Soon enough, Su Yuntao had completed the Martial Soul Awakening for all the children except for Tang San and Zhou Qing.
The girl right before Tang San awakened a Blue Silver Grass martial soul and burst into tears on the spot. It took a piece of candy from Zhou Qing to calm her down.
"Next."
Seeing Tang San step into the circle of awakening stones, Su Yuntao's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
As he channeled his soul power into the stones, golden particles of light began to drift toward Tang San's body.
"There's definitely potential here!"
Su Yuntao was visibly excited. Ever since reaching the level of Soul Grandmaster, he had helped countless children across numerous villages awaken their martial souls, and he had developed a sense for it.
Generally speaking, the more golden light particles a child absorbs during awakening, the higher the quality of the martial soul, and the greater the chance of possessing innate soul power.
But then—
When a stalk of Blue Silver Grass sprouted from Tang San's right hand, Su Yuntao's hopeful gaze froze, then faded into disappointment.
"Just Blue Silver Grass..."
Though Tang San's grass looked slightly more vigorous than the little girl's earlier, it was still just that a useless martial soul. What could it possibly amount to?
He wasn't the only one disappointed. Outside the building, at the window, Tang Hao secretly watching also sighed deeply.
No matter what, he had planned to show up. If Tang San had awakened a hammer, he would've had to take drastic measures to cover it up...
Unfortunately, Tang San hadn't awakened the one soul he had hoped for—the Clear Sky Hammer.
But as Tang Hao turned and left, he didn't notice that Tang San's other hand was clenched tightly behind his back... A detail that Zhou Qing caught clearly.
[Just like the original story, it's a twin martial soul. But thanks to the Spirit-Focusing effect of the Lingyun Turtle, Tang San's Xuan Tian Skill had already reached the first stage of perfection by age four. I wonder how many levels his soul power will rise after obtaining his first soul ring?]
Su Yuntao, disappointed, spoke flatly: "Blue Silver Grass. A wasted martial soul. Next."
"Uncle, you haven't tested my soul power yet," Tang San said.
"No need. I've been doing this for years and never once heard of Blue Silver Grass carrying innate soul power," Su Yuntao replied impatiently. But, seeing the serious look on Tang San's young face, he softened. "Don't get your hopes up."
"I'd still like to try."
Tang San's steady gaze moved something in Su Yuntao perhaps a reflection of his own humble origins. With a sigh, he handed over the crystal ball.
Whoosh!
Instantly, the entire ball lit up with blinding brilliance.
Tang San could feel the internal force he cultivated with Xuan Tian Skill being drawn into the ball. It confirmed what he had suspected: in this world, soul power and internal force were one and the same!
"Innate full soul power?!"
Su Yuntao exclaimed in disbelief. But seeing that the martial soul was still just Blue Silver Grass, he quickly composed himself and sighed. "Why did it have to be a useless martial soul? Even a scythe would've been better at least it could be used for combat."
"Uncle, does a martial soul have to be combat-oriented?" Zhou Qing suddenly asked. "I had someone bring me books on martial souls and soul masters from Nuoding and Luo Xing City. Don't auxiliary-type soul masters exist too?"
"They do," Su Yuntao paused, surprised at the boy's knowledge. Still, he prepared Tang San's martial soul certificate and even extended an invitation. "Do you want to join the Martial Soul Hall? Even though your martial soul lacks offensive ability, you might still become a support-type soul master... Hmm, though I've never heard of anyone using Blue Silver Grass for support."
Tang San: "..." What the heck? Su Yuntao's grasp of soul cultivation feels way less reliable than Zhou Qing's!
"Thank you, Uncle. I'll think about it," Tang San replied, playing the part of a well-mannered child.
"Mhm." Su Yuntao didn't press him. His eyes shifted toward Zhou Qing, who had dared to engage him in conversation. "Your turn, little one."
"Alright."
Zhou Qing stepped into the awakening circle, his heart pounding.
Truthfully, he had mentally prepared for this moment many times. Still, nerves crept in. Even though he had the Xuan Tian Skill and could cultivate without a strong martial soul, he knew that a weak start—with no cheats like the legendary transmigrators—meant his dream of becoming a Titled Douluo by age twenty would be nearly impossible.
He wasn't ready to give up just yet.
"Extend your right hand."
Su Yuntao once again infused the awakening stones with soul power, and golden particles surged toward Zhou Qing.
"Huh? This one's absorbing even more particles than the last kid. Probably has innate soul power too... I just hope it's not Blue Silver Grass again."
But as he watched, no martial soul appeared in Zhou Qing's right hand.
"You left-handed?"
Su Yuntao looked to Zhou Qing's left hand nothing there either. His brow furrowed. "Most martial souls appear in the right hand. Some left-handers manifest them in the left. If nothing shows in either, it usually means a beast-type martial soul. For those like mine, the martial soul appears through partial transformation... But why aren't you showing any signs of beast transformation? Is it some human-like beast soul? Take off your shirt—let me have a look."
Zhou Qing had already sensed the martial soul awaken within him, but still followed instructions.
The moment his shirt came off and soul power began circulating, glowing patterns spread across his skin.
One side glowed in red and white, the other in cyan and blue. The intricate lines formed a dense network across his entire body, converging at key points aligned with his internal organs. At the center of his chest, near the heart, a pulsing red-blue energy core shimmered in sync with his heartbeat.
"A... heart?!"
Su Yuntao's eyes bulged. "I've only ever heard of one girl in Nuoding City who awakened her brain as a martial soul. She had innate soul power, but her cultivation was so slow she couldn't even reach level ten by age twelve. Now I've met someone whose martial soul is... their heart? What's next?"
Clearly baffled, he placed the crystal ball in front of Zhou Qing. "Go ahead. Let's test your soul power."
Zhou Qing placed his hand on the ball, instantly feeling both the inner strength he had cultivated with the Xuan Tian Skill and the soul power from his martial soul being drawn in.
"Innate full soul power!"