"Mingyuan, there are so many people here."
Aolai City was a small coastal city on the eastern coast of the Sun Moon Federation.
Today was the annual Awakening Day on the Douluo Continent. With funding from the Sun Moon Federation, Spirit Pagodas across the land would awaken children's martial souls free of charge.
The street in front of Red Mountain Academy was packed with people.
At the end of the line, two children held hands.
The boy in front had vivid red hair cropped short, delicate features, and bright, lively eyes. The corners of his lips tilted upward with the spirited charm unique to youth.
The boy behind him had short black hair and was slightly taller, with large, clear eyes and lashes longer than even many girls'.
Behind the crowd, a middle-aged man quietly watched the two children, a gratified smile on his face.
How wonderful that his Wulin had made such a good friend. It would be even better if both boys could become soul masters.
Soon, it was their turn.
A teacher holding a list looked their way.
"Jiang Mingyuan."
"Here." The red-haired boy raised his right hand high.
His name was Jiang Mingyuan, and six years had passed since he transmigrated here. His parents in this life had died early, leaving behind a substantial inheritance. Even without becoming a soul master, he had enough to live comfortably.
The teacher taking attendance glanced at Tang Wulin behind Jiang Mingyuan and saw that they had come together. After checking the list of names, the teacher let both of them enter.
Outside the Awakening Room, a staff member repeatedly reminded them of the precautions.
Stay calm.
Follow the Spirit Transmitter's instructions.
Jiang Mingyuan went in first.
Unusual patterns were engraved on the Awakening Room's walls, floor, and even its ceiling.
An elderly man with a grizzled beard stood in the center of the Awakening Room, dressed in a simple, old-fashioned blue-green robe.
"Young Jiang Mingyuan, please stand in the center of this array. Calm your mind. I'll awaken your martial soul now."
Jiang Mingyuan stepped onto it, unable to help feeling a little anticipation.
Everyone called the Douluo Continent the floor tile of fantasy worlds. But that was just talk on the internet-who wouldn't be desperate to transmigrate here, awaken a martial soul, and embark on a whole new adventure?
White light emerged from the Spirit Transmitter's body, and three yellow soul rings slowly rose.
As he poured in soul power, the awakening array began to operate. Its patterns shone with dazzling golden light, extending down from the ceiling before finally converging beneath Jiang Mingyuan's feet.
Jiang Mingyuan felt his meridians itching, as though something was about to emerge.
Fire.
Warm flames ignited around Jiang Mingyuan, and a pair of crimson wings burst through the clothes on his back.
At the same time, an emotionless, mechanical electronic voice suddenly sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, host. The Favorability System has awakened.]
A system!
Jiang Mingyuan's mind stirred. Everyone said systems were standard equipment for transmigrators. He had wondered before why he didn't have one. Had the information been false?
So it just hadn't been time for it to awaken yet.
Jiang Mingyuan asked inwardly.
"System, what functions do you have?"
[Ding! Host, this is the Favorability System. The system can display other people's favorability toward you.] [1-30 favorability: strangers.] [30-60 favorability: acquaintances.] [60-80 favorability: close friends.] [80-99 favorability: confidants.] [100 favorability: devotion.] [When someone's favorability toward the host reaches a new stage, the host may draw one trait from that target.]
"Oh. So that's how it works. I understand."
Jiang Mingyuan activated the system and looked at the Spirit Transmitter before him.
[Name: Zhou Tao. Favorability: 12 Traits: swordsmanship proficiency; robust in old age; erudition.]
"System, according to your explanation, I can draw traits from one person up to five times. But what happens if that person has fewer than five traits?"
[Ding! Host, if the target has insufficient traits when a draw is performed, the reward will be changed to one system point. System points can be exchanged for rewards in the System Shop.]
Outside his mind, the Spirit Transmitter's eyes were filled with astonishment.
The flames around Jiang Mingyuan glowed faintly gold. They held no scorching heat, only a warmth like basking in a spring breeze. They also radiated a sacred aura.
The Spirit Transmitter's martial soul was a sword wreathed in flames, a fairly good mid-grade tool martial soul. Unfortunately, his innate soul power of level two had limited his future.
His martial soul had the fire attribute, so he could sense that the flames surrounding Jiang Mingyuan far surpassed those of his Flame Sword.
"Child, quick, come test your innate soul power."
The Spirit Transmitter pulled Jiang Mingyuan over to a machine in the corner of the room.
Following the Spirit Transmitter's instructions, Jiang Mingyuan pressed his hand against the screen, then circulated his soul power and poured it into the machine.
