Poisonous Martial Soul

Poisonous Martial Soul

Although Yan Jun was now so old he was nearly dead, he had once traveled the continent in his youth. Though his mind was no longer as sharp as it had been back then, the experience he had accumulated still gave him a unique eye for people.

Not only was the child before him far sturdier than any of the children whose Martial Souls he had awakened before, but his bearing was also vastly different.

Although the child wore noble brocade robes, Yan Jun could tell at a glance that his physique was exceptionally robust. His wrists and ankles were thick, his forearms and calves packed with muscle, and his body was evenly proportioned. No part of him looked awkward from excessive training; instead, everything was in perfect harmony.

Clearly, while maintaining a burly and powerful build among children his age, he had also trained his explosive strength. That was exceedingly rare for a child who had yet to awaken a Martial Soul.

He had a head of short, slightly tousled black hair and bright, spirited eyes. Though he was merely standing there, his posture was unlike that of the children from ordinary noble families. It was the stance of a Battle Soul Master who had trained for many years.

If this child had been placed among a crowd, Yan Jun might not have noticed him. But with the dozen or so children behind him, as well as the child from the City Lord's family before them, for comparison, Yan Jun could clearly sense the difference.

More importantly, while the other children at this stage were praying to awaken excellent Innate Soul Power, this child was confident—confident that, for some reason, he would definitely awaken exceptional Innate Soul Power.

On an ordinary person, Yan Jun would have dismissed such a look as blind confidence. But seeing the body that had clearly been forged through grueling training, he found himself somewhat believing in the boy's confidence.

He remembered that when he had traveled the continent in his younger days, the Soul Masters he had encountered from high-ranking sects—those with deep backgrounds who had undergone harsh training since childhood—seemed to have had the same look in their eyes.

Pretending to be mature and truly being mature were not the same thing. Some people were simply born different. Yan Jun had been awakening Martial Souls for decades and understood this well.

Some people became famous with fifty levels of Soul Power, while others remained obscure even at sixty. Some were born poor yet rose to become marquises and generals, while others were born noble yet accomplished nothing in the end.

With the same background and talent, the same Martial Soul and Soul Power, some people could simply leave everyone else far behind.

Twenty years ago, if he had encountered a child like this and the child's awakened talent was good, Yan Jun would not have minded taking him as a disciple. Even ten years ago, he would have wanted to build a good relationship, perhaps so the child could look after his descendants in the future.

But... Yan Jun felt that he was simply too old now. There was no meaning in doing such things.

At most, he had another eight or ten years to live. Even with Innate Full Soul Power, by then this child would only be around the level of a Soul Elder. There was still a long way to go before he could truly grow up. What would it have to do with Yan Jun then?

"Child, what is your name?" Yan Jun sighed inwardly, though his expression remained unchanged.

"My name is Chen Ming. I am a child of the Jadeite Chen Family." The boy raised his head and gave Yan Jun a gentle smile as he stated his name.

"The Chen Family... Come, awaken your Martial Soul."

Hearing that name, Yan Jun paused slightly, clearly reminded of something. But he said no more and instead had Chen Ming enter the array to awaken his Martial Soul.

At Yan Jun's command, Chen Ming entered the array. As Yan Jun infused it with Soul Power, the formation beneath his feet began to shine. Specks of light rose from the array one after another, then flowed into his body.

If the light emitted by the Awakening Array when it awakened the City Lord's child earlier had been a one, then the number of light specks rising from the array for Chen Ming was at least a three. Even a bystander who knew nothing could tell that something was unusual.

A large number of light specks leaped from the array and were absorbed by Chen Ming. As time passed, a peculiar force gradually surged from within him.

That force gathered and rose within Chen Ming's body. Then, as if breaking through an invisible barrier, his body began to undergo enormous changes.

With the sound of cloth tearing, a long jade-green scorpion tail extended from Chen Ming's spine. Green light welled up from his Dantian and covered his body.

His already large frame swelled as if it had been inflated. His wrists and ankles became especially thick, while a layer of jade-green shell with a metallic sheen appeared over his forearms, as though he wore heavy bracers.

Jade-green light enveloped the scorpion tail behind him and his arms. As his Soul Power instinctively surged, a sweetly fishy scent slowly spread through the air.

Although Yan Jun had not expected Chen Ming to cause such a huge commotion, he knew well that the Jade Scorpion Martial Soul inherited by the Chen Family possessed intense poison. The instant green light emerged from Chen Ming's body, Yan Jun instinctively used Soul Power to wrap himself in a protective layer.

The facts proved Yan Jun right.

Though it lasted only a moment, as the sweetly fishy scent spread through the air, the children near Chen Ming who had yet to awaken their Martial Souls were immediately affected.

Some tried to raise their legs and flee, but the poison affected their nerves. They tripped over themselves and fell to the ground, flailing their hands wildly and pulling down the children around them. The children who had been stunned or had yet to react all staggered and fell together.

In their panic, the children gulped in huge breaths, causing the sweetly fishy scent in the air to rapidly enter their bodies. Stimulated by both fear and poison, their bodies began to twitch uncontrollably. Their limbs either flailed wildly, or they let out terrified cries, worsening the condition of the children beside them.

Seeing this happen, Yan Jun's face darkened. With a slight flick of his wrist, the Rock Vine that had stood on the ground like a walking stick immediately came alive, transforming into soft vines that helped the fallen children up. Gentle Soul Power then slowly flowed through the vines and into their bodies.

"Where are the Chen Family adults? Bring the antidote, now."

Yan Jun turned and shouted at the crowd. Only then did the people nearby, who had yet to react, understand what had happened. Amid a burst of commotion, a somewhat thin man immediately squeezed out from the crowd, rushed to the children, and took a bead from his robes that looked as though it had been carved from some kind of wood.

As Soul Power flowed into it, the wooden bead released waves of fragrance that gradually neutralized the sweetly fishy scent in the air. Under that fragrance, the children restrained by the Rock Vine also gradually calmed down. Yet Yan Jun's expression remained unpleasant.

Because Yan Jun knew that although the item in the man's hand could indeed rapidly detoxify to a certain extent, its fragrance itself also carried a certain degree of poison. Though its effect only caused fatigue, it was still difficult for children without Soul Power to resist.