"Erniu, Martial Soul: shovel. No Innate Soul Power!"
"Li Hao, Martial Soul: hammer. No Innate Soul Power!"
"Next..."
On an old street on the outskirts of Nuoding City, the atmosphere was somewhat tense.
Su Yuntao rubbed his slightly swollen temples. He had the entire awakening process down so well it was almost painful to watch.
As Spirit Hall's "chief tool man," he had already awakened Martial Souls for dozens of commoner children today.
Unfortunately, just as expected, they had all turned out to be pots, pans, and farming tools, and the Soul Power crystal ball had not so much as glimmered once.
"Xiao Xuan, come on up."
At the back of the crowd, a well-proportioned boy with a touch of maturity in his eyes took a deep breath and stepped forward.
Xiao Xuan was a transmigrator.
He had been an orphan in his previous life, and had struggled to support himself all the way through college.
Then, while pulling a little kid out of the path of traffic, he had been sent straight to Douluo Continent by a speeding "Dayun dump truck."
Given a second life, Xiao Xuan knew full well how cruel this world's rules were.
Without Innate Soul Power, he could only spend his life at the very bottom of human society.
Even so, compared to the other trembling children, Xiao Xuan was relatively calm.
There was only one reason: the mysterious workings of heredity.
His father, Xiao Wuyong, and his mother, Li Ya, were both bona fide Soul Grandmasters.
Although both husband and wife had the Plant-type Martial Soul "Lone Bamboo," which was a dime a dozen on the continent, their ancestral genes had to count for something. Surely he could inherit at least a little Soul Power?
Surely he wouldn't end up a complete blank slate?
"Relax, kid. Don't be afraid."
Su Yuntao offered the customary reassurance. The six black soul stones in his hand burst into light, and he shouted, "Lone Wolf, possess me!"
Blue-black wolf fur sprouted, and two Soul Rings rose around him.
Standing in the center of the formation, Xiao Xuan felt a warm current flowing through his limbs and bones. The center of his right palm suddenly grew hot.
The next instant, a slender stalk of pale green bamboo slowly emerged from his palm.
The bamboo was green from top to bottom, thin and frail, and looked exceptionally delicate.
"Martial Soul: Lone Bamboo. Plant-type."
Su Yuntao glanced at it, a flicker of undisguised disappointment in his eyes.
Lone Bamboo could be found everywhere on the continent. It was less flexible than vines and less hard than trees; among Plant-type Martial Souls, it belonged at the same table as Blue Silver Grass.
Even if someone with this Martial Soul had Soul Power, one glance was enough to see the limits of their future.
"All right, touch this crystal ball to test your Soul Power," Su Yuntao said dispassionately.
Xiao Xuan reached out his right hand and slowly pressed his palm against the cool blue crystal ball.
Hum-
In an instant, a faint but unwavering pale blue glow appeared inside the dim crystal ball.
"Innate Soul Power... level one!"
Su Yuntao raised an eyebrow, finally perking up a little. He promptly pulled out a Spirit Hall certificate and swiftly wrote Xiao Xuan's name on it.
"Kid, you're in luck! You're the only one on the whole street who tested positive for Innate Soul Power today."
Su Yuntao handed the certificate to Xiao Xuan and patted him on the shoulder. "Although it's only level one, and you won't become a top expert, at least you can be a Soul Master. Good luck."
"Thank you, Deacon."
Xiao Xuan accepted the certificate with both hands, carefully tucked it into his breast pocket, and let out a long breath.
Level one Innate Soul Power was still Soul Power!
As long as he could cultivate, his path upward in this world wasn't completely cut off. More importantly, he finally had an answer for the family who had waited so long for this.
After leaving the awakening site, Xiao Xuan hurried home.
The Xiao family lived in a small courtyard house on the outskirts of Nuoding City.
His mother, Li Ya, usually helped support the family by selling medicinal herbs in the city, while his father, Xiao Wuyong, often joined independent Soul Hunting parties outside the city to earn money by risking his life.
They were far from rich, but their life was peaceful and warm.
To Xiao Xuan, who had been all alone in his previous life, this family bond was what he treasured most.
He had barely pushed open the courtyard gate when a stout middle-aged man rushed out to meet him. It was his father, Xiao Wuyong, who had just returned home.
"Xuan'er! How did it go? Did your Martial Soul Awakening go smoothly?!"
Xiao Wuyong clenched his fists tightly, his voice carrying a faint, uncontrollable tremor.
Xiao Xuan grinned. "Dad, it awakened. My Martial Soul is Lone Bamboo, just like yours."
"Then... do you have Soul Power?" Xiao Wuyong held his breath, staring fixedly at his son's face, not even daring to blink.
"I do!" Xiao Xuan nodded emphatically. "But... it's only level one."
"Good! That's wonderful! Hahaha!"
Xiao Wuyong let out a great breath of relief and pulled Xiao Xuan into a tight embrace, his eyes reddening slightly.
"Level one is still Innate Soul Power! As long as you have Soul Power, my Xuan'er can become a real Soul Master someday! You won't have to end up an ordinary person!"
Feeling his father's broad, warm embrace, Xiao Xuan smiled with contentment.
After calming himself, Xiao Wuyong wiped the corners of his eyes and said seriously:
"Xuan'er, since you have Soul Power, I'll send you to study at Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy in a while."
"All right, Dad."
Xiao Xuan did not refuse.
He knew very well that the original story he had read in his previous life could only provide a broad framework. Now that he was actually in this world, he needed to enter a proper academy and systematically study details such as Soul Beast habits, basic pharmacology, and Soul Ring combinations.
Afterward, father and son hurried excitedly to the medicinal herb shop in the city.
When Li Ya, who was tending to the medicine cabinets, learned that her son had Innate Soul Power, she was so delighted that she shut the shop on the spot.
"Come on! We're going back home!"
Li Ya swiftly packed up the account books, her face glowing. "We have to go back to the village right away and tell your grandparents this wonderful news in person!"
Lone Bamboo Village lay a dozen or so kilometers outside Nuoding City.
As its name suggested, it had been named for the wild Lone Bamboo that covered the hills behind the village and grew in great swathes among the fields.
Most of the commoners in the village awakened Martial Souls connected to Lone Bamboo in one way or another.
When they returned to the old family home, the courtyard immediately came alive.
On learning that Xiao Xuan had not only successfully awakened his Martial Soul but also possessed Innate Soul Power, his elderly grandparents grinned from ear to ear. They immediately fetched a few Silver Soul Coins, polished bright by handling, from an iron box at the bottom of a chest and pressed them into Xiao Xuan's palm.
"Good grandson, this is for your tuition when you go to the academy! Take it, don't refuse!"
Faced with the weight of the old couple's love, Xiao Xuan silently accepted the coins, vowing to himself that he would make something of himself and repay his family someday.
While the adults happily drank tea and caught up in the main room, Xiao Xuan wandered alone through the back courtyard.
Behind the old house grew a lush grove of Lone Bamboo. It was his favorite place to roll around and play when he was little.
Looking at the slender green bamboo swaying in the breeze, Xiao Xuan felt a stir in his heart. He couldn't help stepping forward and gently resting his hand on a cool Lone Bamboo stalk.
[Ding!]
Suddenly, a crisp, distinctly mechanical voice rang out in Xiao Xuan's mind without warning:
[Host detected to have completed Martial Soul Awakening. Compatibility requirement met...] [Activating Three-in-One Fusion of All Things System... Activation successful!]