Martial Soul Athena?

Spirit City.

North City Orphanage.

A black-haired boy with ear-length hair lay on the roof, gazing up at the sky. His half-lowered eyelids kept closing and then narrowing again.

Just then, a figure climbed onto the roof, revealing a round, baby-fat face.

"Bei Ya, the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony is tomorrow. Aren't you even nervous?"

"What good would being nervous do? Martial Souls are inherited from your parents. They won't change just because you worry about them day and night. You'd better eat well and sleep well, Shi Tou. Otherwise, you might not last until the day of the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony."

Lin Beiya glanced speechlessly at the chubby little Shi Tou who had called out to him. Ever since a few days ago, the boy had been distracted and unable to eat or sleep, afraid he'd awaken a Trash Martial Soul that couldn't be cultivated.

Still, he could understand Shi Tou's worries. After all, this was the Douluo Continent, known as the sewer of the fantasy genre—a world filled with dazzling Martial Souls, where strength reigned supreme.

If one couldn't awaken a Martial Soul with Innate Soul Power, then one could only spend a lifetime as an ordinary person.

It wasn't as if Lin Beiya didn't care about his Martial Soul Awakening. He just knew that Martial Souls were entirely inherited from one's parents and ancestors, so worrying wouldn't help.

As for his own parents' Martial Souls, he had no way of knowing. As a transmigrator, Lin Beiya had also gotten the old-fashioned start of having his parents sacrificed to the heavens.

In his previous life, he had also been an orphan, and a fan of all kinds of anime. When he learned there was a thirtieth-anniversary exhibition for Saint Seiya in his city, he immediately decided to go admire the Sacred Cloths. But while he was gazing at Athena's Sacred Cloth, the Victory Goddess Scepter—unsecured and thus falling off—sent him straight to the Douluo Continent.

When he woke up, he was in the form of a baby, lying beside a cliff. Fortunately, the dean of the Spirit Hall orphanage had gone there to gather herbs and found him, bringing him back. Since he'd been found as an infant by a cliff north of Spirit City, the dean had named him Lin Beiya.

Having had no parents in either life, Lin Beiya naturally had no way to guess what kind of Martial Soul he would awaken.

He had always taken things as they came, so naturally, he wasn't troubled by the unknown like the chubby boy. He ate when he was hungry and drank when he was thirsty.

It was precisely because he was far more mature than other children his age that he seemed so out of place in the Spirit City orphanage. The chubby boy before him, Shi Nuo, was his only friend.

"I can't be as calm as you. What if I have no Soul Power? Wouldn't I have to be an ordinary person for the rest of my life?"

"Fine, then. I hope you awaken the Martial Soul you want. When you make it big, don't forget me."

"Don't worry, Bei Ya. You're my only friend. I won't forget you when I make it big!"

Because the chubby boy ate too much, the other children at the orphanage disliked him too. They often ganged up on him and stole his food.

One day, when he was hungry, he happened to discover Lin Beiya going out to hunt for a snack. He immediately began treating Lin Beiya like a god and insisted on joining his hunting team. As the two grew familiar with each other, they became each other's only friend at the orphanage.

Fortunately, the night passed quickly, and the moment that would determine so many people's fates had finally arrived.

There were thirty children of the appropriate age at the orphanage. Early that morning, the dean led them to Spirit Hall.

As the sacred place in the hearts of Soul Masters across the continent, Spirit Hall's architecture appeared solemn and dignified. Its towering walls were arranged in a hexagon, and the enormous reliefs of six different Martial Souls set into each wall added an artistic touch.

"I'm finally going to awaken my Martial Soul! I'll definitely awaken a powerful one today. Just you wait!"

"That's right, Big Brother! We'll follow you around when that happens!"

The speaker was the Child King of the orphanage. He was also the one who often led others in bullying the fat boy.

His words made Shi Nuo feel extremely annoyed. He muttered under his breath,

"Hmph. What's he so smug about? Maybe his Martial Soul will be worse than ours."

The Child King's lackeys heard Shi Nuo, and a burst of noisy laughter immediately rang out.

"Hahaha! A glutton and a mute think they'll awaken powerful Martial Souls? Keep dreaming. Just watch me show off!"

"..."

It had to be said that whether in his previous life or the Douluo World, there were always people with nothing better to do. He'd never bothered with these little brats, yet somehow he'd ended up saddled with the nickname "mute."

Lin Beiya stopped Shi Nuo, who was furious and wanted to argue with them, and shook his head to signal that he shouldn't make trouble on a day like this. What a waste it would be if they lost their chance to awaken their Martial Souls because of a fight.

Fortunately, the dean's look made the children rein themselves in a little. Nothing else happened, and the group of more than thirty entered Spirit Hall without a hitch. As soon as they passed through the gate, the Child King, who had just been acting so high and mighty, was instantly intimidated by the silver-armored guards beside him. He didn't dare utter a sound, which made Shi Nuo look down on him even more.

