Martial Soul Awakening

Clang, clang.

He swung the forging hammer in his hand, striking the soon-to-be-formed farming tool incessantly, and Tie Li's tattered clothes were covered in sweat stains.

Do not think he was just a child, for he had a great deal of strength.

Although the forging looked attentive, most of his thoughts were actually on the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony.

Tie Li had a clear understanding of himself, possessing no noble blood within his body, and flowing through him was merely the blood of an ordinary blacksmith.

He did not ask to awaken an excessively powerful Martial Soul, only hoping to be born with Innate Soul Power.

Only by possessing Innate Soul Power could one cultivate, become a noble Soul Master, and change his family's circumstances.

He was born into this world six years ago, and at the age of three he realized that he had been reborn onto the Douluo Continent.

At that time he was full of curiosity about the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony, going to the entrance of the Spirit Branch Hall every few days to watch hopeful children enter the hall to awaken their Martial Souls, yet when they emerged from the Spirit Branch Hall, all color had vanished from their eyes.

There was even a month when not a single child born with Innate Soul Power came out of the Spirit Branch Hall.

At times like this he was very grateful for the existence of Spirit Hall; without it, commoners could not even catch a glimpse of hope, and perhaps the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony would have belonged exclusively to nobles and sects.

Tie Li had been ruthlessly slapped by the cruelty of the Douluo Continent, and his yearning for the future was vanishing bit by bit.

If he lacked Innate Soul Power when awakening his Martial Soul, would he be destined to remain a blacksmith for the rest of his life? And then leave his hopes to the next generation?

He never prayed to be an exception who awakened a powerful Mutated Martial Soul, hoping merely to be born with Innate Soul Power to give himself the qualification to become a noble Soul Master.

Even if it were only Rank 1 Innate Soul Power, it would still be a fine outcome for him.

"Dali, are you ready? We are about to leave."

"Alright."

With the final hammer blow falling, the quality of the farming tool became a bit more refined.

Tie Niu looked at this son, who had been sensible since childhood, and felt an immense amount of deep affection in his heart.

He placed the red-hot farming tool into the water, producing a sizzling sound and a burst of white smoke, and this farming tool was mostly finished, leaving only the finishing touches.

Taking the towel handed to him by his father, Tie Li washed up carefully, changed into brand-new clothes, and hesitation flashed in his eyes.

This would be the dividing line of his future destiny.

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself; at worst, you can just be a blacksmith like your old man." Tie Niu patted his son's shoulder.

Tie Li merely smiled at this. To be an ordinary person on the Douluo Continent?

Today, Tie Niu closed the blacksmith shop early and brought his son to the entrance of the Spirit Branch Hall.

As soon as they arrived here, Tie Li saw several pale-faced children leaving in the company of their parents.

"Are you here to awaken your Martial Souls? If so, follow me." The staff member of the Spirit Branch Hall saw Tie Li and guessed their purpose.

The father and son followed behind. Tie Niu waited in the lounge of the main hall, while Tie Li entered the exclusive room for Martial Soul Awakening.

"Another one? I hope this one doesn't disappoint me."

"Relax, walk in front of me."

Tie Li raised his gaze and saw a middle-aged man standing in the exact center of the room, wearing the attire unique to Spirit Hall Soul Masters. In front of him were six black stones arranged in a hexagonal shape.

Following his instructions, Tie Li walked to the middle of the hexagon.

"Don't be afraid. Close your eyes and feel it carefully."

The middle-aged Soul Master's body suddenly expanded, becoming exceptionally burly, and a layer of thick brown fur grew over his body.

One white and one yellow, two soul rings emerged beneath his feet.

Tie Li was also startled by the scene before him. Was this a Soul Master?

The longing in his heart suppressed the fear, and the leg he had initially raised out of fright pulled back down.

The middle-aged Soul Master nodded, a trace of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"This is an ability from a Martial Soul. If you can become a Soul Master, you will possess this power."

He saw the middle-aged Soul Master's hands strike out swiftly, and six golden rays of light flew out from the six black stones, forming a pale golden barrier of light.

Click.

It was as if something had shattered inside his body, and a strange sensation welled up from the bottom of his heart, accompanied by wisps of warm current.

A rare look of excitement appeared in Tie Li's eyes.

Could this be Soul Power?

"Extend your right hand."

Hearing the middle-aged Soul Master's voice, Tie Li instinctively extended his right hand.

In an instant, a forging hammer appeared in his right palm.

It was very similar to the forging hammer he used, almost identical, with the only difference being the weight; his Hammer Martial Soul was exceptionally heavy.

It seemed he had inherited his father's Martial Soul.

"It's a tool Martial Soul, and it possesses offensive power. Now we just have to see if it has born any innate soul power."

A soul master's innate soul power often depended on the quality of their Martial Soul. The more powerful the Martial Soul, the higher the innate soul power would be—the two were companion relationships!

"Use your mind to control the Martial Soul; you can release and retract it at will."

Tie Li tried it himself, and very easily retracted the Martial Soul back into his body.

At this time, the middle-aged soul master took out yet another blue crystal ball.

"Place your hand on the crystal."

Tie Li did as told, and his small, calloused hand gently touched the blue crystal ball.

Suddenly, it emitted a faint glow.

"Oh? Not bad, it's actually Rank 2 Innate Soul Power." There was a hint of surprise in the middle-aged man's voice.

For a hammer Martial Soul to actually have Rank 2 Innate Soul Power could be considered a rare occurrence.

Farm tool-type Martial Souls mostly did not produce soul power at all. For those with slightly better luck, being able to have half-rank innate soul power was already an extremely good result.

Tie Li was even more overjoyed in his heart. Confirming that he had born innate soul power meant he had the qualification to cultivate and could become a noble soul master.

"Go outside and register your information, and you can collect a basic meditation method to use for cultivation," the middle-aged soul master kindly reminded him.

"Alright, thank you very much, Lord Soul Master."

Tie Li hurriedly left the room and told his father this good news.

Hearing that his own son could become a soul master, Tie Niu was so happy he couldn't close his mouth.

"That's wonderful, that's wonderful. I'll go buy some good meat and dishes later, and tonight we'll go home and celebrate properly."

After registering his information and obtaining the meditation method issued by the Spirit Hall, Tie Li followed his father and left the Spirit Branch Hall.

A tile-roofed house in the commoner district, with two adjacent thatched huts next to it, was where Tie Li's family lived.

As soon as they returned home, Tie Niu, acting as a father, announced this good news, and the mother and two younger brothers all appeared very happy.

A commoner family producing a soul master—this was a major event that brought honor to one's ancestors.

Tie Li had already calmed down from his excitement and began to ponder his future path.

His own family was merely an ordinary commoner family in Manno City and lacked the qualifications of a work-study student. If they were to support him in entering a junior soul master academy, it would be a huge expense.

Yet if he gave up entering a soul master academy and fancied that he could build a soul master family just by relying on his understanding of anime and novels from his past life, wouldn't that seem far too naive?

Right, Tie Li's goal was to establish a soul master family.

A commoner soul master had no power of choice regarding their first soul ring; families that were even slightly well-off would choose to enter a soul master academy because the academy would help you acquire your first soul ring, even though it would only be a ten-year soul ring.