Awakening the Martial Soul

The carriage stopped before a building, a place in Heaven Dou City specially designated for the Martial Soul awakenings of noble children. Xue Qinghe and Xue Ke stepped down from the carriage one after the other. Xue Qinghe gently took Xue Ke's little hand and led her slowly into the hall.

"Greetings, Crown Prince, Princess!" The Imperial Guards standing watch at the entrance respectfully saluted the siblings. Xue Qinghe maintained his warm, spring-breeze-like smile and gave a slight nod.

Inside the hall, noble children stood in orderly lines. At the front stood a middle-aged man, conducting the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony for them.

The middle-aged man held the Martial Soul Awakening Tool: six Black Round Stones and a Blue Crystal Ball. The round stones were arranged in a Hexagram, and a noble child stood within it. The young man let out a loud shout as Soul Power rippled around him. "Martial Soul, Diamond Bear possession!"

As Soul Power poured in, the six black stones shone with blinding golden light. Specks of golden radiance merged into the noble child's body, and a coin slowly emerged in the child's right hand.

"As expected, the Coin Martial Soul of the Fibote Family. I'm sure you'll become an outstanding merchant someday."

Next, the middle-aged man held the crystal ball before the child and had him place his hand on it. The crystal ball gave off a faint glow.

"Innate Soul Power Level 2. You can become a Spirit Master. Next."

Having witnessed the Martial Soul awakening process, Xue Ke found it utterly novel. She thought excitedly, Seeing it once truly beats hearing about it a hundred times. So this is Martial Soul awakening in Douluo Continent? It's amazing. Science simply can't explain it.

Xue Ke had long prepared herself mentally for the Martial Soul she was about to awaken. If nothing unexpected happened, she would awaken the Swan Martial Soul inherited by the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.

At last, it was Xue Ke's turn. She glanced at Xue Qinghe, then slowly stepped into the Martial Soul Awakening formation under his encouraging gaze.

As the golden light entered her body, Xue Ke felt warm all over, as comfortable as soaking in a hot bath. She could not help letting out a soft moan, and a swan slowly appeared above her.

Unlike the Swan Martial Soul inherited by the imperial family, this swan was not snow-white from head to toe. Its feathers emitted a dazzling emerald-green light, especially the hexagonal scale on its forehead, which shone with exceptional brilliance.

Amid the dazzling light, the swan slowly spread its broad wings and let out a clear, resounding cry like a bird's call.

Everyone present was stunned by this strange Martial Soul. It took the middle-aged man in charge of the awakening a long while to come back to his senses before handing the Blue Crystal Ball to Xue Ke.

Following the same procedure, Xue Ke placed her hand on the crystal ball. She felt a vast force within her swiftly drawn into it, and then the crystal ball erupted with dazzling light.

"Innate Full Soul Power!" The middle-aged man stared fixedly at the crystal ball before him with wide eyes, utterly shaken.

Holy crap! My talent is actually this good? Xue Ke had thought the Swan Martial Soul would be as laid-back as she had been in her previous life, so she had not expected much from her Innate Soul Power. Never had she imagined that she would awaken the one-in-ten-thousand Innate Full Soul Power.

"Princess, may I ask what your Martial Soul is?" The middle-aged man bowed and asked respectfully.

The name of her Martial Soul surfaced in Xue Ke's mind, and she answered, "My Martial Soul is called the Jade Swan."

At that moment, waves of discussion gradually rose throughout the hall.

"Her Highness the Princess actually has Innate Full Soul Power!"

"Since when has the imperial family's Martial Soul become so powerful? This is truly something one rarely sees in a lifetime!"

"I wonder which family's child Princess Xue Ke will favor in the future."

"I hereby declare that Princess Xue Ke is my idol from today onward!"

Possessing such extraordinary talent, Xue Ke's heart was far from calm.

Still, she had the mindset of an adult. She would not leap around in excitement like an ordinary child. After taking a deep breath and calming her agitated emotions slightly, she withdrew her Martial Soul and returned to Xue Qinghe's side.

"Xiao Ke, congratulations. I never expected your cultivation talent to be so high!" Xue Qinghe sincerely praised his nominal younger sister, Xue Ke, and once again gave her a head pat.

Although Qian Renxue herself possessed Level 20 Innate Soul Power and the God-Bestowed Martial Soul, the Six-Winged Angel, making her the undisputed number one genius of Spirit Hall, those with Innate Full Soul Power were one-in-ten-thousand throughout all of Douluo Continent. Moreover, it had appeared within the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, whose Martial Souls had always lacked offensive power. This truly gave Qian Renxue an immense shock.

Qian Renxue, who had been undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire for several years, had excellent composure. She had long perfected the superb acting skill of keeping her face calm even when her heart was churning with stormy waves, essentially achieving the ability to conceal both joy and anger. Thus, although she was deeply shocked inside, she did not reveal much on her face.

Xue Qinghe led Xue Ke back into the carriage amid everyone's envious and reverent gazes.

On the journey back to the Princess's Mansion, Xue Qinghe looked at Xue Ke, who sat opposite him, with extremely complicated feelings.

I never expected this little girl's talent to be so high. If she does not slack off in cultivation, she may even become a Titled Douluo in the future. Though she is a girl and is unlikely to inherit the throne of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Heaven Dou Empire may very well gain a Titled Douluo who truly belongs to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. Such a situation would not be conducive to my complete control over the Heaven Dou Empire.

Xue Qinghe scrutinized the quietly seated Xue Ke opposite him. Her delicate, fair little face; her lively brown eyes, which revealed a depth beyond her age; the slight upward curve of her lips; the excitement that could not be concealed in her gaze—yet her bottom never left the seat, unlike before, when she had always loved jumping about.

Xue Qinghe immediately noticed that Xue Ke's behavior was distinctly different from before, but he did not dwell on it too much. He thought that perhaps the little girl had grown up and was no longer as lively and restless as she used to be.

Xue Ke noticed Xue Qinghe's constant scrutiny and felt her heart tighten with nervousness.

Could Qian Renxue have noticed something? True, I'm acting far too unlike a six-year-old girl.

Hey, wait, hold on! I'm a guy! How am I supposed to act like a little girl? In my previous life, I was an upright young man with perfectly normal preferences! But if I keep acting this strangely, it'll arouse suspicion.

Forget it. Since I've been reborn into this body, I have to change. Otherwise, I won't even know how I died.

After steadying herself mentally, Xue Ke recalled the many flirtatious tricks of cute girls from the anime she had watched in her previous life. In a syrupy voice, she said words so sickening that even she felt a chill run down her spine.

"Brother, wasn't I amazing today? When we get home, you have to reward me properly, or I'll never talk to Brother again!"

As she spoke, she shook Xue Qinghe's arm and put on an expression that said, "Praise me already."

As expected, she's still just a little girl, Xue Qinghe thought.

Xue Qinghe gently pinched Xue Ke's soft, tender cheek and said warmly, "Of course. Brother already has a gift prepared for you."

Xue Ke put on an incomparably excited expression and bounced around inside the carriage, secretly breathing a sigh of relief. I should have fooled her, right? If I want to live safely and peacefully, I can only obediently play the part of a little girl.

Such an adorable little sister, what bad intentions could she possibly have? At least for now, she poses no threat to me. Xue Qinghe was charmed by Xue Ke's cute girlish appearance and relaxed slightly.