"I, I can become a Soul Master..."
Hearing that he could become a Soul Master, Wang Sheng trembled all over with excitement.
Fortunately, Wang Sheng still had some sense left. Knowing Luo Chen was waiting behind him to awaken his Martial Soul, he hurriedly stepped aside. "Xiao Chen, your turn."
"Congratulations."
Luo Chen smiled as he congratulated him, happy for his friend.
"You can do it too, Xiao Chen."
Wang Sheng gave Luo Chen a look, then watched him expectantly, hoping he could awaken Soul Power too.
"May your words bring me luck."
Luo Chen patted Wang Sheng's shoulder. Understanding without a word, Wang Sheng took the wooden staff from his hand and silently cheered him on. "You can do it!"
"Xiao Chen, stand in the middle of the array. Don't be nervous."
Saying he was not nervous would have been a lie. Martial Soul Awakening was the most important event in this world, deciding their futures and fates.
"All right."
Luo Chen took a deep breath, then followed Su Yuntao's instructions, relaxing his mind and carefully sensing the changes within his body.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes...
Yet apart from the points of light that continued to flicker, the awakening chamber was utterly silent, as though nothing had happened.
"Huh?"
Su Yuntao gave a soft exclamation, looking in bewilderment at Luo Chen floating above the array. "What's going on? Where's the Martial Soul?"
"Brother Tao, I, I don't seem to have awakened a Martial Soul."
Luo Chen had already spread both hands, but no Martial Soul appeared above his palms.
"Impossible! Everyone in this world has a Martial Soul!"
This situation went somewhat beyond Su Yuntao's expectations. "That's not right. I clearly infused Soul Power into your body. Why aren't you reacting at all, Xiao Chen?"
The essence of Martial Soul Awakening was for a Soul Master to infuse Soul Power into a child's body, using a certain amount of stimulation to awaken the Martial Soul within them.
The role of the six gemstones and the array in this process was akin to a special, fixed Soul Skill.
This Soul Skill was specifically intended to awaken Martial Souls, and was safer and more efficient than stimulating them directly with Soul Power.
"Try again."
Su Yuntao circulated his Soul Power once more, then infused it into Luo Chen through the array.
This time, Su Yuntao used even more Soul Power, almost exhausting all the Soul Power he possessed as a Soul Grandmaster.
But even when Su Yuntao was panting with his tongue hanging out like a dog's, Luo Chen still showed no reaction. He even sank back to the floor when Su Yuntao's Soul Power ran dry.
"What?!"
Su Yuntao froze. He could sense that the Martial Soul Awakening array was indeed working.
Yet for some reason, as soon as this Soul Power entered Luo Chen's body, it sank like a stone into the sea, vanishing without a trace.
Su Yuntao had never encountered anything like this. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, then forcibly suppressed his shock. "Wait here. I'll go find Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo."
With that, Brother Tao hurried out of the awakening chamber and headed toward Ma Xiunuo's room.
Without even knocking, Su Yuntao pushed the door open and entered. "Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo, something's happened! Hurry and come take a look!"
"What is it, young Yuntao? What kind of behavior is this, rushing about so recklessly?"
An aged voice rang out. Behind a broad desk, an elderly man sat quietly.
He wore a neat Soul Master uniform bearing the standard three-sword insignia, marking him as a Soul Grandmaster-level Battle Soul Master.
"A Soul Master's cultivation requires complete concentration. Only with a steadier temperament can you keep refining your skills."
"Otherwise, you'll end up like me, unable to cross the threshold of level 30 no matter what you do."
The old man rose as he spoke, utterly unaware of Su Yuntao's anxiety.
After all, Brother Tao was always making a fuss, and Ma Xiunuo had long since ceased to find it strange.
"Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo, please stop going on about that. Something really has happened this time!"
Su Yuntao was close to Ma Xiunuo, who had personally awakened his Martial Soul. He quickly recounted Luo Chen's situation to Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo, whose eyes likewise filled with puzzlement after hearing it.
