"Yes, Grandpa Tai." With his body steadier now, no longer weak in the legs, Yang Yunhai carefully stood up and strode forward.
Having already seen his two companions go through the awakening process, he understood the steps and walked straight into the hexagonal stone formation.
The middle-aged man immediately raised both hands, pressing down on the six black stones around the formation. Soul power surged into them. In the next instant, the six stones connected, and faint golden light rose, enveloping Yang Yunhai completely.
'So warm.' That was Yang Yunhai's first impression.
Then, he felt as if something inside him shattered. A wave of warmth rushed down his arm and gathered in his right palm.
He instinctively raised his hand.
The village chief, the middle-aged man, and all the children fixed their eyes on him.
In the next second, a faint blue light appeared, with thin white streaks flickering within it. A tiny blue blade of grass emerged in his palm.
Blue Silver Grass. It was the same plant that grew everywhere along the roadside in the village. They couldn't mistake it. The only difference was that this one's veins glowed faintly white, while ordinary Blue Silver Grass was pale blue. But without a doubt, the shape was the same.
"Blue Silver Grass!?" the children exclaimed, stunned—Yang Yunhai included.
"How can this be?" The village chief and the middle-aged man were equally shocked.
For Yang Yunhai, who was always struck by lightning on rainy days, they had held great expectations. They truly believed he would awaken a powerful Martial Soul.
Yet what appeared was Blue Silver Grass, the most widely recognized trash Martial Soul on the continent.
The disappointment was crushing.
"Uncle Di, I feel like my Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul is different. Touch it and see!" Yang Yunhai quickly said, looking at the middle-aged man.
This was Changgong Di, the eldest son of the village chief, forty-four years old, a Rank 29 Soul Grandmaster, and a deacon of the Spirit Hall.
"Different?" Changgong Di muttered, reaching out to touch the blade of grass.
The next moment, his eyes widened and his finger recoiled instinctively.
"It's… charged?" The words slipped out. His eyes lit up again, hope returning.
Yes! That made sense! Lightning-charged—this matched Yang Yunhai's strange constitution of always being struck. Perhaps this wasn't ordinary Blue Silver Grass after all.
Quickly, he grabbed the blue crystal used for testing and handed it over. "Come, Xiao Hai, test your soul power."
"Alright." Yang Yunhai nodded. He willed the Martial Soul back into his body, then placed his right hand on the crystal.
A strong suction force came from his palm. The crystal glowed faintly blue.
"This…" Changgong Di's face fell. Not far away, the light in the village chief's eyes dimmed as well.
That brightness—innate soul power, only 0.5 rank. With their years of experience, they could not be mistaken.
'Damn it! A lightning-attribute Martial Soul, and I only have this little innate soul power!?' Yang Yunhai's heart collapsed.
He knew well that in Douluo Dalu, before awakening a Martial Soul, no one could cultivate soul power. The amount of innate soul power was fixed at awakening. Otherwise, innate full soul power would be everywhere. In truth, the amount of innate soul power basically determined a soul master's cultivation speed and their future growth potential.
And innate soul power of 0.5 rank meant his talent was rock bottom.
The only exception was Tang San. According to the original story, Tang San's innate full soul power came from the Mysterious Heaven Technique. At first, he had no soul power. But when his Martial Soul awakened, his inner strength transformed into soul power, making him appear as innate full.
But Yang Yunhai hadn't cultivated anything in his past life. By the age of six, he couldn't have accumulated inner strength. All he could do was exercise. His darker skin was just from years of training under the sun.
Now his hope was shattered. He felt awful.
"Ah…" Changgong Di sighed softly, seeing his disappointment. He quickly forced a smile, patted his shoulder, and said, "Xiao Hai, don't be discouraged. As long as you awaken with soul power, you can still become a Soul Master. You're already ahead of most people on the continent."
He wasn't lying. Less than one percent of the continent's population became soul masters.
"That's right, Boss!" the children chimed in, some envious. "None of us even awakened with soul power."
