Martial Soul Awakening

Heaven Dou City

Li Hanche stood at the entrance of a dilapidated thirty-square-meter shack, staring blankly at the rental advertisement pasted on the wall opposite.

This house was left behind by his parents. To put it nicely, it was a "detached property in the central district of Heaven Dou City"; to put it bluntly, it was the least broken shack in the slums.

His parents had left cleanly, leaving behind only this shelter from the wind and rain and a crumpled bank slip that read, "Three hundred and twenty-seven Gold Soul Coins."

He was six years old, the age for awakening a Martial Soul.

Li Hanche was just pondering whether to dig the bank slip out from under the bed when a golden light suddenly exploded in his mind, nearly knocking him off the threshold.

"Ding! Host has reached the age of six. Martial Soul Awakening System officially activated."

"Detected that the host is about to undergo the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony. Triggering [Fate's Three-Way Crossroad] option task."

"Please make a choice within three days. If the deadline passes without a selection, the system will default to executing Option Three."

Li Hanche steadied himself by holding onto the doorframe as three options appeared in his mind, each followed by a line of shimmering, small text.

[Option One: Spirit Hall Awakening]

"Head to the Heaven Dou City Spirit Temple for Martial Soul awakening. Awakening rewards: Innate Full Soul Power, guaranteed purple-grade Martial Soul quality, Martial Soul type: spear."

"Awakening fee: Free."

"Note: Spirit Hall, the hall of commoners, you deserve it."

[Option Two: Heaven Dou City Official Awakening Point]

"Head to the official awakening point established by Heaven Dou City for commoners to undergo Martial Soul awakening. Awakening rewards: Martial Soul type: sword, quality random."

"Awakening fee: Thirty Gold Soul Coins."

"Note: Official awakening point, the choice of nobles, the nightmare of commoners. Friendly reminder: The reception staff there might look at you through their nostrils."

[Option Three: Do Not Awaken]

"Give up this Martial Soul awakening ceremony. Reward: Obtain the permanent title [Coward]."

"Title effect: Suspended above the host's head, visible to all creatures on the Douluo Continent. No attribute bonuses, no hidden effects, just plain embarrassing."

"Note: Are you serious?"

Li Hanche remained silent for a long time.

What kind of bizarre system was this?

Was the third option meant to be a joke?

If he had the title "Coward" hanging over his head for the rest of his life, how would he ever survive in Heaven Dou City?

If he went out to buy groceries and people pointed at him in the street, would life even be worth living?

As for the first two options, anyone with eyes could see which one to pick.

Spirit Hall offered a free awakening, a guaranteed purple-grade Martial Soul, Innate Full Soul Power, and a spear-type weapon—this configuration was enough to make anyone drool.

Then look at the Heaven Dou City official awakening point: it cost Gold Soul Coins, only guaranteed a sword-type, the quality was random, and the staff looked down on people.

Was there even a choice?

Fine, he admitted that thirty Gold Soul Coins was not a small amount for him.

His parents had only left him three hundred and twenty-seven Gold Soul Coins in total; he wasn't crazy enough to spend fifty just to be looked down upon.

Spirit Hall was free and the service was better. Going to the Spirit Hall wasn't because he was poor, absolutely not.

He simply felt that the Spirit Hall option was more cost-effective.

Yes, that was it.

He locked the door, tucked his few remaining coins into his pocket, and headed toward the Heaven Dou City Spirit Temple.

The Heaven Dou City Spirit Temple was located in the west of the city and occupied a vast area. Three main halls stood majestically, their outer walls constructed entirely of white jade that glowed with a warm luster under the sunlight.

A massive statue of an angel stood in the square in front of the temple.

By the time Li Hanche arrived, there was already a line of moderate length in the square, consisting of parents leading their children to be awakened.

Seeing the well-dressed children ahead holding their parents' hands, he suddenly felt that coming alone was indeed a bit pitiful.

But it didn't matter; he was an orphan, he was used to it.

When it was Li Hanche's turn, the guard at the entrance looked him up and down.

He saw that the boy was wearing a set of old, washed-out clothes with a patch on the cuff. He looked dusty and gray, truly incomparable to the pampered children ahead of him.

