All rights reserved to the respective authors.
"Dialogue": Represented in double quotes for conversations between characters.
'Thoughts': Represented in single quotation marks, indicating the characters' internal reflections.
[Diary]: Represented in square brackets, used for messages intended for the heroines or entries written by Tenshin.
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Nuoding Academy, Dormitory Seven
Xiao Wu stood in front of Satoru Tenshin's bed, her face tight with irritation. On the bed, Tenshin sat cross-legged in meditation, his gaze apathetically fixed on her. Beneath his calm exterior, however, simmered barely concealed annoyance. And understandably so—Xiao Wu had just committed one of the greatest taboos among soul masters: interrupting someone mid-meditation. It wasn't merely disrespectful; it could be dangerous, especially if the soul master was on the verge of leveling up. Now, he waited silently, expecting her to explain herself.
Xiao Wu, on the other hand, was unused to being ignored. Raised with constant attention and protection from her mother, Da Ming and Er Ming - all over a hundred thousand years old - she became proud and stubborn. Even after transforming into a human barely a month ago, her behavior remained unchanged. She was still the same spirited Soft Bone Rabbit of the Star Dou Great Forest.
So being dismissed, coupled with the flat tone Tenshin had used to question her, infuriated her.
'Who does he think he is?!' she fumed, glaring at him.
Initially, her interest in Tenshin had been purely curiosity. From Wang Sheng and the others, she'd heard that before she and Tang San joined the dormitory, Tenshin had fought and won the right to lead—only to decline the position. That alone made her suspicious of his strength. According to the others, he was a level 8 soul master and his martial soul was something called Chains, with an innate soul power of level 7. Yet, in the duel with Wang Sheng—a level 9 soul master with a beast-type martial soul—Tenshin had won easily and decisively.
That didn't sit right with Xiao Wu. Beast-type martial souls typically granted superior physical strength, even without entering the possessed state. So how had Tenshin, a level below and presumably with a non-beast-type martial soul, managed such an effortless victory? It seemed unbelievable.
But curiosity quickly gave way to outrage. She no longer cared about verifying the rumors.
'I'll teach him a lesson!' she thought, seething with confidence.
Without another word, Xiao Wu pointed at him and declared, "You will fight me!" Then she marched to the center of the dormitory.
Tenshin blinked. He wasn't sure whether to be annoyed, confused, or entertained. Not only had Xiao Wu ignored his question, but she now wanted to fight—with zero explanation. Still, part of him was intrigued. It would be a good opportunity to face someone near his level and, more importantly, a chance to test his second martial soul: Wise Eyes of the Dragon—especially while Tang San was away.
He glanced around. No one seemed eager to intervene. With a sigh, he rose and followed her to the center of the dormitory. The other students stayed put, propping themselves on their beds to watch the spectacle unfold. Casually, Tenshin activated the Broadcast function on his diary system. Facing Xiao Wu, he drawled in a lazy tone, "Alright, let's get this over with. The sooner we finish this pointless fight, the sooner I can get back to cultivating."
His condescension was like fuel to the fire. Xiao Wu's fists clenched, and she gritted her teeth in fury. It was as if he was looking down on her.
"Xiao Wu. Martial Soul: Soft Bone Rabbit. Soul Power: Level 10," she said coldly, as she summoned her martial soul and entered the possessed state. Her form shimmered—long bunny ears sprouted atop her head, a fluffy tail flicked into view, and her gaze locked on Tenshin with fierce resolve.
Tenshin met her eyes evenly and replied, "Satoru Tenshin. Martial Soul: Chains. Soul Power: Level 8," as he stepped into position.
As soon as Tenshin finished speaking, Xiao Wu launched forward, closing the distance in a blink. With a fierce cry, she raised her right leg and aimed a powerful kick straight at his face.
Unfazed, Tenshin silently activated his second martial soul—Wise Eyes of the Dragon. A surge of mental clarity washed over him as the innate ability, Analysis, kicked in. Instantly, a constant stream of combat data began flowing into his mind: Xiao Wu's stance, her momentum, her weak spots—everything laid bare.
Unlike before, the information no longer appeared in a structured system-like screen. Now it streamed seamlessly, feeding him real-time information. 'Maybe this was how the ability was meant to work from the start,' Tenshin mused. 'It only took on a system interface to feel familiar to me.'
Back in the moment, he smoothly sidestepped the kick. Xiao Wu reacted fast, twisting her waist mid-air to redirect her leg. This time, her foot connected with Tenshin's arm—but only for a split second before he caught it and slammed her toward the ground.
Caught off guard, she barely managed to plant her hands down to cushion the fall and roll backward, opening some distance. But as she refocused on Tenshin, a fist was already coming at her. She dodged, but only just.
From then on, the pace increased.
They exchanged blow after blow, Xiao Wu attacking with ferocity—but her strikes failed to land cleanly. Her frustration mounted with each miss, her movements growing more erratic as she tried to force an opening.
