Xu Xiaoyan

Then, his consciousness returned to reality.

Inside the ancestral hall, everyone stared at Chu Yan in stunned silence.

His hands were still pressed against the Awakening Stone, but a dark golden staff had already condensed within his palms.

Golden light patterns flowed across the surface of the long staff, and an ancient, domineering, and sharp aura radiated from it, causing even the clan elders at the Soul Saint level to feel a palpitation in their hearts.

"What kind of Martial Soul is this?!" the Third Elder exclaimed.

"A staff... yet not entirely a staff." Chu Yunshan frowned as he stared at the dark golden rod, saying, "It seems to contain a world of its own; I can vaguely sense the presence of countless sharp objects within it."

Chu Yuntian strode to his son's side, crouched down to observe the staff closely, his eyes flashing with keen light.

"Yan'er, what is this Martial Soul?"

Chu Yan thought for a moment and replied, "Father, it is called the Yan Divine Weapon."

"Yan Divine Weapon?" Chu Yuntian repeated, his brows furrowing even tighter as he continued, "A Martial Soul I have never heard of, but its quality..."

He reached out, attempting to touch the long staff.

However, the moment his fingertips were about to make contact, a golden film of light suddenly emerged from the staff, actually repelling his hand!

"Repulsion?" Chu Yuntian was slightly startled.

A hand at the Soul Douluo level was actually repelled by a newly awakened Martial Soul? The grade of this Martial Soul...

"Father, the Yan Divine Weapon seems to only be usable by me," Chu Yan explained, though in his heart, he understood that this was the master-recognition trait of the Yan Divine Weapon.

This divine weapon required spiritual consciousness to nurture its imprint and demanded extremely high requirements for comprehension and the understanding of laws; others simply could not wield it.

Chu Yuntian was not angry; instead, he burst into laughter. "Good, good, good! This is my son! Born with an extraordinary omen, he is destined for greatness!"

He turned to the clan elders. "Respected elders, with the ancestors of the Chu Clan as my witness, today my son Chu Yan has awakened the Yan Divine Weapon Martial Soul. Its quality is unknown, but it is at least a top-tier Martial Soul! I propose that, effective immediately, Chu Yan be officially listed as the heir to the Chu Clan and enjoy the family's core resources!"

The elders looked at one another, and finally, Chu Yunshan took the lead in nodding, saying, "Agreed."

However, just at this moment, a commotion suddenly came from outside the ancestral hall.

"Uncle Chu! Uncle Chu! Let me in!"

A soft, milky child's voice reached them.

Hearing this voice, the corners of Chu Yan's mouth lifted involuntarily.

The door to the ancestral hall was pushed open, and a little girl with light blue twin tails ran inside.

She looked to be about five or six years old, carved from jade, with large, round eyes and flushed little cheeks, as if she had just run in from outside.

She wore a light blue dress with a pale blue pendant hanging around her neck, looking like a porcelain doll that had stepped out of a painting.

"Xiaoyan?" Chu Yuntian was stunned, then smiled. "Why are you here?"

The little girl's name was Xu Xiaoyan, the eldest daughter of the Xu Clan, one of the four great families of East Sea City.

The Xu Clan was a veteran Soul Master family, descendants of a branch of the Star Crown Xu Clan from ten thousand years ago. Having been passed down for ten millennia, they were also known as the "Ice Staff Xu Clan."

The Chu and Xu families had been on good terms for generations, and Chu Yan and Xu Xiaoyan had even been betrothed since childhood.

Xu Xiaoyan ran up to Chu Yan, panting, her little face flushed from running. She looked up at the Yan Divine Weapon in Chu Yan's hands, her large eyes filled with curiosity.

"Brother Yan, have you awakened?" she asked softly, her voice so sweet it made one's heart melt.

Chu Yan looked at this childhood sweetheart before him, a wave of warmth rising in his heart.

Xu Xiaoyan was someone he had known since he was small; she was the girl who had truly grown up alongside him.

The two played together, ate together, and practiced basic techniques together; their bond was as deep as that of biological siblings... and yet, it surpassed that of siblings.

"Mm, I've awakened." Chu Yan reached out to ruffle Xu Xiaoyan's hair and smiled. "Look, this is my Martial Soul, the Yan Divine Weapon."

Xu Xiaoyan reached out cautiously, wanting to touch the dark golden staff.

This time, the Yan Divine Weapon did not repel her; instead, it vibrated slightly, as if responding to her.

Chu Yuntian was left in silence. Is it not? Could it be because I'm not a girl?

"So pretty..." Xu Xiaoyan's eyes sparkled, then she became worried and said, "Brother Yan, your Martial Soul is very powerful, but it also seems very dangerous. You must protect yourself well."

Chu Yan felt a warmth in his heart and smiled. "Don't worry, in the future, Brother Yan will protect you."

"Mm!" Xu Xiaoyan nodded heavily, her little face full of trust.

