It wasn't as if Wang Xiaoming had never practiced using cards as throwing darts, turning himself into a card master.
But the result... was that his wrist hurt for days, and the cards wouldn't fly at all. The wind could even blow them back into his face.
From then on, he knew that cards simply weren't suited to him.
Ning Rongrong patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. This young lady came to give you her personal blessing, so you'll definitely awaken a powerful Martial Soul!
Even if you awaken a Trash Martial Soul... you'll still be qualified to be this young lady's follower. I won't look down on you."
Wang Xiaoming's mouth twitched. If she wouldn't look down on him, why had she paused like that?
He pretended to be angry and tapped Ning Rongrong's arm.
"I haven't awakened yet, so don't jinx me. You're a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, aren't you? Just give me an encouragement buff!"
"Sorry, but this young lady hasn't absorbed a Soul Ring yet, so I can't give you any buffs."
Ning Rongrong spread her hands and smiled smugly.
It was still early, but many parents had already arrived at Spirit Hall with their children.
Heaven Dou City was huge, and every day, children of the right age came to awaken their Martial Souls.
So Spirit Hall had decided to awaken children's Martial Souls only in the mornings.
After all, they were in the imperial capital, and their work kept them busy. They couldn't devote all their manpower to Martial Soul Awakening.
Wang Xiaoming and Ning Rongrong had arrived relatively early, yet they were still at the back of the line.
The other parents were all eagerly anticipating their children's awakening, so much so that they wished they could camp outside Spirit Hall's doors before it opened.
Compared with the others who were looking forward to it, Wang Xiaoming seemed not to care about Martial Soul Awakening at all.
There was nothing special about the awakening process. A level-thirty deacon from Spirit Hall, whose Martial Soul was a scepter, performed the awakenings.
All they had to do was line up, enter the awakening array, and then have their Soul Power tested.
It was exactly the same as the awakening process Wang Xiaoming knew about.
"Rabbit, no Soul Power..."
"Lone Bamboo, no Soul Power..."
"Pig, level-one Soul Power..."
As time dragged on, Ning Rongrong's expression grew increasingly bored, and she yawned.
She had gotten up early that morning to run over to Wang Xiaoming's house.
At first, she had been looking forward to it, so she could have held out a little longer.
But there hadn't been a single interesting Martial Soul, and watching them had made her sleepy.
She flopped against Wang Xiaoming's back, her little hands clutching his clothes tightly, and rubbed her eyes, looking a little drowsy.
"This is so boring..."
Listening to her complaint, Wang Xiaoming gently patted her head where it rested on his shoulder.
"Isn't that normal? This isn't like your sect, where they can open a VIP lane for a young lady like you."
"This is all your fault. You took too long to get ready, so we're this far back in line... I don't care, you have to make it up to me."
Wang Xiaoming's mouth twitched.
So that was what this young lady had been waiting for.
He knew the Little Demoness had been brewing no good farts.
"Then what kind of compensation do you want? Just so we're clear, I'm not letting you win when we play ball tonight."
"Tsk, cheapskate. This young lady can beat you with her own strength..."
"Really? Then if you lose tonight, no crying, and no bringing out a Titled Douluo."
"Hmph, family resources are part of your strength too. Bring one out yourself if you can!"
"..."
As the two chatted to pass the time, Wang Xiaoming's turn soon came.
"Next, come on up."
"Come on!"
Ning Rongrong clenched her little fist and said to him.
Though they usually bickered, now that the moment had come, Ning Rongrong hoped from the bottom of her heart that he would awaken a good Martial Soul.
Wang Xiaoming smiled and walked toward the awakening array.
The deacon was quite dedicated to his work.
Even though he had been working since morning, there was no sign of weariness on his face, and he still wore a gentle, professional smile.
When Wang Xiaoming stepped up, the deacon began reciting the lines he knew by heart, like a dedicated NPC.
"Come, child, there's no need to be nervous. Relax your body and feel the path Soul Power takes as it flows through you. I'll help you connect with the power sleeping inside you..."
Wang Xiaoming nodded gently, feeling the warmth radiating from the array.
As the deacon injected Soul Power into the array, wisps of light rose and began entering his body gently.
He closed his eyes and quietly felt the warmth wash through his body.
Soon, a peculiar sensation began to arise within him.
But unlike a normal Martial Soul's soul imprint, which would appear on the right hand, it gathered around his waist!
The next moment, like a butterfly breaking free of its cocoon, a peculiar power burst forth from within him and appeared around his waist.
Wang Xiaoming knew the ceremony was over.
He blinked and looked at the thing that had appeared around his waist.
It was a white, hexagonal object with two clasp structures, though its upper and lower sides were rounded.
At the center of its casing was a transparent circular piece of glass, surrounded by a ring of runes.
This thing looks a little familiar.
He reached out and touched it.
It felt cool to the touch, but that smooth, hard feeling... it was nothing like the trashy plastic toys he remembered.
It's actually the Decadriver? In that case, maybe... I don't need to rush to start over?
"Th-that's a belt?"
Outside the array, Ning Rongrong tilted her head in puzzlement. Neither of Wang Xiaoming's parents had a belt as their Martial Soul.
Could it be...
A string of melodramatic plots about noble marriages flashed through Ning Rongrong's mind. Then she nodded, showing her understanding.
It wasn't his fault!
The deacon standing before Wang Xiaoming opened his mouth, unsure what to say. In the end, he struggled to speak.
"A belt... it's most likely a Trash Martial Soul."
What could a belt Martial Soul even do?
Take it off and whip people with it in a fight? Would that even count as being a Soul Master?
Without the identity buff of being a dad, this thing's attack power might be even worse than a whip made from Blue Silver Grass...
But he soon shook his head.
Which direction a person developed in, and how they developed, were none of his concern.
Whether a Martial Soul could be cultivated depended on whether it had Soul Power.
Wang Xiaoming, of course, knew nothing of the drama playing out in the deacon's head.
He was pleasantly surprised-no, he was ecstatic!
How was this a Trash Martial Soul? This Martial Soul was fantastic!
The moment it appeared, Wang Xiaoming felt that this life might have been worth it.
With this thing, he could proudly call himself the master of a Martial Soul!
Tremble, Douluo Continent.
Your king has arrived!
In the real world, a foolish grin also spread across his face.
The deacon thought he had gone mad with disappointment and shook his head helplessly.