Martial Soul Awakening

Hearing that his father had actually brought back an Awakening Stone, Xiao Linyi was somewhat surprised.

According to the books, the method of making Awakening Stones was classified, and they were controlled resources across the continent. They were basically all in the hands of empires and nobles. If private individuals wanted to buy one, the price was exorbitant. Moreover, Awakening Stones could only be used for Martial Soul Awakening and required a Soul Master's guidance to activate, making private purchases highly uneconomical. Thus, those who bought Awakening Stones were generally major clans or sects.

Ordinary people who wanted to undergo Martial Soul Awakening would usually go to an empire or noble, pay a certain fee, and have the nobles help them awaken.

As the greatest city in the world, Shrek City naturally had Awakening Stones in the City Lord's Mansion. But Xiao Linyi had not expected Lin Qingxuan to bring one home. He had thought they would go to the City Lord's Mansion for his Martial Soul Awakening. Could the City Lord's Mansion really be that accommodating?

But with his Martial Soul Awakening imminent, Xiao Linyi had no spare thoughts to dwell on such matters...

Watching Lin Qingxuan arrange the Awakening Stones into a hexagram formation, Xiao Linyi suddenly found himself unable to calm down.

Thump, thump.

The sound of his heartbeat rang by his ears, making him even more agitated in this situation.

"Xiao Yi, stand in the middle."

Hearing this, Xiao Linyi instinctively looked up and met Lin Qingxuan's gentle gaze.

Ouyang Xi stepped forward as well, looking at her son encouragingly. "Good boy, it's all right. Your father and mother are both here!"

For some reason, his heart settled. Xiao Linyi nodded, walked into the hexagram formation, and slowly let out a breath.

"Dad, I'm ready."

Seeing that Xiao Linyi was prepared, Lin Qingxuan summoned his own Martial Soul, and several Soul Rings of different colors appeared around him.

But Xiao Linyi, standing within the formation, widened his eyes at the sight.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven!

Seven Soul Rings?!

A parasol tree with broad leaves and a dense aura of life appeared before Lin Qingxuan. A full seven Soul Rings floated around his body!

His father was actually a powerful Soul Saint?!

Moreover, two yellow, two purple, and three black. Xiao Linyi remembered reading in a book that this seemed to be called the optimal Soul Ring configuration.

A Soul Saint with the optimal Soul Ring configuration? His father was actually this powerful?

Lin Yi's thoughts were in turmoil. It was somewhat like the son of a breakfast shop owner in the Otherworld suddenly discovering that his father was actually a millionaire, making him a second-generation rich kid as well.

Outside the formation, Lin Qingxuan sent out six streams of Soul Power at once, each entering an Awakening Stone. At once, a hazy golden radiance emerged from the six Awakening Stones, forming a pale golden barrier that enveloped Xiao Linyi.

The moment the barrier covered him, Xiao Linyi's previously chaotic thoughts calmed. As points of light entered his body one after another, warmth became his only sensation. That warm aura seeped into his body.

Xiao Linyi seemed to hear something shatter within him. The warm aura instantly surged toward his palm. He instinctively raised his right hand, and a tiny tree, entirely brilliant gold as though cast from gold itself, appeared and floated quietly above his hand.

At the very moment Xiao Linyi's Martial Soul awakened, at the center of Sea God Island in the Inner Court of Shrek Academy...

An ancient tree of brilliant gold, like the small tree in Xiao Linyi's hand enlarged in perfect proportion, suddenly burst forth with light.

An endless aura of radiance condensed in the blink of an eye, followed by a pillar of light shooting into the heavens. Everyone in Shrek City felt a warm aura, as though their bodies had been purified. Their bodies felt warm all over, indescribably comfortable.

On Sea God Island in the Inner Court, several white-haired elders suddenly rushed out of the Sea God Pavilion, displaying agility and speed utterly at odds with their appearances. They were the Elders of the Sea God Pavilion.

