Six-Winged Angel

On the third day after the Imperial Bow awakened, Lin Yuan moved into the Worship Hall.

The courtyard was small.

It had a bedroom, a meditation room, and a training ground.

It was quieter than the orphanage and better suited to cultivation.

In the mornings, Lin Yuan ran around the mountain.

In the afternoons, he practiced drawing his bow.

At night, he summoned his Martial Soul and sensed every change in the Imperial Bow.

The Imperial Bow did not need actual arrows.

Condensed Soul Power could form arrows.

But Lin Yuan only had rank-ten Soul Power at present. Forcing the Imperial Bow open, he could fire no more than three arrows in succession.

After three arrows, his Soul Power would be exhausted.

As for the Aeon projection that had appeared during his Martial Soul Awakening, he could not yet summon it at will.

It seemed more like a response triggered by the Imperial Bow's emergence.

It was not power that belonged to him.

On the training ground.

Lin Yuan raised his left hand.

Specks of starlight gathered, forming a deep-blue longbow.

He drew the string with his right hand.

Silver light gradually condensed into an arrow.

Fifty meters away, a wooden target stood before a stone wall.

Lin Yuan did not rush to release the string.

His breathing gradually steadied.

The wind, the falling leaves, even the footsteps of distant guards all grew clear.

The next instant, the bowstring vibrated.

The silver arrow of light streaked across the training ground, shattering the bull's-eye in an instant.

Without losing momentum, the arrow left a deep crater in the stone wall behind it.

Lin Yuan put away the Imperial Bow, his chest rising and falling slightly.

That one arrow had consumed nearly thirty percent of his Soul Power.

Its power was sufficient.

Its speed was not.

"You're too slow drawing the bow."

A voice came from atop the courtyard wall.

Lin Yuan looked up.

Light Feather Douluo sat on the wall, holding a skewer of candied hawthorns.

He bit off a hawthorn and said casually, "A real opponent won't stand there waiting for you to charge up."

"I don't have enough Soul Power."

"That's no excuse."

Guang Ling leaped down from the wall.

"If you have less Soul Power, use it more precisely."

"An archer doesn't have to blow up an entire mountain to kill someone."

He raised his hand and beckoned.

An ice-blue longbow appeared in his palm.

The bowstring quivered.

There was no charging up, nor any obvious fluctuation of Soul Power.

The next instant, a hole had already appeared in the distant wooden target.

The arrow passed through the bull's-eye and sank into the stone wall.

There was no explosion.

Only a straight arrow hole.

"Did you see that clearly?"

Guang Ling put away his Martial Soul.

"To kill someone, all you need is one hole."

Lin Yuan gazed thoughtfully at the bull's-eye.

He had been pursuing power all this time.

But he had overlooked what mattered most about the Imperial Bow.

Precision.

Speed.

And keeping the opponent from seeing where the arrow came from.

"Get ready."

Guang Ling turned and walked outside.

"No more practice today."

Lin Yuan asked, "Where are we going?"

"The Angel Temple."

Guang Ling bit off the last hawthorn.

"Someone is awakening their Martial Soul today."

Something stirred in Lin Yuan's heart.

There was only one person whose awakening ceremony could bring all the Worship Hall's Revered Elders together.

Qian Renxue.

The Angel Temple stood deep within the Worship Hall.

Its doors towered high.

Angel Statues stood on either side.

When Lin Yuan followed Guang Ling into the great hall, the other Revered Elders had already arrived.

Qian Daoliu stood before the Angel God Statue.

Beside him stood a blond girl.

The girl was close to Lin Yuan's age.

Her golden hair fell behind her shoulders, and she wore a white-and-gold dress, her expression calm.

Faced with her approaching Martial Soul Awakening, she showed little nervousness.

One glance was enough for Lin Yuan to confirm her identity.

Qian Renxue.

The young master of Spirit Hall.

The future successor to the Angel God.

Qian Renxue noticed Lin Yuan as well.

She knew almost everyone in the great hall.

Only Lin Yuan was an unfamiliar face.

And he was also a child.

"Grandpa, who is he?"

Qian Renxue asked.

"Lin Yuan."

Qian Daoliu said, "The child who awakened his Martial Soul three days ago."

A little curiosity entered Qian Renxue's eyes.

She had also seen the extraordinary phenomenon three days earlier.

Day had turned into a starry night.

A meteor had streaked across the sky.

Even the Angel God Statue had reacted.

But Qian Daoliu had not told her what exactly had caused that phenomenon.

"It was him?"

"Yes."

Qian Renxue glanced at Lin Yuan a few times without asking further.

Qian Daoliu turned around.

"Let's begin."

The awakening formation had already been prepared.

Unlike the six Awakening Stones used by ordinary Soul Masters, this formation was carved directly into the temple floor.

Golden formation patterns covered the entire great hall, centered on the Angel God Statue.

Qian Renxue walked to the center of the formation.

Qian Daoliu personally presided over the awakening.

He raised his right hand.

Vast Soul Power poured into the formation.

Hum!

The entire great hall lit up.

The Angel God Statue emitted golden holy light that fell upon Qian Renxue.

She slowly closed her eyes.

Her long golden hair stirred without wind.

A moment later, a pair of pure-white wings unfurled from her back.

Then came a second pair.

A third pair.

All six wings spread fully.

A sacred presence swept through the great hall.

A tall female phantom appeared behind Qian Renxue.

The phantom's features were indistinct. She held a holy sword, with six wings upon her back.

The Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.

The Angel God Statue lit up in response.

A pillar of golden light burst out of the temple and shot straight into the clouds.

Above Spirit City, hymns could faintly be heard.

Soul Masters throughout the city looked up.

