Martial Soul Awakening

The Zhu Family of the Star Luo Empire.

Inside a plainly furnished wooden house, quite a few children stood in a long line. Judging by the smiles spilling across their little faces, they seemed especially happy.

Today was the day of their martial soul awakening. This ordinary little wooden house was a Spirit Hall Branch, one of the countless branches scattered throughout the Douluo Continent.

"Soul power level two, martial soul: Hell Spirit Cat, low aptitude. Next."

As a rather dissatisfied voice rang out from inside the wooden house, a cute little girl walked out.

She looked far from well. Tears already covered her face, seemingly ready to fall at a single word from anyone. The children waiting behind her all stared wide-eyed, but not one stepped forward to comfort her.

Inside the wooden house, a young man in the Spirit Hall Branch was using his martial soul to awaken the martial souls of all the children in line.

Three rings of light continually circled him from his feet to the top of his head: two yellow and one purple.

He had long, blood-red hair and several red markings on either side of his delicate face. His rough hands looked extraordinarily eerie, his fingernails over an inch long and gleaming with an icy light.

Because of this, every child who stepped forward shrank back in fear, terrified that one careless movement might let those long nails slice through their tender skin.

Zhu Zhuqing stood at the very back of the line, keeping well away from the others, her head lowered as she pondered something unknown. The children beside her all stared nervously ahead, their earlier laughter and playful expressions gone, so no one noticed anything unusual about her.

Time passed, and soon the children had finished awakening their martial souls. Only three people remained inside the wooden house.

A delicate-looking little boy was holding a blue crystal ball. He seemed nervous, his tender little hands trembling. The blue crystal ball slowly began to glow, its brilliant light illuminating his face.

Seeing such bright blue light, the young man in the Spirit Hall Branch smiled slightly and called out, "Soul power level seven, martial soul: Hell Spirit Cat, high aptitude. Next."

The young man picked up the notebook beside him and carefully recorded the result. Whenever someone's initial soul power exceeded level six, he made a separate record.

Hearing that his soul power was level seven, the little boy was visibly delighted. He was only an ordinary member of the Zhu Family and had never imagined his soul power could reach level seven. After this, surely the family would take notice of him and direct more resources his way.

The little boy hopped about as he waved to the last girl, his face beaming. "Zhu Zhuqing, Zhu Zhuqing, it's your turn! Hurry up, Uncle's waiting for you."

Zhu Zhuqing was the family head's youngest daughter. She was cute, and many boys her age in the Zhu Family had a fondness for her. This little boy was no exception.

Yet Zhu Zhuqing remained rooted to the spot. The boy deliberately walked over to her, then shouted into her ear, "Zhu Zhuqing, stop sleeping! Uncle's going to get angry!"

Crack-

Boom!!!

A thunderclap exploded beside Zhu Zhuqing's ear. She shuddered and came to her senses.

She was still clearly bewildered. She distinctly remembered dying. Was this the Six Paths of Reincarnation? But why did something feel wrong?

Zhu Zhuqing raised her head and slowly opened her eyes, looking around. She resembled a dazed little girl who had just woken up, her blinking eyes full of curiosity and a thirst for answers.

The scene slowly came into focus: a shabby European-style wooden house, a strange young man, and a little boy beside her whose face was full of confusion.

Three rings circled the strange young man, spinning constantly. Most importantly, why did he look a little effeminate? He had a pair of cat ears, pretty, cutesy markings on his face, and eyes that looked as though he wore cat-eye contact lenses.

His hands were rather frightening, though. Why were his nails so long, and why did they gleam so sharply? Were those props too?

But the real issue was the red tail swishing behind him. Was that a special effect used by a film crew?

The strange young man did not grow angry at Zhu Zhuqing's dazed expression. The little girl before him was simply too cute. With her large eyes and tender little face, the makings of a beauty were already apparent.

"Ahem, little girl, hurry over and awaken your martial soul. Big Brother still has another place to visit afterward. If I'm late, I won't get any dinner." The strange young man spoke rather gently.

The little boy beside her hurriedly added, "Zhu Zhuqing, go awaken your martial soul. Uncle's very busy, and there's a family celebration today. We need to get back early for the feast. Hurry, I'll wait outside."

