Su Mo

Tian Yue Kingdom, Linyang City.

Inside the Su family mansion, a massive Martial Spirit Awakening Ceremony was underway on the grand training grounds.

An altar had been erected in the center of the training grounds.

A large number of Su family elders and disciples gathered on the grounds to observe the ceremony.

"Human Grade Second Tier Martial Soul!"

"Human Grade Third Tier Martial Soul!"

"Human Grade Third Tier Martial Soul!"

As each Su family disciple's Martial Soul was awakened, the Su family elder presiding over the ceremony announced the results in a loud, clear voice.

The rank of a Martial Soul represented a martial artist's cultivation talent. Human Grade Second Tier and Third Tier Martial Souls were considered mediocre, with nothing noteworthy about them.

Only a Martial Soul exceeding Human Grade Fourth Tier could be considered a sign of outstanding talent within the Su family.

On the training grounds, many eyes frequently swept toward the two young men standing at the front.

These two young men, one dressed in green and the other in purple, were both quite handsome.

The young man in green was none other than the Su family's young master, Su Mo, the son of the Su Family Patriarch.

The young man in purple was Su Yu, the son of the Su Family Great Elder.

Both were the cream of the crop among the younger generation of the Su family, possessing exceptional talent.

In particular, the young master Su Mo had completed the Nine Layers of Body Tempering at only fifteen years old; his talent was the absolute pinnacle among the Su family's younger generation.

As such, everyone in the Su family was filled with anticipation, waiting to see what rank of Martial Soul Su Mo and Su Yu would awaken!

At the front.

Su Yu and Su Mo stood together. Beside the latter stood a beautiful green-clothed girl.

Su Yu stood tall and straight. He glanced at Su Mo beside him and sneered, "Su Mo, you are called the Su family's number one genius. I hope the Martial Soul rank you awaken in a moment can live up to that title!"

There was a look of provocation in Su Yu's eyes. His talent was extremely high, but within the Su family, he had always been overshadowed by Su Mo.

The halo of the family's number one genius shone too brightly on his opponent, causing all the glory that should have been his to be snatched away.

He was relegated to nothing more than a supporting role!

Glancing again at the green-clothed girl beside Su Mo, Su Yu felt a hidden resentment. Even the woman he liked was deeply infatuated with Su Mo, which infuriated him to the extreme.

Now, his opportunity had finally arrived. As long as he could awaken a Martial Soul that surpassed Su Mo's during the ceremony, he could trample this family's number one genius underfoot and win the heart of the beauty.

Su Mo, dressed in green, remained calm. Hearing Su Yu's words, he said nothing; he was well aware of the other's hostility toward him.

"Next, Liu Yushan, step forward!"

At this moment, the elder presiding over the ceremony shouted, his gaze falling upon the green-clothed girl beside Su Mo.

"Yushan, good luck!"

Su Mo turned his head and smiled slightly at the green-clothed woman. She was his cousin, and they had been childhood sweethearts. He wondered what rank of Martial Soul she would awaken.

"Brother, I won't let you down!" Liu Yushan's bright eyes and white teeth shone as she pursed her lips into a smile, then moved with light, lotus-like steps toward the altar.

Liu Yushan felt a bit nervous, fearing that she might awaken a low-rank Martial Soul and thus be unworthy of Su Mo.

After all, she and Su Mo were already set to become betrothed next year; if her Martial Soul talent were too poor, it would be difficult to handle.

Su Yu glanced at Su Mo, then at Liu Yushan, and snorted inwardly. He was determined to awaken a powerful Martial Soul that would make them both look up to him.

Liu Yushan sat cross-legged on the altar. Streams of light runes drilled into her body, and before long, a sword shadow rose into the air.

It was a green longsword, a three-foot-long blade, with an aura of sharpness permeating the air. Wrapped around the sword shadow were four yellow light rings.

"Liu Yushan, Human Grade Fourth Tier Martial Soul!" the elder announced loudly, nodding secretly to himself.

A Human Grade Fourth Tier Martial Soul, while not quite genius-level, was still considered very excellent.

"Impressive!"

"Liu Yushan's Human Grade Fourth Tier Martial Soul talent is certainly a match for Su Mo!"

