Rainbow Road (Part 2)

Deep within his heart, Hu Haoran had been observing the Douluo Continent and feeling it with all his heart. From impatience to helplessness, from helplessness to confusion. The feeling was incredibly real—so real that it moved him as well. But after all, this was not his own experience, so he could still easily break free from the illusion. On the Rainbow Road, he held an absolute advantage.

The middle-aged man from the Qianmeng Sect led Hu Haoran to a room and respectfully called out from outside, "Elder Chen, do you have a moment? There are some matters I'd like to consult you about."

The door slowly opened, and an elderly man with a head full of white hair, a long beard hanging from his chin, and a somewhat stern expression walked out. He wore a white robe embroidered with golden patterns, with the emblem of the upper five factions printed on its back as well. Stroking his beard, the old man said, "Oh! So it's you, Wang Meng. Why aren't you down there helping with Martial Soul Awakening? What brings you here? Go on, tell me."

"It's like this. This child attempted Martial Soul Awakening three times in the soul array, but failed every time. I wanted to ask what might be going on," Wang Meng truthfully told Elder Chen.

"This?!" Elder Chen frowned slightly and looked at Hu Haoran. "I roughly know the reason, but I'll need to consult the ancient records. Child, you seem to be dressed quite well. Which family are you from?"

"Replying to Elder, I'm from the Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon Clan. My mother is waiting in the main hall," Hu Haoran answered with a confused expression.

Elder Chen seemed thoughtful. He waved a hand and said to Wang Meng, "Go invite his mother here. You recognize the emblem of the Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon Clan, don't you?"

"I do. I'll go right away." Without another word, Wang Meng went to bring Hu Haoran's mother over.

Elder Chen looked at Hu Haoran again, shook his head, and inwardly sighed at the pity of it before turning back into the room. Hu Haoran followed Elder Chen inside. A bad feeling suddenly rose in his heart. He desperately wanted to know why he could not awaken his Martial Soul, whether he still had a chance to become strong. Becoming a Soul Master was everyone's dream on the Douluo Continent.

Before a quarter of an hour had passed, Leng Xuewu arrived at Elder Chen's room with Wang Meng.

"Elder Chen, may I ask why you wanted to see me? Did my child make some mistake?" Leng Xuewu asked in confusion.

"Your child did nothing wrong. There is simply a small problem, and I wanted to inform you of it," Elder Chen said calmly.

Leng Xuewu was greatly surprised. What problem could possibly arise in the Martial Soul Awakening Hall, especially one concerning her child? She brushed aside a lock of hanging hair and said, "Please enlighten me, Elder."

"Your child does not possess a Martial Soul, which is why his Martial Soul Awakening failed. The odds of this are as rare as encountering a peerless genius," Elder Chen said after a pause.

"..."

"What?!" Leng Xuewu could not believe it.

Seeing this, Wang Meng immediately stepped forward. He understood the situation especially well. "What Elder said should be true. We performed Martial Soul Awakening for your child three times, but there was no reaction at all. We also checked the Martial Soul Awakening soul array during that time, and it was functioning normally. That is why I brought your child here to seek Elder's advice..."

"Enough! I already understand the general situation. But I want to ask Elder Chen, why is this happening? Doesn't everyone on the Douluo Continent awaken a Martial Soul? How could my son fail?" Leng Xuewu interrupted Wang Meng and directly asked Elder Chen for the reason.

Hu Haoran pricked up his ears and listened closely as well.

Elder Chen nodded, stroked his beard, and slowly said, "There are generally three reasons why a Martial Soul Awakening fails. The first is the loss of the Martial Soul. This world has mutated Martial Souls that can make Soul Masters incomparably powerful, but there are also cases where people lose their Martial Souls. This is also a type of mutation, but it is the worst possible mutation. The second reason is Martial Soul cancellation. Ancient records have documented peerless geniuses on the Douluo Continent who possessed twin Martial Souls or even triple Martial Souls. But there is another possibility—Martial Soul cancellation. Two incomparably powerful Martial Souls may be unable to coexist or fuse within the same person, resulting in their cancellation. The final reason is that the body cannot withstand the Martial Soul, preventing it from awakening properly. In the last case, one may awaken their Martial Soul through constant physical training, though it generally only happens after the age of thirty. It mainly depends on how strong the body becomes."

Elder Chen picked up a cup of tea, moistened his throat, and continued, "From my observation of your son's condition, the first and second possibilities are more likely. This is because those unable to awaken Martial Souls due to the third possibility usually possess Soul Power in their bodies, whereas your son... Of course, the third possibility cannot be completely ruled out. After all, those unable to awaken a Martial Soul are one in ten thousand."

After hearing Elder Chen's explanation, Hu Haoran was overcome with sorrow and lowered his head. Leng Xuewu's eyes were also filled with disappointment. Every parent on the Douluo Continent hoped their child would become a peerless Soul Master and bring honor to the family.

Leng Xuewu quickly gathered her thoughts and said, "In that case, we shall not trouble Elder Chen any longer. My child may still have a chance to possess a Martial Soul in the future... We'll be leaving first."

Elder Chen nodded. "Very well. Take care."

Leng Xuewu led Hu Haoran out of the Martial Soul Awakening Hall and onto the carriage. They remained silent all the way back to the estate.

Ever since the failed Martial Soul Awakening, Hu Haoran had become despondent. Still, he followed Leng Xuewu's instructions and desperately trained his body, but the light in his eyes was gone. Taohua's heart ached when she saw him like this, so she often dragged Hu Haoran out to buy things, hoping to open his heart and help him pull himself together instead of blindly working himself to death.

On this day, Hu Haoran went out with Taohua as usual. They arrived at a jewelry store to select accessories.

"Well, well?! Isn't this the Hu Family's useless young master? And you're even carrying a pearl necklace made from Purple Pattern Peach Blossom Shells. Thanks for giving this trash a gift! Hahaha..." Ling Fengyun's voice rang out. "Take it from him. Don't hold back. It's fine if you beat him badly, just don't kill him."

At that moment, death descended once more...

Hu Haoran held his head and defended himself.

"Do you want to become stronger? You already possess a Martial Soul. As long as you hand your body over to me completely and let your soul fully merge with mine, I'll help you resolve everything before you. I promise you, I will kill Ling Fengyun to avenge you. I will become the continent's supreme powerhouse and shake the continent in the name of Hu Haoran!" Hu Haoran, who had been watching from within all this time, immediately persuaded the body's original owner when the body was about to give out.

"..."

"Do you want to carry the name of weakling and trash even after death? You're nothing but mud that can't be molded into a wall..."

"Stop talking! I agree! I want to become a supreme powerhouse!"

The instant those words fell, time seemed to freeze. Hu Haoran's soul and Hu Haoran's soul instantly completed their fusion, and his spiritual power surged.

A purple longsword patterned with gold suddenly appeared in Hu Haoran's hand—his Martial Soul, the Soaring Sword. He swung it forward, slashing at Ling Fengyun. Before Ling Fengyun could react at all, he was split in two.

"This is only the interest. You'll suffer plenty later!"

As Hu Haoran's words fell, everything around him slowly shattered, and the seven-colored glazed radiance reappeared before his eyes.

Ding~ Completed the first stage of the Mystery of the Rainbow Bridge instance mission. Reward: 500 Spiritual Power points, 30,000 Douluo Crystal Points.

Congratulations on passing the first stage, Rainbow Road. Reward: refined Spiritual Power. Next is the second stage, Rainbow Purgatory.