“Martial Soul: Iron Sword.
Innate soul power: half a rank!”
Su Yuntao’s voice rang out across the Awakening Hall.
He looked at the blue-clothed child before him with a trace of pity in his eyes.
The child’s parents were both relatively well-known Soul Grandmasters in Nuoding City.
Unfortunately, while inheriting his father’s Iron Sword martial soul, the child’s martial soul had undergone a malignant mutation.
Several cracks had appeared along the blade.
Those cracks made the entire sword look as though it could shatter at any moment.
“Child, don’t be discouraged.
At least you have some innate soul power.”
“Work hard at your cultivation, and you can still become a respected soul master like me!”
Seeing that the child remained motionless, Su Yuntao couldn’t help but offer some words of comfort.
His own innate soul power was not particularly high either.
It was only through sheer perseverance that he had managed to reach where he was today.
Su Yuntao’s words brought Qi Dao back from his disappointment.
He gave him a slight nod.
“Thank you for your guidance, Deacon.
I’ll remember it.”
After saying that, Qi Dao returned to the group of children behind him.
The martial soul awakening ceremony continued, but Qi Dao’s thoughts had already drifted somewhere far away.
A trace of bewilderment remained in his eyes.
In his previous life, he had been nothing more than an ordinary person who loved reading novels.
He had stayed up all night reading, only to fall asleep and then transmigrate into the ever-popular world of Douluo Dalu.
When he had first arrived in this world, Qi Dao had fantasized about awakening some kind of cheat ability one day and embarking on a path to the heavens.
But clearly, the heavens still hadn’t favored him!
Not only that, they had even kicked him while he was down, causing his martial soul to undergo a malignant mutation.
Coming back to his senses, Qi Dao felt miserable whenever he thought about the cracks in his Iron Sword.
A damn half-rank innate soul power, a useless martial soul, no cheat ability, and not even a child from some prestigious clan.
How was he supposed to play this game?
…
The martial soul awakening ceremony soon ended.
Su Yuntao led the group of children out of the hall, while their parents had already been waiting outside for quite some time.
The moment they saw the doors of the Awakening Hall open, they immediately gathered around.
Their expressions revealed a complicated mix of anticipation, nervousness, worry, and countless other emotions.
Among the crowd, a couple in their late twenties was just as anxious as the other parents.
The moment they saw Qi Dao, their eyes immediately lit up.
Both husband and wife were Soul Grandmasters, so the chances of their child possessing innate soul power were quite high.
After walking out of the hall, Su Yuntao looked at the parents of the children.
His expression remained calm as he announced,
“All right, everyone.
This awakening ceremony has come to a successful conclusion.
Of the twenty-three children, three have awakened with innate soul power.”
The crowd immediately brightened.
Three children out of twenty-three possessing innate soul power was already a fairly high ratio.
Naturally, every parent hoped their own child would be one of them.
After thanking Su Yuntao, they eagerly began asking about their children’s results.
Qi Dao also walked over to his parents.
His father, Qi Mingyuan, looked somewhat nervous.
“Ah Dao, how did your martial soul awakening go?”
Beside him, his mother, Wang Rou, wore an expression filled with both anticipation and worry.
Seeing their expressions, Qi Dao smiled helplessly.
“Dad, Mom, my martial soul underwent a malignant mutation.
I only have half a rank of innate soul power.”
The moment they heard the first half of his sentence, Qi Mingyuan and Wang Rou’s hearts sank.
But more than anything, the couple was worried about Qi Dao.
The child had been exceptionally intelligent from a young age.
Everyone who knew him had praised him, saying that he would definitely become an outstanding soul master in the future.
Yet now his martial soul had undergone a malignant mutation, and he had only half a rank of innate soul power.
They truly feared their son wouldn’t be able to withstand such a huge gap between expectation and reality and might do something foolish.
Wang Rou gently comforted him.
“Son, half a rank of innate soul power isn’t a big deal.”
“Do you remember when you were two or three years old?”
“You were so tiny back then, yet you were always saying that you were going to become a Sword Immortal or a Sword God, and that you would take your father and me to enjoy a life of luxury.”
“So what if you only have half a rank of innate soul power?”
“Your dad and I both believe in you!”
After Wang Rou finished speaking, Qi Mingyuan nodded beside her.
“That’s right.
Your mom and I both believe in you!”
Looking at his worried parents, Qi Dao understood what they feared.
But his mind was not truly that of an ordinary child.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember what he had been like during the first two or three years after transmigrating into this world.
That had been the most confident period of his life.
He had constantly looked forward to awakening a cheat ability, firmly believing that he would become just like the protagonists in the novels he had read.
Yet just now, after awakening his martial soul, a sense of bewilderment had actually emerged in his heart.
No cheat ability.
No powerful martial soul…
Could he really become like the protagonists in those novels?
Qi Dao was still standing where he was, but his consciousness seemed to travel back through time.
He saw himself standing in the center of the awakening formation, bewildered and questioning himself.
But in the end, he suddenly smiled.
No.
He hadn’t laughed.
He understood!
How could such a foolish thought have ever arisen in his heart?
The quality of his martial soul was not something he could control.
But he could control his own will.
He would never become weak!
That really shouldn’t have happened.
Qi Dao murmured inwardly, and an indescribable, subtle feeling seemed to emerge from within him.
An Iron Sword stood before him, utterly ordinary.
Yet Qi Dao suddenly felt that an inexplicable connection had formed between himself and the Iron Sword.
Unable to resist, he reached out and grasped the sword.
The instant Qi Dao’s hand closed around the Iron Sword, enlightenment suddenly descended upon his heart.
It was as though he had been born to become the supreme master of the sword.
With a single thought, a series of steps appeared beneath his feet.
Holding the sword, he climbed step by step upward until he stood at the very top.
Suddenly, the sound of sword cries rang out from every direction, echoing in Qi Dao’s ears.
At that moment, his mind had never been so clear.
His eyes had never been so bright.
And his will had never been so resolute.
It was as though his soul itself had been sublimated.
Then, in the very next second, his consciousness instantly returned to reality.
His eyes were still shining brilliantly, and his entire bearing had become spirited and confident.
He looked toward his parents.
“Don’t worry, Dad, Mom.
Your son…”
“Isn’t that fragile!”
“After all, I promised you…”
“That I’d take you both to the God Realm to enjoy a life of luxury!”
Seeing Qi Dao looking so full of confidence and vitality, Qi Mingyuan and Wang Rou’s eyes lit up.
He was back.
Everything was back!
This was their son!
“Hahaha!
Son, your dad believes in you!”
Qi Mingyuan burst into laughter, practically on the verge of declaring that his son possessed the bearing of a god king.
His laughter immediately drew strange looks from the surrounding parents.
Why was this man laughing so happily?
Could it be that his son had an exceptional talent?
But when they learned from their own children that Qi Dao had only half a rank of innate soul power, their expressions instantly became incredibly strange.
Wait.
It was only half a rank of innate soul power.
Was there really any reason to be this happy?
End of Chapter