Mutated Water Qilin, Twin Martial Souls

Ye City had a permanent population of over five hundred thousand. It was neither large nor small, and its level of development could only be considered average.

By the time Jing Chen arrived in Ye City, it was already past two in the afternoon. As soon as he entered the city, he headed straight for the Martial Soul Awakening Hall whose location he had learned in advance.

During the era of Douluo II, those who wanted to awaken their Martial Souls could only come to cities like this. They could no longer wait for someone to come to their door and help them awaken, as Tang San had.

According to the rules, there were only two days each year when Martial Soul awakening was free. At any other time, one had to pay ten Gold Soul Coins.

Jing Chen was unlucky. Today was not a free awakening day, so he had to pay for it himself.

Though he only occasionally sold soul beast meat, he had saved over five hundred Gold Soul Coins, more than enough to cover his awakening fee.

After arriving at the Awakening Hall in the city center, Jing Chen explained his purpose and paid ten Gold Soul Coins.

"Come with me." A staff member led Jing Chen into a room over a hundred square meters in size.

"Stand over there. Once you step inside, don't move around. Listen to my instructions," the middle-aged man in a special uniform told Jing Chen.

"Mm." Jing Chen nodded cooperatively and walked to the center of the hexagram pattern as directed.

He knew this was an awakening formation, so he did not show the curious yet fearful expression that other children did.

The middle-aged man was slightly surprised by Jing Chen's composure. He nodded faintly. This child was quite good.

"I'm starting." Once Jing Chen was in position, the middle-aged man gave him a reminder before releasing his Martial Soul.

Jing Chen looked at the man and recognized the Martial Soul behind him as a Nether Wolf. The two yellow soul rings showed that he was a Soul Grandmaster.

As the middle-aged man injected Soul Power into the formation, the hexagram array lit up with golden light.

Wrapped in the golden light, Jing Chen felt warmth spread through his body. The sensation was particularly pronounced in his arms, and it felt as though something was about to burst from his palms.

Before the middle-aged man could remind him, Jing Chen extended his right hand. The instant his palm opened, a mass of icy-blue energy rapidly gathered into the shape of a qilin.

The qilin was entirely icy blue, its four hooves treading on water. Ripples flowed through its Ice Crystal Scales, and it exuded a frigid chill. As the cold air spread, the temperature in the room began to plummet.

"Brr, so cold..." The middle-aged man, who was maintaining his Martial Soul, shuddered. He stared at the qilin phantom in Jing Chen's hand in shock, deep in thought.

His knowledge was not particularly extensive, and when he saw this strange beast Martial Soul, he had not recognized it immediately.

Only after thinking hard for quite a while did he recall what Martial Soul it was, and the astonishment on his face deepened.

"This is a Qilin Martial Soul?" The middle-aged man was shocked and excited as he strode forward to inspect it carefully.

Upon getting closer, he felt even colder, as though he were standing amid ice. He had no choice but to circulate his Soul Power to ward off the chill.

Jing Chen's gaze also fell on his right hand. Looking at the qilin phantom, he revealed a satisfied smile.

Qilins stood on the same level as dragons and phoenixes. They held an extremely high status among beasts, and their combat power was naturally formidable.

At the moment his Martial Soul awakened, information about it had flooded into his mind.

This was a Water Qilin—no, more accurately, a Mutated Water Qilin. It possessed both water and ice attributes, both at the ultimate level.

Information about the Martial Soul in his left hand had also surged into his mind, and that Martial Soul surprised him even more.

However, with outsiders present, he could not immediately study the Martial Soul in his left hand and could only suppress his urge to investigate it.

He had no intention of revealing his Second Martial Soul to this man. He feared that the talent of Twin Martial Souls would bring him unpredictable trouble.

Such talent would most likely cause many soul master factions to compete to recruit him, but that was not what he wanted. To him, it would be nothing but trouble.

Joining a soul master faction would impose too many restrictions on him, causing him to lose some of his freedom and hindering the execution of his plans.

It could be said that for someone like him, who held so many secrets, joining a faction would not only fail to become an aid—it would become an obstacle and a burden.

Of course, Twin Martial Souls might also make others covet him and want to eliminate him as soon as possible.

Neither possibility was what he wanted.

"I think so." Jing Chen gave an uncertain answer, the sort of reaction someone his age should have.

"Haha, good, very good!" the middle-aged man said happily. His gaze toward Jing Chen softened considerably, and his attitude visibly improved.

"Come test your Soul Power. I think your Soul Power may give me a surprise." The middle-aged man took out a Soul Power testing crystal and handed it to Jing Chen.

It should be Innate Full Soul Power, Jing Chen thought. Wanting to verify it, he placed his hand on the crystal and began injecting Soul Power.

The middle-aged man watched expectantly and excitedly. When he saw the crystal shine brilliantly, the excitement on his face intensified.

"It really is Innate Full Soul Power. It really is..." The middle-aged man was even more excited than Jing Chen.

After recognizing the Qilin Martial Soul, he had guessed that Jing Chen's Innate Soul Power might be rank ten. The truth was exactly as he had expected.

"Child, put your Martial Soul away first," the middle-aged man said, adding that he wanted to take Jing Chen somewhere.

Jing Chen knew it would be difficult to refuse, so he did as instructed. After retracting his Martial Soul, he followed the man to a finely decorated office.

The owner of this office was the person in charge of the Awakening Hall. His surname was Mo, and he was a four-ring Soul Ancestor.

The middle-aged man who had awakened Jing Chen's Martial Soul told Hall Master Mo about Jing Chen's situation. Hall Master Mo was also somewhat excited upon hearing the news.

They both served the Dou Ling Empire. If they discovered a talented soul master and recruited him, they would receive rewards.

And for uncovering a qilin soul master with Innate Full Soul Power, they would certainly receive a generous reward. How could they not be excited?

Jing Chen cooperatively released his Martial Soul for Hall Master Mo to see, and he patiently listened as the man explained the benefits of serving the Heaven Spirit Royal Family.

Then he declined Hall Master Mo's recruitment. Joining the Dou Ling Empire was part of his plans, but not yet.

He wanted to join the Dou Ling Empire so that after it was destroyed, he could raise his arm in a rallying cry and recruit troops. He did not want to work himself to the bone for them.

"Jing Chen, you should reconsider. Joining the Dou Ling Empire will only benefit you, never harm you," Hall Master Mo persuaded.

Naturally, he tried hard to win over such a promising soul master, but he did not act too forcefully. It would not do to threaten Jing Chen into joining.

He would rather Jing Chen not join than offend him. It was best not to do anything that might bring disaster upon himself.

This was because he was wary of Jing Chen's future. A soul master with Innate Full Soul Power was certain to become stronger than him in the future.

If Jing Chen remembered the grudge of being threatened, would that not mean certain death for him?

"Give me some time to consider it. If I decide to join, I'll definitely come here to find you," Jing Chen said, politely declining.

Seeing that Jing Chen truly did not want to make an immediate decision, Hall Master Mo did not continue trying to persuade him.

The second chapter today. The new book is setting sail—please bookmark it and vote with recommendation tickets. Thank you, everyone.