(The synopsis has been revised and is currently under review.)
Douluo Continent, Frost Ridge City.
Heavy snow drifted down from the sky, blanketing everything in sight in white.
"Xiao Yun!"
"Slow down, Xiao Yun!"
A little boy ran down the corridor, with a beautiful woman and a man following behind him.
Before long, the boy reached a grand hall first.
His name was Luo Yun, the young son of King Frost Extreme, the only prince of a different surname in the Heaven Dou Empire.
King Frost Extreme commanded a large army and was deeply beloved by the people. He had guarded the Northern Territory of the Heaven Dou Empire for years and almost never involved himself in the affairs of the empire.
"Greetings, young master."
The guards standing outside the hall opened the doors at once when they saw Luo Yun.
Many people had already gathered inside.
Luo Yun stood dumbly at the entrance.
"Don't be afraid." His mother, Shen Yinshuang, came to his side, brushed the snow from his shoulders, and spoke softly.
Luo Yun nodded. There was little emotion on the face of the six-year-old boy.
In the center of the hall, a middle-aged man in a black robe had been waiting for some time. The emblem of Spirit Hall was pinned to his chest: two crossed long swords, the mark of a Spirit Hall bishop.
He had been standing upright, but when Luo Shang entered, he bent at the waist.
"Your Highness, King Frost Extreme."
"Mm." Luo Shang walked to the seat of honor and sat down, lifting his chin slightly.
"Xiao Yun, this is Bishop Zhang, sent by Spirit Hall. He'll awaken your Martial Soul while he's here."
Bishop Zhang quickly added, "It is this subordinate's honor to awaken the young master's Martial Soul."
Luo Yun glanced at the smiling middle-aged man and said nothing.
Bishop Zhang didn't mind. He took six black stones from his robe and arranged them on the ground, one by one, in the shape of a hexagram.
The stones were small and pitch-black, and something inside them seemed to shimmer faintly.
When he had finished arranging them, he took out a pale golden, round crystal and placed it in the center of the hexagram.
"Young master, please stand in the middle."
Luo Yun walked over and stood in place, his boots on the ground beside the crystal.
Bishop Zhang drew a deep breath and raised both hands. The phantom of a large, yellow-brown spider appeared behind him.
Four Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, and purple—rose slowly beneath his feet.
Bishop Zhang steadily poured his Soul Power into the formation. The six black stones lit up all at once, and golden light surged from the crystal at the center, enveloping Luo Yun.
"Young master, relax."
Bishop Zhang's voice came from beyond the golden light. "Sense the changes inside your body. Don't resist. It's as if... as if something wants to come out of you. Don't hold it back. Just let it come out."
"Mm."
Luo Yun closed his eyes.
The light grew brighter and brighter, golden radiance swirling through the hall.
An incense stick's worth of time passed.
Beads of sweat rolled down Bishop Zhang's forehead.
Strange...
The muscles at the corner of his eye twitched. His Soul Power kept pouring out, but Luo Yun, inside the formation, showed no reaction at all.
By rights, awakening a Martial Soul took only a few breaths. Why was this taking so long?
Another half an incense stick's worth of time passed.
The spider phantom behind Bishop Zhang began to flicker, appearing and disappearing.
His face had turned from ruddy to pale, his lips faintly blue, and the back of his black robe was soaked with sweat and clinging to his skin.
The pressure on him was immense!!!
He didn't dare stop. If the formation was interrupted, the awakening would fail, and the child would be ruined for life.
And then he would have to face King Frost Extreme's wrath.
The hall was so quiet that the crackle of charcoal in the brazier could be heard.
Luo Shang sat upright in the seat of honor, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest. His expression gave nothing away.
He knew that something had gone wrong with Luo Yun's Martial Soul Awakening, but this was no time to let anyone interrupt.
Shen Yinshuang clutched her handkerchief tightly, lips pressed together, her gaze fixed without a moment's pause on the small figure within the golden light.
The guards around them held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
At last.
Luo Yun opened his eyes.
In that instant, something seemed to take shape within the golden light. Its outline was blurry, like two swords, or two beams of light.
"Xiao Yun, your Martial Soul..."
Luo Shang had just risen to ask when he suddenly stopped speaking.
He lifted his head sharply, his gaze piercing the ceiling of the hall and the snow whirling through the sky, looking straight into the depths of the heavens.
Boom!
Before anyone could react,
a beam of deep purple divine light descended from the highest heavens, carrying an overbearing aura that seemed capable of destroying everything.
Close behind it, a beam of emerald-green divine light crashed down as well, radiating life force in its purest, most concentrated form.
Both beams of divine light fell into the hall and enveloped Luo Yun.
The green and purple lights mingled, leaving everyone present utterly shocked and weighed down by an immense pressure.
"A divine inheritance?!"
Luo Shang's pupils contracted, the shock in his eyes impossible to hide.
This aura.
This power.
It was beyond the scope of Martial Souls and Soul Power.
This was unquestionably the aura of a god!
At that, Bishop Zhang's eyes lit up. His voice trembled. "Your Highness, King Frost Extreme, Spirit Hall has a rule that anyone with extraordinary talent must be reported... This, this matter, I..."
Luo Shang narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them, but he didn't speak at once.
Shen Yinshuang grabbed his arm, her eyes reddening. In a low voice, she said, "Brother Shang, this child of ours... If he goes to Spirit Hall..."
Luo Shang raised a hand and gently patted the back of hers.
Meanwhile, within the pillars of light,
Luo Yun slowly raised both hands. His eyes were one green and one purple, faint light swirling within them.
He glanced first at his left palm, then at his right. His gaze was clear.
A moment later, the boy's lips curved into a faint smile, and he spoke softly.
"Sun Corona!"
"Moon Eclipse!"
The moment he finished speaking, he clenched both hands.
The phantom of a long sword, brilliant as the blazing sun, appeared in his left hand, its golden and emerald-green radiance intertwined.
Another sword phantom appeared in his right hand, black as ink, its blade traced with flowing, deep-purple patterns.
Bishop Zhang was completely dumbfounded. His mouth hung open, and for a long time, he couldn't close it.
He had never seen such powerful Martial Souls!!!
The guards in the hall looked at one another, but not a single one could speak.
Luo Shang was silent for a moment, watching the pair of swords for several breaths. Then he suddenly smiled.
His laughter wasn't loud, but it carried an indescribable edge.
He stood up and walked over to Luo Yun. Then he crouched down, meeting his six-year-old son's eyes.
"Sun Corona, Moon Eclipse." He repeated the two names and nodded. "Good names."
Luo Yun blinked. "Dad, are they powerful?"
Luo Shang looked at him but didn't answer. Instead, he reached out and patted the top of his head.
Then he stood up and turned to Bishop Zhang.
"Bishop Zhang," Luo Shang said, his tone returning to its usual calm, "this matter must be reported to Spirit Hall. I won't stop you. But when you return, pass a message to Bibi Dong for me."
Bishop Zhang trembled all over. "Y-Your Highness, please speak..."
"Tell her..." Luo Shang lowered his eyes slightly and glanced at his son's back. His voice softened, but the weight behind it brooked no argument.
"King Frost Extreme's six-year-old boy possesses Twin Martial Souls and a divine inheritance. If Spirit Hall wants him, let it trade the position of Pope for him."
P.S. The first few chapters might be a little dull, so please stick with it. There'll be a major battle soon—King Frost Extreme versus Bibi Dong—and then the protagonist will enter the main storyline.
Before you continue