Spirit City, awakening branch hall.
The six-year-old children lined up, pressing their small hands in turn upon that warm awakening stone.
When it was Jing Shanshan's turn, he put the book that had accompanied him for six years back into his own pocket and pressed his palm against it.
Then, the first streak of golden light burst open, nearly dyeing the entire main hall pure gold.
A pair of divine golden-white wings slowly unfolded behind Jing Shanshan.
Top-tier Martial Soul, Angel.
The bishop in charge of awakening Martial Souls abruptly clenched his recording pen; although his complexion underwent a momentary drastic change, he still managed to keep his composure.
This was Spirit City, and while awakening a top-tier Martial Soul was rare, he always managed to see one every few years.
Yet the next second, the wings behind Jing Shanshan quietly vanished.
Another completely different aura surged out from within Jing Shanshan's body, and the space around him had a faint, indistinct ripple oscillating through the air; a golden, majestic radiance enveloped the entire scene, causing everyone present to generate an impulse to kneel and worship.
His second Martial Soul, the Gate of Babylon.
After quickly and roughly digesting the related information that came bundled with the awakening of the second Martial Soul, a trace of suppressed joy flashed through Jing Shanshan's eyes.
How could there be such a perfectly matched Martial Soul in the world for him, this future king.
"A top-tier Martial Soul, and moreover, a twin Martial Soul at that, with full innate Soul Power!"
It was unknown who spoke out the words in the hearts of everyone present.
Who was it that had awakened such talent the last time?
People living in Spirit Hall were all very clear about it.
That was none other than the contemporary Pope, Bibi Dong!
Everyone was very clear on what this meant.
This child possessed the aptitude of a pope!
"Clack."
The bishop's sheepskin parchment dropped to the ground, but he remained completely oblivious to it. His lips opened and closed for a long time, only squeezing out a single sentence.
"Hurry, hurry up and report this to headquarters!"
The message flew off like it had grown wings, and the hall instantly exploded into a commotion. Some people panicked, while others vied with each other in a rush to catch a glimpse of the true visage of the "future pope".
Seeing these subordinates being clumsy with their hands and feet and only caring about being shocked, the bishop grew too furious to speak. Simply executing Martial Soul Possession upon himself, he left behind a snow-white figure and vanished on the spot.
By the time the crowd recovered from their shock and wanted to seek out that "future pope", they discovered that Jing Shanshan was long gone from the awakening branch hall.
The instigator of this riot, Jing Shanshan, was at that moment passing through the back door of the awakening hall, arriving at a sparsely populated patch of open ground.
He leaned his back against an old tree, let out a long breath of relief, and lowered his head to take out the book he had repeatedly read for several years from his pocket.
The pages of the book had already turned yellow and curled at the edges, yet the handwriting on the cover still clearly read "The King's Cultivation and Character".
According to the parents who adopted him, this book had been pressed against his chest when they found him.
Jing Shanshan opened the first page, his gaze sweeping over those words he had already memorized by heart.
"A king is born in solitude, dies in solitude, and everything in between is merely a pastime."
He closed the book, pressed it close to his chest, and closed his eyes.
He learned to read at three, thoroughly read books at four, and at five decided upon a single matter: he would become a king just like the one in the book!
Jing Shanshan closed the book, and when he opened his eyes again, not a trace of ripples remained in the depths of his gaze.
Mm, as a future king, enjoying praise and flattery is a matter of course; I mustn't be so happy that I roll around on the ground like an ordinary child.
He paused, then added another sentence inwardly.
A king would never do something so degrading as rolling on the ground; a king only bears everything!
He instinctively wanted to put this book in his pocket to take home and hide it away, but he quickly thought of his second Martial Soul, the Gate of Babylon.
The Gate of Babylon was essentially a storage-space type of Martial Soul, inside of which were stored the prototypes of all Tool Martial Souls, items, or techniques from ancient times to the present.
Now, if he were to talk about where Jing Shanshan felt it was most secure to hide things, it would definitely be his second Martial Soul.
Golden ripples undulated before him. Holding the book with both hands, he cautiously placed it into the Gate of Babylon.
Having finished dealing with the most important matter, Jing Shanshan's childhood curiosity toward a Martial Soul as overpowered as the Gate of Babylon was immediately hooked.
"Let me see what the most formidable Martial Soul in here is..."
"Eh? My Soul Power isn't enough, I can't use it, and what's more, there isn't just one weapon Martial Soul like Ea, the Divider of Heaven and Earth, either."
Making a preliminary estimate, at least two-thirds of the Martial Souls inside the Gate of Babylon were unable to be drawn out and used because his current Soul Power was too low.
"This..."
Jing Shanshan refused to give up, and searched again for the strongest Martial Soul he could currently use.
"Divine-target Martial Souls? And these Soul-Power-target Martial Souls?"
He suddenly discovered that these two categories of Martial Souls he had never heard of before were quite interesting; their might actually varied depending on the opponent's circumstances.