Tenshin, by contrast, moved with calm precision. He wasn't fighting to win—he was observing, testing, learning. He saw countless opportunities to end the battle—gaps in her footwork, rushed counters, overextended dodges. But he didn't exploit them. Not yet.
This was a rare chance to gather firsthand data on Xiao Wu. Once Tang San returned, such opportunities would vanish. Besides, if he defeated her too easily, it would raise questions—especially since he hadn't used the martial soul.
Eventually, they both pulled back to opposite ends of the dormitory.
To the watching students, the outcome was clear: against all odds, Tenshin was dominating.
While he stood upright, breathing evenly, Xiao Wu was panting heavily, her shoulders rising and falling. Bruises marked her arms and sides. Her martial soul possession drained her stamina faster than she could recover.
"Huff... huff..."
Tenshin frowned slightly. His excitement had faded. 'She fights entirely on instinct,' he thought, disappointed. 'What else did I expect from a reckless rabbit?'
Aloud, he said flatly, "Let's end this."
Xiao Wu gritted her teeth, anger flaring. She didn't have a strategy—only determination. Without a word, she bolted forward, leapt into the air, and spun into an axe kick.
Tenshin prepared to counter, but with a subtle mental cue, he changed plans.
The ground beneath Xiao Wu flashed—and in the next instant, metallic chains with their surface intertwined with black and crimson reflections tightly wrapped around her limbs in midair and froze her in mid-fall.
'What?!' Her eyes widened in panic. 'When did he summon them?!'
She struggled, twisting and pulling, but the chains held firm.
'How is this possible? Isn't he just level 8?!'
Tenshin approached calmly, his expression unreadable. He wasn't smug—just composed. And that calm, more than anything, shattered Xiao Wu's pride.
"I win," he said simply.
The dormitory fell silent.
Every student froze, stunned by what they had just witnessed.
Xiao Wu—a level 10 soul master—had been completely overpowered. Not just defeated. Dismantled. And Tenshin did it without talent, without effort, and basically without his martial soul.
As the chains dissolved into faint golden light, the dark purple glow around Tenshin's eyes faded. His irises returned from golden to their usual silver-blue hue.
He turned, ready to head back to his bed.
CREAK.
The door opened.
Tang San stepped in, fresh from a meeting with Yu Xiaogang—one that involved showing his second martial soul and mapping out his soul master path.
He paused at the scene.
Xiao Wu lay sprawled on the floor, dazed. And standing calmly before her—Satoru Tenshin.
Tang San blinked. 'Huh... What did I miss?'
But his surprise didn't last long. In a flash, he rushed forward and knelt beside her.
"Xiao Wu, are you alright?" he asked, his voice tense with concern.
While Tang San knelt beside Xiao Wu, trying to pull her out of her dazed state, elsewhere, the heroines watching Tenshin's broadcast sat in stunned silence.
Though most of them were seasoned soul masters who had seen—and participated in—far more spectacular battles, this one held their attention from start to finish. Not because of its scale, but because of what it revealed.
Every battle was a window into the soul. And what they saw in Tenshin and Xiao Wu was far from ordinary.
Despite being soundly defeated, Xiao Wu had demonstrated exceptional instincts and flexibility. Her reflexes were sharp, honed by something primal—likely remnants of before she took human form. Against typical soul masters of equal or slightly higher levels, she would have emerged victorious with ease or some difficulty.
But Tenshin was not a typical soul master.
To the more powerful and experienced viewers, it was obvious: Tenshin hadn't fought seriously. At various moments, he had the chance to strike decisively—his positioning, his timing, and his awareness all perfect. Yet he often pulled back or redirected at the last moment, either dodging instead of countering or reducing the force of a blow that could have caused real damage.
It wasn't a duel. It was an experiment.
And Tenshin was the researcher, not the warrior.
Then there were his self-created soul skills. Though he hadn't used them in the battle, the heroines had read enough of his diary entries to piece together their potential. Only that control he demonstrated with the Dragon Chains, spoke volumes. He had immobilized Xiao Wu instantly, and she hadn't been able to break free—not even close.
They shivered at the implication.
Meanwhile, the younger and less experienced viewers had stars in their eyes. They had begun watching with analytical minds, but as the duel progressed, they could no longer contain their awe. For them, this was more than a fight—it was a dream, a spectacle, a glimpse of something greater.
Back in Dormitory Seven, Xiao Wu had explained everything to Tang San, whose expression had darkened with every word. As soon as she finished, he turned to glare at Tenshin.
"You have no shame—she's a girl!" he snapped.
Tenshin gave him a deadpan stare, as if Tang San had just said something profoundly stupid.
"Stop. Just stop," he said, raising one hand while continuing to write. "First—she's the one who challenged me. Second—I'm two levels below her in soul power. And third—I'm not going to hold back just because she's a woman. That would be both idiotic and disrespectful to the strong women of this continent."
