"Fire Wolf, a Beast Martial Soul: Fire Wolf!" Su Yuntao steadied himself, his delight plain to see.
Su Yan looked down at himself. Scarlet fur wrapped around intricate golden runes, and his tall, powerful body was even larger than Su Yuntao's when he used Lone Wolf Possession.
Only after truly undergoing Martial Soul Possession did he realize how wondrous this power was.
Su Yan gathered his focus, and the flames covering him slowly faded, revealing a large expanse of fair skin.
"Fire Wolf." Su Yuntao took a leather scroll and a pen from his bag and wrote down the name. The slender pen looked rather tiny in his wolf paw, but he handled it with ease.
"Next, we'll test your Soul Power Level." Su Yuntao picked up the crystal ball. "Put your hand on it."
His wolf paw trembled slightly. Perhaps he still felt the lingering pressure from earlier, or perhaps he was eagerly awaiting the test results.
There was no clear correlation between a Martial Soul's quality and innate Soul Power, but it was an unspoken rule in the Soul Master World that the stronger the Martial Soul, the higher the Innate Soul Power.
Su Yan placed his hand on the crystal ball. It suddenly lit up, dazzling blue light spreading out in an instant, like the fluttering hem of a young girl's skirt, alluringly ethereal.
"So pretty!" At some point, the children in the back had gathered around, though they all restrained themselves from reaching out.
Su Yuntao's pupils shrank. "Innate Full Soul Power!"
He had never seen such brilliant blue light. This was the radiance of Innate Full Soul Power!
Only twenty-two people with Innate Full Soul Power had been recorded throughout history. Aside from the three Soul Masters discovered in recent years, the other nineteen had all made their mark on history.
The child before him was about to become the twenty-third Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power!
He would make history, and his future would be limitless!
But in the blink of an eye, the blue light dimmed, leaving only eighty percent of its original brightness as it rippled gently around the crystal ball.
"Innate Soul Power, Level 8." Su Yuntao furrowed his brow.
Level 8 was already a one-in-ten-thousand talent, yet he couldn't help feeling inexplicably disappointed.
He held up the crystal ball and examined it from every angle, tapping and patting it as he muttered, "Is this thing broken?"
After a moment, he turned to Su Yan. "Come on, let's test it again."
The blue light came on, but it was still nowhere near as bright as before.
"Innate Soul Power, Level 8." Su Yuntao recorded his Soul Power Level. Noticing that most of Su Yan's clothes had burned away, he watched another piece fall off and added, "Little friend, go change into something else before you come back."
Su Yan nodded, holding the remaining coarse cloth over himself with both hands as he left the Spirit Hall.
He was already quite satisfied with this result. There were too many transmigrators with Innate Full Soul Power; that would throw the Soul Master ecosystem out of balance.
But "Fire Wolf" was an acceptable name.
Outside the hall, Grandpa Jack leaned on his cane and paced back and forth. Every so often, he glanced at the tightly shut wooden door. One moment he sighed, the next he took a deep breath.
Creak.
The wooden door opened, and Grandpa Jack hurried forward. Seeing Su Yan nearly naked, he asked in alarm, "Xiaoyan, what happened?"
"Grandpa, my clothes burned up when I awakened my Martial Soul." Su Yan shivered. "Grandpa, I'll go change first."
"All right. Take it slow, and watch out for rocks on the road."
"Got it!"
Meanwhile, Su Yuntao continued awakening the other children's Martial Souls.
"Sickle. No Soul Power. Next."
"Hoe. No Soul Power. Next."
"Blue Silver Grass. No Soul Power."
All six children were the same: not one of them had Soul Power.
"I'm sorry, children." Su Yuntao put away his Martial Soul. "You don't have Soul Power, so you can't become Soul Masters."
Su Yuntao was used to this. Even though a Soul Saint had once come from Holy Soul Village, it was still a village of ordinary people. It could go hundreds of years without producing a single Soul Master. Having Su Yan this time had already used up all their luck.
"War Soul Master, does that mean Big Brother Su can become a Soul Master?" asked the little girl whose Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass.
As he packed his things, Su Yuntao replied, "Big Brother Su? Of course he can."
