Awakening Hall

Having long decided never to marry and treating the two little ones as family, just like her younger sister, Fire Phoenix Douluo set aside her busy affairs and specially cleared an entire day to attend their Martial Soul Awakening Day.

Moreover, she had made up her mind that even if the two children awakened unsatisfactory martial souls, she would still spare no effort in nurturing them. Even if they failed to awaken Soul Power and were destined to remain ordinary people, she could still ensure they lived carefree lives.

After all, neither she nor her younger sister Luan Yu had any plans to marry or establish a family. Whether the two children possessed martial souls or could become Soul Masters was no longer important.

Liu Xing and Firefly were led by Fire Phoenix Douluo into her personal vehicle. As one of the Sun Moon Empire's Hands of National Protection, the commander of the Fire Phoenix Spirit Tool Master Legion, and someone who had once been as famous in her youth as Starry Sky Douluo Ye Yulin, one of the Sun Moon Empire's three great Spirit Tool Masters, her vehicle was naturally no ordinary spirit tool conveyance.

In terms of defense alone, this spirit tool vehicle was no less formidable than a Rank 8 Defensive Spirit Tool. Not to mention the several offensive and detection-type spirit tools equipped on it, its total cost was comparable to a Ninth Level Spirit Tool. Only someone like Fire Phoenix Douluo—a Rank 9 Spirit Tool Master, a high-ranking member of the Sun Moon Empire, and a wealthy woman with money to spare—could spend such a fortune building a vehicle like this.

This spirit tool vehicle was itself one of Fire Phoenix Douluo's proudest creations. Its interior was extremely spacious, more than enough for four people. As Liu Xing stepped onto the fiery red carpet beneath his feet, he recognized it as the fur of a precious Spirit Beast. He looked around the spirit tool vehicle in amazement, clicking his tongue in wonder.

The Sun Moon Empire's spirit tools were essentially technologically altered versions of the technology from his own world. Though the worlds differed, and this one possessed the special energy known as Soul Power, spirit tools were in some respects even more convenient than the technological creations of his original world.

For example, the spirit tool war chariot he was currently riding in was practically all-purpose. No matter how harsh the terrain, even crossing mountains and ridges posed no problem. After all, the materials used to construct this war chariot were all rare spirit tool materials, far beyond the vehicles of his original world, which would suffer badly from even a minor collision.

Furthermore, because it was powered by Soul Power, it was exceptionally safe and convenient. If its energy ran low, one simply had to replace the energy core. For a Spirit Tool Master, that was something that could be done in a matter of minutes.

Under the curious and reverent gazes of passersby, the war chariot embroidered with fiery red patterns and bearing the image of a phoenix spreading its wings on its front slowly set off toward the Awakening Hall in Mingdu's Central Area.

Mingdu's Central Area was particularly lively today, completely unlike its usual desolation. All children in Mingdu who had reached the age of six would undergo their Martial Soul Awakening during these days. Mingdu had five large Awakening Halls, located in the center and to the east, south, west, and north. Aside from those five large Awakening Halls, there were also dozens of smaller Awakening Halls that provided free Martial Soul Awakening for commoners.

The large Awakening Halls had been prepared for the descendants of Mingdu's many nobles and dignitaries.

The Sun Moon Empire's imperial family did this not only to awaken martial souls for commoners free of charge, but also to gather information on Mingdu's younger generation. As the imperial family, collecting intelligence on the descendants of its officials was the bare minimum.

If Soul Masters were allowed to awaken martial souls for people in private, how many talented commoners would the Sun Moon Empire miss out on? One had to know that the Sun Moon Empire treated its citizens better than any other empire on the Douluo Continent, and it was also the only empire that awakened martial souls for commoners free of charge.

This was also why talented commoners emerged endlessly in the Sun Moon Empire. Fire Phoenix Douluo and Ice Phoenix Douluo were examples. The two sisters had originally been commoners, but after awakening their martial souls, they received the Sun Moon Empire's support, entered the Sun Moon Royal Spirit Tool Master Academy to study, and even gained admission to Mingde Hall. That was how they achieved what they had today.

Thus, even though Luan Yu did not enjoy getting involved in the Sun Moon Empire's troublesome affairs, because of that debt of gratitude, she would still stand without hesitation on the Sun Moon Empire's side whenever it was in danger.

Whenever she was invited to assist with the research of many high-end spirit tools in the Sun Moon Empire, she would go and lend her strength.

After all, many of the Sun Moon Empire's research projects could not be handled by merely one or two Rank 9 Spirit Tool Masters. They required numerous Rank 9 Spirit Tool Masters working together before any results could be achieved. Although Luan Yu lived a carefree, wandering life, she could hardly refuse when her former classmates and teachers invited her.

Therefore, the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family often turned a blind eye to Ice Phoenix Douluo, who remained on the fringes. After all, she was contributing to the Sun Moon Empire in her own way, not to mention that her Elder Sister had joined the Military Department and become the commander of the Fire Phoenix Spirit Tool Master Legion.

The annual Awakening Day was the day when children of the proper age awakened their martial souls, and it was also Mingdu's liveliest day. Martial souls were something that could change a person's entire life. Everyone possessed a martial soul, but even among a thousand people, there might not be a single one whose martial soul came with Soul Power.

Soul Power was equivalent to one's future, equivalent to strength. When a martial soul awakened alongside Soul Power, one could cultivate that Soul Power to strengthen one's martial soul, thereby becoming a Soul Master—the noble profession that had existed on the Douluo Continent for countless years.

Therefore, no matter how ordinary their origins, people all hoped that when their children awakened their martial souls on the day they turned six, Soul Power would appear alongside them. That could very well change a child's entire life and even benefit the whole family.

At the Awakening Hall in Mingdu's Central Area, many people had already brought their children to line up. Those who could come to the Central Area's Awakening Hall to awaken their martial souls were all either wealthy or influential, but because a Titled Douluo was presiding over the Martial Soul Awakening, even members of the imperial family had to queue out of respect.

Only the Awakening Hall in the Central Area could have a Titled Douluo awaken martial souls for the younger generation. Though the other four major Awakening Halls in the east, south, west, and north were also important, only a Soul Douluo presided over their awakenings. As for the smaller Awakening Halls, they were overseen by Soul Saints or even Spirit Emperors.

Outside Mingdu, the Awakening Halls in other cities only had Soul Elders and Soul Ancestors presiding over awakenings.

"Big Brother, what do you think my martial soul will be?"

A little girl who had just turned six, with beautiful short purple hair, looked up at the brother holding her small hand and asked. Her lovely large eyes were full of anticipation and unease.

Her brother had long purple hair like hers. He was handsome, with fair skin, and appeared to be only around twenty years old.

"Big Brother doesn't know either. We'll have to see what luck brings. But our family's inherited martial souls are all quite good. No matter which one you awaken, it will be good."

The Purple-Haired Youth smiled. He was not confident that his younger sister would awaken one of their family's inherited martial souls either. After all, there were siblings in the family whose martial souls had mutated, or who had even awakened entirely different martial souls. Not everyone necessarily awakened one of their family's several top-tier inherited martial souls.