Martial Soul Athena?

Martial Soul City.

North City Orphanage.

A youth with chin-length black hair lay on the rooftop, gazing up at the sky, his half-lidded eyes occasionally closing and squinting.

Just then, a figure climbed onto the roof, revealing a chubby face with baby fat.

"Beiya, tomorrow is the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony. Aren't you nervous at all?"

"What's the use of being nervous? The awakening of a Martial Soul comes from the inheritance of one's parents; it won't change just because you lose sleep over it. You'd better eat well and sleep well, Shi Nuo, lest you don't even make it to the day of the ceremony."

Lin Beiya glanced speechlessly at the little fatty who had called out to him. This guy had been distracted and listless for days, unable to eat or sleep, terrified that he might awaken a useless Martial Soul that couldn't be cultivated.

However, he could understand Shi Nuo's state of mind. After all, this was the Douluo Continent, often called the "sewer of fantasy" by some, a world filled with brilliant Martial Souls where strength was everything.

If one failed to awaken a Martial Soul with Innate Soul Power, they were destined to spend their entire life as a commoner.

It would be a lie to say Lin Beiya didn't care about the awakening, but he knew that Martial Souls were entirely inherited from parents and ancestors, so worrying was futile.

As for his own parents' Martial Souls, he had no way of knowing. As a transmigrator, Lin Beiya possessed the classic "parents sacrificed to the heavens" opening.

In his previous life, he was also an orphan and a fan of various anime. Upon learning that his city was hosting a 30th-anniversary concept exhibition for Saint Seiya, he immediately decided to go and admire the beauty of the Cloths. However, while gazing at the Athena Cloth, the Victory Goddess Scepter, which hadn't been properly secured, fell and sent him straight to the Douluo Continent.

When he woke up, he found himself as an infant on the edge of a cliff. Fortunately, the dean of the Martial Soul Hall orphanage had been there gathering herbs, discovered him, and brought him back. Since he was found on a cliff north of Martial Soul City, the dean named him Lin Beiya.

Having been an orphan in both lives, Lin Beiya naturally couldn't judge what kind of Martial Soul he would awaken.

Being a person who took things as they came, he naturally wouldn't be troubled by the unknown like the little fatty; he ate when he could and drank when he pleased.

It was precisely this maturity, far beyond his peers, that made him appear particularly unsociable within the orphanage. The little fatty named Shi Nuo before him was his only friend.

"I can't be as calm as you. What if I don't have any soul power? Wouldn't I have to be a commoner for the rest of my life?"

"Fine, then I wish you awaken a Martial Soul you like. Don't forget me when you make it big."

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

Because the little fatty ate too much, he was also shunned by others in the orphanage. Other children often ganged up to bully him and steal his food.

After going hungry, he accidentally discovered Lin Beiya sneaking out to hunt for wild game to improve his meals and immediately worshipped him as a god. He strongly requested to join Lin Beiya's "wild hunting" team. After getting to know each other through these escapades, they became each other's only friends in the orphanage.

Fortunately, the night passed quickly, and the moment that would decide the fate of many finally arrived.

There were thirty children of age in the orphanage, and early in the morning, they were led by the dean to Martial Soul Hall.

As the holy land in the hearts of all soul masters on the continent, the architecture of Martial Soul Hall appeared solemn and majestic. The towering walls were laid out in a hexagonal pattern, with giant reliefs symbolizing the six types of Martial Souls embedded in each wall, adding a touch of artistic flair.

"Finally, it's time to awaken my Martial Soul. I'll definitely awaken a powerful one today, just watch!"

"Great, Big Brother! We'll keep following you then!"

The speaker was the Child King of the orphanage, the very same one who often led others to bully the fatty.

His words made Shi Nuo feel extremely annoyed, and he muttered in a low voice:

"Hmph, what's there to be so smug about? Maybe the Martial Soul you awaken won't even be as good as ours."

The little fatty's words were overheard by the Child King's lackeys, and a burst of mocking laughter erupted instantly.

"Haha, a glutton and a mute want to awaken a powerful Martial Soul? Stop dreaming and just watch me show off my might!"

"..."

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 didn't care to engage with these brats, but ended up being labeled a "mute" for his silence.

Holding back Shi Nuo, who was furious and wanted to step forward to argue, Lin Beiya shook his head to signal him not to cause trouble on such a day. If they were disqualified from the awakening because of a scuffle, wouldn't that be a huge loss?

Fortunately, the dean's gaze made those children restrain themselves slightly, and there were no further complications. The group of over thirty people successfully entered Martial Soul Hall. As they passed through the main gate, the previously arrogant Child King was instantly intimidated by the guards in silver armor standing nearby and didn't even dare to breathe loudly, which made Shi Nuo feel even more disdain.

