Hidden Dragon in the Abyss, Tyrant Spear Awakens!

Aolai City, Red Mountain Academy.

The sunlight of the seaside town carried its distinctive salty tang as it spilled across the red-brick plaza.

Today was Martial Soul Awakening Day. For commoners, this was their only chance to defy fate. Whether they would leap over the dragon gate like fish or continue wallowing in the mud depended entirely on these few minutes.

Amid the bustling crowd, two children stood out especially.

The boy on the left looked exquisitely carved from jade. His large eyes resembled black gemstones immersed in mercury, and his fluttering lashes carried an endearing liveliness.

He was Tang Wulin. At this moment, he nervously pursed his lips, his pale little hand tightly clutching the hem of the person beside him, his knuckles white with effort.

Yet the youth whose clothes he clutched was an entirely different kind of "iron."

Though he was only six years old, Tang Linyuan stood there like a weapon yet to be drawn from its sheath, radiating an icy aloofness that warned strangers away.

He stood half a head taller than children his age, with neat black hair and eyes as deep as ink. They were not the eyes a child should have, but the steady gaze of someone who had weathered countless storms.

As a transmigrator born with the memories of his past life, Tang Linyuan knew better than anyone that the timid little brother beside him bore within his body the Golden Dragon King Divine Core, a madness capable of tearing apart the God Realm.

But in this life, since he was the elder brother, whether it was the God Realm's schemes or the destiny of Soul Beasts, anyone who wanted to touch Tang Wulin would first have to ask whether he agreed.

"Big Brother... my heart is beating so fast." Tang Wulin's soft voice trembled noticeably. "What if... what if I can't awaken any Soul Power?"

Tang Linyuan withdrew his indifferent gaze and looked down. The frost in his eyes instantly melted into spring water.

He took that sweaty little hand in his own, the warmth of his palm steady and strong.

"Don't be afraid. Remember what Dad said last night? Whether it's a hoe, a sickle, or even Blue Silver Grass, as long as you have Soul Power, Big Brother can help you soar. If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up."

"Next, Tang Linyuan!"

The call from inside the awakening room interrupted the brothers.

Tang Linyuan patted Wulin's head and gave him a resolute look. Then he turned and strode toward the door that would decide his fate.

The awakening room was filled with the faint scent of metal oil.

The middle-aged Spirit Pagoda master responsible for the awakening looked exhausted as he mechanically pointed at the six-pointed star formation on the floor.

"Stand inside. Focus your mind. Stay calm."

Tang Linyuan had rehearsed this process countless times in his mind.

However, the instant his feet truly stepped onto those golden patterns, an abrupt change occurred!

Boom!

It was not a roar heard by the ears, but one that came from deep within his bloodline.

Tang Linyuan felt as though molten iron had been poured into his spine. An indescribably domineering power instantly seized control of his body.

He suddenly opened his eyes.

"Buzz—"

A deep hum exploded, and the air seemed to become thick and heavier than a thousand jun.

The Spirit Pagoda master discovered in horror that he was actually struggling to breathe, as though some primordial beast had fixed its gaze upon him. Instinctively, he staggered back three steps, cold sweat soaking his back in an instant.

A pitch-black spear slowly "squeezed" out from Tang Linyuan's palm without warning.

That was right, squeezed.

It was as if this entire space rejected its arrival.

The spear was two meters long, entirely black, its shaft covered in layers upon layers of dark-golden dragon scales. Its tip was not a dazzling silvery white, but a deep darkness that Devoured all light.

It merely hovered there, yet the hard alloy floor beneath it creaked under unbearable pressure, faint cracks spreading across its surface.

Ferocious. Domineering. Destructive.

"Th-this... what kind of weapon Martial Soul is this? A spear?"

The Spirit Pagoda master's voice was dry, and the notebook in his hand nearly slipped away.

He had never seen a Martial Soul that came with its own "force field" in his entire life!

Tang Linyuan gripped the spear shaft, its icy touch spreading through his palm.

At that moment, he felt that what he held was not a weapon, but authority.

"Tyrant Profound Divine Spear."

He murmured softly. His voice was not loud, yet it echoed through the silent room.

"T-test your Soul Power!"

The Spirit Pagoda master tremblingly handed him a crystal ball.

Tang Linyuan reached out.

Crack!

There was no gradual brightening. The instant his palm touched the crystal ball, dazzling blue light erupted like a supernova exploding within the cramped room! The radiance was so intense that the Spirit Pagoda master had to raise a hand to shield his eyes.

