Awakening Day

Shrek City, Outer City.

The city was exceptionally lively today.

The wide streets were thronged with people, and parents with children were seen everywhere.

Most of these children were five or six years old, their eyes filled with either anticipation or nervousness. Occasionally, a few timid ones clutched their father's clothes tightly, hiding behind them.

Because today was the annual Awakening Day.

For mortals, this was a day to change their destiny.

Awakening a powerful Martial Soul and possessing Soul Power meant stepping onto the path of a Soul Master, thus drawing a line between themselves and ordinary mortals.

If the awakened Martial Soul was excellent enough, they might even be noticed by that academy...

That Shrek Academy, which had stood for twenty thousand years without falling.

Wang Zhi walked forward with the crowd, observing the children around him of the same age.

He was a Fetal Transmigration to the Douluo Continent.

Before the age of six, because his soul was that of an adult, his actions were quite mature in all aspects.

While other children were still throwing tantrums for candy, he could already help his mother with small chores within his capabilities.

While other children were arguing fiercely over a piece of pastry, he already understood humility and yielding.

Because of this, the neighbors often praised him.

"Old Wang, your kid is truly steady. He'll definitely achieve great things in the future!"

"I think, given Xiao Zhi's temperament, the Martial Soul he awakens won't be bad. Maybe he can get into Shrek!"

Many even praised him, saying he was destined to awaken a powerful Martial Soul.

Of course, Wang Zhi knew in his heart that this was unrealistic.

In the six years since transmigrating to this world, he had already grasped the rules of this world.

For a person to awaken a powerful Martial Soul...

Either one of his ancestors had a powerful Martial Soul that was passed down through bloodline.

Or his Martial Soul underwent a Beneficial Mutation, Greener Than The Blue.

Otherwise, it would be like that Master from twenty thousand years ago on the Douluo Continent.

Despite having the potential to awaken the Radiant Holy Dragon Martial Soul, his Martial Soul ultimately mutated into Luo Sanpao, a Hog Beast, rendering him a Waste.

Finally, he could only rely on so-called, loophole-ridden theoretical knowledge to be a so-called "Master".

His sentence, "There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters,"

Made him feel extremely defiant every time he remembered it.

How could someone insult himself twice with one sentence?

As for Tang San, whom he "theoretically" taught...

To be honest, if Tang San wasn't a transmigrator, constantly cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill, with profound Soul Power, and skilled in various Hidden Weapons, he would have long died in the jaws of that hundred-year Soul Beast, the Mandala Snake.

And "I have cultivated a God"?

He probably would have had grave grass two meters high!

Therefore, in summary, the type of Martial Soul one awakens largely determines how far they can go in the future.

And this has been the unchanging rule of the Douluo Continent for tens of thousands of years.

Of course, Wang Zhi was confident about which Martial Soul he would awaken.

Because his father, Wang Heng, was a Five Ring Soul King, whose Martial Soul was the Summoning Book, capable of summoning various Soul Beasts to fight.

The summoned Soul Beasts depended on the Soul Skills used.

This type of Martial Soul was extremely rare. Although it didn't belong to the Top Assault System, it excelled in versatility and flexibility.

As long as he could inherit his father's Martial Soul, Wang Zhi was confident he could become a Titled Douluo in the future.

At this moment, the crowd ahead gradually dispersed.

Wang Zhi looked up, and a circular gray building appeared before him. Its design was simple, even monotonous, but intricate patterns were faintly visible on the walls – those were engraved magic arrays.

They had arrived at the Awakening Room.

There were quite a few people in line, but the progress was fast, as awakening a child didn't take much time.

Wang Zhi stood in line with his father, watching children go in one by one and come out one by one, some with joy on their faces, others with dejection.

Soon, the queue reached them.

"Next."

A cold voice came from inside.

Wang Heng looked down at his son, crouched down, and placed his large hand on Wang Zhi's shoulder, gripping it tightly.

"Xiao Zhi, go with this Teacher to awaken your Martial Soul."

"Don't be afraid, believe in yourself."

His eyes held anticipation, along with a hint of imperceptible nervousness.

Wang Zhi nodded, "Mm."

He didn't say more, stepping towards the door of the Awakening Room.

The door was a heavy wooden one, letting out a slight creak as it was pushed open.

Inside was a spacious, circular room, about twenty meters in diameter, with a high ceiling. The surrounding walls were carved with dense patterns of magic arrays.

The entire room was dimly lit, with only a few Soul Guiding Lamps on the walls emitting a faint glow.

A person stood in the center of the room.

It was a Middle-aged Man with a cold demeanor, wearing a gray robe, with a Badge pinned to his chest.

It was the Shrek Academy's emblem.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze calmly falling on Wang Zhi as he entered, his face devoid of any expression.

Wang Zhi had heard from his Father that the person who helped awaken Martial Souls here was a Teacher from the Shrek Outer Court.

Of course, this wasn't Shrek doing charity or being benevolent.

It was simply their way of observing the Martial Soul awakened by children at the first moment.

If it was a powerful Martial Soul, they could directly recruit the child into Shrek Academy.

Therefore, for Shrek, this was a method of selecting students.

And for ordinary families, this was an opportunity to leap into the dragon's gate.

So, it could only be said to be mutually beneficial.

"Stand in the middle, quickly."

The Teacher spoke, his voice cold, as if completing a most ordinary task.

Wang Zhi was taken aback, but he quickly walked to the center of the room and stood still.

The Teacher glanced at him, then let out a cold snort.

The next moment, he raised his right hand, and a ball of soft White Light lit up in his palm.

The light was only fist-sized at first, but it rapidly expanded, becoming bright yet not dazzling.

Immediately after, the Teacher lifted his palm, and the ball of White Light suddenly flew up, exploding in mid-air and turning into a brilliant firework.

At the same time, inside the Awakening Room, the surrounding patterns lit up.

Starting from the ceiling, streaks of Light Patterns extended downwards along the surrounding walls, winding and moving like living things, all the way to Wang Zhi's feet.

Those patterns flickered with a Pale Golden Light, carrying an ancient and mysterious aura.

Finally, all the light converged at Wang Zhi's feet.

A warm sensation surged from the soles of his feet, spreading upwards along his legs and throughout his entire body.

Wang Zhi felt as if something inside his body had been touched, like a long-dormant seed being awakened at this moment.

He held his Breath.

However, it was different from the traditional manifestation of Martial Souls.

There was no solid phantom of a Tool Martial Soul, nor the illusion of a Beast Martial Soul roaring.

Behind Wang Zhi, something began to materialize.