The First Martial Soul Awakening on the Dou Qi Continent

Without another word, Xiao Yan lunged forward in excitement, ready to give Lu Chuan a bear hug.

Lu Chuan looked disgusted and raised a foot to stop him.

The force brought Xiao Yan to a dead halt, planting his face squarely against the sole of Lu Chuan's shoe.

"Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!"

Xiao Yan hurried back several steps, frantically wiping his mouth with his sleeve, his face crumpling in horror.

"Big brother! That's disgusting! It's not hygienic!"

He smacked his lips. A strange, pungent stench lingered in his mouth, growing fouler the more he tasted it. Puzzled, he asked,

"Big brother, what on earth did you step in? Why does it stink so much?"

Lu Chuan calmly glanced at the sole of his shoe and replied offhandedly,

"Oh, I stepped in shit. You know how it is. Some remote places are underdeveloped, so it's normal for people to squat out in the open."

"Urgh—!!"

Xiao Yan's face went deathly pale. His stomach churned like an overturned sea, and he began dry-heaving on the spot.

Yao Lao burst out laughing without restraint.

"Hahaha! Little Flame, you've tasted shit now. On that count, this old man can't compare with you. Hahaha—"

Xun'er covered her mouth with a soft laugh. Senior Lu Chuan had such an amusing way with words.

Squat out in the open?

He must mean relieving oneself wherever one pleased, right? Xun'er grew even more curious about that world called the Douluo Continent.

But if she wanted to understand that world, she needed to learn about Martial Souls first.

She took out the two Cultivation Methods they had agreed on from her Naji, one Low Earth Rank and the other High Black Rank.

"Senior Lu Chuan, the Cultivation Methods are here. Can you awaken my Martial Soul now?"

"And here's the payment for Little Flame's Martial Soul: a batch of Foundation Establishment Spiritual Liquid and its pill formula."

Yao Lao took twenty bottles of Foundation Establishment Spiritual Liquid and a pill formula from Xiao Yan's Naji and set them on the ground.

"Of course."

Lu Chuan stored everything in System Space, then took out the six Spirit Awakening Stones.

Martial Soul Possession!

The Imperial Heirloom Seal floated slowly into the air, radiating dazzling light. Within it, the faint shapes of five eastern dragons seemed to swim.

Thud—

Xiao Yan dropped to his knees as expected. Paying no attention to his posture, he stared fixedly at the Imperial Heirloom Seal Martial Soul in Lu Chuan's hand.

"Holy shit! Big brother, your Martial Soul is incredible! An imperial seal!!"

Xun'er trembled too. Under the crushing pressure of that supreme imperial might, her body bent slightly against her will.

Just then, a brilliant golden flame flared deep within her eyes.

The Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame hidden inside her quietly awakened a tiny trace of its source. The terrifying power of the Heavenly Flame surged through her body and held back the vast imperial might.

The immense pressure around her vanished. Xun'er straightened and gazed intently at the Imperial Heirloom Seal floating in midair.

What a terrifying Martial Soul. Without the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame's help, I might have lost all ability to resist. I wonder what Martial Soul I'll awaken?

Lu Chuan looked at the brilliant golden flames dancing in Xun'er's eyes and could not help marveling inwardly.

Good grief. Heavenly Flames were ridiculously powerful in this world. They could even resist suppression through the bloodline.

It looked like the Imperial Heirloom Seal's power to suppress humans was limited before he obtained a Spirit Ring. No matter. Its pressure should grow stronger as its level rose.

Lu Chuan then withdrew the seal's suppressive pressure.

Soul Power poured into the Awakening Stones, which glowed gold and slowly rose.

Golden halos intertwined and coiled together, forming a sacred circle of light that hung motionless over the open ground before them.

"Stand inside the circle. Don't resist. Follow what you feel inside your body."

Xun'er nodded slightly. She was about to step into the golden light cast by the Awakening Stones when a figure darted forward and blocked her path.

Ling Ying looked respectful, but his tone was firm.

