Sausage and Bread

"Le Bai, the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony is about to start. Are you nervous? I feel like my heart is about to jump out of my throat, and I really need to go to the bathroom..."

Oscar stood in the middle of a line of children, looking around nervously.

"I definitely am. It's a life-changing event, after all; how could I not be?"

Although Le Bai said this, he looked much calmer than Oscar, neither fidgeting nor looking around. "But compared to the Martial Soul itself, I'm more worried about the Innate Soul Power. If I don't have any Innate Soul Power, or if my Innate Soul Power Level is too low, the days ahead will be tough."

This was Meat Fragrance Village, a relatively remote village on the border of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Because the Martial Souls of the villagers were mostly related to various meat products, the village was filled with the scent of meat all year round, hence the name.

Today was the village's annual "Martial Soul Awakening Day," and the children who had turned six years old would gather on this day to participate in the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony.

However, the Soul Master responsible for the Martial Soul Awakening in Meat Fragrance Village was not sent by the Martial Soul Hall.

Generally speaking, the Martial Soul Awakening in most villages is handled by Soul Masters sent by the Martial Soul Hall. However, there are some villages that are too remote or not favored by the Martial Soul Hall, and thus do not have a branch established there.

Such villages usually ask the empire they belong to for help, or the entire village pools their money together to invite a Soul Master to preside over the ceremony each year.

In any case, presiding over the Martial Soul Awakening does not require a high Soul Power Level, and the strength of the presiding Soul Master does not affect the quality of the Martial Soul.

For a village like Meat Fragrance, which produces many Food System Soul Masters, the cost of inviting a low-level Soul Master is not high, and since it is split among all the villagers, there is no pressure to do it once a year.

But in recent years, the villagers of Meat Fragrance Village have become increasingly reluctant to pay, because the number of children with Soul Power among those with Food System Martial Souls is simply too small!

Moreover, all Food System Soul Masters belong to the Support System, and their Soul Power Cultivation is more difficult than that of Combat System Soul Masters, making it hard for them to become big shots. This was indeed the case; most Soul Masters from Meat Fragrance Village did not have high Soul Power and were mostly in professions like cooks, which are easily looked down upon.

Even so, the annual Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony remained the top priority in the village chief's heart.

"Children, quiet down!"

The round-bodied village chief shouted, his old fat rippling noticeably. "Today is a great day for your Martial Soul awakening! I hope you will all work hard, strive to awaken a good Martial Soul, and become a glorious and great Soul Master as soon as possible!"

After speaking, the Fat Village Chief stepped aside and introduced the Soul Master presiding over the ceremony this year: "This is Lord Soul Master Flender! Although he is just a Soul Master who happened to pass through our village, he is willing to help, and we should all be grateful to him!"

The children couldn't help but offer words of praise.

Half a minute later, the praise gradually faded, and the Fat Village Chief continued: "Lord Soul Master's time is precious. Children, line up now. Once the person in front of you is done, you will immediately step forward for the ceremony. Do you understand?"

"We~ un~der~stand!" ×N

"Good, good, good!"

The Fat Village Chief laughed, his chubby face full of approachability. "Lord Flender, please begin!"

"Hmm." Flender stepped forward.

Flender's most distinctive feature was his glasses. "Hello, little ones. I am the Soul Master who will perform your Martial Soul Awakening. I hope you won't be afraid. Don't worry, it will be quick and it won't hurt."

"U-um, Lord Soul Master, will it really not hurt?"

A little boy standing at the front raised his hand and asked.

"Of course it won't."

Flender smiled at the little boy. "Didn't your mom and dad tell you about their experience of awakening their Martial Souls when they were young?"

"They did. But they always lied to me and said the medicine wasn't bitter at all, but every time I drank it, it was very bitter."

The little boy was a bit nervous.

"Then would you like to go first?"

Flender smiled and took out six stones, arranging them into a hexagon on the ground, and asked, "See if I'm lying to you."

"W-what if you really are lying to me?"

The little boy was skeptical.

Flender took out a piece of candy. "As long as you tell the truth, this candy is yours."

"Then... alright, I'll go first."

