Douluo Dalu: 1st Cycle: Dancing Panda

"To learn anything, you first have to learn the basis of it all. Meditation. After you have a good grasp on Soul Power control we can start thinking about the Spirit Soul fusion." Yi Lan was, above anything else, a teacher first. One needed a special sort of talent to teach kids up to 9 years old. This situation was even easier on him, since it was a one on one.

"You've only just awakened yesterday, so unless you had some prior training, you shouldn't know how to use Soul Power. Try it out yourself, experience is best when attempting such things. For starters, try releasing it through the palm." Yi Lan did a small demonstration, invisible energy releasing from his palm, one that could be felt and even gave an illusion of being seen. Soul Power was something magical, all people perceived it, and the connection Soul Masters have with it is even deeper.

Karni closed his eyes, focusing on the inside of his body. He felt a bit foolish about it, like he was a kid playing pretend. At least he was a child right now.

Unlike the times he played pretend as a kid, pretending to have super powers, he did feel a power inside him. Energy. Flowing, rich energy. It felt a bit overwhelming. He tried to reach for it, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't touch it. His concentration was disturbed by the teacher's laughter.

"Don't worry. To sense, but not be able to control Soul Power is completely normal. Especially so if you don't know any cultivation techniques. Turn around. Let me guide you through a simple cultivation method first."

Karni did as the teacher said. Two palms pressed on his back, and foreign energy entered his body.

"Don't fight it, follow my guidance."

Yi Lan controlled the energy flow. From Karni's back, to his head, arms, legs, chest before returning to his back. It was a complete loop. A simple and straightforward one. Another loop was made and Karni started to get a sense of the pathways to follow. On the third loop he was already actively participating.

After a while, Karni cultivated by himself. Yi Lan only stayed to make sure everything ran smoothly. 

Eventually, he left Karni alone, though Karni wasn't even aware of it due to how focused he was. He was not aware that 3 hours had already passed. Usually this would be a lot for a kid his age.

… … …

Evening. Karni had been cultivating for a whole day. It was abnormal. Yi Lan decided to wake him up from it, just to make sure everything was fine.

"You haven't eaten for the whole day, Karni."

Karni stared blankly, then scratched his head. Time passed as if he was playing video games. It was relaxing and refreshing at the same time—like being in a jacuzzi. It did feel like he was doing this for a while, but definitely not this long.

During dinner, Yi Lan started teaching again. "I suggest you get familiar with the meditation for at least a week before attempting fusion. If you feel your control isn't good enough yet, you should postpone it a bit. Most kids would cultivate for at least two years at a minimum before getting to rank 10, so they would be ready for fusion immediately. You need to understand yourself enough to attempt a fusion."

Karni interrupted. "Don't I only have 24 hours until the Spirit Soul dies?"

Yi Lan was a bit surprised. "Yes, after you open the Ball with the Spirit Soul inside… Which is why I'm telling you to take it slow. If you didn't like any of the options I originally gave you, you would've probably had to wait for us to find it as well. All-Seeing Rattlesnake is quite common, however not a lot of people fuse with it. A mid-sized city would usually have at least one in storage. You're simply lucky enough to have a Martial Soul compatible with it, and that you chose it. The Tree Crawling spider I mentioned before, for example, would likely only be found in a major city."

"And since you already have a Spirit Soul, I'm telling you to be patient and not hurry with the fusion. Be sure to have a decent understanding of cultivation first. That's the best you can do right now." Yi Lan also gave Karni the Spirit Soul early to serve as motivation.

After finishing dinner, Yi Lan continued with teaching. "When cultivating, your mind rests. It can be a substitute for sleeping, but you shouldn't overdo it. Mental exhaustion will still build. Sleep is by far the best way to get rid of mental exhaustion."

With encouragement, Karni decided to go and meditate on the bed.

The more Karni cultivated, the more relaxed he felt. Yet, besides the pathways, there was something else as well.

Small golden dots littered Karni's senses. There were so many that it was hard not to subconsciously focus on them. They aligned themselves into a small stream. Though with how small they were, a golden string would be the better term.

The golden dots connected with Karni's pathways. He didn't know where these golden spots came from, but he could tell that it was something positive.

