Martial Soul Awakening

Led by Old Jack,

the three of them entered the village from its entrance and headed toward the Spirit Hall Branch in the center.

Although the Holy Soul Village Spirit Hall Branch sounded grand and imposing, Lin Ye had seen it before. It was merely a somewhat larger wooden house.

Holy Soul Village was, after all, just a village.

The villagers could barely keep themselves fed and clothed, with little to spare. There was no way they could build this so-called Spirit Hall Branch into anything lavish, even if it held great symbolic significance.

They arrived before the Spirit Hall Branch at the center of the village.

Since Grandpa Old Jack had already told them a few days ago that today was the day of Martial Soul Awakening, most of the children of the proper age had already gathered there and were playing noisily in front of the Spirit Hall Branch.

However, upon seeing Old Jack arrive, all the children quickly stopped playing and lined up on the grass before the Spirit Hall Branch.

"Grandpa, it seems Tang San hasn't arrived yet."

His gaze sweeping over all the children on the grass, Lin Ye realized that Tang San, whom he had met that morning, was still absent. He could not help lowering his voice to Old Jack.

"Little San is a good boy. I told him about today, and unless something unexpected happened, he definitely wouldn't be late. It must be that damned Tang Hao overslept again!"

Old Jack angrily planted his walking stick on the ground.

Lin Ye knew Tang Hao was Tang San's father and the only blacksmith in Holy Soul Village.

However, unlike most of the fathers in the village, Tang Hao was exceptionally irresponsible. Not only did he drink heavily all day, but he did no proper work. Nearly all the money he earned each day went toward buying alcohol. Since he did not farm either, Tang San often had nothing to eat—not even a bowl of porridge.

If not for Lin Ye's family helping them out, Tang San would have starved to death long ago.

Lin Ye particularly despised Tang Hao. This man simply insulted the image the word "father" held in his heart! "Grandpa, should I go get Tang San?"

Lin Ye asked softly.

"You stay here. I'll go. Tang Hao may not be much of a person, but he has quite the temper. It's better if I go."

Old Jack shook his head.

"Respected Battle Soul Master, there is still one child from our village who needs to undergo Martial Soul Awakening and has not arrived. May I go fetch him?"

After finishing his discussion with Lin Ye, Old Jack turned to the young Soul Master beside him and asked respectfully.

"Go ahead, but be quick."

The young man had actually heard Old Jack and Lin Ye's quiet conversation, so he naturally agreed.

"Then I'll be leaving first. If you need anything, Master, you can ask my grandson Lin Ye. He'll tell you."

Before leaving, Old Jack respectfully added another sentence, then turned and departed.

After Old Jack left, the young man and Lin Ye came before the Spirit Hall Branch.

Lin Ye joined the line, while the young man walked to the entrance of the Spirit Hall Branch. With his right hand behind his back, he calmly gazed into the distance, occasionally looking over at the children.

More than ten minutes later, Old Jack finally hurried over from afar with Tang San.

"Respected Battle Soul Master, sorry to have kept you waiting."

After bringing Tang San over, Old Jack, slightly out of breath, returned to the young man's side and bowed.

"It's fine."

The young man's expression remained calm.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, come inside with me."

Once Old Jack had brought everyone together, the young man spoke as he turned, pushed open the doors of the Spirit Hall Branch, and walked inside.

"Tang San, didn't my grandpa tell you a few days ago? Why were you still late today?"

Before entering the Spirit Hall Branch, Lin Ye could not help frowning as he asked.

"Sorry. Father got drunk yesterday, so he woke up a little late today."

Tang San scratched his head apologetically.

Lin Ye could only shake his head helplessly at Tang San's answer.

With a father like that, Tang San was truly unlucky. Other than blacksmithing, Tang Hao did nothing. Tang San handled all the household chores, and Lin Ye had heard that Tang San even did the cooking. Tang San was not even as tall as the stove!

Inside the Spirit Hall Branch,

the young Soul Master sent by Spirit Hall had already gone to the table at the very front. He removed the bundle from his back and placed it on the table, taking out a dark blue crystal ball. He then took out six black round stones and arranged them on the ground in the shape of a six-pointed star.