The little boy succumbed to the temptation of the candy, gathered his courage, and walked into the hexagon made of stones, while the other children watched nervously.

Flender pointed into the air, and the six stones were instantly activated, releasing a golden light barrier. The little boy's uneasy expression quickly vanished, and a bit of light appeared on his right hand.

At this moment, Flender reminded him softly: "Slowly open your right hand."

The little boy subconsciously opened his palm—the light in his hand quickly grew larger, and a square object appeared.

"It's Tofu. Your Martial Soul is a Food System Tofu."

Flender said slowly, "How is it? It didn't feel bad, did it?"

The little boy looked at the tofu in his hand, and upon hearing Flender's words, he was stunned for a moment before quickly saying, "Y-yes! It didn't feel bad at all!"

"Then this candy is yours."

Flender placed the candy in the little boy's hand and took out a crystal. "Come, let's test your Soul Power, and your Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony will be complete."

The little boy held the candy and happily grabbed the crystal—a moment later, nothing happened.

"Alright, little one, it's a pity you don't have any Soul Power, so you won't be able to become a Soul Master in the future."

Flender offered a simple word of comfort and said to the children behind him who were already starting to look forward to their turn: "Next."

Once there was a start, the rest went quickly, and seven or eight children finished in no time.

Meat Fragrance Village lived up to its name. Aside from the first child whose Martial Soul was Tofu, the next seven or eight children all manifested meat-based Martial Souls like Pork Chop, Pork Belly, Steak, and Chicken Leg, filling the air with the scent of meat.

"It's finally almost my turn!"

Oscar's nervousness had gradually turned into excitement. He grabbed Le Bai and asked repeatedly, "Le Bai, Le Bai, what kind of Martial Soul do you think I'll awaken? Will I have any soul power?"

"You? Your Martial Soul will probably be a Sausage."

Le Bai casually spoiled the surprise: "Your soul power will be Innate Full Soul Power. You'll be able to become a Soul Master with just any random Soul Ring."

"What does Innate Full Soul Power mean?"

Oscar blinked, his delicate little face paired with his Peach Blossom Eyes already possessing a high level of effectiveness against the opposite sex.

"Don't ask for now, it's your turn, go!"

Le Bai reminded him.

Oscar was startled and immediately stopped asking questions. He walked forward and stood inside the hexagon formed by six stones.

"Stand steady, don't be nervous."

Flender habitually added an extra word of instruction, his gaze sweeping quickly over Le Bai—he had just heard the conversation between Le Bai and Oscar, and he was somewhat surprised to hear a relatively professional term like Innate Full Soul Power coming from Le Bai's mouth.

Oscar opened his right hand, and a red sausage appeared, emitting the scent of meat.

"It really is a sausage?!" ×2

Oscar was surprised that Le Bai had guessed correctly.

Flender, on the other hand, recalled that Le Bai had also mentioned Innate Full Soul Power, so he hurriedly handed over the Soul Power Crystal: "Come! Test your innate soul power!"

Oscar gripped it instinctively—light!

The crystal emitted an intense light, illuminating the lenses of Flender's glasses: "To think there really is a Support System Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power!"

Flender was overjoyed, deciding on the spot to recruit Oscar into his academy: "I never expected to encounter such talent while just picking up some extra work. Is my luck finally turning around?!"

Flender's attention then shifted to the child behind Oscar—Le Bai: "How did he know this child's Martial Soul would be a sausage? If he was just guessing, how do I explain the Innate Full Soul Power? That's not a term just anyone knows."

Harboring these doubts, Flender asked Oscar kindly, "Child, can you tell me your name?"

"Oscar! My name is Oscar!"

After his simple self-introduction, Oscar asked, "Lord Soul Master, is Innate Full Soul Power very impressive?"

"It is very impressive!"

Flender smiled and took out a piece of candy: "So, this uncle would like to invite you, Oscar, to attend my Soul Master Academy and become a Soul Master. Would you like that?"

"Ah?"

Oscar didn't know what a Soul Master academy was, but he understood that the Soul Master in front of him seemed to like him very much and wanted to take him away from the village. His gaze instinctively shifted to the only elder present he was familiar with—the Fat Village Chief.

