The first fish-belly white had barely appeared on the horizon when Lin Yan opened his eyes.
He briskly rolled up into a sitting position on the hard plank bed and briefly stretched his limbs. After three months of adjustment and exercise, this six-year-old body was still thin and weak, but it was considerably sturdier than when he had first transmigrated, when he had been so starved that he was little more than skin and bones and a gust of wind could have knocked him over.
Today was the day of his Martial Soul Awakening, the day that would decide his future fate.
Lin Yan pushed open the creaking wooden door, and the cool morning air flooded his lungs, carrying the fragrance of earth and fresh grass. This little village had suffered grievous losses in the Wolf Bandits' attack three months earlier. Many houses still bore signs of damage, and a faint trace of sorrow seemed to linger in the air, not yet fully dispersed. But life had to go on. For the children in particular, Martial Soul Awakening day was the most important event of the year.
"Young Yan, you're up early!" a gentle voice called out.
Lin Yan turned and saw the village chief striding toward him with a broad smile.
The village chief's name was Lin Daniu. Most people in this village had the surname Lin, and over the past three months, the chief had taken considerable care of this child who had found "a blessing in misfortune," no longer being an imbecile but having lost both his parents.
"Good morning, Uncle Daniu," Lin Yan greeted him politely. He had absorbed some fragments of the original owner's memories, and his three months of life here had also given him a general understanding of this world and this village. It was not far from Holy Soul Village and likewise fell under the jurisdiction of the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City. He just did not yet know whether Tang San, that chosen son of destiny, had arrived in this world at this point in time.
"Good, good." Lin Daniu walked up to him and patted his shoulder with a large, rough hand, his eyes holding encouragement and a barely perceptible trace of pity. "Don't be nervous. The esteemed envoy will be here soon. Even if... even if you don't awaken any Soul Power, it'll be all right. Here in the village, your uncle can still make sure you have something to eat."
Lin Yan knew the chief meant well. Most children in the village awakened Martial Souls such as farming tools or plants, and those with Soul Power were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. Yet a fierce determination simmered inside him. Having come from Blue Star, he knew full well that in this world, lacking strength meant being left at others' mercy, like the original owner's parents, who had been utterly powerless against the Wolf Bandits. He did not want to repeat that fate.
"Thank you, Uncle. I'll do my best." Lin Yan's gaze was resolute.
Before long, the seven or eight children who had turned six that year gathered in the small square at the center of the village. Their parents or relatives stood beside them, their faces filled with anticipation and nervousness.
Standing among them, Lin Yan seemed somewhat out of place. He was an orphan, and three months earlier he had still been an "idiot." Although he had recovered now, the other children still regarded him with some curiosity and distance. He paid it no mind, silently steadying his breathing as he waited for the moment that would decide his fate.
At around nine in the morning, a man walked into the village with steady strides. He wore a fitted white outfit and a black cloak, with a fist-sized badge bearing the character for "soul" at the center of his chest. He looked to be in his twenties, with sword-like brows, star-bright eyes, and a stern expression, naturally exuding an extraordinary presence.
"Greetings, Battle Soul Master. Sorry to trouble you again this time." Lin Daniu hurried forward and bowed respectfully.
The man nodded slightly and said impassively, "I don't have much time. Let's begin now."
"Yes, of course." Lin Daniu hurriedly called the children over.
The man spoke, addressing the children. "My name is Su Yuntao, a rank twenty-six Soul Grandmaster, and I will be your guide. Now, I will lead each of you in awakening your own Martial Soul. Whatever happens, do not be afraid."
Lin Yan's heartbeat involuntarily quickened. Spirit Hall's deacon, Su Yuntao? Isn't he the "Blind Douluo" who awakened Tang San's Martial Soul in the original story? Based on the Soul Power Level Su Yuntao had announced, Lin Yan guessed that he was probably in the same time period as Tang San.
While Lin Yan was thinking, Su Yuntao had already opened the bundle he had brought with him and taken out six pitch-black round stones and a gleaming blue crystal ball.
Su Yuntao arranged the six black stones in a hexagon on the ground, then motioned for the first child to step inside.
"Lone Wolf, possess!"
With his low shout, Su Yuntao's body swelled slightly, his hair turned gray, his eyes glowed green, and sharp claws sprang from his fingers. Two Soul Rings, one white and one yellow, rose from beneath his feet. The children had never seen anything like this. Their little faces immediately went pale with fright, and several nearly burst into tears.
Although Lin Yan had prepared himself mentally, witnessing Beast Martial Soul possession firsthand still gave him a sense of primal pressure. He drew a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
The awakening ceremony proceeded in an orderly fashion. Most of the children ahead of him awakened Martial Souls such as sickles, hoes, or Blue Silver Grass, but not one possessed Soul Power. Su Yuntao's initially indifferent expression gradually gave way to disappointment and numbness.
"Next, Lin Yan," Lin Daniu called, giving Lin Yan an encouraging look.
Lin Yan took a deep breath and stepped into the hexagonal formation. At once, a warm sensation surged into his body from the stones beneath his feet, filling him with warmth, as though something were about to burst out of him.
"Hold out your right hand." Su Yuntao's voice roused him from that wondrous sensation.
Lin Yan held out his right hand as instructed. In an instant, all that warmth surged madly toward his palm!
A glimmer of blue light gathered in his palm.
At the sight of that familiar blue, Su Yuntao instinctively sighed. "Blue Silver Grass again. A typical trash Martial-"
Before he finished, he seemed to remember something, and his voice stopped.
"Let's test your Soul Power first." Su Yuntao held the crystal ball out before Lin Yan. "Withdraw your Martial Soul with your mind, then place your hand on this."
Looking at the Blue Silver Grass in his palm, Lin Yan was filled with mixed feelings as well. Although he had already suspected that his Martial Soul might not be particularly powerful, disappointment was still unavoidable when he actually faced it.
He withdrew the Blue Silver Grass as instructed and pressed his palm against the crystal ball.
The instant his palm touched the crystal ball-
The previously dull, lightless crystal ball began to flicker with a faint light!
The light was not particularly strong, but it was distinct and steady.
"Innate Soul Power... half a rank!" Su Yuntao announced.
Su Yuntao had gone numb. A few days earlier, he had awakened a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul with innate full Soul Power in Holy Soul Village, and now he had awakened another Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul with half a rank of innate Soul Power. Since when had it become so easy for Blue Silver Grass to possess innate Soul Power?
The chief and the surrounding villagers, however, were rather excited. In a small village, having a child with innate Soul Power was already a rare occurrence. Even if it was only half a rank, that was still innate Soul Power, wasn't it? Having Soul Power meant he could become a Soul Master!
Lin Yan raised his head and looked at the glowing crystal ball, thinking, Having Soul Power is enough. As long as I can cultivate, with my foreknowledge and all the Douluo fanfiction I've read, my future shouldn't be too bad as long as I keep evolving my Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.
Su Yuntao looked at Lin Yan, his eyes filled with regret. "Only half a rank of Soul Power, and a trash Martial Soul like Blue Silver Grass at that. Sigh!"
Lin Yan was not discouraged in the slightest. "Master Su Yuntao, thank you. There are no trash Martial Souls, only trash Soul Masters. As long as I can cultivate, I believe I'll be able to keep going!"
Su Yuntao looked at the child before him, whose eyes were clear and resolute. Seemingly touched by the determination in his words, he nodded at him and made a record on the Martial Soul certificate.
"Lin Yan. Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass. Innate Soul Power: half a rank."