He sat there, completely immersed in his cultivation. This magical feeling,for another few hours.

When he woke up it was already morning. Time really did fly when cultivating.

The first thing that greeted him when he stepped outside was a surprised look by teacher Yi Lan, who made a cheeky smile. "You're up early."

Karni was confused.

"You've been cultivating for three days straight!" Yi Lan released a small chuckle.

Now he was shocked. "Three days?"

"You really are quite lucky. Your talent for cultivation is quite good. Tell me your experiences so far."

Karni described the golden string and how he thought only a few hours passed. 

Yi Lan was shocked. 'Did Karni really grasp cultivation that fast? Or is it somehow connected to his martial soul. Either way, this is a good thing for him.' 

"This is good." Yi Lan nodded, calming down a little. "Very good. You should embrace these golden dots and the string. If anything, this might boost your cultivation further. Maybe even help you with comprehending some things in the future. Continue cultivating for another few days. You should be fine with fusing with the Spirit Soul then. Afterwards, if you're willing, we should make plans to go to Star Luo City as the new year will be starting soon."

After these three days, Karni could control Soul Power without problems. A simple trick like putting Soul Power on the palm was easily executable now.

Karni cultivated for the next few days, as well as ate at appropriate times thanks to Yi Lan regularly reminding him. Not eating for three days straight wasn't exactly comfortable, so Karni appreciated this.

After a while, Karni was finally completely confident in his success. Yi Lan described to him the process of the fusion once more. When both were sure Karni memorised the process, Karni focused with a deep breath and went into his room alone. Just to be sure, he sat down to cultivate for a while more, readjusting his mental state.

He woke up and glanced at the Ball in which the little spirit snake resided. He took it in his hand and expectantly clicked on the big button at the top of the Ball. It split apart.

A small snake, two fingers thick and immensely long. It was twisted in a spiral so that it fit inside the ball.

It noticed Karni, eyes open wide. Bright yellow eyes—surprisingly small, yet incredibly clear. Caution riddled them.

Filled with curiosity, the snake stretched out of the ball. It really was long. Longer than Karni thought. It was at least a metre long and had pitch black scales with occasional yellow stripes.

Realising that this was a Hundred year old snake, Karni realised that this probably was considered small. Or maybe this was just its form as a Spirit Soul? 

He made a small smile and let the snake explore the surroundings. He had 24 hours before he had to fuse with it. There was no rush.

Using this chance to steady his mind one last time, he slowly approached the thin snake.

He called out his Staff of Predictions. Softly, he poured Soul Power into his Staff, then pointed it towards the All-Seeing Rattlesnake. Making contact, a connection formed between the two.

For an initial introduction, the Martial Soul and the Snake seemed to be friendly with one another. Karni remembered the next step. Focusing on the mind, he opened it up to the snake.

The most important part of the fusion was the connection with the Spirit Soul. To accept it with one's own soul. Karni was doing exactly this. However, this wouldn't guarantee that the Spirit Soul would do the same.

Spirit Souls had their own mind and Spiritual Power. This was why Karni had to test his own in the Spirit Pagoda. He needed sufficient Spiritual Power to fuse with a Spirit Soul.

A clash of Spiritual Power appeared which made Karni quite uncomfortable. But it wasn't painful. The snake wasn't completely accepting him. Karni had to somehow convince it to continue.

What did it mean to truly open oneself up to a Spirit Soul? Karni wasn't quite sure. All he knew was that he had to make himself seem harmless, welcoming. Was that the problem? Was he, somewhere, deep down, still not accepting of it? Was the snake feeling this?

This was the very first step on his path. He couldn't fail in his first step. He needed this if he wished to become strong. To return home.

'Please.' Karni called out to it with his Spiritual Power. 'I won't be able to do this without you. I chose you. Please. Choose me as well. Look into my mind.'

Of course. He had to open himself up completely. His thoughts, feelings and mind included. It's not about appearing harmless and welcoming. It's about being genuinely vulnerable. 

The two's spiritual powers were interacted. Fusing. Talking, understanding one another.

'Let me show you everything.' Karni opened up his thoughts. Attempted to show them to the little snake to the best of his abilities. His world, his family, his friends, his mother. The emotions encapsulating the memories. What he wanted to gain back.

