The atmosphere between the two grew somewhat silent, and they both quietly watched the Martial Soul Awakening below.
Suddenly, Qian Renxue seemed to have spotted something. Her eyes brightened slightly, and her gaze became serious and profound.
Have I seen this child somewhere before?
Salas followed Qian Renxue's gaze. His brows furrowed slightly, and he looked puzzled.
After all, the place Qian Renxue was looking at contained nothing but a lazy-looking child. There was nothing special about him.
"Next."
Following Liu Bitao's call, Yun Chen quietly walked into the awakening formation, his heart surging with excitement.
The victor becomes king, and the defeated become outcasts. It all depends on this moment. Awakening a powerful Martial Soul means transforming into a dragon in a single day. If the awakening is poor, then I'll be stuck at the bottom of society.
"Follow my guidance and direct your Soul Power."
Yun Chen gently exhaled a breath of stale air. Then he closed his eyes and slowly walked into the awakening formation.
Liu Bitao circulated his Martial Soul and injected Soul Power into the Awakening Stone. The Awakening Stone immediately radiated dazzling light, and endless energy surged into Yun Chen's body.
Yun Chen felt as though a shackle inside his body had suddenly shattered. With a crack, violent energy surged through him.
Yun Chen could not help letting out a soft groan.
"Ah..."
Yun Chen's right hand trembled uncontrollably, and terrifying energy poured wildly in all directions. Liu Bitao's eyes suddenly sharpened.
"Guard your mind, guide the power, and gather it in your right hand!"
The commotion also drew everyone's attention. Behind the one-way glass, Salas and Qian Renxue were deeply drawn to it as well.
Salas abruptly rose to his feet and strode forward several steps before pressing his face against the glass and widening his eyes.
With his cultivation, there was no need for him to do this. But at this moment, he no longer cared about his appearance, because Yun Chen's Martial Soul Awakening had succeeded.
A primitive, majestic existence filled with a sense of power instantly appeared in the great hall.
"Roar!"
Accompanied by a heaven-shaking roar, all the Soul Masters with Beast Martial Souls felt their minds violently reel at the same moment.
Even Liu Bitao's Demon Wolf Martial Soul, right in front of Yun Chen, was almost unable to maintain itself.
"This... what kind of Martial Soul is this?"
Behind Yun Chen, resplendent golden light shot into the sky and condensed into the majestic phantom of a colossal golden beast.
This magnificent beast resembled a lion, but appeared even more agile and ferocious, its entire body covered in dense fur that looked as though it had been cast from gold.
Yun Chen's eyes had originally been filled with a golden hue, but now pale-golden flames burned within them. An aura like that of the king of beasts swept outward, looking down upon all under heaven.
Yun Chen's bones suddenly crackled explosively, and his originally slender, slight frame suddenly became sturdy.
Golden patterns emerged across Yun Chen's body, while a dense sense of power filled every muscle.
Salas's pupils suddenly contracted. He practically dashed downstairs at top speed, muttering as he ran.
"Impossible! A Lion Martial Soul? I've never seen a Martial Soul like this. And why is its power so strong? Could he be the illegitimate son of Mighty Lion Douluo?"
Several possibilities flashed through Salas's mind, but he rejected them one by one.
The strength of this Martial Soul was clearly different from that of an ordinary Lion Martial Soul. As for Mighty Lion Douluo, who had always lived in seclusion within the Worship Hall, Salas had never even met him.
Naturally, he could not make a sound judgment.
What he did not know was that this was no Lion Martial Soul. It was clearly a Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff powerful to the extreme.
That super Soul Beast from the original story was said to have suppressed Xiong Jun, who was over four hundred thousand years old, despite being only ten thousand years old.
Its most iconic battle in the original story was when, as a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, it had once suppressed Tang Wulin, who possessed the Golden Dragon King Bloodline and strength at the Titled Douluo level.
It was truly heaven-defying.
A complicated emotion flashed through Qian Renxue's eyes. There was delight, curiosity, and even a trace of killing intent.
With a Martial Soul of such strength, his Innate Soul Power definitely would not be low. He might even possess Innate Full Soul Power.
And if someone like this could not be used by Qian Renxue of the Spirit Hall, then he would become a thorn in her eye and a stab in her flesh. He had to be eliminated.
Everyone present was frightened into retreating repeatedly by Yun Chen's Martial Soul. Faced with that aura, some of the more timid children even began to cry.
Yun Chen looked at his hands. He slightly clenched his fists, feeling the golden power and the abundant strength filling his entire body.
He felt incomparably refreshed.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded from upstairs. Immediately afterward, everyone saw an old man wearing a Spirit Hall Platinum Bishop's robe walk down quickly.
"Bishop..."
Liu Bitao bowed in greeting, but Salas did not even spare him a glance. Instead, he focused all his attention on Yun Chen's hands.
The closer he got, the more clearly he could sense the faint, vague pressure radiating from Yun Chen's Martial Soul. The delight in his heart grew even stronger.
"Child, what's your name?"
A kindly smile spread across Salas's face, and his voice was exceptionally gentle.
It seemed he had kept a stern expression for too long. When Salas smiled, the muscles on his face twitched unevenly, making it look as though he were forcing the smile out.
The corner of Yun Chen's mouth twitched. Looking at the clothing of the person before him, he could more or less guess who he was, though he wanted to complain.
Salas, do you know how awkward you look? If you can't smile, you don't have to.
"Bishop, hello. My name is Yun Chen."
"Yun Chen, good name. Yun Chen, yes, a truly good name."
"Little friend, would you like to come sit in my office? We can test your Soul Power there."
Yun Chen looked around and silently nodded. He understood what Salas meant. His Martial Soul was definitely not weak, and his Innate Soul Power would not be poor either.
When it came to recruiting geniuses, if the Spirit Hall claimed second place, no one would dare claim first.
Across the entire continent, only the Spirit Hall could afford to throw money around and provide subsidies.
Salas held Yun Chen's little hand and slowly walked back upstairs amid the shocked gazes of the crowd. The two continued chatting and laughing.
"Damn, that kid's Martial Soul is so powerful."
"Exactly, exactly. And seeing how kindly the bishop treats him, he's definitely going to be a genius in the future."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... I'm jealous."
When Salas reached the second floor, he suddenly paused. Only then did he remember one problem: Xue Qinghe was still in his office.
It took him only a moment to think of a solution. He led Yun Chen straight ahead, deliberately passing by his own office before entering a separate room.
This was the room he usually used to receive guests. It was not large, but it was elegant and quiet.
"Yun Chen, sit here for a while. I'll go get the Soul Power testing ball for you."
After saying this, Salas smiled and rubbed Yun Chen's head. Yun Chen nodded, looking obedient.
Having sensed Salas running back and forth, Qian Renxue also realized that something was wrong.
My public identity is Xue Qinghe right now, so Salas definitely has to avoid me. But I want that genius too.
At this thought, Qian Renxue abruptly stood up, and golden specks of light slowly emerged above her head.
Qian Renxue used her mental power and the Head Soul Bone to spread it outward explosively.
"Found you."
That Xue Qinghe-like face curled into an eerie smile. Then he strode out and headed toward the room where Yun Chen was.
Before you continue