A bitter wind swept across the Northern Border of the Heaven Dou Empire.
On the wasteland, a temporary martial soul awakening camp stood in silence.
This stretch of northern territory was harsh and sparsely populated, yet it was one of the Heaven Dou Empire's regions with the deepest foundations.
Over the past ten thousand years, countless top soul masters had emerged from here.
Today, the Heaven Dou Empire's new martial soul awakening pilot program would officially launch here.
Twelve veteran awakeners specially dispatched from Shrek City raced toward the site aboard three standard-issue soul-powered aircraft.
With utmost efficiency, they gathered every eligible child from the villages and towns within a hundred li, assembling them on the open ground outside the Northern Border's Capital City.
On the raised platform, the seating hierarchy was clear, and an oppressive aura hung in the air.
Du Busi occupied the seat of honor, his bearing lazy and imperious, his faint aura enveloping the surroundings.
Beside him, Purple Lightning Douluo Lei Li sat steady and composed, while Xuanwu Douluo looked imposing and solemn.
As Shrek's representative, Yan Shaozhe sat beside Purple Lightning Douluo, holding a roster with an unruffled expression.
In a guest seat to one side sat an elderly man dressed in an exquisitely tailored robe from the Sun Moon Empire.
He was Song Huaiyuan, a senior member of the Sun Moon Empire's Worship Hall and a ninth-level soul engineer.
Kong Deming had personally assigned him to coordinate cross-border cooperation for the continent's martial soul awakening pilot programs.
In the seats at the far end of the platform, the old master of the Sky Dragon Gate and the Old Sect Master of Heavenly Sword Sect sat unobtrusively, observing in silence throughout.
Song Huaiyuan lifted his celadon teacup, gently blew away the foam, and was the