Martial Soul Awakening Stuns Everyone?

Shrek Academy, Martial Soul Testing Room.

It was a circular stone chamber, its walls covered in intricate Soul Guidance Arrays. Six fist-sized Soul Power orbs were embedded in the floor, arranged in a hexagram.

An ancient, mysterious aura hung in the air. This was a standard Spirit Hall awakening and testing chamber, used throughout the continent.

Yu Xiaogang stood in the middle of the array with a thick manual in his hand. He pushed up his glasses and looked over the four people before him.

Han Li, Xiao Yan, Shi Hao, Wang Lin.

The four stood in a row, each with a different posture, but their expressions were uncannily alike: impatient.

Han Li's face was expressionless, but inwardly he was weighing things over. A Martial Soul? Just a misinterpretation of spiritual roots in this world. I'll see what tricks this test has up its sleeve. Maybe I can use it to deduce this world's cultivation laws.

Xiao Yan crossed his arms, a disdainful smile on his lips. "If you want an awakening, then let's have one. I'll show you what Heavenly Flames are. They've been suppressed, sure, but they're more than enough for a little occasion like this."

Shi Hao was the most excited. He had already bounced up and down several times. "Can we fight after the awakening? Can we? I'm just asking if we can fight!"

Yu Xiaogang answered expressionlessly, "No."

Half of Shi Hao's excitement vanished at once.

Wang Lin stood at the very end of the line, his hands behind his back. His long hair fell to his shoulders, and his face was cool and detached. He glanced around the testing room, paused for a second on the six Soul Power orbs, then looked away.

"I'm merely cooperating with you." Wang Lin's voice wasn't loud, but his sense of superiority—the air of someone who stood on an entirely different level from them—was plain for all to hear.

Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath and swallowed the complaint on the tip of his tongue: Could the four of you act normal for once?

"First, Han Li."

Han Li stepped forward and stood at the center of the hexagram.

Yu Xiaogang raised his hand. The six Soul Power orbs lit up simultaneously, and six beams of light converged on Han Li.

An invisible force enveloped him, as if probing the deepest secrets within his body.

Han Li closed his eyes.

He felt the force enter his body, probing his dantian and meridians, as well as the Heavenly Bottle hidden in his sleeve. His brows knitted slightly as he quietly circulated his spiritual power, suppressing the bottle's glow as much as possible.

I can't reveal too much. The rules of this world are still unclear. I need to keep my trump cards hidden, Han Li silently reminded himself.

The probing force traveled through his body once, then finally settled on his Martial Soul: the azure longsword sleeping deep within his spiritual platform.

A sword appeared behind Han Li.

No—not one sword, but seven.

The seven azure longswords fanned out behind him. Delicate bamboo-leaf patterns wound around their blades, and their keen edges radiated a cold, piercing aura. The seven swords trembled faintly, giving off a low hum, like seven sleeping beasts that had just awoken.

Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up, and he nearly dropped the manual in his hand.

"A Tool Martial Soul! Green Bamboo Cloud-Piercing... Swords?" He stepped closer to examine the fluctuations from the seven swords. His brows furrowed, then relaxed, then furrowed again. "Strange. The fluctuations from this Martial Soul are unusual... It doesn't seem like a pure Tool Martial Soul, but it's not a Beast Martial Soul either... It seems like a Mutated Martial Soul, and a heavily mutated one at that."

Yu Xiaogang glanced down at the test results and froze.

"Innate Soul Power... Level three?"

His voice held unmistakable confusion.

Level three. That barely met the minimum threshold for cultivation—not even mediocre, just enough to qualify.

Han Li remained completely unmoved inside.

This suits my low-profile persona perfectly.

He opened his eyes and stepped down from the platform, his expressionless.

Quite a few students had gathered to watch. The entire Shrek Seven Devils were there, along with some other students. Seeing Han Li's results, they whispered among themselves, one voice rising after another.

"Level three? What a piece of trash!"

"That Martial Soul looks pretty cool, though. Seven swords. Too bad the guy's useless."

"An ugly freak is an ugly freak. A pretty Martial Soul can't change that."

Han Li's ears twitched. He heard every word clearly.

He didn't turn around. The corner of his mouth merely twitched.

I'll remember these people's gossip. I'll get even with them later.

He silently returned to the line of four and took his place.

His expression was so calm that it seemed nothing had happened.

"Second, Xiao Yan."

Xiao Yan strode onto the testing platform, his face practically shouting, I'm about to open your eyes.

He took his place, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes.

The six Soul Power orbs lit up again, their light converging on him. Xiao Yan felt the probing force enter his body and touch the dormant flame in his dantian.

