Awakening the Martial Soul

Liu Feng engaged in his daily unyielding routine, strictly adhering to a set plan to immerse himself in workouts suited to his age and intensity.

Even when sweat soaked his clothes and muscle soreness was hard to bear, he never once had a sliver of a thought of giving up.

Time passed in a flash, fleeting like a white horse leaping across a crevice, and Liu Feng gradually grew into adulthood under the baptism of the years.

His hard work did not go to waste, and all his dedication began to bear abundant fruit.

Now, his physical quality far exceeded that of his peers, and his whole body radiated exuberant vigor and strength.

Liu Feng's willpower was also tempered.

As the day of the martial soul awakening drew increasingly closer, Liu Feng's heart was intertwined and filled with two emotions: hope and tension.

He knew very well that the martial soul awakening would become a major turning point in his life, completely deciding the direction of his future.

Yet before this, the only thing he could do was seize every second, tempering his physique as much as possible to make full preparations for the upcoming awakening.

Father Liu Qing looked at his son's appearance of toiling day and night, his heart filled with a relieved smile.

Yet he also understood the natural limitations of the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, which might become heavy obstacles on Liu Feng's future path.

However, he could only place high hopes on his son, silently giving support and encouragement behind his back.

Just like that, as cold and heat alternated and the years shifted, Liu Feng welcomed his sixth birthday amid day-after-day workouts and studies, which also meant that the moment of the martial soul awakening was about to arrive.

On the eve of the awakening, Liu Feng tossed and turned on the bed, finding it difficult to fall asleep.

He wished with all his heart that he could awaken a powerful martial soul and start a cheat-like life.

Yet he was afraid that he would repeat his family's old path, and the awakened martial soul would still be the Blue Silver Grass viewed by everyone as a trash martial soul, without even any soul power.

At the same time, father Liu Qing, as one of only two soul masters in the village, wiped the awakening stones repeatedly with a solemn expression under the dim oil lamp.

The lamplight flickered, reflecting his face full of worry; he knew his son's destiny was about to be rewritten tomorrow, and he could only silently pray at the bottom of the heart.

At the very center of Liu Family Village stood a quaint little stone house.

This stone house was no simple place; it was both the ancestral hall where the villagers sacrificed to their ancestors and passed down family culture, and the spirit hall carrying the dreams and hopes of the children.

In front of the stone house was an open clearing.

On ordinary days, this was the venue where villagers dried grain, and also a place where the village children played normally.

Today, however, it was meticulously arranged to be solemn and respectful, because the annual martial soul awakening ceremony was about to be held here—a moment of vital importance in life for every child.

At the third quarter of the Mao Hour, the edge of the sky just took on a trace of faint light, and the morning mist still coiled softly around the millstone at the village entrance like a light gauze.

Liu Feng wore a blue cloth tunic that had faded somewhat from washing, his figure appearing slightly thin. He squatted on the ground, listlessly counting the newly sprouted wild amaranth in the cracks of the green bricks.

Not far away, seven or eight children of similar age formed a crooked line in front of the ancestral hall.

Among them, Cuihua had a small bronze bell tied to the tip of her braid; following her movements, the bell emitted a crisp and pleasant ding-dong sound.

Iron Egg wiped his snot with his cuff from time to time, his appearance utterly endearing; Wang Xiaohu stood to one side, proudly showing off the new silver neck-ring his dad had just hammered for him, his eyes full of pride.

Creak—a long and dull sound of the door axis turning broke the early morning peace, and everyone subconsciously held their breath, casting their gazes uniformly toward the ancestral hall doors.

They saw Liu Qing walk slowly out from inside the ancestral hall; his pace was steady and powerful, and the silver tassels hanging from his waist swayed gently as he walked, casting patches of dappled light onto the bluestone slab.

Liu Feng's gaze stared fixedly at the jade plaque at his father's waist, where the words "Level 29 Soul Grand Master" already gleamed brightly under the polishing of time.