Watching the interaction between the two children, Chu Yuntian and the elders exchanged smiles.

Chu Yuntian suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, Xiaoyan, why did you run over tonight? Does the Xu family know?"

Xu Xiaoyan stuck out her tongue, pulled an exquisite soul-guided communicator from her sleeve, and said, "Father knew Brother Yan was awakening tonight, so he asked me to come and ask for the result. He said if Brother Yan awakened his Martial Soul, then... then..."

As she spoke, her little face suddenly turned red, and her voice grew quieter and quieter.

"Then what?" Chu Yuntian asked deliberately.

"He said... when we are both six and can go to the primary academy in East Sea to enroll, he would let Brother Yan take me with him..." After Xu Xiaoyan finished speaking, her little face was already as red as an apple.

A burst of good-natured laughter rang out in the ancestral hall.

Chu Yuntian laughed until he couldn't close his mouth. Looking at Xu Xiaoyan's shy little appearance, he couldn't help but tease her, saying, "Xiaoyan, you haven't even married into the family yet, and you already know how to protect Brother Yan?"

"Uncle Chu!" Xu Xiaoyan stomped her feet in embarrassment and hid behind Chu Yan, peeking out with only half her face. Her large eyes blinked rapidly, looking incredibly adorable.

Chu Yan couldn't help but chuckle. He reached back, took Xu Xiaoyan's small hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

This little girl had been the same since she was small. In front of outsiders, she maintained a slightly dignified and proper air, acting every bit the young lady of the Xu family, yet she was quite timid and shy at times. But whenever she was with him, she turned into a soft, sweet little girl; whether she was acting spoiled or being shy, it was always her most authentic self.

"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore." Chu Yuntian suppressed his smile and said seriously, "Since your father sent you to take a look, then take the results back with you. Yan'er's martial soul has indeed awakened, and its quality is extremely high, though the specifics will require further testing."

"Beyond the martial soul, there is also soul power." Great Elder Chu Yunshan stroked his beard, his gaze falling upon the awakening stone.

Besides guiding the awakening of a martial soul, this awakening stone had another function: detecting innate soul power.

Innate soul power was one of the most important indicators for measuring a soul master's talent.

When ordinary soul masters awakened, their innate soul power was mostly between level one and level three, which was already considered decent aptitude.

Reaching level six made one a genius, and reaching level eight or above made one a top-tier genius across the entire continent. As for innate full soul power at level ten...

It was one in ten thousand.

Chu Yunshan stepped forward and tapped his palm lightly against the awakening stone. The runes on the stone's surface began to flow; the original dark golden glow gradually faded, replaced by a layer of transparent light film.

"Yan'er, inject your soul power again. This time, you don't need to guide your martial soul; just release the soul power within your body and channel it into the awakening stone," Chu Yunshan instructed.

Chu Yan nodded and took a deep breath.

For the past six years, although he had been unable to formally cultivate his martial soul, he had built an excellent foundation for his body.

As a family of battle armor masters, the Chu family possessed a complete set of body-tempering techniques.

Since the age of three, he had woken up at dawn every day to run, practice boxing, and hold the Hunyuan Stance Technique—the ancestral practice of the Chu family—to strengthen his sinews and bones and temper his physique.

Beyond that, he studied soul beast knowledge, the principles of soul guidance devices, and battle armor theory... not a single subject was missed.

For a transmigrator with the soul of an adult, these lessons were not particularly difficult, but the day-after-day persistence was a true test of his willpower.

From age three to six, for three full years—over a thousand days and nights—he had never once faltered.

Because he knew clearly that in this world where strength reigned supreme, only by being strong enough could he protect those he wished to protect.

Chu Yan placed his hands back onto the awakening stone, closed his eyes, and guided the long-dormant soul power within his body to release outward.

Inside him, a warm current surged from his dantian, flowed slowly along his meridians, and finally gathered in his palms, pouring into the awakening stone.

Hum—

The awakening stone began to vibrate.

At first, the tremor was slight, but as the soul power continued to pour in, the magnitude of the vibration grew, and the transparent light film on the stone's surface began to emit a faint glow.

First it turned white, representing level one soul power.

Then it rapidly shifted to yellow, representing level two.

In the blink of an eye, the yellow turned to orange, level three.

Orange turned to red, level four.

Red turned to green, level five.

Green turned to cyan, level six.

Cyan turned to blue, level seven.

Chu Yunshan's eyes widened.

Blue turned to purple, level eight.

The four elders stood up in unison, their faces filled with expressions of disbelief.

One had to know that when Chu Yuntian awakened his martial soul, he only had level eight innate soul power, and Chu Yan's was still changing.

Purple turned to silver, level nine.

"This..." the Third Elder exclaimed, saying, "It's still rising!"

Chu Yuntian clenched his fists, his tiger-like eyes wide open, his breathing becoming rapid.

And just then, the light on the awakening stone underwent one final transformation...

The silver turned into a pure, brilliant gold!