Crippled-Winged Xiao Jin Beast, Innate Soul Power Level One (Please Bookmark and Follow!)

Douluo Continent, Spirit Hall's Azure Stone Sub-Hall.

Morning sunlight crossed the mountains beyond the town and spilled over the stone steps before the sub-hall.

More than a dozen children who had reached the age of six stood in two rows, while parents and townsfolk crowded behind them, their hushed discussions blending together.

Today was Bluestone Town's annual martial soul awakening ceremony.

For ordinary people, this day could change their entire lives.

Awakening a martial soul was nothing unusual. Everyone on Douluo Continent possessed one.

What truly mattered was whether they possessed innate soul power.

As long as one had innate soul power, even with an average martial soul, they could embark upon the path of a soul master.

With a bit of luck, reaching the realm of Great Soul Master or Soul Elder in the future could give an entire family a completely different life.

At the end of the line, Chu Jin stood quietly.

His clothes had been washed until they had faded white, but his cuffs were kept exceptionally neat.

His six-year-old body was not particularly tall, yet his back stood straight. His dark eyes rested on the awakening formation ahead, showing little sign of nervousness.

Chu Lie, standing behind him, was far more anxious instead.

Chu Lie was tall and sturdy, his exposed arms covered in burn marks and small scars. His rough palms kept rubbing against the hem of his clothes.

As the best blacksmith in Bluestone Town, he normally would not even blink while swinging a forge hammer weighing dozens of pounds. Yet now, his breathing was noticeably heavy.

"Little Jin, relax."

Chu Lie lowered his head and said in a subdued voice, "Your father's martial soul was the Dragon-Patterned Spear, and your mother's was the Lightfeather Bird. No matter what, yours can't be too bad."

Chu Jin glanced back at him.

"Uncle, you've said that seventeen times from home all the way to the sub-hall entrance."

Chu Lie's expression stiffened.

"Have I?"

"Yes."

Chu Jin answered with complete certainty.

Chu Lie coughed twice and forcibly changed the subject. "Remember to follow Steward Ma's instructions after you go in. If he tells you to hold out your hand, hold it out. If he tells you to close your eyes, close them. Martial soul awakening is a serious matter. Don't mess around like you do when you're smithing."

"When have I ever messed around while smithing?"

"Who was it that smashed a freshly forged iron blank into the water vat with one hammer two days ago?"

"The hammer handle broke."

"Then who bent the new tongs I bought yesterday?"

"The tongs were poor quality."

Chu Lie opened his mouth, but for a moment, he truly could not find anything to say in rebuttal.

Ever since childhood, Chu Jin had been somewhat stronger than ordinary children.

However, that strength was not so exaggerated that anyone would think he had been born with divine power. When the town's children roughhoused, he merely had a slight advantage.

Chu Lie had always believed this was the physique he inherited from his mother's beast martial soul.

Ahead, the awakening ceremony had already begun.

Steward Ma, who oversaw the ceremony, was a Great Soul Master in his twenties. Nearly forty years old, he wore Spirit Hall's standard robe. He was not especially warm, but neither did he deliberately put on an air of superiority.

The first child entered the six-pointed awakening formation.

All six black awakening stones lit up at once. Golden motes rose from within the stones and entered the child's body.

A moment later, a hoe appeared in the child's hand.

Steward Ma then had him place his hand on the crystal ball.

The crystal ball showed no reaction.

"Martial soul: hoe. No innate soul power."

The child left the formation in disappointment.

The next few children were much the same. Some awakened sickles, some wooden sticks, and some beast martial souls such as chickens or yellow dogs, yet none possessed innate soul power.

It was not until a little boy dressed in fine clothes stepped into the formation and awakened a Gray Wolf martial soul that the crystal ball emitted a faint glow.

"Martial soul: Gray Wolf. Innate soul power level three."

Steward Ma finally revealed a hint of a smile.

The boy's parents flushed red with excitement, and the surrounding townsfolk offered their congratulations.

As the boy walked out of the formation, he deliberately glanced at Chu Jin and lifted his chin slightly.

