The Ten Ancient Divine Swords!

Today, the doors of the Ancestral Hall stood wide open. More than thirty men and women stood behind the front hall's inner gate. At their head were six elders, four men and two women. They were the Chen Clan's elders in the village.

Grand Elder Chen Hong stood at the front. He looked rather imposing, as befitted the man who oversaw the clan's punishments.

Second Granduncle Chen Cong was scholarly and refined, with a graceful bearing. Standing beside his wife, Mu Lingyun, they looked like a pair of god-immortals.

Chen Wenchao was somewhat taciturn, but his eyes were bright. He looked calm and collected, a man of quiet perception.

There was no need to explain Chen Hanxin. She was the head of the clan's "kindergarten," and looked only about fifty. She had always been kind and amiable.

As for Ling Yunxiao, Chen Hanxin's husband, when he was young, he could be summed up in one word: handsome.

He resembled the Hong Kong star Adam Cheng from the eighties and nineties on Blue Star. Even now that he was older, his bearing remained extraordinary.

Apart from Chen Hanxin, Ling Yunxiao was in his sixties. The others were all in their seventies or eighties, and the Grand Elder was over ninety-older even than Chen Yu.

Each had his own bearing. Though Chen Hong's hair was somewhat gray, his face still looked middle-aged.

That was right: Chen Hong was also a Titled Douluo, and the Chen Clan's Grand Elder. The other five were Soul Douluos and Soul Saints.

The thirty or so people behind them were all members of the Main Lineage living in the village, their families, and important figures from the many Retainer Families.

Yes, Chen Yu's branch wasn't the only one with Personal Attendants. These were all Retainer Families with histories of several hundred years.

The nine strongest Retainer Families were known as the Nine Surnames of Zhaowu. The Zhu Family and the Ding Family were among them.

Whenever someone in the Main Lineage awakened their Martial Soul, the others came to watch the ceremony. It was tradition.

Of course, if someone in a Retainer Family awakened their Martial Soul, their liege family would also turn out in full. The others could be more casual; anyone could come.

Chen Xiaojun was in the clan chief's Direct Lineage, and today was his great day of awakening. Naturally, everyone had come. They had gathered from all over the village, and everyone who could make it was there.

Most of them wore blue. Blue was the Chen Clan's main color.

After all, the Seven Kill Sword was blue and white, and its Soul Power was primarily blue.

That was why the clan members were especially fond of blue. Their ceremonial robes, everyday clothes, and Combat Attire all took blue as their main color.

And since they hoped their children would awaken the clan's Inherited Martial Soul, the Seven Kill Sword, dressing in formal blue robes was especially fitting.

The two sides exchanged bows and paid their respects to their ancestors.

In the front hall, everyone stood solemnly around the sides.

Chen Yu stood at the front. He took out six pitch-black Awakening Stones and a gleaming blue crystal Soul Testing Ball.

He arranged the stones in a hexagon on the floor, then signaled for Chen Xiaojun to stand in the middle. Six faint beams of blue light entered the six black Awakening Stones on the ground.

At once, a layer of golden light spilled from them, forming a pale-gold barrier around Chen Xiaojun.

One by one, golden flecks drifted up from the Awakening Stones on the floor and entered Chen Xiaojun's body.

A warm, soothing sensation spread through him. It was indescribably comfortable.

Drawn by a warm energy, something near his navel seemed to break open, almost imperceptibly.

Then came the sound of shattering. This must have been the Lower Soul Nest opening a crack. A warm current surged toward his palm in an instant.

A flash of light passed through Chen Yu's eyes. He said gently, "Xiao'er, hold out your dominant hand."

Chen Xiaojun slowly extended his right hand. His body began to tremble, first faintly, then violently. He wanted to cry out, but couldn't.

All at once, every fleck of light surged forth. In an instant, many colors blazed.

Gold, black, red, silver, green, deep blue, pale blue, copper-red, pale white, and more-the light shot skyward, at one point dazzling the crowd until their eyes ached.

In Chen Xiaojun's consciousness, a scene flashed past: "This is a world of swords. The shadows of towering, thousand-zhang divine swords rose all around, their cold brilliance illuminating the entire world-magnificent and deadly."

These swords seemed familiar to him.

Chen Xiaojun was delighted. This is... aren't these the pictures of the Ten Ancient Divine Swords I saw before I transmigrated?

"Hahaha! Hehehe! Divine swords! Ancient divine swords! The mark of my Previous Life, its blessing!"

Chengying, Chunjun, Fish Intestine, Moye, Ganjiang, Dragon Abyss, Tai'a, Crimson Sky, Zhanlu, Xuanyuan!

After a while, the light faded. A string of ten pearl-like beads appeared in Chen Xiaojun's right hand, circling continuously and linked together by an invisible thread.

At that moment, everyone watched Chen Xiaojun with bated breath.

A trace of gloom crossed Chen Xun's face. He said, "Xiaojun, is this your mother's Mutated Martial Soul? It has one more bead than your mother's Seven-Color Bracelet. What quality is it?"

