Martial Soul Awakening

Eastsea City, East Sea Orphanage.

The iron gate creaked, and a thin layer of fallen leaves accumulated in the courtyard.

Beneath the tung tree, a boy resembling a porcelain doll leaned against the trunk. Sunlight spilled over him, and his black hair, laced with a few strands of crimson, reflected a soft silvery light.

Feeling the gentle breeze brush his face, the boy opened his eyes, revealing orbs like black jade.

Ziyang counted on his fingers, tallying the days until his martial soul awakening.

Tomorrow, tomorrow is the day of my martial soul awakening. As long as I have soul power, I won't have to live in the orphanage anymore. I can live a better life, and if I have the ability, I must come back to renovate the orphanage... He constantly muttered to himself, his mind already fantasizing about his future after becoming a soul master.

The more he fantasized like this, the lonelier he felt.

His gaze turned toward the children playing nearby, feeling somewhat out of place among them.

Ziyang let out a long breath. As a transmigrator, he knew that the martial souls in this world were inherited from one's parents.

Yet he was an orphan and had no idea what his parents' martial souls were.

Thirty percent relied on mutation, seventy percent on luck, and the remaining ninety percent depended entirely on whether his parents pulled their weight.

Right now, he could only pray that his martial soul possessed soul power. Even rank one innate soul power meant he still had hope of becoming a soul master.

Even if in this lifetime, he might only ever be a grand soul master.

This was the era of the Legend of the Dragon King. Douluo Continent had transformed from a feudal monarchy into a federation.

External threats aside, this was an era where ordinary people lived relatively safely—provided they didn't board the same soul guidance train as Tang Wulin.

He stood up and walked over to the director. Her name was Yao Shiyu, a gentle-looking older sister who appeared to be in her early twenties, with a thick head of golden hair and a pair of black round-framed glasses.

"Ziyang, is there something you need?" The director squatted down and asked softly.

"Director Sister, tomorrow is the Spirit Pagoda's annual martial soul awakening day. I'll definitely be able to become a soul master." Confidence and a trace of hard-to-detect tension laced Ziyang's voice.

"Tomorrow, the director will certainly take you all. If you awaken soul power, you can become a soul master." The director nodded, but deep down, she didn't hold out hope that Ziyang could become a soul master. People who could become soul masters in this era were growing scarcer, let alone in her orphanage, which hadn't produced a single soul master since she took it over.

Seeing that the director still remembered, Ziyang felt much more at ease. Being an orphan, he could only rely on the Spirit Pagoda's once-a-year martial soul awakening day to awaken his martial soul. Right now, he could only pray that his martial soul was powerful.

He bade farewell to the director and headed straight for his dormitory.

The director watched Ziyang's retreating figure with a gentle smile. I hope this child won't be too heartbroken when the time comes.

In her eyes, Ziyang was the most well-behaved and sensible child in the orphanage—he didn't cry or make a fuss, yet he was out of place compared to the other kids.

His appearance, way of thinking, and even physical strength differed from the other children in the orphanage.

Walking into the dormitory, Ziyang lay straight down on his bed.

"I can awaken soul power. I definitely can. I'm a transmigrator after all."

The boy continuously encouraged himself in his heart, pondering what kinds of golden fingers other transmigrators had. The guy next door, Huohuo, had a powerful soul along with a set of outworld dao marks, and some even had systems right from the start.

As a transmigrator, even without a golden finger, he knew one piece of crucial information: after the plane upgraded and survived for ten thousand years, at least becoming a god wouldn't be a problem.

The boy closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. A streak of nine-colored energy silently blanketed his body, bringing him an inexplicable warmth.

The next day,

The warm morning sun spilled down from the sky.

The Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda was already packed to capacity at this moment.

This was Eastsea City's annual awakening day. Any commoners unable to awaken their martial souls at home would come here today.

The Spirit Pagoda was more than happy to oblige; any children who awakened their martial souls had to register at the Spirit Pagoda.

Geniuses with high innate soul power would be wooed by the Spirit Pagoda. If the wooing failed, there were still soul spirits to entice them, with exorbitant prices enough to make all commoner soul masters flinch in awe.

Talented soul masters who joined the Spirit Pagoda could obtain a free century soul spirit, and if their martial soul talent was exceptional enough, the pagoda members would personally select the most suitable soul ring for them.

Yao Shiyu also brought Ziyang and two children who had reached the age requirement outside the Spirit Pagoda to undergo the annual martial soul awakening ceremony.

The four stood in the hall, Ziyang watching children of similar age to him enter the hall accompanied by their parents, while one youth after another was led into the awakening room by soul masters.

Before long, his two orphan friends who had queued ahead of him, Mo Cheng and Tu Gong, were also led into two awakening rooms by soul masters.

When the two walked out of the awakening rooms, their expressions were desolate, their eyes devoid of any luster.

"Director, my martial soul is Blue Silver Grass, and I only have rank one soul power," Mo Cheng said dejectedly.

Tu Gong nodded and said, "Director, I'm also Blue Silver Grass, but I have rank two soul power."

Yao Shiyu squatted down to comfort them. "It's fine. At least there's still hope of becoming a soul master, isn't there?"

Yet she knew very well that with their status, perhaps only after they could live independently would they be able to afford their first soul spirit.

"Director..."

"Little friend, it's your turn. Come with me, I'll take you to awaken your martial soul." The soul master looked toward Ziyang, gazing at the exquisitely featured boy whose appearance profoundly highlighted an extraordinary status.

"Okay." Ziyang followed the soul master into the corridor, completely oblivious to the fact that the soul master's gaze had been sizing him up the entire time.

"Such looks, truly so handsome. He should be able to awaken soul power." The soul master muttered to himself.

Sometimes, a person's talent could be seen from their appearance; those powerhouses rarely had ugly faces.

Walking into the awakening room,

the soul master looked Ziyang up and down, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upward in a gentle yet professionally detached voice: "Little sister, don't be nervous. You can call me Su Haitao."

Ziyang's brows twitched imperceptibly, his fingers unconsciously pinching the corner of his clothes. Did he look that much like a girl? Were you the descendant of Douluo the Blind or something?

He pursed his lips, his voice dropping a fraction lower than usual: "Master Su Haitao, I'm actually a boy!"

"Cough, cough," Su Haitao's expression froze instantly, followed by a couple of dry coughs to cover his embarrassment. "I misjudged for a moment. Don't look at me like this, but one of my ancestors actually awakened as a true god."

"Do you know the Sea God? My ancestor awakened as that!"

Ziyang now confirmed why this guy was blind; he possessed the peerless material of a god king!

"Master, can we awaken the martial soul first?"

"No problem." Su Haitao adjusted his state and said, "Step into that circle first, and I will awaken your martial soul for you right now."

Ziyang took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and stepped into the formation.

"Relax, it's not that terrifying." Su Haitao's voice came from behind, carrying a hint of reassurance.

Immediately after, he gathered his soul power and injected it into the formation.

In an instant, the array patterns blazed with brilliant light, surging like a tide. A warm current climbed from the soles of Ziyang's feet, rapidly spreading throughout his entire body.