Martial Soul Awakening

"Xiao Qing, get up! Lord Soul Master from Spirit Hall is here to awaken your martial soul!"

Outside, a stooped old man was knocking on a broken wooden door.

"Got it, Grandpa John."

A childish voice came from inside. Soon after, a skinny little boy with bright eyes emerged from the house.

The boy was around 1.1 meters tall, delicate and adorable. If not for the slight frame caused by long-term malnutrition, he would surely have been a much-loved little child.

The boy's name was Lin Qing. He had transmigrated into this world six years ago, and after learning about it, he discovered that he had actually arrived in Douluo Continent.

The original Lin Qing had once had a fairly happy family, but good times did not last. On their way to Nuoding City to buy supplies, Lin Qing's parents encountered bandits and died tragically. From then on, he became an orphan, growing up in Dihun Village on meals provided by the villagers.

Old John was the village chief of Dihun Village.

Following Old John out, Lin Qing headed toward the village's Spirit Hall.

Calling it Spirit Hall was generous. It was really just a somewhat larger wooden house.

"Old John, are all the children here for their martial soul awakening today?"

In front of Spirit Hall stood an elegant young man in his twenties. He had a few traces of fatigue in his eyes, clearly having already awakened many martial souls today. Even as a soul master, traveling through several villages in succession was exhausting.

"Master Su, this is the last one. They're all here." Old John held Lin Qing's hand, gave him a push, and sent him into the line of children waiting for their martial souls to be awakened.

Lin Qing glanced over the other children. Including himself, there were only seven in total. These were all the age-appropriate children in Dihun Village this year.

"Since everyone is here, come into Spirit Hall with me to awaken your martial souls." Su Yuntao forced himself to perk up.

"Finally, it's time to awaken my martial soul? I wonder what mine will be. I just hope it won't be complete trash. As long as I have Soul Power, that'll be enough."

When Lin Qing first learned that he had transmigrated to Douluo Continent, the so-called "bottom of the fantasy power scale," he had actually been rather excited. Though Douluo Continent's power level was unimpressive, becoming a god meant eternal life. How could that not be thrilling and alluring?

But after the excitement faded, Lin Qing gradually calmed down. Although he was a transmigrator, he had neither a system nor an absurdly powerful inherited technique like Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill.

He was merely the child of ordinary people. According to Douluo Continent's bloodline theory, he was very likely to awaken a useless martial soul and might not even possess any Soul Power. After all, his parents had also been ordinary people without Soul Power. That reality was enough to make anyone despair.

After entering Spirit Hall, the doors closed. Lin Qing stood in a row with the other children in the hall, waiting for their martial souls to be awakened.

"You, first."

Su Yuntao pointed at Sun Ergou, who stood at the far left, signaling for him to come forward.

Then, under Sun Ergou's nervous gaze, Su Yuntao took six pitch-black stones from his bag and arranged them around him in a six-pointed star formation. Then, before the children's horrified eyes, he shouted, "Lone Wolf, possess me!"

A faint cyan light emerged from the center of his brow, traveled upward along his forehead, and entered his hair.

Su Yuntao's hair had originally been black, but the moment the cyan light entered it, it turned gray and rapidly lengthened. Fur of the same color appeared on his exposed hands, while his body seemed to swell considerably, becoming packed with muscle.

Then, two rings slowly rose from beneath Su Yuntao's feet. One was white, and one was yellow. The two rings emitted a faint pressure as they slowly revolved around him.

"Ah—" At the terrifying sight, Sun Ergou nearly lost his soul. Frightened out of his wits, he immediately tried to turn and flee. The other children trembled as well. Only Lin Qing felt no fear at all. Instead, he was filled with excitement and exhilaration, along with an almost imperceptible trace of nervousness.

Seeing Sun Ergou trying to run, Su Yuntao immediately grabbed his shoulder. "Don't be afraid. This is my martial soul, Lone Wolf. If you can become soul masters, you'll have abilities like this too."

After some comforting, the children finally settled down, though they still looked somewhat frightened.

Next, Su Yuntao began channeling Soul Power into the six-pointed star formation.

"Child, close your eyes and carefully feel your martial soul."

Sun Ergou closed his eyes. The six-pointed star formation emitted a faint glow, and indistinct particles of light flowed into his body.

"Child, stretch out your right hand and release your martial soul."

With that, Sun Ergou summoned his martial soul.

"Sickle. It has some offensive capability. Child, place your hand on this crystal ball and test your Soul Power."

Su Yuntao took a transparent crystal ball from his clothes and placed it before Sun Ergou. Sun Ergou put his hand on the crystal ball, but it showed no reaction whatsoever.

"What a pity. No Soul Power. You cannot become a soul master. Next."

Hearing Su Yuntao's verdict, Sun Ergou looked dejected. After all, who did not want to become a soul master? Unfortunately, he had no Soul Power and could only remain an ordinary person for the rest of his life.

"Blue Silver Grass. Useless martial soul. Next."

"Iron Hammer. No Soul Power. Next."

"Next."

"Next."

None of the first six children possessed Soul Power, which made Su Yuntao increasingly irritated. Even his tone had become impatient.

As the last one, Lin Qing stepped into the six-pointed star formation.

As Su Yuntao injected Soul Power, particles of light poured into Lin Qing's body, making him feel a wave of warmth.

"Stretch out your right hand."

Following the instruction, Lin Qing slowly extended his right hand. As the light particles flowed in, he felt as though something were about to emerge from it.

Just as he was about to open his palm, he suddenly felt that something also seemed ready to emerge from his left hand.

"This feeling... could it be Twin Martial Souls?!" The thought made Lin Qing instantly excited, but he quickly suppressed his emotions.

Lin Qing spread open his right hand while clenching his left tightly, refusing to expose his second martial soul.

As he opened his palm, specks of blue-white light gathered within it. More and more light particles continuously converged there.

A streak of black light flashed past, and a black katana slowly appeared in Lin Qing's right palm.

"This is... a Nichirin Blade?!"

Of course Lin Qing recognized the Nichirin Blade. It was the weapon issued to the Demon Slayer Corps in the anime Demon Slayer from his previous life.

At the sight of the blade, Lin Qing immediately remembered that he had just watched the theatrical release of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle at the cinema. Yet on his way home, Immortal Lord Dayun had crashed into him and knocked him to the ground, leaving him unable to rise again.

"A blade. Not a bad martial soul." As though he had finally encountered someone who might possess Soul Power, Su Yuntao's expression visibly brightened.

"Little friend, what is your martial soul called?" Su Yuntao asked as kindly as he could.

"Uncle, my martial soul is called the Nichirin Blade."

"Nichirin Blade, huh? That's a good name. Come, little friend, test your Soul Power." With that, Su Yuntao handed Lin Qing the crystal ball used to test Soul Power.

Without hesitation, Lin Qing withdrew his martial soul into his body, then placed his right hand on the crystal ball.

The next moment, the crystal ball erupted with an incomparably dazzling radiance. Light filled the entire crystal ball, illuminating the whole Spirit Hall.

"This... this is..." Su Yuntao's breathing quickened. "In-Innate Full Soul Power! Another Innate Full Soul Power!"