Your Martial Soul Is Your Body

In this era, Spirit Hall's influence reached every corner of the empire. Even in remote mountain villages, Spirit Hall sent deacons to awaken the people's Martial Souls.

In Di Hun Village, the annual Spirit Awakening ceremony had come around again. Huo Qiqiang watched from a distance as Village Chief Tom waited outside the village's Spirit Hall with a group of children for the deacon to arrive.

At last, a deacon entered the village. He took out a key, unlocked the doors of Spirit Hall, and led the children inside.

"Children, my name is Su Haitao. I'm twenty-four, and I'm a deacon of Spirit Hall. Today, I'll awaken your Martial Souls. Look—this is my Martial Soul. Lone Wolf, possess me!" Su Haitao spread his arms. A wolf's howl sounded behind him, and the imposing silhouette of a wolf appeared. Then two Soul Rings descended, one white and one yellow.

Level twenty-four. Martial Soul: Lone Wolf. Soul Ring Configuration: white, yellow.

The children awaiting their awakening stared at the imposing wolf behind Su Haitao. Some hid behind the others in fright, while others watched it with shining eyes.

"Sir, could I awaken a Martial Soul that powerful too?" one child asked timidly.

Su Haitao shook his head. "There's no telling until we see the results. Come on, children, line up. I'll awaken your Martial Souls one by one."

The children quickly formed a line. Su Haitao prepared Spirit Hall's awakening tools and began the ceremonies.

"Martial Soul: Sickle. Innate Soul Power: zero. What a shame. With even one or two levels of Soul Power, you might have become a decent Tool Spirit Master."

"Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass. Waste Spirit. Innate Soul Power: zero."

"Martial Soul: Wind Bell Grass. Waste Spirit. Innate Soul Power: zero."

"Martial Soul: Hoe. Waste Spirit. Innate Soul Power: zero."

Huo Qiqiang observed the entire ceremony with his Spiritual Sense. Most of the children had no Soul Power, which was the norm for Spirit Awakening on Douluo Continent. In a world where bloodlines mattered so much, dragons begot dragons and phoenixes begot phoenixes. Powerful Martial Soul families formed Sects of their own, and their descendants rarely had to worry about awakening worthless Martial Souls. Ordinary people had no strong Martial Souls to pass down, so they could hardly expect their children to awaken good ones.

Martial Soul Mutation was the one exception. It could send an ordinary person soaring to greatness, as it had Ma Hongjun of Grass Chicken Village. It could also cast a noble's child down to ordinary life, as it had Yu Xiaogang.

But ordinary people had strength in numbers, and greater numbers meant more chances for mutations. Whoever oversaw Spirit Awakening for that vast population could harness its power and use it to counterbalance the Spirit Masters of the Sects and nobility.

In this era, Spirit Hall oversaw it all. Its reach into the countryside gave it firsthand information on Spirit Awakenings. Top Spirit Master families such as the Angel Clan, the Golden Crocodile Clan, and the Qian Gu Clan became its pillars. Meanwhile, commoner Spirit Masters who benefited from its awakening ceremonies made up the vast majority of its formidable Spirit Master Legion. That was how Spirit Hall came to dominate the era.

One Waste Spirit after another emerged, but Su Haitao's expression did not change. He had visited many villages, and the results were much the same everywhere.

At last, one child awakened a wild boar, and the Soul Power crystal glowed at level two. A smile finally appeared on Su Haitao's face.

"Martial Soul: wild boar. Innate Soul Power: level two. Child, you have what it takes to become a Soul Master. Would you like to join Spirit Hall?"

"I can become a Soul Master?" the child exclaimed. "Yes, I would!"

"Good. Stand behind me. Once I'm done here, I'll take you back with me." The deacon turned to the remaining children. "Next."

A child stepped into the Awakening Formation Su Haitao had set up. His wrinkled face made him look old beyond his years, and he had a slightly shifty air about him. Su Haitao channeled his Soul Power to help awaken the boy's Martial Soul.

A flash of light passed. No Tool Martial Soul or Beast Martial Soul appeared, and nothing about the boy seemed to change.

"Where's your Martial Soul?" Su Haitao stared at him, then activated the Awakening Formation again.

Still, no Martial Soul appeared.

"How could this happen?" Su Haitao was stunned.

"Sir, what's wrong with me?" the old-looking boy asked, beginning to panic.

Su Haitao thought for a moment, then realization dawned. "Your situation is rare, but it's not unheard of," he said regretfully. "According to Spirit Hall's awakening records, a few children turn out to have no Martial Soul every year. I'm sorry, child. You have no Martial Soul."

The boy went pale. A moment later, his head drooped. In this world, a Martial Soul was everything. Even awakening a Waste Spirit was better than having none at all.

When the ceremony ended, Su Haitao said goodbye to Village Chief Tom and left with the child who had awakened with level-two Soul Power. The children with Waste Spirits went home. Only the boy who had failed to awaken a Martial Soul remained, sitting in a daze on Spirit Hall's steps.

Suddenly, a hand patted the boy's shoulder. He looked up and saw a stranger.

"What's your name?" Huo Qiqiang asked.

"Lu Yuan, sir," the boy replied.

"I watched the awakening just now. It seems you didn't awaken a Martial Soul. Why don't I try again? Perhaps the deacon made a mistake." Huo Qiqiang took out a set of Spirit Awakening tools.

"Please, try again," Lu Yuan said eagerly. "I'm sorry for the trouble."

Huo Qiqiang nodded and activated the Awakening Formation. Lu Yuan hurried inside. Guided by Huo Qiqiang's Soul Power, he tried again—but no Martial Soul appeared.

"Still nothing." Lu Yuan lowered his head.

"Let's test your Innate Soul Power." Huo Qiqiang saw a faint veil of Light Element covering the boy's skin and handed him the Crystal Ball.

Lu Yuan pressed his hand against the Crystal Ball. In an instant, it burst with a dazzling light, brighter than it had for the boy with the wild boar Martial Soul.

"Your Innate Soul Power is level seven," Huo Qiqiang said.

"I don't have a Martial Soul, but I still have Innate Soul Power?" Lu Yuan asked in astonishment.

Huo Qiqiang shook his head. "It's not that you have no Martial Soul. Your Martial Soul is your body."

"My body?"

"Yes, a Body Martial Soul. It's a category distinct from Beast Martial Souls and Tool Martial Souls. A Body Martial Soul can be a hand, hair, a torso, eyes, a nose, or a mouth—any part of the body. And yours is the most exceptional kind of Body Martial Soul: the True Body of the Incarnation."