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 described as 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 hurried toward the place where Martial Souls were awakened, 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, like 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 still had more than five hundred Gold Soul Coins in savings. Paying the awakening fee was no problem for him.
After arriving at the Awakening Hall in the city center, Jing Chen stated 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 in, don't move around. Follow 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 six-pointed star pattern as directed.
He knew that this was the Awakening Formation, so he did not show the curious yet timid expression of other children.
Seeing Jing Chen behave this way, the middle-aged man was slightly surprised. He nodded faintly. This child was rather impressive.
"I'm starting now." Once Jing Chen was in position, the middle-aged man gave him a reminder and released his Martial Soul.
Jing Chen looked at the middle-aged 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 poured Soul Power into the formation, the six-pointed star formation lit up with golden light.
Enveloped in that golden light, Jing Chen felt warmth spread through his body. The sensation was especially pronounced in both 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 icy blue all over, its four hooves treading upon water. Water rippled beneath its Ice Crystal Scales, and it radiated a freezing chill. As that cold air spread, the temperature in the room began to plummet.
"Hiss, it's so cold..." The middle-aged man, still 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 upon seeing this strange Beast Martial Soul, he truly failed to recognize it at first glance.
Only after thinking hard for quite a while did he remember what Martial Soul it was, and the shock on his face deepened.
"Is this a Qilin Martial Soul?" The middle-aged man was shocked and excited as he strode forward to inspect it closely.
After approaching, he felt even colder, as if he were standing amid ice. He had no choice but to circulate his Soul Power to ward off the cold.
Jing Chen's gaze also rested on his right hand. Looking at the Qilin phantom, he revealed a satisfied smile.
Qilins stood on the same level as dragons and phoenixes. Their status among beasts was extremely high, and their combat power was naturally no small matter.
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, and both had reached the ultimate level.
Information about the Martial Soul in his left hand had also come flooding in, and that Martial Soul surprised him even more.
However, with outsiders present, he could not immediately study the Martial Soul in his left hand. He could only suppress the urge to investigate it.
He had no intention of revealing his Second Martial Soul to this man. He was worried that the talent of Twin Martial Souls would bring him unpredictable trouble.
This kind of talent would most likely make many Soul Master factions scramble to recruit him, but that was not what he wanted. To him, it was nothing but trouble.
Joining a Soul Master faction would place too many restrictions on him, causing him to lose a certain degree of freedom and hindering the execution of his plans.
It could be said that for someone like him, who possessed so many secrets, joining a faction would not become an advantage. Instead, it would become an obstacle and a burden.
Of course, these Twin Martial Souls might also make others target him, wanting nothing more than to get rid of him.
Neither possibility was what he wanted.
"I think so." Jing Chen gave an uncertain answer, the sort of reaction someone his age should have had.
"Haha, good. Very good." The middle-aged man was delighted. The look in his eyes when he regarded Jing Chen softened considerably, and his attitude clearly 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 placed his hand on the crystal to verify it and began injecting Soul Power into it.
The middle-aged man watched with anticipation and excitement. When he saw the crystal blaze with light, 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 level ten. The facts were exactly as he had expected.
"Child, put away your Martial Soul 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 asked. After retracting his Martial Soul, he followed the man to an elegantly furnished office.
The owner of this office was the chief person in charge of the Awakening Hall. His surname was Mo, and he was a four-ringed Soul Ancestor.
The middle-aged man who had awakened Jing Chen's Martial Soul informed Hall Master Mo of Jing Chen's situation. Upon hearing the news, Hall Master Mo became somewhat excited as well.
They both served the Dou Ling Empire. If they could discover a talented Soul Master and recruit him, they would receive a reward.
Discovering a Qilin Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power would certainly earn them a handsome 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 Hall Master Mo explained the benefits of serving the Heaven Spirit Royal Family.
Then he refused Hall Master Mo's recruitment. Joining the Dou Ling Empire was part of his plan, but now was not the time.
He wanted to join the Dou Ling Empire so that after its downfall, he could raise his arms in a call to action and recruit soldiers. He certainly did not intend to work himself to the bone for them.
"Jing Chen, you should reconsider. Joining the Dou Ling Empire will only benefit you and bring you no disadvantages," Hall Master Mo urged.
For such a promising Soul Master, he naturally had to do his best to win him over. However, he did not act too forcefully, since it would be inappropriate to threaten Jing Chen into joining.
He would rather Jing Chen did not join than offend him. It was best not to do anything that might bring disaster upon himself.
This was because he feared Jing Chen's future. A Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power was certain to surpass him one day.
If Jing Chen remembered the grudge of being coerced, would that not mean his own death was inevitable?
"Give me some time to consider it. If I decide to join, I'll definitely come here to find you," Jing Chen declined tactfully.
Seeing that Jing Chen truly did not want to make an immediate decision, Hall Master Mo did not press him further.
The second chapter today. The new book is setting sail—please bookmark it and vote with recommendation tickets. Thank you, everyone.
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