Over the past few years, the adults in town had often used the fact that both of Chu Jin's parents were soul masters to lecture their own children. Now that he had been the first to awaken innate soul power, he naturally wanted to see what result Chu Jin would achieve.

The ceremony continued.

Of the dozen or so children, only Chu Jin soon remained.

Steward Ma turned a page in the register, his gaze lingering on it for a moment.

"Chu Jin."

"Father, Chu Xiao. Martial soul: Dragon-Patterned Spear. Soul Elder, level thirty-seven before his death."

"Mother, Lin Yu. Martial soul: Lightfeather Bird. Soul Elder, level thirty-four before her death."

The voices in the hall gradually fell silent.

Three years ago, the Bloodfang Evil Soul Group had attacked villages near Bluestone Town. Chu Xiao and Lin Yu, as members of Spirit Hall's grassroots soul-hunting squad, had died in that battle protecting the villagers.

Many people in town had known them.

When Steward Ma looked at Chu Jin, his tone softened somewhat as well.

"Step in."

Chu Jin entered the awakening formation.

Chu Lie stood at the very front of the crowd, his large hands unconsciously clenching tight, the veins on their backs bulging.

Steward Ma released his martial soul, and two yellow soul rings rose beneath his feet.

The phantom of a brown hunting hound emerged behind him. He raised a hand and sent out six streams of soul power, each entering one of the six awakening stones.

"Close your eyes and feel carefully."

Chu Jin obeyed and closed his eyes.

Golden motes continuously flowed into his body. A warm power rose from the soles of his feet, traveled up his legs, passed through his waist, abdomen, and chest, and finally gathered in his right hand.

He could feel something awakening within him.

That aura was ancient and powerful, yet it seemed bound layer upon layer by heavy shackles, barely able to force out the tiniest fraction of itself.

Chu Jin raised his right hand.

Golden light gathered above his palm.

Under everyone's gaze, a palm-sized golden beast fell out of the light.

Plop.

The little beast landed on all fours, swayed twice, failed to steady itself, tilted its head, and rolled across the center of the formation.

The hall instantly fell silent.

The little beast was round and plump, with short limbs and two small fleshy horns on its head that had not fully grown in.

Behind it was only one incomplete golden wing. The other side was bare, without even a single feather.

It climbed back up, looked around blankly, then waddled toward Chu Jin on its short legs.

Halfway there, it tripped over its own front paw.

Splat.

It fell over for the second time.

Someone in the crowd could not help laughing.

"What kind of martial soul is that?"

"It looks like an undergrown piglet with an extra wing on its back."

"Chu Xiao had the Dragon-Patterned Spear, and Lin Yu had the Lightfeather Bird. Did their two bloodlines collide and mutate into something like this?"

Steward Ma frowned tightly and crouched down to observe it carefully.

Sensing an unfamiliar aura, the little beast immediately hid behind Chu Jin's leg, poking out only half its head as it watched him warily.

Steward Ma released a thread of soul power to examine it.

The little beast indeed carried traces of dragon and light attributes, but both powers were pitifully weak. Its body structure was also entirely different from any existing dragon-type martial soul.

After a moment of silence, he finally shook his head.

"The martial soul has undergone an unknown mutation."

"Based on its current manifestation, it should be an external beast martial soul with minor dragon and light attributes. However, its bloodline is severely incomplete, and the direction of mutation is far from ideal."

That was already an extremely tactful way to put it.

The onlookers all understood.

A detrimental mutation.

The expectation on Chu Lie's face quickly faded, replaced by unconcealed heartache in his eyes.

He did not blame Chu Jin, nor did he show any disgust. He merely took half a step forward in silence, as though worried Chu Jin would not be able to bear the surrounding discussion.

Steward Ma pointed to the crystal ball beside him.

"Test your soul power."

Chu Jin pressed his hand onto it.

A faint blue light rose from within the crystal ball, filling only a small patch at the very bottom.

Steward Ma took one look.

"Innate soul power level one."

Muted discussions rose all around them.

"Only level one?"

"Looks like it really is a detrimental mutation."

"Both parents were Soul Elders, yet their child only has level one soul power. What a pity."

The finely dressed boy who had awakened the Gray Wolf martial soul could no longer suppress the curl of his lips.