For example, with this pair of Soul Power-type Martial Souls, the higher the opponent's Soul Power Level, the stronger the suppression effect.
If the opponent was a Titled Douluo, this pair of Soul Power Martial Souls could unleash an effect on the level of a Titled Douluo, and the Soul Power they consumed would astonishingly not increase.
Afterward, Jing Shanshan rummaged through Gate of Babylon and discovered many more Martial Souls with bizarre effects.
But quite a bit of time had passed, and he still had something important to take care of, so he temporarily gave up researching the Second Martial Soul.
"There aren't many things that can interest me."
Jing Shanshan leaned against an old tree. The kingly bearing in his eyes quickly eclipsed the look of a child. The golden-white wings unfurled behind him, and the corner of his mouth curled up ever so slightly.
"My First Martial Soul is Angel. What is your name? Why are you inside my Martial Soul?"
Silence fell for a moment.
A cool voice, tinged with confusion, rang out in Jing Shanshan's mind.
"I... am called Qian Renxue."
The consciousness dwelling in the Angel Martial Soul introduced herself, then fell silent for a long while.
"I don't know how I ended up here either, let alone in this form."
Her voice held a hint more bewilderment, like a lost person who had woken up without knowing where they had been thrown.
"Qian Renxue? Never heard of you."
Jing Shanshan rolled the name around in his mind, searching his memories at lightning speed. Finding nothing to match it, he casually shook his head.
Qian Renxue paused, feeling that something was off, but continued anyway.
"I was once the Angel God, after the Spirit Hall Empire was defeated. I'm the daughter of the empire's Pontiff, Bibi Dong, and the granddaughter of the Great Enshrined. Have you... heard of me?"
"No."
Qian Renxue was stunned.
How could this child have never heard of her? Even though the Spirit Hall Empire had existed for less than ten years, the wars it had sparked had practically swept across the entire continent. Surely the name Spirit Hall Empire had reached even the most remote places.
Just then, the sound of people discussing things outside the wall reached Jing Shanshan's ears, and the corners of his mouth rose without him realizing it.
Qian Renxue heard the passersby talking, too.
"Have you heard?"
"You mean that child who just awakened? Of course I have. Twin Martial Souls! The same talent as Her Holiness, Pontiff Bibi Dong!"
"Tsk, tsk, what an extraordinary talent..."
A realization exploded in Qian Renxue's heart.
Had she, Qian Renxue, returned to the past?! Had she gone back to before the Three Gods War?!
The next moment, Qian Renxue's tone changed. It carried an urgent insistence, almost unconsciously taking on the sound of a command.
"Listen to me. You need to go to the Worship Hall and find my grandfather, the Great Enshrined Qian Daoliu. This is the only chance to change everything..."
Jing Shanshan raised an eyebrow slightly, and the smile at the corners of his mouth faded a little. He didn't answer Qian Renxue.
He was a man destined to become a king. How could he do whatever someone else told him to do?
Jing Shanshan's silent refusal carried more weight than any spoken rejection.
"You... why?"
Qian Renxue's voice trembled a little. She had sensed Jing Shanshan's attitude.
"Why should I listen to you?"
Hearing Jing Shanshan's words, Qian Renxue spoke extremely quickly, as if afraid he would end the call in the next second.
"As long as you go to the Great Enshrined, you can choose whatever wealth, resources, and power you want. You could even become the Pontiff!"
Qian Renxue thought she had offered terms enticing enough, but the reply she got was icy.
"Boring."
"You..."
"If you're this boring, then there's no need for me to keep talking to you."
Qian Renxue was at a loss. For a moment, she couldn't think of a reason that would convince Jing Shanshan.
"W-wait..."
At last, Qian Renxue's voice sank, as if she had used up the last of her strength.
"I'm begging you... I don't want to go through that future again..."
Before Qian Renxue could finish, Jing Shanshan interrupted her.
"The future?"
Qian Renxue's hopes instantly rose.
"Yes, that's right. I came from the future. Is there anything about the future you want to know? Ask me, and I'll tell you everything I know!"
Jing Shanshan shook his head, a glint of delight flashing in his eyes.
"Don't tell me about the future."
"You... don't want to know the future?"
Qian Renxue froze, despair welling up inside her once more.
"This king has no need for that. Knowing how the future will unfold would only make things dull."
There was no room for negotiation in Jing Shanshan's tone, only a verdict.
Qian Renxue fell silent. Even her one and only bargaining chip couldn't move him?
Could she only watch the tragedy happen again?
She wanted to cry, but in her current state, she couldn't even manage that.
"About going to the Worship Hall..."
The corners of Jing Shanshan's mouth lifted again.
"I agree."
Qian Renxue was speechless. For a moment, she couldn't understand what this six-year-old child was thinking.
"Why? Why are you suddenly willing to go to the Worship Hall after all, just as I wanted?"