The Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony Begins

The first rays of morning sunlight greeted Martial Soul City.

Su Chen pushed open the wooden door of the orphanage.

He stepped out and headed toward the Awakening Plaza at the center of Martial Soul Hall.

Last night, he had successfully bound the God-Level Choice System.

In this world dominated by martial souls, lacking strength was the original sin.

Su Chen understood this well. As an orphan raised by Martial Soul Hall, if he failed to awaken a powerful martial soul, his future fate would be to be assigned to a branch hall in a remote town as a low-level deacon. He did not want to be cannon fodder at the bottom. He wanted to control his own destiny.

The streets of Martial Soul City were wide and smooth. Squads of Temple Knights clad in silver armor were patrolling. Su Chen walked along the main thoroughfare. Half an hour later, he arrived at the Awakening Plaza.

Hundreds of children of the appropriate age had already gathered at the Awakening Plaza.

They were all orphans adopted by Martial Soul Hall from various regions, or the descendants of low-level personnel.

Every face was filled with nervousness and anticipation.

Su Chen walked into the crowd and found a spot near the back to stand.

In the center of the plaza stood a massive high platform. Intricate formation patterns were carved into the platform. At the six nodes of the formation, six pitch-black Awakening Stones were placed.

The person in charge of presiding over this awakening ceremony was Cardinal Sino.

Sino wore a magnificent red robe. A high-ranking badge of Martial Soul Hall was pinned to his chest. He walked to the edge of the platform and looked down at the hundreds of children below.

"Today is the annual martial soul awakening ceremony," Sino began. His voice, enveloped by soul power, spread across the entire plaza. "Martial Soul Hall has given you a place to shelter from the wind and rain. Now is the time for you to prove your worth. If you awaken a martial soul with soul power, you can stay in Martial Soul City. You will be able to enter Martial Soul Academy directly to study. If you have no soul power, you will be assigned to the various low-level branch halls to do menial labor. Do you understand?"

The children responded in unison. Their voices echoed over the plaza.

Sino waved his hand, signaling the presiding deacon to begin the roll call.

The presiding deacon took out a thick roster. He opened the first page and called out a name in a loud voice.

"First, Wang Daniu."

A sturdy boy walked onto the high platform nervously. Following the deacon's instructions, he stood in the center of the six Awakening Stones. The deacon struck out with both hands, sending six streams of soul power flying. The soul power was accurately injected into the six Awakening Stones.

A layer of pale golden radiance was released from the Awakening Stones. The light intertwined in the air, forming a golden light barrier. The barrier enveloped the boy. Inside the light barrier, specks of golden light emerged. These golden lights continuously entered the boy's body. The boy's body began to tremble slightly. He subconsciously reached out his right hand.

The light quickly receded. An ordinary Iron Sickle appeared in the boy's palm.

"Martial soul, Sickle. Tool martial soul," the deacon recorded expressionlessly. He turned and took out a blue crystal ball from the side. The crystal ball was crystal clear, without any flaws. The deacon handed the crystal ball to the boy. "Test your soul power. Put your hand on it."

The boy placed his hand on the crystal ball. The crystal ball did not react at all. No light shone.

"No soul power. Next," the deacon announced the result coldly.

The boy walked off the high platform with a face full of dejection. This was the cruel reality of the Douluo Continent. Without innate soul power, one was destined to never become a soul master. His future fate could only be to swing a sickle in the fields or clean floors at a branch hall.

The awakening ceremony proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Most of the children awakened trash martial souls: farm tools, weeds, ordinary poultry. Occasionally, a few appeared who possessed innate soul power, but their soul power levels were extremely low.

"Martial soul, Blue Silver Grass, no soul power."

"Martial soul, wooden stick, innate soul power level one."

"Martial soul, wild boar, innate soul power level two."

As time passed, Sino's brows furrowed slightly. This year's crop did not seem very good. Martial Soul Hall needed fresh blood. The higher-ups hoped to discover talented geniuses among the orphans. But as it stood, they were all mediocre.

Su Chen stood in the crowd. He watched everything on the high platform with a calm expression. He was not worried about his own awakening result. Since the system had already been bound, it was impossible for him to become a waste. He was now thinking about his next plan. Calculating the time, Tang San should also be awakening his martial soul soon. He had to increase his strength as quickly as possible.

"Next, Li Qing," the deacon's voice sounded again.

A thin, weak boy walked onto the high platform. A golden light flashed. Behind him appeared the phantom of a small cyan bird. The bird flapped its wings, looking quite spirited.

A flicker of emotion crossed the deacon's eyes. "Beast martial soul, Azure Spirit Bird. Test your soul power."

The boy pressed his hand onto the crystal ball. The crystal ball immediately lit up with a faint blue glow. The light occupied nearly half the volume of the crystal ball.

"Innate soul power level four," the deacon nodded. His tone finally softened a little. He made a heavy mark on the roster. "Not bad. Stand to the left."

The boy was overjoyed. He hurriedly ran to the designated area on the left side of the high platform. That was the exclusive area for children who possessed soul power.

Sino's expression also looked a bit better. Innate soul power level four. As long as he cultivated diligently in the future, he could at least become a Soul Grand Master. There was even a chance to challenge the Soul Elder realm. For an orphan, this was already a change of fate.

