Yin Zhang swallowed hard.
He felt as if his entire body were overflowing with strength, his thoughts becoming unusually sharp and clear.
"Is… is this because of my Martial Soul?"
He pondered inwardly.
There was no other explanation.
"Roar—!"
A dragon's roar escaped Yin Zhang's throat. Though it wasn't loud, the terrifying aura it carried made Ou Yu instinctively take a step back.
When Ou Yu came to his senses and looked at Yin Zhang again, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"A Dragon-type Martial Soul?!"
At that moment, Yin Zhang's body had undergone a drastic transformation.
A pair of orange-red dragon horns had grown from his head. Massive orange-red dragon wings spread from his back. Both of his hands had transformed into sharp dragon claws.
Behind him, a thick dragon tail swung back and forth, creating ripples in the air with each movement.
Yin Zhang opened his eyes. The name of his Martial Soul surged into his mind, and he blurted it out instinctively:
"Charizard!"
Yin Zhang was both pleasantly shocked and incredulous.
How could a character from an anime in his previous life actually become his Martial Soul?
And not even the initial form, Charmander—but the final evolution, Charizard, often nicknamed "Old Char"!
"Charizard? That's an excellent name," Ou Yu said with a nod. "Just from a glance, I can tell this is a top-tier Beast Martial Soul!"
Ou Yu's attitude immediately softened. Although he privately felt the name was strange, his demeanor toward Yin Zhang was now far warmer than before.
Yin Zhang felt the power surging through his body and found himself intoxicated by the sensation.
For seven years, he had been a complete nobody in Holy Spirit Village.
Because of his frail health—and the fact that he shared no common ground with the village children—he had barely interacted with anyone.
Without waiting for Ou Yu to speak, Yin Zhang tried to retract his Martial Soul.
He took a deep breath, focused his mind, and silently willed it away.
The next instant, his body returned to normal.
Although the overwhelming surge of power faded, his physical condition was now no different from that of an ordinary healthy person.
Ou Yu smiled and took out the familiar blue crystal.
"Xiao Zhang, place your right hand on it and test your soul power rank. If your soul power is decent, I can personally recommend you to study at the Spirit Hall Academy. You should know—our academy is on par with Heaven Dou Royal Academy and Star Luo Royal Academy!"
Though he said "if your soul power is decent," in Ou Yu's mind, this was already a foregone conclusion.
A top-tier Dragon-type Beast Martial Soul—no matter how poor the innate soul power, it would at least be Rank 5 or Rank 6.
With such talent, if Yin Zhang accepted his recommendation, Ou Yu's own prospects would improve as well. Perhaps he could even secure a better posting—or, after some accumulation, directly become a branch hall master.
Yin Zhang slowly placed his right hand on the crystal.
The next moment, he felt the soul power within his body being steadily drawn into it.
A few seconds later, the crystal shone at maximum brilliance.
"This… this is Innate Full Soul Power!"
Ou Yu stood frozen, muttering to himself.
When he finally reacted, his face was filled with uncontrollable joy.
"Child, are you willing to join the Spirit Hall?"
"Don't rush to refuse—"
Ou Yu began passionately explaining the might and influence of the Spirit Hall.
Meanwhile, Yin Zhang was completely stunned.
---
[Martial Soul Awakening successful. Prompt Selection System loaded!]
[Detected that Ou Yu intends to recruit the host into Spirit Hall. Triggering choice options:]
Option 1:
Remain loyal to Third Brother! Oppose Spirit Hall!
Refuse Ou Yu's invitation and wait for the school term to enroll at Notting Academy.
Reward: A storage-type spirit tool with 10 cubic meters of space.
Option 2:
Join Spirit Hall, defeat Tang San!
Accept Ou Yu's invitation, enroll in the Spirit Hall Elementary Soul Master Academy.
High probability of being accepted as a disciple by the Supreme Pontiff Qian Xunji, and guaranteed to become a disciple of a Titled Douluo.
Reward: One year's worth of soul power.
Option 3:
I'll think about it.
Neither accept nor refuse. Enroll at Notting Academy first; whether to join Spirit Hall later will depend on personal choice.
Reward: Skill Disc — Dragon Claw.
[Warning: After making a selection, the host must strictly follow it.
Violation penalty: First time—soul power rank drops by 5 levels.
Second time—drops by 10 levels. Penalties stack.]
---
Yin Zhang examined the three options carefully.
The first option was immediately discarded.
Forget the reward—just the thought of currying favor with Tang San made his skin crawl.
The second option tempted him for a moment.
But the instant he saw the words Supreme Pontiff Qian Xunji, his heart skipped a beat.
He hadn't expected Qian Xunji to still be alive.
If that was the case, even if he wanted to join Spirit Hall, now was absolutely not the right time.
As for the reward of one year's soul power—
Yin Zhang guessed it represented the amount gained from a full year of normal cultivation with Innate Full Soul Power, enough to make up for the year he had lost.
Still, compared to the danger of joining Spirit Hall at such a critical point in time, it wasn't worth the risk.
That left only the third option.
"I'll consider it…"
After a brief pause, Yin Zhang made his decision.
"I choose the third option!"
[Congratulations, host! Selection successful. Reward issued!]
[Personal attribute interface unlocked.]
Yin Zhang didn't check it immediately. Instead, he looked at Ou Yu, who was still enthusiastically recruiting him.
Yin Zhang smiled calmly and spoke politely.
"Thank you for your kindness, Grandmaster, but I don't intend to join any faction right now. I'd like to think it over after I graduate from the Elementary Soul Master Academy."
Ou Yu froze.
He hadn't expected anyone—especially a genius with Innate Full Soul Power—to refuse the Spirit Hall.
He assumed Yin Zhang was simply young and ignorant of the Hall's power and benefits.
He immediately continued,
"Xiao Zhang, you must think this through carefully! Let me explain—"
After enduring the explanation for a while, Yin Zhang spoke again.
"Grandmaster, didn't I say I just need time to think? Spirit Hall is far away. I want to stay near my home in Notting City for six years first. After graduation, I may very well join Spirit Hall."
Seeing that Yin Zhang's attitude was firm—and that he hadn't outright rejected the offer—Ou Yu could only nod helplessly.
Internally, he speculated: Is it because this child can't bear to leave Old Jack?
After all, Yin Zhang was an orphan. Without Old Jack raising him, how could such a genius with Innate Full Soul Power exist?
Ou Yu resolved to speak with Old Jack later, to try persuading him to encourage Yin Zhang to join Spirit Hall sooner.
Yin Zhang stepped aside.
As Ou Yu continued awakening Martial Souls and testing the remaining children, his attention was clearly divided.
Meanwhile, Yin Zhang finally checked his personal attributes.
---
Host: Yin Zhang
Age: 7
Martial Soul: Charizard
Soul Power: 10
Soul Rings: None
Soul Skills: None
Spirit Bones: None
Storage: Dragon Claw (Skill Disc)
---
"So I'm still a 'three-nothings' Soul Master, huh…"
Yin Zhang muttered to himself.
After the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony ended, the children all rushed out excitedly.
Only Yin Zhang followed behind Ou Yu, walking out at a much slower pace.