The Heavenly Flames awakened.

A mass of flame appeared behind Xiao Yan.

Flames of many colors intertwined: the green Green Lotus Core Flame, the colorless Fallen Heart Flame, the reddish-gold Three Thousand Burning Flame, the purple Bone Spirit Cold Flame... The light of twenty-three Heavenly Flames swirled within the blaze. They were all faint, but the aura of myriad flames paying homage to their sovereign still made everyone present feel the heat.

Firelight reflected off Yu Xiaogang's glasses. His mouth opened into an O.

"Is this a Beast Martial Soul? No, it doesn't look like a Tool Martial Soul either..." He frantically flipped through the manual, searching for a match, but found nothing. "A Mutated Fire-Attribute Martial Soul! And a fusion of multiple attributes!"

The test results appeared.

"Xuanhuang Flame, Mutated Fire-Attribute Martial Soul, Innate Soul Power... Level four."

Yu Xiaogang's voice held a hint of surprise. Level four, one level higher than Han Li, but still below average.

Xiao Yan opened his eyes. When he saw the result of level four, his expression shifted from smug to confused, then from confused to indignant.

"Level four?" He frowned. "One level higher than that ugly freak, but it shouldn't be this low..."

He knew his Heavenly Flames had been suppressed, but he hadn't expected them to be suppressed this badly.

Back in the Great Thousand World, whenever his Heavenly Flames appeared, all other flames submitted. Who would dare say otherwise? And now, in this godforsaken place, he'd only scored a four?

Below the platform, the whispers continued.

"Level four? That's only one level higher than the last guy. They're both useless."

"The flames look nice, and he sure acts tough, but he's a weakling."

"Weakling! Weakling!"

Xiao Yan's face darkened like the bottom of a pot.

He glared at the people calling him a weakling. The Heavenly Flame markings on his right arm lit up, and he nearly lost his temper right there. But he held back, because Yu Xiaogang was staring at him with a look that said, If you dare start a fight, I'll make you clean the toilets for a month.

Xiao Yan snorted and returned to the line.

"Third, Shi Hao."

Shi Hao practically leaped onto the testing platform.

He had been looking forward to his Martial Soul Awakening for ages. He wanted to see what kind of Martial Soul he had, and he simply thought the word "awakening" sounded impressive. Once it was over, he ought to be able to fight even better.

He took his place and closed his eyes, a silly grin still on his face.

The six Soul Power orbs lit up, their light converging.

This time, the reaction was violent.

All six orbs erupted in dazzling white light. The entire testing room trembled faintly, and the Soul Guidance Arrays on the walls flashed wildly, as if they could barely withstand some powerful force.

Behind Shi Hao, a bone appeared.

It was a crystal-clear bone, about the size of a palm, radiating an ancient and terrifying pressure. Dense markings covered its surface, like some ancient script, and a golden glow emanated from it.

Yu Xiaogang's manual fell to the floor.

"The Supreme Bone?" His voice trembled. "This is... a Tool Martial Soul formed from the mutated bones of an ancient divine beast? Impossible. This kind of Martial Soul vanished from the continent tens of thousands of years ago..."

The test results appeared.

"Innate Soul Power... Level eight?"

Yu Xiaogang's voice had barely faded when the number changed again.

"Nine!"

Full Soul Power.

The entire testing room fell silent.

Everyone stared at the number nine and the bone behind Shi Hao, which radiated a terrifying pressure.

Dai Mubai's face turned white. Zhu Zhuqing's fingers trembled. Ma Hongjun's chicken leg fell to the ground again, and Oscar's sausage slipped from his mouth.

Of the Shrek Seven Devils, only Tang San and Xiao Wu had possessed Innate Full Soul Power. And now, there was another.

And his Supreme Bone was even more terrifying than theirs.

Shi Hao opened his eyes, scratched his head, and looked at the bone behind him, then at the result showing level nine.

"That's it?" His voice brimmed with disappointment. "I thought I'd awaken something amazing. I've always had this Supreme Bone."

The whole room was speechless.

Wang Lin stood in line and snorted. "So what if he's level nine? I could beat him senseless."

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone nearby could hear him.

Shi Hao turned to look at Wang Lin, fighting spirit blazing in his eyes. "What did you say? Come over here!"

Yu Xiaogang grabbed Shi Hao. "Next, Wang Lin!"

"Fourth, Wang Lin."

Wang Lin walked slowly onto the testing platform.

His steps were slow and graceful, as if he were walking a red carpet. His white robe swayed gently behind him, and his long hair fluttered slightly in the breeze.

