It was the year 2634 of the Douluo Calendar.
Nuoding City, Fanos Province.
The Spirit Hall Branch was a hive of activity.
Children who had turned six formed a long line.
At the end of the line, Ye Feng looked down at his ragged hemp clothes, riddled with patches and holes.
He had found them in a garbage heap. After countless mends, their original color was long gone.
He had been transported to this world six years ago.
For those six years, his soul had been unstable as it fused with this body. He had been in a daze most of the time, looking like a homeless child with a developmental delay.
Then, two days ago, the memories he had brought from the world of Blue Star finally awakened completely, and he truly came to his senses.
This was a world where bloodlines reigned supreme: dragons begot dragons, phoenixes begot phoenixes, and a rat's son could only dig holes.
Ye Feng knew full well that if he awakened a hoe or Blue Silver Grass, the ceiling for his life would be finding some way to make a living in Nuoding City, then hoping to improve the next generation's genes by marrying a Soul Master.
If his Martial Soul was even somewhat high-tier, he would fight to make something of himself. People said Douluo was the sewer of the fantasy genre, but Ye Feng didn't care. As long as he could become a god and live forever, that would be badass.
"Next, Ye Feng."
Su Yuntao's slightly hoarse, tired voice rang out from inside the hall.
As the guide at the Nuoding City Martial Soul Branch, Su Yuntao had awakened over a hundred children that day, but the results had left him sorely disappointed.
Aside from a few hoes and sickles, not a single child had possessed Soul Power.
Ye Feng took a deep breath and stepped into the solemn Awakening Formation.
His palms were slick with sweat.
He didn't know what Martial Souls his parents in this life had possessed. After all, he was an orphan who had been abandoned by the roadside.
The fear of the unknown was the most tormenting of all.
"Don't be nervous, child. Just relax."
Su Yuntao looked at the little boy before him, with his sallow skin and hair as messy as a chicken's nest. A trace of pity showed in his eyes.
With a casual wave, six pitch-black Awakening Stones rose into the air, and azure Soul Power flowed from his fingertips into the formation.
Hum—
A dull rumble echoed through the spacious hall.
Ye Feng felt a warm current surge from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head.
It was an indescribably pleasant sensation, as if every bone in his body were being shattered and reforged in that instant.
Then, a sudden transformation took place.
In full view of everyone, Ye Feng's unruly black hair rapidly faded.
The black vanished, replaced by a nearly translucent silver-white.
His hair grew smooth and flowing, like a river of stars falling over his shoulders.
That wasn't all. His sallow, coarse skin also grew fair and translucent at a visible pace.
In just a few seconds, the scruffy little beggar had become a white-haired boy with an otherworldly air and features as exquisite as a porcelain doll's.
Su Yuntao's eyes widened. The Soul Power flowing from his hands nearly faltered.
"Th-this is a Body Martial Soul mutation?"
He blurted out in shock.
At that moment, in the second-floor corridor,
a middle-aged man of average build, with a somewhat disheartened air, stood beside Hall Master Masnuo.
He was none other than Yu Xiaogang, who called himself the "Grandmaster."
At the sight of this, a feverish gleam burst from Yu Xiaogang's normally placid eyes.
"Masnuo, hurry down and take a look!"
Ignoring all etiquette, Yu Xiaogang hurried straight for the stairs.
At the center of the formation, Ye Feng felt a powerful force pulling at his back.
He turned around instinctively.
A phantom figure was quietly taking shape.
It looked exactly like him, right down to its build, as though his shadow had been forcibly torn away from him.
But it wasn't entirely black. A pure white radiance shone from its entire body, making it appear both ethereal and divine.
"A Shadow Martial Soul?"
Su Yuntao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his voice trembling slightly.
"No, that can't be right. How could a shadow have this kind of attribute? It's a mutated Body Martial Soul—a shadow with a light attribute!"
Feeling the power flowing through his body, Ye Feng's thoughts stirred.
Light and Shadow.
That was his Martial Soul.
Like Huo Wu's mutated Shadow Martial Soul, it was a shadow of the body that had mutated to possess an innate attribute.
"All right, child. Let's test your Soul Power."
Su Yuntao eagerly held out a crystal-clear orb to Ye Feng.
He was practically shouting with excitement inside. It had been far too long since Nuoding City had produced a decent genius.
If this child had good Soul Power, the bonus was as good as his.
Ye Feng held out his fair hand and gently pressed it against the orb.
Hum!
The orb instantly filled more than halfway, its dazzling light flooding the entire hall.
The brightness made everyone present squint instinctively.
"Innate Soul Power... level seven!"
Su Yuntao cried out, his voice brimming with delight.
"My heavens, innate level seven! A genius like this comes along once in a century in Nuoding City!"
Just as Su Yuntao was about to make an offer, a sudden, low voice came from behind them.
"What a pity. It's nothing more than an unusual Body Martial Soul. Light and Shadow have limited potential, in the end."
Ye Feng frowned and turned around.
Yu Xiaogang stood there with his hands clasped behind his back, approaching at a slow, measured pace.
His face wore a look of sorrowful compassion, as if he had seen through every truth in the world.
Yet deep in his eyes, Ye Feng clearly caught a trace of envy and jealousy he couldn't quite conceal.
Could this guy really be the legendary Fart Master, Yu Xiaogang?
Why was he always showing up at the Spirit Hall on Martial Soul Awakening day?
"Uncle, what do you mean by that?"
Ye Feng didn't back down at the man's inscrutable demeanor. Instead, he asked in a calm voice.
Yu Xiaogang stopped in front of Ye Feng and looked down at him, speaking stiffly.
"Innate level seven is all luck, but your Martial Soul determines your limit.
"Shadow Martial Souls lack offensive power to begin with, and mutating to gain a light attribute only makes yours a liability.
"Light and shadow are natural opposites. As your Soul Power Level rises, a Martial Soul like this is highly prone to collapsing in on itself.
"Without proper guidance, you'll likely never break through to Soul Emperor in your lifetime."
At those words, Su Yuntao, who had been beaming with joy, froze.
The children nearby who had yet to awaken their Martial Souls also cast curious looks their way.
The once world-shaking genius seemed, in that instant, to have been branded a "defective product."
Looking at Yu Xiaogang's stiff face, Ye Feng sneered inwardly.
I wasn't sure who it was before, but after hearing that, damn it, it really is this useless guy.
The so-called "Grandmaster" had done little more than compile common knowledge from Spirit Hall's records, yet he deluded himself into thinking he could dictate the truths of the Soul Master World.
Ye Feng had seen this routine plenty of times in novels in his previous life: pour cold water on a genius and put him down, then take him in as a disciple while posing as his "savior." If the guy had any real ability, that would be one thing, but he was useless...
"Oh? Then let me ask you, learned uncle."
Ye Feng's lips curled into an amused smile, and his eyes held a depth that didn't belong to someone his age.
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