The black pillar of light unleashed by the Martial Soul Awakening soon dissipated.
Deathly silence filled the awakening chamber. The middle-aged attendant's gaze remained fixed on Xiao Chen.
The middle-aged attendant was named Wang Yuntao. After awakening Xiao Chen's Martial Soul, he had frozen in place, his pupils trembling violently as he stared at Xiao Chen in disbelief.
Anyone with innate full Soul Power was unquestionably a genius in this era.
But this phenomenon of Soul Power soaring into the sky had already gone far beyond what should occur during a Martial Soul Awakening.
Eerie, overbearing, and icy cold-this was not a phenomenon any normal Martial Soul should produce.
"No... impossible."
The attendant's Adam's apple bobbed. He instinctively took two steps forward, staring fixedly at the black Soul Power surging around Xiao Chen.
"I've seen innate full Soul Power, and I've seen Martial Souls with ultimate attributes, but never a phenomenon like this. Soul Power this cold... could it be...?"
The Soul Power produced by an ordinary Martial Soul Awakening had a warm, gentle hue and brimmed with vitality.
Even dark-attribute Soul Power was not as cold as Xiao Chen's.
Only Xiao Chen's Soul Power was pitch-black as ink, deathly still and icy, as though it would devour life itself, exuding a desolation in which all things withered.
Leng Yaoyu stood behind Xiao Chen. The delight that the quality of his Martial Soul had stirred in her moments ago had now turned entirely to solemn concern.
She was a Level 98 Super Douluo who had seen the vast majority of the continent's Martial Souls. Even the Martial Souls of Evil Soul Masters lacked Xiao Chen's icy, overbearing aura of destruction.
This power was neither savage nor frenzied, yet it carried an icy disregard for life that made even her heart flutter with inexplicable dread.
"Little Chen, your Martial Soul..." Leng Yaoyu spoke softly, a hint of inquiry in her voice.
Hearing her, Xiao Chen stirred his will slightly.
He actually had twin Martial Souls, one of which was the Wither that had just unleashed that phenomenon.
That was right—it was the Wither from Minecraft. His other Martial Soul also came from Minecraft: the familiar item known as the Command Block.
When Xiao Chen sensed that these two were his Martial Souls, he was rather bewildered too. Were these two Martial Souls gifts from my computer exploding while I was fighting the Wither Storm?
Then could I use Martial Soul Fusion to turn them into the Wither Storm?
But his Command Block Martial Soul seemed to resist appearing on the Douluo Continent, leaving him only able to activate his Wither Martial Soul for now.
Xiao Chen activated his Wither Martial Soul. Black mist churned and gathered, finally taking shape behind him.
Three hideous black skulls slowly formed side by side and hovered there, their pupils a ghastly white, icy and deathly still. Wither power spread silently, and the potted plants in the room slowly yellowed, wilted, and withered away.
"A Martial Soul with three skulls? What kind of Martial Soul is this?"
Wang Yuntao was thoroughly panicked, his words tumbling out rapidly.
"A beast Martial Soul? No. A tool Martial Soul? That's not right either! There's no record of this form anywhere in the continent's Martial Soul compendium! Could it be a detached Martial Soul?"
Across ten thousand years on the Douluo Continent, countless Martial Souls had existed, yet none had ever been as terrifying as Xiao Chen's.
Leng Yaozhu's voice interrupted Wang Yuntao's exclamations.
"Black Soul Power... then it's a dark-attribute Martial Soul."
"Innate full Soul Power paired with such an eerie Martial Soul-is this a heaven-sent prodigy, or a calamity great enough to blot out the sky?"
Beside them, Wang Yuntao watched Xiao Chen in the center of the formation warily.
In most Soul Masters' understanding, black and eerie Martial Souls generally had inextricable ties to Evil Soul Masters.
But after hearing Leng Yaozhu's words, he immediately caught on. Whatever kind of Martial Soul it was, Heavenly Phoenix Douluo had spoken, and only the three of them were present. A dark-attribute Martial Soul-there could be no mistake.
