"Iron Sword martial soul, innate half-level soul power!"
Su Yuntao's voice echoed through the awakening hall as he looked at the blue-clad child before him, a hint of pity in his eyes.
The child's parents were well-known Soul Grandmasters in Notting City.
Yet unfortunately, while inheriting his father's Iron Sword Martial Soul, the martial soul had mutated, and several cracks ran along the blade.
Precisely because of these cracks, the entire sword looked as though it could shatter at any moment.
"Child, don't be sad. At least you aren't without innate soul power."
"Work hard at your cultivation, and you too can become a respected soul master just like me!"
Watching the motionless child before him, Su Yuntao could not help but offer comfort.
His own innate soul power was not actually high, and he had reached where he was today solely by virtue of a persistent drive.
Su Yuntao's words allowed Qi Dao to recover from his disappointment, and he nodded slightly at the former.
"Thank you for your guidance, Deacon. I will remember it."
With that, Qi Dao retreated back among the children behind him.
The Martial Soul Awakening ceremony continued, but Qi Dao's thoughts had drifted who knows where, a trace of blankness in his eyes.
In his past life, he had merely been an ordinary person who loved reading novels. After staying up all night reading, he had transmigrated to the beloved Douluo Continent the moment he fell asleep.
When he first transmigrated, Qi Dao had also fantasized that one day he would awaken a golden finger and embark on a smooth path to the heavens.
Yet clearly, the heavens had not favored him even now!
Not only that, they had even kicked him while he was down, causing his inheritance of his old man's Iron Sword Martial Soul to undergo a malicious mutation.
Coming back to his senses, Qi Dao felt a wave of distress at the thought of the cracks on the iron sword.
This damned Innate Half Rank martial soul lacked even a golden finger, and he certainly wasn't the scion of some noble clan.
How was he supposed to play this game?
Play your*****
The Martial Soul Awakening ceremony quickly concluded. Su Yuntao led a group of children out of the hall, where parents had long been waiting outside.
Seeing the doors of the awakening hall open, they immediately crowded around.
From their faces, it was not hard to discern the special state of mind where anticipation, nervousness, worry, and other emotions intertwined within them.
In the crowd, a couple in their late twenties were just like all the other parents present.
When they spotted Qi Dao, their eyes instantly lit up.
Both husband and wife were Soul Grandmasters, so the probability of their child possessing innate soul power was very high.
Upon stepping out of the hall, Su Yuntao looked at the parents of the children and announced with a calm expression on his face.
"Alright everyone, this awakening ceremony has successfully concluded. Out of the twenty-three children, a total of three awakened innate soul power."
Hearing this, everyone present felt their hearts leap with joy.
For three out of twenty-three children to awaken innate soul power, the odds were already quite high.
They all hoped it was their own child.
Thus, after thanking Su Yuntao, they could not wait to inquire about the results of their respective children.
Qi Dao also came to his parents' side.
Qi Father Qi Mingyuan asked with a hint of nervousness on his face, "A Dao, how did the martial soul awakening go?"
Beside him, Qi Mother Wang Rou's face held both anticipation and worry.
Looking at his parents' expressions, Qi Dao wore a hint of helplessness on his face.
"Dad, Mom, my martial soul underwent a malicious mutation. I only have innate half-level soul power."
Hearing merely Qi Dao's first half-sentence, the hearts of Qi Mingyuan and Wang Rou instantly turned ice-cold.
Yet the couple was even more worried about Qi Dao himself.
This child had been precocious since he was little, and everyone who knew him praised that he would surely become an outstanding soul master in the future.
As it turned out, his martial soul had undergone a malicious mutation, and he had only innate half-level soul power.
They truly feared the child couldn't handle such a disparity and would do something foolish.
Wang Rou offered soft comfort, "Son, innate half-level soul power doesn't matter."
"Do you remember when you were two or three years old?"
"Back then you were just this tiny, and all day long you talked about becoming a sword immortal or Sword God, and how you were going to let your dad and me live in luxury."
"So what if it's the Innate Half Rank?"
"Your dad and I believe in you!"
As Wang Rou finished speaking, Qi Mingyuan chimed in from the side.
"That's right, Dad and Mom believe in you!"
Looking at the worried expressions of his parents, Qi Dao knew what the couple was worried about, but his mind wasn't truly that of a mere child.
Suddenly, he seemed to recall the time when he had first transmigrated two or three years ago.
Back then, he was at his most confident, constantly looking forward to the appearance of a golden finger.
He firmly believed that he, too, was just like the protagonists in books.
Yet just now, after awakening his Martial Soul, a sense of bewilderment had actually welled up in his heart.
No golden finger, no powerful Martial Soul...
Could he truly be like the protagonists in books?
Qi Dao still stood in place, but his consciousness seemed to travel back in time, seeing his bewildered self standing in the center of the awakening array, asking questions to himself.
Yet in the end, he suddenly smiled.
No, it wasn't a smile!
It was enlightenment!
How could such a foolish notion have been born in his heart?
The quality of a Martial Soul was not something he could control.
Yet he could control his own will, never being cowardly!
How truly inappropriate of me!
Qi Dao murmured inwardly, a subtle, indescribable sensation seemingly settling over his body.
An iron sword stood before him, completely ordinary.
Yet Qi Dao felt a certain inexplicable connection between himself and the iron sword.
He couldn't help reaching out his hand to grasp the iron sword!
And the moment Qi Dao grasped the iron sword, a sudden comprehension bloomed in his heart.
It was as if he had been born to become the leader of swordsmanship.
In a single thought, a flight of steps materialized beneath his feet. Holding the sword, he walked up the stairs step by step, standing at the summit.
From all directions, the ringing of swords suddenly sounded, echoing in Qi Dao's ears.
At this moment, his inner self was unprecedentedly ethereal, his eyes unprecedentedly bright, and his will unprecedentedly resolute.
It felt as though his soul had been sublimated.
Until the next second, his consciousness instantly returned to reality, yet his eyes still shone brilliantly, and his whole person appeared spirited and high-spirited.
He looked toward his two parents!
"Rest assured, Dad and Mom, your son..."
"Is not that fragile!"
"After all, I've said before..."
"I'm going to take you up to the Divine Realm to enjoy yourselves!"
Seeing Qi Dao's radiant and high-spirited appearance, the couple Qi Mingyuan and Wang Rou lit up.
They were back, everything was back!
This was their son indeed!
"Hahaha, son, Dad believes in you!"
Qi Mingyuan laughed heartily, stopping just short of proclaiming that his son possessed the bearing of a God King.
His laughter caused the surrounding parents to cast strange glances their way.
Why was this man laughing so happily? Could it be that their son had great talent?
Yet when they learned from their own children that Qi Dao's Innate Half-Level Soul Power was only half a level, the expressions on their faces instantly turned immensely bizarre.
No, it was merely Innate Half-Level Soul Power.
Was there any need to be this happy?
Before you continue