In an instant, dazzling golden light burst from the machine's screen. A mechanical female voice rang out.
"Bzzzt. Subject's soul power detected: level ten."
Hearing that number, the Spirit Transmitter was immediately overjoyed. He even jumped in excitement, quite unlike someone his age.
"Child, you have innate full soul power! You're an extraordinary genius, one rarely found even among a million people."
Jiang Mingyuan naturally knew what innate full soul power meant. But his attention was elsewhere.
A martial soul and its soul master shared a close connection. Jiang Mingyuan could sense that his martial soul seemed incomplete. There was an indescribable feeling, as though half its power was being suppressed.
He did his best to drive his martial soul. Suddenly, he seemed to touch something, as if a switch inside his body had been pressed.
In an instant, the warm, pale-golden flames filled with sacred energy vanished. In their place came Black Lie Yan, brimming with brutality and destruction.
The Spirit Transmitter's hand was merely grazed, yet a searing heat that bored into his marrow sent him retreating again and again.
Jiang Mingyuan couldn't make sense of the situation right away either. He turned and used a full-length mirror leaning against the wall to get a clear look at himself.
"Huh? Why has my hair grown longer?"
Jiang Mingyuan noticed that his vivid red short hair had become long hair shading from crimson to gold, with dark-red flames burning at its ends.
The Spirit Transmitter kept his distance, showing no intention of daring to approach.
Jiang Mingyuan was puzzled.
Was that really necessary? I haven't even obtained my first soul ring yet.
Just then, the Spirit Transmitter seemed to discover something incredible. Afraid he had seen wrongly, he rubbed his eyes, then endured the heat to move a few steps closer.
Only then did he confirm that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.
"Child, do you feel any changes in your body?"
Changes?
"Yes. I feel stronger."
The Spirit Transmitter shook his head.
"Child, examine yourself carefully."
As he spoke, the Spirit Transmitter turned away and disabled the room's surveillance soul tool.
Seeing him do this, Jiang Mingyuan couldn't help feeling puzzled.
"Is something wrong? Wait!"
He suddenly sensed something.
As he calmed down, he could feel that something was missing from inside his trousers.
Jiang Mingyuan could hardly believe it. He hid in a corner to confirm it with his own eyes.
"It's gone! How is that possible?"
"Child, I'm not certain, but your martial soul should be an extremely rare kind capable of changing forms. Try to see whether you can return to your previous form."
As expected of someone with the erudition trait. He even knew about such an incredibly rare martial soul.
Jiang Mingyuan recalled the sensation from before, and the switch inside his body was flipped again.
The sacred, warm flames appeared once more.
"Thank goodness. I can change back."
Jiang Mingyuan checked again before finally relaxing.
The Spirit Transmitter approached him now, drew a form from inside his robe, and slipped it into Jiang Mingyuan's hands.
"Child, you're the most gifted child I've ever seen. Your martial soul has tremendous potential too. But even the greatest talent needs resources to support it. Our Spirit Pagoda is dedicated to nurturing outstanding soul masters. If you're willing to join the Spirit Pagoda, you'll receive generous benefits."
Jiang Mingyuan looked at the sheet in his hands. The top contained promotional information about the Spirit Pagoda, while the bottom was a personal information form.
"Child, you have plenty of time to go home and think it over. If you agree to join the Spirit Pagoda, you can visit the Spirit Pagoda Branch Tower in Aolai City yourself."
Jiang Mingyuan nodded, politely thanked the Spirit Transmitter, and left the Awakening Room.
Outside the Awakening Room, Tang Wulin sat on a chair, waiting anxiously.
"Why hasn't Mingyuan come out yet? Could he be in danger? Mingyuan, please be all right." Tang Wulin closed his eyes and began praying earnestly.
The staff member at the door saw Tang Wulin's behavior and merely marveled at the depth of the two boys' friendship.
"Wulin, what are you doing?" The Awakening Room's door opened. As soon as Jiang Mingyuan emerged, he saw Tang Wulin clasping his hands in prayer.
"Mingyuan! You're finally out!" At the sound of Jiang Mingyuan's voice, Tang Wulin excitedly jumped off the chair and ran over in a few quick steps, looking him over from left to right.
Suddenly, Tang Wulin's expression froze, and anxiety crept into his voice. "Mingyuan, why are your clothes torn at the back? Did something happen?"