Some bowed their heads in respect.

Some knelt on the spot.

The Six-Winged Angel was the symbol of Spirit Hall.

It was also a true god-level Martial Soul on the continent.

Golden Crocodile Douluo and the others smiled.

A little more relief entered Qian Daoliu's eyes as well.

After years of waiting, the Qian Family had finally produced another person qualified to inherit the Angel Godhood.

Lin Yuan stood beside Guang Ling, watching quietly.

Qian Renxue's Martial Soul was majestic and sacred.

Like a sun hanging high in the sky.

The Imperial Bow was different.

It had neither the angel's light nor its sacred presence.

Only an almost icy sharpness.

One represented judgment.

The other represented the hunt.

The golden light gradually drew inward.

Qian Renxue opened her eyes.

Her pupils turned golden, and the Six-Winged Angel behind her slowly dissipated.

Qian Daoliu took out a Soul Power crystal ball.

"Test your Soul Power."

Qian Renxue extended her right hand.

The instant her palm touched the crystal ball, blue light filled the entire sphere.

The light continued to intensify.

Crack.

Several cracks appeared on the crystal ball's surface.

"Innate Full Soul Power."

One of the worshippers spoke.

Qian Daoliu, however, did not immediately draw a conclusion.

He could sense that Qian Renxue's innate Soul Power exceeded rank ten.

An ordinary crystal ball could only measure up to rank ten.

Those with god-level Martial Souls were different from ordinary Soul Masters from birth.

Qian Daoliu put away the crystal ball and revealed a faint smile.

"Xiao Xue, well done."

Qian Renxue nodded.

She did not show much excitement.

It was as though awakening the Six-Winged Angel was only natural.

She turned her head and looked at Lin Yuan again.

"Is his Martial Soul god-level too?"

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Qian Daoliu did not hide it.

"Yes."

This time, the curiosity in Qian Renxue's eyes became more apparent.

She had seen many Martial Souls growing up.

Beast Martial Souls.

Tool Martial Souls.

Top-tier Martial Souls.

But this was her first time seeing someone besides herself with a god-level Martial Soul.

Moreover, the extraordinary phenomena produced during Lin Yuan's awakening had been even more astonishing than hers just now.

"What is his Martial Soul?"

"A bow."

It was Light Feather Douluo who answered her.

He raised a hand and rested it on Lin Yuan's shoulder, a hint of pride in his voice.

"My disciple."

Qian Renxue looked at Lin Yuan.

"Let it out so I can see."

Her tone was natural.

There was neither a command nor any malice in it.

She simply wanted to see what another god-level Martial Soul actually looked like.

Lin Yuan raised his left hand.

Starlight gathered in his palm.

The Imperial Bow slowly appeared.

Its deep-blue body had no unnecessary ornamentation.

A silver star trail ran through the bow's limbs, and its string seemed to be formed from starlight.

The moment the Imperial Bow appeared, the Six-Winged Angel manifested behind Qian Renxue on its own.

Its six wings spread slightly.

The Imperial Bow in Lin Yuan's hand also let out a twang.

Hum!

The presences of the two god-level Martial Souls collided head-on within the hall.

Golden holy light occupied half the space.

Silver starlight enveloped the other half.

The holy sword in the Angel God Statue's hand trembled gently.

Qian Daoliu's gaze sharpened slightly.

Three days earlier, when the Imperial Bow had first awakened, the Angel God Statue had shown the same reaction.

Now, facing the Imperial Bow, Qian Renxue's Six-Winged Angel had actually manifested of its own accord.

This was not suppression.

It was more like encountering an opponent capable of threatening it.

Qian Renxue had clearly sensed this too.

As she looked at the Imperial Bow in Lin Yuan's hand, the curiosity in her eyes gradually turned into fighting spirit.

"Lin Yuan."

For the first time, she called his name.

"Fight me."

Silence settled over the hall.

Lin Yuan did not answer immediately, instead looking toward Qian Daoliu.

This was the Worship Hall.

And Qian Renxue was Qian Daoliu's only granddaughter.

Some things could not be judged solely by victory or defeat.

Qian Daoliu understood his concerns.

He glanced at Qian Renxue, then at the Imperial Bow in Lin Yuan's hand.

Two wielders of god-level Martial Souls.

One was the heir to the Angel Clan.

The other had drawn the projection of an unknown god.

He, too, wanted to know what the outcome would be when these two Martial Souls clashed for the first time.

"Very well."

Qian Daoliu spoke slowly.

"Stop short of hurting each other."

Light Feather Douluo patted Lin Yuan's shoulder.

"Go ahead and fight."

"Your teacher will have your back."

Qian Renxue turned and headed toward the training grounds outside the temple.

Before stepping through the doors, she stopped and glanced back at Lin Yuan.

"Don't lose too quickly."

Lin Yuan put away the Imperial Bow.

"The same goes for you."

Outside the temple, the wind suddenly picked up.

The first clash between the two wielders of god-level Martial Souls was about to begin.

Qian Renxue turned and walked out of the temple.

Six pure-white wings spread behind her, and golden Soul Power spread across the ground.

Lin Yuan gripped the Imperial Bow and followed her.

As he passed through the doorway, the bowstring suddenly vibrated on its own.

Humm-

An exceedingly faint sound reached Lin Yuan's ears.

He raised his head and looked toward the sky.

It was daytime, with the blazing sun hanging high overhead, and not a single star could be seen.

Yet the sensation transmitted by the Imperial Bow was unmistakably clear.

The stars had been there all along.

Qian Renxue stopped in the center of the training grounds and turned to face Lin Yuan.

"Are you ready?"

Lin Yuan slowly raised the Imperial Bow.

"We can begin."