Martial Soul Awakening

"Ahhh! Dad, don't just hit half my butt!"

"Stop, stop hitting me, Dad! I really know I was wrong! I swear I'll never take the initiative to look for my little brother again!!"

"..."

After a long, long time, the sound of thorn branches striking flesh finally stopped, and Lin Aotian's screams gradually faded away.

Lin Tu set the thorn branch on the table, then sat heavily in a chair, glaring sternly at his eldest son, who was already twenty-one and kneeling before him.

"Didn't I tell you not to approach your little brother without my permission?"

Lin Aotian said with a face full of grievance, "I felt bad that my little brother was living such a hard life. What was wrong with taking him out to enjoy himself?"

The veins on Lin Tu's forehead bulged as he fought back the urge to grab the thorn branch again.

"Your idea of enjoyment was taking your little brother to a brothel?! He's only six!

Have you forgotten why your mother and I gave up a life of fine clothes and rich food, disguising ourselves as ordinary farmers to live in the countryside with your little brother?"

Lin Aotian curled his lips. "Who knows what you two were thinking? You wanted to suffer yourselves, and you had to drag my little brother into suffering with you."

Lin Tu shouted angrily, "Isn't it because you, as his older brother, are so useless? You don't have a shred of sense in that head of yours. All you do every day is drink, feast, and indulge yourself, throwing your family's influence around as you eat, drink, and play everywhere without doing a single proper thing.

Do you know what people outside call you? Heaven Dou City's number-one wastrel!!

What an impressive title. You're going to squander away our family's reputation!!"

Lin Aotian retorted indignantly, "What does me being a wastrel have to do with my little brother? Besides, isn't life about being happy and enjoying yourself? I don't think I'm wrong!"

Lin Tu raised a hand to his forehead, his face full of helplessness.

"How did I end up having a son like you?

Then let me ask you this. You may be enjoying yourself now, but when your grandfather and I are gone, what will happen to our enormous family estate? Can a wastrel like you, who knows nothing, possibly hold it together?"

"I obviously... can't..." Lin Aotian had wanted to say he could, but after thinking about it carefully, he suddenly realized that he really could not.

"At least you have some self-awareness." Lin Tu nodded, then rose to his feet.

"From now on, you are not allowed to look for your little brother without my permission. You're beyond saving, but your little brother is different.

All of the family's hopes rest on him. He cannot become a wastrel like you, or our family will truly have no successor."

Lin Aotian muttered under his breath, "My little brother doesn't even know I'm his brother. What's wrong with seeing him?"

Lin Tu snorted coldly.

"Remember this—

One who keeps company with vermilion becomes red; one who keeps company with ink becomes black!

If your little brother turns into an ignorant wastrel like you, then our family will truly be finished!"

If I could, I'd really like to be a wastrel! But unfortunately, reality won't allow it. This family will have to depend on me in the future if we want to live a prosperous life.

I just hope I awaken a mutated martial soul of decent quality tomorrow. Otherwise, with Father and Mother's useless broken iron sword martial souls, if it doesn't mutate, I'll never become a soul master in this lifetime.

Lying on his small bed, Lin Tianyi prayed silently. Gradually, his eyelids closed, and he drifted into dreamland.

In his dream, he awakened a top-tier martial soul, rose rapidly to prominence, became a Title Douluo, gave his parents a good life, and fulfilled the dream he had always wanted to achieve.

Dreaming that he had fulfilled his dream, the sleeping Lin Tianyi smiled happily, his tender little face with red lips and white teeth looking especially adorable. He murmured in his sleep, "Hehe... being a wastrel is really great..."

When he opened his eyes again, his mother was gently waking him. The sky was already bright, and a red sun had risen in the east, casting brilliant yet gentle sunlight.

After a simple breakfast, Lin Tu and Qin Hui held Lin Tianyi's little hands and headed toward the Holy Hall for the martial soul awakening.

Only when they arrived did Lin Tianyi realize that his family was the last to come. The three children from Lin Family Village who had turned six that year, along with their elders, had already gathered before the grand gates of the Holy Hall.

When Lin Tianyi's family arrived, the elders greeted Lin Tu and Qin Hui. Lin Tu still wore the look of an honest, simple farmer as he smiled foolishly and returned the villagers' greetings.

At that moment, the three six-year-old children ran over to Lin Tianyi, their little faces full of anticipation and excitement.

One of them, a somewhat dark and chubby little boy, looked at Lin Tianyi and asked excitedly, "Brother Tianyi, we're about to awaken our martial souls. Are you excited? Nervous?"

Lin Tianyi rolled his eyes at him. "Gou Dan, isn't that obvious? This is a major event that will decide our futures. How could I not be excited and nervous?"

The other two little boys also said with grins that they were excited and nervous too.

The thin little boy in blue was named Lin Zhuzi. The little boy in gray, with a pair of small eyes, was named Lin Shitou.

The simple farmers believed that lowly names were easier to raise, so aside from Lin Tianyi, every child in Lin Family Village had this kind of name. As a result, Lin Tianyi's normal name had instead become the odd one out.

Before long, the Spirit Hall personnel responsible for awakening martial souls arrived at Lin Family Village.

The visitor was a young man in his twenties. He wore a fitted white outfit with a black cape draped over his back, and at the center of his chest was a fist-sized character for "soul."

The village chief of Lin Family Village greeted him with a smile, bowing at the waist in salute.

The young man carried a pride of his own between his brows. He returned the salute perfunctorily, saying that he was in a hurry. Without any further nonsense, he pushed open the doors of the Holy Hall and strode inside.

At the village chief's call, Lin Tianyi and the three six-year-old children entered the Holy Hall, while their elders remained outside. Lin Tu and Qin Hui stayed outside as well.

Watching Lin Tianyi enter the Holy Hall, Qin Hui transmitted her voice softly to Lin Tu. "Dear, do you think Tianyi will inherit your Dragon Flame Sword martial soul, or my Green Peak Sword martial soul?"

Lin Tu still wore an honest, simple expression as he replied through voice transmission without betraying a hint of emotion. "It should be my Dragon Flame Sword martial soul. But we've always disguised ourselves as having useless broken iron sword martial souls. Once Tianyi comes out, we'll act pleasantly surprised and say his martial soul mutated. Don't give anything away."

Qin Hui nodded slightly.

The interior of the Holy Hall was spacious. Lin Tianyi and the other three stood in a row, looking expectantly at the young man from Spirit Hall before them.

The young man's attitude was much gentler toward children awakening their martial souls. He smiled and said, "My name is Su Yuntao. I am a level-twenty-six Soul Grandmaster, and I will be your guide.

Now, I will awaken your martial souls one by one. Remember, no matter what happens, do not be afraid."

As he spoke, Su Yuntao took out the equipment for the martial soul awakening: six pitch-black round stones and a gleaming blue crystal ball.

Lin Goudan and the other two stared curiously at the round stones and blue crystal ball without blinking.

Lin Tianyi, however, was incredibly excited and thrilled inside.

Su Yuntao was presiding over the martial soul awakening. Having read countless Douluo fanfics before transmigrating, Lin Tianyi instantly felt that he had this in the bag. He had the makings of a god!

No matter what happened during the awakening next, he would not find it surprising. Even if a system suddenly appeared, he would think it perfectly reasonable!