"A Tenth-level Martial Soul, it's actually a Tenth-level Martial Soul!"
Not to mention Canglan County, even in the entire Luotong Kingdom, a Tenth-level Martial Soul is rarely seen!
Huang Ming looked at the Three-eyed Black Tiger hovering behind his son, his fists clenched, his body trembling slightly with excitement.
Huang Qide's laughter echoed in the Great Hall for a long time.
He hadn't expected to receive such a great surprise upon visiting the Martial Hall this time!
"Good, good, good!" Huang Qide laughed heartily, taking a deep breath to suppress the excitement in his heart.
His eyes filled with joy, he looked affectionately at his grandson who possessed a Tenth-level Martial Soul, believing that with the dedicated cultivation from the Huang Family Manor, this grandson could definitely break through the realm that Huang Qide himself had dreamed of but never reached!
At that moment, Huang Peng approached Huang Ming and congratulated him, "Congratulations, Big Brother."
Huang Ming, looking at the sincere-faced Huang Peng, clapped him on the shoulder and smiled, "Thank you, Second Brother!" He paused, adding, "When Xiao Long's Martial Soul awakens later, he might also possess a Tenth-level Martial Soul." However, anyone could hear that Huang Ming's words were merely comforting, for a Tenth-level Martial Soul was not something just anyone could possess.
The Huang Family Manor elders and several stewards also came up to Huang Ming repeatedly to offer their congratulations.
"Wei'er, come here," Huang Qide then called out from the center of the Great Hall, smiling and beckoning to Huang Wei.
"Yes, Grandfather," Huang Wei responded and walked past Huang Xiaolong towards Huang Qide. As he passed by Huang Xiaolong, Huang Wei looked at Huang Xiaolong with what seemed like nonchalant pride and arrogance—imperceptible to others, but not to Huang Xiaolong.
"A Tenth-level Martial Soul," Huang Xiaolong watched Huang Wei's retreating back with a calm expression.
Although Huang Wei was his cousin from his oldest uncle, their relationship was not very close. Two years ago, Huang Wei and sons of several elders from the Manor had bullied Huang Min, his younger sister. When Huang Xiaolong had come upon them, the outcome had been predictable—Huang Wei and the others were beaten miserably by Huang Xiaolong, and since then, Huang Wei had held a grudge against him.
Upon reaching Huang Qide, the old man smiled warmly and affectionately patted Huang Wei on the head, turning to Huang Ming with a grin, "Huang Ming, well done in giving me such a fine grandson!"
Hearing his father's praise, Huang Ming smiled shyly, "Dad, should we proceed with the awakening ceremony?"
Huang Qide nodded, also realizing it wasn't the time to continue discussing this, and smiled, "Yes, let's continue with the awakening ceremony."
After Huang Wei, it was Huang Xiaolong's turn to undergo his Martial Soul awakening. As Huang Qide's voice quieted, all the elders, stewards, and disciples in the Great Hall turned their attention to Huang Xiaolong. Huang Wei had a Tenth-level Martial Soul; what about Huang Xiaolong, who was also the grandson of the Old Manor Master?
Under everyone's gaze, Huang Xiaolong walked calmly into the Hexagonal Pattern Light Column.
Watching their son stepping into the light column, Huang Peng and Su Yan clasped each other's hands tightly, their hearts taut as they watched unblinkingly.
Soon after Huang Xiaolong entered the column, similar to Huang Wei, dark light began to emanate around his body. Seeing the same dark light radiating from Huang Xiaolong, everyone was startled when suddenly, streaks of blue light also started flaring around him, flickering strangely.
Eventually, a black and blue shadow appeared above the back of Huang Xiaolong's head—a Martial Soul that looked like a snake with one black and one blue head.
The crowd exchanged glances.
A Two-headed Snake Martial Soul?
But as far as they knew, the Two-headed Snake Martial Souls among Beast Martial Souls were supposed to be yellowish-red for both heads and the body. Yet, in this case, one head was black, the other blue, and the body bore the same colors.
Looking at the Martial Soul behind Huang Xiaolong, Huang Qide felt confused but inevitably disappointed, as he saw it merely as a mutant variant of the Two-headed Snake Martial Soul. It was not uncommon among disciples of noble families to have a Mutant Martial Soul. The Two-headed Snake Martial Soul was only a Seventh-level Martial Soul. Though it was considered a high-level Martial Soul, it paled in comparison to the Tenth-level Martial Soul of his grandson Huang Wei.
Huang Peng and Su Yan, observing the Martial Soul behind their son, expressed similar feelings to Huang Qide's—a bit of disappointment. Although a Seventh-level Martial Soul was decent compared to other disciples in the Huang Family Manor, which parent wouldn't hope for their child to have a Tenth-level Martial Soul?
"Manor Master, what do you think?" Steward Chen Ying couldn't help but look towards Huang Qide.
