The scorching sun hung high in the sky, its blazing rays draping over Tianhai City, a small town on the west coast of the Sun Moon Federation. Today, the city was especially bustling — the once-every-six-years Martial Soul Awakening Day had arrived.
In the hearts of every Douluo citizen, martial soul awakening carried immense weight. Whether the martial soul they awakened was good or bad, it always brought benefits to the Federation as a whole, never harm. Thanks to the diversity and functionality of martial souls, each would find its proper use, allowing it to flourish.
At the Tianhai Orphanage,
A rare look of relief crossed Shen Yue's face. After days of busy work, she had constantly been worried about how the orphanage's children would undergo their awakening.
She had applied for government aid many times, but without exception, there had never been a reply.
Now, just as Awakening Day approached, they finally received an answer. A member of the Federation's Soul Master Volunteer Association would come to help the children awaken their martial souls.
"Time to get them ready." Shen Yue gave a soft smile, but inside she couldn't help feeling a touch of sorrow. She knew perfectly well how difficult it would be for the orphans to become real soul masters.
Gu You stood quietly, gazing at the sky. He had been in this world for six years already, yet it felt like he had forgotten so much.
'Douluo… martial soul…' he murmured to himself. By normal standards, he should be at the right age to awaken his martial soul.
…
"Strange, why is one still missing?" Shen Yue frowned slightly. The awakening master had already been here for quite a while, but the children weren't all gathered yet.
"What do you think?" She turned around, startling the child hiding behind her.
"I… I don't know." The boy's eyes were dull, and his voice stammered.
Shen Yue gently patted the boy's hair. Poor thing, don't be so scared. He had never been very bright. She should probably ask someone sharper.
"Teacher…?"
"Hmm?"
Gu You twitched his ears slightly. He had always had sharp hearing, and he'd heard their whole conversation just now. Coupled with the staff's movements that morning, he could already guess something big was coming.
Shen Yue's body tensed slightly as she turned to face Gu You's delicate, handsome face. She was about to scold him, but knowing today was an important day, she only nodded.
"The awakening ceremony is about to begin. Go get ready," she reminded before walking away.
Awakening!
Gu You froze. A surge of excitement and anxiety erupted inside him. He was thrilled that he could finally have a martial soul, but uneasy — would his martial soul have soul power? And even if it did, would it be strong?
This was a normal emotional shift. Once you experienced it, you'd realize you couldn't help but feel nervous. Soul power was equivalent to one's future, equivalent to strength. It was the energy that nourished and enhanced a martial soul. Everyone had a martial soul, but even among a thousand people, not one might awaken with soul power. And even if you had it, it didn't mean you'd be strong.
…
"Respected Soul Ancestor, all the children are here," Shen Yue said respectfully. Before her stood an exceptionally young Soul Ancestor, backed by the government — his future was beyond what she could imagine.
"I know." Xin Ya gave a slight, gentle smile, his eyes soft as he looked over the children.
"You, come up first." He pointed to a child.
The chosen child shrank back shyly, too nervous to step forward.
Seeing this, Xin Ya didn't get angry. He was professionally trained, and besides, completing this task would earn him volunteer contribution points — nothing to complain about.
Just then, the soft white light in Xin Ya's hand caught Gu You's attention.
'So that's soul power?' Gu You thought, watching the glow. He felt as if something inside his body was about to surge up.
At that moment, Xin Ya lifted a finger, and the ball of white light slowly merged into the shy child's body. As the light shimmered, a small knife suddenly appeared in the child's hand.
"You have soul power. Not bad. Half a rank," Xin Ya spoke calmly.
The shy child almost leapt with joy at hearing he had soul power, but the moment he heard it was only half a rank, tears spilled down his face.
Seeing this, Shen Yue sighed and gently patted the child's head, then led him away.
…
As the last few children stepped up, Xin Ya let out a quiet sigh. "Looks like there really aren't many good seeds here."
But just as he finished speaking, the dull-eyed, not-so-bright boy from earlier approached. When Xin Ya's gentle soul power touched him, the white glow around his body instantly turned yellow. To Xin Ya's shock, a plump dragon-shaped phantom appeared behind the boy.
"Rank eight soul power!" Xin Ya exclaimed, his voice excited. "If I report a genius like this to the Federation, the rewards I'll get will be tremendous."
The entire crowd erupted in shock. Shen Yue looked as if she was about to faint on the spot, and even Gu You was surprised. A dragon-type martial soul — even the weakest dragon martial soul was leagues beyond an ordinary one.
'The least clever child in the orphanage has now become the most gifted of all…'
'What kind of martial soul is this?' Xin Ya wondered. He wasn't a professional awakening master like the Transmission Hall staff, but his knowledge was fairly broad. Otherwise, the Federation wouldn't have assigned him such a reputation-sensitive task.
After thinking for a moment, he shook his head. He just needed to do his part — once it was reported, his contribution points were guaranteed.
Soon after, Xin Ya, in a great mood, called up Gu You.
Gu You stepped forward resolutely, earning a small approving nod from Xin Ya.
'Good courage.'
As the soul power entered his body, a tingling warmth swept through Gu You, as if he were submerged in a blissful ocean. His body trembled slightly.
Everything before his eyes blurred. Images flashed rapidly through his mind.
'Kill! Kill!'
'Our king, our king, fight!!'
Countless dragons roared and howled. At the peak of the heavens, a massive purple dragon figure, brimming with endless destructive divine power, clashed fiercely against a colossal nine-colored shadow in the sky. Space trembled. Flesh and blood rained down across the heavens.
In the end, the purple dragon was defeated, vanishing between heaven and earth. The dragon clans that had rallied behind it were all slain by the nine-colored figure, their bodies scattered like falling stars.
"Ahhh!" Gu You suddenly let out a piercing scream, startling Xin Ya outside.
Normally, children didn't feel much during awakening. But in rare cases, if a child's body was too fragile to withstand the energy surge, dangerous situations could occur — and that was when the ceremony had to be stopped.
Just as Xin Ya moved to intervene, a beam of purple light burst forth from Gu You's body. The aura of annihilation and destruction began to corrode everything around him.
Roar!
At the same time, a piercing dragon roar, filled with indescribable defiance, echoed from Gu You's mouth!
Faced with the sudden crisis, Xin Ya immediately released his martial soul, gritting his teeth as he tried to contain the outpouring force.
(End of chapter)
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