Su Yuntao looked at the scissors wrapped in golden threads in Gu Han's hand. The three words "Trash Martial Soul," which had just reached his lips, were swallowed back down.
Although the scissors had a strange shape, the faint, elusive aura they gave off made even him, a Soul Grandmaster, feel a flicker of unease.
"Th-this... Could it be a Mutated Martial Soul?"
Su Yuntao's tone was uncertain, but he was even more excited. In a single day, there was one child with Blue Silver Grass and Innate Soul Power at level seven, and another who might have a Mutated Martial Soul.
"Child, hurry and test your Soul Power." He eagerly held the crystal ball out to Gu Han.
Gu Han placed his left hand on the crystal ball.
In an instant, a light even more dazzling than the one from Tang San's test burst forth, filling the entire crystal ball.
"Innate... Innate Full Soul Power, and a Mutated Martial Soul, too." Su Yuntao's voice trembled with excitement.
He gazed at Gu Han fervently. "Child, what's your name? Are you willing to join Spirit Hall?"
"My name is Gu Han." Gu Han answered calmly, without immediately agreeing to join Spirit Hall. He knew he still had to go to Nuoding Academy to find Xiao Wu.
The moment he finished speaking, he secretly contacted the system.
"Use the random Soul Ring reward."
[ Ding! Random Soul Ring reward used successfully. Congratulations, host, you have obtained a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. It is currently concealed and can be attached to a Martial Soul at any time. It will appear after being attached. ]
A powerful energy silently merged into Gu Han's body, circling his Karma Scissors Martial Soul.
At the same time, on a small hill outside the village, a tall figure concealed behind a tree watched everything that happened inside the hall. It was Tang Hao.
He had only come to see how his son Tang San's awakening was going, but instead, he witnessed something unexpected.
"Little San's Innate Soul Power is only level seven? Could it be that he doesn't have the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul?" Tang Hao's brows drew tightly together.
This was completely different from what he had expected. Since Tang San was the child of him and Ah Yin, he should have both Blue Silver Grass and the Clear Sky Hammer. How could he not?
But he had also noticed Gu Han. His sharp gaze fixed on the scissors Martial Soul.
This Martial Soul gave him an indescribable sense of threat. "How could a Mutated Martial Soul make me feel threatened? I'll have to keep an eye on this kid in the future, too."
He gave a cold snort, then quietly disappeared from the hillside.
Inside the hall, Su Yuntao continued trying to persuade Gu Han to join Spirit Hall, but Gu Han only said he needed time to think. Left with no choice, Su Yuntao gave up.
In the end, the two children in Holy Soul Village who possessed Soul Power this year were Tang San, with level-seven Innate Soul Power and Blue Silver Grass as his Martial Soul, and Gu Han, with Innate Full Soul Power and a pair of scissors as his Mutated Martial Soul.
After hearing the news, Village Chief Grandpa Jack couldn't stop smiling. Holy Soul Village had finally produced Soul Masters again—and two of them, at that.
Without hesitation, he gave Tang San and Gu Han the village's two work-study student spots at Nuoding City's junior Soul Master academy for the year.
After the Martial Soul Awakening ended, the children dispersed.
Tang San walked home, lost in thought. The strange results of the test and the decrease in his own Soul Power had left him utterly baffled.
Watching Tang San's retreating figure, Gu Han's lips lifted almost imperceptibly.
He walked to an empty corner and fixed his gaze on the empty air before him.
A deep purple Soul Ring appeared beneath him, circling around his body.
After absorbing the Soul Ring, he naturally learned what his first Soul Skill was: when he used it, he could see the threads of karma invisible to ordinary people.
"I'll call it Karma Sight." After thinking for a while, Gu Han gave his first Soul Skill a name.
Gu Han used his first Soul Skill again. A glint of gold flashed in his eyes, and then countless transparent threads appeared in his field of vision. Some were darker in color, while others were lighter.
He looked in Tang San's direction and discovered that Tang San's karma threads were too numerous to count.
Among them was even a clearly visible thread: a slender but sturdy pink strand extending from the direction Tang San had left, pointing toward Nuoding City in the distance.
Gu Han immediately realized that this was the karma thread connecting Xiao Wu and Tang San.
"No wonder they got along so well right after meeting. Their karma thread is already this sturdy."
"But the thread is still very faint because they haven't met yet."
The next day.
"Xiao Han, get up quickly and come with me to Nuoding Academy."
"Got it, Grandpa Jack. I'm coming now."
Gu Han had just finished getting ready when he heard Grandpa Jack's voice outside. When he went out, he saw a young boy standing beside him.
Noticing Gu Han's gaze, Grandpa Jack introduced the boy, too. "This is Tang San. He's the one who got the other work-study student spot."
Gu Han greeted Tang San, who returned the greeting.
They soon arrived at Nuoding Academy. Gu Han made an excuse and walked into a dark alley to use his Soul Skill.
When he found the pink thread connected to Tang San, he murmured, "Now."
He held out his right hand, and the phantom of the Karma Scissors appeared once more.
He gathered his Soul Power and gently snipped at the slender pink karma thread.
"Snip!"
With a crisp sound, the karma thread broke. It then turned into flecks of light and vanished into the air.
[ Ding! Successfully used the Soul Skill "Karma Sight" to cut the faint early-stage karmic connection between Tang San and the key figure "Xiao Wu." ]
[ Reward: 50 Magic Modification Points! ]
[ Notice: This action has greatly weakened the inevitability of Tang San and "Xiao Wu" meeting and growing close. The course of their future fates will deviate even further! ]
After doing all this, Gu Han felt that he had used up quite a bit of Soul Power, but his mood was incomparably pleasant.
Just then, Tang San suddenly felt as though something was missing, but no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't figure out why.
"Who let you two come here? This list of work-study students must be fake. Hurry up and leave!"
Before you continue