The Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony Begins

Spirit City welcomed the first rays of morning sunlight.

Su Chen pushed open the wooden door of the orphanage.

He set off for the Awakening Plaza at the heart of Spirit Hall.

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

In this world, where Martial Souls reigned supreme, having no strength was the greatest sin.

Su Chen knew this all too well. As an orphan raised by Spirit Hall, if he failed to awaken a powerful Martial Soul, his future would be limited to being sent to a branch hall in some remote town to serve as a low-ranking Deacon. He didn't want to be cannon fodder at the bottom of the ladder. He wanted to control his own fate.

The streets of Spirit City were broad and smooth. Patrols of Temple Knights clad in silver armor marched through them. Su Chen followed the main road. Half an hour later, he arrived at the Awakening Plaza.

Hundreds of children of the appropriate age had already gathered in the plaza.

They were all orphans taken in by Spirit Hall from across the land, or children of low-ranking personnel.

Every face was filled with nervousness and anticipation.

Su Chen entered the crowd and found a spot near the back.

A massive platform stood at the center of the plaza. Intricate formation patterns were carved into its surface. Six pitch-black Awakening Stones had been placed at the six nodes of the formation.

The Cardinal in charge of this year's awakening ceremony was Sino.

Sino wore an ornate red robe, with a high-ranking Spirit Hall badge pinned to his chest. He walked to the edge of the platform and gazed down at the hundreds of children below.

"Today is the annual Martial Soul Awakening ceremony." His voice rang across the plaza, carried by Soul Power. "Spirit Hall gave you a place to shelter from wind and rain. Now it's time to prove your worth. If you awaken a Martial Soul with Soul Power, you can stay in Spirit City. You'll be able to enroll directly in Martial Soul Academy. If you have no Soul Power, you'll be assigned to one of the low-ranking branch halls to do odd jobs. Understood?"

The children answered in unison, their voices echoing across the plaza.

Sino waved his hand, signaling the presiding Deacon beside him to begin calling the names.

The Deacon took out a thick register. He opened it to the first page and called out a name.

"First, Wang Daniu."

A sturdy boy nervously climbed onto the platform. Following the Deacon's instructions, he stood at the center of the six Awakening Stones. The Deacon rapidly struck out with both hands, sending six streams of Soul Power into the stones.

A pale golden radiance shone from the Awakening Stones. It wove together in the air, forming a golden dome that enveloped the boy. Flecks of golden light appeared inside it and steadily flowed into his body. He began to tremble slightly, then instinctively stretched out his right hand.

The light quickly faded, revealing an ordinary Iron Sickle in the boy's palm.

"Martial Soul: sickle. Tool-type Martial Soul." The Deacon recorded the result expressionlessly. He turned and took a blue crystal ball from beside him. Flawless and translucent, he held it out to the boy. "Test your Soul Power. Put your hand on it."

The boy placed his hand on the crystal ball. It showed no reaction at all. Not a single glimmer appeared.

"No Soul Power. Next." The Deacon announced the result coldly.

The boy climbed down from the platform, his face full of dejection. This was the cruel reality of Douluo Continent. Without Innate Soul Power, he was destined to never become a Soul Master. His only future was to swing a sickle in the fields or sweep the floors at a Martial Soul Branch Hall.

The awakening ceremony proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Most of the children awakened Trash Martial Souls: farm tools, weeds, ordinary poultry. Every so often, a child had Innate Soul Power, but their Soul Power Level was pitifully low.

"Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass. No Soul Power."

"Martial Soul: wooden club. Innate Soul Power, Level One."

"Martial Soul: wild boar. Innate Soul Power, Level Two."

As time went on, Sino's brows furrowed slightly. This year's batch didn't seem very promising. Spirit Hall needed fresh blood. The higher-ups hoped to discover exceptionally gifted geniuses among the orphans. But so far, they'd seen nothing but mediocrity.

Su Chen stood among the crowd, calmly watching everything on the platform. He wasn't worried about the results of his awakening. Now that the system had been bound, it wouldn't let him turn out to be useless. He was thinking about what to do next. By his reckoning, Tang San should be close to awakening his Martial Soul, too. He had to improve his strength as quickly as possible.

"Next, Li Qing." The Deacon's voice rang out again.

A thin boy climbed onto the platform. Golden light flashed, and the shadow of a small blue bird appeared behind him. It fluttered its wings, looking quite lively.

A flicker of interest crossed the Deacon's eyes. "Beast Martial Soul: Azure Spirit Bird. Test your Soul Power."

The boy pressed his hand against the crystal ball. A faint blue glow immediately lit up, filling nearly half the sphere.

"Innate Soul Power, Level Four." The Deacon nodded, his tone finally softening a little. He made a firm mark in the register. "Not bad. Go stand on the left."

The boy was overjoyed and hurried to the designated area on the left side of the platform. It was reserved for children who possessed Soul Power.

Sino's expression improved slightly, too. With Innate Soul Power at Level Four, the boy could become a Soul Grandmaster at the very least if he trained hard. He might even have a chance to reach the Soul Elder realm. For an orphan, that was already enough to change his fate.

