Martial Soul Awakening!

"By the way, Little Long Long, have you really not awakened your martial soul yet?" Hu Liena asked doubtfully.

Long Yun's face darkened at Hu Liena's form of address. What kind of name was Little Long Long? He had not paid attention to it just now, but now that he heard it, it really sounded awkward. Somewhat speechless, he said, "Na Na Jie, could you not call me Little Long Long? It sounds really strange!"

"Hehe, then if I don't call you Little Long Long, what should I call you? Big Long Long?" Hu Liena chuckled.

"Na Na Jie, you should just call me by my name!" Long Yun said, his face covered in black lines.

"Fine, I'll call you Long Yun!" Seeing his expression, Hu Liena stopped teasing him. "Let's talk about your martial soul first!"

"Yes, I really have never awakened a martial soul," Long Yun said with a smile.

"How could that be? You're already twelve years old. It's impossible for you not to have awakened a martial soul. Was there no one to help you awaken it, or were you unable to awaken one?" Hu Liena frowned.

"Ah, th-this..." Long Yun was truly caught off guard by the question. He had not considered this much just now, and when she suddenly asked, he did not know how to answer. His eyes darted about as his mind raced.

After a moment, he said, "When I tried to awaken my martial soul as a child, I didn't awaken one. I'm not sure why exactly it failed, but ever since then, I felt as though something was gestating inside my body. That feeling continued until recently. Only two days ago did it slowly fade away, and then I felt as though there was something extra inside me. I could also clearly sense strange fluctuations within my body. I'm guessing that my martial soul may have finally taken shape!"

"What? Something like that can happen?" Hu Liena exclaimed. This was the first time she had heard of a martial soul failing to awaken at the time, only to continue gestating within the body afterward. From Long Yun's meaning, perhaps he could now awaken a martial soul. How was that possible?

Hu Liena stared at Long Yun in shock, disbelief written all over her face.

Seeing that Hu Liena did not believe him, Long Yun knew that this sounded rather outrageous. It was normal that she could not accept it. After all, he had made the whole thing up. Something like this probably had never happened before.

"Na Na Jie, if you don't believe me, why not help me awaken my martial soul tomorrow? Then you'll know whether I'm telling the truth," Long Yun suggested. He happened to want to awaken his martial soul sooner too. It would also prove that what he said was true—killing two birds with one stone!

"That could work. Tomorrow, I'll ask the academy for leave and take you to awaken your martial soul. We'll see whether you can awaken one. I'm also curious about what kind of martial soul you might awaken, if it takes more than ten years to emerge," Hu Liena said after pondering for a moment.

"However, Long Yun, if you can awaken a martial soul, I hope you'll join Spirit Hall! You don't have anywhere else to go anyway, and joining Spirit Hall would be a very good choice for you," Hu Liena said seriously to Long Yun. She guessed that if Long Yun could awaken a martial soul, it would definitely be an extraordinarily powerful one. Otherwise, how could he have failed to awaken it at the age of six and had to wait until now? This martial soul was certainly not ordinary.

That was why Hu Liena wanted Long Yun to join Spirit Hall after awakening his martial soul. It would give him better prospects. After all, Spirit Hall's training of soul masters was among the best on the entire continent, and few forces could compare. Moreover, Spirit Hall placed greater importance on talent. For a soul master like Long Yun with no background, it was undoubtedly the best choice. Those sects and empires treated commoner soul masters far worse than Spirit Hall did. If Long Yun went to one of those forces, he might even suffer oppression. In Spirit Hall, she could help him. With her around, at least not many people would be able to bully him.

Although Hu Liena and Long Yun were not yet very familiar with each other, Long Yun's circumstances resonated with her, making her instinctively want to help this eleven- or twelve-year-old child.

Hearing Hu Liena's words, Long Yun did not answer directly. Instead, he smiled and asked, "Then what should I do if I don't awaken a martial soul?" His tone sounded joking, but his eyes held seriousness and anticipation as he waited for Hu Liena's answer.

"Well..." Hu Liena seemed not to have expected him to ask that. After thinking for a moment, she looked at Long Yun with a faint smile. "If you don't awaken a martial soul, then your situation will be a little worse. You'll only be able to live as an ordinary person for the rest of your life, and you won't be able to join Spirit Hall. But don't worry. With your Na Na Jie here, I can still make sure no one bullies you and that you have enough to eat for the rest of your life."

"When the time comes, I'll help you find a shop in Spirit City. You can run some kind of business there, preferably selling food, so Na Na Jie can come support your business often!"

Long Yun stared intently at Hu Liena. Looking at the smile on her face, warmth rose in his heart. He could sense not the slightest falsehood in her words, and her expression did not seem fake either. There was no reason for her to lie. After all, in her eyes, he was just a helpless orphan with no reason to deceive. That was what moved Long Yun so deeply. He knew that Hu Liena was sincerely treating him this well.