"I wonder what Su Mo's Martial Soul talent will actually be?"

Many young Su family disciples whispered among themselves.

"Not bad!" Su Mo also nodded, feeling happy for Liu Yushan. A Human Grade Fourth Tier Martial Soul talent was definitely considered very good in Linyang City.

Su Yu remained silent. Liu Yushan awakening a Human Grade Fourth Tier Martial Soul put some pressure on him.

"Next, Su Mo, step forward!"

At this moment, the voice of the elder presiding over the ceremony rang out once more.

Upon hearing this, Su Mo took long strides onto the altar.

At this moment, the entire training ground fell silent. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Su Mo, secretly anticipating what rank of Martial Soul the Su family's number one genius would awaken!

"Good luck, Brother!" Liu Yushan, having stepped off the altar, encouraged Su Mo with an excited look on her pretty face.

She was very excited; having awakened a Human Grade Fourth Tier Martial Soul, she was pleasantly surprised by her own talent.

Su Mo nodded, walked onto the altar, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes.

From beneath the altar, streams of runic light immediately drifted out, continuously drilling into Su Mo's body.

At this moment, the Su family disciples watching from the surroundings began to whisper as they saw Su Mo take the stage.

"I wonder what grade of Martial Soul Su Mo will awaken?"

"As the Su family's young master, Brother Su Mo's Martial Soul grade surely won't be low!"

"That's right! Su Mo completed the Nine Layers of Body Tempering before the age of fifteen; his Martial Soul grade must be extremely high!"

Amidst the discussions of the Su family disciples, the runes flickering on the altar grew more numerous, eventually enveloping Su Mo's entire body.

Sitting with his eyes closed, Su Mo's breathing grew slightly rapid, and a series of rumbling sounds gradually began to emanate from within his body.

Everyone held their breath, their gazes fixed intently upon the altar!

BOOM!

Finally, with an explosive sound, a pitch-black phantom suddenly surged up from Su Mo's body.

This black phantom was a massive vortex, containing a bottomless black hole within it, giving off a chilling, eerie sensation.

At the same time, a single yellow halo flickered above the phantom.

Ah!

In an instant, the gazes of every Su family member present turned blank.

How could there only be one halo?

A Human Grade First Tier Martial Soul?

That's impossible, right?

All the Su family members were stunned; even Su Yu and Liu Yushan were left with faces full of dull shock and utter disbelief.

Because they had never expected that Su Mo would awaken only a Human Grade First Tier Martial Soul.

A Human Grade First Tier Martial Soul was the lowest grade possible—it was nothing more than a trash Martial Soul!

Su Mo sat on the altar, slowly opening his eyes, and he too was stunned when he saw his own Martial Soul.

"A Human Grade First Tier Martial Soul...!"

Su Mo murmured to himself, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He never imagined that he would awaken the lowest grade of Martial Soul!

A short while later, the crowd regained their senses, and the entire martial arts arena erupted into chaos.

"Heavens, am I seeing things? A Human Grade First Tier Martial Soul? The absolute trashiest of Martial Souls?"

"He actually awakened a trash Martial Soul! And here I was looking forward to it for so long, damn it!"

"So much for being the number one genius; he's clearly the Su family's number one waste!"

"..."

The crowd chattered incessantly, and in an instant, the way all the Su family elders and younger disciples looked at Su Mo changed.

It was no longer the reverence and envy of before, but had turned into disappointment, disdain, and contempt.

Liu Yushan's pretty face turned ugly; her expression was complex, and her heart was filled with deep disappointment.

In her view, Su Mo should have been able to awaken a Human Grade Fifth Tier Martial Soul, or perhaps something even higher.

Yet, the result was the exact opposite.

"Hahahaha!"

Su Yu laughed, a mocking smirk curling his lips. He then turned to look at Liu Yushan not far away and sneered, "Yushan, do you still think he is worthy of you?"

Hearing this, Liu Yushan remained silent, her thoughts unreadable.

On the altar, Su Mo slowly stood up, his fists clenching involuntarily.

He swept a cold gaze across the crowd, and seeing their expressions, Su Mo sneered in his heart: These people are truly snobbish!