With innate soul power level one, even with the basic meditation method provided by Spirit Hall, whether he could break through level twenty in this lifetime was questionable.

Chu Jin looked down at the little beast by his leg.

The little beast seemed to sense his gaze. It raised its head, its large black eyes blinking, then patted his trouser leg with its incomplete wing.

As if it were comforting him.

Chu Jin crouched down and picked it up.

The little beast's body was warm and heavier than it looked. Once it nestled into his arms, it rubbed its head against him and let out a soft grunt.

"It's fine."

Chu Jin spoke softly.

It was unclear whether he was comforting it or responding to Chu Lie behind him.

Chu Lie immediately stepped forward and placed a broad hand on Chu Jin's shoulder.

"Come on, let's go home."

"Having lower soul power isn't a big deal. We still have the smithy. Your uncle has saved up some money over the past few years. Even if you don't become a soul master, I can still raise you plump and healthy."

Chu Jin looked up at him.

"I don't want to be plump and healthy."

"Then you'll be strong and sturdy."

Chu Lie answered without hesitation.

Quite a few people around them wore complicated expressions.

They had originally worried that Chu Lie would be disappointed. After all, Chu Jin's parents had both possessed decent talent before their deaths. Who could have expected their child to awaken such a martial soul?

Yet Chu Lie did not mention talent at all. He only feared that Chu Jin would feel bad.

Warmth stirred in Chu Jin's heart.

Just as he prepared to leave the awakening formation, a cold voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

[Detected that the host has completed martial soul awakening.]

[Hextech System activated.]

[Drawing initial Hextech options.]

Chu Jin's steps paused slightly.

The next moment, five panels of light visible only to him unfolded before his eyes.

[One, New Recruit: Open an additional martial soul slot and awaken the intrinsic martial soul most compatible with the host's soul.]

[Two, Level Up!: Immediately increase soul power by two levels. Thereafter, for every two levels gained through personal cultivation, gain an additional level.]

[Three, Rule the Field: Awaken Overlord Army. The more enemies there are and the stronger the followers' conviction, the greater the army's enhancement.]

[Four, Living Forge: Immediately obtain one divine artifact forge. Thereafter, obtain one every fifteen years.]

[Five, Golden Egg: Hatches after twelve years, granting an unknown reward.]

Chu Jin's breathing did not change, but his mind was rapidly analyzing the options.

Living Forge was certainly powerful.

Obtaining a divine artifact now would let him dominate the early stages with ease.

The problem was equally obvious.

He was not even a soul master yet. There was no way to explain producing a divine artifact, and power that far exceeded his own might not be something he could truly wield.

Golden Egg took too long.

Twelve years from now, he would already be eighteen.

The initial Hextech choice concerned his early foundation. There was no need to stake one option on an unknown reward.

The remaining three options each had a very clear direction.

New Recruit solved the issue of martial soul quantity and potential.

Level Up! solved the cultivation speed problem caused by innate soul power level one.

Rule the Field was a growth path whose upper limit was currently impossible to see.

Chu Jin did not hesitate.

"Choose one, two, and three."

[Selection confirmed.]

[New Recruit, Level Up!, and Rule the Field have taken effect.]

A warm current of soul power quietly flowed into every part of his body.

The little beast in Chu Jin's arms suddenly raised its head, as if it had sensed the change in him.

At the same time, a faint burning sensation arose deep within his eyes.

A barely visible dark-gold ring appeared around his black pupils.

Within one pupil, a second pupil slowly split open.

Chu Jin's vision changed.

The soul power within everyone around him became clearly flowing lines. Muscle exertion, breathing rhythms, emotional changes—everything was laid bare before his eyes.

He lowered his head and looked at the little beast in his arms.

The dragon and light attributes that had been blurry just moments ago now transformed into dense golden patterns.

Those patterns overlapped layer upon layer, like countless seals yet to be opened, concealing a terrifying aura that made one's heart tremble.

A line of golden text slowly appeared above the little beast's head.

[Twelve-Winged Holy Dragon Hatchling.]

Chu Jin watched for a few breaths, the corners of his lips curling slightly.

Malignant mutation?

It seemed these people had misjudged it.