Then Leng Yaoyu stepped forward to the edge of the formation. Her gentle gaze settled on Xiao Chen as she asked softly:
"Little Chen, can you control your Martial Soul's power? Do you feel any discomfort?"
What she feared most was that this unknown, eerie Martial Soul would turn against Xiao Chen, or that it belonged to the category of forbidden evil Martial Souls and would bring him endless trouble.
Xiao Chen nodded slightly, his expression cool and composed, his voice steady. "Aunt Leng, I'm fine. This is my Martial Soul, Wither."
Though the Wither seemed overbearing and full of destructive power, it was actually entirely under his mental control, docile and easy to use. It would never turn against him.
Hearing this, Leng Yaoyu felt much of her worry ease. The solemn concern in her eyes faded slightly, and she turned to Wang Yuntao beside her, speaking in a low voice:
"Record the information. Martial Soul: Wither. Innate full Soul Power. Dark attribute."
Wang Yuntao came to his senses and nodded repeatedly, swiftly recording the information, his face filled with shock.
"Vice Pagoda Master, this Martial Soul... we've never seen it before. Should we report it to headquarters immediately? A Martial Soul of this caliber is far too rare."
"There's no need."
Leng Yaoyu declined flatly.
Meticulous by nature, she understood well that the tree rising above the forest would be battered by the wind.
Xiao Chen had good talent, and his Martial Soul was utterly unprecedented. Once it was reported to headquarters, the higher-ups would inevitably pay special attention to him. Countless investigations, tests, and restrictions would follow in succession, hindering his growth instead.
"But, Vice Pagoda Master."
The attendant spoke hesitantly.
"Innate full Soul Power and an unknown, top-tier Martial Soul, this..."
Leng Yaoyu's gaze cooled slightly as she gave him a brief glance.
"I am the Vice Spirit Pagoda Master. Wouldn't I understand Little Chen's Martial Soul better than you?"
Her mild tone carried unquestionable authority. Wang Yuntao instantly fell silent, not daring to say another word, and hastily lowered his head to continue recording the information.
Standing within the formation, Xiao Chen took all of this in without the slightest ripple in his heart.
For now, only his Wither Martial Soul had appeared. His other, truly heaven-defying Martial Soul was the Command Block. However, since the Command Block resisted appearing on the Douluo Continent, he could do nothing about it.
For now, he could only cultivate using his Wither Martial Soul.
No one knew that a Command Block capable of rewriting the rules of the world still lay hidden within him.
If the Command Block appeared, it probably would not be as simple as alerting Spirit Pagoda Headquarters. It might even draw the gaze of the new Plane Master who had hung high above for ten thousand years, looking down upon the continent.
Right, Haozi?
Although the Divine Realm had been swept away by Space-Time Turbulence, Tang San had left plenty of contingencies on the Douluo Continent. The Command Block could be considered Xiao Chen's ultimate trump card.
If I could switch on Creative Mode, it wouldn't merely be a matter of taking flight.
He could only hope that the Command Block had the same functions on the Douluo Continent as it did in Minecraft.
With a thought from Xiao Chen, the Wither hovering behind him instantly dissolved into black mist and withdrew entirely into his body.
Xiao Chen remained as cool and detached as ever, quiet and steady.
"Little Chen, if anything goes wrong with your Martial Soul, you must tell your big sister."
Seeing this, Leng Yaoyu asked softly.
The moment Leng Yaoyu saw Xiao Chen's Martial Soul, she could not help thinking of her younger sister, Leng Yulai, who had fallen to become an Evil Soul Master.
She did not want Xiao Chen to be influenced by his own Martial Soul and fall to become an Evil Soul Master as well.
"Mm, thank you, Aunt Leng." Xiao Chen came to her side. "I'll keep an eye on my Martial Soul."
Leng Yaoyu raised a hand and gently rubbed the top of his head, her eyes full of gratification and affection. "Call me big sister."
Xiao Chen nodded slightly and murmured inwardly.
With these two Martial Souls in hand, I don't have to worry anymore.
Great God King Tang, that ten-thousand-year plan of yours is probably going to fall through.
Now, let's take our time playing.