Huang Qide mused, "This is a seventh-level Martial Soul, the Mutant Two-headed Snake."
In the Great Hall, the Huang Family Manor Elders and the Steward all nodded subtly, apparently agreeing with the assessment of the Old Manor Master, Huang Qide.
A seventh-level Mutant Two-headed Snake? Huang Xiaolong stepped out from the Hexagonal Pattern Light Column, his face calm, knowing only to himself that the Martial Soul within him was likely not just a simple seventh-level Mutant Two-headed Snake.
Seeing that Huang Xiaolong's Martial Soul was just a seventh-level Mutant Two-headed Snake, Huang Wei's lips unconsciously curled downwards as he provocatively looked at Huang Xiaolong.
Noticing the provocative look in Huang Wei's eyes, Huang Xiaolong remained indifferent, too indifferent to engage in a staring contest with a mere child.
Following Huang Xiaolong, it was then the turn of a son of an elder named Zhou Guang from the Huang Family Manor—Zhou Xuedong, who was one of the disciples that had bullied Huang Min with Huang Wei in the past and had been dealt with by Huang Xiaolong.
A moment later, Zhou Xuedong underwent his Martial Soul Awakening but it turned out to be only a sixth-level Martial Soul, a Blood-eyed Wolf.
After Zhou Xuedong, another twenty or so juniors from the Huang Family Manor underwent their Martial Soul Awakening. Most of them possessed fourth, fifth, and sixth-level Martial Souls, a few had Wasted Martial Souls, and others had only first or second-level low-level Martial Souls.
In this Martial Soul Awakening, Huang Xiaolong's Martial Soul was second rank, but like the other juniors of the Huang Family Manor, he was merely a backdrop to Huang Wei, who possessed a Tenth-level Martial Soul.
After the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony concluded, Huang Qide, with a smile brimming across his face, said to Huang Ming, Huang Peng, and the gathered elders, "From now on, I will personally guide Huang Wei in his cultivation."
Personally guide? The crowd was taken aback.
"Yes, Father!" Huang Ming replied with joy on his face.
Hearing that his father, Huang Qide, would personally guide his elder brother's son, Huang Wei, Huang Peng glanced at his son, Huang Xiaolong, and sighed inwardly.
A while later, the Martial Hall closed, and everyone dispersed.
Back in the eastern palace courtyard, Su Yan said discontentedly, "Father is too biased. He is actually going to personally guide Huang Wei in cultivating. Huang Wei is his grandson, but isn't our Xiao Long also his grandson?"
Huang Peng frowned and, waving his hand, said sharply, "Enough, let's not talk about this anymore." He was not any less distressed, but he knew that since Huang Wei possessed a Tenth-level Martial Soul, it was natural for his father, Huang Qide, to want to personally guide his cultivation.
"Xiao Long, your talent is also good. With your talent and future dedication to cultivation, it won't be hard to become an Eighth-Order warrior," Huang Peng turned and said to Huang Xiaolong.
"I understand, Dad," Huang Longxiao said. As he spoke, he opened his mouth, wanting to tell Huang Peng and Su Yan that his Martial Soul was likely more than just a seventh-level Martial Soul, but after considering it, he ultimately kept silent.
Later, Huang Peng gave Huang Xiaolong a cultivation technique for cultivating Fighting Energy and explained a few important things about cultivating Fighting Energy. Huang Xiaolong memorized everything closely.
After leaving the palace courtyard, Huang Xiaolong went back to his own small courtyard, reviewed the Fighting Energy Technique given by his father, Huang Peng, and sat down cross-legged, starting to absorb the nature's spiritual energy according to the First Level of the technique.
As Huang Xiaolong circulated the technique, the Mutant Two-headed Snake, which appeared to the others like just a seventh-level Martial Soul, manifested behind Huang Xiaolong. Its two heads suddenly opened wide, devouring the surrounding nature's spiritual energy at a terrifying speed, causing a sizzling noise.
The nature's spiritual energy devoured by the Two-headed Snake continually poured into Huang Xiaolong's body, circulating through his meridians, and gradually converting into Fighting Energy.
Night slowly arrived as moonlight, like water, spilled through the windows of the small courtyard.
A while later, Huang Xiaolong opened his eyes, a look of extreme strangeness upon his face, because just now, when he had circulated the Fighting Energy according to the Mystic Azure Technique's First Level provided by his father, he had managed to complete a full cycle without any obstruction or difficulty!
In just a few hours, not only had he successfully condensed Fighting Energy, but he had also broken through to the First Order, becoming a First-Stage Warrior!
Huang Xiaolong was filled with a sense of absurdity. He recalled his father mentioning that his grandfather, Huang Qide, took a whole six months to break through to the First Order and become a First-Stage Warrior!
And his grandfather, Huang Qide, possessed a Top-level Martial Soul among the Eighth Stage, the Six-winged Golden Monkey.
(New book, seeking everyone's recommendation and favorites!)