Arriving at a side hall, a middle-aged man dressed in the uniform of Martial Soul Hall was already waiting inside.

"Dean He, thank you for your hard work. Sorry to have troubled you to make this trip."

"It's no trouble at all. It's all for the future of Martial Soul Hall; it's not hard work."

After a few polite exchanges, the Martial Soul Hall deacon turned to look at the group of children.

"My name is Mi An, a level 41 Soul Ancestor, and I am your guide. I will now awaken your Martial Souls one by one. I believe you should have already learned about this before coming."

As he spoke, Mi An took out six pitch-black round stones and a blue crystal ball from his storage Soul Tool.

After arranging the stones in a hexagon, Mi An signaled for the first child to stand in the center. The one chosen was the Child King who had been mocking Lin Beiya and the fatty just moments ago.

"You go first!"

"Ye... yes, my lord... my name is..."

"That's not important. I have to awaken Martial Souls for hundreds of people today; how could I possibly remember everyone's names? Get in there quickly."

The interrupted Child King didn't dare to argue and walked step by step into the center of the stone formation.

"Don't be afraid, feel it with your heart."

As he spoke, Mi An entered the state of Martial Soul Possession. A brilliant golden unicorn instantly appeared behind him, and its neighing sound echoed through the entire side hall.

Although they had been warned by the dean, some children were still intimidated by Mi An's aura at this moment and kept retreating several steps.

Lin Beiya and Shi Nuo, however, didn't feel much, only showing a hint of curiosity. This actually made Mi An look at them with a bit more regard, but business was business. The Martial Soul Hall deacon immediately began to awaken the Martial Soul for the Child King.

As Mi An guided the martial soul within the Child King's body, a burst of golden light enveloped him. A moment later, the boy's right hand lifted involuntarily.

"Do not suppress it; try to release it."

"O-okay..."

As the Child King opened his right hand, a rusted black sickle slowly manifested after a few seconds. Mi An, who was overseeing the awakening, instantly furrowed his brows; this rusted sickle didn't look like anything capable of cultivation.

"A bad start! Forget it, let's just test the soul power."

Under the Child King's timid gaze, Mi An handed him the blue crystal ball.

"Try to use your intent to retract your martial soul, then place your hand on the crystal ball."

After half a minute of trying, the Child King finally retracted the sickle. Fearing he had displeased the Martial Soul Hall deacon, he quickly placed his hand on the crystal ball.

A long time passed, but the crystal ball remained motionless. Mi An, having already prepared himself mentally, felt no disappointment; he had seen this far too many times.

"Martial soul: sickle. Soul power: zero. Unable to cultivate. Go home and farm!"

"Waaaah~~~~~~"

The previously arrogant Child King burst into tears upon hearing the deacon's declaration and ran toward the rising sun outside the hall, attempting to reclaim his lost youth.

Mi An was unfazed by this scene. After shaking his head, he hurriedly beckoned for the next child to awaken their martial soul.

"Come, next! Time is tight, everyone move quickly."

The child called stood into the stone formation with lingering fear, and Mi An began the work of martial soul awakening without pause.

"Hoe, innate soul power zero, unable to cultivate. Next!"

"Little Bee, innate soul power zero, unable to cultivate. Next!"

"Stone, no soul power..."

The continuous stream of trash martial souls seemed to make Mi An drowsy. After finishing the stone martial soul, he even yawned, secretly thinking that his luck today was truly abysmal.

Fortunately, the next child brought him some comfort.

This was a little girl from the orphanage. Her face, still retaining its baby fat, looked exceptionally cute. Dozens of seconds after entering the stone formation, a plant with emerald green leaves appeared in her palm.

"Oh? A plant-type martial soul. Come, let's test the soul power."

As the little girl placed her hand on it, ripples of soul power appeared in the crystal ball, rising until they stopped slowly at one-third of the way up.

"What is your name, child?"

"My name is Ke Rong, and I am six years old this year."

"Ke Rong, martial soul: Clover, innate soul power level three. Suitable for the path of an auxiliary-type soul master."

Finally having found a seedling capable of cultivation, Mi An rubbed her head with great satisfaction before instructing her to go to the dean's side.

After the dean offered Ke Rong a few words of encouragement, he watched the subsequent awakening ceremony with her.

Perhaps because the little girl had set a good precedent, the quality of the children who followed was not bad at all. Out of twenty, five possessed innate soul power and could cultivate, including a boy with a hound martial soul who had innate level six soul power.

