The Secret of Fluctuations - The Mind's Eye

Having made up his mind, the spirit master took out six brown stones from his pocket.

These stones, known as Awakening Stones, were essential tools for the martial soul awakening ceremony.

The Awakening Stones, when combined with a spirit master's spirit power, could draw out the martial soul hidden deep within a person's bloodline. This was the essence of the martial soul awakening ritual.

In the Douluo Continent, every person possessed a unique martial soul.

The spirit power that accompanied the awakening of a martial soul was known as innate spirit power.

If a person had no innate spirit power during their first martial soul awakening, they would never be able to cultivate spirit power and become a spirit master.

Thus, while awakening a martial soul did not guarantee one would become a spirit master, possessing innate spirit power certainly did.

Therefore, the martial soul awakening was only the first step toward becoming a spirit master.

"Children, pay close attention. The steps I take now will be the same for each of you."

"Awakening Stones, rise!"

The spirit master from the Spirit Hall channeled a stream of spirit power from his palm into the Awakening Stones. The previously dull brown stones began to emit a faint golden light.

The six stones then floated in a precise formation around Lin Yongming, forming a golden circle that enveloped him.

"Child, focus on what you feel within your body. Don't suppress anything. Let it flow naturally. The power of the Awakening Stones will guide your martial soul to awaken."

The spirit master continued to channel his spirit power while explaining the process to Lin Yongming.

At that moment, Lin Yongming felt a warm, comforting energy surrounding him, like a mother's embrace.

Crack!

Lin Yongming clearly sensed something breaking within him, as if a seal had been shattered.

Thump… thump.

In the deep silence of his mind, Lin Yongming heard two distinct heartbeats. One of them sounded ancient and otherworldly, unlike anything he had ever experienced.

It was happening!

A weapon that was neither a sword nor a blade appeared, coiled with a serpent-like lightning that crackled with energy.

Boom!

A thunderous roar echoed across the sky. Despite the clear weather, several bolts of lightning gathered above the roof of the martial soul awakening hall.

The lightning bolts pierced through the roof and struck Lin Yongming directly on his forehead.

"Be careful!" The spirit master was startled and momentarily lost control of the spirit power he was channeling into the Awakening Stones.

However, Lin Yongming's awakening did not stop. Even though the Awakening Stones had lost their power and fallen to the ground, the golden circle transformed into a blue circle of lightning.

Lin Yongming's arms and legs spread slightly, and his forehead tilted upward. A blue mark appeared on his forehead, resembling an unopened eye.

But soon, the mark faded and disappeared.

"How could a martial soul awakening cause such a commotion? Could this be a martial soul with innate full spirit power?" The spirit master was shocked by the sudden turn of events.

With years of experience guiding martial soul awakenings, the spirit master had never seen anything like this before.

The other nine children, terrified, backed away from Lin Yongming, with some even hiding near the door.

"Is martial soul awakening supposed to be this scary? Does it involve getting struck by lightning?" Lei Zhengming, who was closest to Lin Yongming, muttered to himself in fear.

As everyone else was still processing what had happened, Lin Yongming felt his perception of the outside world becoming clearer and clearer.

"Are my eyes healing?"

"No, I still can't open them, but my perception is sharper than ever."

Lin Yongming realized that his perception was expanding outward from his center, like ripples in a pond.

One meter, two meters, three meters… up to fifteen meters.

Within this fifteen-meter radius, although everything was still dark, Lin Yongming could sense every detail of his surroundings.

"Blade slashes the flesh, the mind slashes the soul. The physical eyes may sleep, but the mind's eye sees all."

"Secret of Fluctuations - Chapter of Darkness: Mind's Eye activated, Perception activated, Will of Adversity activated, Thunder Attribute Fluctuation Engraving activated."

Words appeared in Lin Yongming's consciousness. Although he had never seen such words before, he instinctively understood their meaning.

"Chapter of Darkness, Mind's Eye, Fluctuations… Could this be the secret technique of the Asura, the Great Dark Heaven, from the game I played in my past life? The so-called 'Blind Swordsman'?"

Lin Yongming finally understood.

This was why his perception of his surroundings had become so sharp. He had awakened the Mind's Eye, allowing him to sense fluctuations and air currents with incredible precision.

"Is this the legacy of the Asura, the Great Dark Heaven, the Heavenly Emperor?"

As the energy surrounding Lin Yongming dissipated, a weapon that was neither a sword nor a blade appeared in his right hand. It resembled a Tang sword.

However, due to the lightning strike, this Tang sword was now engraved with the power of thunder.

"Was this intentional, or an accident? Does this mean I'm meant to specialize in thunder attributes, rather than mastering ice, fire, and other elements like in the game?"

Lin Yongming sensed a deeper meaning behind this. Perhaps the Heavenly Emperor in the game's lore had taken the wrong path initially.

If he had focused solely on thunder fluctuations from the beginning, abandoning ice and fire, he might have reached even greater heights.

"Using thunder to shatter the darkness and bring light back into my life? That doesn't sound too bad!"

"Is this a blade or a sword?"

"Child, are you alright? Are you hurt?" The spirit master stepped forward, looking at the Tang sword in Lin Yongming's hand with concern.

If something were to happen to the child, the spirit master would be held responsible.

"Uncle, I'm fine. Is this weapon in my right hand my martial soul?" Lin Yongming's eyes remained closed, but with the Mind's Eye and fluctuation perception activated, he could sense the spirit master standing about thirty centimeters in front of him.

"That's good to hear. Yes, that is your martial soul. It belongs to the category of tool-type martial souls."

Lin Yongming could hear the relief in the spirit master's voice.

"You kids, come back. Don't stand so far away. Next, we'll test for innate spirit power." The spirit master called the other children back and took out a blue crystal ball.

Of course, Lin Yongming couldn't see the color, but through his perception, he knew the spirit master was holding something.

The nine children returned to their positions, forming a line behind Lin Yongming.

"Child, use your mind to retract the martial soul in your right hand. Then, place your left hand on the crystal ball." The spirit master nodded in satisfaction and instructed Lin Yongming.

Lin Yongming nodded and focused his mind. The weapon in his right hand soon disappeared, transforming into a small blade hidden within his body.

He then raised his left hand and began to feel around. The spirit master, seeing this, quickly guided Lin Yongming's hand to the cool surface of the crystal ball.

In truth, Lin Yongming knew where the crystal ball was, but he decided to act as if he were blindly searching for it.

"Let's see if the person who caused such a commotion is truly a once-in-a-century genius with innate full spirit power."

The spirit master stared intently at Lin Yongming, who remained with his eyes closed.