Yao Chuan murmured to himself.
A glimmer of thought flickered in his eyes.
He still had time to stand there musing.
But the Spirit Pagoda staff had finally come to their senses.
They hurried over to check on Zhou Changxi and the others.
They found that everyone had only been scared unconscious and had suffered no serious injuries. Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.
Right after that, more Spirit Pagoda staff gathered around Yao Chuan, their expressions excited and reverent.
Seeing the commotion, Yao Chuan raised an eyebrow.
Before he could speak, Mu Xi, who had also been stunned just moments before, sprang forward.
She stepped directly in front of Yao Chuan like a mother hen protecting her chicks and loudly challenged the Spirit Pagoda staff.
"What are you trying to do? That was Martial Soul Awakening, not something Yao Chuan did on purpose!"
The Spirit Pagoda staff hurried to explain.
"Miss Mu, don't misunderstand! We mean no harm!"
"It's just that Young Master Yao Chuan's awakening... was far too unusual."
"There are too many people here. We'd like to invite Young Master Yao Chuan somewhere quieter for further examination and registration. We absolutely guarantee his safety!"
Mu Xi heard them out and calmed down a little.
She thought it over and decided they had a point.
The Awakening Room was a mess, and it really wasn't suitable for them to stay there.
She nodded.
"All right, then."
But she immediately pulled out her Soul Guidance Communicator and swiftly dialed a number.
"Dad! Come to the Spirit Pagoda right now! Something huge happened! Yao Chuan, he..."
On the other end of the call, Mu Chen was busy handling association affairs. Hearing his daughter's excited voice, his first thought was that she was joking.
He hurried to the Spirit Pagoda, still muttering into the communicator.
"Xi'er, if you dare trick me, I'll spank you till your backside blooms!"
Mu Xi rolled her eyes at her dad through the communicator.
She snorted.
"Dad, just look at the information on the big screen behind you and you'll understand!"
"Why would I lie to you?"
Mu Chen hung up, still doubtful.
He entered the Awakening area.
He immediately sensed that something was off.
The Spirit Pagoda staff all around him, including the Eastsea City Branch Pagoda Master, stood as if they'd been frozen in place.
Every one of them was staring blankly at the huge screen beside the central Awakening Room.
Their mouths hung open wide enough to fit an egg.
Mu Chen's heart gave a thump.
Could it really be true?
He hurried over, squeezing to the front of the crowd.
When he saw the few prominent lines of information on the screen,
he instantly turned to stone, too.
His mouth fell slightly open, and his eyes went round.
The screen clearly displayed:
[Innate Soul Power: 10]
[Spiritual Power: 352 (Advanced Spirit Connection Realm)]
[Physical Strength Assessment: Soul Elder Level]
"Sp... spiritual power? How much? Three... three hundred and fifty-two?!"
"Advanced... Spirit Connection Realm?!"
"Physical strength... Soul Elder level?!"
"W... whose information is this?!"
Mu Chen's head buzzed. He was completely stunned.
Without thinking, he turned and grabbed the Spirit Pagoda branch master beside him, who was just as dazed, and shook him hard.
"Old Li! Whose... whose test results are these?!"
The branch master snapped out of it after being shaken.
He slapped Mu Chen's hand away, annoyed, and shot him a look.
"Old Mu! Cut it out! Don't keep pretending!"
"You know damn well, don't you?"
As he spoke, he pointed toward the boy behind them, Yao Chuan, who looked perfectly calm, as if nothing had happened. His gaze was full of envy, jealousy, and resentment.
"Old Mu, your luck is so absurd it defies the heavens!"
"Which forgotten corner of the world did you dig this treasure up from?"
"This is a genuine Titled Douluo... no, a Limit Douluo in the making!"
"Tell me where you found him! I want to go find one, too!"
Mu Chen listened to his friend's envious grumbling.
He looked at that covetous expression.
Then he glanced back at the outrageous figures on the screen and at the handsome, composed face of his adopted son.
The immense delight went straight to his head.
He couldn't help bursting into laughter.
"Hahahaha! Old Li, jealous, are you? Envious?"
"Forget it! He's my son!"
"My own! Closer than my own!"
Mu Chen was so pleased that his eyebrows seemed ready to take flight.
He slapped his old friend hard on the shoulder.
They chatted for a while longer.
Then Mu Chen asked the branch master to handle the follow-up matters first.
That included Zhou Changxi waking up and being comforted, among other things.
Once the Spirit Pagoda staff had dispersed to get to work,
Mu Chen finally walked over to Yao Chuan.
His face still bore an uncontrollable grin.
His eyes brimmed with pride and relief.
He reached out.
Then gave Yao Chuan a hearty pat on the shoulder.
He was just about to praise him when Yao Chuan, who had been calm all along, spoke first.
His voice was soft.
"Uncle Mu, don't get too happy just yet."
The smile froze on Mu Chen's face.
Mu Xi grew even more anxious and grabbed Yao Chuan by the arm.
"What's wrong, Yao Chuan?"
"Did something feel wrong when you awakened just now?"
"Did your Martial Soul's strength leave you with an injury?"
Her voice grew strained with worry.
Mu Chen watched his daughter fuss over him like that.
Then he recalled how she had been "complaining" to him when he first arrived.
He suddenly felt a little jealous.
That boy was getting better treatment than his own father!
But that tiny twinge of jealousy was soon replaced by worry.
Yao Chuan saw Mu Xi's anxious expression and Mu Chen's now-serious face.
