Dead silence.
A dead silence in which a falling pin could be heard.
The little hammer hovering above Ling Feng's palm, pitch-black all over with dark patterns flowing across it, seemed to bear an immense weight. It weighed not only on his hand, but on the hearts of everyone present, leaving them unable to breathe or utter a sound.
The crystal ball, blazing like a little sun, still radiated a platinum light too brilliant to look at directly, faithfully reflecting the vast, surging innate Soul Power within Ling Feng, far beyond anything ordinary people could imagine.
The dazzling light illuminated every detail of Ling Feng's young face, whose contours were already beginning to sharpen.
Not a trace of his earlier fear or unease remained on that face. There was only an almost indifferent calm, and, deep in his eyes, a barely concealed gleam of confidence in his command of power.
He held his right hand slightly raised, supporting the little hammer that seemed capable of smashing anything, and calmly met Su Yuntao's utterly horrified gaze.
At that moment, he was no longer the pitiful orphan who depended on meals from a hundred households and wore patched clothes.
He was like a young dragon that had suddenly torn away its disguise and bared its fearsome fangs.
"Gulp."
Someone swallowed with difficulty. In that absolute silence, the sound rang out especially loudly.
It seemed to break some kind of spell.
Whoosh-!
The crowd instantly boiled over! Their overwhelming shock turned into an irrepressible clamor!
"Heavens! What... what Martial Soul is that?! What a terrifying presence!" "The light! The crystal ball's light! How can it be so bright?! I'm going blind!" "Innate full Soul Power! It's definitely innate full Soul Power! Our Holy Soul Village has produced another genius! No! A monster!" "What happened to that Blue Silver Grass? How did it suddenly turn into a hammer? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?" "Is... is he still Ling Feng? Why does he feel like a different person...?"
The villagers' faces flushed with excitement, and they no longer knew what to do with their hands and feet. Their earlier pity and regret had long since been flung beyond the ninth heaven, replaced by wild joy at sharing in his glory and a deep reverence.
The children were so frightened that they huddled together, their eyes filled with fear and envy as they looked at Ling Feng. They could not understand what had happened. All they knew was that the normally unremarkable Ling Feng had suddenly become as terrifying and dazzling as a god of war from a story.
Village Chief Old Jack trembled all over, not from fear, but from overwhelming excitement. He abruptly grabbed a villager beside him by the arm, his fingers digging so hard they almost sank into the man's flesh, and said in a tearful voice, "Did you see that? Did you see?! Heaven has opened its eyes! Heaven has opened its eyes! Our Holy Soul Village... has produced another... another..."
He was so excited that his words became incoherent, tears streaming down his aged face.
At the center of it all, however, Su Yuntao felt it most directly, and most intensely.
The heavy, domineering presence emanating from that little black hammer seemed to exert a natural suppression over his Beast Martial Soul. Even the Lone Wolf Martial Soul within him trembled slightly, letting out uneasy whimpers. The blazing light of Soul Power stung his eyes and sent panic through his heart.
As a Spirit Hall deacon, he understood far better than these villagers what the scene before him meant!
Twin Martial Souls?!
No! He had seen it clearly. The Blue Silver Grass had vanished completely before the hammer appeared! They had not existed at the same time! Was this... a Martial Soul mutation? Or the manifestation of some deeper power he could not comprehend?
But whatever it was, this Martial Soul's grade was frighteningly high! And the strength of this innate Soul Power was even more appalling! He was almost certain that this child's innate Soul Power was above rank ten! The purity of that light far exceeded anything in the records!
And most importantly, the form of this Martial Soul...
A hammer... such a domineering, heavy hammer... On the continent, the top-tier Tool Martial Souls with such a form could be counted on one hand. And the most renowned among them, as well as the most feared...
Su Yuntao's heart pounded wildly, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back. As he looked at Ling Feng, his shock slowly gave way to something more complicated-reverence, and a barely perceptible trace of fear.
He abruptly withdrew his Martial Soul Possession. His gray fur receded, his eyes returned to normal, and his Soul Rings withdrew. Remaining in his possessed state before this boy seemed like an affront.
The indifference and superiority on his face had long since vanished without a trace. He even forced out an extremely unnatural, almost ingratiating smile, though his nervousness made it stiff and distorted.
He stepped forward, adopting an exceedingly humble posture. His voice carried a tremor and caution he himself did not notice, and he even used a respectful form of address. "Your... your Martial Soul... please... forgive my presumption, but... may I ask your honorable surname?"
He stared fixedly at Ling Feng and added, lowering his voice further as though afraid others might hear, or afraid of disturbing something, "This Martial Soul... could it... come from... Clear Sky...?"