"Xiao Chen? The child who often asks Spirit Hall to buy medicinal herbs?"
Ma Xiunuo remembered Luo Chen. The boy loved reading and often asked Su Yuntao to borrow books from the branch's collection. Over time, the old man had met Luo Chen a few times as well.
"Yes, that's the child."
"Heh, it seems we've found a treasure this time."
Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo stroked his snow-white beard, then followed Su Yuntao straight to the awakening chamber.
"Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo."
Luo Chen and Wang Sheng greeted the old man respectfully. Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo smiled. "No need to stand on ceremony, children."
"Come, Xiao Chen. Stand properly inside this array."
Ma Xiunuo looked Luo Chen up and down for a while, then joined Su Yuntao in starting the awakening ceremony for him once again.
Yet there was still no reaction whatsoever.
"This makes no sense!"
The two Soul Grandmasters, one old and one young, exchanged a glance, each finding the same astonishment in the other's eyes.
"What is going on?"
Although Ma Xiunuo was merely a Soul Grandmaster unable to break through level 30, his knowledge was far beyond Su Yuntao's.
Thus, rather than panicking, the old man felt boundless anticipation well up within him.
He knew that whenever unusual phenomena appeared during Martial Soul Awakening, the result was either a trash Martial Soul or a prodigy of exceptional talent.
"Could Xiao Chen truly be unable to awaken a Martial Soul?"
"Impossible!"
Ma Xiunuo immediately rejected Su Yuntao's doubt, declaring firmly, "Everyone has a Martial Soul, and everyone can awaken one."
"Then, Grandpa Ma Xiunuo, what's happening to me?"
"Xiao Chen, did you feel anything just now?"
"Feel anything?"
Luo Chen carefully recalled his state during the awakening. "It felt like something was trying to come out of my body, but it was blocked and couldn't get out."
"That fits."
Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo nodded, a possibility coming to mind. "Xiao Chen's Martial Soul is very likely one of extremely high quality."
"But as for why it won't awaken, I don't know."
Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo could not explain the specific reason either. This was merely a judgment based on his experience.
"Yuntao, report Xiao Chen's situation to the higher levels of Spirit Hall."
Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo had foresight and recognized that Luo Chen's Martial Soul was extraordinary. "Since we can't figure it out, we can only ask more capable figures to take a look."
In short, with such an unusual situation, the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City had no reason to conceal it. They had to let those above know of Luo Chen's existence.
"All right. I'll go right away."
Spirit Hall extended to every corner of the Douluo Continent, from imperial capitals to the remotest mountain villages. The intelligence network built from this far surpassed that of any other force in this world.
In Luo Chen's case, regardless of what his Martial Soul was, his inability to awaken it alone was enough to alarm the higher ranks.
Throughout the countless tens of thousands of years of the Douluo Continent's history, there had never been anyone unable to awaken a Martial Soul.
Ma Xiunuo believed that if Spirit Hall's higher ranks learned of this, it would certainly draw their attention.
Only then would Luo Chen have hope of awakening his Martial Soul.
"Wang Sheng, take Xiao Chen to rest first."
"The Martial Soul Awakening may have to wait a few more days."
After passing the message up, Su Yuntao returned to Spirit Hall. He told the two boys to return to the orphanage first and wait for a response from above.
"Yuntao, what happened to Xiao Chen? What Martial Soul did he awaken?"
Seeing Su Yuntao rush off to send a letter, Sisi had thought some incredible Martial Soul had appeared.
"He can't awaken it?!"
The result, however, was beyond Sisi's expectations. The beautiful young Soul Grandmaster stared at Luo Chen in astonishment, her eyes full of incomprehension.
And so, the information about Luo Chen was reported upward, level by level.
The Spirit Hall in Nuoding City was only a Spirit Hall Branch, the lowest rank. Above it were the Martial Soul Sub-Halls, Spirit Hall Main Halls, Martial Soul Sacred Halls, the Papal Palace, and the Worship Hall, whose status stood even above the Papal Palace.