His exquisite face showed no expression. His gray-white eyes seemed to say, I'm not from the same world as you people.

He took his place at the center of the hexagram and closed his eyes.

The six Soul Power orbs lit up.

But this time, the light didn't converge on Wang Lin. It was sucked away.

The Soul Power within the six orbs seemed to be seized by an invisible hand and rushed toward Wang Lin's body. The orbs quickly dimmed, while a pinpoint of gray light appeared between Wang Lin's brows.

The point of light grew larger and brighter, finally transforming into a gray bead that floated in front of his brow.

A vortex spun inside the bead like a miniature black hole, devouring all the surrounding light and heat.

Gray-white light radiated from the bead, shrouding the entire testing room. Everyone felt a chill rise from their spines.

Yu Xiaogang had completely given up on his manual.

He stared at the gray bead, his lips trembling. "What kind of Martial Soul is this...? I've never seen anything like it..."

The test results appeared on the screen.

"Martial Soul: Heavenly Inverse Bead. Type: Evil Martial Soul. Innate Soul Power: Unable to assess."

Yu Xiaogang struggled to swallow. "His Martial Soul is devouring the probing Soul Power, so we can't measure its exact level. But judging from the strength of its fluctuations, it's at least level seven."

Wang Lin opened his eyes.

The Heavenly Inverse Bead slowly sank into his brow, and the gray-white light faded away with it. A cold smile curled his lips as he swept his gaze over everyone present.

"I don't need a Martial Soul."

His voice was calm, but every word was an icicle driven into the listeners' ears.

"I am the strongest."

The whole room fell silent.

No one contradicted him.

Facing this person, anything they said felt pointless.

He was clearly a One-Ring Soul Master, clearly supposed to be a good-for-nothing, and yet he stood there with an air that warned everyone not to mess with him.

A bizarre contradiction.

"Last, Tang San volunteered to give a demonstration." Yu Xiaogang's voice broke the silence.

Tang San stepped forward and stood in the center of the testing platform.

The six Soul Power orbs recharged and lit up.

Tang San released his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

Soft blue vines spread from beneath his feet, covering the testing platform with a green carpet.

The test results appeared: Blue Silver Grass, Control-Type Martial Soul, Innate Full Soul Power.

By the book. A standard case of Innate Full Soul Power.

Tang San turned around and saw the four of them sizing him up in their own ways.

Han Li's expression remained blank, but his eyes said, Innate Full Soul Power? Blue Silver Grass? This person is no simpleton; he must have another trump card. A Trash Martial Soul couldn't possibly reach full Soul Power. There has to be a secret behind him.

A mocking smile touched Xiao Yan's lips. Level nine? So the floor tiles weren't actually floor tiles? Hmph, so what if he's level nine? Once I recover my strength, I'll crush him with one hand.

Shi Hao tilted his head, confusion written in his eyes. Level nine? Then I'm level ten—no, I'm level nine too. So he's level nine as well? Then which of us is stronger? No, I'll have to fight him later to find out.

Wang Lin's gray-white eyes paused on Tang San for a second. Level nine? There's something on his line of karma... the aura of a god? This good-for-nothing has someone backing him. Interesting.

Under the four gazes, Tang San felt so uncomfortable that his Blue Silver Grass even retracted.

He forced a smile. "Um... Is there a problem?"

The four of them looked away at the same time.

"No," Han Li said.

"No," Xiao Yan said.

"Yes. When are you going to fight me?" Shi Hao asked.

Tang San: "...Maybe another day?"

"Today!" Shi Hao's eyes lit up.

"Shut up," Wang Lin said flatly.

Shi Hao opened his mouth, then actually shut it.

Standing on the testing platform and watching these four interact, Tang San felt a tangled mix of emotions.

He suddenly remembered what Xiao Wu had told him: Third Brother, you have a knack for annoying people.

Now he understood.

It wasn't that he was actually annoying. It was that compared with these four, he was far too normal.

Among four lunatics, being normal was the strangest thing of all.

The test was over, and the four left the testing room.

Han Li walked at the front, his pace neither fast nor slow, his back lonely.

Xiao Yan followed behind him, still muttering about his level-four result.

Shi Hao skipped along, muttering to himself about whether he could use the Supreme Bone as a Hidden Weapon here.

Wang Lin walked at the rear with his hands clasped behind his back, his long hair fluttering.

Standing at the entrance to the testing room, Tang San watched the four figures walking away and suddenly thought of a very serious problem.

They were all monsters.

And he seemed to be the most normal one of them all.

At Shrek Academy, "normal" had never been a compliment.