Martial Soul Awakening

The orphan children beside Shang An looked with envy at the children being led by their parents; if they could, they too would want to be children doted upon by their parents.

Shang An felt nothing of the sort. Although he had studied the Dao under a master in his past life, he had often returned home to serve his parents.

There were several older brothers at home to look after them, and he was the youngest son; his father was already fifty-eight and his mother over forty when he was born.

His parents passed away when Shang An was around twenty-six or twenty-seven, which was considered a long life at that time.

It was only after laying his parents to rest that he decided to secretly study forbidden arts, eventually becoming what was known as a "heretic."

Over these past few hundred years, he had seen it all, and for a scene like this, he naturally just smiled and let it pass.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and those who had come for the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony had basically all arrived, and the ceremony officially began.

A Temple Bishop wearing platinum robes walked out from the main hall, followed by several Black-Robed Bishops and over a dozen armored Temple Guards.

He signaled for everyone to line up and head into the Spirit Temple to undergo the Martial Soul Awakening.

The children lined up one after another and walked in, while the adults waited outside.

According to the rules, adults were not allowed to follow them inside during the Martial Soul Awakening.

The Temple Guards stood at the entrance, and the adults could only gaze longingly from the doorway, waiting anxiously; some even craned their necks, trying to see the situation inside.

They looked just like the parents from Shang An's past life waiting outside the college entrance exam halls.

And the Martial Soul Awakening was even more important than the college entrance exams of his past life, because one's Martial Soul and Innate Soul Power would determine their entire life.

After the children who had been tested came out, they were immediately pulled aside by their parents to be questioned or to show their Spirit Master certificates; parents whose children had high Innate Soul Power naturally wept with joy.

For those who didn't, the parents might be dejected, but they would still softly comfort their children; there were also some who were angry, but that was only the occasional individual.

In a flash, half an hour passed, and it was finally the turn of Shang An's group.

Before going in, Dean Grandma gave them repeated instructions:

"Children, don't panic once you go inside, and follow all the arrangements of the Bishop."

Afterward, Shang An followed the line into the Spirit Temple. The temple was primarily white, with an Angel Statue carved into the walls; overall, it was magnificent, grand, and solemn.

In the center of the hall stood the aforementioned Bishop in platinum robes, who was also the Platinum Bishop of the eastern district of Martial Soul City.

In front of him was a Hexagram Array formed by six shining gemstones; this was the Martial Soul Awakening Array, the gentlest method for assisting in Martial Soul awakening that generations of Spirit Masters had explored and summarized.

On the other side sat a Blue Crystal Ball, used to test Innate Soul Power.

The Platinum Bishop nodded.

"Line up and come one by one. First, Xu Wu."

Xu Wu was a dark-skinned youth with a physique so robust he didn't look like a six-year-old. He stepped forward, walked into the Hexagram Array, and under the guidance of the assisting Instructor, Xu Wu released his Martial Soul.

"Martial Soul Blazing Berserk Ape, not bad. Now, let's test your Innate Soul Power."

The Soul Power Crystal lit up.

"Innate level seven soul power, not bad, not bad. Cultivate hard, and you have the potential to become a Spirit Douluo."

A look of joy appeared on Xu Wu's face; he was clearly very satisfied with himself.

Shang An couldn't help but glance over slightly. It wasn't that he was envious, but rather surprised at the strength of Martial Soul City; he had encountered someone with level seven Innate Soul Power just like that.

One had to know that in other villages and towns across the Douluo Continent, it was a huge cause for celebration if even one person had soul power, let alone level seven.

Even Zhu Qing of the Shrek Seven Devils only had level seven Innate Soul Power.

"Next, Li Zhi, Martial Soul Variegated Cat, level four Innate Soul Power."

The Bishop continued.

"Chang Qi, Moon Shadow Wolf, level five Innate Soul Power."

"Song Yi, Bloodthirsty Vine, level five Innate Soul Power."

"Gu Chensha, Big Watermelon, level three Innate Soul Power."

The following few were not as good as Xu Wu, but most were between level three and level six, which could be considered a bright future.

Soon, it was Shang An's turn. Shang An walked quickly into the Hexagram Array and stood still, beginning to sense his Martial Soul under the guidance of the Instructor.

Soon, his body was enveloped by the radiance of the Hexagram Array, and a gentle energy spread throughout his body, while at the same time, an invisible force within him was about to surge forth.

Seeing that Shang An's hands were empty, the Bishop continued to increase his soul power output.

One had to know that in the past, this only happened when awakening those who were true geniuses; could it be that this kid was also in such a situation?

The Bishop felt a secret joy in his heart, and a smile couldn't help but tug at his numb face; perhaps today another genius would emerge under his watch, and this would be his credit.

The Bishop continued to increase the soul power output. One minute, two minutes—suddenly, the force within Shang An seemed to have found a breakthrough.

A bead wrapped in chaotic-colored currents appeared on his right hand, and at the same time, an aura of the beginning of all things and the origin of the universe emerged from the bead.

Within a Different Dimension beneath the Star Dou Great Forest, a Silver Dragon with beautiful, bright silver scales quietly awoke.

"That is?"

However, that familiar aura quickly vanished. She dared not probe further, for the gods in the heavens were constantly monitoring the world below, so she closed her eyes once more.

Such a familiar aura, it is...

Inside the main hall.

