A Pot of Red Soup

Two years ago, Xie Yue and Yan awakened their martial souls. Both possessed level-nine Innate Soul Power, shocking the entire Orphanage.

A year ago, Hu Liena awakened as well, her Innate Soul Power reaching an astonishing level nine and a half, causing another uproar.

Today, it was finally Lin Hai's turn...

Though his future and Destiny were at stake, Lin Hai's face remained as calm as a placid lake.

The highest had been level nine the year before last, then level nine and a half last year. Calculating it as an arithmetic sequence, this year should be Innate Full Soul Power no matter what, right?

That was just self-amusement. Deep down, he had another source of confidence.

It came from a subtle change within his body—a gentle, indescribable power that had continuously nourished and transformed him like spring rain.

His hearing and sight had become exceptionally sharp, while his memory and comprehension had reached astonishing heights. It was practically like cleansing his marrow and reshaping his bones, except it had skipped the classic... pore-related stage.

Though he had no idea where it came from, Lin Hai gladly accepted it. "Whatever it is, it's a good thing!"

Besides, Hu Liena had been taken in as Bibi Dong's personal disciple last year, and her status had soared instantly.

This directly brought Lin Hai enormous "benefits"—borrowing books from Spirit Hall's collection became incredibly convenient.

With his exceptional comprehension and cheat-like memory, Lin Hai became "someone else's orphan."

In just one year, he had forced his way through eight hundred theoretical tomes on soul masters.

Not only had he read them, but he had thoroughly absorbed them, becoming the undisputed "top student" of the Orphanage.

His relentless effort gave Xie Yue and Yan an unprecedented sense of crisis.

Xie Yue began striving diligently, while Yan, whenever his hair had barely grown long enough, could not resist coming to "spar" with Lin Hai.

The result never changed: he came full of high spirits and left with his head hanging.

As for Hu Liena? The little girl's eyes shone brighter and brighter whenever she looked at Lin Hai.

After all, children grew quickly, changing with every passing year.

At six years old, Lin Hai was already no shorter than seven-year-old Hu Liena, and his face left even her biological brother Xie Yue far behind.

In the dead of night, Little Fox had probably secretly imagined the names of their future children more than a few times.

Just as Lin Hai's thoughts ran wild like an unleashed dog, the gears of Destiny finally turned to the mark that belonged to him.

"Next, Lin Hai. Stand in the middle." The deacon in charge of the awakening ceremony spoke in a booming voice that echoed through the quiet awakening room.

Lin Hai took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart as he walked toward the Hexagram Array.

His gaze swept over the pitch-black stones and the rather crude lines, and he could not help complaining inwardly:

This formation diagram that decides one's Destiny is way too slapdash...

But it did not matter. The instant he stepped into the center of the array, indescribable excitement still overwhelmed him.

Phew... I've waited three years! Three whole years!

The shout in his heart nearly burst from his throat:

Today is finally here!

"Extend your right hand." The deacon's voice pulled him back to reality.

Lin Hai did as he was told and extended his right hand. His fair palm trembled slightly. His heart pounded wildly in his chest, beating against his eardrums like a drum.

He closed his eyes and prayed devoutly, almost greedily, in his heart:

Twin Martial Souls! Golden Legend! S-S-R!

It was as if that obsession spanning two lifetimes had truly moved the will of Douluo Planet—

Boom!

What answered him was not light emerging from his right palm. Instead, his entire body was suddenly enveloped by a deep, viscous dark-red glow that flowed like lava!

The light did not rise gently. It erupted like a sea of blood compressed to its absolute limit!

Then, an anomaly suddenly appeared!

Behind Lin Hai, ten differently colored spheres of light materialized out of thin air without warning, surrounding him like stars!

They slowly revolved around Lin Hai, radiating an ancient aura that made hearts tremble.

The dark-red light enveloping him transformed into a thick, tangible pillar of light, shattering through the roof and shooting straight into the heavens!

In an instant, the sea of clouds above Spirit City, once white as cotton, seemed to have been plunged into boiling magma, violently bubbling and churning!

Within a few breaths, the clouds filling the sky had been dyed the same unsettling dark-red hue as the pillar of light.

The entire sky seemed to have become a pot of thick soup being fiercely boiled by Hellfire!

Lin Hai stared dumbfoundedly at the churning dark-red sky above him. Feeling the unfamiliar power rushing through his body, only one utterly absurd yet perfectly fitting thought remained in his mind:

Holy shit... is this... Red Soup Base???

Before Lin Hai could carefully sense the mysteries of this absurdly overpowered martial soul within him, another change occurred!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Ten figures appeared above the awakening room without warning, as if they had torn through space itself. Their powerful auras instantly froze the entire space.

The air seemed to turn viscous, and invisible pressure weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

Lin Hai's pupils contracted slightly as he swiftly swept his gaze over the ten uninvited guests: seven men, one woman, and two whose identities were uncertain...

The seven on the left all wore magnificent golden armor or robes, glittering with gold and exuding both immense wealth and imposing majesty.

The man in the center was the tallest. His features were resolute, his bearing grand, and he radiated authority without needing to show anger.

Lin Hai secretly assessed him. That face... once I'm fully grown, I'll probably only be able to beat him by a tiny margin.

The three on the right possessed an entirely different aura.

The woman in the middle had a tall, graceful figure with breathtaking curves. She held a golden scepter symbolizing supreme authority.

She wore a luxurious purple gown, her violet hair cascading like a waterfall. Her face was peerlessly beautiful yet cold as frost, her temperament transcendent and otherworldly, as though she had been crafted by the heavens themselves—it was none other than Pope Bibi Dong!

The figures at her sides, however, appeared somewhat awkward.

The one on the left was also dressed in dazzling gold, but his hands seemed to have nowhere to go. His fingers unconsciously wanted to form an orchid gesture.

He raised them halfway, then forcibly lowered them. Once lowered, his knuckles flexed uneasily, and his entire body radiated restless agitation.

The person on the right was practically merged with the shadows, dressed in a loose black robe with strange paint smeared across his face. One look was enough to tell that he belonged to some special unit.

At this moment, the two of them anxiously glanced back and forth between the seven glittering old men on the left and Pope Bibi Dong in the center. Their expressions were terrified, as if maggots had grown beneath their feet.

With a single glance, Lin Hai understood:

The Seven Great Enshrined Ones, Pope Bibi Dong, Chrysanthemum, and a little ghost... What an all-star lineup!

"Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope! Greetings, Elders!" The Orphanage staff and those conducting the awakening hurriedly bowed, their voices filled with reverence.

"You may rise." A nearly imperceptible curve lifted at Bibi Dong's lips.

Her subordinates did not recognize those old fellows from the Worship Hall, which allowed her to gain an invisible upper hand over them in public. This small victory put Bibi Dong in quite a pleasant mood.

Your Holiness the Pope's happiness was sometimes just that simple and unpretentious.