At the open ground near the entrance of Zhangyang Village, a group of children was playing happily. Under the big tree at the edge of the clearing sat several elderly villagers, their expressions dull and heavy with age. They sat on the ground chatting leisurely.
The moment Zhu Ziyang and his group appeared at the village entrance, they instantly attracted the attention of the elderly. All of them stood up, their eyes filled with a hint of fear and wariness. Zhu Ziyang and his companions were dressed in elegant clothes, exuding a noble aura that clearly separated them from the villagers—ordinary people who couldn't afford to offend such individuals.
The old folks were visibly anxious, unable to understand why these distinguished guests had come to their remote mountain village. Even the children hid behind the elderly, their young eyes a mixture of fear and curiosity.
"Honorable sirs, may I ask what brings you here?" One elderly man, almost bald with only a few teeth left, stepped forward and asked respectfully.
"Old man, I've come to fulfill a promise," Zhu Ziyang replied with a warm smile. His eyes swept across the group behind the speaker and then lit up as he spotted a familiar face. He walked toward an elderly woman. "Granny Yang, do you remember me?"
This Granny Yang was the very same who had let Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan stay over a year ago. Zhu Ziyang had a deep impression of her and recognized her at once. But the old woman, with her advanced age, looked confused and slightly unsettled as she tried to recall.
After all, how often would a soul master really keep their word to an ordinary villager?
"Grandma! It's the big brother and sister from last year!" a little girl hiding behind Granny Yang suddenly exclaimed in delight.
"You… you really came!" Granny Yang finally remembered. Her body trembled slightly, and her expression was a complex mix of disbelief and joy.
"Yes, Granny, we're here," Jiang Nannan stepped forward with a gentle smile like soft moonlight, leaving both the elders and children in awe.
Xian Lin'er and Cai Mei'er exchanged a glance and sighed silently. Then Xian Lin'er stepped forward and said, "Dear elders, we're here to help the children in the village awaken their martial souls. Are these all the children?"
"What? Martial soul awakening?"
"Are you sent by the Lord of the territory?"
"Is it true? Are you really here to help awaken our children's martial souls?"
Voices erupted among the elders, some skeptical, others excited, but all stirred by the news. The children watched with wide, innocent eyes, confused by the grown-ups' reactions.
"It's true, it's true!" Granny Yang raised her voice, silencing the others. "Don't you remember what I said last year? These are the soul masters I spoke of! They've come just like they promised—to awaken the children's martial souls!"
Granny Yang then pulled her granddaughter forward, knelt down with her, and shouted, "Thank you, soul masters! Long live the soul masters!"
With her taking the lead, the rest of the elders followed, kneeling down to thank Zhu Ziyang and the others.
The scene left Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan momentarily flustered, while Xian Lin'er and Cai Mei'er calmly accepted the gesture. The two women were far older than any elder present and had long since grown accustomed to the ways of the world. Such scenes no longer stirred their hearts.
"Please rise," Cai Mei'er said as she waved her sleeve, helping all the elders and children to stand. "There's no need to thank us. Now, go and gather all the children."
"Yes, yes!" The elders, shocked by her display of power, looked at her like she was a deity. Completely convinced, they hurried off to carry out her instructions. A few stayed to look after the children already present.
There were currently nine children at the scene, the oldest around eight, the youngest barely five.
"Nannan, do you remember me?" Jiang Nannan knelt down and gently pinched the cheeks of the little girl called Nannan.
"Uh-huh! I remember! Big sister, your name is also Nannan, right?" The little girl smiled brightly, her grimy face full of joy.
"That's right!" Jiang Nannan laughed, her eyes gleaming with warmth.
Xian Lin'er and Cai Mei'er watched with sighs and turned to Zhu Ziyang.
"Ziyang, do you feel that this world is unfair?" Xian Lin'er asked.
"A little," Zhu Ziyang answered calmly with a nod.
"You don't need to hide it from us," Xian Lin'er said, smiling. "Mei'er and I once felt the same way. This world needs change, and we believe you have what it takes."
"That's right, Ziyang," Cai Mei'er added. "Ensuring that every child, even from poor families, has the right to awaken their martial soul… that's the dream of every soul master from humble beginnings."
"Senior Sisters, you don't need to explain. I understand," Zhu Ziyang replied, his tone even and firm.
Seeing this, both women said no more.
"Alright, let's prepare for the martial soul awakening ceremony," said Xian Lin'er.
"Okay!" Zhu Ziyang nodded. He then took out a set of martial soul awakening stones from his Starflame Ring, which he had bought from the Treasure Pavilion in Shrek City. Unlike the free sets given to noble families, he had paid a million gold soul coins for them—at a discount. Their full price exceeded ten million, and even that came with strict qualifications for purchase, designed to prevent commoners from having access.
These stones, considered the foundation of the soul master world, were tightly controlled. Back in the old Douluo Continent, all raw stone mines were monopolized by royal families and great nobles. Even Shrek Academy had limited access—before acquiring a mine, they could only get five sets per year from the three major empires.
It was truly ironic. In the era of Spirit Hall, martial soul awakening stones were as cheap as vegetables. Now, they were more valuable than soul bones.
Once the preparation was done, more children began to arrive with their elders. Soon, all the children in the village had gathered—along with their grandparents, since few parents remained in the village.
After sorting and checking, they found thirty-one children in total. Seventeen of them had reached the natural age threshold for awakening martial souls. The remaining fourteen were under six years old and couldn't undergo the ceremony without the aid of external methods or special techniques.
These fourteen were separated to one side. Their families were anxious and begged the soul masters to help. Seeing their despair, Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan relented and promised to return next year.
Only then were the families willing to wait.
Then the true awakening began. They divided the seventeen children into two groups. Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan each handled a group. Both were already familiar with the martial soul awakening process, having spent a whole month doing just that in the past.
"Big sister, my name is Yang Zhenzhen," the little girl known as Nannan stepped forward and happily said her full name.
"Okay, Yang Zhenzhen. Just listen to big sister. Close your eyes, pretend you're sleeping, and stretch out your hand," Jiang Nannan said softly, coaxing her like a lullaby.
Zhenzhen obediently followed her instructions. Jiang Nannan smiled and infused her soul power into the awakening stone. Instantly, Zhenzhen began to glow with the light of martial soul awakening. Moments later, traces of her martial soul began to manifest.
Behind her appeared a pair of bluish-purple butterfly wings, faintly flickering with electric light. It was the sign of a beast martial soul—more specifically, a flying-type beast martial soul with lightning attributes.
"That's… the Thunder Moth?" Xian Lin'er, standing behind, exclaimed in surprise as she identified the martial soul.
She hadn't expected to find a child with soul master potential in such a remote mountain village. Though the Thunder Moth was just a standard beast-type martial soul, it had a high chance of possessing innate soul power.
(End of Chapter)
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