"His Martial Soul won't awaken?"
About three days later, inside the Papal Palace in Spirit City, an exquisitely beautiful woman who looked around twenty sat upon the papal throne. She wore a brilliant golden formal gown and the Nine-Curved Purple Gold Crown, holding a scepter about two meters long and inlaid with countless gemstones.
The woman possessed stunning features, snowy, fair skin, and a graceful figure. Her soft red lips parted slightly as she murmured, "Impossible. Everyone can awaken a Martial Soul."
"But his Martial Soul won't awaken..."
"Why is that?"
Soon, Bibi Dong thought of a possibility. "Could the quality of his Martial Soul be too high, while those awakening it haven't supplied enough Soul Power, leaving it unable to awaken?"
"If that's truly the case, this boy named Luo Chen may be worth cultivating carefully."
It had only just been two months since Bibi Dong succeeded to the position of Supreme Pontiff.
Two months earlier, the previous Supreme Pontiff, Qian Xunji, had fought Tang Hao while pursuing the hundred-thousand-year transformed Soul Beast, the Blue Silver Emperor. Tang Hao, who had just broken through to Titled Douluo, had severely wounded him.
Afterward, Bibi Dong killed Qian Xunji and devoured everything of his, using this to open the Rakshasa Secret Realm.
Bibi Dong was now only twenty-nine. Although her Soul Power level remained at 90 after devouring Qian Xunji, she only needed to obtain another Soul Ring to break through to Titled Douluo.
With the advantage of her twin Martial Souls, Bibi Dong was confident she could become a Super Douluo in a short time, or even reach Qian Daoliu's realm.
When that time came, she would no longer need to feign compliance and could unleash her plans for revenge without restraint.
To achieve her goal, Bibi Dong knew full well that her strength alone would never be enough. She needed to seize more power within Spirit Hall, as well as gather a core of followers loyal to her.
Now that she had heard of Luo Chen's situation, Bibi Dong immediately had the thought of bringing him into her fold.
"Have you tried asking the higher levels of Spirit Hall?"
"We already have."
Apart from Bibi Dong, two figures were present in the Papal Palace. They were its court elders, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei.
"After hearing of this, a Black-Robed Bishop stationed at a Spirit Hall Main Hall personally went to Nuoding City to awaken the child's Martial Soul."
"But he still failed."
Like Bibi Dong, Yue Guan was extremely curious about this situation.
Had he not been a court elder of Spirit Hall, he probably would have gone in person to see what was happening with this child.
"A Black-Robed Bishop? Even someone at the Soul Emperor level couldn't awaken it?"
The positions within Spirit Hall, from lowest to highest, were White-Robed Deacon, Purple-Robed Bishop, Black-Robed Bishop, and Platinum Bishop. A Black-Robed Bishop's Soul Power cultivation was at least at the Soul Emperor level.
Yet even a Soul Emperor could not awaken Luo Chen's Martial Soul. This was somewhat beyond the expectations of all three present.
"Interesting."
Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes swept over the second report, finally resting on the words "Nuoding City." "Nuoding City. I remember Xiao Gang is in Nuoding City."
Over the years, Bibi Dong had been secretly searching for Yu Xiaogang's whereabouts all along.
Naturally, Bibi Dong knew about Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong.
At first, she had indeed hated Yu Xiaogang. But whenever she remembered that she had abandoned him first, coupled with the fact that Qian Xunji was still alive, Bibi Dong could only force down all her thoughts.
But now, she had killed that beast Qian Xunji, while Yu Xiaogang had fled to Nuoding City because he could not accept his relationship with Liu Erlong.
Xiao Gang must be in terrible pain right now, mustn't he?
I'm no longer clean. I'm not worthy of him. But if I could just secretly catch a glimpse of him...