"Then will he go to the Spirit Hall to train?"
"If he wants to, the Spirit Hall will welcome him." Su Yuntao smiled.
Before long, the children began playing around nearby.
To them, not becoming Soul Masters mattered less than missing out on a piece of candy. They quickly forgot the grown-ups' "disappointment."
Su Yuntao finished packing and led the children out through the wooden door of the Spirit Hall.
Grandpa Jack hurried over and bowed. "War Soul Master, thank you for your efforts. Were there any promising children this time?"
"Yes."
At that, even the light in Grandpa Jack's aged eyes seemed to brighten, making him look ten years younger.
He had waited for decades, and the village for centuries. At last, another Soul Master had come from their village.
Grandpa Jack asked in a trembling voice, "Who is it?"
"There he is." Su Yuntao pointed into the distance.
Su Yan had changed into a clean white coarse-cloth shirt. He ran over to them.
Su Yuntao asked, "Little friend, what's your name?"
"My name is Su Yan."
"Su Yan, would you like to come back to the Spirit Hall with me?" Su Yuntao asked.
"I..." Su Yan put on a thoughtful expression and hesitated, his eyes turning to Grandpa Jack, who was beaming.
Su Yuntao understood and laid out all the Spirit Hall's benefits: "The Spirit Hall covers food, lodging, and Soul Rings. Experts provide professional Soul Ring guidance, and your choices are tailored to your personal preferences."
"Training every day sounds exhausting."
"The Spirit Hall has no performance targets or training requirements. Every month, you'll receive an additional stipend based on your Soul Power."
"Training alone all the time sounds boring."
"The Spirit Hall assigns Soul Master Academies based on age and Soul Power Level. The academies offer all kinds of extracurricular classes—music, art, blacksmithing, and more. We value your all-around development, not just your training."
"But we can't afford the tuition."
"Enroll in a Soul Master Academy run by the Spirit Hall, and you'll get twelve years of compulsory education. The Spirit Hall will cover all the expenses."
Su Yan was astonished. He had no idea the Spirit Hall offered so many benefits.
It was no wonder the two great empires were always trying to eliminate the Spirit Hall, this colossal force.
Watching Su Yan's expression change, Su Yuntao was already fairly sure of his answer. "Recently, we also introduced master-led courses. At the introductory level, there's an art class taught by Deacon Soul Saint Ah Yin, a physical education class taught by Deacon Soul Douluo Tang Xiao, and a vocal music class taught by Elder Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan."
"Wait, who did you just say?" Su Yan asked with a frown. He wasn't sure his ears hadn't deceived him.
Yue Guan was already a member of the Spirit Hall's Elder Hall, and Tang Xiao was one of the Clear Sky Sect's future two Douluos. Their temporary positions at the Spirit Hall were one thing.
But Ah Yin—could a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who had taken human form really go to a place like the Spirit Hall, packed with Soul Masters and full of mortal danger?
"The Spirit Hall's new master-led courses. There's an art class taught by Deacon Ah Yin..."
"Master Yun Tao, is Deacon Ah Yin's Martial Soul Blue Silver... Emperor?"
"How did you know?" Su Yuntao raised his brows. "She studied painting under a divine master. Her Blue Silver Grass series is her signature work, and it's still one of the Main Martial Soul Hall's most prized treasures."
Su Yan was even more confused. He hurriedly asked, "Isn't she..."
For a moment, he didn't know how to finish.
What if Ah Yin was keeping a low profile? If he asked this, wouldn't he draw attention to her and end up putting her in danger?
To his surprise, Su Yuntao laughed heartily. "You've heard about it too, right? Deacon Ah Yin is the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Blue Silver Emperor, transformed into human form."
"You all know?" Su Yan asked, his brows lifting in surprise.
"Of course. A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that has taken human form has human rights too, and is protected by the Spirit Hall," Su Yuntao said proudly.
Su Yan's eyes widened as realization dawned on him.
He had transmigrated to Douluo Continent, but it wasn't the Douluo Continent he knew.
"Master Yun Tao, I have one last question." Su Yan stared intently at Su Yuntao. "Does the Spirit Hall arrange marriages?"
Before you continue