A Genius and a Prodigy

"If I remembered correctly, you were Village Chief Ye's granddaughter, weren't you? You were also the only child here with an elder who was a soul master. I had high hopes for you." Unexpectedly, Haofan, who had never liked talking much, took the initiative to speak to Ye Hongling.

Ye Hongling replied, "I understand, Master. Please begin." Haofan said nothing more and began the awakening ceremony. White Soul Power slowly coiled around Ye Hongling's body and gradually lifted her into the air. At that moment, she felt warm all over, as comfortable as lying in the grass beneath the sun.

Suddenly, Ye Hongling felt as though something within her was about to emerge under the pull of the Soul Power. Following that sensation, she slowly raised her hands and made a gesture as if cradling her heart.

From a third-person perspective, one would have seen Ye Hongling's eyes gradually turn green, along with a small lock of hair at her forehead. A jade-green sapling appeared between the hands she held before her chest, and as Ye Hongling changed, it began to grow as well.

Gradually, the sapling became a small tree taller than Ye Hongling herself. Her eyes and hair had completely turned jade-green. The children below could only feel an aura brimming with vitality, making them feel incredibly comfortable. Haofan, however, was so shocked that he could not speak. He could sense that this vitality was not merely a feeling—it was real. The child before him, not even ten years old, was radiating an exceptionally pure life force, and it was still growing stronger!

While Haofan was marveling, the little tree in Ye Hongling's hands... no, her Martial Soul, had grown to three meters tall. It radiated an extremely dense life force, and nearly everyone present was immersed in it, unable to pull themselves free. In the end, Haofan was the first to recover and had Ye Hongling withdraw her Martial Soul.

The Awakening Room fell silent for a while before Ye Hongling broke the silence first. "Master, what exactly is my Martial Soul? Judging by your reactions just now, is it a very powerful Martial Soul?" Ye Hongling asked in confusion.

Haofan said in an astonished tone, "Yours must be an Ultimate Martial Soul. This phenomenon of life force overflowing so abundantly is absolutely not something an ordinary Martial Soul can achieve."

Ye Hongling exclaimed, "Really? Did I awaken a very powerful Martial Soul?"

Haofan calmed himself and said, "Yes, it truly is an extremely powerful top-grade Martial Soul. I'll tell you the rest later. First, let's see how much Soul Power you have. With such a top-grade Martial Soul, you must have Associated Soul Power."

The Soul Power Tester from before flew over again and stopped in front of Ye Hongling. She stretched out her hand and pressed it against the tester. It shone brilliantly once more, but this time, the light did not immediately fade. Instead, it continued glowing, and for the first time, a number other than zero appeared on its screen. First came 1, then 2, 3, 4... until it finally stopped at 10.

Haofan smiled in delight. "Just as I thought. Not only do you have Soul Power, but you have Innate Full Soul Power."

"What is Innate Full Soul Power?" Ye Hongling asked, puzzled.

Haofan explained, "When someone develops Soul Power, it begins at level one and can go up to level ten. Level ten Soul Power is the limit when a person first develops Soul Power. If you want to improve further, you need Soul Rings. This means your starting point is higher than that of ordinary people. I only had level two Soul Power at birth. Oh, right, we also need to test your Spiritual Power. According to the rules, only those with Associated Soul Power can be tested."

As he spoke, Haofan took out a silver spherical tester. It looked like the Soul Power Tester from before, except it apparently could not fly.

"Just hold both ends of the instrument with your hands." Haofan had clearly taken an interest in Ye Hongling, and even his tone had become much gentler.

Following Haofan's instructions, Ye Hongling held the tester on both sides. Numbers appeared on its screen as well, but instead of rising one digit at a time, they increased in increments of fifty: 50, 100, 150... Under Haofan's astonished gaze, the numbers finally began slowing after surpassing 450, though they continued rising until they stopped at 491.

Haofan was already dumbfounded. Then he said, "Spiritual Power of 491... You're nearly in the Spirit Sea Realm?"

Ye Hongling asked in confusion, "Master, what exactly is Spiritual Power used for?"

