Chapter 9: Scorpion Tiger Douluo, the Name of Abomination
"Who are you?"
Feeling that giant hand on him, a hand that seemed capable of crushing him at any moment, Chen Ming instinctively asked.
"Who am I?" The middle-aged man beneath the black robe chuckled, seemingly very satisfied with Chen Ming's reaction.
"My name is Zhang Peng. In the past, I was known as Scorpion Tiger Douluo. Of course, a junior like you today could not possibly have heard of my name. You only need to know that I am a Titled Douluo, and your senior."
"Boy, you'd better tell me how you awakened your Martial Soul, along with your identity and background. If your answer satisfies me, I will grant you a great fortune."
Scorpion Tiger Douluo, Zhang Peng. This name was extremely unfamiliar to young Spirit Masters, and even to the vast majority of middle-aged Spirit Masters. Perhaps only the older generation of powerhouses still remembered it from the past.
Before his transmigration, Chen Ming had read the Douluo Continent series extensively. He had even skimmed through parts of Douluo 5, which was not even part of the main Douluo Continent series.
After thinking briefly, Chen Ming recalled the name Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng and the power it represented.
The 6th Consecrated Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult. His Martial Soul was the Scorpion Tiger, a legacy derived from the bloodline of the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger. He was a level 96 Super Douluo. Because he had once been defeated by Mu En in his early years, he had sworn not to emerge again until Mu En died. His strength was terrifying, and he excelled at controlling beast type Martial Souls in battle, making him one of the top powerhouses of the Holy Spirit Cult.
"Judging by your eyes, you know who I am?" Zhang Peng asked with a trace of curiosity, sensing Chen Ming's gaze.
"T Titled Douluo..." Chen Ming opened his mouth and answered stiffly.
"So you were scared silly." Zhang Peng chuckled lightly, his eyes boring into Chen Ming like hooks. "Speak. Tell me your identity, your family, and how you awakened your Martial Soul. If your answer satisfies me, I will give you a fortune."
"Senior, my name is Chen Ming. I'm from Sanhe Village, living in the 2nd house by the village entrance. I'm an orphan with no parents, raised on the charity of the villagers..."
"A few months ago, or maybe a few dozen days ago, the water in the 3 rivers outside Sanhe Village began drying up rapidly, and the villagers started falling ill. The local lord's knights seized the village's last gold coin under the pretense of collecting a 'plague tax,' then burned the entire village to the ground."
"The surviving adults from the village and I followed the river channel, planning to go downstream. But then we saw the fish in the water turn into Locust Fish, and they started devouring the crops, chickens, ducks, even the cattle and sheep..."
"People from Shrek said they wanted to treat the disaster victims. They gathered us together with people from other villages. But then they suddenly turned hostile and tried to kill us all. I was shot in the chest with an arrow and blacked out. When I woke up, I was buried in a pile of corpses."
"I crawled out of the corpse pile, sick, and hid inside a cave. Just when I thought I was about to die, this power suddenly awakened inside me, and then I became like this. The plague in my body vanished instantly, and I could even eat the Locust Fish that normal people couldn't eat..."
"As I kept heading south, I found a giant lizard. Because the lizard was too weak, it eventually died by my hand. I ate its corpse, and then instinctively drew that yellow Spirit Ring into my body."
"After that, I finally managed to escape, only to run into a group of guards who specialized in killing refugees. Even though I hadn't released my Martial Soul, they still claimed I was an Evil Spirit Master. They said an Evil Spirit Master without Spirit Power was impossible, and a Spirit Master without a Martial Soul was just someone trying to become an Evil Spirit Master. I don't know how many people died at their hands..."
"The leader was a Spirit Master from the 2nd year of Shrek Academy's Outer Court, named Shi Feng. His Martial Soul was some special kind of earth dog. Although I defeated that student, I was forced to retreat by the soldiers' crossbow bolts. After barely saving my life, I had no choice but to return to this desolate land."
Chen Ming briefly recounted his experiences in this life, along with the process of awakening his Martial Soul and obtaining his Spirit Ring.
After listening to Chen Ming, Zhang Peng nodded, then let out a slight sigh.
"Child, cases like yours are actually not rare. Under all kinds of disasters, most people die in the catastrophe, but a very small number of talented individuals do not die so easily. Instead, under external pressure and the influence of their surroundings, they awaken special Martial Souls."
"The so-called Evil Spirit Masters, most of them were originally just unfortunate people like you. They only walked down the evil path because of prejudice and rejection from the world."
"Based on what you said, even if you are not Innate Full Spirit Power, your Innate Spirit Power is at least level 9. Even among Spirit Masters, that is a one in ten thousand talent."
"And the reason you were able to survive the weakness and the plague is also because of your own Martial Soul."
"As a child from an ordinary family, you may not understand what the classification and strength of Martial Souls truly mean. But I can responsibly tell you that your Martial Soul is called Abomination, and even among special Martial Souls, it is an extremely powerful type."
"This Martial Soul possesses characteristics similar to the undead. It hardly feels pain, and the body itself is a breeding ground for plagues. Most toxins and diseases cannot affect you at all. By devouring flesh and blood, you can rapidly recover from injuries and increase your cultivation."
"I do not fully understand this type of Martial Soul, but I do know a Titled Douluo whose Martial Soul is also Abomination, just like yours."
Zhang Peng paused for a moment before continuing, "The organization I come from is called the Holy Spirit Cult. Although its reputation is not very prominent, it is a place that has sheltered countless people like you. In terms of overall strength, even Shrek Academy is slightly weaker than us."
"Come. Join us. I will bring you to the master most suited for you, and you will gain power, power enough to change your own destiny in this chaotic era."
After learning the name of his Martial Soul, Chen Ming's mind immediately began searching for every record related to that term. In the end, he found a faint impression buried in scattered corners of his memory.
During the 2nd Continental Spirit Master Tournament that Huo Yuhao participated in, the one hosted by the Sun Moon Empire, there had been a Lu Genggeng in the Holy Spirit Cult's team whose Martial Soul was Abomination. Moreover, among the Elders of the Holy Spirit Cult, there was also a Titled Douluo whose Martial Soul was Abomination.
Chen Ming could not clearly remember which Elder that Abomination Douluo was, but it seemed that his strength was not especially high, only around the standard of level 91.
As for the characteristics of this Martial Soul... Chen Ming vaguely remembered that Electrolux had once mentioned that Abomination could be considered a very high level existence even among the undead.
It excelled in control, speed, and offense, making it a relatively well-rounded and powerful Martial Soul. It could rapidly increase cultivation by devouring corpses, and after being injured, it could also recover quickly by devouring corpses.
Everything seemed to match the scattered memories Chen Ming had of Abomination, confirming that his Martial Soul was most likely Abomination, or perhaps a highly similar subspecies Martial Soul.
It was just that he had only recently awakened his Martial Soul, his current strength was still limited, and he had not yet cultivated in an overtly evil manner. Because of that, his Martial Soul was still far from as powerful and grotesque as the Abomination Martial Soul displayed in the original work.
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