Next, a few more children with soul power appeared. But the highest among them was only innate soul power level five. The martial soul was a Mountain-Splitting Axe.

Time passed minute by minute. More than half of the children on the plaza had already awakened.

Finally, the deacon called Su Chen's name.

"Next, Su Chen."

Su Chen took a deep breath. He stepped out of the crowd. His pace was steady. He did not have the trembling, fearful appearance of the other children. He walked onto the high platform step by step.

Sino glanced at Su Chen. He discovered that this boy's gaze was very calm. This temperament was very rare among his peers. Sino took an extra look at Su Chen.

Su Chen walked to the center of the formation and stood still.

"Relax. Close your eyes. Carefully feel the power within your body," the deacon instructed as a matter of routine. Then, he struck out with his hands, releasing soul power.

The six Awakening Stones lit up instantly. Pale golden light rose up once more. The light transformed into a light barrier, enveloping Su Chen within.

The moment the light barrier formed, Su Chen felt a warm current surge out from the Awakening Stones. This current entered his body through his pores. The current traveled rapidly through his meridians, finally gathering at his dantian.

At this moment, a crisp, mechanical sound rang out in his mind.

"Ding! Detected that the host is undergoing Martial Soul awakening. God-Level Choice System triggered."

"Option One: Suppress potential, awaken an ordinary mutated Martial Soul. Reward: Innate Soul Power level ten, one thousand Gold Soul Coins."

"Option Two: Let nature take its course, awaken twin high-tier Martial Souls. Reward: Innate Soul Power level fifteen, one copy of the Soul Beast Illustrated Handbook."

"Option Three: Full release, awaken twin supreme Martial Souls. Trigger heaven and earth anomalies. Reward: Innate Soul Power level twenty, two strands of God-Level Martial Soul Origin."

Su Chen looked at the three options provided by the system. He made his decision in his heart without the slightest hesitation. He wanted to stand out in Martial Soul Hall. He wanted to catch the attention of Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu. To do that, he had to demonstrate value that crushed everything else.

In this world, there was no point in hiding one's light. Only by displaying supreme talent could one obtain the best resources. Martial Soul Hall possessed the best simulated cultivation environments on the entire continent and held access rights to countless high-tier soul beast forests. These resources would only be tilted toward true geniuses.

"System, I choose three," Su Chen commanded in his mind.

"Ding! Choice confirmed. Rewards have been issued. God-Level Martial Soul Origin fusion beginning. Host, please prepare for Martial Soul awakening."

In an instant, the warm current within Su Chen's body suddenly turned violent. He felt two distinct yet incredibly massive forces colliding crazily inside him. These two forces rapidly occupied his body; one surged toward his right hand, while the other rushed toward his left.

On the high platform outside.

The deacon had originally intended to wait for the Martial Soul to take shape as usual, but he quickly realized something was wrong.

The six Awakening Stones on the ground began to tremble violently. Their original pale golden light instantly transformed into a blinding, intense glare.

The deacon's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly increased his soul power output, attempting to stabilize the awakening array.

However, he discovered with horror that his own soul power was being crazily drained by the Awakening Stones. The awakening array seemed to have turned into a bottomless pit, greedily devouring energy from the outside. In just a few short seconds, more than half of the soul power in the deacon's body had been sucked away.

Sino also sensed the anomaly. He stood up straight abruptly, his gaze locked firmly on Su Chen in the center of the array.

Such massive energy fluctuations—this was definitely not an ordinary Martial Soul awakening.

At this moment, Su Chen's entire body was already suspended in mid-air. Dazzling light had completely swallowed him, and the people below the platform could not see his face.

The originally clear clouds in the sky began to roll rapidly, pressing lower and lower. An indescribable pressure spread from Su Chen's position in all directions.

The children on the plaza were forced back by this pressure, retreating continuously until they reached the edges of the plaza.

The deacon was drenched in sweat, his hands constantly forming seals. He was reaching his limit. Fine cracks had already appeared on the surface of the six Awakening Stones—a sign of energy overload. If the stones shattered, the awakening ceremony would be forced to terminate.

Seeing this, Sino immediately flashed to the edge of the array. He raised his right hand, and the formidable soul power belonging to a Cardinal surged out, which he injected directly into the array.

With the support of Sino's soul power, the awakening array finally stabilized. The six Awakening Stones stopped cracking, but the light on Su Chen's body grew even more brilliant, shooting straight into the clouds.

The commotion on the plaza had already drawn the attention of others within Martial Soul City. Patrolling knights stopped in their tracks, and soul masters in the surrounding buildings pushed open their windows to look toward the plaza.

Just as everyone was watching the high platform, Su Chen, suspended in mid-air, slowly raised his hands.

A ball of pure light condensed in the palm of his right hand, radiating a sacred aura from within. The moment this aura appeared, the energy throughout the entire Awakening Plaza began to boil.

Immediately following, Su Chen's left hand also underwent a change. A ball of deep, extreme dark energy emerged, forming a sharp contrast with the sacred light in his right hand.

Two distinct, yet equally powerful forces that one could not ignore were being birthed within his hands. The interweaving of light and darkness caused the air around the high platform to distort.

Sino was the closest. He felt the oppressive force brought by these two energies. Far from retreating, a look of unprecedented fanaticism erupted in his eyes.

Martial Soul Hall was finally about to produce a peerless genius.