"Alright, everyone, line up from left to right according to height."

After finishing everything, the young man rose from the ground, clapped his hands, and called out to Lin Ye and the others.

Hearing the young man's words, the nine children participating in the Martial Soul Awakening immediately moved, forming a new line according to height.

Lin Ye was the tallest, so he stood at the far right. Tang San was the second tallest, so he stood to Lin Ye's left.

Seeing everyone quickly take their places, the young man smiled, nodded in satisfaction, and said gently,

"Very good! Let me introduce myself. My name is Su Yuntao, a level twenty-six Soul Grandmaster. My Martial Soul is Lone Wolf. Next, I will guide you through your Martial Soul Awakening. Listen carefully—no matter what you see later, don't be afraid. Understood?"

"Understood!"

Everyone answered in unison, though none of them took it seriously. It was only a Martial Soul Awakening. What could possibly be frightening? Yet after hearing the words of this Soul Grandmaster named Su Yuntao, Lin Ye's heart grew somewhat solemn.

He had traveled with Su Yuntao for quite a while earlier, and before Grandpa Old Jack, this Soul Grandmaster Su Yuntao had always acted very seriously.

Although this Soul Grandmaster Su Yuntao appeared gentle before them children, that was only because they were children. At his core, Su Yuntao's personality surely had not changed. He would not say such things without reason.

Could something truly frightening happen later?

Just as Lin Ye was wondering, Su Yuntao suddenly let out a low shout before the Spirit Hall Branch. "Lone Wolf, Martial Soul Possession!"

In an instant, a terrifying aura erupted from Su Yuntao's body. Accompanied by a faint wolf howl, a blackish-purple wolf shadow suddenly emerged from within him before instantly merging back into his body.

As the purple wolf shadow entered him, Su Yuntao's body immediately began to change.

The muscles all over his body swelled at a visible rate, his figure grew taller, and thick blackish-purple fur continuously sprouted from the backs of his hands. Sharp claws extended from between his fingers, while his eyes turned an eerie green like those of a wolf.

"Roar~"

After completing his transformation, Su Yuntao immediately let out a savage roar at Lin Ye and the others. Along with the fierce wolf howl came an inexplicable force that carried a strange sense of oppression.

Seeing Su Yuntao's ferocious transformed appearance, struck by the wolf howl and that strange, mysterious force, all the children except Lin Ye and Tang San collapsed to the ground in terror. They wailed and screamed as they kept backing away.

"Monster! Don't eat me!"

"Waaah! I want my mother!"

"Don't come over! Don't come over!"

Lin Ye was also startled by Su Yuntao's sudden savage wolf howl and the strange force that burst forth.

However, Lin Ye had always possessed strong mental fortitude, so he did not make too much of a fool of himself. His hairs merely stood on end as the Nine Yang True Qi within him began circulating rapidly on its own, automatically neutralizing the impact of that strange energy.

But after calming down, Lin Ye suddenly noticed that Tang San beside him had not been frightened either. He had merely tensed his entire body nervously.

Was it because of strong mental fortitude, or some other reason? Mental fortitude alone should not be enough. Ordinary people simply could not withstand that strange force. I have the Nine Yang Divine Skill protecting me—could Tang San also possess a similar Cultivation Method? But I've never heard of it!

"These two children..."

On the other side, seeing that Lin Ye and Tang San had not been frightened by his sudden test, Su Yuntao could not help feeling surprised.

That roar just now had not been a casual shout. It had a purpose.

After Martial Soul Possession, his roar carried a Soul Power impact. Under his roar, even adults found it difficult to remain calm.

As for children around six years old, unless they possessed a Martial Soul stronger than his Lone Wolf protecting them, they would generally be scared into collapsing on the ground. This was one of the methods used by Spirit Hall Soul Masters responsible for awakening Martial Souls to identify children with the aptitude to become Soul Masters.

Neither of them was frightened. Could this trip finally yield some results?

Su Yuntao could not help feeling pleasantly surprised.