He locked eyes with Tang San, unblinking.
[Tang San, Tang San... what a hypocrite.]
[So it's fine when you hurt a women, even manipulate their emotions and exploit your opponent's weaknesses, but if someone hurts Xiao Wu—even a little—they deserve death?]
The diary holders recoiled in disgust, by Tang San's hypocrisy. They agreed with Tenshin: going easy on someone solely because of their gender wasn't noble—it was condescending. To do so not only weakened the fighter, but also disrespected the opponent's strength.
Tang San didn't respond. He couldn't.
Any denial would expose his own contradictions. He gritted his teeth, turned away, and scooped Xiao Wu into his arms.
'I'll take her to the infirmary first... then find a way to make him pay,' he thought bitterly. There was something about Xiao Wu—something that drew him in, made her pain unbearable to witness. And Tenshin had hurt her.
He hadn't forgotten how Tenshin dismissed him and his teacher earlier that day.
To Tang San, Satoru Tenshin had already stepped onto the path of the death.
Once Tang San disappeared through the dormitory door, Tenshin calmly turned off the broadcast and lay back on his bed. With a deep breath, he resumed his cultivation. The other students, still reeling from what they had witnessed, followed suit.
If someone as powerful as Tenshin worked this hard, how could they not?
The room fell into quiet concentration. Everyone meditated until eleven o'clock, when they finally turned in for the night. Tang San and Xiao Wu returned around nine—her injuries now bandaged—and joined the others in cultivation, stopping at the same time.
Tenshin, however, remained seated, eyes closed, cultivation until midnight.
At last, a familiar chime echoed softly in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing today's broadcast. You have received the following rewards: 250 LP, "Imitation (Camouflage Color)" and "Soul Tools - Volume 0".]
[Imitation (Camouflage Color): Allows the user to alter the color and aura of their Soul Rings. However, the emitted aura cannot surpass the actual strength of the original Soul Ring.]
[Soul Tools - Volume 0: A foundational book for aspiring Soul Engineers. It outlines essential materials, matrix theory, and core knowledge—both past and future—pertaining to Soul Tool technology.]
Tenshin stood frozen, staring at the screen in stunned silence. He had expected something modest—perhaps even mediocre—but this? This shattered every expectation.
There were three rewards in total. The first was straightforward: LP, just as he'd anticipated. But the other two? They weren't just useful—they were uncannily aligned with his current needs and concerns, almost as if the system had read his thoughts.
The second reward brought immediate relief. He had planned to absorb Soul Rings with leap-aged intervals—something that would almost certainly draw unwanted attention. It was risky, controversial, and bound to raise questions. But now, the system had taken that burden off his shoulders. One less thing to research, one less risk to manage. A problem solved before it even fully formed.
But the third reward—now that was something else entirely.
A book titled "Soul Tools – Volume 0."
According to its brief description, it contained foundational knowledge on Soul Tools: materials, matrices, techniques—both ancient and yet-to-be-discovered. It wasn't just a primer; it was a vault of secrets from both the lost past and the unformed future. Tenshin had hoped to dive into Soul Tool research eventually, but the prospects were bleak. At this point in time—DD1—every functional Soul Tool on the market was a remnant from an extinct civilization. The only modern applications were storage devices, and even those were barely understood. To find something that offered comprehensive guidance across eras? It was nothing short of miraculous.
Unbeknownst to him, far away, several women had also witnessed the rewards Tenshin received from the instance. They couldn't see the full descriptions, but one item stood out immediately: Soul Tools – Volume 0. Even without context, they could feel its weight, its importance. Something about it radiated value—far more than the other two rewards. Instinctively, they knew this book could change everything.
Meanwhile, back in his dormitory, Tenshin sat down, opened a fresh page in his diary, and began to write:
[The rewards from today's broadcast are incredible!]
[Aside from the 250 LP—which I more or less expected—the other two are like divine shortcuts. They've saved me so much research and effort.]
[Starting with the skill: "Imitation (Camouflage Color)." It's not especially useful right now, but once I begin absorbing soul rings, it'll be essential. Since I plan to absorb rings that are well beyond the so-called 'ideal' age range, this skill will help me avoid drawing attention—at least early on.]
[Then there's the book: "Soul Tools – Volume 0." It might look like just a foundational guide, but I'm convinced it's the most complete and advanced resource available. It consolidates lost knowledge from the past and discoveries from the future—as revealed in later installments of Douluo Dalu.]
[Honestly, these rewards are a godsend. They've cleared major items off my to-do list. Still, I doubt I'll ever get rewards of this caliber again—not in both quantity and quality. Maybe it's a bonus for broadcasting for the first time?]
All the heroines were left stunned after reading about Tenshin's rewards. Curiosity burned in their minds, especially regarding the mysterious book. What knowledge did it hold?