Ask No Questions—It's Deep Brotherhood [Please Collect]

Su Yuntao was completely dumbfounded. After doing Martial Soul Awakening for so many years, this was the first time he had ever seen a Martial Soul like this.

Moreover, even in the entire world of Martial Souls, there was probably no second Martial Soul like it.

A Humanoid Martial Soul was clearly not a Weapon Martial Soul, but if it was called a Beast Martial Soul, its awakened form was not the common Beast Martial Soul Possession form either.

Furthermore, no one in the world of Martial Souls had ever awakened a human Martial Soul. Even Ghost Douluo Ghostly, whose Martial Soul came closest to a human, was still a Beast Martial Soul that existed through possession.

How could it compare to Zhang Yang's? Not only was it human, but it was incredibly distinctive—especially that crooked mouth. It was downright full of personality.

Of course, given Su Yuntao's status, there was no way he could know about Qian Renxue's Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.

"It's actually a Mutated Beast Martial Soul!!" Su Yuntao cried out.

Su Yuntao believed that this Crooked-Mouth Human Martial Soul should be classified as a Mutated Beast Martial Soul.

Su Yuntao was now extremely interested in this child named Zhang Yang.

Though he had never personally awakened a mutated Martial Soul, many records within Spirit Hall documented mutated Martial Souls.

One of the key points regarding mutated Martial Souls was that success or failure depended on Innate Soul Power.

There were few successful mutated Martial Souls and many failed ones. What determined the outcome was the awakener's Innate Soul Power level.

High Innate Soul Power meant an advantageous mutation, while low Soul Power meant a disadvantageous mutation.

Then...

"Retract your Martial Soul. Put your hand on the Crystal Ball and let me see whether you have Soul Power." Su Yuntao extended the Crystal Ball in his right hand.

When Borsalino appeared behind Zhang Yang, Zhang Yang felt that he possessed absolute control over the tall man behind him. When he thought, Come back, Borsalino obediently turned into yellow motes of light and vanished into the air.

Having awakened Borsalino as his Martial Soul, Zhang Yang was feeling high-spirited and confident to the extreme.

Sure enough, transmigrators really were the favored children of the world. So what if Tang San was the author's biological son? I wasn't bad either.

With that thought in mind, Zhang Yang confidently extended his right hand toward the Crystal Ball.

The moment his right hand touched the Crystal Ball, Zhang Yang could clearly feel a strange energy within his body gathering into the Crystal Ball through his right hand.

"Look! The Crystal Ball is glowing! It's so bright, it hurts my eyes!" a little boy shouted.

The seven children before Zhang Yang had all failed to make the Crystal Ball light up, yet Zhang Yang had made it emit such dazzling light. This was enough to prove...

The Crystal Ball wasn't broken.

"My heavens, it's Innate Full Soul Power." Green light once again burst from Su Yuntao's body. The Crystal Ball bounced Zhang Yang's palm away, and when he looked at the boy before him now, his gaze became even stranger, as if he were looking at a monster.

"Master Su Yuntao, what is Innate Full Soul Power?" Tang San asked curiously.

"Innate Full Soul Power refers to the highest amount of Soul Power a Soul Master can naturally possess when their Martial Soul awakens." Su Yuntao explained seriously. "The amount of Innate Soul Power determines a Soul Master's starting point in cultivation. The higher one's Innate Soul Power, the faster one will cultivate later on."

"Moreover, Soul Masters with Innate Full Soul Power possess an incomparably enormous advantage over ordinary people in their future cultivation."

After all, when I awakened my own Martial Soul, I only had rank two Innate Soul Power.

Innate Full Soul Power... how terrifying was that?

Su Yuntao crouched down and looked at Zhang Yang with a serious expression. "Kid, are you willing to join Spirit Hall?"

Zhang Yang had been so ecstatic over his Innate Full Soul Power that he had nearly forgotten himself, but the instant he heard Su Yuntao's words, he calmed down.

"Spirit Hall? So I can wait for Tang San to hammer me to death? You people from Spirit Hall don't have many years left. Joining Spirit Hall now is no different from seeking death."

Naturally, Zhang Yang could not say that to Su Yuntao. He simply shook his head decisively. "I don't want to."

"Why?" Su Yuntao asked in surprise. "Kid, do you know that as long as you join Spirit Hall, you won't need to pay a single thing? Spirit Hall will cover all your tuition and living expenses, and powerful Soul Masters will take you to hunt the Soul Beasts best suited to you and obtain the finest Soul Rings."

"Such advantages are far greater than anything any academy or sect can offer."

Su Yuntao knew that the families of these village children were not well-off, so his approach was especially shrewd. He started with money and launched a direct offensive against Zhang Yang.

If it had been an ordinary village child, he would probably have agreed by now. But Zhang Yang was no child after all, and he knew perfectly well what joining Spirit Hall would lead to.

Therefore, Zhang Yang righteously refused Su Yuntao. "Then I definitely can't join."