"What happened to the Golden Ancient Tree?"

"Why did it suddenly erupt?"

"Could the academy be under attack by an outside enemy?"

"Why didn't we sense anything at all?"

A disheveled old man raised his hand, stopping the Elders' barrage of questions.

"I have not sensed the presence of any enemy. We should go ask Mu En."

"Right, right, right. Only Mu En can stir the Golden Ancient Tree. Mu En must know."

"Enough. I'll explain the details to you later. Disperse for now."

An aged voice suddenly rang out from within the Sea God Pavilion.

"But how do we explain this to the students? There was such a huge disturbance just now, and the Inner Court students were all there."

"Calm them down first. In any case, this should not be a bad thing."

The aged voice spoke again.

The Elders finally put their worries to rest. Mu En was the academy's stabilizing pillar. If he said it was not a bad thing, then it should be fine.

They then dispersed to calm the startled students.

Meanwhile, the owner of that aged voice within the Sea God Pavilion had vanished without anyone knowing when.

At Dawn Clothing Store, Lin Qingxuan and Ouyang Xi had also sensed that warm aura just now, but they did not think much of it. Number One Academy of the Continent, Shrek Academy, was right here—what danger could there possibly be? Besides, that warm aura had contained no hostility whatsoever.

Xiao Linyi was still undergoing Martial Soul Awakening. Unless the sky came crashing down and they had to flee with him for their lives, nothing was more important than Xiao Linyi right now.

The couple looked at the little tree in Xiao Linyi's hand, exchanging puzzled glances. It did not seem to be the Martial Soul of either one of them.

Feeling the dense aura of radiance and life emanating from the little tree, the same thought appeared in both their minds.

"Martial Soul Mutation!"

Xiao Linyi had been studying his Martial Soul when he suddenly heard his parents' voices. His heart gave a slight jolt, followed by a bitter smile. He had always been thinking about Martial Soul Mutation, yet in the end, his Martial Soul had truly mutated. He just did not know whether it was a beneficial mutation or a harmful one...

Lin Qingxuan took out a crystal ball and handed it to Xiao Linyi.

"Come, place your hand on it and test how much Innate Soul Power you have."

Xiao Linyi looked a little nervous. "Dad, you and Mom said my Martial Soul is a mutated Martial Soul. Is that a beneficial mutation or a harmful one?"

Lin Qingxuan was somewhat surprised when he heard that. "You know about that too? Looks like you really have learned a lot from books."

"Don't worry. Although it's mutated, your Martial Soul's aura is very powerful. It should be a beneficial mutation."

Xiao Linyi breathed a sigh of relief and placed his hand on the crystal ball.

The crystal ball instantly lit up. Dazzling blue light spread through the entire ball in the blink of an eye, making it sparkle like a brilliant gemstone. A faint blue halo seeped out, breathtakingly beautiful.

"This is... Innate Full Soul Power!"

Ouyang Xi exclaimed excitedly.

"No, something seems unusual."

Lin Qingxuan noticed something was off. The crystal ball's glow was still intensifying. Logically, it should not have been like this. Innate Full Soul Power was rare, but not unheard of. Nothing like this had ever appeared in existing records.

Suddenly, with a crack, a fissure appeared on the crystal ball. Before long, cracks covered its entire surface. With a crash, the crystal ball shattered, scattering across the floor from Lin Qingxuan's hand.

For a moment, the room fell silent...

Lin Qingxuan and Ouyang Xi's eyes were full of disbelief. This crystal ball was specifically used to test Innate Soul Power, and it had never malfunctioned throughout its long history. What was going on with it shattering today?

Xiao Linyi, meanwhile, looked alarmed. Could there be nothing wrong with my Martial Soul, but something wrong with my Soul Power?

But this is Innate Soul Power. I've never read anything about Innate Soul Power having problems.

Am I unable to become a Soul Master?