Second Martial Soul: Celestial Exile

The relationship between Spirit Hall and the two great empires was exceedingly delicate.

Its existence maintained peace between the two empires, yet also made them wary of it.

As a member of Spirit Hall, having discovered a child with outstanding talent, Mocha naturally hoped to bring him into Spirit Hall so that he could contribute to its future.

But... this child was a Heaven Dou Empire noble with a title, and Prince Xue Xing's claim was justified.

It would have been fine if the other party had not noticed, but this fellow had come here today to observe the awakening ceremony. This was going to be difficult.

Where was the hall master? Why had the hall master still not appeared?

Unaware of what Mocha was thinking, Prince Xue Xing led Poison Douluo Dugu Bo past the crowd and walked straight toward Ye Zhou.

A smile appeared on his arrogant face as he asked Ye Zhou, "Which family are you from?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, I am Baron Lieyan's son."

"Oh, so you are his child. Your father was very brave." A trace of shock flashed through Prince Xue Xing's eyes. He had some impression of Ye Zhou's father. That man had merely been an ordinary Soul Ancestor, and his Martial Soul had been extremely ordinary as well. How could his son possess such talent?

Forget it, that was not important. As long as he was the child of a noble, he was a subordinate of the royal family.

"Child, your father was once my subordinate. After awakening his Martial Soul, he studied at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. I hope you can follow in your father's footsteps and study at Heaven Dou Royal Academy as well. After graduating, you can serve the empire. Are you willing?"

The Heaven Dou Empire...

It seemed that the protagonist, Tang San, had ultimately led the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire to defeat Spirit Hall. He had not remembered incorrectly, had he?

Yes, he had not remembered wrong.

With that thought, Ye Zhou quickly weighed his options and soon made his decision.

"I am willing, Your Highness. My family has held imperial titles for generations. Serving the empire is the honor of our kind!"

"Mm, what a good child!" Prince Xue Xing was immensely pleased by those words. He liked children with such a sense of responsibility.

"Good. I will personally take you to the academy later."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Ye Zhou bowed to Prince Xue Xing.

He did not notice that behind Prince Xue Xing, Poison Douluo Dugu Bo's gaze had remained fixed on him.

Innate Full Soul Power meant that his Martial Soul was exceptionally powerful.

That Mutated Halberd Spirit, with its sun, moon, flame, and frost... was likely no weaker than the Clear Sky Hammer.

Unfortunately, this Martial Soul was clearly unrelated to poison. Otherwise, taking him as a disciple would not have been a bad thing.

With that thought, Dugu Bo shook his head.

Seeing Ye Zhou agree to Prince Xue Xing's offer, Mocha Steward's expression became exceptionally grim. He looked around in every direction, hoping to spot the hall master of the Martial Soul Holy Hall, Platinum Bishop Salas.

Unfortunately, the hall master simply did not appear.

"Hehe, stop looking. Bishop Salas was invited by His Majesty to a banquet in the palace. He will not be back anytime soon." Noticing Mocha Steward's actions, Prince Xue Xing smiled at him.

Mocha: "..."

Half an hour later, Spirit Hall's stewards had awakened Martial Souls for every child in the hall.

Including Ye Zhou, Prince Xue Xing selected seven children in total and invited them to join Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

"Thank you all for your hard work in awakening the Martial Souls of my empire's noble children!" Prince Xue Xing waved his hand, then left the Martial Soul Holy Hall with Ye Zhou and the others.

Behind them, the expressions of Spirit Hall's stewards were exceedingly ugly.

If not for His Holiness the Pope's restrictions, you people... Hmph!

Crown Prince's Mansion.

"Young Master." A figure suddenly appeared behind Crown Prince Xue Qinghe.

"What is it?" Xue Qinghe asked as he reviewed memorials from across the Heaven Dou Empire.

"This morning, Prince Xue Xing brought Dugu Bo to the Martial Soul Holy Hall to observe this year's Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony. He took seven children away from there," Pufferfish Douluo said.

"Most of Heaven Dou Empire's nobles are useless, and their descendants will not amount to much either. The few worth paying attention to have already enrolled. What good seedlings could he possibly find? Let him do as he wishes." Xue Qinghe did not turn around.

"Young Master, I initially thought the same, but this year is different. There really was a promising child."

"Oh?" Xue Qinghe stopped flipping through the memorials and turned to look at Pufferfish Douluo behind him.

Meeting Xue Qinghe's gaze, Pufferfish Douluo said solemnly, "That child awakened a mutated halberd Martial Soul possessing both scorching heat and bitter chill. Its quality is extraordinary, and he also has Innate Full Soul Power."

Upon hearing this, Xue Qinghe's expression gradually turned serious as well.

A mutated halberd Martial Soul.

Scorching heat and bitter chill coexisting.

Innate Full Soul Power.

In that case, while he was inferior to me, he was indeed a genius.

Such a genius could not fall into Prince Xue Xing's hands.

With that thought, he considered it briefly before ordering, "Elder Pufferfish, make the arrangements. I want to meet that child."

"Yes."

"By the way, what is his name?"

"Ye Zhou."

Night, Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Under Prince Xue Xing's arrangements, Ye Zhou completed his enrollment without issue. As someone with a noble title, he did not need to pay tuition to study here. Not only that, he had his own Single Dormitory.

At that moment, he sat in his dormitory, contemplating his future.

Though he had never read the Douluo Continent novel, this was a fantasy world. In a fantasy world, the most important thing for survival was undoubtedly strength.

Today, both Spirit Hall's steward and the prince of the Heaven Dou Empire had competed to claim him because they valued his talent. They believed his Martial Soul was of high quality and that he would surely become very powerful in the future.

However, strength that had not yet matured was ultimately like the moon reflected in water or flowers in a mirror. Therefore, he had to work hard and study properly at this royal academy.

Do not forget, Gods could be attained in this world!

Besides...

He opened his left hand.

"Buzz~" A mass of holy light emerged. The next moment, clouds and rosy mist formed around him, while a jade ceremonial umbrella appeared in his hand.

The umbrella ribs were gleaming white throughout and semi-transparent, with pale green Soul Power channels flowing visibly within. There were twenty-four ribs in total, each set with a silver nail bearing a star pattern.

The canopy seemed to be woven from snow silkworm silk. It was as thin as a cicada's wing, yet difficult to damage even with blades or swords. A dynamic ink-wash landscape was painted across its surface.

The handle was wrapped in draconic sinew, and a bronze bell hung from its end, engraved with the two characters: Tianfang.

Holding it, Ye Zhou suddenly felt a sense of security he had never experienced before.

At the same time, he sensed the nature of his second Martial Soul: Celestial Exile, invincible defense!

"Buzz~" He closed his left hand and dismissed the Martial Soul. Ye Zhou narrowed his eyes slightly and thought, I actually have two Martial Souls. Am I the only one, or did the others this morning have them too, only without revealing them? No, judging from their expressions, they all believed they had only one Martial Soul. So... am I special?

Staring at his hands, Ye Zhou remained silent for a long while before raising his head to look at the ceiling.

This feeling was quite nice!