Douluo Continent, Spirit City, the Worship Hall.
On what seemed like an ordinary day, all nine Worshipers of Spirit Hall, led by Qian Daoliu, had gathered inside the Worship Hall.
Besides the nine of them, two others were there. One was a golden-haired girl, her body radiating a sacred aura. She was Qian Renxue, who had already begun infiltrating the Heaven Dou Empire. The other was the protagonist of this story: Tai Yi.
"Xiao Yi, you're six today, so it's time to awaken your Martial Soul. We old fellows have come to help you with it."
Qian Daoliu spoke to Tai Yi below.
Hearing this, Tai Yi replied:
"Grandpa, hurry up! I can't wait any longer. Once I awaken my Martial Soul, I'll be able to beat Xue'er."
As soon as Tai Yi finished speaking, a fist landed on his head, hitting him hard.
"How many times have I told you? You're supposed to call me big sister."
After hitting Tai Yi, Qian Renxue spoke.
Hearing this, Tai Yi declared:
"No! I won't call you that. Grandpa said you'll be my wife someday."
At Tai Yi's words, Qian Renxue blushed, then looked up at her grandfather, Qian Daoliu.
Seeing this, Qian Daoliu simply turned his head away, pretending he hadn't noticed.
The other Worshipers present burst out laughing at the sight.
Just then, Golden Crocodile Douluo, the second Worshiper of the Worship Hall, stepped forward and said:
"Come on, Xiao Yi. Your second grandpa will help you awaken your Martial Soul."
Hearing this, Tai Yi stopped bickering with Qian Renxue and went over to Golden Crocodile. He said:
"Second Grandpa, go ahead. I'm ready."
Golden Crocodile took out the Awakening Stone. After pouring Soul Power into it, he formed an awakening array that enveloped Tai Yi and began awakening his Martial Soul.
As Tai Yi's Martial Soul awakening began, the others all stared intently at him.
They all wanted to see what Tai Yi's Martial Soul was. After all, six years ago, when Qian Daoliu found him, Tai Yi had been just a baby, yet his body had radiated an exceptionally pure and powerful solar energy.
This had made Qian Daoliu and Qian Renxue, both possessors of the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, feel a strong affinity with him.
That was why Qian Daoliu had chosen to adopt Tai Yi. Since Tai Yi had been adopted, he and Qian Renxue had grown up together and become very close. That was also why Qian Daoliu had said Tai Yi would marry Qian Renxue someday.
As Golden Crocodile increased the flow of his Soul Power, Tai Yi, standing within the awakening array, felt something inside his body about to emerge.
Then, the next moment, Tai Yi saw an ancient little bell appear in his hand. A Three-Legged Golden Crow then appeared behind him.
Everyone was stunned by the sight. Only then did Qian Daoliu speak:
"So it's Twin Martial Souls. The beast Martial Soul is the Sun God Bird, the Golden Crow. No wonder Tai Yi has radiated solar energy since he was a child. Even more incredible is that Xiao Yi can use both Martial Souls at once. They're completely different from that woman's Twin Martial Souls."
Hearing this, the others nodded:
"Exactly. The Golden Crow is a top-tier Soul Beast, and a Martial Soul that can coexist with it must be powerful too. Using both Martial Souls together isn't just one plus one equaling two. It's one plus one being greater than two."
"That's right, big brother. You've picked up a supreme genius!"
For a while, the Worshipers in the hall chatted away just like a group of ordinary old men.
Hearing them, Tai Yi chuckled to himself. He knew his Martial Soul wasn't an ordinary Golden Crow at all. It was the legendary Three-Legged Golden Crow, and the little bell in his hand wasn't an ordinary bell either. It was the legendary Donghuang Bell, also known as the Chaos Bell.
Tai Yi could also sense that, although he had absorbed only one ten-thousandth of Donghuang Taiyi's Origin, that was enough to make him invincible on Douluo Continent, this sewer of a fantasy world.
Tai Yi thought that once his two Martial Souls reached level one hundred, he would count as a little Donghuang Taiyi himself. Even if he possessed only one ten-thousandth of the original Donghuang Taiyi's strength, he'd be satisfied. After all, Donghuang Taiyi was the Demon Emperor who had commanded countless millions of demons in the Primordial World.
Qian Daoliu spoke up:
"Enough. Xiao Yi has Twin Martial Souls. Hurry and test his Innate Soul Power."
Hearing this, Golden Crocodile spoke to Tai Yi and took out a Soul Power testing crystal ball:
"Xiao Yi, try to channel your Soul Power and put your Martial Souls away. Then we'll test your Innate Soul Power."
Hearing this, Tai Yi tried to channel his Soul Power and put away his Martial Souls. The instant he willed it, both Martial Souls returned to his body.
Tai Yi then went over to Golden Crocodile and placed his hand on the crystal ball. The next moment, the ball erupted with dazzling light. As it flashed, Qian Daoliu's expression changed from delight at Tai Yi's Twin Martial Souls to shock.
Everyone present saw that Tai Yi's Innate Soul Power was, just like Qian Renxue's, level twenty.
Qian Daoliu knew very well that although the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul was powerful, even people with outstanding talent like him had only been born with Innate Full Soul Power. His granddaughter Qian Renxue had reached level twenty because she was the most likely candidate to inherit the Angel Godhood. The Angel's blessing had added ten levels to her Soul Power, bringing her Innate Soul Power to level twenty.
Seeing that Tai Yi also had Innate Soul Power at level twenty, Qian Daoliu hurriedly asked:
"Tai Yi, have you been chosen by a god?"
Qian Daoliu desperately wanted to know whether that god had chosen Tai Yi. If so, their generation of Spirit Hall would have two gods, and Qian Daoliu could hardly contain his excitement.
Hearing this, Tai Yi thought: I wasn't chosen by a god like Xue'er, with ten levels of divine blessing added to my Soul Power to bring it to level twenty. The one ten-thousandth of Donghuang Taiyi's Origin I obtained is simply powerful enough to break the rules of Douluo Continent and give me level twenty Innate Soul Power outright.
So Tai Yi began to say:
"Grandpa, I haven't..."
He had only gotten halfway through his answer when he stopped, because two voices sounded in his mind.
"Congratulations, boy. You have earned this one's favor and become the inheritor of this one's Divine Position. The Nine Trials of Destruction are now open to you. Your God Trial will begin once you reach level seventy."
"Congratulations, little friend. Because of your Martial Soul, you are very well suited to inheriting my Divine Position. The Nine Trials of Life are now open to you. Your God Trial will begin once you reach level seventy."
One voice was solemn and imposing, the other warm and gentle.
Hearing them, Tai Yi finally understood that two gods had taken a liking to him at once—and both were among the Divine Realm's five Gods of Law Enforcement: the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life.
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