Gazing at the moon in the sky, Su Yu stealthily pulled three incense sticks from his pants pocket!
By the moonlight, he brought the incense to his lips, carefully blew on it, rubbed it against the corner of his clothes, and finally lit it with a flint.
A small flame "whooshed" up, illuminating his eyes full of anticipation.
"Pangu! Hongjun! Taishang Laojun! Yuanshi Tianzun! Tongtian Jiaozhu!"
Su Yu held the incense with both hands, raised it above his head, his young face filled with piety, his voice lowered as if afraid of disturbing someone.
"Nüwa! And that so-called God King Zeus, Father Odin, Lord Jesus!"
"Whoever you are, whether you're in the heavens or not, this humble lad pays respects to you all!"
He stuck the incense into a small circle surrounded by stones on the ground and kowtowed three times, his forehead getting a bit dusty.
"Great deities, my request isn't too high!" He raised his head, his eyes sparkling as he looked at the moon!
"I just want a powerful Martial Soul! Anything like the Pangu Axe, Taiji Diagram, Pangu Banner, Four Swords of Zhuxian, etc., will do! I'm not picky!"
As he spoke, he felt he might be too greedy and quickly added:
"If that's really not possible, I can accept Divine Beast Martial Souls of the level of Zu Long, Yuan Feng, or Shi Qilin! Really!"
He bowed to the moon again and sighed like a little adult:
"Great deities, I've finally managed to cross over once—it wasn't easy! Give me a chance, won't you?"
"Rest assured, if you grant me a powerful Martial Soul, once I make it big in the future, I'll definitely burn more incense for you!"
Watching the incense burn down bit by bit, Su Yu bowed a few more times before returning to the dormitory.
Early the next morning—
Morning light filtered through the broken window lattice, casting a few slanted spots on the bed board.
Su Yu was still lost in a hazy dream when a soft, sweet voice slipped into his ears, like a little pebble coated in honey:
"Brother Su Yu, the sun is already shining on your bottom, get up quickly! Today is the day for awakening your Martial Soul!"
"Mmm... Nana!"
Su Yu turned over, pulled the blanket up, and covered half his face, his voice muffled.
"What's the rush? It's just awakening a Martial Soul—it won't run away if we're a little late..."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a "buzz" went off in his head, as if a string had suddenly tightened.
Awakening Martial Soul?!
Su Yu threw off the blanket and sprang up from the hard bed like a carp leaping.
His hair was a messy nest, his eyes wide open—last night he had been too busy bowing to the deities under the moon!
He had completely forgotten that today was the day for awakening his Martial Soul!
Hu Liena stood by the bed, and seeing his panicked state, her little mouth immediately pouted:
"Brother Su Yu, did you really forget? My brother and I have been up for a long time, waiting for you!"
"I didn't forget! I didn't forget!"
Su Yu scrambled to grab his clothes and put them on, buttoning two buttons wrong, tying his belt while mumbling:
"It's just... just getting in the right mood! Awakening a Martial Soul is such an important matter—it has to be done solemnly, yes, solemnly!"
He quickly slipped on his shoes, wiped his face hastily, and turned to look at Hu Liena.
Seeing the little girl still pouting, he hurried over, poked her cheek with his finger, and said with a playful grin:
"Good Nana, don't be angry. Look, your brother is all ready now, and I promise I'll be faster than anyone!"
Hu Liena giggled as he poked her, swatting his hand away:
"Hurry up! We'll be in trouble if we're late!"
"Right away, right away!"
Su Yu quickly fixed his hair and grabbed Hu Liena's hand, dashing outside while silently praying fervently in his heart.
Those deities he worshipped yesterday better prove effective—please don't give him a Martial Soul like a hoe or sickle, or he'd truly be doomed!
Martial Soul Awakening Square—
The Martial Soul Awakening Square was crowded with hundreds of children around the same age as Su Yu and Hu Liena.
Most wore expressions of nervousness and anticipation, their chattering voices resembling a flock of fledgling sparrows just leaving the nest.
Many parents sat on the stone steps at the edge of the square, craning their necks toward the center with anxious eyes.
Su Yu held Hu Liena's hand as they weaved through the crowd, the sun warming their backs.
"Nana, over here!"
Xie Yue's voice came from ahead. He stood at the end of a line, standing on tiptoe and waving at them.
He wore a clean gray cloth short jacket today, his hair neatly combed, looking much more spirited than usual.
Hu Liena's eyes lit up, and she pulled Su Yu along to quicken their pace.
As soon as they settled in line, Xie Yue's gaze fell on Su Yu, and he let out a light snort:
"Hmph, you actually overslept on such an important day as Martial Soul Awakening. Only you would do something like that."
Su Yu rubbed his nose and didn't respond—he was indeed at fault.
But Xie Yue wouldn't let it go, glaring at him again with a hint of provocation in his tone:
"Let me tell you, if you end up awakening some useless Martial Soul like a hoe or sickle, let's see if you still have the nerve to put on airs in front of Nana!"
"Not necessarily." Su Yu raised an eyebrow, deliberately teasing him. "Maybe I'll awaken some earth-shattering Martial Soul that'll amaze you."
"Dream on!" Xie Yue curled his lip, clearly unconvinced. "I think you'd be lucky to awaken a Blue Silver Grass!"
Hu Liena, listening nearby, tugged at Xie Yue's sleeve:
"Brother, don't say that about Brother Su Yu. Any Martial Soul is good!" She then turned to Su Yu, her small face filled with encouragement. "Brother Su Yu, I believe you'll awaken a powerful Martial Soul!"
Su Yu felt warmth in his heart and was about to speak when a clear brass bell rang out from the center of the square.
A middle-aged man dressed in Spirit Hall attendant robes stepped onto the platform and announced loudly:
"Children, line up properly! The Martial Soul Awakening is about to begin! Proceed in order, no pushing!"
The line immediately quieted down considerably. The children held their breath, clenching their fists nervously.
Su Yu's heart pounded fiercely—success or failure hinged on this moment!
Those deities he worshipped yesterday better come through with some strength!
With twenty attendants working simultaneously, the Martial Soul Awakening proceeded quickly. In less than an hour, more than half the children had undergone awakening.
The Spirit Hall higher-ups on the platform watched the awakened children without much reaction.
These children's Martial Souls were all of too low quality, with Innate Soul Power basically around level five.
After more than half had finished, not a single one had appeared with Innate Soul Power exceeding level seven.
Another twenty minutes passed, and Xie Yue stepped forward.
"Go, brother!" Hu Liena waved her small hand, cheering for Xie Yue!
"Xie Yue, do your best!" Su Yu also offered words of encouragement!
"Hmph, don't worry! I will definitely awaken a powerful Martial Soul!"
Though Xie Yue said this, he still walked forward with some nervousness in his heart.