With that, the boy headed for the door. Quite a few children were already chatting happily outside, and he quickly mingled with them.

Memories surged into her mind like a tide, revealing this body's background. Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing walked unsteadily forward.

Zhu Zhuqing, six years old, the youngest daughter of the Zhu Family head in the Star Luo Empire. She was currently undergoing her martial soul awakening. Today was also the family celebration, and members of the Star Luo Empire's imperial family and many nobles would attend that evening.

She was instantly stunned. Her name was also Zhu Zhuqing. She had been an orphan on Blue Star, where she and her older sister had depended on each other to survive. Her sister had been so deeply hurt by a scumbag that she actually wanted to kill herself. After receiving a call at school, Zhu Zhuqing had rushed home, only to be hit by a car on the way.

This was the Douluo Continent? Tang San, the Shrek Seven Devils, Spirit Hall, the Star Luo Empire, the Heaven Dou Empire, Sea God Island, the Hell White Tiger... Zhu Zhuqing recalled an animated series she had followed.

I've transmigrated. Did my sister transmigrate too?

As these thoughts ran through her mind, she suddenly sank into slumber. Zhu Zhuqing closed her eyes.

The original Zhu Zhuqing's soul appeared, and the two souls began rapidly merging and growing stronger. Memories of Blue Star, memories of Douluo, fighting techniques, mathematics, language, science, martial souls... they began intertwining. Perhaps these two Zhu Zhuqings had always been the same soul within the vast multitude of worlds, for they merged very quickly.

However, the soul of the Douluo Continent's Zhu Zhuqing was only six years old, after all. That distinct portion of her soul fell asleep, perhaps to awaken someday in the future.

Author's note: the original Zhu Zhuqing did not die. This will be explained later.

Only a few seconds had passed in the outside world.

Zhu Zhuqing opened her eyes again. She remembered something important. In this life, she would also encounter-

Unless something unexpected happened, a boy would appear at tonight's banquet. His name was Dai Mubai, the Star Luo Empire's third prince.

That amorous third prince, that cowardly third prince, a scumbag who indulged himself and lingered among the flowers.

Zhu Zhuqing did not want to tread the same old path as her sister. Besides, she was a conservative girl with a strong sense of pride.

She would never agree to this, nor would she allow it to happen. But she had yet to awaken her martial soul and had little say in anything. When the time came, she could only try pleading with her family.

Seeing the cute little girl approach him, the cat-eared young man could not help stroking Zhu Zhuqing's long, lovely hair with his right hand. Gently, he pointed to the wondrous golden dome of light beside him and said:

"Come over here. Relax your body and mind, close your eyes, and guide the wondrous power within you. Let it flow out completely. Hold your hands before your chest and feel every cell in your body."

To be honest, Zhu Zhuqing felt rather resistant. She did not like strangers treating her this way. Lowering her head, she darted into the golden dome of light.

Seeing the little girl look at him with distaste, the cat-eared young man smiled. He made several gestures with both hands, sending streaks of pale red light into the golden dome. Something astonishing happened.

Golden motes of light spread up from the ground, pouring ceaselessly into Zhu Zhuqing's little body. She felt a strange energy rapidly emerge from her body's cells. Her heart was terribly restless, nothing like the calm ordinary children showed when awakening their martial souls.

Her ears and other parts of her body felt itchy. Something strange happened: little Zhu Zhuqing grew a pair of purple cat ears and a small purple tail. Her hair became thicker and fuller, and her pupils turned into vertical slits.

Deep down, Zhu Zhuqing refused to accept this. She wanted to awaken a more powerful martial soul.

In her memories, her mother's martial soul was the scarlet flame bloodthirsty tiger, while her father's was the Hell Spirit Cat. Why couldn't I awaken the more powerful scarlet flame bloodthirsty tiger?

Ding! The host's unwillingness to accept her destiny has been detected. Destiny System activated!

PS:

Readers who prefer following the original story can skip the opening section. The escape from the Hell Spirit Cat family begins in chapter twenty. Many people have said the protagonist feels stifled early on and suffers too much. I simply wanted to carefully portray why she fled the Star Luo Empire. Things will not be like that afterward.

Special notice: this book contains a great deal of original plot. Readers who like following the main cast throughout should take note.

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