Before, when his talent was exceptional, everyone treated him with great courtesy; wherever he went, he was surrounded by followers and showered with fawning flattery.

Now that he had awakened a trash Martial Soul, these people had immediately changed their faces.

A moment later, Su Mo took a deep breath and walked off the altar with long strides.

"Next, Su Yu!"

The presiding elder called out in a loud voice. He glanced at Su Mo as he stepped off the altar and shook his head secretly; this former genius was completely finished!

With a Human Grade First Tier Martial Soul, his path of Martial Dao was effectively blocked; it was cut off right here.

Hearing this, Su Yu walked toward the altar with a face full of arrogance. As his figure brushed past Su Mo, he let out a cold laugh.

"Su Mo, I actually considered you a rival, but you aren't even worthy. From this day forward, you will forever be trampled under my feet!"

Su Yu felt immensely satisfied. Since Su Mo's Martial Soul was only the lowest grade, he wouldn't even be qualified to carry his shoes in the future.

No matter how poor the Martial Soul he awakened next might be, it couldn't possibly be a trash Human Grade First Tier Martial Soul!

With that said, Su Yu strode onto the altar.

Su Mo ignored the other party, walked down from the altar, and returned to Liu Yushan's side.

Standing on the martial arts arena, Su Mo felt countless disdainful gazes; the surrounding disciples all wore expressions of contempt.

His heart couldn't help but twitch; the feeling of falling from heaven to hell in an instant was truly unbearable.

"Yushan, I've disappointed you!" Su Mo looked at his cousin and sighed helplessly.

"Cousin, I am not disappointed," Liu Yushan said softly, her expression cold.

"Oh?" Su Mo was puzzled upon hearing this. His Martial Soul Talent was so low, yet she wasn't disappointed.

However, her next sentence made his expression sink.

"There is no special relationship between us. You becoming an ordinary person might not be a bad thing for you!" Liu Yushan said indifferently.

Su Mo's heart tightened at these words, but then he shook his head and gave a wry smile.

He understood now!

His cousin was no different from the others; she held the same contempt for his Martial Soul Talent.

ROAR!

At that very moment, a beast's roar suddenly erupted from within Su Yu's body on the altar.

Above Su Yu's head, a massive phantom of a python rose, looking majestic and awe-inspiring.

Outside the python phantom, five yellow halos emerged, dazzling and eye-catching.

"Five halos! It's a Human Grade Fifth Tier Martial Soul, the Iron Scale Python!"

The presiding elder was stunned for a moment upon seeing Su Yu's Martial Soul, then immediately roared with excitement.

A Human Grade Fifth Tier Martial Soul was already the highest grade in all of Linyang City; his Su family had finally produced another genius.

Watching Su Yu's Martial Soul, the entire martial arts arena fell into a sudden silence.

After the silence, the arena erupted into a frenzy once again.

"It's actually a Human Grade Fifth Tier Martial Soul!"

"Elder Brother Su Yu is mighty!"

"Elder Brother Su Yu is the true number one genius of the Su family; Su Mo isn't even worth a pile of dog shit!"

"That's right! Su Mo is just a piece of trash with a trash Martial Soul; how could he ever be mentioned in the same breath as Elder Brother Su Yu!"

The Su family disciples all looked at Su Yu with eyes full of intense envy.

On the altar.

Su Yu saw that he had awakened a Human Grade Fifth Tier Martial Soul and listened to the gasps of surprise and envy from the crowd.

A deep sense of pride welled up in his heart. Everything felt so wonderful, and he felt high-spirited and insufferably arrogant.

Turning his head to look at Su Mo, Su Yu wore a face full of triumph, his eyes filled with mockery, as if his gaze were saying: You will be trampled under my feet from now on.

His gaze then shifted to Liu Yushan, the triumph in his eyes self-evident.

"Elder Brother Su Yu, congratulations!"

Seeing Su Yu looking at her, Liu Yushan immediately smiled slightly, her face full of congratulations.

Seeing Su Yu's triumphant expression, hearing Liu Yushan's congratulations, and listening to the sycophancy of those around him, Su Mo felt a complex mix of emotions.

He didn't say anything more, sighed to himself, and decisively turned to leave the martial arts arena.