"Miss, please let Young Master Xiao Yan awaken first."

Xiao Yan's mouth twitched. Well, damn. He was clearly worried something might go wrong, so he wanted to use me as a guinea pig before Xun'er tried it!

"Then I'll go first."

Xiao Yan spread his hands helplessly and stepped forward.

"Thank you, Cousin Xiao Yan."

Xun'er thanked him softly, then obediently stepped aside and stood quietly.

Lu Chuan did not mind. Either one could go first.

Once Xiao Yan stood in the designated spot, Lu Chuan poured in Soul Power again, and the Spirit Awakening Stones began spinning rapidly.

Standing inside the formation, Xiao Yan closed his eyes. Warmth spread through his entire body.

An unfamiliar but gentle force flowed through his limbs and Meridians before gathering in the palm of his right hand.

He raised his right arm and opened his hand without thinking. A searing, dazzling flame burst from his palm.

Xiao Yan's eyes flew open. He stared at the flame dancing in his palm, his gaze full of delight.

"So this is my Martial Soul?!"

Lu Chuan withdrew his Soul Power, and the floating Awakening Stones slowly stopped spinning.

His gaze settled on the flame in Xiao Yan's hand. Voicing the question on everyone's mind, he asked,

"Xiao Yan, what's your Martial Soul called?"

Xiao Yan scratched his head and grinned. "Heh, my Martial Soul is called Emberfire."

Yao Lao drifted to Xiao Yan's side and carefully sensed the Emberfire. He shook his head.

"Little Flame, don't celebrate too soon. Right now, your Martial Soul is about on par with an ordinary Beast Flame. It's hardly powerful."

The delight on Xiao Yan's face barely faded. Still grinning, he said,

"Teacher, I'm happy with it. You know what my family's like. As long as I didn't awaken a hoe or something, I'm thrilled.

"Besides, after awakening my Martial Soul, I gained a special energy inside me. It should be the Soul Power Big Brother mentioned. It's raised me to the fourth stage of Dou Qi. I've come out way ahead!"

Yao Lao paused, then shook his head with an amused smile.

"With an outlook like yours, you're bound to go far."

Xiao Yan scratched the back of his head and laughed sheepishly.

With Xiao Yan's Martial Soul awakened, Lu Chuan's transaction with him was complete.

Ding! Congratulations, host. Client Xiao Yan's transaction request has been completed.

Second-grade pill formula: Foundation Establishment Spiritual Liquid. Automatically learned to proficiency.

A flood of insights into refining Foundation Establishment Spiritual Liquid rushed into his mind. It was as though he had spent decades personally studying and brewing the liquid; every proportion and every detail of flame control was etched into his memory.

Lu Chuan rubbed his temples against the discomfort. Only after a moment did he finish absorbing it all.

He let out a long breath and cast Xiao Yan a sympathetic glance.

Xiao Yan was, after all, a descendant of the Xiao Clan. Dou Di Bloodline still ran through his veins.

If Xiao Xuan had not drawn on the clan's bloodline in his failed attempt to become a Dou Di all those years ago, leaving the Xiao Family's bloodline exhausted, Xiao Yan's Martial Soul should have been stronger than this.

Unfortunately, his Martial Soul could now only sit at the same table as ordinary Beast Flames. Even his Innate Full Soul Power was likely the bloodline's final gift.

Xun'er had clearly thought of this too, but she said nothing. Knowing too much about certain matters would only put Xiao Yan in danger.

After waiting a few minutes and seeing that Xiao Yan suffered no side effects, Xun'er breathed a sigh of relief.

She stepped forward and said softly, "Cousin Xiao Yan, sorry for the trouble, but could you move aside? It's my turn to awaken my Martial Soul."

"Huh? Oh, sure."

Xiao Yan hastily withdrew the Emberfire Martial Soul from his palm. With complicated emotions hidden in his eyes, he quietly moved aside.

"Senior Lu Chuan, let's begin."

"Mm. Same for you—relax."

The Spirit Awakening Stones began spinning rapidly once more.