Old Jack's Back Can't Bend Anymore (Third Watch)

So, all those suspicions that had haunted his days and nights were true.

He really was the son of that traitor despised by the entire continent, truly the "bastard born of a human and a soul beast" that people whispered about.

A massive wave of panic instantly engulfed him. Subconsciously, he tightened his left hand, forcing that other martial soul—which was on the verge of manifesting with an overbearing, peerless pressure—back into his body, not daring to let even a shred of its aura leak out.

He dared not let anyone know he possessed a second martial soul.

Once this secret was exposed, everyone would recognize his identity. At that point, not only would he be hunted by all, but even Grandpa Jack, who had always protected him, would be implicated.

His experiences from his past life told him that in his situation, he would definitely drag his village down with him. A charge of harboring a criminal would be inevitable, and since he was such a heretic, they would surely leave nothing alive within a hundred miles.

They would shake the eggs until the yolks broke, dig up the earthworms to lay them out straight, and pour boiling water into every ant hill.

Deacon Wang looked at his pale little face, assuming he was simply overwhelmed with excitement. He smiled, patted his shoulder, and said gently, "Child, don't be nervous. You needn't feel that Blue Silver Grass is a trash martial soul. There has already been a hundred-thousand-year-old Blue Silver Emperor soul beast. It is no strange occurrence for Blue Silver Grass to have Innate Full Soul Power. It means your Blue Silver Grass has mutated; even if it doesn't reach the standard of that Blue Silver Emperor, it is not far off. Your future achievements will be limitless. Go wait to the side for now."

Tang San managed a stiff smile, nodded, retracted the Blue Silver Grass in his palm, and walked to the side.

The six children who had been dejected were stunned the moment he entered. They stared at him with wide eyes, unable to stop themselves from whispering in surprise, "Innate Full Soul Power? Tang San, you actually have Innate Full Soul Power? You're amazing!"

Tang San didn't say much. After forcing a smile, he simply found a corner to sit in, his heart still feeling heavy.

"The last one, Lin Yue."

Deacon Wang's voice rang out once more.

Lin Yue took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in her heart, and strode into the center of the magic array in the inner room.

"Stand still and close your eyes. Don't be nervous. Follow my guidance and feel the power within your body."

Deacon Wang smiled at her. Having just seen one case of Innate Full Soul Power, he now held a bit more expectation for this last little girl.

Lin Yue stood as instructed. The golden light of the magic array lit up again. She closed her eyes and extended her right hand.

System Prompt: Martial Soul Awakening in progress... Autumn Leaf Battle Mage template officially activated. Exclusive martial soul Evil Repeller is manifesting!

The moment the cold system prompt finished, an extreme black light erupted from her palm. A phantom of a battle spear, pitch-black and covered in dark red patterns, slowly emerged.

The spear shaft was long and sharp, its tip flickering with a biting cold light. The moment it appeared, it carried an indomitable, fiercely peerless combat aura. The golden light throughout the entire array trembled slightly under the impact of this overbearing battle intent.

"A tool martial soul! A battle spear!"

Deacon Wang's eyes widened instantly, and he gasped, "Such a powerful aura! This must be a top-tier assault-type tool martial soul!"

Before his voice had even faded, the system prompts were frantically scrolling across Lin Yue's mind.

System Prompt: Martial Soul Evil Repeller successfully awakened! Autumn Leaf Battle Mage template officially activated!

System Prompt: Unlocked Battle Mage exclusive passive--Battle Mage's Will!

System Prompt: Unlocked Battle Mage basic skills--Sky Strike, Dragon Tooth, Double Stab!

System Prompt: Detected host's Innate Soul Power level--Ten! Innate Full Soul Power! Template compatibility 100%!

Lin Yue snapped her eyes open. Looking at the Evil Repeller battle spear in her palm—exactly as she had imagined it—her heart raced, and her face was filled with irrepressible joy.

"Quick, child, test your soul power!"

Deacon Wang's voice was trembling with excitement as he hurriedly handed over the soul power crystal ball.

For one village to produce one case of Innate Full Soul Power was already a once-in-a-century event. Could it be that they would see another one today?

Lin Yue extended her small hand and placed it steadily on the crystal ball.

The exact same scene as before played out. Dazzling blue light instantly filled the entire crystal ball, and the light at the tenth mark shone brilliantly. It was another genuine case of Innate Full Soul Power!

"Another one! Another case of Innate Full Soul Power!"

Deacon Wang jumped up, his face full of wild joy. "My heavens! A remote little village has produced two geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power in a row! And both have top-tier assault-type spear martial souls! Unprecedented! This is absolutely unprecedented!"

"Hahahaha!"

Lin Yue smiled, retracted the Evil Repeller battle spear, and turned to walk to the outer waiting area. Tang San and the other six children looked at her with wide, disbelieving eyes.

With this, all seven children had completed their martial soul awakening.

Deacon Wang organized the awakening records and the soul power crystal ball, pushed open the door to the awakening room, and announced loudly to Old Jack and the villagers waiting outside, "The children's martial soul awakening is now complete!"

The area outside the door went silent instantly. Everyone's gaze converged on them. Old Jack hurried forward a step, clutching his cane tightly, his voice trembling, "Deacon, how did it go? Did the children... are any of them able to become soul masters?"

Deacon Wang smiled, first looking at the six dejected children nearby, and said gently, "These six young masters awakened a sickle, a hoe, and ordinary Blue Silver Grass respectively. No soul power was detected; they cannot become soul masters."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expectation on Old Jack's face faded by more than half, and he let out a heavy sigh. The surrounding villagers also revealed expressions of disappointment.

Holy Soul Village hadn't produced a soul master in many years. Was this year going to be another empty-handed one?