The bead was still radiating an intense pressure, causing the Bishop's own Martial Soul to tremble. One must know that he possessed a high-level Martial Soul himself and was an eight-ring Spirit Douluo; yet today, he was trembling because of a single bead, even revealing a sense of dread.

A Super Martial Soul, at the very least, a Super Martial Soul.

The Bishop roared in his heart, while the smile on his face grew even brighter. He spoke to Shang An in a gentle tone:

"Come, child, let us test your Innate Soul Power once more."

Shang An nodded and placed his hand upon the Soul Power Crystal. A blinding light erupted, dazzling the eyes of everyone nearby. The Bishop's mouth hung wide open.

The Soul Power Crystal ball in Martial Soul City was different from those carried by ordinary deacons; it was a high-level crystal capable of measuring up to level fifty Soul Power.

And now, the light emitted by this Soul Power Crystal far exceeded the brilliance that an Innate Full Soul Power could produce.

"This is... Innate level twenty, Innate level twenty Soul Power!"

The Bishop suddenly calmed down and looked at the people around him:

"You all stay here on guard. No one is allowed to leave. I must go to see His Holiness the Pope."

He then smiled at Shang An:

"Child, your name is Shang An, right? Please wait here for a moment; I will be right back."

Shang An nodded obediently. With his talent, this matter would surely be reported directly, but that was fine; he had never intended to hide it anyway.

He then looked at the Martial Soul on his right hand. The more he looked, the more familiar it seemed. Wasn't this the bead he had refined in his previous life to store mana?

How did it become like this? Could it have mutated after absorbing something during the spatial-temporal turbulence?

He was certain that this bead was not some Chaos Bead, but the Taiyi Bead. Although the name sounded imposing, it was merely an ordinary magical artifact bead he had refined in his past life to store mana.

Carefully sensing his own Martial Soul, the bead transmitted some information to him: Taiyi Bead. The body of the bead contained the power of origin, possessing the ability to evolve all things and shape the universe, while also holding an extremely high compatibility with Martial Souls.

Perhaps the bead had absorbed a wisp of origin power during the spatial-temporal turbulence, which greatly enhanced its quality.

Furthermore, it had become his Martial Soul, and it appeared to be an incredibly powerful one at that. Innate level twenty—in this world, only Qian Renxue possessed Innate level twenty Soul Power, right?

After arriving in this world, he had begun practicing the Great Freedom True Scripture, but he knew the Great Freedom True Scripture could not help him break the level ten Soul Power limit. It seemed this was the merit of his Martial Soul.

Moreover, he felt that he possessed another Martial Soul, one manifested from his Great Freedom Formless Heavenly Demon Primordial Spirit, which should count as a Body Martial Soul.

Shang An called it the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Lord. This Martial Soul was even more peculiar; it could not be augmented with Spirit Rings, but it would grow as Shang An grew.

Currently, it only possessed the most basic ability, Heart Demon Seed Dao, which could use Psychic Power to actively or passively influence others.

He could even condense a Demon Seed and plant it into another's body. The heart demon was born from the combination of the other person's thoughts or obsessions and Shang An's aura. As long as the obsession remained, it could not be eradicated. It could influence a person's will, effectively placing an Intelligence-Reducing Aura on the enemy.

Shang An could also subtly change others through Psychic Power. This was not control, but rather guiding others by magnifying or diminishing certain flaws, regrets, or various emotions within their hearts.

Compared to crude control, this subtle influence was the most terrifying.

This was also one of the abilities he had developed in his past life. He had thought he would need to reconstruct his primordial spirit, but he had not expected the primordial spirit to become his Martial Soul.

Unfortunately, his mental strength was currently too low. Although he had reached an extremely profound realm in his past life, he had to start from scratch after the spatial-temporal turbulence.

However, it could be considered a blessing in disguise. Not only had he arrived in a world with little threat but abundant spiritual energy, but the compression and baptism of the spatial-temporal turbulence had made his already outstanding aptitude even more exceptional, allowing him to reach the Dao Entry realm with ease.

If not for the restriction of Spirit Rings, he might have already reached Spirit Movement.

Based on his knowledge of Douluo Continent from both his past and present lives, as well as his grasp of his own cultivation, he made a comparison between the realms of the two worlds.

Foundation Establishment -- Spirit Scholar (1-10)

Dao Entry -- Spirit Master (11-20)

Spirit Movement -- Soul Grand Master (21-30)

Embryonic Breathing -- Spirit Elder, Soul Ancestor (31-50)

Purple Mansion -- Spirit King, Spirit Emperor (51-70)

Life Pill -- Spirit Saint, Spirit Douluo (71-90)

Pure Yang -- Title Douluo (91-99)

Primordial Spirit -- Quasi-God, God Official

This set of level comparisons might not be perfectly accurate, but it should be close enough.

Although Douluo was jokingly referred to by netizens as the "sewer of fantasy," upon arriving in this real world, it did not feel that weak.

Many books recorded that some Title Douluo could destroy a city with a single all-out strike.

Regarding the combat power of Qian Renxue, Tang San, and the others after they became gods in the later stages, he speculated that they had just become gods and had not reached the peak of the divine positions they inherited, possessing at most the strength of a level 100 God Official.

After all, the novel written by a certain author had too many bugs, and now that this was a real world, bugs would clearly not exist.

He naturally could not follow the novel entirely; the settings of the original work could only serve as a reference.

And what had been written was merely the tip of the iceberg of this continent.