Chapter 1: Determination
Early morning. The sky was just beginning to brighten.
Inside the swimming facility on the Quan family estate, Quan Yi was swimming.
His arms and legs moved rhythmically; his strokes were smooth and natural. While not especially forceful, his pace was fast.
White splashes sparkled across the water's surface, shimmering under the morning light.
The pool was 25 meters long and 5 meters wide. Quan Yi's morning task was to swim 1,500 meters.
To put that in perspective, the average adult takes about 40 minutes to swim 1,500 meters.
Yet six-year-old Quan Yi could already finish it within 30 minutes.
His current performance was the result of four years of relentless training.
Ever since he devised his workout plan four years ago, regardless of wind or rain, Quan Yi never missed a single day, continuously increasing the distance he swam.
There was a reason for his dedication.
Quan Yi was a reincarnator. In his previous life, he had been a high school senior. Though he was an orphan, he was also a bright young man with a promising future.
Until one day, he was hit by a truck while saving someone else—and found himself reincarnated in this unfamiliar world.
This world was a fantasy realm where everyone possessed Martial Souls, but it was also a rigid feudal society with a strict hierarchy.
At the top of this societal pyramid were soul masters. As long as one became a soul master, they would be considered superior to 99% of the population.
Moreover, the state provides subsidies to soul masters to support their cultivation up to level 40. Even without breakthroughs, the aid continues for life, ensuring a comfortable existence.
Therefore, Quan Yi desperately wanted to become a soul master. But to do that, one needed innate soul power—something believed to be determined entirely by birth.
Born into a family of soul masters, Quan Yi had a relatively high chance of awakening innate soul power compared to the average person.
But Quan Yi was cautious. He couldn't leave his fate to mere luck. He wanted a reliable path.
So, he began reading everything he could find about Martial Souls and soul power. Through his research, he discovered a possibility: perhaps innate soul power isn't completely innate.
The most obvious clue was the gender disparity—the ratio of male to female soul masters was 5 to 1. If soul power were truly determined by birth, such a vast imbalance made no sense.
After deep contemplation and combining his knowledge about Martial Souls, Quan Yi reached a bold conclusion:
A Martial Soul is, at its core, a condensation of energy, a manifestation of life energy.
And energy doesn't come from nothing—it comes from the body.
Therefore, the body is the foundation of the Martial Soul.
The stronger the body, the more energy it can provide to the Martial Soul. The more energy, the stronger the Martial Soul.
And since Martial Soul strength and soul power are proportional, stronger souls meant higher innate soul power, and vice versa.
Thus, innate soul power may be secretly linked to physical strength.
Combining this with earlier observations, Quan Yi speculated: females naturally have less physical strength than males, which might explain why fewer women become soul masters.
At this realization, Quan Yi could barely contain his excitement. He felt as if he had glimpsed a clear path to becoming a soul master.
"If I build a strong body, I might awaken a powerful Martial Soul—and in turn, high soul power."
But his biggest obstacle was clear: he was still a child. Could his young body handle intense training?
Was there a training method that could strengthen the body without putting it under excessive strain?
Drawing from his memories of his past life, Quan Yi found the perfect solution—swimming.
In water, buoyancy reduces pressure on joints, unlike land-based exercises. Plus, swimming engages the entire body.
Low-risk and highly efficient, swimming was undoubtedly the ideal exercise for him right now.
And if the pool was built indoors, Quan Yi could train regardless of the weather.
At only two years old, Quan Yi sought out his mother and shared his plan to train his body through swimming.
His mother, Su Ling'er, had long, fiery red curls, a curvy figure, graceful demeanor, and the captivating charm of a mature woman. She stood tall—over 1.8 meters, taller than most men.
When Su Ling'er heard her son's thoughts, a look of surprise flashed across her gentle face. She had always known her son was precocious and mature for his age—but this still exceeded her expectations.
She felt both comforted and worried.
"Xiao Yi, physical training is tough. It takes a long time before you see results. It'll be painful. Are you really prepared for that?" she asked gently.
With firm determination in his eyes, Quan Yi looked straight at her and said:
"Mother, I want to become a soul master. I can't afford to waste time—I only have four years left."
"Four years?" Su Ling'er asked, puzzled.
Quan Yi then explained his reasoning and emphasized the relationship between physical fitness, Martial Souls, and innate soul power.
Su Ling'er fell into deep thought.
She herself was a genius soul master, who had reached the Soul King realm (Level 53) in her thirties. Her Martial Soul was a mutated Flame Sun Lion.
As an accomplished soul master, she knew how crucial physical strength was for combat. It not only allowed soul masters to carry more soul power but also made them stronger fighters. All outstanding soul masters trained their bodies rigorously.
But Su Ling'er had never heard of a theory that physical strength affected innate soul power.
Traditionally, it was believed that innate soul power is a gift from birth—unchangeable.
So Quan Yi's theory shocked her deeply.
"Xiao Yi, what you said makes sense... but it's all just a theory. Without large-scale experiments, it's hard to prove if it's true.
Besides, you're our child—your father and I are both soul masters. No matter which Martial Soul you inherit, you likely already have decent innate soul power."
Su Ling'er replied calmly, even though her heart was still stirred.
But Quan Yi had already made up his mind.
"Mother, I can't entrust my fate to luck. My future should be in my own hands.
I don't want to regret later that I didn't work hard enough now.
Please help me. I don't want to live with regrets!"
His steady and determined voice echoed in Su Ling'er's ears. She suddenly realized she had underestimated her son's growth.
He had already become a resolute young man.
Su Ling'er felt her own fighting spirit stirred by Quan Yi's resolve. She lifted him into her arms and declared with unwavering determination:
"Well said! You truly are my son. Don't worry—Mother supports your decision. No matter the outcome, I'll walk this path with you till the end!"
Held tightly in his mother's warm embrace, Quan Yi felt a surge of strength throughout his body.
This was something he had never experienced in his past life. His mother's trust and promise sparked a deep resolve in his heart—
He would not let her down.
As night fell and darkness crept in, the only light still shining came from Quan Yi's room.
Seated at his desk, under the dim glow of a lamp, he quietly wrote, just like he had during the late-night study sessions of his past high school life.