The thin, long snake seemed to pause in its struggles. It was looking through Karni's feelings. It couldn't see everything, but the emotions that Karni had towards his home, those it could feel.

The snake, with the limited intelligence of an Artificial Spirit Soul, couldn't help but accept Karni. He meant it no harm. His will to establish a friendly connection, his vulnerabilities, his strengths. All of it was clear to it.

Slowly but surely, the snake started to truly fuse with the Martial Soul. A semblance of a ring started forming around the Staff of Predictions. A bright yellow ring. A sign of more than a Hundred years. 

If he were not so lucky with his Twin Martial Souls, he might have had to buy a Spirit Soul himself. He had no clue how he'd even begin to go about it.

The protagonist of Soul Land 3 was poor, nor did he have Twin Martial Souls. He had a known trash Martial Soul, Bluesilver Grass. The boy had to pay an astronomical price of 30.000 federation coins, and that was for a random spirit. What he got was a 10 year old, defective one.

Meanwhile, Karni not only got a suitable Spirit Soul for his martial soul from the start, but a Hundred year old one. This caused the fusion to go quite smoothly.

The process was nearing its end. He could feel it. The Staff of Predictions transformed in its very qualities. The Spirit Soul was suitable for the Bo. Not only in its aspects, but in shape.

An ability started forming in Karni's mind, though he wasn't sure of its effect. His very first ability, belonging to his Soul Ring. It should be a combination of the Spirit Soul's abilities and Martial Souls abilities. The most he could tell was that his one acted as some sort of amplification. Exactly what he wanted. One's will, wishing for a certain ability, also played a part in how the Soul Ring would form.

There was no way that it was some strong ability, as it was still only a yellow ring's one, but as he continued on, he would get stronger, better powers. 

The All-Seeing Rattlesnake and the Staff of Predictions both seemed to have gone through some changes. The snake grew longer by at least 10 cm. Its eyes and the stripes changed from yellow to yellowish gold.

The intricate design that decorated the Bo Staff also seemed to have changed. Every now and then, a black symbol in the shape of a snake now connected the flowing design. Karni opened his eyes.

He saw the little snake, feeling immense familiarity. Compared to before, the eyes of the snake were warm. 

"Oh? You're a girl?" He said with a small smile. The process was successful. Just like he was now completely open to the snake, the snake was now completely open to him.

While the Artificial Spirit Souls did not have any intelligence, they still had basic emotions and instincts. Karni could understand its feelings. As the Spirit Soul would age, intelligence would also come into being.

Since he was transported into the time of the Legend of the Dragon King, he would eventually get the chance to upgrade the age of his Soul Rings. This would consequently strengthen the abilities he now received. One didn't directly increase the age of the Soul Rings, but the Spirit Soul that gave one those Soul Rings. 

In his case, his Hundred year old All-Seeing Rattlesnake would eventually evolve into a Thousand year one and produce Purple Soul Rings. Later on it could grow even further.

"I should give you a name. Hmmm, how about Hope?" It was cheesy, however he was giving his hope into the little spirit. Hope, that it will help him find his way home.

He finally took the first step as a Soul Master. A first step to his ultimate goal.

When the snake heard the name that her new master had given her, she nodded happily. On an instinctual level, she could feel that her owner had a lot of hope for her. Hope slowly entangled the Bo Staff, and with but a thought from Karni, disappeared into the Martial Soul. She now resided in his soul and his mind. A clear connection between her and the Martial Soul could be felt. The feeling was both odd and fantastical. 

Karni focused on himself. He was now a Soul Master at rank 11.

With the fusion finished, he looked at his Staff of Predictions for any changes. He hadn't been here for long. He hadn't yet had the chance to observe his Martial Souls in great detail. There were intricate symbols on the Bo Staff. As he looked closer, there were four bigger symbols going along the middle of the staff.

The first symbol was made of two dragons, looking at each other. Maybe as lovers or maybe as enemies. It was not detailed enough to make out. The first dragon was golden and its tiny eyes seemed to be red at one time, blue at another. Meanwhile the second dragon was silver. Its eyes were purple instead. Karni had a sudden realisation. "Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena?"