"Yeah, now that Boss has soul power, he'll go to the academy. No one will tell us stories anymore."
To them, stories were more important than cultivation.
"I'll tell you stories later when I get back," Yang Yunhai said, forcing a smile.
"Yay!" The kids cheered again.
"Alright, children, time to go." The village chief smiled kindly, then turned to his eldest son.
"Ah Di, we'll talk to Xiao Hai about school later. For now, you need to head to the other villages and continue the awakenings."
"Yes." Changgong Di nodded and began packing.
Not long after, children with parents were taken home, and the orphans followed the village chief back to the orphanage.
Once there, the chief brought Yang Yunhai into his office.
"Xiao Hai, would you like to join the Spirit Hall, like your Uncle Di, Uncle Ao, and your elder brothers and sisters?" the old man asked, then explained, "Your innate soul power isn't high, but you can still become a soul master. If you join the Spirit Hall, you could serve as a deacon in Nuoding City, just like your uncle and I once did. You'd have a stable income, and life wouldn't be bad at all."
"When you grow older, you could retire here, or even take my place as chief or director. You grew up with these villagers, and everyone would look out for each other."
The chief had no doubt: this clever boy could be a future leader.
"As for schooling," he added, "this year you're the only one in the village with soul power. You can take the work-study quota at Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy. By joining the Hall early, you'll also be a reserve member and can collect a living allowance each month. With that and the academy's work-study pay, you'll have no trouble living at Nuoding. Just avoid clashing with noble soul masters."
He said that with some bitterness. As a boy, he himself had been bullied by nobles at the academy.
"Yes, Grandpa Tai." Yang Yunhai nodded without hesitation.
He already knew from overheard whispers that he'd been abandoned at birth. If not for the village chief finding him, he would've been eaten by wild beasts or starved under that tree. Over the years, the chief's family had raised him, taught him about soul masters, and cared for him. Joining the Spirit Hall was only right.
As for why he was being sent to Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy instead of the Spirit Hall's exclusive academy, he understood.
That academy required at least Rank 3 innate soul power. Only those with the potential to reach Soul Elder were admitted.
His 0.5 innate soul power and trash Martial Soul made him ineligible. At best, the Spirit Hall would register him, give him allowances, and keep ties. That was the optimal arrangement.
"Then it's settled," the chief said with a smile. "There's still half a month before the academy starts. I'll arrange a private dorm for you. Focus on cultivating. Leave the rest to me."
Yang Yunhai had already seen the Spirit Hall's meditation method when the chief's grandson practiced it, so he was ready.
"Thank you, Grandpa Tai." He bowed politely, then left.
'Attached with lightning, yet only 0.5 soul power… this makes no sense,' Yang Yunhai thought as he walked out. Sunlight fell gently on his face as he stepped into the courtyard.
He looked at the sky. Clouds drifted, thoughts swirling.
'Blue Silver Grass, as a plant Martial Soul, symbolizes life. Lightning, in nature, destroys life. How can the two coexist? Could it be that my Martial Soul is a negative mutation, with no true soul power at all? Maybe the little I have comes from years of being struck, lightning energy lingering in me?'
The idea made him think of a certain soul beast.
The Thunder Hell Prison Vine. In the original story, each lightning strike made it stronger. A hundred strikes equaled a year of cultivation.
But he was human, not a soul beast. His body's resilience and ability to absorb energy couldn't compare.
For him, it might take hundreds, even thousands of strikes to match a soul beast's growth. And worse, his absorption was passive.
'So this 0.5 soul power… it's just from the dozens of lightning strikes I've survived, converted into soul power.'
He froze, lips twitching.
'Then if I had gone out in every thunderstorm, wouldn't I have awakened with full soul power today? Of course, I also might've been killed already.'
He lowered his head in silence.
"Ah." The sigh left his lips.
'Maybe I should wait for the next storm, test if I can draw lightning to cultivate. If it works, I still have a chance. Otherwise… I'll just have to think of a way to get ahead and steal Third Brother's cheat.'
With that thought, he walked toward the dorms.
(End of Chapter)
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