Why are you joining the fun?

The next second, a dazzling blue light erupted from the crystal ball, filling it entirely. The light at the tenth scale shone so brightly it was almost blinding!

"Innate Full Soul Power! Level Ten! It's Innate Full Soul Power!"

Su Yuntao's voice trembled: "Twin top-tier Martial Souls! Innate Full Soul Power! A peerless genius seen once in a millennium!"

The great hall fell completely silent. The elders who had been whispering earlier all clamped their mouths shut. The looks they cast toward Tang San no longer held a shred of disdain or contempt, replaced only by overwhelming shock, awe, and a hint of disbelief.

A hybrid of human and beast? A joke!

Twin top-tier Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power—such talent could not be found a second time across the entire continent!

No, wait, this was now the third.

Bibi Dong, Gui Mengguan, and now Tang San.

They did not know that in this era, a fourth and fifth had yet to appear, and many more were still to come.

Bibi Dong slowly rose and walked over to Tang San. She reached out to stroke his head, her eyes filled with pride and relief. Her voice was gentle yet carried an unquestionable majesty that echoed throughout the hall: "My son is a peerless genius. From now on, whoever dares to gossip about him or use him as a talking point is going against me, Bibi Dong."

She might as well have said he was human, not a soul beast, and not a heretic.

With that single sentence, everyone still whispering fell completely silent.

Since he could awaken a Martial Soul, he was clearly distinct from creatures like the Wolf Bandits.

At the same time, it sparked a sudden thought in their minds: should they capture a Wolf Bandit to see if it could awaken a Martial Soul?

But one still had to remain vigilant; who knew what might happen in the future?

The words that a heretical hybrid might say were still fresh in their minds: "Why not slaughter humans for meat?"

After that statement was posted anonymously, the entire continent had become even more repulsed and hostile toward such transformed soul beasts and human-beast hybrids.

Simultaneously, it had also significantly reduced the population of creatures like the Wolf Bandits.

Returning to the matter at hand, Tang San looked up at Bibi Dong's gentle brows and eyes. Feeling a warmth in his heart, he gripped her hand tightly and nodded heavily.

He whispered to himself: Mother, I will never let you down.

Not far away, Gui Mengguan and Qian Gujue watched this scene, their minds racing with frantic thoughts.

"Holy crap! Twin Martial Souls! Innate Full Soul Power! Blue Silver Emperor plus Clear Sky Hammer! He really is the original Tang San! This build is absolutely maxed out!"

"Hilarious, those elders were calling him a hybrid earlier, and now their faces are swollen from the slap!"

"That's not quite right, is it."

"Regardless, it's a good thing he treats the Martial Soul Hall as his home and Bibi Dong as his mother now. He won't end up in a life-or-death struggle with the Martial Soul Hall like in the original story!"

"That's a must! The four of us are in the Martial Soul Hall; we'll form the Martial Soul Hall F4 and walk sideways!"

"I'm actually curious if Tang San's filial piety will warp in the future. After all, the Bibi Dong of this timeline hasn't had much interaction with Qian Xunji or Yu Xiaogang, and she's still an imperial sister type. Plus, Tang San was an orphan before this and is severely lacking in love. He's been in the Martial Soul Hall for six years, and Bibi Dong has been taking care of him personally..."

"Ew~ you're so perverted."

It couldn't be helped; one couldn't blame them for thinking that way.

The original plot wrote that Tang San could cook for himself at three or four years old, and Tang Hao dumped all the chores on him. He didn't even complain, always validating that irresponsible father.

Now, an imperial sister was raising him. Even if she was only his foster mother in name, there was no guarantee his filial piety wouldn't truly warp in the future.

"Don't dismiss it. Given the current situation, who knows if a 'Zhen Zhibing' might exist? The two of them might actually end up like Yang Guo and Little Dragon Maiden."

"..."

Just as the hall was bustling with excitement and everyone was crowding around to congratulate Tang San and Gui Mengguan, Oupai, who had been peering over the edge of the magic array, suddenly raised a small hand and spoke in a crisp voice: "Elder Su Yuntao! Me too! I want to awaken my Martial Soul too!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall went instantly quiet. Everyone's gaze fell upon the five-year-old toddler.

Guang Ling Douluo immediately stood up, looking both annoyed and amused: "Oupai! Don't be naughty! You're only five; you still have a year until you turn six. Why are you joining in the fun!"

