Martial Soul Awakening

Early morning, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

Su Zhen was already awake. He had been too excited about the Martial Soul awakening happening today to sleep well last night. His mind was filled with questions: What kind of Martial Soul would he awaken? How much Innate Soul Power would he have? What if he had no Innate Soul Power? He hadn't slept much before getting up.

When Li Xiulian pushed the door open, she saw Su Zhen standing on the floor.

"My little young master is up quite early today. What's wrong? Worried about today's Martial Soul awakening?"

"Yes, Mom, I'm really super excited to see what my Martial Soul will be."

Su Zhen's voice was full of anticipation.

"What's there to be worried about? Besides a dog or a deer, what else could your Martial Soul be? Could you turn into a bird?"

"Oh, Mom, what if, I mean, what if my Martial Soul is something really powerful and majestic... like a dog?"

Su Zhen had his reasons for saying this. Last night, he had dreamed of a very, very large dog, though it looked a bit strange. It had long fur, scales, and it glowed. He hadn't seen such an animal before, so he could only classify it as a dog. After all, a deer's neck was longer than a dog's. Although he didn't know what it was, a voice in his heart seemed to tell him that this was his Martial Soul.

"Alright, alright, my little Zhen will surely awaken a powerful and amazing Martial Soul and become the greatest Soul Master. Then, our whole family will be counting on you."

"Okay, go wash your face and eat. Your dad will take you to the Martial Soul Hall branch in the center of the village later. The village chief has asked all the children to gather there."

After breakfast, Su Zhen eagerly pulled Su Changkong's arm, wanting him to take him to the Martial Soul Hall branch.

"Xiao Zhen, don't rush. The village chief said the Lord Soul Master from the Suotuo City Martial Soul branch will probably only arrive around noon. Go find your brother to play with for a while. I'll call you when it's time."

"Okay, then."

Su Zhen went to his brother's room. As soon as he pushed the door open, he saw his brother sitting cross-legged on the bed with his eyes closed.

"Brother, what are you doing?"

Su Ming heard his brother's call, opened his eyes, and got up from the bed.

"Brother is cultivating. It's a meditation technique taught at school. When Xiao Zhen awakens his Martial Soul and becomes a Soul Grandmaster, I'll teach it to you."

"Okay, brother."

"Xiao Zhen, here, this is Blue Silver Candy bought in Suotuo City. It's very sweet, try it."

"Mmm, brother, it's really sweet! Brother, you eat too."

Su Zhen popped the Blue Silver Candy into his mouth. A fresh fragrance instantly filled his mouth, followed by a unique sweetness, like Blue Silver Grass dipped in honey, but without the earthy taste of Blue Silver Grass or the cloying sweetness of honey. Su Zhen liked it very much.

"Brother, you eat too."

Su Zhen put a piece into Su Ming's mouth. The brothers fed each other pieces like this, with Su Zhen eating more. Su Ming mostly told Su Zhen interesting stories from school.

Time passed quietly in this warmth. As it was nearing noon, Su Changkong took Su Zhen out and walked towards the Martial Soul Hall branch in the center of the village.

When they arrived, the village chief was already waiting with three children.

"Village Chief Miles."

"Grandpa Village Chief."

Su Changkong and his son greeted Village Chief Miles one after another.

"Oh! It's Changkong and Xiao Zhen!"

Village Chief Miles also noticed them.

"Changkong, the Lord Soul Master will arrive in a little while. You can go back to your work. I'll send Xiao Zhen back after the awakening."

"Then I'll trouble you, Village Chief. I'll head back to work."

Su Changkong agreed and turned to leave.

Soon, the other children arrived. Including Su Zhen and the previous three children, there were a total of seven children in Hound Village undergoing Martial Soul awakening this time. Village Chief Miles gathered the children together, planning to hold a small meeting before the Lord Soul Master arrived.

"Children, do any of you know why our Hound Village is called that?"

"I know! It's because most people in our village awaken dog-type Martial Souls."

Su Zhen proudly raised his right hand and answered. His brother had told him this before.

"Xiao Zhen is right. Our Hound Village has ninety-seven households and three hundred and five people. Two hundred and fifty-three of them have awakened dog-type Martial Souls. This is the origin of our village's name."

"Although many people in our village awaken dog-type Martial Souls, since the village was founded, only three people have awakened with Innate Soul Power. The highest was six years ago when Xiao Zhen's brother, Xiao Ming, awakened with Innate Soul Power level 1.5."

The village chief looked at Su Zhen as he spoke. Su Zhen proudly raised his head, as if the village chief was talking about him.

"Children, I hope some of you can awaken Innate Soul Power this time and bring glory to our village."

"Okay!"

The children replied in unison.

"Good spirit. It seems everyone is here, so let's begin."

A deep voice came from not far away, followed by a rather sturdy figure. The figure was about 1.8 meters tall, wearing a black tight-fitting outfit that accentuated his muscular physique. He had a black buzz cut, a chiseled face, and exuded an aura of strength. In the center of his chest was a fist-sized character 'Soul', and on his left chest was a badge with four crossed long swords, their metallic texture glinting in the sunlight. A coarse cloth bag swayed at his waist as he walked. Su Zhen stared at the strong arms, estimating they could send him flying with one punch.

The figure walked straight past Village Chief Miles and the children, his gaze not lingering on anyone for even a second. He pushed open the door of the Martial Soul Hall branch and went inside.

"Children, the Lord Soul Master has arrived. You can go in and awaken your Martial Souls. Grandpa will wait for you outside."

The children looked at each other, and finally, led by Su Zhen, they walked into the Martial Soul Hall branch.

This so-called Martial Soul Hall branch was actually just a large stone house with nothing inside. However, because the villagers cleaned it daily, the hall was quite clean. The Lord Soul Master was standing inside, with his back to them.

The Lord Soul Master seemed to know that all the children had entered, and only after having the last one close the door did he turn around to look at them.

"Today, I will awaken your Martial Souls. Stand in a line, don't fidget, and come forward one by one."

As he spoke, he reached into the cloth bag at his waist and pulled out six black round stones, arranging them on the floor in the shape of a hexagram.

His tone was extremely impatient, as if this task of Martial Soul awakening was a complete waste of his time.

The children looked at one another, none daring to step forward for fear of displeasing the Lord Soul Master.

The hall fell into a dead silence. The Lord Soul Master looked at the children, a trace of anger appearing on his face. Just as he was about to lose his temper, a youthful voice rang out.

"I will go first, Lord Soul Master."

Su Zhen stepped forward at this moment; as the eldest brother among the children, he had to set a good example for them.

"Hmm, stand inside."

The Lord Soul Master pointed to the six stones on the ground and said.

"Black Bear, possess!"

The Lord Soul Master let out a soft shout. His body released wisps of faint black light, and his stature instantly surged. His original height of 1.8 meters shot up to two meters, thick black fur sprouted all over his body, and sharp claws extended from his ten fingers. His already sturdy frame became exceptionally burly, nearly bursting through his black martial attire. Beneath his feet, one white and two yellow light rings lit up.

The children were immediately gripped by panic. They had never seen light rings appear on a person's body before, but due to the terrifying aura radiating from the Lord Soul Master, no one dared to run.

The Lord Soul Master quickly struck out with both palms, injecting six beams of black light into the stones on the ground. Countless faint golden specks of light drifted out from the stones, and the moment they appeared, they surged frantically into Su Zhen's body.