Suddenly, he smiled and shook his head.
"Big Sis, Uncle Mu, you're overthinking it. I'm fine, perfectly fine. I meant..."
He paused.
His gaze swept around the room.
Only after confirming there was no one nearby
did he lower his voice.
"I have another Martial Soul."
Before his words had even faded, he stirred his thoughts and gently raised his left hand.
"Bzz—"
A cold, bloodthirsty energy fluctuation, as if carrying the aura of an endless sea of blood, quietly spread through the air.
A long spear seemingly forged from congealed blood appeared out of thin air in his hand. Visible dark-red killing intent coiled around its shaft, sending a chill through anyone who saw it.
"Twin Martial Souls?!"
Mu Chen felt as if a heavy hammer had slammed into his heart.
His eyes widened even more than when he'd seen the spiritual power figures.
His voice cracked.
"Your Second Martial Soul... it looks like ultimate destruction! If it grows to its full potential..."
He looked at the blood spear, brimming with murderous intent.
Then he looked at Yao Chuan's handsome face. The shock was so immense that his mind went blank.
W... what did they mean, a Limit Douluo in the making?
This was clearly a path to godhood!
He sucked in a sharp breath, forcing down the tumult in his heart. Then joy erupted across his face once more.
"Good! This is wonderful!"
He gripped Yao Chuan's shoulders, his hands trembling with excitement.
"Yao Chuan, what a good boy! You really are... really..."
He was so excited he could barely string his words together. At last, he patted Yao Chuan hard and said, with a note of relief,
"Then... now I can finally entrust Mu Xi to you..."
"Dad!"
Mu Xi's face turned bright red in an instant.
Like a ripe apple, she stamped her foot in embarrassment and cut her father off.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I'm still so young!"
"Yao Chuan... Yao Chuan's still so young, too!"
She protested, her gaze drifting uncertainly. She didn't dare look Yao Chuan in the eye, and the blush on her cheeks spread all the way to her ears.
Yao Chuan watched her shy expression.
He remained perfectly calm inside.
After all, this was Douluo Continent, where he'd been struck by Love God Gatling.
He'd gotten used to it. He'd long since come to terms with things.
At that moment, Mu Chen realized he'd gotten carried away and let something slip.
He coughed twice to cover his embarrassment, then looked at Yao Chuan again, his eyes full of approval and deeper concern.
"Yao Chuan, you did the right thing just now."
He lowered his voice, his tone turning serious.
"The tallest tree catches the wind."
"Your talent is already shocking enough. You absolutely mustn't reveal this Second Martial Soul to people so easily."
"This is my fault, too. I didn't think it through at first. I just wanted to save time, and since Old Li and I are on good terms, I figured we might as well awaken your Martial Soul here at the Spirit Pagoda.
If I'd known you'd awaken such an incredible Martial Soul, I would've sent you straight to Heaven Dou City and used that guy Zhen Hua's blacksmithing lab to awaken it. That would've been far better..."
Yao Chuan stirred his thoughts, and the blood spear vanished from his hand. A flicker crossed his eyes as he asked,
"Uncle Mu, are you worried that someone at the Spirit Pagoda found out and might have other ideas about me? Like taking me on as a disciple?"
Hearing this, Mu Xi set aside her embarrassment for the moment and frowned.
"Huh? Surely not. Tower Master Li seemed like a nice person. And Vice Tower Master Aunt Leng Yaozhu—I've met her a few times, and she's lovely. Besides, there's nothing wrong with joining the Spirit Pagoda, is there?"
Mu Chen looked at his daughter's naïve expression and shook his head.
His eyes held the gravity of a man with years of experience.
"You're only seeing one side of it. The factional infighting inside the Spirit Pagoda is fierce. It'd be fine if you became Leng Yaozhu's disciple. The problem is if you ended up under that old schemer Qiangu Dongfeng. That would be bad... He looks kind, but he's cruel at heart, and he's utterly cold-blooded.
I don't want you to become a pawn or cannon fodder in his factional struggles. And if you stand out too much, you could draw the attention of Evil Soul Masters, too... After all, you're a promising seed for a future Limit Douluo."
"Still, you don't need to worry too much. Old Li isn't from Qiangu Dongfeng's faction, so he's still trustworthy. And you haven't exposed your Second Martial Soul. About this... I'll talk to him in a bit and put the matter to rest. It shouldn't be a problem."
Qiangu Dongfeng?
Those four words made Yao Chuan's eyebrows rise.
He hadn't expected Uncle Mu Chen, despite not being part of the Spirit Pagoda, to have some inkling of the Qiangu Clan head's ambitions and methods.
Unfortunately, he still underestimated the man's ambition.
The man didn't just want absolute control over the Spirit Pagoda. He wanted to recreate the golden age of the Spirit Hall.
Yao Chuan mulled it over.
But for now, he didn't say anything more or spoil the Qiangu Clan's schemes.
There wasn't much point in bringing them up now. It would only cause needless worry.
Besides, he was still far too weak. Rather than thinking too far ahead, he should focus on the present.
Once he had time to grow stronger, the Qiangu Clan's schemes, the Evil Soul Masters of the Holy Spirit Cult, and the invasion of the Abyss Plane would all be no problem!
With one force, he could break ten thousand techniques!
His thoughts settled.
Yao Chuan looked up at Mu Chen and changed the subject outright, his tone brimming with the impatience peculiar to a young man.
"Uncle Mu, can we choose a Soul Spirit now?"
Before you continue