctively, Ning Tian raised his right hand, and there it was—a small, emerald-green sword that stirred a sense of familiarity within him. It was the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword, the signature treasure of Han Li, the legendary figure from the cultivation novels of his past life. The sword gleamed a vivid green, its body shaped like a straight, tapering piece of thunder bamboo, adorned with intricate, magnificent golden runes etched across both blade and hilt.
{T/S :Han Li from A Record of a Mortal is Journey to Immortality}
Su Yuntao's eyes widened in shock. "A sword martial soul!" he exclaimed. He had never seen such a splendid artifact soul before.
Tang San cast a curious glance, a fleeting purple glint flashing in his eyes. This was his first encounter with a weapon martial soul, and it was impossible not to be intrigued. Yet, through his Purple Demon Eye, he noticed that Ning Tian's soul power fluctuations were faint, far weaker than his own.
Meanwhile, Ning Tian's heart raced with exhilaration. A robotic voice echoed in his mind:
[Ding! God-Level Side Effect System activated. Binding in progress…]
'Holy shit!' Ning Tian nearly shouted aloud in excitement. He had actually obtained a system. 'Now, let's see how I shake things up,' he thought gleefully.
'Hold on—what's a side effect system?' he wondered.
[God-Level Side Effect System binding complete.]
A light screen, invisible to others, appeared before him, text scrolling across it:
[Host: Ning Tian]
[Martial Soul: Not yet customized]
[Innate Soul Power: 0.5 level]
[Current Side Effects:
Low martial soul quality (poor durability, fragile, restricted by martial soul, unable to surpass level 30 in lifetime)
Appearance (rough, dark skin from years of exposure to the elements)
[Side effects can be transferred to a designated target. Current target: None]
(Note: 1. Each side effect can only be assigned to one target. 2. If the host or the target dies, the side effect cannot be transferred. 3. Benefits received depend on the designated target.)
'Side effects? Transfer them to someone else?' As a seasoned novel reader, Ning Tian grasped the system's mechanics instantly. Whenever he did something that would normally carry downsides, he could offload those consequences onto someone else. In short: he'd reap the rewards, while another bore the burden.
With this realization, excitement surged through him, his eyes gleaming with astonishment. If this worked, the flaws of his martial soul, its flashy appearance but poor quality, leading to slow cultivation and weak strength could be dumped onto someone else. In the future, if he overtrained and got injured, as long as he survived, the pain could be someone else's problem.
And who to choose as his scapegoat? Tang San, perhaps!
Ning Tian's gaze locked onto Tang San with burning intensity, startling the latter. 'What's this guy up to? Is he plotting against me?' Tang San thought, instantly on guard.
To Tang San, Ning Tian's suspicious expression marked him as a threat worthy of death. Though he hadn't yet crafted his hidden weapons and couldn't silently eliminate Ning Tian with Su Yuntao present, he noted that Su Yuntao's soul power was nearly depleted from awakening the others. Tang San was confident he could use his Mysterious Jade Hand and Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon techniques to overpower Su Yuntao, then kill everyone in the room including Ning Tian. By feigning injury afterward, he doubted the Martial Soul Hall would suspect a six-year-old.
Fortunately, nothing happened. Ning Tian's earlier menacing look softened, and he turned to Su Yuntao with an innocent smile. "Master Su Yuntao, is my martial soul strong?"
"Indeed! Sword martial souls are rarely weak," Su Yuntao replied eagerly. "There's even a famous Title Douluo with one. Yours is so magnificent, it can't be anything less than impressive. Let's test your innate soul power quickly." He handed Ning Tian a blue crystal ball.
But Ning Tian cut in, "Wait, how do I cultivate this martial soul?"
Su Yuntao, keen to recruit him, explained patiently, "First, you need to raise your soul power to level ten, then acquire a soul ring."
"So, Master, how do I increase my soul power?" Ning Tian asked, his curiosity insatiable.
"You enhance your soul power through meditation, like this…" Su Yuntao demonstrated.
He taught tirelessly, covering basics every soul master knew. Ning Tian listened intently, then sat cross-legged as instructed, circulating the faint trace of soul power within him. He noticed it moved at an extremely slow pace, slower than a turtle. 'Thank goodness for the system,' he thought, relieved. 'Without it, I'd end up like another Yu Xiaogang or worse, since I don't even have the same resources as his.'
Tang San, equally attentive, was surprised to find similarities between this meditation and his Mysterious Heaven Skill, though it was a simplified, rudimentary version.
Moments later, Ning Tian opened his eyes. Su Yuntao, brimming with anticipation, thrust the crystal ball forward. "Now, test your innate soul power."
Under everyone's gaze, Ning Tian recalled the bamboo sword into his body and touched the blue crystal ball. Instantly, a faint glow flickered within it, so dim it seemed ready to fade.
"Your innate soul power isn't even level one, just around half a level," Su Yuntao said, unable to believe. "This can't be right. Let's try again."
Suspecting the crystal ball was faulty, he had Ning Tian retest, but the result held: half a level. Still skeptical, he tested Tang San again, confirming innate full soul power. Only then did he accept that Ning Tian's innate soul power was indeed a mere half level.
"This doesn't make sense," Su Yuntao muttered. "Powerful martial souls usually come with decent innate soul power. Show me your martial soul again."
At his request, Ning Tian summoned it once more. Su Yuntao examined it closely. Though the sword was stunning and somewhat sharp, it was made of bamboo, he reckoned it would snap with a pinch. It was practically useless, unlikely to cut even a small branch—a classic case of style over substance.
"So it's just a bamboo sword," Su Yuntao said, his enthusiasm deflating. His reaction was like someone on Earth thinking they'd won five million, only to find the lottery ticket was a misprint.