Sacred White Tiger

When Zhu Zhuqing stepped out of the crowd, two gazes immediately fell upon her.

One belonged to Dai Mubai, and the other to Dai Yao.

She came to the center of the Formation, and the golden barrier rose once again.

As she absorbed more and more golden motes of light, the Fifth Elder grew increasingly astonished.

He had been responsible for awakening Martial Souls for many years and knew clearly that the more motes of light one absorbed, the greater the Martial Soul's strength.

At that moment, Zhu Zhuqing had already absorbed as many motes as the Black Panther Spirit had earlier, yet the absorption still had not stopped.

"This is... It looks like she's about to awaken the Martial Soul inherited by her family." Thinking of Zhu Zhuqing's surname, the Fifth Elder understood.

When the absorption of the motes stopped, Zhu Zhuqing's figure emerged as well.

A pair of cat ears appeared on either side of her head, while a tail grew from her lower back. The nails on both hands lengthened like sharp blades, and every movement carried a feline grace.

Long black particles trailed behind her, making her look like an envoy from the Netherworld.

Her icy eyes held not the slightest hint of life.

"As expected, the Netherworld Cat Spirit," the Fifth Elder thought.

"Now, let's test your Innate Soul Power, child."

When she placed her hand on the Crystal Ball, it burst into dazzling radiance.

"Rank-nine Soul Power, extremely close to Innate Full Soul Power. Her talent is even greater than that of the three princes!" the Fifth Elder exclaimed.

"Child, you should know your family's mission. Every Zhu Family woman who awakens the Netherworld Cat Spirit will marry a Star Luo prince who awakens the White Tiger Spirit. And now, the only unmarried prince is Third Prince Dai Mubai. Once we send the betrothal gifts to your Zhu Family tomorrow, you will become the Third Imperial Consort."

"Mm." Zhu Zhuqing gave a simple reply.

Dai Mubai immediately came to Zhu Zhuqing's side and began searching for topics of conversation, but since their engagement had not yet been finalized, he did not dare get too close.

Zhu Zhuqing, however, remained cold toward him the entire time.

"Next, Dai Yao."

A figure walked out from the back of the crowd. Once the children saw what he looked like, they began whispering among themselves.

"Have you heard? He's that Dai Yao who was supposedly banished to the Cold Palace."

"Dai Yao? His clothes are really shabby!"

"Does he even deserve to be a member of the Dai Family?"

Hearing everyone mock Dai Yao, Dai Mubai laughed loudly. "His mother was nothing but a lowly servant girl. What kind of good Martial Soul could he possibly awaken?"

Dai Yao stared coldly at Dai Mubai. Dai Mubai had insulted him and his mother again and again, and his anger continued to rise. But when he thought of his circumstances, he endured it once more.

"Are you ready?" the Fifth Elder asked.

"I'm ready."

The Formation flashed. Motes of light rose from the ground and slowly entered Dai Yao's body.

Warmth. That was Dai Yao's first sensation, like the warm sun appearing in winter and shining down upon him.

The warm aura seeped into his body. He clearly felt his mental world begin to stir. A golden egg appeared, and under the warm aura's guidance, it immediately began to crack.

"Mm, as expected?"

The Fifth Elder noticed that the number of motes Dai Yao absorbed was about the same as the number absorbed by the Red Cat Spirit and sighed. "It seems we have another ordinary Martial Soul."

But then, to his astonishment, he discovered that Dai Yao, whose absorption had originally stalled, had begun absorbing the motes again—and at a speed far surpassing everyone else's! When the golden egg shattered, Dai Yao's heart was filled with dejection. He could feel that the Martial Soul inside was extremely weak.

"Ordinary in my previous life, ordinary in this life too. Could it be that I truly have no chance to change my fate?" he thought bitterly.

Then the swaying Green Lotus released a ray of azure light that sank into the golden egg. The golden egg, which had already developed cracks, immediately healed. As it continued absorbing the golden motes, the aura contained within it grew stronger and stronger! In the end, that powerful aura even caused his entire mental world to tremble.