At that thought, Bibi Dong rose from the papal throne and said, "Elders, accompany me to Nuoding City!"
"What?!"
Yue Guan and Gui Mei were greatly surprised. By all rights, no matter how unusual Luo Chen was, he should not warrant Bibi Dong going in person.
If he truly was so unusual, would it not be better to order that the child be brought to Spirit Hall?
"As it happens, I also need to obtain my ninth Soul Ring. I'll stop by Nuoding City and take a look myself."
At Bibi Dong's explanation, Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged a glance, inwardly thinking that the Star Dou Great Forest, where they would hunt for her Soul Ring, lay east of Spirit City, while Nuoding City was to the west. How was that stopping by along the way?
Still, neither questioned Bibi Dong's order. They immediately nodded in agreement and went to make preparations.
The Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos had watched Bibi Dong grow up, yet the once innocent, carefree girl was now increasingly cold and imposing.
Especially after she became Supreme Pontiff, there was an inexplicable sense of pressure about her. Though they were the Titled Douluos, when it came to presence, they were instead the ones being suppressed.
"Oh, right."
Bibi Dong suddenly spoke. "Bring Nana along too."
The Nana Bibi Dong spoke of was Hu Liena, a genius who had awakened the top-tier Beast Martial Soul, Demon Fox, with Innate Soul Power at level 9.5.
Three months earlier, Hu Liena had awakened her Martial Soul, caught Bibi Dong's eye, and been accepted as her disciple.
Bibi Dong liked Hu Liena very much, experiencing through her a maternal love she had never felt before. "Nana's Soul Power has already reached level 10. She can obtain her first Soul Ring now."
"Unable to awaken his Martial Soul?"
"Could it be some powerful Martial Soul that requires sufficient Soul Power to awaken?"
Meanwhile, in the Worship Hall facing the Papal Palace from afar, a handsome, blond-haired middle-aged man who looked to be in his thirties or forties also read the report submitted by a subordinate Spirit Hall.
He was Spirit Hall's Supreme Pontiff from two generations earlier, now the Great Enshrined of the Worship Hall: Angel Douluo Qian Daoliu, known as invincible in the skies.
"Big Brother."
Not long afterward, a burly old man approached Qian Daoliu. It was none other than the Second Worship, Golden Crocodile Douluo. "Bibi Dong has already set off for Nuoding City."
"Oh? She went in person?"
Qian Daoliu did not know Bibi Dong's true purpose for this journey. Checking Luo Chen's condition was merely something she was doing along the way.
"Since she's gone, let that be."
These days, Qian Daoliu devoted all his attention to his granddaughter, Qian Renxue.
Only two months earlier, because of his son Qian Xunji's death, Qian Daoliu had personally emerged from seclusion to demand an accounting from the Clear Sky Sect, ultimately forcing the continent's foremost sect to seal its mountain and withdraw from the world.
As for Tang Hao, Qian Daoliu had done little to make things difficult for him.
That was because Qian Daoliu knew very well that the one who had truly killed his son was Bibi Dong, yet she was Qian Renxue's mother.
"And about that matter, Big Brother, are you really going to let it go just like that?"
Golden Crocodile Douluo had always harbored misgivings over Qian Daoliu not killing Bibi Dong, and instead even passing the position of Supreme Pontiff to her.
"Sigh..."
Qian Daoliu sighed. "She is Xiao Xue's mother, after all. Xiao Xue has already lost her father. She cannot lose her mother too."
"As for the position of Supreme Pontiff, consider it compensation for all these years."
At the mention of Qian Renxue, Golden Crocodile Douluo said no more. Like Qian Daoliu, he had high hopes for her.
Her innate soul power had been rank 20, and now, at only nine years old, her soul power had already reached rank 32.
With such world-shaking talent, she was the true hope of Spirit Hall.
This was also why Qian Daoliu did not care about Luo Chen. Even if Bibi Dong won him over, Qian Daoliu still would not take it to heart.
(End of chapter)