Awakening His Martial Soul!

"Next, Ling Xuqing!"

The weary, impatient voice of Su Yuntao, a Spirit Hall deacon, rang out inside the humble Spirit Hall of Wuxi Village.

Calling it a Spirit Hall was generous. It was little more than a slightly larger earthen house. The interior was dim, and the air still carried the smell of soil mixed with hay.

At Su Yuntao's call, a handsome six-year-old boy with a straight, poised figure stepped out from the crowd.

His short, brilliant dark-golden hair caught the sunlight, gleaming faintly. His skin was as fair as jade, and his features were so exquisite that he seemed almost otherworldly.

He was Ling Xuqing.

After arriving in Douluo Continent, Ling Xuqing had quickly pieced together his place in the timeline and the world from his surroundings and the villagers' chatter.

This was the world of Douluo I, Wuxi Village outside Nuoding City, in Fasinuo Province in the southwestern part of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Wuxi Village had been named for the five clear streams that crisscrossed it like a net, nourishing the land.

Wuxi Village lay in a remote area, bordering the Star Dou Great Forest. It was one of the Heaven Dou Empire's most far-flung settlements.

The border between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire lay not far ahead.

What struck Ling Xuqing as an even stranger twist of fate was that Holy Soul Village was right next door.

That's right, the village where Tang San lived—the man who would later attain Dual Godhood as the Asura God and Sea God, and who had once been an outer disciple assassin of the Tang Sect in his previous life, before stealing the Mysterious Heaven Skill and jumping off a cliff!

When Ling Xuqing first learned that Holy Soul Village was next door, he'd even considered going over to visit Tang San.

He knew it was Tang San's village because, after asking around, he'd learned that Holy Soul Village had a grumpy blacksmith who liked to drink, yet had extraordinarily skilled hands at the forge.

Ling Xuqing had immediately concluded that the man was Tang Hao.

That had also confirmed beyond doubt that he and Tang San were the same age.

However, after a brief moment's thought, Ling Xuqing gave up on the idea of making an appearance in Holy Soul Village.

Since Spirit Hall provided free Martial Soul awakenings for children of the proper age across Douluo Continent, why go out of his way?

He was better off staying quietly in Wuxi Village. After awakening his Martial Soul, he could go to the back mountain and finish fusing and condensing the Golden Dragon King's origin Soul Ring, Dragon Wings, Dragon Claws, and Golden Overlord Spear. There'd be plenty of time to deal with Tang San afterward.

After all, what he needed right now was to keep an absolutely low profile and build up his strength.

"That child is a real looker. What a shame none of our Wuxi Village ancestors ever produced a Soul Master." The village chief stood nearby, watching Ling Xuqing, and couldn't help shaking his head with a sigh.

It was true. Wuxi Village had never had a child awaken a Martial Soul before.

In this world, having no Martial Soul meant spending your whole life as an ordinary person, bent over the fields from dawn to dusk.

Ling Xuqing calmly walked to the center of the room and stood inside the awakening formation.

"Stand still, child. Close your eyes and focus on what you feel." As he spoke, Su Yuntao deftly placed six pitch-black round stones around the formation.

As he infused them with pale-blue Soul Power, the six stones lit up. A golden haze rose slowly from the ground and enveloped Ling Xuqing.

Ling Xuqing closed his eyes as instructed.

The instant the golden light surrounded him, he felt a warm, familiar power stir deep within him.

It was the Golden Dragon King's origin, sleeping in the depths of his bones and soul!

BOOM!

It was as if an ancient behemoth had opened its eyes inside Ling Xuqing.

In an instant, an overbearing, terrifying surge of Bloodline Power burst from his small body!

WHUM—

Under the impact of that dark-golden Bloodline Power, the pale-blue light Su Yuntao had released for the awakening shuddered violently, as if it might be crushed at any moment!

"W-what's going on?!"

Su Yuntao was horrified. A suffocating pressure rushed at him, forcing him to stumble back several steps, his eyes wide with shock.

It wasn't only Su Yuntao. The village chief and villagers standing nearby turned pale with fright and scrambled backward.

They didn't understand the power of Soul Masters, but their instincts told them that Ling Xuqing, standing at the center of the formation, had become terrifying—as if an unparalleled Ferocious Beast had put on a child's disguise!

ROAR!

A deep, distant dragon's roar echoed faintly through the awakening room.

Then Ling Xuqing slowly raised his right hand.

Brilliant dark-golden divine light erupted from his palm, illuminating the entire dim earthen house in an instant.

Within that golden radiance, so dense it seemed to have reached its limit, a golden spear slowly took shape. Its design was ancient and simple, and it emanated an overwhelming, domineering aura.

The spear was long and slender, its blade incomparably sharp. Ancient dragon runes flowed across it. Even hovering motionless, it gave off a keen pressure, as if it could pierce the firmament.

The Golden Overlord Spear!

When Ling Xuqing opened his eyes, the brilliant golden light slowly receded like a tide, streaming back into his body.

He stood quietly where he was, holding the golden spear in his hand, his expression utterly calm.

The awakening room fell into deathly silence.

The village chief and villagers stared with their eyes wide and mouths agape, as if they'd forgotten how to breathe.

They didn't recognize this Martial Soul, but the dazzling golden radiance and the terrifying aura coming from the spear told them one thing: this Martial Soul was no ordinary one!

"Th-this is..." Su Yuntao swallowed, his voice trembling.

As a Spirit Hall deacon, he'd traveled far and seen many Martial Souls. But he'd never seen one like this golden spear, whose mere appearance carried such terrifying pressure. It was unquestionably a top-tier Martial Soul!

He could hardly believe that a Martial Soul had awakened in Wuxi Village, a godforsaken place where no Soul Master had ever come from—and that the one to awaken was so astonishing!

"S-so powerful!"

Su Yuntao drew a deep breath, forcing down his shock. He hurriedly pulled a blue-glowing test crystal ball from his robes. "Quick, child. Put your hand on it so we can test your Soul Power!"

Ling Xuqing nodded slightly and withdrew the Golden Overlord Spear into his body. Then he raised his right hand and gently placed it on the crystal ball.

WHUM!

The instant Ling Xuqing's hand touched the crystal ball, it erupted in dazzling blue light!

The radiance was even brighter than when Su Yuntao had released his Martial Soul. The entire crystal ball seemed to blaze to life, filled to the brim with blue light, without a single dark corner left.

Su Yuntao stared at the shining crystal ball, his pupils contracting violently as his hands began to tremble.

He jerked his head up and looked at Ling Xuqing with utter shock and fervor. His voice cracked with excitement as he cried out:

"I-it's... Innate Full Soul Power!!!"