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Compared to the heir, Xu Tianran, this guy was clearly a lot more respectful toward the two Title Douluo. Makes sense—strength rules here, after all. And it's not like heirs are rare in the Sun-Moon Empire. He's not even the crown prince.
Fire Phoenix Douluo nodded and said, "Thanks for your help. Just follow protocol."
The Awakener smiled, "No trouble at all. This is our job."
With that, the Awakener gestured politely and turned around, leading the four of them deeper into the Awakening Hall.
The central Awakening Hall didn't allow public ceremonies. Each person underwent the awakening of their Martial Soul individually. Meteor and Liuying were only allowed to go together because they registered as a pair—and they shared the same guardian, Luan Yu. Other noble kids, if they were siblings and no one objected, could also awaken together.
The records kept by the Awakening Hall were highly confidential—only the Emperor of the Sun-Moon Empire and a handful of elite figures could access them. After all, they contained Martial Soul data and innate soul power levels for the younger generation—pretty top-secret stuff.
It didn't matter what kind of Martial Soul someone awakened—innate soul power didn't lie. It told you everything you needed to know. Even if you had the most overpowered Martial Soul, if your innate soul power was only level one, you were still trash. On the flip side, even if you awakened something that looked like a blade of grass, if your innate soul power was full-level, that "grass" definitely wasn't normal.
It was a simple truth—high innate soul power didn't always mean your Martial Soul was strong, but it did mean it was special. And if your innate soul power was low, then something was definitely off.
Innate soul power represented your talent and starting point. Fall behind at the start, and you'll keep falling behind. Soul masters in Douluo Continent didn't live forever—even Title Douluo only had a few hundred years max. With just level-one innate power, unless you had a miracle-level opportunity, there was no way you'd reach Title Douluo, even if you trained for a hundred years. It got harder and harder to level up as you climbed.
Some weaker Title Douluo could go decades without gaining a single level.
That's why these records, which tracked every six-year-old's awakening info in Mingdu, were so valuable. They helped those in power figure out who was worth nurturing—and who wasn't.
As they walked down the long hallway toward the Awakening Chamber, Meteor glanced at the rows of stone pillars on both sides. Each one was engraved with swirling cloud patterns that looked so lifelike it felt like they were drifting in the wind. A faint fragrance wafted from the pillars, calming his mind.
The Awakener noticed Meteor's curiosity and smiled kindly. "These pillars are carved from a rare stone. They naturally give off a scent that helps soul masters enter a meditative state more easily, which boosts their cultivation. It also helps calm the mind—perfect for ensuring you're in the best condition for your Martial Soul awakening."
Meteor nodded. No wonder this was the biggest Awakening Hall in the Sun-Moon Empire—they were loaded! The kind of treasures soul masters usually fought over were just casually placed in the hallway. Talk about luxury.
Just then, two people came walking toward them from the direction of the Awakening Hall—one adult, one child. Looked like they had just finished their awakening.
As they got closer, Meteor could see them clearly. The adult was a stunning woman in a flowing crimson gown, her wavy chestnut hair done up in an elegant bun. She had a seductive figure but a face that radiated purity—definitely the kind of beauty that turned heads.
The little girl she held hands with looked about six. Blonde hair, golden eyes, like a doll—absolutely adorable.
"Oh my! Isn't that Luan Yu? Long time no see!" the red-dressed woman said cheerfully. Then she noticed Meteor and Liuying and pouted, "Don't tell me these are your kids from some secret relationship? That's just cruel, Luan Yu! You got married and didn't even tell me. I'm heartbroken!"
Meteor's mouth twitched. Whoa… this one's a drama queen. He shot Luan Yu a weird look. No wonder she never wanted to get married—turns out she swings the other way!
Luan Yu shivered, clearly feeling his gaze. She glared at him, then rolled her eyes at the red-dressed woman with an annoyed expression. "Ugh, give me a break, Shangguan Weier. Don't make me sick. I didn't get married—these two are adopted."
Meteor's face fell a little. From her tone, he might've overthought it. Damn. What a waste.
Liuying glanced at Meteor suspiciously. She had a weird feeling he was thinking something totally inappropriate.
Shangguan Weier giggled behind her hand, then tugged the blonde girl forward. "Come now, Boneyi. Say hello to your Auntie Luan Feng and Auntie Luan Yu."
The little girl wasn't shy at all. She politely bowed and greeted them in her sweet voice, making both Luan Feng and Luan Yu's once-annoyed faces soften a bit.
Nobody could stay mad when faced with a cute, polite little girl.
Luan Yu gently stroked the girl's golden hair, then narrowed her eyes at Shangguan Weier suspiciously. "Hey, don't tell me you're training this kid to do that kind of thing?"
She knew exactly what Shangguan Weier did for a living, and that was the main reason why—even though they were former classmates—she never liked her.
"Of course not!" Shangguan Weier said with a smile. "This child has great talent and a unique Martial Soul. I'd never let her go down that path. I'm raising her properly—she's going to be a core member of my Peaceful Alliance one day."
She knew Luan Yu didn't like her, but she didn't really care. As a former classmate, she knew Luan Yu well—nosy, kind-hearted, but not totally inflexible. If Shangguan Weier had been planning to raise Boneyi for shady business, Luan Yu would've definitely stepped in—but only if she actually met the girl in person and liked her. If she'd only heard about her, she wouldn't bother.
"These two kids are so cute! Just like my Boneyi. Here—this is a gift from me. You have to accept it, okay? Or I'll be sad~"
Still smiling, Shangguan Weier pulled out a yin-yang fish pendant and split it into two pieces, handing one to Meteor and one to Liuying.
Luan Yu glanced at them and immediately recognized the pendants—soul tool storage devices. They could be used separately or combined. Like all soul tools, they required soul power to operate, even the storage types. She'd actually planned to get them something similar after they awakened their Martial Souls. Since someone was offering it for free, well… no reason to say no.
With a look from Luan Yu, Meteor and Liuying both accepted the pendants and said, "Thank you, big sis."
Meteor hung the pendant around his neck, mentally roasting them both. Figures… same kind of shamelessness. Of course her friend would also force us to call her "big sis."
Since Shangguan Weier gave them a gift, Fire Phoenix Douluo and Luan Yu couldn't just stand there empty-handed. They each gave Boneyi a soul tool as well—one for defense and one for storage.
"....."