Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda

He understood Xihai's excitement. For Xihai, and for most of the children in this group,

awakening their Martial Souls was the first—and perhaps only—chance in their lives to change their fate.

Yet reality was often cruel. Their Martial Souls would most likely be as ordinary and mediocre as their parents'.

If they wanted to cross the class divide, they could only place their hopes on the mysterious, one-in-ten-thousand possibility of Martial Soul mutation.

Still, Jiang Bai played along, revealing a faint, expectant smile as he said softly,

"Of course I'm excited. This is a major event in one's life!"

His gaze returned to the female deacon guiding the first child through the process, while his thoughts began to turn once more.

Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda... a spear...

Let it be a spear.

Jiang Bai prayed silently.

Even if it was merely the most ordinary weapon Martial Soul, at least he would have the possibility of fighting, the strength to protect himself.

As long as he had Soul Power, he would have a chance to change!

But if it was the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda...

Just as his thoughts wandered, the awakening ceremony ahead had already begun.

"Blue Silver Grass? Test your Soul Power... You have no Soul Power..."

"Sickle... Test your Soul Power... You have no Soul Power..."

"Wooden stick... You have no Soul Power..."

"Carrot... You have no Soul Power..."

Soon, it was Xihai's turn.

Xihai took a deep breath, walked to the center of the hexagon, and nervously closed his eyes.

As the female deacon poured in her Soul Power, the six black stones emitted a hazy golden glow that enveloped Xihai.

Specks of golden light seemed drawn to him, surging wildly into Xihai's body.

Xihai's body trembled slightly, and he instinctively stretched out his right hand.

In an instant, all the golden light gathered in his palm. Once the light faded, a whip appeared in his hand.

"Martial Soul... a whip? Come, test your Soul Power."

The female deacon's voice remained calm as she took out a blue crystal ball.

Xihai held the whip blankly and, as instructed, placed his hand on the crystal ball.

The crystal ball remained dim and without light.

The female deacon said expressionlessly, "You have no Soul Power. Next."

Finally, it was Jiang Bai's turn.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Jiang Bai calmly walked into the center of the hexagon.

He closed his eyes and carefully sensed the warm energy flowing into his body.

The energy moved through him. In the end, it seemed to stir something dormant deep within his bloodline, and a scorching sensation came from his palm.

He slowly raised his right hand.

The light faded, revealing a pagoda as crystal-clear as the finest glazed crystal, quietly floating above his palm.

The entire Awakening House instantly fell silent.

Everyone was stunned by this exquisite, incomparably luxurious Martial Soul.

The female deacon's pupils contracted sharply as she cried out, "The Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda?! And it's... wild! H-How is that possible?!"

She stared at Jiang Bai in disbelief, then at the pagoda in his hand.

The Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, the number one support-type tool Martial Soul in the world!

How could a child dressed in rags, living in a small border village, possess it...

Jiang Bai looked at the beautiful pagoda in his palm, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

So he had inherited his father's Martial Soul after all?

A support type... It seemed that his imagined life of charging into battle with spear in hand and horse beneath him, settling grudges to his heart's content, had ended before it could even begin.

A faint sense of loss lingered in his heart.

"Child, you..."

Suppressing her shock, the female deacon looked at Jiang Bai with a complicated expression and took out the crystal ball for testing Soul Power.

"Let's test your Soul Power first."

Jiang Bai obeyed and placed his left hand on the cold crystal ball.

Almost the instant his palm touched it, the crystal ball erupted with an incomparably brilliant blue light!

"Innate Soul Power... Rank Nine!"

The female deacon's voice trembled slightly.

Looking at the dazzling blue radiance, the bit of disappointment in Jiang Bai's heart lessened somewhat.

Rank Nine... That was acceptable.

But... whether it was Rank Nine or full innate Soul Power, there was not much difference for an un-evolved Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda.

It only affected how quickly he could reach the seventh ring.

Jiang Bai put away his Martial Soul with a complicated look in his eyes.

Could he really only become a support?

The female deacon was completely immersed in the ecstasy of discovering a treasure. She did not notice the complex, unreadable expression on Jiang Bai's face at all.

At that moment, all she saw was the burning prospect of achievement!

Innate Soul Power Rank Nine!

And his Martial Soul was the world-renowned Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda!

If she reported this to Spirit Hall's higher-ups, the reward would surely be unimaginably generous!

Perhaps she could even use this opportunity to develop her career in a major city.

Although she was also full of doubts about how the direct-line Martial Soul of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had appeared on a plainly dressed child in this little village,

in the face of such tangible merit, all of that seemed utterly unimportant.

"Child, what is your name?"

She pressed both hands firmly onto Jiang Bai's small shoulders. Her fingertips trembled slightly from excitement as she asked eagerly,

"Would you like to join Spirit Hall? With your talent, you will certainly receive the best training!"

Join Spirit Hall?

Jiang Bai quickly calmed down and weighed the pros and cons.

For now, this seemed like a good choice.

He possessed the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, yet had no ability to protect himself.

Should he happily run back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect all by himself?

Not to mention that the journey was long and fraught with danger.

He had heard that the current Pope still seemed to be Qian Xunji?

Although he did not know exactly where this point in time fell within the original story, or how much longer Qian Xunji would remain in office,

at least for now, Spirit Hall was still a colossal force capable of providing him with a certain degree of protection.

As his thoughts raced, Jiang Bai had already made his decision.

He raised his head and nodded. "Big Sister, I'll join Spirit Hall!"

(He would stay at Spirit Academy until he was twelve, then leave to level up in the wild.)

"Good! Good! Good!"

The female deacon's face instantly bloomed with a radiant smile upon hearing this, and she said "good" three times in a row.

She immediately pulled out a form from the folder she carried with her, swiftly filled in the information, and carefully put it away.

She moved so quickly as though she feared Jiang Bai might change his mind.

"Jiang Bai, go home and stay there for now. Don't run around."

The female deacon instructed him gently.

"Before long, we will send someone to take you to Spirit Academy for systematic study and cultivation."

"Okay, Big Sister."

Jiang Bai obediently agreed.

Afterward, everyone walked out of the stone house.

Grandma Liu, the village chief who had been waiting outside, hurried forward and asked hopefully, "My Lady Deacon, how did it go? How many children in our village have Soul Power this year?"

The female deacon was in an excellent mood. She affectionately rubbed Jiang Bai's head beside her and answered with a smile,

"Well, there is one, and his talent is quite good. Innate Soul Power Rank Nine!"

Following her gesture, Grandma Liu looked at Jiang Bai. A flash of understanding passed through her eyes, quickly turning into relief and emotion.

"Good... good... Little Jiang Bai has finally endured his hardships and found happiness... Thank you for your hard work, My Lady Deacon."

The female deacon nodded reservedly.

"It is my duty. All right, I still need to hurry to the next village, so I cannot delay. This child has already joined Spirit Hall, and I have recorded the relevant information. Someone will come to collect him when the time comes, so your village need not make any further arrangements."

After saying that, she did not linger. She slung her pack over her back and walked briskly toward the edge of the village, her figure soon disappearing at the end of the road.

That night, the moon shone brightly amid sparse stars.

Jiang Bai lay alone atop the roof of his humble little courtyard, his hands behind his head as he gazed at the brilliant river of stars across the sky, his thoughts drifting.

Now that his Martial Soul and future destination had been decided, it was time to put some long-term plans on the agenda.

He recalled the plot of the original work he had read in his previous life. One of the most important opportunities was undoubtedly the immortal herbs within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!

Should he seek out Dugu Bo directly, or first get close to Dugu Yan to gain entry into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well...?