There was no denying that Power Attack System Titled Douluo had no advantage in speed, but their endurance was truly outrageous.
Yue Guan traveled swiftly with Lin Qian, never stopping for even a moment along the way. In just a few hours, he brought Lin Qian to Spirit City.
Spirit City stood between the two great empires of Star Luo Empire and Heaven Dou. It had originated from an ancient church and gradually grown stronger through the baptism of time, ultimately becoming a powerful force that neither empire dared provoke lightly.
Taking Chrysanthemum Douluo, who had escorted Lin Qian, as an example, Spirit Hall had at least five Titled Douluo whose strength far surpassed his, while its total number of Titled Douluo far exceeded the combined total of both empires.
"Greetings, Elder."
"Our respects, Elder."
The attendants on either side of the main Spirit Hall bowed respectfully to Yue Guan.
"Your circumstances are unusual. The main hall's Awakening Stones probably won't be of much use to you. I'll personally help you awaken." As Yue Guan spoke, he led Lin Qian toward the Awakening Sacred Hall.
Martial Soul Awakening was not particularly complicated. It only required someone else to inject Soul Power and give the person awakening a little guidance.
The person would then awaken their Martial Soul on their own.
Thus, the personnel responsible for awakenings in Spirit Hall usually only needed to be Soul Grandmasters. Only when awakening the children of distinguished clans and powerful dignitaries would they dispatch Soul Elders or Soul Ancestors as a sign of respect.
Lin Qian's circumstances, however, were truly unusual. According to Yue Guan's rough assessment, the Soul Power Level within Lin Qian's body had reached at least level 80.
At that level, never mind a Soul Ancestor performing the awakening-even a Soul Emperor would be like a wooden stick stirring a water vat, unable to budge it in the slightest.
Yue Guan placed a hand on Lin Qian's shoulder. His aura shifted as he released his Martial Soul, and an alluring, unusual fragrance filled the room. "Get ready. Mobilize your Soul Power and release it as you will. There's no need to force it."
With that, Yue Guan began channeling Soul Power into him. After a little over ten seconds, a faint sheen of cold sweat appeared on Yue Guan's forehead.
Lin Qian, meanwhile, kept his eyes tightly closed and did not move an inch.
"Mobilize your Soul Power!" Yue Guan said through gritted teeth.
"Hold on a little longer, Elder Ju. I'm just about to feel it." Lin Qian sank his breath into his dantian, sensing the Soul Power circulating within his body as a familiar sensation spread through him.
In the past, Lin Qian had only been able to experience his current state by practicing his cultivation method after consuming large quantities of Soul Beasts.
From the look of things now, I wasn't cultivating immortality, but using Soul Power as spiritual energy and circulating it through my body with a cultivation method. But if that's the case, why did I still undergo a lightning tribulation and form a nascent soul?
Outside his body, Chrysanthemum Douluo's head was already drenched in sweat. Both hands rested on Lin Qian's shoulders, while the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum beside him bloomed with an extraordinary radiance. Nine Soul Rings-yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black-circled Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Vast amounts of Soul Power poured continuously into Lin Qian's body, allowing him to circulate it through his body over and over.
The cultivation method still worked, and his nascent soul still possessed its spirituality. Lin Qian explored the mysteries throughout his body.
It isn't impossible to cultivate on this Douluo Continent. Soul Power simply falls short of spiritual energy and needs refining and purifying. As long as I refine it again and again and practice my cultivation method, I can still become an immortal, even on this Douluo Continent.
His mind and spirit became one, and the aura within Lin Qian's body erupted in full.
In an instant, all of Spirit Hall and all of Spirit City sensed the sharp edge within that aura.
Two figures swiftly appeared beside Lin Qian. One had a skeletal ghost face possessing his body, while the phantom of a ghost leopard appeared behind the other. As though facing a formidable enemy, both stared fixedly at Lin Qian.
The next second, images of Lin Qian himself shone across the surrounding walls of the Awakening Sacred Hall.
Although the two Douluo were not usually responsible for the Awakening Sacred Hall's work, they understood the current situation.
"This is... a Martial Soul Awakening?" Ghost Douluo stared at the walls in disbelief. Normally, whenever an awakening ceremony ended, phantoms of the Martial Soul would appear on the surrounding walls.
"A Martial Soul Awakening can cause this much of a disturbance!" Ghost Leopard Douluo looked at Chrysanthemum Douluo, his face full of astonishment.
"It is indeed a Martial Soul Awakening." Chrysanthemum Douluo leaned on Ghost Douluo to stand up. Helping Lin Qian awaken his Martial Soul had consumed at least ninety percent of his Soul Power, leaving him utterly drained. "There's no need for alarm, Elders. I'll report this matter to the Pope shortly."
Lin Qian looked at the ruined walls around him, his heart filled with joy.
I never expected today's Martial Soul Awakening to also help me break through another level of cultivation. I just wonder what exactly my Martial Soul is.
Looking around, aside from the few Douluo, he saw images of himself everywhere on the walls, illusory and dreamlike.
"Activate your Soul Power. Use a little less force and simply let it happen naturally," Ghost Douluo instructed, as Chrysanthemum Douluo's close friend.
Lin Qian activated his Soul Power as instructed, and the Soul Power within his body naturally began circulating according to his cultivation method.
A slightly larger phantom appeared in midair behind Lin Qian, like a miniature manifestation of a body vast as heaven and earth. His phantom self sat cross-legged with its eyes closed.
Lin Qian froze, staring at himself in the air.
This thing is my Martial Soul?
My Martial Soul is myself?
"An ultimate physique, a Body Martial Soul. Yue Guan really did bring back a promising seedling this time," Ghost Douluo marveled. "Yue Guan, how's this boy's Soul Power? After causing such a huge disturbance, surely it isn't as simple as innate full Soul Power?"
"Level eighty."
"Level eighteen! He really is a promising seedling. Even Her Highness Qian Renxue was only..." Ghost Douluo froze, while Ghost Leopard Douluo's mouth fell open. "What did you just say? Level eighty?"
"Him! Level eighty right after awakening?" Ghost Douluo echoed the question.
"That's right, and he just broke through one level during the awakening. You can test him yourselves." By now, Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo could be said to be supporting each other.
Because of Qian Renxue, they had seen what a world-shaking genius looked like. But someone who was already a level-80 Soul Douluo immediately after awakening was unheard of.
If Yue Guan had initially entertained some suspicion that Lin Qian was a reincarnated Soul Beast, that thought was now entirely gone.
After all, what Soul Beast could become a level-80 Soul Douluo immediately after reincarnating? Besides, he had personally circulated Soul Power through Lin Qian's body, and his meridians had already been confirmed as human.
"How old is he? He shouldn't be eighteen yet, should he?"
"Twelve," Chrysanthemum Douluo added.
"How old? Twelve?" Ghost Leopard Douluo could not accept it at all. He had cultivated for eighty years before breaking through to the Titled Douluo realm, then spent another forty years reaching level 95. Yet this boy was already a Soul Douluo at just twelve.
A few years ago, a little girl with innate full Soul Power who had reached level 30 at twelve had appeared, and he had thought her gifted enough.
Now, a twelve-year-old at level 80 had actually appeared.
Have all these years of cultivation gone into a dog's belly?
"Elder Ju, Ghost Elder, please bring that young man to the Pope Hall."
Just as everyone was reeling from Chrysanthemum Douluo's words, a cool female voice came from the distant Pope Hall.