Beast King Awakens

The air inside the dilapidated branch of the Martial Soul Hall in Holy Soul Village was stifling enough to make one gasp for breath.

Su Yuntao yawned, rubbing his aching lower back. This trip had been a waste of time again—the previous five children had possessed nothing but sickles or hoes, and their soul power was zero. He glanced at the last name on the list, unable to even muster the energy for the test.

"Tang San, waste martial soul Blue Silver Grass, innate soul power... zero."

His voice was dry, like he was reading a death sentence.

Old Jack stood at the entrance, his aged face sagging like a sun-dried orange peel. There was no hope for the village this year. He glanced at the quiet child in the corner, and the last flicker of hope in his heart extinguished.

"Lin Mo, step forward."

The boy in black emerged from the shadows.

Su Yuntao cast a glance at him. For a six-year-old, he was quite tall, and his expression was unnervingly calm. His skin was somewhat dark, as if he spent all his time outdoors. His knuckles were thicker than those of his peers, and there were thin calluses on the webs of his hands.

Strange.

But no matter how strange, he was still just a child from this impoverished village.

"Hold out your hand," Su Yuntao said, setting up the six black stones as a matter of routine. "Relax."

Lin Mo placed his hand on them.

The stones lit up with golden light.

At first, it was gentle, no different from the previous five children. Su Yuntao had already begun to think about what he would eat when he returned to Nuoding City that evening. Old Jack sighed and turned to leave.

The anomaly happened in that very second.

The golden light barrier suddenly vibrated violently!

"Hm?" Su Yuntao froze.

Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the barrier, and a sound like cracking ice echoed through the hall. The flames of the candles in the room flickered wildly, and the shadows on the walls danced like claws.

"What is going on?!" Su Yuntao's expression shifted.

Lin Mo kept his eyes closed.

He felt something within him awaken—not a gentle awakening, but a violent, primal roar! It was as if a beast had been caged for too long and was now tearing everything apart to break free!

BOOM—!

The barrier shattered into fragments!

Amidst the scattering golden sparks, a phantom surged into the sky from behind Lin Mo!

It was a monster that no one present had ever seen before.

Nearly three meters long, its frame was as robust as a lion's, yet it was covered in blue-black scales. Its mane was not hair, but burning dark-gold flames that spread from its neck all the way to its spine. Its four paws were thicker than a bear's, treading on thin air, the tips of its claws glinting with a chilling light.

The most terrifying part was its face—a lion's maw, dragon-like whiskers, a pair of budding horns atop its head, and eyes pulsing with magma-like crimson gold.

It roared at the heavens.

There was no sound, yet everyone felt as if their brains had been struck by a hammer! Several villagers collapsed to the ground. Old Jack's legs gave way, and he knelt on the floor, muttering, "Ancestors protect us."

Dust rained down from the ceiling of the hall.

The crystal ball in Su Yuntao's hand nearly fell. He widened his eyes, his throat dry. "This, this is... a beast martial soul?! What species is it?!"

He had worked at the Martial Soul Hall for eight years and had tested no fewer than a thousand children. He had seen wolves, tigers, bears, leopards, and even rare flying types.

But this thing before him was something he hadn't even heard of.

The phantom persisted for a full ten breaths before slowly receding and merging back into Lin Mo's body.

Lin Mo opened his eyes.

He raised his right hand, and fine blue scale patterns emerged on the back of his hand. From his fingertips, half-inch-long sharp claws extended, glinting with a metallic, cold light. A primal, savage hunting instinct surged up—he wanted to tear something apart; he wanted to hear the sound of flesh and bone breaking.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the urge.

"Quick! Test your soul power!" Su Yuntao's voice trembled as he handed over the blue crystal ball.

Lin Mo took it.

The moment the crystal ball touched his palm, the light exploded!

It wasn't the faint glow from before; it was a blinding, scorching sun that filled the entire sphere! Blue light spilled from between his fingers, illuminating half the hall. The shadows on the walls were stretched long, twisting and swaying.

"Innate Full Soul Power?!" Su Yuntao's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "A beast martial soul plus Innate Full Soul Power?! Kid, you, what is your name?!"

"Lin Mo."

"Lin Mo... Good! Good! Good!" Su Yuntao repeated the word three times, his face flushed with excitement. "Come with me to the Martial Soul Hall! I'll guarantee your admission to Nuoding Academy! No, you're even qualified for the Heaven Dou Royal Academy! I'll write the recommendation letter right now!"

Old Jack finally snapped out of his daze.

The old man scrambled to his feet, tears streaming down his face. "Holy Soul Village... has produced a true dragon! A real true dragon! Old Village Chief, are you watching from above?!"

The villagers gathered around, though they dared not get too close. They looked at Lin Mo as if he were a deity in a temple.

In the corner of the crowd, Tang San stood quietly.

His right hand subconsciously touched his left wrist—it was empty. The moment that phantom had appeared, the Mysterious Heaven Skill within him had automatically surged to its limit, and even then, he had barely managed to stand steady. This was the first time something had made him feel... danger.

Lin Mo, however, frowned.

A cold, mechanical voice rang out abruptly in his mind:

[Detected host awakening Martial Soul 'Chaos Dragon Mastiff' (incomplete form), meeting binding conditions.]

[Ultimate Martial Soul Evolution System binding... 10%... 50%... 100%]

[Binding successful.]

[Host: Lin Mo]

[Martial Soul: Chaos Dragon Mastiff (Infant Stage)]

[Quality: Top-tier (Evolvable)]

[Innate Soul Power: Level 10]

[Current Evolution Progress: 0%]

[Evolution Points: 0]

[Newbie Quest Issued: Obtain the first Soul Ring to activate the evolution path.]

