Martial Soul Awakening

Seven Treasure Third Orphanage.

On the roof of the remote little courtyard, a handsome little boy with short, tousled black hair lay there leisurely basking in the sun.

If a Spirit Master had looked up, they would have discovered that the little boy was unnaturally quiet, lying completely still. He seemed to be basking in the sun, but in reality, he was meditating.

Although Meditation Method could not increase the Soul Power of a Spirit Master who had yet to awaken their martial soul, Xu Yang understood, having crossed over, that meditation could not only increase Soul Power but also Spiritual Power. Spiritual Power was extremely important to a Spirit Master; it was the foundation that determined their ultimate potential.

Had he not heard that by the time of Douluo III and Douluo IV, Spiritual Power had been specifically divided into levels, with the cultivation method perfected?

Of course, Xu Yang had never read Douluo III or Douluo IV either. He had only heard a classmate mention them when they discussed the novels back then. He had read only Douluo I and Douluo II. Since it had been a long time, he had forgotten much of the plot, but he had not forgotten some of the key settings. That was enough for him.

Immortal Herbs, Ultimate Attributes, Whale Rubber, Soul Cores...

Every one of these bits of knowledge was priceless on the Douluo Continent during the Douluo I timeline, and Xu Yang knew them all. That was the advantage of foresight.

To condense the most important Soul Core, powerful Spiritual Power was indispensable. That was also the main reason Xu Yang meditated on the roof. He figured that any increase, however small, before awakening his martial soul was worthwhile.

Perhaps that tiny bit would be enough for him to successfully condense a Soul Core while he was only a Soul Douluo or even a Soul Saint.

Of course, it would be even better if he awakened a martial soul with a Spiritual attribute!

Even if his martial soul did not have a Spiritual attribute, Xu Yang planned to maximize his own strength and that of his martial soul before absorbing Soul Rings with Spiritual attributes, increasing his Spiritual Power as much as possible.

As for why he meditated while basking in the sun on the roof instead of in his room...

It was because Xu Yang had discovered that meditating beneath the sun worked better for him. It was easier to enter a meditative state, and his Spiritual Power increased just a little faster. At night, he did not get the same effect.

As a result, Xu Yang had become a night owl in this life, often meditating and cultivating during the day.

He guessed that his martial soul in this life should have a fire or light attribute. It definitely possessed Innate Soul Power; ordinary martial souls could not produce this kind of effect. He simply did not know how many levels of Innate Soul Power he had.

"Too bad I don't know what my martial soul is?!"

Xu Yang sighed softly. He was an orphan in this life, but unlike the other children in the orphanage, he did not know who his parents were. The other children had been sent to the orphanage after their parents, who came from villages near Seven Treasure City, had died for various reasons. He, on the other hand, had been picked up by the orphanage's director.

Since he did not know who his parents were, he naturally had no idea what his martial soul was either!

Fortunately, the Seven Treasure Third Orphanage had been established by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the wealthiest sect on the continent. Life here was extremely comfortable. They did not eat lavish meat dishes at every meal, but their meals included both meat and vegetables and were nutritionally balanced. They could eat their fill and would not suffer from malnutrition. They were far better off than a certain little loser.

The orphanage even had dedicated teachers who taught them literacy and various kinds of knowledge, including information about Spirit Beasts and Spirit Masters.

There was also a fairly large library in the orphanage. The basic Meditation Method Xu Yang currently used had been found there. It was probably because this Meditation Method was already common throughout the continent that obtaining it was incredibly easy.

Of course, this was an investment by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Once these orphans grew up, those who became Spirit Masters would serve the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, while those who could not become Spirit Masters would still have to work in the various industries under the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

After all, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's businesses were spread throughout every corner of the Douluo Continent, so they would certainly need a great deal of manpower.

And on this chaotic Douluo Continent, those raised from childhood were the most loyal.

Just like that, an hour passed.

Xu Yang opened his eyes, ending his meditation. He climbed down the ladder beside him into the courtyard and walked toward the building in the center of the orphanage.

Today was the day of the Martial Soul Awakening. He did not want to miss it because he was late.

Although Douluo was known as Mysterious Fantasy Floor Tiles, he did not care about that. Possessing supernatural power was every man's childhood dream.

He reached the building in less than three minutes. There were not many children of the appropriate age awakening their martial souls at the Seven Treasure Third Orphanage this year—only seven.

When the orphanage director, Ning Que, saw Xu Yang arrive, he nodded. He remembered every child in the orphanage, but this child had left the deepest impression on him. It was not only because he had been the one to pick him up, but also because the child was mature enough to endure studying all kinds of knowledge instead of being as restless as the others.

For that reason, he placed great hopes in Xu Yang as well, believing that the child could become a great Spirit Master.

Xu Yang smiled and nodded back at Ning Que before taking his place at the end of the line, waiting for his martial soul to awaken.

"Tian Hao, martial soul: Blue Silver Grass. Innate Soul Power: zero. Unable to become a Spirit Master!"

"Miles, martial soul: Green Vine. Innate Soul Power: third level. Not bad!"

"Wang Xin, martial soul: Battle Wolf. Innate Soul Power: fourth level. Very good!"

"Li Qian, martial soul: Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Innate Soul Power: sixth level... I never expected it to be the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. I'll notify the sect later and have them come pick you up!"

The first six children quickly finished awakening their martial souls. Three of them had no Soul Power, while the rest possessed Soul Power. The best was the girl named Li Qian, who had awakened the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. She would probably become a member of the main family of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in the future.

As for why she had awakened the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda without bearing the surname Ning, Xu Yang had lived here for several years and understood the reason.

The disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were divided into the main family and branch families. Because of the sect's rules, main-family disciples had to marry a Battle Soul Master, whether as a husband or wife. Therefore, the descendants of Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples did not all possess the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. They could very well inherit the martial souls of their other relatives instead. Those Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples who awakened other martial souls belonged to the branch families.

Li Qian belonged to a branch family and had most likely inherited the martial soul from a distant ancestor. Although the possibility was very small, an instance still appeared every few years.

After seeing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, the smile never left Ning Que's lips. As the orphanage director, he would receive a considerable reward if a talented disciple or a main-family disciple emerged.

"Xiao Yang, it's your turn!"

"All right, Director!"

Xu Yang quickly stepped into the Hexagram Array made of black stones.

"Extend your dominant hand and try to draw out your martial soul."

Hearing this, Xu Yang closed his eyes and extended his right hand.

Ning Que also began channeling his Soul Power into the array, helping him awaken his martial soul.

At once, Xu Yang felt warmth throughout his body, as though something inside him could no longer be restrained and was about to surge out.

A dozen seconds later, a golden sphere appeared in Xu Yang's hand.

Faint Golden Flames burned across the sphere, dazzlingly bright like the Sky Sun.

"A fire attribute... a top-tier martial soul!"

"But why have I never seen it before?!"