They arrived at a side hall, where a middle-aged man in the standard uniform of Spirit Hall was already waiting.

"Dean He, sorry for the trouble. I've made you come all this way."

"It's no trouble. We're working for the future of Spirit Hall. There's no need to call it hard work."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the Spirit Hall deacon turned to face the children.

"My name is Mi An. I'm a level forty-one Soul Ancestor and your guide. I'll awaken your Martial Souls one by one. I'm sure you've all learned a little about this before coming here."

As he spoke, Mi An took six round, black stones and a blue crystal ball out of his Storage Soul Tool.

After arranging the stones in a hexagon, Mi An motioned for the first child to stand inside. The one he picked was the very Child King who had just been mocking Lin Beiya and Fatty.

"You go first."

"Y-yes, sir... My name is—"

"That doesn't matter. I'm awakening Martial Souls for over a hundred people today. How could I remember everyone's name? Hurry up and step inside."

Interrupted, the Child King didn't dare argue. He walked into the middle of the stone array, one step at a time.

"Don't be afraid. Focus and feel it."

As he spoke, Mi An entered Martial Soul Possession. A golden unicorn instantly appeared behind him, and its neighing echoed throughout the side hall.

Although the dean had warned them in advance, some of the children still shrank back several steps, intimidated by Mi An's presence now that the moment had come.

Lin Beiya and Shi Nuo, however, didn't seem bothered. They merely looked a little curious. Mi An took note of that, but he had more important matters to attend to, so the Spirit Hall deacon immediately began awakening the Child King's Martial Soul.

As Mi An guided the Martial Soul within him, a golden light enveloped the Child King. A moment later, his right hand rose of its own accord.

"Don't suppress it. Try to release it."

"O-okay..."

The Child King opened his right hand. A few seconds later, a black scythe mottled with rust slowly appeared. Mi An, who had awakened his Martial Soul, immediately furrowed his brow. That rusty scythe didn't look like something that could be used for cultivation at all.

"A rotten start, huh? Never mind. Let's test his Soul Power."

As the Child King looked at him timidly, Mi An held the blue crystal ball out to him.

"Try to withdraw your Martial Soul with your mind, then put your hand on the crystal ball."

After half a minute of trying, the Child King finally withdrew the scythe. Then, afraid of displeasing the Spirit Hall deacon, he quickly placed his hand on the crystal ball.

After a long while, the crystal ball remained completely still. Mi An had expected this, so he wasn't disappointed. He'd seen this sort of thing far too many times.

"Martial Soul: scythe. Soul Power: zero. Unable to cultivate. Go home and farm!"

"Waaahhhhh!"

The Child King, who had been so arrogant moments ago, burst into tears as soon as he heard the deacon's declaration. He bolted out of the hall toward the rising sun, trying to reclaim his lost youth.

Mi An had seen this plenty of times too. He shook his head, then hurriedly called for the next child to awaken their Martial Soul.

"Come on, next. Time is tight, so everyone hurry up."

The child whose name had been called stepped into the stone array, still shaken. Mi An immediately continued the Martial Soul Awakening work.

"Hoe. Innate Soul Power: zero. Unable to cultivate. Next!"

"Little bee. Innate Soul Power: zero. Unable to cultivate. Next!"

"Stone. No Soul Power..."

The long string of Trash Martial Souls seemed to be making Mi An drowsy. After awakening the Stone Martial Soul, he even yawned, thinking how unlucky he'd been today.

Fortunately, the next child brought him a little comfort.

She was a little girl from the orphanage. Her small face, still round with baby fat, was especially cute. A few dozen seconds after she entered the stone array, a plant with bright green leaves appeared in her palm.

"Oh? A Plant-type Martial Soul. Let's test your Soul Power."

As soon as the girl put her hand on it, Soul Power rippled inside the crystal ball like water. The ripples slowly stopped once they had risen to one-third of the ball.

"Child, what's your name?"

"My name is Ke Rong. I'm six years old."

"Ke Rong, your Martial Soul is Clover. Your Innate Soul Power is level three, so you're suited to the path of a support-type Soul Master."

At last, there was a promising child who could cultivate. Mi An was very pleased as he rubbed her head, then instructed her to go stand beside the dean.

After the dean offered Ke Rong a few words of encouragement, she watched the rest of the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony with him.

Perhaps the little girl had gotten things off to a good start. The quality of the Martial Souls awakened by the children who came afterward wasn't bad at all. Five out of twenty had Innate Soul Power and could cultivate. One boy with a hound Martial Soul even had level-six Innate Soul Power.

By this point, the children's Martial Soul Awakening results had already met Mi An's expectations. Whatever Shi Nuo and Lin Beiya awakened, he could accept it calmly.

