One Year Later
Early in the morning... It was still the same stone house. The first rays of sunlight seeped through the windows. In one of the rooms, two six-year-old kids were sleeping on a large bed.
At this time, an average-looking middle-aged woman leaned against the door frame. She was neither ugly nor beautiful. She was currently looking at the two children who were still asleep. In her eyes, one could see the maternal love and obsession that only a mother hen would have.
She had woken up early to do her morning duties and cook for her children. After that, she came here again to watch them sleep. This was her daily routine. She was Bai Wu, and those two children were Xie Yue and Hu Liena.
After watching them sleep until she was satisfied, she walked closer and patted their backs. She called out softly, "Babies~ it's time to wake up."
Hearing her call, both of them slowly opened their eyes and looked at her. After a year, both Xie Yue and Nana still looked as cute as ever. Xie Yue was nearly one meter tall, and Hu Liena had grown slightly taller than him. In early childhood, girls tended to grow faster than boys.
"Babies... Today, both of you have turned six years old. Mom has already prepared everything for your awakening. I will personally awaken you two, so just get up from bed and wash up quickly."
She had once worked as a deacon in one of the Spirit Hall branches, so she knew how to awaken martial souls.
"Brother~ yay! We can finally awaken our martial souls today!" Hearing Bai Wu's words, Hu Liena started to cheer. Xie Yue also joined her.
"Yeah. So let's wash up first!"
"Yes, brother, let's go faster!" Both Hu Liena and Xie Yue ran toward the bathroom.
"Hey, slow down!" Watching them run, Bai Wu reminded them to be careful. These kids are so lively, she thought to herself.
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An hour later, in the hall of their house, Xie Yue and Hu Liena stood in front of Bai Wu. She was now explaining the awakening process to them. Even though she had taught them many things about the world of soul masters over the past year, she still reminded them how the awakening worked.
After explaining many things, she took out six black stones and a blue crystal ball from a box. She placed the six black stones on the floor, forming a hexagonal shape.
"Babies, I have already taught you that becoming a soul master is very hard. Even Mama only has half a level of innate soul power, and my martial soul is an auxiliary type. Not everyone can become a soul master; one in a thousand is already rare. You can see how difficult it is... So even if you can't become soul masters, don't worry. Mommy will always be with you to take care of you," she explained.
But how could children understand this? If they couldn't awaken, they would surely be sad. It was okay for Xie Yue since he already knew about his awakening. Even so, he was eager to see his own martial soul. After all, watching anime and reading novels was nothing compared to experiencing it firsthand. This day would mark the beginning of his journey toward eternal life.
But could Nana not be worried? After hearing Bai Wu's words, Nana hung her head low. However, there was still a glimmer of hope in her eyes. She wanted to become a soul master—to protect her brother. Protecting him was her utmost goal.
"I see," Nana said in a worried tone.
"Nana~ don't worry. I believe in you. You are my sister. You will definitely awaken a good martial soul and enough innate soul power to cultivate." Even though Xie Yue didn't care much about her concerns, he still spoke kindly to maintain his facade as a good brother.
"Ah, brother~ since you said so, I will definitely awaken a good martial soul and innate soul power! I will become a respectable soul master and protect you." She, who believed in Xie Yue with all her heart, had already forgotten Bai Wu's words. To her, they didn't matter. She would believe anything her brother said. Determination shone in her eyes.
'Hehe, I trained her quite well. She will become a good sword for me. It's a pity to kill her now. I shall change my plan a little,' Xie Yue thought to himself.
After six years of hard work, he had created a good "pet" for himself. It wasn't difficult to train her. When she was just born, she had been like a blank canvas—he could write anything he wanted. So he used this opportunity to mold her into a loyal companion, one who would believe in him wholeheartedly and obey him in everything.
"Yes, Nana, what your brother said is true. Both of you will definitely have innate soul power!" Bai Wu cheered.
"Now, Nana, come and stand here." She pointed to the center of the awakening formation. Nana did as she was told.
After Nana stepped into the center of the formation, Bai Wu summoned her milk martial soul, and a white soul ring appeared beneath her feet. The two kids had seen her summon her martial soul many times, so they weren't overly amazed by the sight. After summoning her martial soul, Bai Wu started to channel her soul power into the awakening stones. A pale golden light shone brightly and gathered around Nana's body.
After a moment, a beautiful pink fox appeared behind Nana.
"This... This is definitely a good martial soul!" Bai Wu stammered, feeling the pressure emanating from the fox martial soul. She was certain—this was indeed a strong martial soul. Nana was overjoyed. After awakening, she discovered that her martial soul was a spirit fox.
"Nana, come here. Use your mind to take back your martial soul and put your hands on this crystal ball," Bai Wu urged.
After two tries, Nana successfully recalled her martial soul and approached Bai Wu, placing her right hand on the crystal ball.
A moment later, a bright blue light shone brilliantly.
"Oh my goodness... This is innate soul power level 9!" Bai Wu exclaimed.
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AN: Since my readers are familiar with the Soul Land world, I won't go into unnecessary details or repeat everything stated in the original Douluo Dalu work. If I did, it might make this book very boring.