"First Encounter with Hu Liena"

In his previous life, Ye Qin not only had an exceptionally high level of education, but was also a young nobleman. He could be said to have seen countless women.

Yet, with Ye Xuan's peerless beauty complementing the innate noble aura of an empress, her charm absolutely surpassed that of any woman he had ever seen!

"Xiao Qin, why is your face so red?" Ye Xuan walked over and asked with great concern.

"I'm fine!" Ye Qin hurriedly shook his head.

"Are you really fine?" Ye Xuan asked concernedly again. "Should I summon the imperial physician to examine you?"

"Really, there's no need!" Ye Qin insisted, shaking his head.

"All right, then. If you feel unwell anywhere, you must tell Auntie," Ye Xuan added.

"Got it!" Ye Qin replied.

"Oh, right, there's something I need to tell you. Tomorrow, Spirit Hall will send someone over to awaken Martial Souls. You should give it a try as well!" Ye Xuan added. "As a small nation, Martial Soul Awakening in our Hagen Das Kingdom has always been handled by Spirit Hall."

"Mm, okay!" Ye Qin nodded with a hint of excitement.

Right now, Martial Soul Awakening was exactly what he needed.

"But how am I supposed to make her cry?" Ye Qin wondered in confusion.

He couldn't exactly punch and kick her, could he?

That wasn't realistic!

Not to mention that the current Ye Qin was no match for Ye Xuan.

How could he beat up his own aunt for no reason?

"Your Majesty, the chief minister requests an audience on urgent business!" At that moment, a rough voice rang out from outside the Sleeping Quarters.

"Understood!" Ye Xuan replied with a touch of authority. Then she looked at Ye Qin and smiled. "Auntie has important matters to handle. Go play by yourself for now."

"Got it."

"All right, that's that!" Ye Xuan said with a smile before striding out.

Only after Ye Xuan left did Ye Qin finally let out a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, his memories from his previous life remained, and Ye Xuan had not noticed anything unusual about him.

After another bout of deep thought, Ye Qin still could not come up with a way to make Ye Xuan cry.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Ye Qin was jolted awake by a series of bells.

This could be considered his first morning in the Douluo Continent, and he felt especially refreshed.

Moreover, today was the day of his Martial Soul Awakening.

He could not help wondering, aside from the World-Destroying Ancestral Dragon granted by the system, what his inherited Martial Soul would be.

Martial Souls in the Douluo Continent, especially high-level ones, were generally inherited from one's parents' clan.

Unfortunately, Ye Qin had never seen his parents in his memories, nor had he ever heard Ye Xuan mention them.

After he finished tidying his appearance, a group of attendants entered and led Ye Qin toward the site of his Martial Soul Awakening.

Ye Qin's Martial Soul Awakening site was a Horse Training Ground located in a remote corner of the palace. It had originally been a place reserved for Ye Xuan and certain ministers to ride horses and practice archery.

At the very front stood a towering arena. Black Stones had been placed at each point atop it in the pattern of a Hexagram Array.

At that moment, Ye Xuan and several noble ministers were seated in chairs before the arena.

Below the arena stood a tightly packed crowd.

Ye Xuan was close to her people. They were citizens of the Royal City, and many of their children had just turned six, so they had been brought along to awaken their Martial Souls as well.

"His Highness the Prince has arrived!" an attendant shouted loudly.

"Welcome, Your Highness!" everyone said, bowing in unison.

"Xiao Qin, come here!"

Ye Xuan was seated on the Royal Throne. Upon seeing Ye Qin arrive, she quickly smiled and waved him over.

Only then did Ye Qin notice that there was another woman seated beside Ye Xuan!

She appeared to be around fourteen years old, with long pink hair and a fitted pink outfit. Her features were exquisite, with red lips and white teeth. Most strikingly, her eyes carried an innate, captivating charm.

Though still underage, she possessed a figure even more alluring than that of an adult.

The moment Ye Qin saw her, he felt she looked somewhat familiar.

"Xiao Qin, let me introduce you. She is Hu Liena, the Apprentice Hall Master of the Royal City's Spirit Hall!" Ye Xuan said with a smile, pointing at the pink-haired girl.

"Xiao Qin, she's quite remarkable. She may very well become Spirit Hall's successor in the future!"

"Ah!" Ye Qin was startled when he heard this. He had not expected to encounter Hu Liena here!

In truth, as a candidate for Saintess, Hu Liena needed to undergo countless trials. This was one of them.

The Saintess was the Pope's successor.

They not only needed powerful talent, but also sufficient administrative ability. That was why Hu Liena had been sent to intern at the Hagen Das Kingdom branch hall.

Ye Xuan then pointed at Ye Qin and said, "Hall Master Hu, this is my nephew, Prince Ye Qin."

"Hello, Prince Ye Qin!" Hu Liena extended her hand, her expression cold.

Ye Qin ignored Hu Liena when he heard this. He merely nodded before walking over to sit beside Ye Xuan.

Hu Liena was left standing there awkwardly by herself.

"Hall Master Hu, Xiao Qin is still young and doesn't know any better. Please don't take offense," Ye Xuan quickly said with an apologetic smile.

"It's nothing," Hu Liena replied coldly.

"Ding! You have encountered Hu Liena, a special figure of the Douluo Continent. A hidden Check-in Quest has been triggered: obtain a kiss from Hu Liena!"

At that moment, the system issued its hidden quest.

...Was it this intense right from the start? Ye Qin's heart skipped a beat.

This system was forcing him to chase girls!

But Ye Qin soon found himself in a difficult spot. If he were twenty, perhaps he could subdue Hu Liena with his personal charm.

But he was only six! Did they expect a cold beauty to fall for a six-year-old brat?

You couldn't rush a good thing!

By then, everyone participating in the awakening had arrived. The master of ceremonies glanced at Ye Xuan, and only after seeing her nod did he rise and shout, "The auspicious time has arrived. Prepare for Martial Soul Awakening!"

At those words, the children undergoing awakening walked toward the arena in order.

Before long, a young man stepped before the Hexagram Array.

He had sharp brows and bright eyes, with handsome features, and wore a white suit. Like the surrounding soul masters, he had a badge bearing the character "Soul" at the center of his chest. On his left breast was a longsword insignia, with three crossed swords upon it, signifying that he was a Soul Grandmaster.

Seeing the man's appearance and attire, Ye Qin seemed to have guessed the young man's identity.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Su Yuntao. I am a Soul Grandmaster of Spirit Hall, as well as the host of this awakening!" the young man said to the children.

"Oh my God, a tool character!" Ye Qin nearly blurted out.

"Xiao Qin, what did you say?" Ye Xuan asked from beside him, somewhat surprised.

"Nothing!" Ye Qin hurriedly shook his head.

"Xiao Qin, you'll be the last to awaken. Auntie believes your Martial Soul will definitely overwhelm everyone here!" Ye Xuan said.

"Okay!" Ye Qin replied, though inwardly he was greatly puzzled. Ye Xuan must have known the origins of Ye Qin's parents to say such a thing.

Hu Liena, seated nearby, also felt a trace of surprise. Her teacher had told her that Ye Xuan's clan had no simple origins.