Early the next morning, the view outside the window was still shrouded in mist when the old man appeared beyond the courtyard.
Several thin, frail-looking boys seemed to be following behind him.
The group stood quietly in the courtyard, seemingly waiting for something.
The moment they entered the courtyard, Ye Ruilin and the others, who had been cultivating, immediately opened their eyes.
"Come in."
Old Wu appeared before them in an instant.
The boys hiding behind the old man all widened their eyes.
"Hurry up, move it. Don't keep the adults waiting."
The old man turned back and urged them.
The boys immediately filed into the house one after another, their little faces filled with nervousness.
"Old Wu, I'll have to trouble you to awaken them."
Ye Ruilin looked at the group of boys, his gaze sweeping back and forth among them.
Yet after looking them over, he did not see Ma Hongjun.
For some reason, he instinctively felt that Ma Hongjun was not among these boys.
"Village Chief, are these all the children in the village this year?"
Ye Ruilin asked.
The old village chief had been watching anxiously from the side. Upon hearing Ye Ruilin's question, he immediately came back to himself.
"Ah? Yes..."
His certain reply abruptly caught in his throat after he scanned the boys.
"Where is that brat Ma Hongjun?"
The old man's brows instantly rose, a faint anger appearing in his eyes.
At the sound of that familiar name, Ye Ruilin's eyes flickered.
"My lord, please... please allow me to leave for a moment."
The old man lowered his head and spoke nervously.
He feared that his words might anger the people before him.
He cautiously raised his eyes, which were full of unease.
He could not help it. Every child in the village was a source of hope.
Although Ma Hongjun had neither father nor mother, he was still a child of Ma Village.
With such a heaven-sent opportunity before him, the old man naturally did not want the boy to miss it.
If he missed this chance, who knew how long they would have to wait for the adults from Spirit Hall to come and awaken his Martial Soul?
"No matter. Go bring him here."
Ye Ruilin waved a hand.
The old man's eyes instantly filled with gratitude. He nodded heavily, then hurried outside.
At the edge of Ma Village stood a dilapidated thatched hut.
Inside, a raggedly dressed boy lay on a bed, sleeping soundly.
"You brat, I reminded you over and over again last night to come early today and prepare for your Martial Soul awakening."
"Everyone else is here. Do you even want to awaken your Martial Soul or not?!"
The old village chief strode into the hut and viciously slapped the boy's arm.
Having done hard labor all year round, he had considerable strength in his hands.
The boy instantly opened his eyes, his face twisting with pain.
He had originally wanted to curse fiercely, but when he saw who had come, he could only lower his head obediently.
"Grandpa Village Chief, what would it change even if I went?"
"It would only bring another disappointment."
The boy curled his lips, his sallow face full of indifference.
"You brat, I've said it before. Every child in the village is a source of hope."
"Your parents died early, and the entire village raised you, one household giving you a mouthful of rice, another a bowl of porridge."
"Whether you can awaken a Martial Soul or not, you still need a way forward."
"Don't worry. If you can't become a Soul Master, I'll send you to the city to become an apprentice."
The old village chief sighed.
This child was pitiful too. The village was simply too poor. Even though the old man had tried his best to care for him, the boy had still grown up gaunt and malnourished.
Ma Hongjun, who had not been interested before, heard that the village chief would send him to the city as an apprentice.
His eyes immediately lit up.
At his age, he would not receive wages as an apprentice, but at least he would have enough to eat.
With the village chief's connections, as long as he worked a little harder, he would surely be able to stay on.
Thinking this, Ma Hongjun swiftly climbed out of bed and immediately went to the old village chief's side.
"Grandpa Village Chief, let's go."
His impatient manner left the old village chief both annoyed and amused.
In the courtyard.
The boys who had arrived earlier had all finished awakening their Martial Souls.
Sure enough, just as the old village chief had said, every one of them had awakened a Grass Chicken Martial Soul. The highest Innate Soul Power among them was merely level one.
They were destined to be unable to become Soul Masters.
The expressions on the boys' faces had all turned to disappointment.
Until the village chief returned.
They all raised their heads to look at him.
The old village chief understood the moment he saw the looks on their faces.
"Go home, all of you."
He sighed, then spoke.
As soon as the words fell, the boys ran off one after another and vanished in an instant.
"My lords, this is the last child in our village."
"I beg you to help awaken his Martial Soul as well."
The old village chief chose his words carefully, glancing at Ye Ruilin and the others from the corner of his eye.
It seemed that the moment any displeasure appeared on their faces, he would immediately apologize.
"The entire village has Grass Chicken Martial Souls, and only this one remains. Could there possibly be some exception?"
Bone Douluo spoke.
The aura of a powerful expert around him caused the old village chief to bend his back even lower.
"Yes, yes, yes."
The old village chief quickly replied. Disappointment flashed through his eyes as he prepared to leave with Ma Hongjun.
"Wait."
"Since we've already acted, there's no harm in doing one last child."
"Besides, I think he might just be the Phoenix that flies out of this grass chicken coop."
A smile flashed through Ye Ruilin's eyes.
"What is your name?"
He looked at the skinny boy standing behind the old man.
For a moment, he found it difficult to connect him with Fatty Ma of the Shrek Seven Devils.
Perhaps it was due to the side effects after his Martial Soul awakened.
Or perhaps Flender's adoption meant that Ma Hongjun no longer had to live a wandering life, starving one meal and overeating the next, so he naturally became rounder later on.
"Ma Hongjun."
The boy seemed somewhat restrained at this moment.
"No need to be nervous."
"Old Wu, help him awaken his Martial Soul."
Ye Ruilin spoke with a smile.
Old Wu walked to Ma Hongjun's side and spoke in a low voice.
"Do not resist."
Ma Hongjun nodded and closed his eyes.
He was still calculating when would be the best time for him to become an apprentice.
"Th-this is a Phoenix Martial Soul?"
A disbelieving voice suddenly exploded beside Ma Hongjun's ear.
Bone Douluo stared in disbelief at the Phoenix phantom emerging behind the boy.
The Phoenix phantom soared into the sky. With its wings spread, it stretched a full hundred feet, and violet-red flames burned all over its body.
The flames traced dazzling trails through the air before turning into sparks that scattered in every direction and vanished into the air.
After circling once, the Phoenix phantom let out a clear cry. It finally transformed into a streak of light and shot straight into Ma Hongjun's body.
"Quick, test his Innate Soul Power."
Bone Douluo spoke, a hint of urgency entering his voice.
This was a top-tier beast Martial Soul!
Its rank was in no way inferior to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!
If such a bloodline could be passed down, another top-tier clan would emerge on the Douluo Continent.
Before you continue