The Seven-Colored Begonia Bracelet wasn't a bracelet made of seven differently colored beads. It was a pearl bracelet of nine gleaming Seven-Colored Pearls carved with a begonia design, also called the Seven-Colored Begonia Bracelet.

Before Chen Xiaojun could answer, Grand Elder Chen Hong interjected, "No, just now I sensed a trace of Sword Intent. It seemed to exert a little pressure on my Seven Kill Sword. It was faint, but I don't think I was mistaken. Old Taro, what do you all think?"

"No."

"Maybe. It was very faint."

"Perhaps there was, but now I think there wasn't."

"There was."

It wasn't just the six elders of the older generation. Voices rose one after another from members of Chen Hua, Chen Xiyuan, Chen Wu, Chen Chen, and the other branches of his uncles' generation. It seemed that Soul Masters at different levels of cultivation sensed things differently.

Chen Yu exchanged a glance with Chen Hong, then slowly said, "Yes, Old Hong is right. I sensed something too. Xiaojun, tell Grandpa, what kind of Martial Soul is this?"

Chen Xiaojun smiled faintly. "Grandpa, Father, elders, older clan brothers, my Martial Soul isn't my mother's Seven-Color Bracelet. It's a Sword Pellet-a Sword Pellet Bracelet."

"What's a Sword Pellet?"

"These ten Sword Pellets are miniature forms of ten ancient divine swords, before they've been awakened."

Everyone was shocked!

"Divine swords?"

"Before they're awakened?"

"A Set Martial Soul?"

"Miniature forms?"

"That's right. Awakening the divine swords requires an enormous amount of Soul Power, and my body doesn't have enough Soul Power right now. The divine swords have spirits. To protect me, they shrank themselves into beads like these Sword Pellets. In the future, when I add Soul Rings, I'll use Soul Power to strike the Sword Pellets, and they'll reappear one by one."

"So they're swords themselves?"

"That's right. They're swords-ancient divine swords!"

Chen Yu nodded as if he understood. "So that's how it is. The divine swords conceal their light, but they have Sword Intent and can exert a little pressure on the Seven Kill Sword. In that case, their quality is no weaker than the Seven Kill Sword's, and might even surpass it."

Chen Yu continued, "Then what will you name this Martial Soul?"

Chen Xiaojun answered as if it were only natural, "The Sword Pellet Bracelet."

His Second Granduncle, Chen Cong, said with a smile, "Little Xiao'er, that name doesn't sound very nice, and it isn't very imposing either. Think of another one."

Chen Xiaojun paused. "That's true. Then how about Divine Sword Bracelet? Sword Pearl Divine Chain? Divine Sword Pellets?"

Ye Xiuxin had been smiling faintly all along. "These Sword Pellets shine with divine radiance, like dazzling pearls, as if blessed by the divine. Call them Sword God Pearls."

That settled it!

Chen Xiaojun said, "That's a good one. I'll listen to Mother."

Chen Jianjun said, confused, "Wait, that doesn't make sense. You just said the ten Sword Pellets would reappear one by one when you added Soul Rings. Even a Titled Douluo only has nine Soul Rings. There aren't enough Soul Rings for ten beads."

"There must be something we don't know. Right, little brother Xiaojun?" his clan brother Chen Jianzun said.

"Tell us about it, Xiaojun." The speaker was Chen Feng, the son of his Second Uncle, Chen Zhang.

As the younger generation spoke up, the elders turned their eyes toward Chen Xiaojun.

Chen Xiaojun thought for a moment, then answered, "It's not that mysterious. I feel that two of them attract and entwine with each other, as if they're one. They seem to be a pair. Maybe one Soul Ring can awaken two Sword Pearls at the same time, and then all nine Soul Rings would be enough to awaken them all."

Chen Xun patted his shoulder. "That's not bad either, son. Once you've awakened them all, show your old dad what these divine swords look like."

Chen Xiaojun nodded emphatically. "Mm! I'll definitely become a Titled Douluo, so you can feast your eyes on all ten divine swords."

"Becoming a Titled Douluo is a long way off," Chen Yu said with a smile. "Come, come, Xiaojun. Let's test your Innate Soul Power. With such a powerful phenomenon just now, your Innate Soul Power should be high."

Chen Xun came to his senses as if waking from a dream and quickly chimed in, "That's right, that's right, son. Put your hand on the Soul Testing Ball."

As soon as Chen Xiaojun's palm touched the blue crystal ball, his body trembled.

The ball had a tremendous pull. A force inside him started from his navel and surged through his palm into the ball.

A dazzling blue spread from a single point in an instant. The crystal ball shone brightly.

A faint blue glow illuminated the surroundings, like a brilliant gemstone. It was indescribably captivating.

Chen Xun drew in a deep breath. "That's Innate Full Soul Power!"

At that moment, Chen Yu suddenly spoke with solemn authority. "From now on, Xiao'er's Innate Soul Power is to be declared as Level Nine. Anyone who disobeys will be dealt with according to the Clan Rules."

Everyone was taken aback, then answered in unison.

"Come along, you fellows, Xun'er, Xiao'er. The rest of you may disperse."

After saying this, Chen Yu walked toward the Side Hall.