Martial Soul Awakening, Lan

"It is too slow."

Lan's voice was soft, carrying the slight, milky lilt characteristic of a child, yet it caused both the fiery Ice Empress and the gentle Snow Empress to freeze for a moment.

They exchanged a glance, seeing a trace of helplessness in each other's eyes, followed by a deeper, profound indulgence.

This child was perfect in every way, except for a temperament that was far too mature for his age.

Time flew by, and another three years passed.

In the core circle of the Far North, an ice crystal palace, several times more magnificent than it had been three years ago, stood in silent majesty.

This place had been named "Ice and Snow Residence" by the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress.

Inside the palace, in a side hall.

On a dining table carved from ten-thousand-year-old cold ice, several dishes emitting an alluring aroma were laid out.

The most eye-catching was a plate of insect-type soul beasts, roasted to a golden, crispy finish and still sizzling with oil.

Sky Silkworm.

The Ice Empress was holding a roasted Sky Silkworm, her mouth covered in grease, completely abandoning her image.

As she gorged herself, she said vaguely:

"Lan'er, your skill at roasting Sky Silkworms is getting better and better!"

"It tastes much better than what I roast!"

"I went and caught dozens more today; let's keep roasting and eating them tonight!"

Sitting opposite her, Lan had already grown to the age of six.

His frame had shot up quite a bit, but he was still dressed in a sharp, black martial outfit, his handsome little face wearing its usual calm expression.

Hearing the Ice Empress's words, he nodded.

"Okay."

A single word, concise and to the point.

The Ice Empress finished the roasted Sky Silkworm in her hand in two bites, picked up another, and looking at Lan's unruffled face, couldn't help but complain:

"Lan'er, why are you even more taciturn than me?"

"Standing next to you, I feel like I'm becoming a chatterbox."

Lan raised his eyes, looked at the Ice Empress, and said nothing, simply picking up the largest roasted Sky Silkworm from his own plate and placing it into the Ice Empress's bowl.

The Ice Empress's complaints came to an abrupt halt. Looking at the roasted Sky Silkworm in her bowl, which was clearly a size larger than the others, her dark green eyes instantly curved into crescents.

She picked it up happily, muttering to herself: "At least you have a conscience, kid."

To the side, the Snow Empress, who had been dining quietly the entire time, set down her ice chopsticks.

Her posture was elegant and her temperament cold, forming a sharp contrast to the ravenous Ice Empress.

She looked at Lan, her clear, pleasant voice ringing out slowly.

"Lan'er, tomorrow is the day of your Martial Soul awakening."

"Are we still continuing our sparring today?"

Hearing the words "Martial Soul awakening," the Ice Empress also stopped her movements, her gaze burning as she looked at Lan.

This was a major event concerning Lan'er's future path.

Lan swallowed the food in his mouth and wiped the corners of his lips with a napkin, his movements unhurried.

He raised his head, and for the first time in front of his two mothers, his pitch-black eyes revealed an edge that was completely inconsistent with his age.

"Such things."

His voice remained calm, yet it carried an unquestionable power.

"There is only 'once' and 'countless times'."

"Even if there is only one day left, I cannot relax."

He paused, his black pupils reflecting the stunned faces of the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress, and continued.

"I want to become strong."

"Because this is a world where the strong prey on the weak."

"Here, there is no right or wrong."

"Whoever is strong gets to set the rules of the game."

As Lan's voice faded, the side hall of the ice crystal palace fell into a strange silence.

The Ice Empress and the Snow Empress remained speechless for a long time, simply watching the six-year-old child before them.

In those pitch-black eyes, there was no childish innocence, only a cold, near-ruthless clarity.

After a long silence, it was Ice Empress who finally broke it. She pursed her lips, her tone carrying a mix of helplessness and heartache.

"You child, what on earth are you thinking about all day long?"

She reached out, wanting to ruffle Lan's hair as she usually did, but paused in mid-air.

It seemed she felt that, at this moment, there was an aura about Lan that she couldn't bear to disturb.

Beside her, a soft ripple appeared in Snow Empress's cold, clear eyes.

She glanced at the few black crystals on the table used for the awakening ceremony and said softly:

"For these awakening stones, Bing'er made a special trip to the human world, searching for a long time in those cities of spirit masters before finding them."

Hearing this, Ice Empress waved her hand dismissively.

"Hey, why bring that up! As long as it allows our Lan to awaken his martial soul smoothly, running even further is worth it!"

Lan's gaze fell upon those unremarkable black stones.

They lay there quietly, yet they seemed to carry the warmth of the distant human world.

His heart was inexplicably touched.

He just didn't quite know how to express this emotion; he opened his mouth, but ultimately chose silence, though the eyes he turned toward Ice Empress and Snow Empress were a little softer than before.

Snow Empress noticed the change in his expression, a gentle smile playing on her lips.

She stood up, her white skirt flowing like ice and snow.

"Alright, let's go to the main hall."

"Lan, I will perform the martial soul awakening ceremony for you now."

The main hall of the Ice and Snow Residence.

The sight of a thousand miles of frozen ice and ten thousand miles of drifting snow was reflected through the massive ice-crystal dome, magnificent and vast.

Snow Empress lightly raised her slender hand, and the six black awakening stones flew out silently, landing precisely in the center of the empty hall to form a hexagonal array.

"Lan, stand in the center of this hexagonal array."

Lan followed her instructions, walked into the center of the array, and closed his eyes.

In an instant, a strange energy rose from the array beneath his feet, enveloping his entire body.

Golden specks of light, like fireflies in the night, slowly drifted out from his body.

Deep within Lan's consciousness, he saw a boundless, azure sea.

The next moment, the sea surface exploded!

A phantom of a youth holding a shark blade leaped out from beneath the deep sea, treading upon towering waves!

His figure was as agile as a cheetah, his eyes as cold and lonely as the stars, his entire being surrounded by the purest intent of slaughter and wave-breaking!

Outside.

The golden light grew increasingly intense, gathering behind Lan.

A blurred human silhouette gradually became clear.

It was a phantom of a youth seven or eight parts similar to Lan, holding a shark bone blade of strange design, his whole body exuding a cold and domineering aura.

The breathing of both Ice Empress and Snow Empress hitched slightly.

"What... what kind of martial soul is this?"

Ice Empress's dark green eyes were full of astonishment; with her hundreds of thousands of years of experience, she had never seen a martial soul of such a form.

It was not a beast martial soul, nor was it anything like a tool martial soul, yet the powerful energy contained within it made even her, a top-tier spirit beast, feel a tremor of heart.

Lan slowly opened his eyes, looking at the familiar phantom behind him.

"I name it, Lan."

His voice was very calm.

While Ice Empress and Snow Empress were still digesting this information, Lan raised his right hand.

Golden light surged from his palm once more, even more sacred and dazzling than before.

"I have another martial soul."