"This is..." A surge of wild joy welled up in Dai Yao's heart. For the first time in all these years, he had seen the Green Lotus take action—and it had instantly raised the quality of his Martial Soul by several levels.

"What kind of Martial Soul is this?" The Fifth Elder grew more and more astonished. He discovered that the number of motes Dai Yao was now absorbing had already surpassed the limit of what the White Tiger Spirit could absorb.

The White Tiger Spirit was already one of the strongest Beast Spirits on the continent. What kind of Martial Soul could possibly be even more powerful than it?

There was controversy over which Beast Spirit was the strongest in the world. Some said it was the White Tiger Spirit, some said the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit, and others said the Phoenix Spirit. But there was no dispute over which Weapon Spirit was the strongest in the world. It was the Clear Sky Hammer of the greatest sect under heaven.

"The number of motes he's absorbing has already surpassed that of the Clear Sky Hammer Spirit!" The Fifth Elder's astonishment turned into shock.

At last, the golden egg shattered. As an ancient tiger's roar echoed through his mental world, a majestic giant figure appeared.

It was a mighty and imposing White Tiger, a fierce beast that battled giant dragons.

The White Tiger was pure white from head to toe, without a single stray color. Only at the center of its massive head were four golden lines forming the character "king."

White bristles grew beside its mouth, as hard as steel needles. Its four limbs were knotted with muscle and filled with explosive strength. Its fangs and claws were incredibly sharp, far surpassing ordinary blades and swords.

Yet what drew the most attention was not the White Tiger's physique, but the pair of white wings on its back.

"I remember now. When the Seven Devils attacked Jialing Pass in the original story, wasn't the Hell White Tiger formed by Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing's Martial Soul Fusion exactly like this?"

"Tang San once said that after their Martial Soul Fusion, they possessed enough strength to reach the God level. Wouldn't that make this Winged White Tiger a God-level Spirit?"

Yet an even more shocking scene appeared before Dai Yao. The Winged White Tiger actually walked up to the Green Lotus and lowered itself to the ground like a little kitten, as if expressing its submission.

The Green Lotus could not only transform Martial Souls—even a God-level Spirit had to submit to it.

"Green Lotus, what exactly are you?!"

Before he had time to think further, his attention was drawn to the changes taking place in his own body.

A powerful white radiance erupted from Dai Yao's body. All his bones cracked loudly, his muscles swelled in an instant, and the tattered Coarse Cloth he wore strained against his body. Even the surrounding air seemed to grow agitated.

His Golden Hair turned white. Four golden markings appeared on his forehead—three vertical strokes and one horizontal stroke, forming the character "king."

His hands grew larger as well, covered in white fur. His five fingers curled into claws like icy blades.

His entire body grew much larger. However, he had been so thin and undersized before that under Martial Soul Possession, he merely looked somewhat like a normal person.

A pair of white wings, each a meter long, also appeared behind him.

His transformation drew waves of startled cries from the watching children. At the same time, they felt fear rising from the depths of their souls. This fear was not directed at Dai Yao personally, but was the fear of their own Martial Souls toward an apex predator.

Dai Mubai's eyes were also filled with astonishment. Even though he possessed the White Tiger Spirit, he felt fear coming from Dai Yao's Martial Soul. A bead of cold sweat slid down his face. "What kind of Martial Soul did this guy awaken?!"

Zhu Zhuqing turned her head as well, but her face was filled with confusion, because she sensed a feeling of closeness from Dai Yao's Martial Soul. She had sensed a similar closeness from Dai Mubai before, but it was nowhere near as strong as the feeling Dai Yao gave her.

The Fifth Elder's face was filled with ecstatic joy. He could sense the might of Dai Yao's Martial Soul. Although this Martial Soul had never appeared in the family's history, there was no doubt that it was more powerful than the White Tiger Spirit! As a family elder, nothing mattered more to him than the family's strength.

"Come, come, child. Hurry and test your Innate Soul Power."