Ten thousand years had passed since the Sun Moon Federation unified the Douluo Continent.
Now, Eastsea City, beside the sea, bustled with activity.
At that moment, Eastsea City's Spirit Pagoda was packed. Families who had brought their children for awakening filled the front rows, while plenty of people in the back had come purely to watch.
After all, this was the martial soul awakening that would determine a person's entire life.
Wu Jing, the elderly Soul Master in charge of the awakening ceremony, sat beside the stone platform, his face weary. The registration book at his elbow was already more than halfway filled.
Most of its entries were ordinary people without soul power.
"Next."
Another young child stepped up and placed a hand on the Awakening Stone. Blue light flashed, and an iron hammer floated into view.
"Iron hammer martial soul, innate soul power rank two."
Some people below the platform applauded, but the clapping was sparse. Rank-two innate soul power barely qualified someone to enter the ranks of Soul Masters. In Eastsea City, it hardly merited a mention.
Lu Guan stood in line, still some distance from the platform.
He clenched his fists, then relaxed them, forcing himself to calm his pounding heart. It did little good.
Six years.
It had been six whole years since he transmigrated to the Douluo Continent. This was the moment he had been waiting for.
After six years, Lu Guan knew for certain that he was in the era of Douluo III: The Legend of the Dragon King.
Soul guidance technology was now highly advanced, with Soul Guidance Trains and communicators everywhere. There were also strategic-grade creations such as Battle Armor and Soul Cannons.
But none of that meant much to Lu Guan. If he wanted to rise on the Douluo Continent, the martial soul awakening before him was the key.
On the Douluo Continent, martial souls reigned supreme. Everyone could awaken a martial soul at the age of six, and its strength all but determined how high they could climb.
Looking across generations of mighty figures on the Douluo Continent, not one had possessed a truly weak martial soul.
Unless breaking past rank twenty-nine at fifty counted as being mighty.
With that in mind, Lu Guan could hardly help being nervous.
Perhaps noticing his anxiety, someone laid a large hand on his shoulder.
"Fear not, my son. We're a family of Soul Masters. You'll definitely awaken soul power."
"Mm-hmm..." Lu Guan turned his head to glance at him and nodded perfunctorily.
An introduction was in order: this genius who had given him the name Lu Guan was his father, Lu Beixuan.
A Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster.
That level of cultivation could only impress people in a small city like Aolai City. Only his father had the nerve to call them a family of Soul Masters.
Honestly, Lu Guan had initially felt rather secure in his status as a transmigrator. Now, he was genuinely a little afraid he might inherit Lu Beixuan's little white bear martial soul...
As anxiety and excitement intertwined,
"Next!"
At the awakening master's shout, the platform ahead cleared once more.
It was his turn.
Lu Guan drew a deep breath and stepped forward.
The Awakening Stone rested in the center of the platform, grayish-white and polished smooth, with faint patterns flowing across its surface.
"Place your hand on it, relax your mind, and sense heaven and earth..."
Following the awakening master's instructions, Lu Guan pressed his palm against it and quieted his mind.
Humm-
Something slumbering within his body awakened.
Lu Guan felt his back grow hot. The bones in his limbs gave faint cracks, as though their very structure was changing.
"Aaargh!"
A tearing pain forced a cry from Lu Guan's lips.
At the same time, a stir ran through the crowd below.
"What... what's happening to him?"
Lu Guan's body was changing.
On his forehead, above his eyes, two abyssal slits slowly tore through flesh and blood. Within them, dark pupils turned, gazing down upon all living beings.
Four eyes.
Below the elbows of his two arms, four illusory joints branched out and grew. Bones extended, and muscles wrapped around them.
Six hands.
The entire awakening square fell silent for a moment.
It was not merely because Lu Guan had awakened a rare body martial soul. His appearance was downright terrifying.
Four eyes and six hands, coupled with the flesh tearing apart just moments earlier-it truly looked somewhat demonic.
Beside him, Wu Jing stared at the child in alarm. He was a three-ring Soul Elder, yet this child stirred a trace of fear in him.
Could it be an evil martial soul...?
Lu Guan stood on the platform, all four eyes open at once. His six arms hung naturally at his sides, the fingers of each hand flexing slightly as though adjusting to this new body.
These six years of waiting hadn't been wasted after all.
A body martial soul was rare in itself, and mine was definitely no ordinary one.
But this still wasn't enough-
Lu Guan sensed a searing force gathering in the palms of his six hands.
Five palms grew hot at once, golden light seeping out through their creases.
In an instant, five luminous shapes squeezed their way out of his hands.
Yes, squeezed-as though heaven and earth refused to tolerate them.
They were five ancient bronze weapons, each of a different design.
In his upper left hand, a long shaft bore a transverse blade, gleaming with cold light. This was Ge.
In his middle left hand, a long, bladeless pole was black from end to end. This was Shu.
In his upper right hand, branching blades spread like a fork, their sharp edges fully bared. This was Ji.
In his middle right hand, a short shaft bore a keen point, with a crimson tassel hanging beneath it. This was Qiu.
In his lower right hand, a massive shaft thrust straight ahead, its iron edge piercing the clouds. This was Yi.
His remaining hand held nothing, forming a fist of its own.
Ge, Shu, Ji, Qiu, Yi.
The Five Weapons.
Twin martial souls?
Lu Guan startled, then shook his head. No, these Five Weapons were not a single entity. They seemed to have arisen from his body martial soul, so they did not count as twin martial souls.
By then, Wu Jing had recovered from his shock and turned toward the crystal ball beside him.
Its blue light was dazzling.
"Innate full soul power!"
Wu Jing announced it loudly, his voice brimming with excitement. Eastsea City had produced a prodigy!
More importantly, once he reported this child's information to his superiors, a reward was sure to follow!
Who cared whether it was an evil martial soul or a righteous one? Any martial soul that earned him a reward was a good martial soul.
The announcement sent the crowd into an uproar. Several familiar faces swiftly gathered around Lu Beixuan to offer their congratulations.
"Congratulations, Brother Lu! Your family has produced a prodigy."
"Indeed, indeed! The Lu family is going to rise this time!"
Lu Beixuan had been frightened by his son's ghastly appearance. Only now, amid the congratulations, did he come to his senses. His son had awakened something tremendous!
Though it was a little ugly...
Ugly was fine, so long as he wasn't the ugly one.
At that thought, Lu Beixuan immediately burst out laughing.
"My son Lu Guan has the makings of a Titled Douluo!"
The clamor below pulled Lu Guan out of his daze.
As he experienced his sharper vision and the four extra hands, realization finally dawned on him.
Four eyes and six hands. The Five Weapons.
As a transmigrator, a descendant of the Yan and Huang Emperors, and an avid reader of ancient texts, how could Lu Guan not know the legend of the Yan and Huang Emperors battling Chi You?
But this was neither the Yan Emperor nor the Huang Emperor.
There was only one who had four eyes and six hands and wielded the Five Weapons.
Chi You.
Chi You, the War God.
In the wars of antiquity, he had commanded the Nine Li and contested the Central Plains with the Huang Emperor.
He wielded the might of the Five Weapons and was known as the War God.
Lu Guan lowered his head to look at the five weapons in his six hands. Their golden light had yet to fade, casting its radiance across his face. At that very moment, the same thing gleamed within all four of his black eyes-
Ambition.
Few opportunities in the era of the Dragon King? Martial souls decided everything?
Then let's see whether this War God card measures up.
Before you continue