Looks like my luck isn't so bad after all. The moment I came to this world, I met someone who truly cares about me—and she's so beautiful too. Heaven has treated me pretty well!

"Na Na Jie, why are you so good to me?" Long Yun blurted out.

Hu Liena rubbed Long Yun's head. The smile on her face gradually faded, revealing a trace of sorrow she could not conceal. "Perhaps because you're a lot like I was when I was little!"

Long Yun's body trembled when he heard Hu Liena's words. He could feel the sorrow deep within her heart as she said them. Looking at her somewhat melancholy face, Long Yun gave her a bright smile and said, "Na Na Jie, if we're so alike, doesn't that mean we're fated? Maybe the two of us will even end up together someday!" Long Yun said half-jokingly.

"Pfft."

Hu Liena burst out laughing at Long Yun's words. She tapped his forehead and scolded him with a smile, "You brat, you're teasing your Na Na Jie again. Who's fated with you? You even want to be with me? Aren't you feeling full of yourself?" Hu Liena rolled her eyes at Long Yun.

"Hehe, we are fated. Besides, who can say what will happen in the future?" Long Yun said with a smile.

"Fine, fine. Then if you want to pursue your Na Na Jie, you'll have to work hard. Your Na Na Jie isn't so easy to win over," Hu Liena said, smiling brilliantly at Long Yun. That smile was both charming and alluring, leaving Long Yun utterly entranced.

Seeing Long Yun staring at her like that, Hu Liena's face reddened slightly. She lightly smacked him on the head. "What are you staring at me like that for?" Hu Liena said, pretending to be angry.

Long Yun rubbed the spot where he had been hit and said somewhat aggrievedly, "Because Na Na Jie's smile is too beautiful."

"You..." Hu Liena could not find anything to say to Long Yun for a moment and could only glare at him somewhat angrily.

"Hehe, Na Na Jie, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's talk about my situation instead!" Long Yun hurriedly changed the subject.

"You? What about you?" Hu Liena said angrily.

"I mean, if I awaken a martial soul, I'm willing to join Spirit Hall. But could you introduce Spirit Hall to me?" Long Yun said.

"Oh? That? Fine! I'll reluctantly tell you about it!" Hu Liena said somewhat proudly. Hearing that Long Yun was willing to join Spirit Hall, she was clearly much happier.

"Our Spirit Hall—"

Nearly more than ten hours had passed since Long Yun had been brought back to Spirit City. The night was gradually fading, and when the first rays of sunlight shone upon the earth, it meant that a new day was about to begin. A new day was naturally filled with limitless hope and possibilities. For Long Yun, this would be the day his new life began, because today he would face the most important event of his life in this world—his martial soul awakening!

"Long Yun, when we get to the main hall later, don't be nervous. My teacher is quite easygoing. As long as you don't anger her, she won't make things difficult for you, understand?" Hu Liena said to Long Yun as they walked.

"I understand, Na Na Jie. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Long Yun said.

"But, Na Na Jie, why do we have to go to the Pope's Palace Main Hall to awaken my martial soul? Isn't that where Your Holiness the Pope handles official affairs? Can martial souls be awakened there too?" Long Yun asked in confusion.

After Hu Liena's introduction last night, he had gained a preliminary understanding of Spirit Hall. He knew that the Pope's Palace was divided into the Main Hall, side halls, and inner hall. The Main Hall was where the Pope handled affairs, and where Spirit Hall's meetings, large and small, were held. It was a rather solemn place. Long Yun had not expected to awaken his martial soul there, so it came as quite a surprise.

As for the side halls, they were the residences of certain elders, while the inner hall was naturally where the Pope lived. There were many palaces inside, and as the Pope's disciple, Hu Liena lived there as well. Long Yun had also stayed there yesterday.

"This? Isn't it because Teacher is curious about you?" Hu Liena said with a smile.

"Curious about me? What do you mean?" Long Yun asked doubtfully.

"Yesterday, I told Teacher about your martial soul awakening situation and asked whether she knew what had caused it. But Teacher had never seen a case like yours either, so she was very curious. That's why she asked me to bring you to the Pope's Palace Main Hall today to awaken your martial soul. She wants to see exactly what your martial soul is," Hu Liena explained.

After finishing her conversation with Long Yun yesterday, she had gone to see Bibi Dong and roughly explained Long Yun's situation. Of course, her main purpose had been to let Long Yun stay here. Allowing someone to remain in the inner hall of the Pope's Palace was not something she could decide on her own; she still had to ask her teacher. Bibi Dong neither agreed nor objected, merely saying that they would see after Long Yun awakened his martial soul.

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