After all, these were children from North City Orphanage, and there were several other orphanages like it in Spirit City. He couldn't expect every orphanage to be packed with promising talents, could he?

"Child, it's your turn!"

Hearing the deacon call him, Shi Nuo swallowed and hurried into the stone array. When Mi An's hand touched his forehead, a golden glow brighter than any of the previous children's burst forth. Mi An's expression instantly turned to delight.

"What an unexpected surprise! Child, try to awaken your Martial Soul."

"Yes, sir!"

"Moo!"

As a bull's snort rang in everyone's ears, a bull-like creature appeared behind Shi Nuo. Its body was entirely orange, and a massive horn jutted from its forehead.

"A Great Strength Demon Bull! Wonderful! The Innate Soul Power that comes with this type of power-based Beast Martial Soul must be impressive."

After awakening Shi Nuo's Martial Soul, the deacon immediately handed him the crystal ball.

"You're Shi Nuo, right? Good lad, come test your Innate Soul Power."

"Okay."

Shi Nuo already had an idea of what to expect and was no longer nervous. His chubby little hand touched the crystal ball, and his Soul Power quickly climbed past the halfway mark. Under Mino's delighted gaze, the ripples slowly stopped when they had filled nearly four-fifths of the ball.

"Shi Nuo, Martial Soul: Great Strength Demon Bull. Innate Soul Power: level eight. Exceptional talent!"

Mi An exclaimed as he announced Shi Nuo's Martial Soul and Innate Soul Power. His delight was written all over his face. If the child with level-six Soul Power had merely met the standard, then Shi Nuo's appearance was a genuine achievement.

"Child, come report to Spirit Academy with me. They'll give you the best resources and train you to become a powerful Soul Master. There's no problem with you surpassing me entirely."

His attention was wholly captured by Shi Nuo. The Spirit Hall deacon seemed to have forgotten that Lin Beiya still hadn't awakened his Martial Soul. It was Fatty, loyal to his friend, who reminded him. Only then did the deacon snap out of it.

"Sir, my friend hasn't awakened his Martial Soul yet. Could we wait before you talk about that?"

"Right, right. Look at my memory! I'll awaken the last little fellow's Martial Soul now."

"Come on, child. Let's hurry."

As he urged Lin Beiya into the stone array, Mi An kept his eyes fixed on Shi Nuo, as if afraid the boy might disappear if he looked away for even a moment. Lin Beiya couldn't help grumbling inwardly. Seriously, who do you think you're looking down on? Just watch me awaken a powerful Martial Soul and blind you.

As Mino reached toward his forehead, Lin Beiya felt warmth fill his whole body. A few dozen seconds later, it was as if something were about to burst from his right hand, and his arm rose of its own accord.

From Mi An's point of view, a golden radiance even more dazzling than the one that had accompanied Shi Nuo's Martial Soul Awakening burst forth in an instant. Mi An trembled with excitement from head to toe.

"I... I'm going to get a promotion and a raise!"

At the same moment, in the Worship Hall on the Back Mountain of Spirit Hall, a white-haired old man sitting cross-legged suddenly opened his eyes. He stared at the specks of golden light circling the Angel Statue before him, his gaze turning grave.

"What's going on? Who awakened a Martial Soul that resonated with the Six-Winged Angel?"

"No, I have to go take a look."

The next second, the old man vanished from the hall, as if he had never been there at all.

The dazzling golden light lasted nearly five minutes before slowly fading. Under Mi An's expectant gaze, a small stone carving slowly appeared in Lin Beiya's hand.

"?????"

"A... a stone?"

Mi An rubbed his eyes with all his might. He couldn't believe that the Martial Soul responsible for such a commotion was a stone. Even if it was a stone carved into a human figure, it was still a stone, wasn't it?

"You... you..."

It wasn't just Mi An. Lin Beiya was also stunned as he stared at the stone statue in his hand. But he wasn't dumbfounded because he'd awakened a stone statue. Rather, he knew the figure on it all too well.

"Athena, you slashed me once in my previous life and sent me here. Was that not enough? You've chased me all the way here too?"

That was right. The stone statue in Lin Beiya's hand depicted Athena. Her face was solemn and dignified, with the Victory Goddess Scepter in her right hand and the Aegis Shield in her left.

After figuring out what his Martial Soul was, Lin Beiya suppressed his excitement and looked at the deacon in front of him.

"Sir, you haven't tested my Innate Soul Power yet, have you?"

"Uh... That's true, we haven't. But your Martial Soul is a stone, so don't get your hopes up too high."

Under Shi Nuo's encouraging gaze, Lin Beiya slowly placed his hand on the crystal ball. The ripples surged even more fiercely than they had when Shi Nuo was tested. Under Mino's horrified gaze, Lin Beiya's Soul Power filled the crystal ball completely, and dazzling light instantly flooded the entire side hall.

"Innate... Innate Full Soul Power?"