Those last two words were barely more than an indistinct breath, but his eyes, fixed firmly on Ling Feng, betrayed the storm raging within him and his desperate desire for confirmation!
Clear Sky!
Those two words seemed to possess a magical power, instantly silencing the excited villagers around them once more.
Although most of them did not know exactly what "Clear Sky" meant, the way Su Yuntao, such an esteemed Battle Soul Master, had gone from arrogance to deference, becoming so cautious and even fearful, said everything!
Behind Ling Feng, the orphan they had watched grow up, there might be ties to an immense, terrifying force beyond their imagination!
Everyone's gaze focused on Ling Feng again. They held their breath and waited for his answer.
Ling Feng understood.
As expected, the Clear Sky Hammer was far too recognizable, especially to people from Spirit Hall.
Su Yuntao's reaction was exactly what he had anticipated.
He quickly weighed his options. Admit it outright? No, that would draw too much attention, and he could not explain why an orphan like him possessed the Clear Sky Hammer. Deny it completely? That would not work either. It would only make him look guilty and waste this natural deterrent.
Keeping things vague and deliberately mysterious was the choice best suited to his current circumstances.
He could use the Clear Sky Sect's formidable reputation to deter others and spare himself considerable trouble, while laying reasonable groundwork for the source of his power.
Under everyone's gaze, Ling Feng remained as calm as ever. Even the inscrutable curve at the corner of his mouth deepened slightly.
He did not answer Su Yuntao's question directly.
Instead, he slowly lowered the right hand supporting the Clear Sky Hammer.
With a thought, the little black hammer, still radiating its heart-palpitating presence, silently sank into his palm like a phantom and disappeared.
At the same time, the blazing platinum light from the crystal ball slowly receded, restoring its original crystal-clear appearance. Yet upon closer inspection, a barely discernible trace of platinum radiance seemed to linger within it, proving that the terrifying scene moments earlier had not been an illusion.
Without the Martial Soul and the light of Soul Power illuminating him, Ling Feng seemed to have become an ordinary boy once more.
But now, no one dared treat him as an ordinary boy again.
His gaze swept over Su Yuntao, who waited tensely for an answer, then over the surrounding villagers with their reverence, curiosity, and fear, before finally returning to Su Yuntao.
His voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly, carrying a composure beyond his years and a faint sense of distance.
"A name is merely a label."
"My surname is Ling. Ling Feng."
He paused, seemingly weighing his words, before continuing. His tone was flat, yet carried an unquestionable authority.
"As for where this Martial Soul came from..."
Ling Feng lifted his eyelids slightly. A hint of deeper meaning seemed to flicker in his eyes as he looked into the distance, as though recalling something, or warning of something.
"My family has fallen on hard times. There are certain connections I cannot discuss in detail."
"Teacher," he said, looking at Su Yuntao again. His tone remained calm, yet it made Su Yuntao's heart give a sudden jolt. "Knowing too much about certain things isn't necessarily good, is it?"
Silence.
An eerie silence fell over the gathering once more.
Ling Feng had not admitted it, but neither had he denied it!
"My family has fallen on hard times," "certain connections," "cannot discuss in detail," and that final, faintly warning remark about knowing too much not necessarily being good-all of it sparked even more speculation than a direct admission would have, further confirming Su Yuntao's suspicions!
He was definitely someone from that place! Even if he was not from the direct line, he had to have extremely deep ties to it! How else could he possess such a Martial Soul and Soul Power? And this secretive reluctance to say more perfectly matched that clan's closed, mysterious ways!
Fine beads of cold sweat seeped from Su Yuntao's temples. He nodded hurriedly, his manner growing even more respectful, even taking on a hint of trepidation. "Yes, yes, of course! I was presumptuous! Mr... Mr. Ling Feng, you are absolutely right! I spoke out of turn!"
He had even unconsciously changed his form of address to "Mr.," completely forgetting that the person before him was merely a child whose Martial Soul had just awakened.
Although the villagers listened as though lost in clouds and mist, they could plainly see Su Yuntao's almost groveling attitude.
The reverence in their gazes deepened as they looked at Ling Feng.
Village Chief Old Jack's lips trembled with excitement. This child Ling Feng really did have an extraordinary background! Holy Soul Village was going to prosper!
Ling Feng took in everyone's reactions and inwardly breathed a slight sigh of relief.
The first step could be considered secure.
His gaze shifted to the crystal ball, which still gave off a faint glow, and the blank Spirit Hall certificate in Su Yuntao's hand.