Today happened to be Tang Wulin's day off, so he clamored to go along and watch Na'er's awakening.
"Na'er, what will your martial soul be? Mine is Blue Silver Grass. Could yours be a flower?"
Tang Wulin seemed even more excited than Na'er, as though he were the one about to undergo his martial soul awakening.
Na'er shook her head slightly and said, "I don't know either."
Of course she knew what her martial soul was. In fact, it had already awakened. But to appear more normal, she still had to put on an act at the martial soul awakening ceremony.
"Whatever it is, it'll be fine. Even if you don't have a martial soul, it doesn't matter. Na'er will always be part of our family."
Hearing Tang Ziran's words, Na'er felt warmth fill her heart.
Tang Ziran brought the two of them to Red Mountain Academy, where quite a few children were undergoing their martial soul awakening ceremonies that day.
"Parents, please wait here. Children, follow me inside," a teacher told the crowd.
"Good luck, Na'er. We'll be waiting here for you." Tang Ziran waved to her.
Tang Wulin, however, secretly slipped into the group behind Na'er.
"I'll go in with you."
The teacher leading them did not count the children, so Tang Wulin, who was half a year older, slipped in with ease.
"The awakening rooms are just ahead. Don't be scared once you go inside. Your awakening will be over in no time. Na'er, you absolutely have to awaken a martial soul!"
Tang Wulin wanted to go to school with Na'er.
Following the order on the list, the teacher walked up to a room and called a child inside.
Each child went into an awakening room alone. In the end, only Tang Wulin and Na'er remained.
"The last one, Na'er."
The teacher checked the list.
"Huh? Why are there still two of you?"
"Sorry, teacher. I wanted to come in and watch my little sister awaken her martial soul," Tang Wulin said hurriedly.
"Wait right here. You can't enter the awakening room."
"Okay." Tang Wulin nodded earnestly.
"Your name is Na'er, right?" the teacher asked, looking at her.
Na'er nodded.
"All right, go inside."
Na'er entered the awakening room.
She looked around. Strange patterns were carved all over the room's walls.
A middle-aged man in an orange robe stood in the center of the awakening room. He was the Spirit Transmitter responsible for awakening martial souls.
"Come, little one. Stand in the middle, and I'll help you awaken your martial soul."
Na'er walked to the designated spot.
The Spirit Transmitter raised his hand, and white light shot upward from it. The patterns throughout the awakening room began to move, their light gathering beneath Na'er's feet.
Na'er felt the martial soul within her begin to tremble.
She simply raised her hand and released her martial soul directly. A silver spear appeared in her hand.
"What martial soul is this?"
The Spirit Transmitter examined Na'er's martial soul closely. Although he had seen many spear-type martial souls, this was his first time seeing one so unusual.
"The Silver Dragon Spear." Na'er gave him her martial soul's name.
"Good, that's quite an imposing name. Let me check your soul power."
Upon seeing Na'er's soul power, the Spirit Transmitter's eyes widened.
"Innate Full-Level Soul Power!"
Na'er's soul power had already reached rank ten. She only needed to fuse with a soul ring to break through.
"To think it's full soul power! What incredible luck!"
The Spirit Transmitter was delighted. Innate Full-Level Soul Power was extremely rare, and everyone who possessed it would become a very powerful Soul Master once they matured.
As the Spirit Transmitter responsible for her awakening, he would also receive a substantial reward for awakening a Soul Master with Innate Full-Level Soul Power.
"What's your name?" the Spirit Transmitter asked excitedly.
Na'er ignored him, turned around, and walked straight out of the awakening room.
"Hey, little one, wait!"
Only after Na'er had gone out the door did the Spirit Transmitter react. He hurried after her.
Seeing Na'er emerge, Tang Wulin went up to her and asked, "Na'er, do you have a martial soul?"
Na'er nodded.
"That's great! Now we can go to school together!"
"Little one, wait!" The Spirit Transmitter chased after her.
"What do you need?" Tang Wulin asked.
The Spirit Transmitter ignored Tang Wulin and addressed Na'er instead. "Little one, don't leave just yet. Where is your family? I have something to discuss with them."
Tang Wulin said, "Our dad is outside."
The Spirit Transmitter followed them outside.
Tang Ziran was puzzled to see the Spirit Transmitter come out. Had Na'er awakened a fairly good martial soul?
"Dad, this Spirit Transmitter wants to talk to you," Tang Wulin said.
Before Tang Ziran could speak, the Spirit Transmitter ran straight over and clasped his hand.
"You must be this child's father. Your daughter is truly outstanding."
"My daughter? Haha, that's right. She certainly is my daughter."
"How did her martial soul awakening go?" Tang Ziran asked with a smile.
"Your daughter has Innate Full-Level Soul Power. She's a genius—a genius among geniuses!"
Tang Ziran was stunned too. He had thought it would be wonderful enough if Na'er had a martial soul and soul power. He had never expected her to possess Innate Full-Level Soul Power.
Their ancestral graves must truly have been sending up auspicious blue smoke.
No, that wasn't right. Na'er wasn't their biological child. It must have been her family's ancestral graves sending up blue smoke.
"Sir Spirit Transmitter, is what you're saying true?"
"Of course. How could I joke about something like this? Her martial soul is very unusual too. I think it's called—the Silver Dragon Spear. Yes, the Silver Dragon Spear! With 'dragon' in its name, there's no way her martial soul could be weak."
"I'd like to invite your child to join the Spirit Pagoda. Would you be willing?"
"Join the Spirit Pagoda?"
Tang Ziran's eyes widened. Even Tang Wulin, standing beside him, was astonished.
Having attended school for half a year, he naturally knew what sort of institution the Spirit Pagoda was.
Ever since Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao founded the Spirit Pagoda and created Soul Spirits ten thousand years ago, the Spirit Pagoda had become one of the most powerful organizations in the entire Federation.
Joining the Spirit Pagoda was something most Soul Masters dreamed of.
"Yes, of course we'd be willing!" Tang Ziran said hastily.
"I refuse," Na'er, who had remained silent beside them, suddenly said.
"Na'er, don't talk nonsense when you don't understand. The Spirit Pagoda is a wonderful place. Your strength will improve very quickly if you go there."
"I don't want to go. I want to go to school with Wulin."
Both Tang Ziran and the Spirit Transmitter were deeply frustrated. Turning down the Spirit Pagoda to study at a tiny school like Red Mountain Academy—anyone who heard about it would call them fools.
"As her father, please give this some careful thought. You can also go home and discuss it with your family. Here's my contact information. You can contact me anytime once you've made up your mind."
"I'll report this first. A higher-ranking Spirit Transmitter may come to see you later."
"All right. We'll consider it carefully."
On the way home, the smile never left Tang Ziran's face.
Having his daughter join the Spirit Pagoda would give him something truly prestigious to tell others about.
But not everyone was quite so happy.
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