Over the following days, the clan elders took whale rubber one after another, and its effects seemed far better than expected. Almost everyone gained a level of Soul Power, and after taking it, large amounts of black substances seeped out through their skin. These were all impurities, or even toxins.
For a while, everyone smiled whenever they saw Yang Podi, and they all liked picking up and passing around the five-year-old child, leaving him utterly speechless.
Yang Podi also wondered to himself whether whale rubber really worked that well. The changes in his clan's elders went beyond simply gaining a level of Soul Power. Every one of them was cultivating considerably faster, too.
It was hardly surprising that Yang Podi did not know, since there was rather more involved. Everyone in the Breaking Clan knew how to refine medicine, and everyone enjoyed it. To them, refining medicine seemed even more important than cultivation.
But as the saying went, every medicine contained three parts poison. Medicinal ingredients contained all sorts of toxic substances, and with years of medicine refining, these toxic substances
had penetrated even deeper into the clansmen's blood and bone marrow, to the point where they could no longer be expelled.
Whale rubber could strengthen the body and bolster blood and Qi, thus improving a Soul Master's physical tolerance. It also helped expand the meridians and expel impurities from the body, making it nothing short of a supreme treasure to the Breaking Clan. In particular, the elders had all taken ten-thousand-year whale glue, whose effects were not even inferior to those of some heavenly treasures.
After taking whale rubber, his grandfather Yang Wudi had broken through to level 78, while his second grandfather Yang Wushuang had reached level 77. At their current cultivation speed, both would be able to break through to Soul Douluo within two years at most.
Just like that, more than half a year passed, and Yang Podi finally turned six. He was nearly 1.3 meters tall, and although his face was still childish, he looked a little like a miniature adult.
Recently, his mother's belly had begun to swell. It looked as though he would have a younger brother or sister in another few months. His father had been staying home lately rather than going out to do anything, mainly looking after his pregnant mother and little Yang Podi while also working hard to cultivate his Soul Power.
Ever since taking whale rubber, his father's cultivation had become noticeably faster. Five months after breaking through to level 73, he was already at its peak and would probably reach level 74 in another two months. Of course, this also had something to do with his father not having refined medicine recently. Meanwhile, his mother, Niu Jinfeng, had broken through to level 65.
After their meal that day, his father said to Yang Podi, "Son, get some rest early tonight and make sure you're in good spirits. Tomorrow is our clan's Martial Soul Awakening ceremony. You'll be awakening your Martial Soul."
Yang Podi was extremely excited to hear this. After six years on the Douluo Continent, he was finally going to awaken his Martial Soul. The Douluo Continent was known as the continent of bloodlines. No matter who someone was, their Martial Soul was their foundation. Only by awakening a good Martial Soul and having a high level of Innate Soul Power could they continue to progress. Otherwise, no matter how hard they worked, it would be difficult to achieve much.
It was just like Yu Xiaogang in the original story, who had awakened Luo Sanpao with half a level of Innate Soul Power. If his father had not been the leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, he probably could not even have become a Soul Master.
Yu Xiaogang himself had worked hard for half his life and pored over vast numbers of books from Spirit Hall and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, yet still failed to find a way to break through to level 30.
His own family and background could not compare to Yu Xiaogang's, and his skill at picking up girls was a hundred and eight thousand miles behind Yu Xiaogang's, too. If things went badly, he might spend his whole life as a cripple.
With that mix of excitement and apprehension, he gradually fell asleep. His father and mother looked at Yang Podi with some worry. After all, every Soul Master had gone through this.
The next morning, his father, Yang Zhentian, and his mother took him to the Martial Soul Awakening site. His father had originally wanted his mother to wait at home for the news, but she was too worried and insisted on coming. In the end, his father could not win the argument and had no choice but to let her come along.
The Martial Soul Awakening site was actually outside the Breaking Clan's ancestral hall. Eight chairs had been set out there, occupied by his grandfather Yang Wudi and the Breaking Clan's seven elders.
Unexpectedly, his father, Yang Zhentian, was presiding over the awakening ceremony, and he had also pulled Yang Podi to the front of the line.
Yang Podi was utterly speechless. He had originally planned to watch how the others awakened their Martial Souls first, only to be dragged to the very front.
Before long, everyone had arrived. Thirteen children would be awakening their Martial Souls this time, all direct-line disciples of the Breaking Clan.
In the world of Soul Masters, the greatest distinction between direct-line and collateral-line disciples lay in their Martial Souls. No matter how high their father's status was, if the Martial Soul they awakened was not the clan's inherited Martial Soul, they would be relegated to a collateral line. After all, every clan had its own set of cultivation methods suited to its Martial Soul. This was also why Yu Xiaogang had been ostracized by his clan.
Yang Zhentian took out six black stones and arranged them in a hexagon.
"Podi, come forward and stand in the middle of the hexagon."
At his words, Yang Podi stepped into the center of the hexagon, nervous yet excited.
His father, Yang Zhentian, activated Martial Soul Possession, and a huge Soul Breaking Spear instantly appeared in his hand. The spear was over three meters long, with its spearhead accounting for roughly a quarter of its total length.
Then six streams of light shot from Yang Zhentian's hand into the six black stones. Golden light shone from the stones into Yang Podi's body, enveloping him completely like a golden dome.
His father's voice sounded beside his ear. "Podi, close your eyes, stretch out your right hand, and slowly feel it."
Yang Podi closed his eyes and carefully felt the changes inside his body. He only felt as though a force was flowing throughout him, making his whole body warm.
As time slowly passed, a Soul Breaking Spear gradually condensed in his right hand. It was almost identical to his father's, though its black shaft seemed even deeper in color, and its spearhead seemed sharper.
But it seemed that things were not over yet. Soul Power continued flowing through his body, surging endlessly like a river, yet there was no response at all from his left hand.
Yang Podi thought to himself, This shouldn't be happening. After the Soul Breaking Spear awakened just now, I seemed to sense another, different Martial Soul awakening, but there's no reaction at all in my left hand. Aren't Twin Martial Souls supposed to appear one in the left hand and one in the right? Why does something feel off?
While Yang Podi was pondering this, his body gradually settled back into calm, leaving only the huge Soul Breaking Spear in his hand.
"Son, not bad. The Martial Soul you awakened is the Soul Breaking Spear."
Yang Zhentian also breathed a sigh of relief. The Soul Breaking Spear was the Breaking Clan's inherited Martial Soul. As long as an ordinary disciple awakened it, their Innate Soul Power would generally not be too poor. It was rarely below level five.