Haofan explained, "Spiritual Power indicates the strength of one's Spiritual Sense. It can be divided into the Spirit Origin Realm, Spirit Connection Realm, Spirit Sea Realm, Spirit Abyss Realm, Spirit Domain Realm, and Divine Origin Realm. In modern times, absorbing Spirit Souls requires relatively high Spiritual Power. Generally speaking, when a person first develops Soul Power, they are only at the entry-level Spirit Origin Realm. Even I only recently broke through 300 Spiritual Power, while you have already surpassed 490 and are close to the Spirit Sea Realm. Combined with your Martial Soul... if I remembered correctly, that should be the Tree of Life Martial Soul, a supportive healing-type Martial Soul. But do not underestimate it just because it is a support-type Martial Soul. Among Martial Souls of this kind, the Tree of Life is absolutely among the best. It represents ultimate vitality and is an Ultimate Martial Soul. On top of that, you have Innate Full Soul Power and Spiritual Power close to the Spirit Sea Realm. You are definitely a one-in-ten-thousand genius. Your future is bound to be extraordinary."

After hearing Haofan's words, Ye Hongling was so excited that she could barely contain herself. She had originally been the least confident among them all, yet someone was now telling her that she was a one-in-ten-thousand genius. How could she not be excited?

"Alright, go down for now. Once the last person has completed their Martial Soul awakening, you can all leave." With that, Haofan sent Ye Hongling down from the awakening platform and back into the group of seven. As Ye Hongling came down, the five children around her looked at her with envy.

Only Tang Chenfeng stepped forward, patted her shoulder, and said with a smile, "See? I told you. If you believed in yourself, you could do it. You're a genius now."

Ye Hongling replied, "Thank you, Brother Feng. You gave me so much confidence. You're next, so you have to do your best too." Seeing how excited she was, Tang Chenfeng smiled and gave her a thumbs-up before slowly walking onto the awakening platform.

Once Tang Chenfeng stepped onto the platform, Haofan spoke first. "From the way you encouraged her earlier, the relationship between you two must be unusual. I rather like people who are good at encouraging others." Having just discovered Ye Hongling's exceptional talent, Haofan was in an excellent mood. Since he had been on the awakening platform the entire time, he had naturally seen Tang Chenfeng encouraging Ye Hongling, and his opinion of him had risen considerably.

Tang Chenfeng replied, "Ling'er is like my younger sister. We are not related by blood, but Village Chief Ye raised me. We grew up under the same roof, so we are like real siblings despite having different parents."

After hearing Tang Chenfeng's explanation, Haofan unexpectedly began to feel a little curious. He had thought their relationship was unusual, but he had not expected them to be so close. Then another trace of disappointment surfaced in his heart. If they had truly been blood siblings, then Tang Chenfeng, as her brother, might also have been a genius. But since they were unrelated by blood, that was harder to say.

Ah, forget it. Haofan thought. If geniuses appeared so easily, they would not be called geniuses. Besides, he was probably only six years old, yet he already looked around 1.4 meters tall.

Based on Haofan's work experience, children who differed from those around them like this had a high chance of developing Associated Soul Power during their Martial Soul awakening. After considering this, Haofan smiled and said, "Alright, it's time to awaken your Martial Soul. I hope you can be as outstanding as your sister." With that, he began the awakening ceremony.

Just as before, white Soul Power wrapped around Tang Chenfeng's body and slowly lifted him into the air, allowing him to quietly sense its pull and try to awaken the matching power within himself.

At first, Tang Chenfeng felt warm all over and extremely comfortable. But gradually, that warmth became stifling heat, then a sharp pain that made him feel miserable. Suddenly, an indescribable agony struck his mind, so intense that even he could not help crying out.

"Aahhh..." Floating in midair, Tang Chenfeng clutched his head tightly and let out a heart-rending scream. Haofan panicked when he saw this. A normal Martial Soul awakening should not have been this painful. If something went wrong with this child, he would be in serious trouble.

At that moment, Tang Chenfeng's body began to change. Every muscle in his body suddenly swelled, and his physique seemed to stretch. His original height of 1.4 meters grew to around 1.6 meters, while golden light shone from his eyes. The body that had been struggling violently gradually calmed, as though he had fallen asleep. Seeing this, Haofan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, things did not seem to be developing in a bad direction.

That was indeed the case. Tang Chenfeng had finally recovered amid a stretch of darkness. Rubbing his head, he muttered, "It hurts so much." Then he came to his senses and wondered where he was.