In his eyes, this seemed like an impassable chasm, symbolizing power and the unreachable.

Today, Liu Qing wore fine clothing in a cyan hue, appearing exceptionally solemn.

Behind him, a black cape fluttered gently in the wind, adding a few parts of majesty.

At the very center of his chest, a striking golden "Soul" character shone brilliantly.

On his left chest, a badge carved with a long sword was particularly eye-catching, with three long swords intersecting and standing upright on the badge; this not only represented his identity as a soul grandmaster, but also indicated that he came from the Spirit Hall and was a battle soul master.

Still, actually Liu Qing was not an official member of the Spirit Hall; he was merely outsourced personnel found to help out by some battle soul master.

After all, the Douluo Continent was so vast; although many soul masters of the Spirit Hall were very dedicated, such as the legendary "blind-eyed god of power—Su Yuntao".

Yet there were also quite a few lazy Spirit Hall members, and at such times they would find ways to outsource, farming out some small places and rather unimportant villages.

He got carried away; as the village chief of Liu Family Village, and also an elder to the children, Liu Qing knew what heavy significance the martial soul awakening had for these children.

His own martial soul was the Blue Silver Grass; despite the Douluo Continent being a place where the strong gathered like clouds, the Blue Silver Grass was sneered at by many people, regarded as a worthless trash martial soul.

Yet in Liu Family Village, it was the symbol of the family's generation-to-generation heritage, carrying the memories and expectations of countless predecessors.

"Children, today is the most important moment in your lives—the day of martial soul awakening."

"Regardless of what kind of martial soul you awaken, you must firmly remember that this is a unique talent bestowed upon you by heaven, and also a sacred mission you shoulder."

"Do not feel abashed because of external prejudice and evaluation, nor blindly envy the martial souls of others."

"Because every single one of you is unique and irreplaceable." Liu Qing's voice was low and powerful, echoing for a long time over the empty clearing.

The children all listened quietly, their eyes flashing with curiosity and yearning for the unknown.

Liu Feng stood in the middle of the line, his small hands clenched tightly into fists, his palms already soaked with sweat.

His heart was like it had caught a little rabbit, bouncing up and down with agitation and anxiety.

He knew the family martial soul was the Blue Silver Grass, and he also understood that some children might luckily mutate and awaken powerful martial souls.

Right now he could do nothing, and could only pray silently in his heart, hoping his martial soul wouldn't be too poor and wouldn't lack every trace of hope.

Liu Qing carefully retrieved a crystal-clear blue crystal ball from the ancestral hall, and also took out six pitch-black and shining stones, placing them gently in front of Liu Feng.

Subsequently, he meticulously arranged the six black stones on the ground into a regular hexagon.

"Liu Feng, you go first." Liu Qing's voice was gentle and firm, pulling Liu Feng back from his chaotic thoughts.

Liu Feng took a deep breath, striving to calm himself down, and walked with slightly trembling steps to the exact center of the hexagon.

"Martial Soul—Blue Silver Grass!" Following Liu Qing's low shout, a wisp of faint green light was slowly released from the palm of his right hand, resembling an agile little snake that rapidly spread along his arm to his entire body.

In the blink of an eye, a giant Blue Silver Grass emerged from the soil, growing rapidly to completely enshroud Liu Qing's physique and taking deep root beneath his feet.

The leaves of the Blue Silver Grass stretched wantonly in the breeze, seeming to display its tenacious life force to the world.

Immediately following that, Liu Qing danced his hands rapidly, his ten fingers flying as six wisps of faint green light shot like an arrow from the bow, precisely injecting into the six black stones on the ground.

In a flash, a layer of golden radiance was surgingly released from the six stones, rapidly converging into a light gold light shield that enveloped Liu Feng securely within.

Dots of shimmering light slowly drifted out from the black stones on the ground, resembling tiny stars drifting lightly into Liu Feng's body.

Liu Feng only felt as though he were enveloped by a warm and soft water current, his entire body warm and filled with an indescribable coziness and comfort.

