There were no long-winded speeches or fancy turns of phrase. Bibi Dong's remarks were simple and direct.
As the Pope of Spirit Hall, her regal bearing was unmistakable.
Though she had spoken only a few words, the crowd was already bursting with excitement.
A Martial Soul represented the future, and every successful awakening heralded a bright future!
Those simple words had undoubtedly given the spectators a shot in the arm. Everyone hoped their own child would awaken a top-tier Martial Soul and bring honor to the family.
After Bibi Dong finished speaking, a team of Soul Masters dressed in Spirit Hall uniforms made their way onto the Awakening Platform in the central plaza and began setting up the awakening array.
Unlike the people of Spirit City, who eagerly awaited the ceremony, the representatives of the major Soul Master powers were not especially interested. They showed little enthusiasm, and if Spirit Hall hadn't sent elders to deliver invitations, they would never have bothered attending such a bland, tedious Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony.
There were still a great many children taking part in this Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony in Spirit City—around a thousand or so.
Their parents were all entertaining a glimmer of hope, wishing their children would awaken an exceptionally powerful Martial Soul, be chosen by one of Spirit Hall's elders or worshippers, and rise to prominence overnight.
Little did they know that anything was possible on the Douluo Continent.
A dragon didn't always give birth to a dragon. It could just as easily give birth to a pig!
Yu Xiaogang of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was a living example.
With the Sect Masters and elders of the various powers, along with members of the imperial family, bearing witness, the Martial Soul awakening array was soon completed, and the awakenings began.
"Qiu Dekao has successfully awakened the Martial Soul [Luoyang Shovel]. Soul Power Level: 7."
"Xie Gaze has successfully awakened the Martial Soul [Pepsi]. Soul Power Level: 3."
"Dongbei Yu has successfully awakened the Martial Soul [Vermicelli]. Soul Power Level: 1."
Lin Tian sat calmly in the waiting area with the other children who had yet to awaken their Martial Souls, waiting for their turn on the platform.
Some children who awakened their Martial Souls were overjoyed, while others broke down in tears.
Some even fainted on the spot, unable to bear that their awakened Martial Souls weren't impressive enough. No one knew whether they were alive or dead.
None of this could catch Lin Tian's attention. After years of having the Pope herself teach him about Martial Souls, he knew these were mere basics—not worth making a fuss over.
If a child awakened Twin Martial Souls, or had Innate Full Soul Power, then that would be worth his attention.
But the ceremony went on for a long time without a single particularly dazzling talent appearing. Before long, Lin Tian lost interest and turned his gaze toward the viewing area reserved for the major Soul Master powers.
He glanced at the raised platform of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Sword Douluo was yawning, looking rather bored.
Ning Fengzhi, on the other hand, watched the ceremony with interest, his trademark smile still on his face.
Perhaps sensing someone watching him, Ning Fengzhi turned to look around. Eventually, his eyes met Lin Tian's.
He had thought Lin Tian would be like the other children and shrink from making eye contact with a Soul Saint like him. The result, however, far exceeded his expectations. Lin Tian met his gaze without flinching, and his expression showed no sign of being affected by Ning Fengzhi's Soul Saint cultivation.
That discovery immediately piqued Ning Fengzhi's interest.
This boy was most likely the child Bibi Dong wanted to put in the spotlight.
After exchanging glances with Ning Fengzhi, Lin Tian turned his attention elsewhere. Just then, a sharp gaze fell on him, tinged with confusion and anger, as though it held some other emotion too.
Lin Tian looked over and saw a golden-haired boy in embroidered robes staring at him from the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's viewing platform. After briefly meeting Lin Tian's eyes, the boy turned his gaze toward Bibi Dong. There seemed to be some obscure emotion hidden in his eyes.
Lin Tian hadn't yet received the system's reward, [Spirit Eye], but after all these years of Bibi Dong's tutelage, he had already trained his eyes to be exceptionally sharp. As long as he focused, he could spot changes in the expressions of people a hundred meters away.
The emotions in the golden-haired boy's eyes were very well concealed. Even Prince Xue Xing, sitting right beside him, hadn't noticed a thing.
But none of it could escape Lin Tian's eyes.
Lin Tian had also formed a guess about the golden-haired boy's identity.
In his previous life, he'd been a corporate wage slave working as a programmer, but he hadn't missed a single episode of Tencent's Douluo Continent anime. He'd watched the whole thing from start to finish.
If his guess was right, this golden-haired boy was the young master of Spirit Hall—and the daughter of its current Pope, Bibi Dong: Qian Renxue.
No wonder she kept sneaking glances at His Holiness the Pope. So the girl was missing her mother!
As Lin Tian's thoughts wandered, a gentle gaze from the main viewing platform fell upon him. He followed it and saw the Pope, dressed in splendid robes, looking at him with affection.
Her rose-red eyes brimmed with encouragement and hope for him.
Some of the Soul Masters, who had been paying close attention to Bibi Dong, also noticed Lin Tian under her gaze. What kind of talent did this child possess to have earned such special favor from His Holiness the Pope?
Even Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, looked at Lin Tian again. Deep in her eyes was a look of confusion. Just who was this boy, that Mother treated him so warmly?
Lin Tian hadn't expected that merely exchanging a glance with the Pope would draw gazes from every direction. It was clear that many coveted the seat of the Spirit Hall Pope.
As the waiting area gradually emptied, it was soon Lin Tian's turn.
Though no promising child with Innate Full Soul Power or a top-tier Martial Soul had appeared so far, Spirit Hall had still recruited quite a few talented children with Innate Soul Power at Level 7.
A child's Martial Soul and Innate Soul Power could largely determine their future prospects. Even if a child with Innate Soul Power at only Level 4 trained for ten years—or even a hundred—without eating or sleeping, they would amount to no more than a Soul King at best.
Yu Xiaogang of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had plenty of authority to speak on this matter.
When it came to being a useless piece of trash, if he ranked second, no one would dare rank first!
As time slowly passed, it was finally Lin Tian's turn to step forward and awaken his Martial Soul.
The sky was clear. A gentle breeze passed by as Lin Tian felt the gazes coming from every direction. At last, encouraged by Bibi Dong's look, he slowly climbed onto the Awakening Platform.
The Soul Master in charge of the awakenings clearly had no idea who Lin Tian was. Seeing him dawdle, the man muttered angrily under his breath:
"You'd better hurry up, brat. It's a big day for Spirit Hall. If you damage Spirit Hall's dignity and reputation, His Holiness the Pope won't let you off!"
"Pick up the pace. Let's get this Martial Soul Awakening underway. Don't keep His Holiness the Pope waiting!"
Hearing the Soul Master's words, Lin Tian was taken aback, but soon he could only smile helplessly.
Good grief, before they knew who I was, they really were treating me like a Japanese invader!
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