Awakening

Xu Mingxi felt that his days were being worn away by training and stuffing his face. In the blink of an eye, the day of Martial Soul awakening had arrived.

The Star Crown Sect had few members. Only four children were undergoing their Martial Soul awakening that year: Xu Mingguang, Xu Mingxi, and the boy-and-girl twins, Xu Mingyue and Xu Mingxing.

Though there were only four children awakening, several dozen people had gathered around to watch.

It was not a large number, but it was already nearly half of the Star Crown Sect's population. The rest were either training away from the sect or tied up with important matters.

The Sect Master and the six elders sat at the front, smiling as they watched the four little children standing in the center.

What a joyous occasion. It had been many years since four children of the Star Crown Sect had awakened together.

In the Star Crown Sect, anyone who became a Soul Douluo could directly become an elder.

That was, aside from the Sect Master and First Elder, the two Titled Douluos.

Second Elder Xu Chunyue, an eighty-ninth-rank Control System Soul Douluo.

Third Elder Xu Chunhao, an eighty-sixth-rank Power Attack System Soul Douluo.

Fourth Elder Xu Chunyue, an eighty-second-rank Support System Soul Douluo.

Fifth Elder Xu Fanggao, an eighty-first-rank Control System Soul Douluo.

Sixth Elder Fang Chun, whose Martial Soul was the Jade Ring, an eighty-first-rank Agility Attack System Soul Douluo. He was also Fourth Elder's husband and the Star Crown Sect's only elder with an outside surname.

Though the Star Crown Sect lived in seclusion, soul masters still needed to eat and obtain soul rings. Contact with the outside world was unavoidable.

As a result, once some clan members reached a certain age, they chose to venture outside for training.

Most wives or husbands of Star Crown Sect members were commoner soul masters whom they had met during their travels.

Once the two sides fell in love, they would generally bring their spouse's family to live in the Star Crown Sect as well—simply put, marrying into the sect.

However, the Star Crown Sect valued only strength, not surnames. As long as one reached the rank of Soul Douluo, the position of elder would be open to them.

Though the Star Crown Sect had few members, most of them awakened the Star Crown Martial Soul.

Given the quality of the Star Crown Martial Soul, their Innate Soul Power was at least rank six. Coupled with the Star Crown Sect's secluded cultivation and rare conflicts—

All these factors together had created the Star Crown Sect's current prosperity: two Titled Douluos, five Soul Douluos, and dozens of Soul Saints.

But today's protagonists were not these older spectators, but the four little children standing in the center.

Fourth Elder Xu Chunyue walked before the four children. She took six black Awakening Stones from her Storage Soul Tool and arranged them into a formation, then placed an Awakening Crystal Ball in the center.

"Mingguang, you go first. Put your hand on this crystal ball."

As the leader among the children, Xu Mingguang naturally stood first in line.

Bathed in the radiance of Fourth Elder's Star Crown, Xu Mingguang stepped into the center of the black Awakening Stones.

As time passed, a layer of golden light shot from the Awakening Stones and enveloped Xu Mingguang's entire body.

When the light faded, a dazzling crown appeared above Xu Mingguang's head. It was the Star Crown, the Star Crown Sect's inherited Martial Soul.

Everyone on the platform smiled at the Star Crown above Xu Mingguang's head. After all, there had been a very small chance that he might awaken his mother's Serpent Cane Martial Soul instead.

"Alright, Mingguang. Put your hand here and test your Innate Soul Power."

Xu Mingguang recalled his Martial Soul with a thought and placed his right hand on the crystal ball.

In an instant, the crystal ball burst into brilliant light.

"Innate Full Soul Power."

Everyone, including the Sect Master, stood up. Though the Star Crown Martial Soul was of extremely high quality and could be considered one of the strongest Martial Souls in the world—

Innate Full Soul Power was also exceedingly rare. Before Xu Mingguang, the Sect Master had been the only genius in the sect with Innate Full Soul Power.

"Good, good! As expected of my fine grandson. Mingguang, step aside for now. Don't interfere with your younger brother and sister's awakening."

Next came the turn of the siblings Xu Mingyue and Xu Mingxing. Their Martial Souls were also Star Crowns.

Both had Innate Soul Power at rank eight, but an accident occurred during their Martial Soul awakening.

Everything had been normal when Elder Sister Xu Mingyue awakened, but the moment her younger brother Xu Mingxing awakened his soul power, the unexpected happened.

Their soul powers began to merge together, becoming indistinguishable from one another.

"This is... Martial Soul Fusion?"

The Sect Master was not surprised. He had suspected it long ago. A pair of boy-and-girl twins with identical Martial Souls—it was hardly strange for their Martial Souls to be able to fuse.

