"Kong Bo pays his respects to Great-Grandfather, Great-Great-Grandfather, Your Highness, and all the seniors." Kong Bo bowed to everyone, then went to stand beside Kong Deming.
"Kong Bo, there's no need to be so formal." Xu Tianran, seated in his wheelchair, looked at Kong Bo with a warm smile. "I'm no outsider. Going by seniority, I'm your distant cousin. If you awaken a powerful Martial Soul, your cousin here will reward you handsomely!"
I don't believe a word you say. No need to be formal, my foot—you're a nasty piece of work. Kong Bo grumbled to himself. He knew exactly what kind of person Xu Tianran was. He also knew that Xu Tianran's greatest weakness was his inability to father children, and that he was conspiring with the Holy Spirit Cult.
"Your Highness, you... you flatter me." Kong Bo bowed respectfully. "Martial Soul Awakening is entirely up to fate. I only hope I won't have any regrets. My great-grandfather says he isn't afraid I'll be useless at everything—he's afraid I'll start a business!"
"Hahahaha!" Xu Tianran laughed when he heard that. "You're far too modest, cousin. I still believe you'll awaken a powerful Martial Soul and bring glory to the Sun Moon Empire."
"Hmph, Big Brother, you'd be better off believing in me than in this block of wood." Beside Xu Tianran's wheelchair stood not only a beautiful woman, but also a little girl. She was the one who had just spoken.
The girl was Xu Tianzhen, Xu Tianran's younger sister. She had met Kong Bo a few times, but disliked his personality. As Xu Tianzhen put it, "What's so great about Kong Bo? He's like a block of wood, never says a word, and just fiddles with things nobody understands. Then he draws stuff that looks like chicken scratch!"
"Tianzhen!" Xu Tianran glared at his sister, then respectfully bowed to Kong Deming. "Elder Kong, my little sister is young. Please accept my apologies on her behalf."
So much for calling me cousin. You're only doing it because of my great-grandfather, Kong Bo thought.
"Ah, I'm not that petty," Kong Deming said, waving a hand. "All right, it's time. Kong Bo, your great-grandfather will personally help you awaken your Martial Soul."
"Thank you, Great-Grandfather," Kong Bo said.
Kong Deming placed a crystal ball in front of Kong Bo. "Come, child. Just place both hands on the crystal ball."
"Yes, Grandfather." Kong Bo followed Kong Deming's instructions and pressed both hands against the crystal ball. Then Kong Deming began channeling Soul Power into him.
"Hmm?" After channeling Soul Power for a while, Kong Deming realized that Kong Bo hadn't reacted at all. "Strange. When I awakened my Martial Soul, this much Soul Power was enough to awaken my Silver Moon Martial Soul. What about Bo'er's Martial Soul? Even someone with only one innate rank of Soul Power should have a Martial Soul. Let's try channeling some more."
Kong Deming channeled more Soul Power into Kong Bo, but there was still no reaction. "Elder Kong, is something wrong? What's going on? Even an ordinary person should have a Martial Soul, shouldn't they?" Xu Tianran asked.
"It is strange," Kong Deming said. Then he asked Kong Bo, "Bo'er, do you feel anything while your great-grandfather channels Soul Power into you? I haven't sensed any Soul Power escaping, so you should be absorbing it. How do you feel?"
"Great-Grandfather, I don't feel anything," Kong Bo replied.
"I'll try again," Kong Deming said, and continued channeling Soul Power into Kong Bo. "Kong Bo, tell your great-grandfather if you can't take it."
"All right, Great-Grandfather," Kong Bo said.
Kong Deming continued channeling Soul Power into Kong Bo. He had used nearly a third of his reserves when, at last, a powerful fluctuation erupted from Kong Bo. A terrifying pressure, powerful enough to make even a Limit Douluo feel threatened, swept through the living room. Then a crimson Full Moon flew out of Kong Bo's body and began circling him. A scorching heat filled the room.
"A fire-element Moon Martial Soul? That's a rare sight," Ye Yulin said.
A second Full Moon flew out of Kong Bo's body. It was silvery white, and as it emerged, a biting wind swept through the living room.
"Another Moon with an ice attribute?" Xu Tianran was baffled. "Elder Ye, you're widely learned. Do you know anything about this?"
"I don't know." Ye Yulin shook his head. "A Moon with an ice attribute—what is it?"
After the silvery-white Moon appeared, a third, pale blue Moon emerged. As it appeared, ripples spread through the tea in the living room, then shattered the teacups. If Kong Bo had seen it, he would have known that this Moon governed gravity.
"What tremendous power," Jing Hongchen praised.
"Great-Grandfather." Jing Hongchen had brought the Hongchen siblings with him. Xiao Hongchen asked, "Did Brother Kong Bo awaken three Martial Souls?"
"No." Jing Hongchen shook his head. "It's one Martial Soul, and an extraordinarily powerful one. It has three Moons, so it must have mutated in the direction of greater power."
If Kong Bo could have seen his Martial Soul Awakening, he would have realized that his Martial Soul was Teyvat's Three Moons: Red Moon, Eternal Moon, and Frost Moon.
Once the three Moon phantoms appeared, they circled around Kong Bo. Powerful waves of energy swept through the entire living room, then surged up into the sky.
"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!" Kong Deming had used a third of his Soul Power to help Kong Bo awaken his Martial Soul, but Kong Bo had lived up to his expectations, awakening such a powerful Martial Soul. Kong Deming was overjoyed. The energy that erupted when all three Moons flew out had even moved him. As long as Kong Bo focused on cultivating, he was sure to become an unparalleled powerhouse.
"Indeed," Ye Yulin said. "I never imagined Bo'er would awaken such a powerful Martial Soul. The moment it awakened, even I was astonished. The sheer power that came from the Martial Soul itself was truly incredible."
"Absolutely," Jing Hongchen said. "Isn't Shrek Academy proud of its powerful Soul Masters? Now we have a child with such a powerful Martial Soul of our own. The Sun Moon Empire is destined to rise again!"
"Indeed," Kong Deming said. He released Kong Bo, who immediately slumped into his arms as if utterly drained.
"Don't worry." Kong Deming checked Kong Bo's breathing, reassuring the worried guests as well as Kong Bo's father, Kong Yi, and Ye Fanghua. "Bo'er merely fainted from exhaustion after awakening such a powerful Martial Soul. Just take him back to rest."
Before you continue