A few more children with Soul Power appeared after that. But even the highest among them had only Level Five Innate Soul Power. His Martial Soul was a Mountain-Splitting Axe.

Time ticked by, and more than half the children in the plaza had undergone their awakening.

At last, the Deacon called Su Chen's name.

"Next, Su Chen."

Su Chen took a deep breath and stepped out of the crowd. His stride was steady; he showed none of the other children's nervous trepidation. Step by step, he climbed onto the platform.

Sino glanced at him and noticed how calm the boy's eyes were. Such composure was rare among children his age. Sino kept a closer eye on Su Chen.

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

"Relax. Close your eyes and carefully sense the power within you." The Deacon gave his routine instructions, then struck out with both hands, sending Soul Power into the formation.

The six Awakening Stones lit up in an instant. Pale golden light rose once again, forming a dome around Su Chen.

As soon as the dome formed, Su Chen felt a warm current surge from the Awakening Stones. It flowed through his pores and into his body, rushing through his meridians before converging in his dantian.

Just then, a crisp, mechanical voice sounded in his mind.

"Ding! The host is undergoing Martial Soul Awakening. The God-Level Choice System has activated."

"Choice One: Suppress your potential and awaken an ordinary Mutated Martial Soul. Reward: Level Ten Innate Soul Power, one thousand Gold Soul Coins."

"Choice Two: Let nature take its course and awaken two high-tier Martial Souls. Reward: Level Fifteen Innate Soul Power, one Soul Beast Encyclopedia."

"Choice Three: Release your full potential and awaken two supreme Martial Souls, triggering a celestial phenomenon. Reward: Level Twenty Innate Soul Power, two god-tier Martial Soul Origins."

Su Chen looked at the three options presented by the system and made his decision without hesitation. He wanted to rise above the rest in Spirit Hall. He wanted to attract the attention of Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu. To do that, he had to display a talent that eclipsed everyone else.

In this world, there was no point in hiding your abilities. Only by displaying unparalleled talent could you gain access to the best resources. Spirit Hall had the best Mimicry Cultivation Environments on the continent, along with countless permits to enter high-level Soul Beast forests. Those resources would only go to true geniuses.

"System, I choose three." Su Chen issued the command in his mind.

"Ding! Choice confirmed. Rewards have been issued. The two god-tier Martial Soul Origins are beginning to merge. Host, prepare for Martial Soul Awakening."

In an instant, the warm current inside Su Chen turned violent. Two utterly different yet unimaginably vast forces surged wildly through his body. They rapidly spread throughout him, one rushing toward his right hand, the other toward his left.

On the platform outside.

The Deacon had been prepared to wait for the Martial Soul to take shape as usual. But he soon realized something was wrong.

The six Awakening Stones on the ground began to shake violently. Their pale golden light transformed in an instant into a dazzling brilliance.

The Deacon's expression changed drastically. He quickly poured in more Soul Power, trying to stabilize the awakening formation.

To his horror, he discovered that the Soul Power within him was being ripped away by the Awakening Stones. The formation seemed to have become a bottomless pit, greedily devouring the energy around it. In just a few seconds, half the Soul Power in his body had been drained.

Sino noticed the disturbance, too. He sprang to his feet, his gaze fixed on Su Chen at the center of the formation.

Such an enormous surge of energy—this was no ordinary Martial Soul Awakening.

Su Chen's whole body was now floating in midair. Blinding light swallowed him completely, leaving those below unable to see his face.

The clouds, clear moments before, began churning rapidly. They sank lower and lower, while an indescribable pressure spread outward from where Su Chen hovered.

The children in the plaza were forced back by the pressure. They kept retreating until they reached the very edge of the plaza.

The Deacon was drenched in sweat. His hands flashed through one seal after another, and he was nearly at his limit. Fine cracks had appeared across the surfaces of the six Awakening Stones—a sign they were overloaded. If the stones shattered, the awakening ceremony would be forcibly interrupted.

Seeing this, Sino immediately flashed to the edge of the formation. He raised his right hand, and the formidable Soul Power of a Cardinal surged forth. He poured it directly into the formation.

With Sino's Soul Power supporting it, the awakening formation finally stabilized. The six Awakening Stones stopped cracking, but the light around Su Chen only grew more brilliant. It shot straight into the heavens.

The commotion in the plaza had drawn the attention of others throughout Spirit City. Patrolling knights stopped in their tracks, and Soul Masters in nearby buildings threw open their windows to look toward the plaza.

As everyone watched the platform, Su Chen slowly raised both hands in midair.

A sphere of pure light gathered in the palm of his right hand. A sacred aura radiated from within it. The moment it appeared, the energy throughout the Awakening Plaza began to boil.

Then, the same thing happened to Su Chen's left hand. A mass of darkness, deep beyond measure, surged into being. It stood in stark contrast to the sacred light in his right hand.

Two utterly different yet equally overwhelming forces were taking shape in his hands. Their interplay of light and darkness warped the air around the platform.

Sino stood closest. He felt the pressure of these two forces, yet rather than retreating, his eyes blazed with unprecedented fervor.

Spirit Hall would finally produce a peerless genius.