Chapter One: The Boy Amidst Desolate Mountains and Hostile Waters

Emerald City, a city under the jurisdiction of the Heaven Dou Empire, earned its name from its proximity to the Emerald Gorge, a gathering place for poisonous soul beasts. This city was established amid barren mountains and treacherous waters. Its sole pillar industry was the hunting of soul beasts in Emerald Gorge. However, since poison-type soul masters held little advantage on the Douluo Continent, and both medicine and poison arts were underdeveloped, the city's revenues could not compare to those of cities near other major soul beast habitats.

At high noon, the Hall of Martial Souls within Emerald City was already bustling with people. Dozens of nobles and soul masters, accompanied by their children, waited in anticipation for the appointed hour.

This season was autumn—a time of harvest, and also the annual period for awakening martial souls on the Douluo Continent. During this time, soul masters affiliated with the Hall of Martial Souls would, under orders from their superiors, travel to each village with a Hall outpost to awaken the martial souls of children. As for those living in the city, they would come to the city’s Hall of Martial Souls for the awakening ceremony.

While great clans and powerful noble families conducted their own internal awakenings, there were none in Emerald City who had attained such standing.

By local custom, the nobles and families of soul masters would, on a designated day, bring their children to the Hall of Martial Souls to have the awakening performed by the Hall’s overseer. This day was not only for the awakening of martial souls but also for the families to connect, communicate, and forge alliances. Families whose children awakened powerful martial souls and high innate soul power would rise above their peers, while those with poor awakenings faded into obscurity. Many families took this opportunity to discuss cooperation and arranged marriages.

This unwritten rule had prevailed in Emerald City for centuries. Though not a formal festival, its importance was in no way diminished.

This year, only fifteen children would undergo the martial soul awakening—a comparatively small number—yet the nobles and soul masters gathered here numbered in the dozens, far outstripping the children awaiting their fate.

The nobles and soul masters engaged in only light conversation, most of their attention fixed on the coming ceremony. Observing etiquette, they exchanged pleasantries and passed the time.

After about a quarter of an hour, the local overseer of the Hall of Martial Souls emerged. He was an elderly man, seemingly over eighty, with skin withered like old wood and eyes clouded with age—a man who seemed at death’s door. Yet not a single soul dared look down upon him.

For no matter his frailty, he was a member of the Hall of Martial Souls—a Soul Emperor, a powerful bishop stationed in Emerald City for decades by the order of the Pope himself.

Even the city lord of Emerald City would not dare show the slightest disrespect in his presence.

“The day of martial soul awakening has come again…” The old man lifted his head, casting a slow gaze around the faces in the hall. He sighed softly, soul power gently rising from him. One white, two yellow, two purple, and one black—six soul rings appeared upon his body. At some unknown moment, his withered hand had lifted, and from his palm, a vine as solid as stone unfurled and dropped languidly to his feet.

“I am Yan Jun, bishop of the Hall of Martial Souls—Martial Soul: Stonevine; sixty-seventh rank control-type battle soul master… I will preside over this year’s awakening ceremony.”

“Children to the front.”

Yan Jun spoke to himself, paying no heed to the stares of others. At his command, the children, already prepared by their elders, stepped away and formed an orderly line before the old man.

He nodded slightly at the sight, then gave a small wave to the side. At his signal, several soul masters in the Hall’s uniform stepped forward and set up a proper awakening array between the old man and the children.

“Children to the front,” Yan Jun intoned calmly.

This year, Yan Jun was already ninety-four years old—a venerable age even for a soul master.

At this stage of life, very little could still capture his interest. The names and origins of the children he now awakened meant nothing to him. Beyond the Angel God and the Hall of Martial Souls, he cared for little in this world. Distant kin, separated by untold generations, he would help if he could, but the regard of others no longer concerned him.

Were it not for the need to maintain propriety and avoid leaving a mess for the soul master who would eventually succeed him, he would scarcely have bothered to come out for these children’s awakening.

At the old man’s call, the chubby boy at the front of the line stepped forward and entered the array. Yan Jun raised his hand, soul power surging. Light flickered beneath the boy’s feet as motes of brilliance rose and seeped slowly into his body.

Children from soul master and noble families all understood what it meant to awaken a martial soul; there was no need for reminders.

Moments later, the chubby boy involuntarily cried out, his rounded body suddenly contracting. From his golden hair sprouted a pair of comically shaped ears.

“A beast-type martial soul... Let’s test his innate soul power, shall we?” Yan Jun turned his right hand, producing a crystal sphere.

The slightly plump child accepted the crystal, infusing it with soul power. The sphere glimmered faintly.

“Innate soul power: two and a half... no, three. The martial soul is a leopard cat? But the quality seems rather low... Still, he may yet become a soul master.”

Yan Jun retrieved the crystal, waving the boy away. The child with the leopard cat martial soul promptly exited the array and ran back to his family, sparking a wave of hushed discussion.

“As expected, the second son of the city lord awakened a leopard cat martial soul, but his innate soul power isn’t as good as the city lord’s or the eldest son’s. The city lord had a full four ranks of innate soul power back then, and though the eldest son’s was less, he still had three and a half. Becoming a Soul Elder was all but guaranteed.”

“With only around three ranks, the second son will have a hard time competing with the eldest in the future, won’t he?”

“Heh, who can say what the future holds? Not long ago, the eldest son’s leg was broken by the city lord for fighting over a woman, and he hasn’t left the house since. Who knows who’ll rise to the top in the end?”

“You have a point…”

“Ahem, quiet, please.” Yan Jun cleared his throat, his soul power carrying the sound to every ear in the hall. The previously noisy crowd fell instantly silent.

“The next child, step forward.”

As the next child entered the awakening array, Yan Jun, who had seemed half-absent, paused in surprise. His once-clouded eyes cleared, and even his deathly pallor gained a trace of solemnity.

Since the age of fifty, Yan Jun had awakened the martial souls of more than a thousand children in Emerald City. But until today, he had never seen one quite like the special child now before him.