Everything around him was pitch-black, and he could not see a thing. Tang Chenfeng thought in confusion, Wasn't I undergoing my Martial Soul awakening? Why did I suddenly end up in this dark place? He only remembered feeling as though his head were splitting apart. After the pain lasted for a while, he had arrived here. He looked around and found seemingly nothing, yet it somehow felt familiar...

Tang Chenfeng smacked his forehead and suddenly remembered. Was this not the dream he often had? Why had it suddenly appeared now? No matter how hard he thought, he could not figure it out. Since he was in that dream, he decided to follow the same sequence as before. Perhaps he could discover something. With that thought, Tang Chenfeng began moving. He went through the process with great familiarity and, sure enough, saw the light sphere that he had failed to catch because of Ye Hongling's flying kick.

This time, I'll definitely catch you. Tang Chenfeng pounced and grabbed the light sphere. But before he could celebrate, he suddenly heard something in his hand cracking.

"Oh no!" Tang Chenfeng thought. Did I crush it? He slowly opened his palm, and the light sphere came into view. It looked like a beautiful crystal ball, with a silver-white vortex inside that seemed exceptionally lovely. But the crystal ball was now covered in cracks, and more were spreading across it. It looked as though it was about to shatter.

Tang Chenfeng began to panic. He was genuinely afraid that something might happen next, that perhaps he had done something wrong. Then the crystal ball in his hand began to expand, growing from the size of two thumbnails to the size of his palm. Then, with a bang, it exploded.

"Wah!" Tang Chenfeng cried out in fright and reflexively shut his eyes. But when he opened them again, he was startled once more—this time from sheer awe. After the crystal ball exploded, the small silver vortex inside remained. Freed from its restraints, it expanded rapidly, gradually growing larger and brighter.

Tang Chenfeng now realized that after growing larger, the vortex looked like... like a Milky Way. Soon, the Milky Way-like radiance engulfed him, making it difficult for him to keep his eyes open.

When he opened his eyes again, there was no longer only darkness before him. Countless stars twinkled across the sky. Tang Chenfeng felt as though he were standing in the starry void, and only one thought filled his heart: This place is truly beautiful.

Just as he was marveling at it, a gentle woman's voice suddenly came from behind him. "Beautiful, isn't it? Perhaps there will be more and more of them in the future." Tang Chenfeng spun around and found a blurry figure before him. He could tell it was a woman. She had raised one hand and extended a finger, lightly pressing it against his forehead. Then she said gently, "That is enough for now. It is time to wake up. Remember, keep what happened here a secret for the time being."

More than twenty minutes had passed in the Awakening Room since Tang Chenfeng began his Martial Soul awakening. Haofan was still maintaining the output of Soul Power. He had roughly figured out Tang Chenfeng's situation. He should have fallen unconscious because his awakening had not gone smoothly. Cases of difficult Martial Soul awakenings like this had occurred before. At such times, one had to maintain the pull of Soul Power until the other person woke up. But it had already been over twenty minutes. What worried Haofan now was how much longer he would have to hold on before Tang Chenfeng woke up. Otherwise, his Soul Power might be completely drained.

At that moment, Tang Chenfeng's body finally began to move. The overflowing light from his eyes was drawn back into them, and his movements gradually grew larger. At last, he opened his eyes and woke up. Haofan finally let out a breath of relief when he saw this, then lowered him to the ground.

Tang Chenfeng was still somewhat dazed. Everything that had happened moments ago felt like a dream, yet it had been incomparably real. He had not yet had time to process it all, and his mind was a mess.

Seeing that he seemed to be in a trance, Haofan raised a hand and patted his shoulder. Tang Chenfeng rubbed his head and finally came fully awake. Then he asked Haofan, "Master, is my Martial Soul awakening over? What Martial Soul do I have? Do I have Soul Power?"

Haofan said somewhat helplessly, "Yes, it is over. Although it did not go very smoothly, at least you are safe. As for your Martial Soul... it should be a Body Martial Soul. We will know whether you have Soul Power after testing shortly." When Tang Chenfeng heard the words Body Martial Soul, a confused expression appeared on his face. Clearly, he did not know what it was.