"I'm not being naughty!" Oupai tilted his small face up, looking earnest. "Grandpa, I really can feel my Martial Soul! It's right there in my body, just waiting for a catalyst to come out! I want to awaken it now!"

The crowd looked at each other, all somewhat hesitant.

For ten thousand years on the Douluo Continent, Martial Souls were awakened at age six. Examples of early awakening at five were extremely rare, and most ended in failure, sometimes even risking damage to one's foundation.

"The child is still young, don't take the risk," Golden Crocodile Douluo said with a frown. "It won't be too late to awaken next year. There's no rush for this one year."

"I'm not afraid!" Oupai stiffened his neck, his eyes incredibly firm. "I can feel it, my Martial Soul is right there! I want to awaken now! If I fail, I will never regret it!"

Just as the crowd was arguing, Bibi Dong spoke up. Seeing the determination in Oupai's eyes, she smiled gently: "Since the child has a sense for it himself, it means his compatibility with his Martial Soul is extremely high. An early awakening might not be out of the question. Elder Su Yuntao, please test him."

Qian Daoliu also nodded slightly: "Indeed. Martial Souls have spirits. Since the child can sense it, it is a stroke of fate. Let him try."

With both leaders having spoken, the others naturally said no more.

Although Guang Ling Douluo was worried, he couldn't refuse his own grandson, so he could only helplessly urge: "Then be careful. If you feel uncomfortable, stop immediately, understand?"

"Understood, Grandpa!"

Oupai beamed instantly, hopping and skipping into the center of the magic array. He gave Su Yuntao a clumsy, informal salute: "Elder Su Yuntao, please!"

Su Yuntao looked at the five-year-old toddler, feeling a bit nervous himself, but he nodded and reactivated the array. The golden light shield lit up once more, enveloping Oupai within it.

"Alright, little young master, calm your mind, extend your right hand, feel the power within your body, and draw it out!"

Oupai took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and followed Su Yuntao's instructions, focusing on the restless power within him. After only a moment, a blinding silver light erupted from his palm. A phantom image of a pitch-black short crossbow, covered in intricate mechanical patterns, slowly emerged. The crossbow was small and exquisite, yet it radiated a sharp, piercing power. The faint sound of gears clicking into place was clearly audible in the quiet hall.

Su Yuntao was stunned for a long time. He leaned in to take a closer look, then scratched his head, speaking with some uncertainty: "An instrument-type Martial Soul... In all my years of awakening, this is the first time I've ever seen such a thing!"

For once, Su Yuntao was unable to recognize what kind of Martial Soul this was.

As soon as these words were spoken, the person in the entire room most shocked was none other than Tang San, who was standing beside Bibi Dong.

He widened his eyes abruptly, staring at the Godly Zhuge Crossbow in Oupai's palm—a weapon so familiar it couldn't be more so—and froze in place, his mind going completely blank.

Godly Zhuge Crossbow? The core mechanical hidden weapon of the Tang Sect, the Godly Zhuge Crossbow?

This thing... could actually become a Martial Soul?!

He was utterly bewildered, countless thoughts surging wildly through his mind.

If the Godly Zhuge Crossbow could be a Martial Soul, did that mean other mechanical hidden weapons of the Tang Sect could also become Martial Souls?

The Pear Blossom Needle in Rainstorm? The Peacock Plume? Or even the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus?

Martial Souls were innate, tied to the soul. If someone were born with the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus as their Martial Soul, wouldn't that mean they were born capable of unleashing this top-tier Tang Sect area-of-effect hidden weapon?!

This completely overturned everything he had known across his two lifetimes!

Tang Sect hidden weapons could actually appear on a person from birth in the form of a Martial Soul?!

Not far away, Gui Mengguan and Qian Gujue watched Tang San's dumbfounded expression, their inner thoughts scrolling wildly once more, nearly causing them to laugh out loud.

"Hilarious! Tang San is completely stunned! His own signature skill has become someone else's innate Martial Soul!"

"Holy crap? A Godly Zhuge Crossbow Martial Soul? Is this just welding Tang Sect hidden weapons directly onto a Martial Soul? From now on, he can just use Soul Power to trigger them; he doesn't even need to find materials! This is too awesome!"