Seeing Oscar look at him, the Fat Village Chief immediately understood what he meant: "Little Ao, becoming a Soul Master is a huge blessing! You should just agree! As for your father, I'll go talk to him!"

No sooner had the Fat Village Chief finished speaking than a voice rang out from the crowd of villagers:

"I definitely agree! What's there to talk about?"

A few seconds later, a slender, bearded man squeezed through the gaps in the crowd: "Oscar, go ahead and become a Soul Master! Your father is just waiting for you to bring honor to our ancestors!"

"Okay, Dad! I definitely will!"

Oscar waved excitedly at his father, then turned to Flender and said, "Lord Soul Master, I am willing to attend your academy!"

"Good!"

Flender laughed: "Come, Oscar, stand over here for now. I'll finish awakening the others and then we'll go."

It was Le Bai's turn.

After Le Bai walked into the hexagon, Flender asked, "Child, is your name Le Bai?"

"Yes, 'Le' as in music, 'Bai' as in the color white."

Le Bai showed a hint of nervousness.

"Heh, no need to be nervous. In a moment, when your right hand starts to glow, just open your palm."

Flender reminded him casually, then paused and asked, "I heard you tell Oscar earlier that his Martial Soul would be a sausage and that he would have Innate Full Soul Power. How did you know that?"

"I was just guessing."

Le Bai bullshitted with a serious face: "Oscar likes eating sausages, so he'd definitely be happy if he awakened a sausage Martial Soul. Also, when I watched others awaken their Martial Souls last year, I heard another Lord Soul Master say that Innate Full Soul Power is the best."

It sounded reasonable; in fact, it was the only way it could possibly be.

"So that's how it is."

Flender was a little disappointed. Seeing Le Bai's right hand begin to glow, he reminded him: "Open your right hand."

Hearing this, Le Bai instantly relaxed his palm. The light slowly expanded, and a piece of bread, about the size of Le Bai's fist, appeared in the palm of his right hand.

"Bread, you are also a Support System Martial Soul. Come, test your soul power."

Flender said flatly, not expecting anything. One Support System Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power was already surprising enough; could there really be two?

Le Bai hesitated for a moment, closed his eyes, and gripped the crystal.

A moment later, he heard the voice of Flender: "Not bad, you have level two Innate Soul Power. Cultivate well, and you can become a Food System Soul Master in the future."

His Innate Soul Power wasn't zero!

He could cultivate!

Le Bai was very satisfied: "Yes! Thank you, sir!"

Noticing the shift in Le Bai's expression, Flender laughed: "You child are truly pragmatic!"

"Um, Lord Soul Master."

Standing behind Flender, Oscar carefully tugged at the corner of Flender's robe: "Since Le Bai can also become a Soul Master, can you let him come to your academy with me?"

"Why do you ask that?"

Flender looked at Oscar: "Does he have some special relationship with you?"

"Le Bai is my brother!"

Oscar introduced him quite proudly: "And Le Bai is very capable! Even though he's the same age as me, Le Bai has been helping out at home for a long time. Whether it's weaving bamboo baskets or making furniture out of wood, he can do it all! He's even better at it than many adults!"

"That really is quite impressive."

Flender took another look at Le Bai and said sincerely.

"Right, right!"

Oscar was very happy that Le Bai was being praised: "So, Lord Soul Master, let Le Bai come with me..."

"But that won't work."

Flender shook his head, rejecting Oscar's request: "I will tell you more about our Soul Master Academy later. For now, I must continue presiding over the Martial Soul awakening."

Oscar grew anxious: "But..."

Le Bai quickly stepped forward and swiftly covered Oscar's mouth: "Lord Soul Master, please continue."

Flender glanced at Le Bai again, nodded, and turned to the children still waiting behind: "Next."

There weren't many children in the village to begin with; after Le Bai, there were only five or six left.

Unfortunately, the children after Oscar and Le Bai all had zero Innate Soul Power, meaning they could not cultivate soul power and would never become Soul Masters.

The disappointed villagers left with their children, leaving Oscar's Father and the Fat Village Chief behind. The two of them looked at Flender and the unhappy-looking Oscar, not knowing what to say.