Haofan saw his confusion and explained, "Generally speaking, Martial Souls are roughly divided into two types. One is a Tool Martial Soul, like those children who came with you. They all have Tool Martial Souls. The other is a Beast Martial Soul, like mine, where one uses an animal as a Martial Soul. But there is another, more special type: a Body Martial Soul. As the name suggests, a Body Martial Soul uses a part of one's own body as a Martial Soul. The part of the body that becomes the Martial Soul grows exceptionally powerful. It is a very special existence."

"So that means it is a very powerful Martial Soul?" Tang Chenfeng said excitedly.

Haofan replied, "You could say that. If you have Soul Power, you might become a strength-type fighter in the future. Next, we will test your Soul Power. Are you ready?" As he spoke, he took out the Soul Power Tester.

Tang Chenfeng was eager to try. He placed his hand on the tester. "You only need to release your Martial Soul once more," Haofan said. Hearing this, Tang Chenfeng released his Martial Soul. The muscles all over his body swelled, and his height suddenly shot up.

Haofan froze at the sight. He had originally guessed that Tang Chenfeng's Martial Soul was his muscles, which was why all of his muscles had expanded explosively. But if that were all, his height should not have increased as well. An increase in height meant that his bones had lengthened too, which had nothing to do with muscles. Could it be that his bones were also a Martial Soul? If so, then he had Twin Body Martial Souls!

Tang Chenfeng had already placed his hand on the Soul Power Tester. It lit up, and numbers immediately appeared on the screen. This proved that Tang Chenfeng also had Soul Power and could become a soul master. Not bad. It looks like there will be two soul masters here this year. I wonder how talented he is. Thinking this, Haofan looked at the tester again and was delighted to find that its number was 10.

"Another Innate Full Soul Power! There is another one!" Haofan exclaimed. He had worked as an awakening master for ten years, but this was truly his first time seeing two people with Innate Full Soul Power at once. At this moment, he became even more convinced of his earlier thoughts. Body Martial Souls were indeed rare, but they could not be considered top-grade Martial Souls, and Innate Full Soul Power was still uncommon among them. But if it was a Twin Martial Souls situation, then Innate Full Soul Power seemed easier to explain.

At this moment, Tang Chenfeng, not just Haofan, saw the level 10 Soul Power displayed on the tester. His heart was full of excitement, because this meant that he was likely a genius no worse than Ye Hongling and qualified to become a soul master as well.

Haofan then retrieved the Soul Power Tester and took out the Spiritual Power Tester. "Only those with Soul Power can check their Spiritual Power. You have earned that qualification now, so hurry and try it."

Spiritual Power was also extremely important to a soul master. After all, only with sufficiently high Spiritual Power could one possess enough Spirit Souls to add Soul Rings and advance to higher levels.

Tang Chenfeng was ready for the Spiritual Power test, but the instant he placed his hands on the tester, it erupted with a blinding light. The numbers on the screen rose at an astonishing speed. Ye Hongling's Spiritual Power had only increased in increments of one hundred, but the data on this instrument was now rising in units of 500, and faster and faster. It soon broke through 3,000, then 4,000, 6,000, 8,000... Finally, when the number reached 9,999, a wisp of blue smoke suddenly rose from the tester. A crackling electrical sound followed, accompanied by a small explosion. Three parts burst out of the instrument, and it was completely ruined.

Everyone present was dumbfounded by the result. The children wondered why the instrument had suddenly exploded. Could it have malfunctioned?

Haofan, however, was filled with waves of shock and disappointment. He was disappointed because the tester was broken—after all, a small Spiritual Power Tester was not cheap. What shocked him was the final number, 9,999. That had already surpassed the Spirit Abyss Realm. Many soul masters might not reach that realm even after an entire lifetime. Moreover, Haofan knew it was unlikely that the instrument itself had malfunctioned. He had been using it for less than three months. The reason it displayed 9,999 was because that was the highest value it could measure, yet it seemed to have exploded from overload. That meant Tang Chenfeng's Spiritual Power should have been even higher.

But why would he have such high Spiritual Power? Could his brain be different from an ordinary person's? Wait, his brain... Could it be... At that moment, a shocking idea appeared in Haofan's mind. It was unbelievable, but given the current situation, it seemed to be the only reasonable explanation. Could his brain also be a Martial Soul? Three Lives Martial Soul...

Triple Body Martial Soul, Innate Full Soul Power, and Spiritual Power above the Spirit Abyss Realm. Haofan thought, What terrifying talent. He is practically a prodigy!