Only then did Jiang Mingyuan notice that his phoenix wings had torn through his clothes. Seeing Tang Wulin's anxious expression, he smiled and explained, "Wulin, don't worry. I accidentally tore them when I used martial soul possession."
After hearing his explanation, Tang Wulin's heart finally settled back into place. During their past conversations, Jiang Mingyuan had taught him some things about martial souls. Tang Wulin knew the differences between beast martial souls, tool martial souls, and body martial souls. Hearing about martial soul possession immediately ruled out a tool martial soul.
"Mingyuan, what martial soul did you awaken?" Tang Wulin blinked, his eyes full of a young boy's curiosity.
A wisp of pale-golden flame ignited around Jiang Mingyuan. Fiery-red wings spread behind him, large enough to wrap around them both.
Jiang Mingyuan didn't mind the staff member nearby. There was no reason he couldn't show such basic information about his martial soul.
"Wow! It's so beautiful! So warm! Mingyuan, your hair has grown longer too." Little stars seemed to shine in Tang Wulin's eyes, and he looked deeply envious.
"All right. Wulin, hurry in and awaken your martial soul. I'll wait here for you."
"Okay."
Tang Wulin nodded, gave himself some encouragement, then pushed open the door and entered the Awakening Room.
"Young Jiang Mingyuan, please come this way. Under federal law, our Red Mountain Academy provides free education to every child of eligible age. If you choose to enroll at Red Mountain Academy, please fill in your personal information here." The staff member led Jiang Mingyuan to a table.
After filling it out, Jiang Mingyuan asked the staff member where the restroom was. It was at the end of the corridor. He went inside and took a fresh set of clothes from his storage soul tool.
This ring-shaped storage soul tool had been left to him by his mother in this life. Its space was small, only three cubic meters, but it held the warmest memories of this lifetime.
Not long after he returned to the Awakening Room's door, Tang Wulin came out. His spirits, however, were very low.
Jiang Mingyuan understood. Anyone who learned they had awakened Blue Silver Grass, with innate soul power of only level three, would feel that way.
Jiang Mingyuan went straight over and gave Tang Wulin a big hug.
"Mingyuan?"
"It's all right, Wulin. It's all right. You don't have to be so quick to dismiss yourself. One moment's result can't define your entire life."
Those words might have seemed somewhat inappropriate coming from Jiang Mingyuan, who had innate full soul power. But Tang Wulin understood that Jiang Mingyuan was sincerely trying to comfort him.
Tang Wulin wiped away his tears.
"Yes. I'll work hard."
There, that's the spirit!
Even a stray dog by the roadside might become a god one day. Why should you, a god's son, be sad?
Once Tang Wulin had filled out his form too, they went outside together. Only then did Jiang Mingyuan remember to check Tang Wulin's favorability toward him.
When Jiang Mingyuan activated the system, what he saw truly surprised him.
[Name: Tang Wulin Favorability: 79 Traits: Destruction Godhead; Golden Dragon King bloodline; Goddess of Life's blessing; Blue Silver Emperor bloodline; false child of destiny; plant affinity; forging prodigy; divine bloodline.]
Huh! His favorability is that high? We've only known each other for a year at most.
[Ding! Host, would you like to draw traits now?]
"Go ahead."
[Ding! Drawing traits for the host.] [Ding! Congratulations, host. You have obtained the traits: Destruction Godhead; Goddess of Life's blessing; false child of destiny.] [Destruction Godhead: the core of the Golden Dragon King's power, containing supremely violent destructive power. Warning! This power will continuously affect the host's mind. The system recommends first attaching this trait to your martial soul's phoenix form to prevent it from affecting everyday life.] [Goddess of Life's blessing: the holder's level of existence is elevated, vitality is greatly increased, and understanding of the essence of life is improved.] [False child of destiny: forcibly gathers the world's fortune through artificial intervention. The holder's fortune will greatly increase while within the Douluo Plane.]
From the system's explanation, Jiang Mingyuan learned that his martial soul was indeed as the elderly Spirit Transmitter had said. Like Xie Xie's Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger, these were different forms of the same martial soul.
"All right, system. Do as you suggested."
[Ding! The host's new traits have been loaded.]
Jiang Mingyuan carefully examined how he felt, but there didn't seem to be any particular change.
That made sense. Things like one's level of existence and fortune were inherently elusive, not something that would reveal themselves overnight.
After leaving Red Mountain Academy, the two boys got into Tang Ziran's secondhand car. Tang Ziran first drove to Jiang Mingyuan's villa.
"Mingyuan! See you!"
"Bye!"