"Here for the Martial Soul awakening?"

The guard was a burly man in his thirties with a standard longsword strapped to his waist. His tone wasn't too bad.

"Yes."

Li Hanche nodded.

"Alone?"

"Yes."

The guard glanced at him, said nothing, and stepped aside to clear the path.

"Go on in. Head inside, third door on the left, someone will assist you."

Li Hanche offered a word of thanks and stepped into the Martial Soul Temple.

The interior decor was even more magnificent than the exterior. The vaulted ceiling featured a massive mural depicting the Angel God wielding a holy sword to slay demons, a dazzling display of gold and jade that left one's eyes spinning.

The floor was paved with polished marble so reflective that one could see their own shadow upon it.

Li Hanche followed the guard's instructions to the third door on the left. Pushing it open, he found a small room furnished with a table and a few chairs, with a fist-sized blue crystal ball resting on the table.

A young woman in a Spirit Hall uniform was sitting behind the table flipping through some files. Seeing him enter, she looked up and offered a professional smile.

"Hello, here for a Martial Soul awakening?"

"Yes."

"Please, have a seat and fill out your basic information."

She pushed a form and a pen toward him.

Li Hanche sat down to fill out the form: name, age, address, parents' information... When he reached the parents' section, he paused, then ultimately wrote "deceased" in all honesty.

The young woman took the form and glanced at it, her gaze lingering on the word "deceased" for a fleeting moment before she tucked the form away as if nothing had happened and stood up.

"Follow me. The awakening ceremony takes place in the quiet room inside."

She led Li Hanche through a corridor to a more spacious room.

In the center of the room, a complex magic circle was etched into the floor. The lines of the circle glowed with a faint golden hue, emitting a subtle ripple of Soul Power.

"Stand in the center of the circle."

The young woman gestured to me.

Li Hanche took a deep breath and walked to the center of the circle.

Just then, Li Hanche noticed the sound of light footsteps and voices coming from the end of the corridor; it sounded as if someone was heading their way.

Li Hanche instinctively turned his head to look, catching only a glimpse of a slender figure in moon-white robes being escorted by several people as they passed the corner of the corridor.

The person's profile was exquisite, their features carrying an indescribable air of nobility; it was clear at a glance that they were no ordinary person.

The young woman also noticed the commotion, her expression shifting slightly as she muttered to herself in a low voice.

"Didn't the Temple Master say the Crown Prince went to the inner sanctum today? Why is he here..."

The Crown Prince?

In Heaven Dou City, there was only one person who could be called the Crown Prince: Xue Qinghe, the eldest son of the current Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire and the future heir to the throne.

Was he actually at the Martial Soul Temple today?

Before Li Hanche could dwell on it, the young woman had already regained her professional composure and spoke to him.

"Stand still, don't move, close your eyes, and relax your body. I will now guide the awakening of the Martial Soul within you."

Li Hanche closed his eyes as instructed.

The magic circle began to glow. Golden lines lit up from the floor, rapidly spreading along the trajectory of the formation.

He felt a warm force rising from the soles of his feet, slowly flowing through his entire body. It felt as if warm liquid were being poured into his veins, and every cell in his body began to tremble slightly.

The sensation was marvelous, as if something deep within him were being roused. The power slumbering at the very foundation of his bloodline began to awaken, swell, and surge, like a giant dragon that had been dormant for ten thousand years finally opening its eyes.

The young woman's voice echoed in his ears.

"Relax, do not resist, let it release naturally..."

He felt that power gathering, growing stronger and denser, like a mass of molten lava churning in his chest, desperately seeking an exit to erupt.

Li Hanche instinctively extended his right hand, palm upward.

A blinding golden light exploded from his palm.

It wasn't ordinary gold, but a gold so intense it was nearly tangible, carrying an edge so sharp it felt as if a physical blade were shattering in the air.

The temperature in the room dropped by several degrees, and an invisible pressure radiated from me, leaving even Li Hanche stunned.

Is it really this overpowered?

The young woman was forced back two steps by the pressure, her face turning pale.

"This, this is..."

The golden light on his palm gradually condensed, and within the radiance, the outline of a long spear slowly emerged.