Yet before long, this comfort gradually vanished, replaced by bodily numbness and slight trembling.

He wanted to shout, but his throat felt as though it were choked by something, unable to produce a single sound.

Still, he could clearly feel a mysterious and warm power transmitting from the soul stone, resembling a gentle large hand guiding him and leading him into a wondrous and ethereal state.

His eyes slowly closed, and a blurred yet fantastical scene gradually floated up in his mind.

Within that scene, he saw a boundless forest, deep inside which lay a tranquil patch of grass.

On the grass grew a strange kind of blue grass, emitting a faint light as if waving to him cordially and calling for his arrival.

A strong sense of familiarity suddenly surged in Liu Feng's heart, and he understood instantly that this was his martial soul—the Blue Silver Grass.

"Extend your right hand." Liu Qing's voice rang out at the right moment, breaking this silence.

Liu Feng instinctively extended his right hand, and at this exact instant, all the light points surged out like a surging tide, converging in his palm.

In the twinkling of an eye, a delicate and exquisite Blue Silver Grass appeared in the palm of his hand, with crystal-clear dew hanging on its blades, gleaming with a charming radiance under the sunlight.

"It really is the Blue Silver Grass!" Liu Feng opened his eyes abruptly and spoke involuntarily.

As expected, Liu Feng looked at his martial soul; right now he didn't think of anything else, only that his heartbeat was very fast.

A relieved smile appeared on Liu Qing's face, his eyes full of parental affection: "Very good, Liu Feng, you have successfully awakened the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul."

"Although the Blue Silver Grass is not looked upon favorably in the outside world, in our Liu Family Village, it is our family's glory and heritage."

"Next, test the innate soul power." While speaking, Liu Qing took out that blue crystal ball, his voice carrying hard-to-conceal anticipation.

He handed the crystal ball in front of Liu Feng.

Liu Feng took a deep breath and slowly placed his hand on the crystal ball.

In a flash, a powerful suction force arrived, and he felt the breath inside the body being guided by an invisible large hand, flowing endlessly toward the crystal ball.

The crystal ball began to emit light, at first just a faint speck of brightness, and subsequently the light grew brighter and increasingly dazzling.

"Level One... Level Two!" Liu Qing's voice trembled slightly with excitement, "Innate Soul Power, Level 2!"

Hearing this result, the heavy stone in Liu Feng's heart finally landed on the ground, and his anxious and unsettled emotions vanished without a trace in an instant.

He looked excitedly at the children surrounding him, only to see their faces written full of envy and amazement.

The room instantly burst into an uproar, and the villagers whispered to one another, their gazes toward Liu Feng filled with eager warmth and envy.

Liu Feng knew that in a remote and backward small village like Liu Family Village, reaching Level 2 in innate soul power was already an extremely rare talent.

He suddenly realized that he was not as weak as he had imagined, and he also possessed his own advantages and potential.

The awakening ceremony that followed appeared somewhat plain and uneventful.

The martial souls awakened by the other children were mostly farm tools like hoes and sickles, and the best was merely an ordinary iron rod, moreover lacking any innate soul power.

Before long, the martial soul awakening ceremony concluded successfully.

Liu Qing wiped the sweat from his forehead, sighed softly, and said to Liu Feng: "Liu Family Village is an ordinary village, and our children have no opportunity to come into contact with more powerful martial soul heritages."

"Moreover, the awakening of innate soul power requires talent and opportunity. Being able to awaken Level 2 Innate Soul Power is already quite remarkable."

Liu Feng nodded heavily, understanding thoroughly.

Although his martial soul was the Blue Silver Grass and his innate soul power was only Level 2, this was already a very good result for an ordinary person.

No matter what his martial soul was like, he, Liu Feng, must step by step march toward the highest peak, he would be—cough, cough, got carried away.

Liu Feng shook his head, casting the strange thought out of his mind.

No matter what, Liu Feng's martial soul had been awakened, and what followed next was to cultivate further along the path.