Xu Mingxi stood last in line. Encouraged by his three little companions, he walked into the Awakening Stones.

As expected, it was once again the Star Crown Martial Soul. Expressionless, Xu Mingxi extended his hand toward the crystal ball.

The crystal ball once more erupted with dazzling light. Though they had already seen it once, those on the platform could not help but be astonished.

Another Innate Full Soul Power?

"Good, good! The Star Crown Sect has worthy successors!"

Today was the happiest day of the Sect Master's life, aside from the day his own Martial Soul had awakened and the day he broke through to become a Titled Douluo.

Two children with Innate Full Soul Power. Once they grew up, the Star Crown Sect would have nothing to worry about for centuries.

"Everyone here is family or a friend of the Star Crown Sect, so I will not say more. I ask that you all keep this secret and do not spread the news outside."

Everyone below naturally nodded in agreement again and again. No one wanted to offend two Titled Douluo, especially when these two with Innate Full Soul Power were their own relatives.

Xu Mingxi, meanwhile, was still staring at the radiant Crystal Ball in disbelief.

I have Innate Full Soul Power too? Could I be some transmigrated protagonist as well?

Xu Mingxi had read plenty of fanfiction in his previous life, but he still shook his head and tossed those thoughts aside.

This was a real world. What books showed was only a tiny part of it. If he got too arrogant, he might die without even knowing how.

After the awakening ceremony ended, the Sect Master entered a room with several elders to discuss how exactly they should nurture this batch of little prodigies.

Xu Mingxi was directly picked up by his father. Resting against his shoulder, he said goodbye to his three little companions.

"You brat, you really did your old man proud. Innate Full Soul Power! Your dad only had Innate Level Eight Soul Power back then."

"And you have the nerve to mention it? Your mother here was a genius with Innate Level Nine Soul Power. If resources hadn't failed to keep up when I was young, would you have become a Soul Emperor before me?"

Father Xu and Mother Xu were only in their early thirties. Father Xu, who was ahead of the other, had already reached the Soul Emperor rank. The two of them might even have a chance of challenging the Titled Douluo realm in this lifetime.

Xu Mingxi said nothing. He simply sat on Father Xu's shoulders and watched the two bicker.

Today's sunset was truly beautiful.

Unlike Xu Mingxi's leisurely family, a fierce argument erupted within the Sect Master Hall.

"No. Of course my grandson should learn from me."

"Little Mingxi already said he wanted to become a Control System Soul Master. How could a brute like you teach him properly?"

The one snapping back at Xu Chunyi was the Second Elder, Xu Chunyue. Though the Star Crown Sect was called a sect, it was more like a clan.

Moreover, because there were so few members, everyone had basically grown up together, and their relationships were quite harmonious.

Xu Chunyue, a Soul Douluo, dared to give Xu Chunyi, a Titled Douluo, absolutely no face.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. We'll follow the children's wishes from before.

Mingguang and Mingxi will study control under me. Mingyue and Mingxing will study support under the Fourth Elder."

The Second Elder had just opened his mouth to speak when the Sect Master vanished in a flash.

"No, that's not what I meant! I wanted Mingxi to follow me, you bastard!"

Xu Chunyi watched the Second Elder get shut down and was delighted.

"Didn't expect that, did you? Even if my grandson chose the control path, it still wouldn't be your turn to teach him."

"You're a bastard too."

The Second Elder pounced on him directly. The two old people, whose combined ages were nearly one hundred and fifty, grabbed at each other's clothes and hair as they started fighting.

The remaining four elders watched with great interest from their seats nearby.

"First Elder, you can't pull a woman's hair."

"Second Elder, don't tear at his clothes. He's an old bag of bones—there's really nothing worth seeing."

What an exciting sight.

Xu Mingxi knew nothing of what had happened in the Sect Master Hall. At that moment, he was sitting at the dining table, gnawing on a Star Bearing Ox's hind leg.

Star Bearing Oxen were Soul Beasts raised on a large scale within the Star Crown Sect. During their growth, they absorbed starlight.

Eating Star Bearing Ox meat was greatly beneficial to those who possessed the Star Crown Martial Soul.

Ever since his Martial Soul awakened, Xu Mingxi had felt that his appetite had grown considerably.

With the belief that being able to eat was a blessing, Xu Mingxi kept stuffing Star Bearing Ox meat into his mouth.

He nearly scared Father Xu and Mother Xu to death. They kept asking whether something was wrong with his body.

In truth, given a Soul Master's physical constitution, as long as they could swallow it, they could generally digest it.

According to the Star Crown Sect's thousand years of experience, consuming Soul Beast Meat over a long period could also improve a Soul Master's physique.