Reform

Six years passed like a white colt flashing past a crack, vanishing in an instant.

During this time, undercurrents churned within Martial Soul Hall. The Worship Hall faction led by Qian Daoliu threw their full support behind "The Lord" Ye Su, while Bibi Dong quietly built up her own strength.

Ye Lingtong was arranged by Qian Daoliu to live in a separate residence near the Angel Sanctuary, where she could see the spire of the sanctuary from afar every day. She often stood by the window in a daze, missing the child she had only held once.

But most of the time, Qian Daoliu had assigned her the best teachers. Her strength soared, and in just six short years, she had gone from a three-ring Soul Elder to an eight-ring Soul Douluo! What's more, she didn't need to carefully select each soul ring herself—whenever her soul power reached a certain level, she would generate a soul ring on her own.

At the same time, Ye Lingtong was also active on the front lines against Evil Spirit Masters, frequently aiding the poor. She had already built a certain reputation among the common folk.

Meanwhile, the soul beasts of the Star Dou Forest grew restless. Di Tian infiltrated Martial Soul City many times to investigate, but Qian Daoliu's tight defenses forced him to return empty-handed.

Envoys from Sea God Island arrived on the continent but failed to find the root of the changes shaking the world. They now wandered aimlessly across the land.

And deep within the Angel Sanctuary, in the Crystal Cradle, Ye Su slept peacefully.

His system faithfully recorded every change in the outside world, waiting for the moment its master would awaken.

There was no choice—their fates were tied together, rising and falling as one. Though the system felt Ye Su's approach had been too radical, things had already come to this, and it had no room to choose otherwise.

Every day, Qian Daoliu personally recited scriptures for the Holy Son, nourishing his body with the purest power of light.

A fervent light of faith flickered in the eyes of this aged Peerless Douluo. He firmly believed this child would lead Martial Soul Hall to unprecedented glory.

"Soon, very soon..." Qian Daoliu gazed at the child in the cradle, who was beginning to show signs of waking, his voice trembling slightly with excitement. "The Lord may soon return, and when that day comes, the entire world will witness a true miracle!"

Over these six years, Ye Su's system silently observed everything. It recorded all that happened around Ye Su. Its intelligence level was not high enough to see beyond the Angel Sanctuary.

[Host, oh host,] the system sighed in its heart, [this sleep of yours has really stirred things up. The whole world is in chaos. When you wake up, you're going to be busy.]

It watched the countdown on the panel, which kept ticking down. There were only three days left until Ye Su's awakening.

And at the same time, a thousand miles away in Holy Soul Village, Nuoding City.

Village Chief Old Jack was organizing the village children to go awaken their spirits.

Spirits were something everyone on the Douluo Continent awakened. If a person awakened a high-quality spirit accompanied by Innate Soul Power, their entire life's trajectory would change completely. They would break free from the commoner class, step into the ranks of soul masters, and might even become a noble in their lifetime!

The thin, frail Tang San followed along with the group of children, quietly looking forward to today's spirit awakening.

The group soon arrived at the village church, which had been built just a few years ago. Word had it that the Holy Mother of Martial Soul Hall, moved by the suffering of the common people, had ordered members of Martial Soul Hall to build a church in every village. Every evening, the churches distributed food and clothing to those who couldn't afford to eat or dress themselves.

Moreover, the churches were staffed with priests and nuns sent by Martial Soul Hall. Almost every priest and nun had reached the Second Ring as a Soul Grand Master. They would awaken spirits for children of the right age for free, and would step in to defend the village when it was attacked...

In any case, Martial Soul Hall had changed a lot in recent years. Its reputation among the common people had already been decent, and now it had spawned quite a few fanatical believers!

Even Tang San had a favorable impression of Martial Soul Hall.

After all, ever since he could walk and cook for himself, his father had basically stopped caring for him. Not only did he not care, but he also made Tang San cook for him.

On top of that, Tang San's family was poor. He often couldn't get enough to eat or wear warm clothes. His only option was to collect free food and clothing from the church.

But he had to make sure his father didn't find out, because when he did, it would always end in a beating, a torrent of curses, and cold stares.

At times like this, the kind Sister Eliza would come with Old Village Chief Jack to stop Tang Hao's actions. And when Tang San was kicked out of the house, she would take him to the church and secretly give him extra meals.

The village priest, Su Yuntao, sometimes turned a blind eye to this behavior. After all, it was technically not allowed to use church food to secretly feed a child. But the boy was so pitiful—he figured it was just an act of kindness.

Yes, the entire course of the story had veered off its original path. Su Yuntao was now the resident priest of Holy Soul Village, a rank higher than his original position as a deacon.

"Old Jack, are all the children here?" Su Yuntao wore a solemn black priest's robe, holding the recently compiled Bible of Martial Soul Hall. His face no longer bore the impatience of youth or the cold pride of a wolf-type spirit master. Instead, it radiated a gentle warmth tempered by Holy Light.

Old Jack, clearly familiar with him, straightened his back and broke into a smile.

"They're all here. I'll trouble Father Su to awaken the children's spirits."

"Of course..."

Tang San stood at the very end of the line. Just then, the plump Sister Eliza hurried past him, pretending to be in a rush. As she brushed by, she slipped a large white steamed bun into his hand.

Tang San shot her a grateful look, then, making sure no one was watching, wolfed down the bun in a few bites. Only then did his stomach feel a little more settled.

Slightly different from the original timeline, Tang Hao's temper was even worse now. Ever since Martial Soul Hall's influence had grown, Tang Hao would disappear every so often, or else get dead drunk and beat or curse Tang San.

Tang San had once held some affection for his father, but that affection had been nearly worn away after countless beatings and scoldings.

The warmth that once existed between father and son was gone, replaced by cold hardness. Tang Hao no longer gave Tang San any money, and even took the money Tang San had worked hard to earn.

Things had come to this.

Old Jack, standing by to observe the ceremony, spotted Tang San at the end of the line. A flicker of pain crossed his eyes.

"That child... he's so pitiful."

The awakening ceremony proceeded in an orderly fashion. In recent years, for some reason, far more children were awakening with Innate Soul Power than before.

And this trend had started six years ago.

"...Spirit: Hoe. Innate Soul Power: Level 1. Not bad." Su Yuntao patted the boy's shoulder and said kindly, "I'll fill out your certificate later. Remember to go to a Spirit Academy for further training."

"Next, come forward!"

And now, it was finally Tang San's turn!