Liu Erlong, meanwhile, stood in the middle of the group.
Today, for once, she had changed into a neat, practical outfit and tied her hair up in a high ponytail.
The heroic spirit in her features was especially striking.
As though sensing a gaze from the raised platform, Liu Erlong instinctively turned and spotted Lin Chuan.
Her tense little face melted at once, and she waved at Lin Chuan in delighted surprise.
After returning yesterday, she had expected her father, Yu Luomian, to scold her.
Instead, Yu Luomian had asked after her well-being and even given her quite a few nourishing pills.
Liu Erlong was no fool.
Naturally, she knew why he had done all that.
Her father had also attended the banquet held by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan today, and had probably learned that she had gotten involved with Lin Chuan, the disciple of the Spirit Hall's Pope.
Seeing Liu Erlong's excited gaze,
Lin Chuan gave her a gentle, encouraging smile.
"Hmph!"
But a soft snort soon came from beside Lin Chuan.
Seeing this, Bibi Dong couldn't help pursing her lips.
"Junior brother, you little rascal, have you taken a liking to her?"
"I only said hello. Is your head full of paste, senior sister?"
Lin Chuan was a little speechless.
He had only said hello. What was she thinking?
"Your head's full of paste! Yours is!"
Watching the two little ones beside her bicker with such relish,
Qian Xunji couldn't help smiling. They were both children at heart.
Still, she couldn't help feeling a little regretful.
How wonderful it was to be young!
Why hadn't she had a time like this back then?
After awakening her Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, all she had known was to cultivate and study theory with all her might, devoting all her efforts to strengthening the Spirit Hall!
She had been determined to prove she was better than her father, Qian Daoliu.
The result, naturally, had been regrettable.
The facts had shown that she wasn't cut out for it.
Now she could only place her hopes on her disciples.
Before long, a peal of thunder exploded.
The grand awakening ceremony officially began.
The first to take the stage was a young genius of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Violent lightning gathered in midair, forming the phantom of a giant dragon.
"Yu Xiaotian, level-six Innate Soul Power, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul!"
The elder presiding over the awakening couldn't help shouting excitedly, his face flushed.
"Good! As expected of a young genius of our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!"
"A fine young man of our sect indeed! What a splendid start!"
Cheers rang out from the stands occupied by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's senior members.
Yu Yuanzhen, too, was beaming.
The people from the other factions merely smiled.
Everyone knew the tricks of a great sect.
The first to appear was bound to be a handpicked seed contestant, there simply to put on a good show.
That was especially true of the Clear Sky Sect.
Young and headstrong, Tang Hao merely curled his lip in contempt and sneered:
"Getting so excited over level-six Innate Soul Power?"
"They're one of the Upper Three Sects too, but the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has really fallen."
Beside him, Tang Xiao was in complete agreement.
Anyone who couldn't even reach innate level seven couldn't get into the Core Circle!
Sure enough, as the awakening went on,
Most of the disciples who followed were unremarkable.
A few later on even mutated into Martial Souls that had undergone harmful degeneration.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's elders gradually began to lose face.
Just then, four boys with shifty eyes stepped forward. They were the four little brats Lin Chuan had beaten up.
After returning home yesterday, they had clamored about finding someone to take revenge on Lin Chuan.
But that evening, the clan's senior members had suddenly come and given them a severe scolding. Only then did they learn that Lin Chuan was from the Spirit Hall and was even the Pope's disciple.
This frightened the four brats' elders into giving them a sound beating and issuing a strict order that they were not to provoke Lin Chuan again.
But when they saw Liu Erlong at the awakening ceremony as well, a sense of superiority rose in their hearts.
They couldn't afford to provoke the monster from the Spirit Hall, but couldn't they crush a bastard illegitimate daughter in their own sect?
Reality, however, was often cruel.
"Yu Xiaocheng, Martial Soul: earthworm, level-one Soul Power!"
"Yu Xiaosong, Martial Soul: lizard, level-two Soul Power!"
"Yu Xiaoliang, Martial Soul: Mutated Earth Dragon, Innate Soul Power: level four!"
"Yu Xiaoqiang, Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Innate Soul Power: level five!"
Of the four disciples from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's sect master's lineage, two actually had only level-one or level-two Soul Power.
It came as a complete shock to everyone.
Even Yu Xiaoqiang, who had awakened the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, had a pitiful innate level of only five!
And yet, even so,
Although Yu Xiaoqiang was short, he still puffed out his chest as he walked down from the testing platform. No matter what, he would still be better than Liu Erlong, wouldn't he?
Even with only level-five Soul Power, he was destined to be a true dragon soaring through the heavens!
Liu Erlong, on the other hand, was nothing but a mixed-blood bastard, unworthy even of carrying his shoes!
Although Bibi Dong was very displeased to see Liu Erlong and Lin Chuan making eyes at each other,
He found the sight of the little brats even more displeasing.
"How revolting! What's that little dwarf who looks like a winter melon so smug about? His tail's already pointing at the sky with just level-five Soul Power?"
"Hurry up and awaken level-six or level-seven Soul Power and slap him hard in the face."
Bibi Dong was very displeased by what she saw.
Looking at the stubborn expression on Liu Erlong's face, Lin Chuan couldn't help taking a deep breath and rising to his feet in full view of everyone.
He circulated his Soul Power.
He shouted, "Go, little sister Erlong! Show everyone your talent!"
The boy's words rang out across the training ground.
As Liu Erlong listened, she felt her eyes redden.
The guests in the many stands were also stunned.
They hadn't expected Lin Chuan to cheer on a girl from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Hearing someone from the Spirit Hall cheer on one of their own, the people of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan were greatly surprised and began discussing it among themselves:
"Could that person from the Spirit Hall have taken a liking to Liu Erlong?"
"Liu Erlong is just an illegitimate daughter. How could the Spirit Hall Pope's disciple take a liking to her?"
"She'll be lucky if she has any Soul Power at all. I reckon she'll awaken level two or three at most."
Yu Luomian sat on pins and needles in the stands.
The whispers in particular made his expression turn ugly.
He promptly gave a snort.
The presence of a Soul Douluo burst forth.
The area around him fell silent in an instant.
Those who had dared to gossip fell quiet at once.
I was on the training ground below.
Listening to the gossip, Liu Erlong, who had already been holding her feelings in, felt a fire burning in her heart.
The people of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan cared less about her than an outsider like Lin Chuan did.
As she saw it, she wasn't going to prove herself to her clan.
She was going to prove herself to Lin Chuan!
I can't let him down!
She stood within the awakening formation, and the phenomenon she triggered was completely different from everyone else's!
The temperature on the training ground suddenly soared!
A blaze of light and shadow, so fierce it seemed capable of burning the heavens, descended around her with a roar.
Within the flames, the shadow of a dragon resembling the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon flickered in and out of view.
What Martial Soul was this?
Everyone present was shocked!
After asking Liu Erlong, the elder in charge of the awakening announced in a loud voice:
"Martial Soul: a Mutated Martial Soul, Fire Dragon!"
The four little brats' faces immediately turned exceedingly ugly.
The corners of Lin Chuan's lips curled up slightly.
He thought to himself, This is only the beginning.