Lord Bishop, I Haven't Awakened My Martial Soul Yet!

"Xue'er,"

"about this matter,"

"Grandpa has agreed as well,"

Qian Daoliu gently patted Qian Renxue's slender back,

his voice clearly reaching Qian Renxue's ears.

"Grandpa, you agreed too?!"

"Does Grandpa also think"

"that I'm completely unnecessary in Spirit Hall?!"

Upon hearing Qian Daoliu's words,

Qian Renxue abruptly lifted her head from his embrace,

tears slid from the corners of her eyes like pearls from a broken string,

and that tearful appearance

would soften even the hardest heart.

Qian Daoliu was not made of stone,

so seeing his granddaughter so wronged

naturally pained him deeply,

but

he had his own reasons for doing this.

Ever since that incident,

that woman could no longer be judged by ordinary standards.

She had been consumed by darkness,

a darkness that not even the Holy Light of angels could dispel!

His son had already died at that woman's hands.

To preserve the Qian Family's only bloodline,

and to ensure that his granddaughter, chosen by God, could successfully inherit the divine throne,

he had to keep her far away from the Spirit Hall that was gradually being covered in webs!

"This matter is of immense importance,"

"and it must be handled by someone Spirit Hall absolutely trusts."

"Furthermore,"

"only you, Xue'er, can absorb that Spirit Bone."

"So,"

"for Spirit Hall,"

"and for the Qian Family,"

"you are the only candidate."

Qian Daoliu gently brushed through Qian Renxue's golden long hair,

his gaze leaving no room for doubt.

"For Spirit Hall?"

"I understand,"

"Grandpa."

Qian Renxue silently nodded,

having evidently made up her mind as well.

Although that woman had never called her daughter,

nor had she ever allowed her to call her Mother,

deep in her heart,

she still longed for maternal love.

Therefore,

rather than saying Qian Daoliu had persuaded Qian Renxue,

it would be more accurate to say that Qian Renxue had persuaded herself.

"All right,"

"Xue'er,"

"don't be unhappy anymore."

"Grandpa will take you around Spirit City."

"Although Heaven Dou City is the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire,"

"it may not be as magnificent as our Spirit City."

To ease Qian Renxue's mood,

Qian Daoliu suggested taking a walk around Spirit City.

Qian Renxue

did not refuse.

Whether she would ever be able to return to Spirit City after going to Heaven Dou City

had already become uncertain.

As the hometown where she had grown up,

she truly should take a good look around,

as though it were a final farewell.

Awakening Plaza,

the endless autumn rain had finally stopped.

Although the sky remained gray and overcast,

the dampness had lessened somewhat.

Amid the barely concealed excitement in the eyes of the children in the plaza,

a Red-robed Bishop stepped onto the Awakening Platform.

"The Spirit Awakening Ceremony now begins."

"Those whose names are called, come up."

"Other than that,"

"no one else is permitted to move, make noise, or pull any little tricks!"

"Violators will be stripped of their right to awaken their Martial Soul,"

"and will never awaken one!"

The voice of Red-robed Bishop Jerev, wrapped in Soul Power, rang throughout Awakening Plaza,

clearly reaching everyone's ears.

As his voice fell,

the entire Awakening Plaza fell silent.

Some even slowed their breathing considerably,

afraid that they might displease Jerev and lose their qualification to awaken their Martial Soul.

Watching the crowd below tremble in silence,

a hint of intoxication appeared on Jerev's face.

The feeling of so easily controlling others' fates was something he could not get enough of.

"A Red-robed Bishop?!"

"For an ordinary awakening ceremony,"

"why would a Red-robed Bishop be present?!"

Looking at the red-robed figure on the Awakening Platform,

Lin Du's expression darkened further.

Just then,

Jerev's gaze suddenly swept across the crowd.

Though it was extremely quick,

Lin Du still keenly sensed

that his gaze had lingered on him for a moment!

At that moment,

Jerev's voice rang out again.

"Chen Fei."

As his voice fell,

a somewhat thin and scrawny boy stepped out from the line,

trembling as he walked into the awakening formation,

his face carrying a trace of timidity.

"Close your eyes,"

"and feel carefully."

After leaving those words,

Jerev lightly stamped his right foot.

White, yellow, yellow, yellow, purple, purple—six Spirit Rings appeared around him.

At the same time,

the phantom of an Alligator Turtle appeared behind him.

The next second,

his already somewhat fat body became even more bloated.

His head, limbs, and back

all showed obvious signs of bestial transformation.

He looked like an incompletely transformed Alligator Turtle.

After summoning his Martial Soul,

Jerev sent out a strand of Soul Power,

striking the six-pointed formation beneath Chen Fei's feet.

The next second,

golden light burst forth from the formation.

An invisible force lifted Chen Fei,

suspending his entire body in midair.