At this point, the quality of the children's martial souls had already met Mi An's expectations. He could calmly accept whatever Mino and Lin Beiya awakened next.

After all, these were just children from the North City Orphanage. There were several other such orphanages in Martial Soul City; one couldn't expect a cluster of moldable talents in every single one, right?

"Child, it's your turn!"

Hearing the deacon's call, Mino swallowed hard and quickly stepped into the stone formation. As Mi An's hand brushed his forehead, a golden glow, more brilliant than any of the previous children, radiated outward. Mi An's expression instantly shifted to one of pleasant surprise.

"An unexpected joy! Child, try to stimulate your martial soul."

"Yes, sir!"

"Moo!"

Following the sound of a bull's snort that reached everyone's ears, an orange, bull-like creature with massive horns on its forehead appeared behind Mino.

"Great Strength Demon Bull! Excellent! The innate soul power accompanying this kind of power-type beast martial soul must be quite considerable."

After awakening Mino's martial soul, the deacon immediately handed over the crystal ball.

"Your name is Mino, right? Good child, come quickly and test your innate soul power."

"Okay."

Having gained confidence, Mino no longer felt his previous nervousness. As his chubby little hand touched the crystal ball, his soul power climbed rapidly past the halfway mark. In Mi An's pleasantly surprised gaze, the water ripples filled nearly four-fifths of the crystal ball before slowly stopping.

"Mino, martial soul: Great Strength Demon Bull, innate soul power level eight. Excellent talent!"

Mi An exclaimed, announcing Mino's martial soul and innate soul power, his joy evident on his face. If the child with level six soul power was just "up to standard," then Mino's appearance was a genuine achievement.

"Child, come with me to report to the Martial Soul Academy. They will provide you with the best resources to cultivate you into a powerful soul master. Surpassing me will be no problem at all."

With his attention entirely captured by Mino, the Martial Soul Hall deacon seemed to have forgotten that there was still a Lin Beiya who hadn't awakened his martial soul. It wasn't until the chubby boy reminded him out of loyalty that the deacon finally reacted.

"Sir, my friend hasn't awakened his martial soul yet! Can you wait a moment?"

"Right, right, right. Look at my memory. I will awaken the martial soul for the last little friend right now."

"Come on, child, let's be quick."

While urging Lin Beiya to enter the stone formation, Mi An kept his eyes fixed on Mino, as if afraid the boy would disappear if he looked away for a second. This made Lin Beiya grumble internally: Seriously, who are you looking down on? Just watch as I awaken a powerful martial soul and blind you.

As Mino's hand reached toward his forehead, Lin Beiya felt his entire body flooded with warmth. Dozens of seconds later, it felt as if something was about to burst forth from his right hand, causing his arm to lift involuntarily.

From Mi An's perspective, a golden radiance, even more dazzling than the one emitted when Shi Nuo awakened his martial soul just moments ago, erupted instantly, causing Mi An to tremble with excitement.

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

At the same moment, in the Worship Hall at the back of Martial Soul Hall, an old man with crane-white hair sitting cross-legged suddenly opened his eyes. Looking at the specks of golden light lingering on the Angel Statue before him, his expression turned grave.

"What is happening? Who has awakened a martial soul capable of resonating with the Six-Winged Angel?"

"No, I must go and see."

The next second, the old man's figure vanished from the hall, as if he had never existed there at all.

The dazzling golden light persisted for nearly five minutes before slowly dissipating. 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 vigorously; he simply could not believe that a martial soul capable of causing such a massive commotion could be a mere stone. Even if it was a stone carved into the likeness of a person, it was still a stone, wasn't it?

"You... you..."

It wasn't just Mi An; even Lin Beiya stood stunned, staring at the stone statue in his hand. However, he wasn't dazed because he had awakened a stone statue, but rather because the figure depicted on it was one he knew all too well.

Athena, it was one thing for you to slash me in my past life and send me here, but now you've chased me all the way to this world?

That's right, the stone statue in Lin Beiya's hand was none other than Athena, her expression solemn and majestic, holding 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 the agitation in his heart and looked at the deacon before him.

"Sir, my Innate Soul Power hasn't been tested yet, has it?"

"Uh... that is true, it hasn't been tested. But given it's a stone martial soul, you shouldn't hold your hopes too high."

Under the encouraging gaze of Shi Nuo nearby, Lin Beiya slowly placed his hand on the crystal ball. The water-like ripples grew even more terrifyingly than when Shi Nuo had tested his. In Mino's horrified eyes, Lin Beiya's Innate Soul Power filled the crystal ball completely, and a blinding light instantly flooded the entire side hall.

"In... Innate Full Soul Power?"