"Why?" Su Yuntao was dumbfounded.

"I'm the Tavern Owner's son. Since I was little, my father has taught me one saying: [There's no such thing as a free lunch]."

Zhang Yang looked at Su Yuntao. "So I won't join Spirit Hall."

Su Yuntao frowned. He did not know Zhang Yang, so he merely assumed that this was a child who did not understand things and was casually repeating something his father had said.

Therefore, he decided to bypass Zhang Yang and speak directly to Zhang Yang's parents about the matter.

Surely, his parents would not be foolish enough to refuse him.

Having made up his mind, Su Yuntao was no longer confused. He had Zhang Yang leave and began awakening Tang San's Martial Soul.

Then, Su Yuntao was struck by a second Innate Full Soul Power.

Su Yuntao found it a pity that Tang San's Innate Full Soul Power was paired with Blue Silver Grass, but with such an extraordinary example before him, he had no time to chat with Tang San. He put away his tools and strode out of Spirit Hall.

"Zhang Yang, congratulations. A Mutated Beast Martial Soul with Innate Full Soul Power," Tang San stepped forward and congratulated him.

"You too, Innate Full Soul Power." Zhang Yang smiled and patted Tang San on the shoulder.

"But my Martial Soul is a useless one. It has no attack power, no defense, and no support abilities." Tang San shook his head with a smile.

Those three missing attributes were Su Yuntao's assessment of Blue Silver Grass. As for his Second Martial Soul, Tang San decided to hide it from Zhang Yang.

Though Zhang Yang had been his companion for many years and they had a good relationship, out of habitual caution, Tang San still kept it hidden from him.

Naturally, Zhang Yang knew what Tang San was hiding from him, but he understood.

Hadn't Zhang Yang also failed to tell Tang San what the Crooked-Mouth Fruit Ability User behind him was?

Brothers on the surface, brothers on the surface.

The always obedient and sensible Zhang Yang had his first fierce argument with his parents. The couple became so angry that they even wanted to tie Zhang Yang up with rope and send him to Martial God Hall.

Zhang Yang did not blame them, because in ordinary people's eyes, Spirit Hall truly was the best destination for talented Commoner children like them.

If he had not read the script, he would definitely have happily followed Su Yuntao away.

But there were no ifs in this world.

Zhang Yang ran away from home.

Of course, Zhang Yang did not go far. He merely went from one end of the village to the other and hid in Tang San's home.

As for why he had run away from home, it was because Zhang Yang feared that his parents would really tie him up and send him to Spirit Hall.

Zhang Yang left a note at home saying that he would run away for two days so they could all calm down.

"So you hid in my house?" Tang San was speechless.

"Yeah. Did you really want to see my parents tie me up and send me to Martial God Hall? Xiao San, we're the Saint Soul Village Innate Full Soul Power brothers. Our brotherhood runs deep, so you can't refuse me." Zhang Yang's pitiful expression left Tang San speechless.

"What kind of weird team name is that?" Tang San complained.

"I just came up with it. Isn't it cool?" Zhang Yang said with a cheeky grin. "Come on, shout it with me: Saint Soul Village Innate Full Soul Power Duo."

"Hey, your team name seems different the first and second time." Tang San looked utterly helpless.

"Hey, I said I just came up with it. It's normal to say it wrong."

"But are you really not going to Spirit Hall?" Tang San asked curiously. "I remember you telling me it was the highest hall of Martial Soul cultivation on the entire continent. And didn't Master Su Yuntao say they would waive all your expenses?"

"As you said before, Soul Master Academies are divided into elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels, and the tuition only gets higher and higher. You have Innate Full Soul Power, so naturally you'll have to attend all three levels of academy. Even with your family's circumstances, you can't possibly afford all those expenses, can you?"

"Of course. My family only has a small tavern for income. We don't have that much money to let me do as I please." Zhang Yang nodded.

"Then you..." Tang San did not understand.

"Because I firmly believe that free is the most expensive." Zhang Yang patted Tang San on the shoulder. "Xiao San, there's something you must remember."

"Every gift bestowed by fate has already had its price secretly marked."

Why go to Spirit Hall? Wasn't the scent of freedom wonderful?

Hearing this, Tang Hao's hammering movements paused.

Every gift bestowed by fate had already had its price secretly marked?

Tang Hao could not help recalling the first half of his life.

He had been born into the Clear Sky Sect, possessing the world's strongest Weapon Martial Soul and extraordinary talent. Then he had met the woman destined for him. All of it had been fate's gifts to him.

But later, because Ah Yin was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Spirit Hall hunted them down. Ah Yin sacrificed her life to protect him. Because of his Clear Sky Sect origins, the Clear Sky Sect had to seal off its mountain gates and retreat from the world to preserve the sect. The various smaller factions within the sect had scattered, and the Clear Sky Sect had never recovered.

The once high-spirited Clear Sky Douluo had also become a drunken Blacksmith.

Indeed, those seemingly free gifts had already had their prices secretly marked.