"Extend your right hand."

Chen Fei obediently held out his right hand.

Before long,

specks of light gathered in his palm,

eventually forming a miniature long staff.

"A long staff."

"It barely counts as a Weapon Spirit."

"Come test your Soul Power."

Jerev glanced at the long staff in Chen Fei's palm,

his face utterly expressionless.

He raised his right hand,

and a Spirit Power Crystal flew from his palm,

floating before Chen Fei.

Chen Fei bit his lip tightly,

then nervously reached out to touch the Spirit Power Crystal before him.

The next second,

dim light burst from the Spirit Power Crystal.

That flickering light

was barely brighter than a candle flame.

After several breaths,

the light gathered within the crystal ball,

forming the number "1" on its surface.

"Innate Soul Power Level 1?"

"What a waste of time."

"Get lost."

"Next."

"Liu Qi."

After glancing at the number on the Spirit Power Crystal, disgust flashed through Jerev's eyes.

With a wave of his hand, he flung Chen Fei aside.

They immediately began calling the next name.

"Liu Qi has no Soul Power."

"Waste Spirit."

"Next!"

One child after another stepped onto the platform, some nervous, some expectant,

but in the end,

they all walked down with disappointed faces.

Guo Kai's lackeys also went up for their turn.

As expected,

they all had trash Martial Souls,

with barely any Soul Power,

and would probably never break through to become Spirit Masters in their entire lives.

"Next."

"Guo Kai."

Amid the quiet encouragement of his lackeys,

Guo Kai shot Lin Du a malicious look

before striding toward the Awakening Platform.

Not long after,

a bear's roar rang across the entire Awakening Plaza.

Immediately afterward,

a massive bear wreathed in flames appeared behind Guo Kai.

The smile Jerev had revealed when Guo Kai stepped onto the platform grew even broader.

He tossed over the Spirit Power Crystal.

"Test your Soul Power."

Guo Kai obediently placed his palm on the crystal ball.

The next second,

a somewhat dazzling light emerged.

Under Guo Kai's nervous, expectant gaze,

the number "7" slowly appeared.

"Beast Spirit: Explosive Fire Bear."

"Innate Soul Power, level 7."

"A fine prospect."

The smile on Jerev's face deepened further.

He even reached out and patted Guo Kai's shoulder,

looking as though he were regarding an outstanding nephew of his own.

"Thank you, Uncle Jerev!"

In his excitement,

Guo Kai did not even bother pretending,

directly calling him uncle.

After stepping down from the platform,

Guo Kai naturally received all sorts of flattery from his lackeys.

"As expected of Young Master Guo!"

"It'd be one thing if it were a Mutated Martial Soul,"

"but his Innate Soul Power is actually level 7!"

"Doesn't that mean"

"Young Master Guo has a chance of becoming a Title Douluo in the future?!"

Just as Lackey Number One finished speaking,

Lackey Number Two interrupted him with an indignant look.

"What do you mean, 'has a chance'?"

"It's already set in stone, okay?!"

"Right, right, right."

"Listen to this mouth of mine."

"It really deserves a beating."

Lackey Number One broke out in a cold sweat

and immediately slapped himself across the face.

Listening to the flattery from his lackeys,

every pore on Guo Kai's body seemed to open.

He was so pleased that he nearly trembled.

Seeing that nearly every possible compliment for Guo Kai had already been spoken,

the lackey who could not get a word in simply took another approach.

"Wasn't someone pretty sharp-tongued just now?"

"Why isn't he saying a single word now?"

"Could it be that he's still dreaming of awakening a Martial Soul stronger than Young Master Guo's?"

"If that's the case,"

"then I'd advise you to go home and sleep right now."

"Because that way,"

"your chances might even be higher!"

The lackey's words also made the elated Guo Kai remember Lin Du's existence.

His gaze fell on Lin Du's back,

his face filled with undisguised smugness.

"Lin Du."

"Give up that unrealistic fantasy of yours."

"I'll make this clear today."

"As long as I, Guo Kai, am here,"

"don't even think about awakening a Martial Soul."

"You dared to go against this young master."

"I'll make sure you don't even have the right to awaken a Martial Soul!"

With Guo Kai exposing himself,

Lin Du now understood the malicious targeting behind his actions.

In response,

Lin Du showed no reaction at all.

He continued staring fixedly at Jerev on the Awakening Platform,

making sure he could clearly hear every name Jerev called.

Yet as time passed,

even after Jerev closed the roster,

Lin Du had still not heard his own name.

"The Spirit Awakening Ceremony is over."

"Everyone, leave in an orderly manner."

After saying that,

Jerev turned to leave.

But at that moment,

a young yet sonorous voice suddenly rang out from the plaza.

"Lord Bishop."

"I haven't awakened my Martial Soul yet!"

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