But just then, Deacon Wang changed his tone, his voice rising sharply with irrepressible joy, "However, in this awakening, Holy Soul Village has produced two once-in-a-century geniuses!"

He stepped aside to reveal Tang San and Lin Yue behind him, announcing loudly, "Tang San, awakened a benignly mutated Blue Silver Grass martial soul, Innate Full Soul Power, level ten! Lin Yue, awakened a top-tier assault-type battle spear martial soul, Innate Full Soul Power, level ten!"

"Innate Full Soul Power?! And two of them?!"

Old Jack's voice spiked, his entire body trembling with excitement. His cane clattered to the ground, tears welled up instantly, and he muttered repeatedly, "Wonderful! Wonderful! Our Holy Soul Village has produced soul masters! And two geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power at that!"

"Hahahaha, our Holy Soul Village has finally hit the jackpot!"

This was almost enough to make Old Jack lose his mind like Fan Jin upon passing the imperial examination, nearly choking on his own breath.

The surrounding villagers exploded into a frenzy. They crowded around, looking at Tang San and Lin Yue with eyes full of envy and admiration. The entire entrance to the village office became as lively as a festival.

They had lived their entire lives without ever hearing of, let alone seeing, a remote little village produce two geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power at once; for most, just producing a single ordinary soul master would be cause for burning incense in gratitude.

Deacon Wang smiled and waited for the crowd's emotions to settle slightly before speaking again. His gaze fell upon Tang San and Lin Yue, his tone filled with absolute sincerity: "Tang San, Lin Yue, you are both once-in-a-century talents. On behalf of Martial Soul Hall, I formally extend an invitation to you both. Are you willing to join Martial Soul Hall and travel to the core Soul Master Academy in Martial Soul City to study? We will provide you with the top-tier cultivation resources of the entire continent, the most elite Title Douluo mentors, and the most comprehensive training system to ensure you grow without any obstacles."

He paused, then added: "Of course, even if you are unwilling to join Martial Soul Hall for the time being, it does not matter; Martial Soul Hall will not force you. According to the new regulations of Martial Soul Hall, anyone who tests with Innate Full Soul Power, regardless of whether they join, is entitled to receive a cultivation subsidy of Gold Soul Coins—one Gold Soul Coin per level—to cover initial cultivation expenses."

Ten Gold Soul Coins!

As soon as these words were spoken, the villagers present gasped in unison.

A single Gold Soul Coin was equivalent to one hundred Silver Soul Coins or ten thousand Copper Soul Coins; it was enough for an ordinary family to live comfortably for an entire year. Ten Gold Soul Coins was a staggering fortune they couldn't even begin to imagine!

Old Jack immediately snapped back to his senses and hurriedly tugged at Tang San's arm, signaling him to agree quickly.

The chance to study at the core academy in Martial Soul City was an opportunity that countless soul masters across the continent would break their heads trying to obtain!

Yet, Tang San kept his head lowered, his fists clenched, and shook his head gently: "Deacon, thank you for your invitation, but I do not wish to go to Martial Soul City for now. I would like to go to the elementary Soul Master Academy in Nuoding City first to lay a solid foundation."

He dared not go to Martial Soul Hall.

Once he stepped into Martial Soul City, the secret of his lineage could be exposed at any moment, and by then, he wouldn't even be able to protect the small amount of peace he currently had.

Deacon Wang was stunned for a moment, but he did not force them, merely nodding: "No matter, everyone has their own aspirations. If you change your mind in the future, you can take your Martial Soul Hall certification to any branch hall to apply for membership at any time. The doors of Martial Soul Hall will always be open to you."

After saying this, he looked at Lin Yue: "Lin Yue, what about you? Are you willing to join Martial Soul Hall?"

Lin Yue weighed the newly manifested Evil Repeller battle spear in her hand, tilted her head to think, and also shook her head: "I won't go either. I just got my battle spear, and I want to practice and solidify my foundation on my own first. I'll think about it after I get stronger."

She had no concept of Martial Soul Hall, and even less desire to be bound by the rules of an academy. She only wanted to take her Evil Repeller battle spear, master the skills of a Battle Mage to their peak, and travel freely across the entire continent to see just how vast this world truly was.

"Sigh, very well."

Although Deacon Wang felt some regret, he didn't say anything more. He took out twenty Gold Soul Coins on the spot, divided them into two portions, and handed them to Tang San and Lin Yue. He then issued them the exclusive Martial Soul Hall soul power certifications and said with a smile: "That is fine too. No matter which path you choose in the future, I wish you a bright future, that you may soon become soul masters who shake the continent and shine brightly for this world."

"Work hard on your cultivation, future powerhouses."

The two children took the Gold Soul Coins and thanked Deacon Wang earnestly.

The surrounding villagers crowded around the two children, chatting and laughing all the way back to the village, telling everyone they met that Holy Soul Village had produced two geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power.

Old Jack walked at the very front, his back straight as a rod, the smile on his face never fading; he seemed to see the day when the village would be renamed Title Douluo Village.

It should be called Dual Title Douluo Village.

His life had no more regrets.

Having stooped his back for a lifetime, perhaps he would never have to stoop it again.

Tang San clutched the heavy Gold Soul Coins in his hand, yet his heart remained heavy.

The truth of his lineage weighed on his heart like a giant boulder. He looked at the rolling green mountains in the distance, his eyes filled with confusion, not knowing where his future should lead.

Meanwhile, walking beside him, Lin Yue was excitedly brandishing her Evil Repeller battle spear, feeling the soul power flowing through her body and the clear Battle Mage skill tree in her mind, her eyes filled with radiance.

Who should she find to spar with?