In front of Zhu Ziyang's house.
Zhu Ziyang's parents, along with other children from the village who were eligible to awaken their martial souls—and their parents—had already gathered.
"Dad, Mom." Zhu Ziyang walked over with Jiang Nannan, hand in hand.
"Mm!" his father, Zhu Changhe, a handsome man with a scholarly air, smiled at the sight of his son and said, "Everyone is here. Kids, get on the carriage."
"Yes!" The seven other children climbed onto the Zhu family's carriage, their parents watching them with hopeful eyes.
"Village chief, we're counting on you!" the children's parents respectfully said to Zhu Changhe.
"Don't worry. You can all head back—we're off now." Zhu Changhe was indeed the village chief of Beihe Village and its strongest soul master. At thirty-five years old, he was a level-28 Grand Soul Master. Nearing forty and still a Grand Soul Master, it was unlikely he'd ever become a Soul Ancestor.
Zhu Changhe's martial soul was the Dusklight Scythe, a fairly ordinary tool-type soul with faint light attributes. It had been passed down through six generations in the Zhu family, starting from Zhu Changhe's great-great-grandfather. Zhu Ziyang was the seventh generation, and there was a 50% chance he would inherit the same martial soul.
Why only 50%?
Because his mother, Liang Ying, was also a soul master. Two years younger than Zhu Changhe, she was thirty-three and a level-25 Grand Soul Master. Her martial soul was the Snow Dragon Lizard—a beast-type martial soul with a trace of dragon bloodline. In terms of quality, it was slightly superior to the Dusklight Scythe, though not by much.
So the other 50% chance was for Zhu Ziyang to inherit the Snow Dragon Lizard.
Since both martial souls were relatively ordinary—one tool-type and one beast-type—Zhu Ziyang didn't particularly care. As long as he could cultivate, even an ordinary martial soul would do. With the vast knowledge in his mind and in the interdimensional library, he believed that some method for success must lie within.
Liang Ying accompanied Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan into the carriage while Zhu Changhe took the reins, heading toward Anyang City, not far away.
Beihe Village was located in the suburbs of Anyang City, only two or three li (about 1 km) from the southern gate. Their destination, the City Lord's Mansion, was just a few hundred meters beyond that.
They reached Anyang City in about fifteen minutes. The distance was close enough to walk, but Zhu Ziyang had no objections to his father's choice of transport.
Many of the children were visiting the city for the first time and looked around curiously. Zhu Ziyang, however, had been to Anyang several times before.
To him, it was just a small town.
That was Zhu Ziyang's impression of Anyang City.
Anyang was located on the northern frontier of the Heaven Soul Empire. To the north lay the outskirts of the Great Northern Icefield; to the south, a massive east-west mountain range known as the Northern Mountains. To the east was Longcheng, the provincial capital of the Northern Frontier Province; to the west, a great canyon running north-south.
Because of the complex terrain on three sides, Anyang's location was relatively unimportant. Few people came here—it was a city of little consequence.
Its scale was small. Though officially a city, it was really just a slightly larger town, with a population of around 200,000. The strongest person there was the City Lord, Hong Zhen, a baron of the Heaven Soul Empire and a level-42 defensive-type Soul Ancestor.
The carriage arrived at the City Lord's Mansion.
Zhu Changhe was a well-known figure in Anyang. He was one of the vice-captains of the city guard and, more importantly, related to the City Lord. Hong Zhen's grandmother was the younger sister of Zhu Changhe's grandfather, making the two men cousins.
The mansion's gatekeeper, well aware of this connection, respectfully took the carriage away to be parked. Zhu Changhe and Liang Ying led Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, and the other children into the mansion. They headed straight for the hall where martial soul awakenings were conducted.
There, they immediately saw a burly man nearly two meters tall.
"Ha! Changhe, you're here!" the man called out with a booming laugh.
"Brother Hong!" Zhu Changhe responded with a smile. "We'll be relying on you today!"
This man was none other than Hong Zhen, the City Lord of Anyang—a baron and level-42 Soul Ancestor with the Icefield Elephant martial soul.
Today, he would personally oversee the children's martial soul awakening. And he was doing it for free—a great blessing for the children of Anyang.
After all, in most places across the three great empires, it was a fantasy for commoners to awaken their martial souls for free. If they wanted the ceremony, they had to either sell themselves to the imperial military or to a noble family—or pray that a kind-hearted high-level soul master happened to bestow it.
Martial soul awakening had become monopolized by the nobility—a tragic reality.
Zhu Ziyang had read about this in history books and knew that this tragedy began ten thousand years ago, with the Battle of Jialing Pass.
According to all three empires' official histories, the battle ended in a great victory. Led by the mighty Sea God, the Blue Vast King, and the Thousand-Hand Douluo, the allied empires defeated the evil Wuhun Hall and crushed its ambitions to unify the continent, thus preserving peace and stability.
After the war, the last pope of Wuhun Hall, Bibi Dong, perished, and the holy maiden, Qian Renxue, disappeared. With that, the Church Era came to an end. The Wuhun Hall—which once offered free martial soul awakenings to all—was destroyed, and with it, the golden age of commoner soul masters.
Now, the glory once upheld by the church had to be carried on by a small northern town.
What an irony.
"Brother Hong!"
"Uncle Hong!"
Liang Ying and Zhu Ziyang also greeted Hong Zhen.
"So Ying is here too!" Hong Zhen replied, then turned to Zhu Ziyang with a hearty laugh. "Little Yang is already old enough to awaken his martial soul? Time flies!"
"Yes, it does," Zhu Changhe agreed with emotion.
"Alright, enough small talk—let's begin!" Hong Zhen was a straightforward northerner who didn't like to waste time.
The nine children were lined up by Zhu Changhe and Liang Ying. Zhu Ziyang stood at the front, followed by Jiang Nannan and the others.
"Little Yang, come here to Uncle!" Hong Zhen, having prepared everything, called for Zhu Ziyang as the first to awaken his martial soul.
Zhu Ziyang didn't hesitate. He walked quickly over, his heart beating faster. To say he wasn't nervous would be a lie. This moment would shape his entire life. He didn't want to live another life as a nobody—especially not in such a grand era.
In just a few steps, he stood before Hong Zhen, who directed him into the center of a six-pointed star made of six pitch-black stones.
He recognized these stones—awakening stones—a crucial resource monopolized by the nobles and major powers. They enabled the most effective form of martial soul awakening.
Once Zhu Ziyang stood in place, Hong Zhen unleashed six waves of soul power, each striking one of the stones. The stones lit up immediately and formed a light shield, surrounding Zhu Ziyang.
"Close your eyes, calm your mind, and feel carefully!" Hong Zhen instructed.
Zhu Ziyang did as told. He instinctively began using the Lesser Light Breathing Method. His mind settled, and he felt a power stirring within—something was about to emerge from his body. He realized it instantly—his martial soul was awakening.
Without thinking, he stretched out his right hand—right as Hong Zhen gave the next command:
"Extend your right hand!"