Martial Soul Awakening, Netherworld Twins

Douluo Continent, Martial Soul City.

"The martial soul awakening, it begins."

Inside the awakening chamber of the side hall, the atmosphere was solemn and grave.

Qian Anci stood quietly in the center of the formation.

A simple white robe accentuated his slender frame.

Though only six years old, his eyes were bottomless, revealing a composure that belied his age.

Six years, finally, the time has come to awaken my martial soul.

Qian Anci whispered in his heart.

He was a transmigrator.

He had arrived on the Douluo Continent six years ago, just as Martial Soul Hall was suppressing a rebellion of evil soul masters. He was discovered by Qian Daoliu amidst the ruins and brought back.

For these six years, there had always been an existence deep within his soul that no one else could perceive.

It was a gray-white Underworld Wasteland.

The sky was eternally leaden, the earth cracked and pale, and gray mist churned incessantly, exuding a deathly silence and majesty.

In the center of the wasteland, a colossal bone dragon that blotted out the sky lay in silent repose.

Its bones were like jade, and ghostly blue soul fire flickered within its eye sockets.

Atop the dragon's head, a slender figure stood year-round.

Her pale purple hair drifted lightly in the gray mist, and her white and purple dress outlined an elegant figure, the hem adorned with dark patterns resembling the Underworld Flower.

Her eyes were a gentle lavender, containing infinite compassion, yet revealing a detachment that saw through life and death.

Castorice.

From the moment he transmigrated, she had existed deep within his soul.

For six years, whenever the night was deep and quiet, Qian Anci's consciousness would sink into that wasteland.

He listened to her speak of the authority of Thanatos, heard her recount the loneliness of a touch that brought death, and heard her softly hum the dirge of the River Styx.

They became each other's only companions.

"The authority of Thanatos should not be borne by one person alone."

This was the first sentence Castorice had said to him six years ago.

"With your soul as the contract, we shall share this breath of immortality. I will stay with you until the day your power awakens."

Six years of companionship had made Qian Anci long accustomed to her presence.

And now, that day had finally arrived.

"Anci, calm your mind and focus, feel the flow of soul power within your body."

Qian Daoliu's voice echoed through the hall.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gray robes fluttering without wind, a trace of worry in his eyes.

Over these six years, he had spared no expense in using countless precious treasures to improve Qian Anci's aptitude and temper his physique.

But the awakening of a martial soul ultimately relied on bloodline inheritance.

The boy's origins were unknown, and what kind of blood flowed through his veins, he had no way of knowing.

If he were to awaken a trash martial soul today...

No matter, if it were a trash martial soul after the awakening, he would simply keep him by his side; in any case, the resources of Martial Soul Hall were enough to ensure he lived a life free of worry.

Qian Daoliu shook his head inwardly, suppressing that trace of unease.

Beside Qian Daoliu, a cardinal was focused on arranging the awakening stones, guiding the ceremony.

On the other side of the awakening master, a golden-haired girl stood quietly.

Her face was exquisite, her skin whiter than snow.

It was Qian Daoliu's own granddaughter, Qian Renxue.

She watched the boy in the formation, a trace of curiosity in her golden eyes.

This younger brother adopted by her grandfather would undergo the martial soul awakening with her today.

"The ceremony begins!"

Following the cardinal's low shout, the six pitch-black awakening stones slowly rose into the air, forming a mysterious array around Qian Anci.

The patterns of the formation lit up, but not with the usual golden radiance.

Black mist, thick as ink, surged from the center of the array, coiling around the boy's body like a living thing.

Amidst the swirling black mist, Qian Anci's figure became flickering and indistinct.

The mist exuded a deathly chill, yet strangely, it did not harm anyone else, merely wrapping him quietly at its core.

At the very moment the black mist completely enveloped him, Qian Anci's consciousness plunged downward, arriving once again at that familiar Underworld Wasteland.

But this time, it was different.

"The day has finally come."

Castorice stood atop the bone dragon's head, looking down at him, her pale purple eyes filled with a hint of gratification.

For the first time in six years, she revealed such a clear smile.

"Qian Anci, are you ready?"

Her voice remained as soft as the wind, yet it carried a touch of solemnity.

"Mm."

Qian Anci nodded.

Six years of companionship, no words were needed.

"Then—"

Castorice gently raised her hand, and the massive bone dragon named Pollux let out a soul-shaking roar, slowly lowering its head.

"With this Scythe as the guide, bear my authority; with your soul as the pact, share the breath of immortality."

Her figure began to transform into streams of light, merging with the bone dragon into the depths of Qian Anci's soul.