[Quest Reward: Exclusive Soul Skill 'Wrath of the Dragon Mastiff' + 50 Evolution Points]

System?

Lin Mo's pupils constricted.

Fragments of memories from his past life surged forth—the days of hail-like gunfire and licking blood off the edge of a blade, ending with that final bullet piercing his forehead. When he opened his eyes again, he had become an orphan in Holy Soul Village.

Six years had passed. He had lived with extreme caution, practicing the combat techniques from his past life and observing this strange world. He had been waiting for this very day.

But a system... that was unexpected.

A mercenary's instinct allowed him to suppress all emotions in an instant, his face showing only the "just right" amount of surprise—the kind a six-year-old child should have. He looked at Su Yuntao: "Master Deacon, can I go obtain my Soul Ring first?"

"Of course! I will personally take you to the Soul Hunting Forest!" Su Yuntao patted his chest. "But before that..."

He turned his head toward Tang San, his tone returning to a professional, business-like manner: "That child with the Blue Silver Grass, you should test your Soul Power too. Although the Martial Soul is a bit trashy, what if..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

Tang San stepped forward silently and took the crystal ball.

A faint but clear light began to shine.

Su Yuntao was stunned: "Level 1 Soul Power? Wait, aren't you level zero?!"

Old Jack came back to life, rushing over to grab Tang San by the shoulders: "Two! Our village produced two Soul Masters! Ancestors, have you manifested your spirits?!"

Lin Mo watched the glowing crystal ball in Tang San's hand, the corners of his mouth curling up imperceptibly.

The plot... had begun.

But his path would be different.

"Lin Mo, have you decided what kind of Soul Beast you want to hunt for your first Soul Ring?" Su Yuntao asked eagerly. "I suggest starting with a ten-year Soul Beast; safety first. Wind Wolves or Iron-Armored Rhinos are good choices, their temperaments are relatively docile..."

Before Lin Mo could answer, a system prompt popped up:

[Suggested Target: Dragon-bloodline Soul Beast over 400 years old]

[Reason: Can trigger the hidden evolution path 'Dragon Blood Devour', significantly increasing the Martial Soul's base attributes.]

[Warning: Target is highly dangerous, please choose with caution.]

He raised his head, a flash of dark gold crossing his eyes:

"I want to hunt a dragon."

Two words left Su Yuntao completely dumbfounded.

"A, a dragon-type Soul Beast?" he stammered. "Kid, do you know what that concept means? Even the weakest sub-dragon species starts at 400 years! Those are only found in the middle zone! I am a level 26 Soul Grand Master, and you want me to take you to hunt a dragon? If we run into a thousand-year Soul Beast, we'll both be finished!"

"I can go by myself," Lin Mo said.

"Nonsense!" Su Yuntao grew anxious. "You're only six! Your Soul Power hasn't even been converted yet! How about this: you come back to the Nuoding City Martial Soul Hall with me, we report it to the headquarters, and they can send a Soul Ancestor-level deacon to accompany you..."

"I can't wait."

Lin Mo turned and walked away.

He needed to become stronger as quickly as possible. The system, the Martial Soul, the rules of this world—there was too little information. And the fastest way to obtain information was through actual combat, through coming into contact with higher-level things.

"Wait!" Su Yuntao chased after him, gritting his teeth. "Fine! I'll go with you! But it's agreed: we only wander the edge of the middle zone at most. If we can't find a suitable one, we retreat immediately and settle for a normal hundred-year Soul Beast, understand?"

Lin Mo nodded.

The two walked out. Tang San followed: "Master Su Yuntao, I also need a Soul Ring."

"You..." Su Yuntao glanced at Tang San's Blue Silver Grass. "A ten-year Mandala Snake or a Lone Bamboo will do; you can find those in the outer zone. Let's go together, it's on the way."

Old Jack saw them off to the village entrance, clutching the two children and exhorting them for a long time. Finally, he stuffed a small cloth bag into Lin Mo's hand, containing three hard, black-flour flatbreads.

"Eat on the road. Come back alive."

Lin Mo took the bread and nodded.

The three of them set off.

Three miles outside the village, Su Yuntao summoned his Lone Wolf martial soul. A massive gray wolf phantom emerged, and three spirit rings—two white and one yellow—rose from beneath his feet. His expression turned grave: "From this moment on, we may be attacked by spirit beasts at any time. Lin Mo, stay close to me. Tang San, take the rear and keep watch on both flanks."

The forest grew increasingly dense.

The light dimmed, and the air was thick with the scent of rotting leaves and wild beasts. Even the birds had fallen silent, creating an eerie, terrifying stillness.

Lin Mo did not walk quickly, but every step he took was steady. His eyes scanned the surroundings—there were fresh scuff marks on the bushes to the left; deep claw marks on a tree trunk to the front right; and a broken branch overhead, the jagged edge indicating it had been torn off rather than falling naturally.

His mercenary instincts were reawakening.

Suddenly, he stopped.

The system map unfolded in his mind—three miles to the northeast, a red dot flickered, labeled: [Dragon Blood Concentration 37% · Single-Horned Fire Lizard (Sub-Dragon Species) · 450 Years].

"Head that way," Lin Mo said.

"Are you sure?" Su Yuntao frowned. "The aura over there is volatile; there might be a big one."

"I'm sure."

Su Yuntao gritted his teeth. "Fine! But if things go south, we retreat immediately!"

After traveling another mile, the stench became thick enough to choke them.

Tang San suddenly let out a low shout: "Look out!"

The bushes to the left exploded!

A black shadow lunged out, carrying a wave of heat and a foul, bloody stench!