"Oscar."

Flender explained: "Our Soul Master Academy is called Shrek Academy. Shrek is the name of a type of Monster. Do you know what that implies?"

Oscar shook his head.

"It means that our academy does not welcome ordinary Soul Masters."

When Flender said this, an air of arrogance radiated from him: "We only accept Monsters!"

Oscar was very bright. Although he didn't fully understand what Flender meant by "Monster," he understood that Flender would not agree to let Le Bai enroll, and his mood sank: "Is there really no way to bring Le Bai along?"

Flender didn't speak, just looked at him.

"I understand."

Oscar clenched his fists, his determined gaze meeting Flender's: "Since I can't be with Le Bai, then I will—"

Le Bai covered Oscar's mouth once more and apologized to Flender: "I'm sorry for causing you trouble. I will talk him through it properly; please give me some time."

Far from being angry, Flender looked at Oscar and Le Bai and laughed: "You two have a truly wonderful bond!"

"It's not that great," Le Bai said solemnly. "Just a little better than average brothers."

"Hahahaha!"

Flender laughed heartily and said: "Good! A 'little better than average brothers,' indeed!"

Oscar looked at Flender, confused: "Um, Lord Soul Master? Does this mean you're willing to take Le Bai to the academy?"

"Of course not."

Flender shook his head again: "Since the academy's rules have been set, they cannot be changed."

Oscar's expression immediately fell.

"However—"

Flender changed his tone: "If it's just providing him with a house to live in near the academy, that shouldn't be a problem."

Oscar immediately beamed: "Does that mean Le Bai and I don't have to be separated?!"

"As for that, I won't make any promises."

Flender stroked his beard: "Le Bai is still so young; whether he can live well on his own depends on his own abilities."

"If it's Le Bai, it'll definitely be fine!"

Oscar wrapped his arm around Le Bai's shoulder: "Le Bai helps with so many things at home!"

"Wait a minute!"

Oscar's Father suddenly rushed over, looking at Oscar with a serious face: "Oscar, can you not take Le Bai away? If Le Bai leaves, there will be no one to do the chores. Do you have the heart to let your father live in a pile of trash?"

"I have the heart for it."

Oscar said quite bluntly, "Anyway, so many big sisters and little aunties like you, wouldn't it be fine if you just married me a stepmother to take care of your life by then?"

"You, you rebellious son! To think you'd say such a terrifying thing!"

Oscar's Father clutched his heart and took half a step back, "Even if I stay single until I die, get choked to death by fumes, or die in a pile of trash, I will absolutely never find you a stepmother!"

If he didn't know his old man's situation, Oscar would have actually believed him, "Yes, yes, you keep at it, I'll be taking Le Bai now."

Oscar's Father roared, "Get lost!"

Oscar shrugged and pulled Le Bai, preparing to leave.

"Wait a moment."

Le Bai signaled for Oscar to wait a second, trotted over to Oscar's Father, and knelt down, "Thank you for taking care of me all these years. If you hadn't picked me up back then, I definitely would have died on that snowy night."

"You kid, you really do remember things from when you were an infant."

Oscar's Father wasn't surprised at all, "You are more sensible than Oscar. I won't say much more; take care of yourself. If you can, help me look after Oscar as well."

"I will."

Le Bai stood up, remembered something, and said, "Right, if one day you really can't hold out on your own, just go and marry Eleven. She is more suitable for you than any other woman, and she has the ability to help you handle the others."

After saying that, Le Bai and Oscar were grabbed by Flender, one in each hand, and taken into the sky.

A long while later:

"They're gone, still looking?"

"Not looking anymore. Those two brats..."

Straight to the point: Douluo is trending, just riding the wave.

The content itself has been in the works for a long time.

The outline is over ten thousand words, better than nothing.

Barring any accidents, there will be two updates daily, at noon and in the evening, with specific times to be determined.

I have some drafts, but not many. I won't overestimate my abilities by setting up rewards or anything like that.

The genre is light novel, and the goal is a happy ending.

Obvious bugs in the original work will be partially modified—such as the conversion rate of gold, silver, and Copper currency.

I will not break up the original pairings.

That is all.