Martial Soul Awakening

Over the next few days, Huangfu Ji either read or practiced swordsmanship. He turned a deaf ear to matters outside. It had to be said, Yuan Hao was quite capable.

Over the past two years, the Duchy had remained very stable under his rule. Though there were occasional fluctuations among the upper ranks, the commoners at the bottom had not been affected.

That morning, after finishing his sword practice, Huangfu Ji was taking a walk through the mansion when he suddenly saw three servants pushing a cart loaded with manure buckets.

The three men were acting sneaky, like thieves. Every few steps, they looked around as though they had done something shameful and feared being discovered. This aroused Huangfu Ji's suspicions.

"Stop."

Huangfu Ji called out to them.

Caught off guard, the three men jumped in fright.

But when they saw it was Huangfu Ji, they relaxed slightly.

"Grand Duke." The three hurriedly bowed.

Huangfu Ji ignored them and looked at the manure buckets on the cart.

Just as he was about to open one, a servant stopped him.

"What are you doing?" Huangfu Ji withdrew his hand and stared at him.

The servant swallowed, sweat the size of beans streaming down his forehead and dripping onto the ground.

"Grand Duke, these are manure buckets, filled with excrement. The stench is unbearable. We were just about to dump them, so please don't dirty your eyes with them."

Huangfu Ji circled around him.

"If it's excrement, then why are you so nervous?"

"I-I need to pee. I've been holding it in." As he spoke, he squeezed his legs together and put on the appearance of someone desperately holding back urine.

The other two exchanged glances, clearly tense to the extreme. Although Huangfu Ji was a puppet, he was still the Grand Duke, someone they could not afford to offend.

Nor would Yuan Hao cause trouble for Huangfu Ji over the three of them.

"Holding in your pee?" A mischievous smile appeared on Huangfu Ji's childish face.

"Fine. Go on, pee for me to see. Just turn your back to me. No one else will see."

The servant was instantly dumbfounded. He had not expected this six-year-old Grand Duke to refuse to play along and actually tell him to pee. He didn't have any piss to begin with. If he was exposed, wouldn't that be the end of him?

"Better not. This is the Duke's Mansion. How can I just pee anywhere? If the steward sees me, I'll be beaten with a paddle."

Huangfu Ji shook his head.

"Don't worry. I'll explain the reason to him. Go ahead and pee."

When the servant remained motionless, the smile vanished from Huangfu Ji's face.

"Why aren't you peeing?"

The servant lowered his head and said nothing.

"Guards!"

At his shout, several guards clad in black iron armor arrived behind Huangfu Ji before long.

"Inspect them. See what's inside."

The guards looked at one another. He wanted them to inspect manure buckets? What was there to inspect? Besides, the stench from those buckets was so overpowering that merely standing there made them want to vomit.

"Go inspect them!" Seeing no one move, Huangfu Ji shouted again, a sense of helplessness rising within him.

He had ordered the guards to inspect the manure buckets, yet they would not even move. He was worse than a puppet.

"If the Grand Duke tells you to inspect them, then inspect them. What are you standing around for?"

A deep voice rang out. Huangfu Ji turned around to see a middle-aged man walking over. He wore a blue robe and was short in stature, yet his features were refined. He had a short beard and a smile on his face.

Having received the order, the guards immediately went to find tools and begin the inspection. The three servants panicked at once, completely at a loss for what to do.

The man walked to Huangfu Ji's side but did not bow to him, and Huangfu Ji said nothing.

This man was Yuan Hao, the Prime Minister who controlled the Duchy's military and political power, a sixty-seventh-rank Soul Emperor.

Before long, the guards returned.

"Reporting to the Prime Minister and the Grand Duke, there are several oil-paper parcels inside the manure buckets. They contain valuable jewelry."

The moment the guard finished speaking, the three servants immediately fell to their knees and kowtowed.

"Spare us! Greed got the better of us. Please spare our lives!"

Yuan Hao showed no pity as he watched the servants knock their foreheads bloody.

"Wretched slaves. You dared steal jewelry from the Duke's Mansion. You truly don't know your place."

"Drag them away and execute them."

Several guards stepped forward and dragged away the pleading servants. Before long, several miserable screams rang out, followed by silence.

"Did the Prime Minister come here for something?" Huangfu Ji asked slowly, his tone completely calm.

Yuan Hao smiled. "Tomorrow is the day of the Grand Duke's Martial Soul Awakening. This subject has made all the preparations, and someone will perform the ceremony for you tomorrow."

"So I came to inform the Grand Duke."

"All right, I understand." Huangfu Ji turned and left.

Yuan Hao remained where he was, his hands behind his back as he watched Huangfu Ji with a cold smile. His eyes were sharp as he muttered to himself.

"I hope your talent isn't too good. Otherwise..."

With a snort, he left.

He did not want Huangfu Ji to possess too much talent. Otherwise, the boy might pose a threat to his future. He had already come this far, and usurping the throne in the future was inevitable. If Huangfu Ji's talent was ordinary and he would achieve nothing in the future, then Yuan Hao could let him live a few more years.

But if his talent was too outstanding, Yuan Hao would have to make other plans.

Returning to his room, Huangfu Ji leaned against the door, his fists clenched tightly.

"Tomorrow."

Tomorrow would decide his future. If his talent was too poor, his life would probably be over. He might not even live to see Tang San's birth. Yuan Hao's seizure of the throne was only a matter of time.

But if his talent was good enough, then he would have a chance. Still, he would need to be even more careful. Yuan Hao did not want to see a Grand Duke with extraordinary talent emerge.

"Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."

He suddenly thought of that place. It was still unclaimed land now. If he had the chance in the future, he had to go there and take the herbs growing there.

But he still could not leave. Forget Qingyang City—even the Duke's Mansion was beyond his reach. Whenever he expressed a desire to go out for a walk, Yuan Hao rejected him in the name of safety.

The entire Duke's Mansion was filled with Yuan Hao's informants, and he also maintained close ties with Spirit Hall.

Eighteen years old.

Yuan Hao could serve as regent only until Huangfu Ji turned eighteen. In other words, he had only twelve years. If he could not finish everything within twelve years, then he would have to return power to Huangfu Ji.

That was obviously impossible.

After his Martial Soul Awakening, he had to leave the Duke's Mansion and go to a Soul Master Academy. The Deans of Qingyang City Junior Soul Master Academy and the Senior Soul Master Academy had both been friends of his father. They belonged to Qingyang's Loyalty Faction, so it would be safe there for the time being. He would be protected within the academies.

He did not sleep at all that night.

The next day, before dawn had fully broken, Huangfu Ji began training in the mansion. Though he had not slept all night, he was still full of energy.

An hour later, the person responsible for conducting his Martial Soul Awakening arrived at the Duke's Mansion.

The man was named Feng Yuan, an old man in his sixties with the strength of a Soul Elder. He was one of Yuan Hao's subordinates.

When Huangfu Ji arrived at the study, the old man had already prepared everything. Six black round stones were arranged on the floor, and he took out a pale blue Crystal Ball.

"Grand Duke, we may begin."

Huangfu Ji let out a breath and walked to the center of the stones. He was extremely nervous. He kept praying that his Innate Soul Power would not be too poor.

As a reincarnator, he should at least get some benefits, shouldn't he?