"We... shall walk across that long River Styx together."

The final voice echoed across the wasteland, carrying the tenderness of six years of companionship:

"From now on, I am no longer just a Ferryman who can only watch you from afar."

"I will fight by your side, Anci."

Outside, in the Awakening Chamber.

"This... what is happening..."

Qian Daoliu's face, which had always been calm, finally showed a trace of gravity.

Although he had long prepared for the worst in his heart, he could not help but break into a cold sweat for Qian Anci at this moment.

"BOOM!"

The black mist swirling around his body was torn apart in an instant by a dead yet magnificent grayish-white radiance.

Qian Anci's body hovered slightly, and a blazing light erupted from his entire being, illuminating the entire hall.

"What is going on?"

The Cardinal was shocked; he had never heard of an awakening phenomenon of this scale.

Qian Renxue took a sudden step forward, her golden eyes fixed on the center of the light, her small face full of tension.

Qian Daoliu quietly released his soul power to protect the entire area, his eyes flashing with sharp light.

"ROAR!"

A low, majestic dragon roar resounded.

A grayish-white dragon phantom swept out from behind Qian Anci, circling the Scythe in his hand.

And deep within that dragon phantom, the outline of that pale purple figure could be vaguely seen.

She was no longer an unreachable Ferryman of the underworld.

Instead, she was a companion truly standing side-by-side, connected to the boy's soul.

The Cardinal's hands trembled as he handed over the crystal ball.

"Quick, test the soul power!"

Qian Anci gathered his focus and placed his hand on the crystal ball.

In an instant, the crystal ball erupted with a light as dazzling as the scorching sun, and the intense fluctuation of soul power even caused fine cracks to appear on its surface.

"Heavens... Innate twentieth-level soul power!"

The Cardinal shrieked, his eyes filled with fanaticism and excitement.

Qian Daoliu's eyes also flashed with a hint of pleasant surprise, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

"Good! Innate twentieth-level soul power. Anci, you truly did not disappoint Grandfather."

However, Qian Anci was not distracted by Qian Daoliu's praise.

"It's not over yet."

He could feel that the awakening had not ended.

The moment the Scythe of Death appeared, that power of death within him was still surging.

A gray light flashed in his eyes.

A cluster of nearly transparent grayish-white mist bloomed beneath his feet.

Under the cover of the sky-filling death energy, a huge and blurry shadow flashed behind him and vanished.

It was a solitary, arrogant bone dragon, its wings folded tight like a silent god of death, radiating an aura that signaled the end of all things.

Second Martial Soul... Shadow of Pollux!

"Such a terrifying manifestation; the Young Master's Martial Soul... is truly extraordinary."

The Cardinal spoke with a burning gaze.

In the eyes of others, this was merely a residual phantom produced during the awakening of a powerful Martial Soul, a mere appendage accompanying the Scythe of Death.

After all, the radiance emitted by the Scythe of Death was so overwhelming that it eclipsed everything else.

No one knew that hidden within that grayish-white death energy was a Ferryman from the Underworld, along with her primordial death energy capable of ending immortality and governing the afterlife.

Even less did anyone know that this purple-haired figure had been accompanying this youth for six full years.

Qian Anci lowered his head, feeling the icy black scythe in his hand, ripples of emotion stirring in his heart.

Castorice...

He whispered in his mind.

"I am here."

The familiar, gentle voice responded from the depths of his soul, carrying a hint of a smile.

A smile appeared on Qian Anci's lips involuntarily.

He retracted his Martial Soul, and the light surrounding him gradually faded.

"Grandfather, I succeeded."

Qian Anci grinned at Qian Daoliu, brandishing the Scythe of Death, which was wreathed in dragon-shaped death energy.

"Good, very good."

Qian Daoliu repeated the word "good" twice, stepping forward to grip Qian Anci's shoulders.

"Anci, go wait to the side for now. Once Xiaoxue finishes her awakening, I will arrange for two Elders to accompany you both to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for your spirit rings."

Qian Anci smiled and agreed.

He lowered his head, staring at the pitch-black Scythe of Death, its edge shimmering with grayish-white death energy, and asked in his heart:

"Castorice, tell me... does this Scythe of Death of mine count as a god-level Martial Soul?"

Deep within his consciousness, in that grayish-white Underworld Wasteland, the light-purple-haired girl chuckled.

"God-level?"

Her voice carried the tenderness of six years of companionship, yet it also held a trace of arrogance:

"That is... an authority that even gods should fear."

"And from this day forward, we shall wield this authority together."