Chapter 4: The most valuable fruit? Swallow it in one bite. What else was there to say?
Faced with Sword Douluo's threat, Jun Yi dared not act up. He hurriedly released Ning Rongrong's wrist and let her go.
Ning Rongrong turned around and gave Jun Yi a resentful look. Planting both hands on her hips, she said, "What's with you? I went looking for you. Why weren't you home?"
"How was I supposed to know? Brother Qinghe and I only just got here," Jun Yi explained helplessly.
"Hmph, you were avoiding me on purpose."
"If I'd known Your Ladyship was coming to the palace, I would've slipped away ages ago."
"You!"
"That's enough, Rongrong."
Seeing the two children bickering in public, Ning Fengzhi felt it made a poor impression and spoke up to stop them.
Ning Rongrong did not argue back. After all, she understood that this was the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, not the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. She still needed to mind her manners outside.
She shot Jun Yi another vicious glare before returning to Ning Fengzhi's side.
Ning Fengzhi nodded to Xue Qinghe and said, "Qinghe, Emperor Xue Ye said that you and I should come to the palace. He has important matters to discuss with us."
"Understood," Xue Qinghe replied. "Once Xiao Yi has finished awakening his Martial Soul, we'll head straight to the imperial study."
"Mm. Jun Yi has been exceptionally bright since he was little. I'd also like to see what Martial Soul he awakens," Ning Fengzhi said with a smile.
"Hehe, Jun Yi, I awakened the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul today, and my innate Soul Power reached rank nine, a whole rank higher than Dad's back then. If yours isn't higher than mine, you'll have to behave and do as I say. Understand?"
Standing beside Ning Fengzhi, Ning Rongrong spoke with her arms crossed and a proud smile curling her lips. Her smug look even made Jun Yi want to punch her.
Xue Qinghe signaled for the middle-aged Soul Master to continue awakening Jun Yi's Martial Soul.
The middle-aged man placed the awakening crystal beside Jun Yi, injected a strand of blue Soul Power into it, then guided it into Jun Yi's body.
The crystal gave off a pale golden glow that enveloped Jun Yi. Warmth seeped into his body, and under that power's guidance, something inside him seemed to shatter. All the warmth surged toward his palm in an instant.
"Host detected awakening a Martial Soul. As the host is about to officially become a Soul Master, a beginner's gift package has been specially prepared for you. Please check and claim it."
The system's pleasant notification sounded in Jun Yi's ears. At that moment, he felt as though his entire body were wrapped in a world of warmth, indescribably comfortable.
Jun Yi raised his right hand and waited for his Martial Soul to appear.
Jun Yi was both nervous and excited, and so was everyone present.
"It's here."
Jun Yi clearly felt all his Soul Power gathering toward his palm, forming a round ball of power. The Devil Fruit was taking shape as well.
Under everyone's gazes, a crimson, heart-shaped fruit appeared in Jun Yi's palm.
Seeing that Jun Yi's Martial Soul was merely a red fruit that looked entirely useless, Ning Rongrong secretly gloated.
Just as she was about to mock Jun Yi, she looked up and saw a trace of disappointment in Sword Douluo's and her father's eyes.
Clearly, they also thought a red fruit was of little use. No matter how strong a support-type Soul Master became, they were still only a support type.
Ning Rongrong turned to Xue Qinghe and found that his gaze remained gentle as he looked at Jun Yi, unchanged by the fact that Jun Yi's Martial Soul was a red fruit.
An inexplicable bitterness rose in Ning Rongrong's heart. Suddenly, Jun Yi awakening a Martial Soul that looked weaker than hers no longer felt like a good thing.
She knew very well that she probably would not be able to come and play with Jun Yi much anymore. Even if he took the initiative to ask, her father probably would not agree...
And what was Jun Yi thinking? Of course he was over the moon! He was already rolling around wildly in his inner world. His luck was simply god-tier-he had actually awakened the Op-Op Fruit!
This was reputedly the most expensive fruit in Pirate King, worth five billion! Most importantly, once he swallowed it, as long as he did not court death, he could put his body back together even if it was smashed into pieces.
The highest realm of this fruit's abilities was the "Perennial Youth Operation," which could grant humans eternal life. However, performing this operation would kill the user, which was why it was called the ultimate Devil Fruit!
"Hahaha! Snort."
Looking at the red heart-shaped fruit in his hand, Jun Yi could not help laughing with a piglike snort.
Watching Jun Yi act like a lunatic, Ning Rongrong and the others beside him grew somewhat worried about his current mental state.
Xue Qinghe even thought Jun Yi had suffered a blow. He stepped forward and asked, "Xiao Yi, your Martial Soul looks quite unusual, truly extraordinary. Does it have any special properties?"
"Wait a moment, Brother Qinghe. I'll tell you about it in a bit."
All Jun Yi wanted now was to eat it right away. The most valuable fruit? Swallow it in one bite. What else was there to say?
With that, Jun Yi swallowed the red, heart-shaped fruit in one mouthful. A sour, astringent taste instantly filled his mouth.
"Blegh! This tastes awful. It looks pretty, but it tastes like unripe orange peel."
Jun Yi endured the sour astringency and swallowed it all. Then gentle power filled his entire body, and a tiny hemispherical space appeared in his palm.
"Host's Martial Soul awakening complete. Displaying the host's status panel. Name: Jun Yi Age: 6 Soul Power Level: Rank 10 (can break through after adding a Soul Ring) Martial Soul: Op-Op Fruit (unawakened). Abilities mastered: Creating rank-one Soul Tools and various complex devices."
"Haha, so this is ROOM? It really does look pretty good. From now on, I'm an ability user too. Good thing this isn't the pirate world, or I'd definitely ask, 'Bro, what fruit are you?'"
Gazing at the tiny ROOM in his palm, Jun Yi started acting like a lunatic, standing there laughing nonstop.
"Xiao Yi?"
Xue Qinghe's worry was written all over his face. He thought Jun Yi had been unable to bear the blow and had fallen into madness.
That call pulled Jun Yi back to reality. He immediately realized his behavior had been somewhat inappropriate, hastily composed himself, and apologized to Xue Qinghe:
"Sorry, Brother Qinghe. I just awakened my Martial Soul and got a little excited."
Xue Qinghe showed no intention of blaming him. Instead, he took out a blue crystal ball, walked up to Jun Yi, and said:
"Come, Xiao Yi. Let's test what rank your innate Soul Power is."
"Okay, Brother."
Jun Yi placed his hand on the crystal ball. The instant his palm touched the blue crystal ball, he felt a powerful suction, and his Soul Power surged out as though it had found an outlet.
The crystal ball lit up. Dazzling blue light spread from a single point in an instant. In the blink of an eye, the entire crystal ball was filled with blue Soul Power, radiating a brilliant glow.
"Is... is this innate full Soul Power?"
(End of chapter)