"The light is overflowing... Innate Full Soul Power!"

The Spirit Pagoda master cried out, staring at the calm-faced child as though he were looking at a little monster.

"My heavens, another genius has been born!"

Tang Linyuan's expression did not change as he neatly withdrew his spear.

The pressure that had nearly crushed the air instantly vanished, and he became that cold, stern youth once more.

"Thank you."

He nodded politely yet distantly, then turned and pushed open the door.

Outside, Tang Wulin looked up eagerly like a little beast waiting to be fed.

"Innate Full Soul Power. It went smoothly."

Tang Linyuan walked up to his younger brother, the corners of his lips lifting slightly as he rubbed his hair. "Wulin, it's your turn. Go on."

Yet fate loved playing such cruel jokes.

After a long wait, the door opened once more.

Tang Wulin came out.

The little fellow who had once been so lively now looked like an eggplant struck by frost. His large eyes brimmed with tears, yet he stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"Big Brother..."

His voice carried a sob and was as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "It's... Blue Silver Grass. The useless Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass... My Soul Power is only level three."

"I can't go to Soul Master Academy anymore..."

The air over the plaza seemed to freeze for a moment. Then the waiting parents and children around them began whispering sharply.

"Oh dear, the older brother has Innate Full Soul Power, but the younger brother has a useless Martial Soul?"

"Blue Silver Grass? Isn't that just roadside weed? Can that even be cultivated?"

"What a dragon and a worm. This little brother will probably only be fit to carry his brother's shoes in the future."

"What a pity about that pretty face..."

Each word was like an invisible blade, cutting Tang Wulin's little face pale. He lowered his head even further, wishing he could crawl into a crack in the ground.

Suddenly, the air around them seemed to grow heavier.

There was no hysterical roar, nor any earth-shattering outburst. There was only an indescribable sense of oppression that silently enveloped the entire plaza.

It was like a dozing Fierce Beast slowly opening its eyes. That instinctive trembling made the throats of those still gossiping tighten.

Tang Linyuan took one step forward. Though he was not particularly tall, he stood firmly in front of Tang Wulin, blocking every malicious gaze.

He tilted his head slightly and swept his indifferent gaze across the crowd.

Those ink-black eyes were bottomless, like two pools of icy spring water, sharp as blades.

Wherever his gaze passed, the noisy crowd seemed to have been grabbed by the throat. Every mockery and discussion came to an abrupt halt beneath that cold stare.

Several parents who had been shouting the loudest instinctively avoided his eyes. Their backs turned cold, and they were actually intimidated into silence by the gaze of a six-year-old child.

After cowing the crowd, Tang Linyuan turned around, dropped to one knee, and firmly grasped his younger brother's trembling shoulders with both hands, forcing him to raise his head.

"Wulin, look at me."

Tang Linyuan's voice was not loud, yet every word rang with unshakable force.

"Who said Blue Silver Grass is a useless Martial Soul?"

He reached out to wipe away the tears at the corners of his brother's eyes, his gaze burning with near-mad intensity.

"And your Blue Silver Grass—I felt it just now. It is breathing. It is longing! It is different!"

"Big Brother... you don't have to comfort me..."

"I never comfort the weak, but I believe in my brother." Tang Linyuan leaned close and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear, as if making a blood oath.

"Wulin, remember this. Since heaven has given you the hardest road to walk, then Big Brother will walk it with you and trample it flat! If you need resources, I'll take them. If you need spiritual treasures, I'll find them. Even if I have to turn Douluo Continent upside down, I will pile up your Blue Silver Grass until it becomes an emperor that covers the sky!"

"Before you grow into a towering tree, Big Brother will be your wall."

"Do you understand?"

Tang Wulin stared blankly at his brother. The flames burning in those ink-dark eyes seemed to ignite the Core Flame in his own heart that had already gone out.

That absolute, unreserved trust warmed his icy body once more.

"Mm!" Tang Wulin nodded hard, and at last, his tears burst through the dam.

"Come on, let's go home. Mom made braised pork. If we get there late, there won't be any left."

Tang Linyuan rose to his feet, ignoring the awed and complicated looks around them. He took his younger brother's hand and strode toward the academy gates.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long.

One stood straight as a spear, his edge fully revealed; the other was thin and weak, yet under his brother's guidance, he stumbled forward and kept pace.

In this era where soul-guided technology shone brilliantly, the legend of the Tyrant Spear and the Dragon Emperor silently took its first step.