Noumenon Martial Soul, Noumenon!

Watching the clergyman extend his large hand, Meng Xinghe reached out and took it like a real child, following him toward the awakening room.

Blend with the light and become one with the dust; unfurl and withdraw with the times. Hide scales and fold wings; wait for the winds and clouds.

Become one with the light, like dust in the mundane world, displaying one's talents as the times changed; conceal one's scales like a fish and fold one's wings like a bird, waiting for the right moment as circumstances shifted in preparation for what lay ahead.

He had not forgotten these principles.

Since he had chosen to cultivate anew, he naturally had to abandon the pride of being a powerhouse.

There was more than one awakening room. The clergyman led Meng Xinghe by the hand into one that had just become vacant.

The acolyte responsible for awakening Martial Souls had just seen off a family when he noticed the priest entering with a little boy.

Like priests, acolytes were lower-ranking clergy members of the Holy Spirit Cult.

The ranks of Holy Spirit Cult clergy, from highest to lowest, were:

Pope, Cardinal Archbishop, Archbishop, Bishop, Pastor, Acolyte, Priest.

Priests were the lowest-ranking clergy, and their cultivation could not be below that of a Soul Master.

Acolytes ranked above priests, and their cultivation could not be below that of a Soul Elder.

Those dispatched to travel around various regions for awakening assignments were priests at the Soul Grandmaster level.

Meanwhile, the task of awakening Martial Souls within churches was handled by acolytes, who ranked one level above priests.

Inside the awakening room, the elderly acolyte did not say much.

At his age, what had he not seen? A child coming alone to the church to awaken a Martial Soul was hardly unusual.

"Come, child. Walk to the center of the formation."

The old acolyte's voice was aged yet gentle. He wore white robes, and his beard and hair were both white. Already kind-looking, his identity as a Soul Master with a light attribute made him seem even more approachable.

Meng Xinghe nodded obediently, then walked to the center of the formation and stood still.

As he watched the elderly acolyte activate the awakening formation, he suddenly missed Su Yuntao a little.

If that man had awakened his Martial Soul, perhaps the Martial Soul he awakened would have become even stronger... Just kidding.

The times had progressed. A mix-up like "a useless Martial Soul with Innate Full Soul Power" could no longer happen.

The quality of a Martial Soul was directly proportional to Innate Soul Power. This Martial Soul theory had long since become common knowledge among Soul Masters.

Martial Souls came in countless strange varieties, and useless Martial Souls did exist, but a Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power could never awaken a useless Martial Soul.

Therefore, even if Su Yuntao truly traveled to this era, he would not be able to utter that classic line.

Under normal circumstances, a Soul Beast taking human form would possess only one Martial Soul: itself before taking form. The sole exception was a Million-Year Soul Beast.

That was because a Million-Year Soul Beast could grant a Soul Master a new Martial Soul slot, just as Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had granted Huo Yuhao "Soulless Ice."

Meng Xinghe was a Million-Year Soul Beast in human form, so he would awaken Twin Martial Souls. Besides his former self before taking human form, he would awaken another Martial Soul...

"Meng Xinghe. Martial Soul: noumenon. Innate Full Soul Power."

Looking at the awakening result, the elderly acolyte was astonished. Yet when he looked at Meng Xinghe, his gaze also carried a trace of regret and blessing.

He was astonished because a child from a commoner background had actually awakened the talent of Innate Full Soul Power.

After all, the annual Awakening Day was intended for families without the means to awaken Martial Souls themselves. Such families were basically ordinary people, with no Soul Masters among their ancestors.

Since Martial Souls originated from bloodline inheritance, it was naturally a low-probability event for a commoner's child to awaken a Martial Soul with Soul Power. A genius with high Innate Soul Power was even rarer, not to mention a genius with Innate Full Soul Power.

The odds were no less than finding a golden phoenix in a chicken coop.

What he regretted was that such a genius with Innate Full Soul Power could not join the Holy Spirit Cult because his Martial Soul did not possess a sacred or light attribute.

Since the child had no connection to the Holy Spirit Cult, all he could do was offer his blessings. He hoped this child could change his life through this exceptional talent and have a future filled with promise.

Ah, a Noumenon Martial Soul of the noumenon itself. This is the highest-grade Noumenon Martial Soul. What a pity. The Holy Spirit Cult's rules are clear: Soul Masters without sacred or light attributes cannot join the cult.

The old acolyte lamented inwardly.

All Martial Souls originated from bloodlines. Only Noumenon Martial Souls came from the Soul Masters themselves rather than inherited bloodlines from their ancestors.

Thus, aside from those whose father or mother possessed a Noumenon Martial Soul, most Soul Masters who awakened one were children born into commoner families.

Moreover, Noumenon Martial Souls were the strongest Martial Souls that children from commoner families could awaken, because flawless mutated Martial Souls were exceedingly rare.

A good talent paired with a flawed mutated Martial Soul was inferior to a good talent paired with a Noumenon Martial Soul suited to that talent.

The quality of a Noumenon Martial Soul was closely tied to the organs of the human body. The more important the organ it contained, the higher the quality of the Martial Soul.

For example, the human heart and Brain were both extremely important organs.

Noumenon Martial Souls of the heart and Brain were also among the highest-grade Noumenon Martial Souls.

Merely involving one of the body's vital organs made it a top-grade Noumenon Martial Soul. A Noumenon Martial Soul encompassing every organ in the entire human body was the absolute highest-grade Noumenon Martial Soul—without equal!

The Noumenon Martial Soul of the noumenon itself encompassed everything that made up the human body.

It could be a spiritual-attribute Martial Soul, because it contained the Brain and every part of the human body related to the spirit.

And in this day and age, the most important thing for Soul Masters was spiritual power!

Soul Masters were closely tied to Martial Souls, Martial Souls to Soul Rings, Soul Rings to Soul Spirits, and Soul Spirits to spiritual power.

If one's spiritual power did not meet the standard, one could not absorb a Soul Spirit.

How many Soul Masters had their cultivation stagnate, not because their cultivation talent was insufficient, but because their spiritual power did not meet the standard and they could not accommodate a new Soul Spirit?

A spiritual-attribute Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power was a guaranteed seedling for becoming a Titled Douluo.

If the Body Sect learned of such a genius, they would probably be delighted beyond madness.

However, the first to arrive had the advantage. Though this child had no connection to the Holy Spirit Cult, the Spirit Pagoda next door would certainly not let such a promising talent slip away.

Why else would a branch of the Spirit Pagoda be built right beside a branch of the Holy Spirit Cult, if not for this advantage?

What, all Soul Masters with Noumenon Martial Souls belonged to the Body Sect? The Spirit Pagoda did not care for that nonsense!

With that thought, the old acolyte bent down and gently stroked Meng Xinghe's smooth, soft hair. As an elder, he gave this innocent child, still ignorant of the ways of the world, a piece of advice untainted by any factional stance.

The Holy Spirit Cult held such lofty status in the hearts of ordinary people because it provided free Martial Soul awakenings. But!

The Holy Spirit Cult's lofty standing in the Soul Master world was not based merely on strength, but also on forging goodwill far and wide.

"...Here, this is your Martial Soul Awakening Certificate. It bears the Holy Spirit Cult's anti-counterfeit authentication, as well as your Martial Soul awakening information."

"With this, you can easily join any of the Federation's major factions without needing to prove your talent."