Chapter 1 Martial Soul Awakening
Star Luo Empire, Purple Luo City.
The Wind Shadow Cat Family.
The ancestral hall, with its interwoven black and white stone pillars, exudes a majestic and somber atmosphere.
The white crystal ball, reflecting the light and shadow of the glazed tiles under the eaves, radiates a sacred golden halo.
Huo Ling'er stood timidly at the back of the line.
A pair of clear, bright eyes were fixed on the crystal ball in the center of the hall, her fingertips digging into her palm.
"Next!"
Zhu Tao looked impatient and waved his hand dismissively.
He was an Awakener specially invited by the Wind Shadow Cat Clan from the Netherworld Cat Clan.
Even though he was just a minor steward in the clan, he still carried a natural sense of superiority when facing a branch family like the Wind Shadow Cat.
A total of five children awakened their martial spirits today.
The two boys in front of me awakened ordinary Wind Cat Martial Souls, which were extremely difficult to cultivate.
"Useless!"
Zhu Tao cursed inwardly.
The third-place girl, with her pigtails, radiated confidence.
She smiled and skipped around the cat totem stone pillar, stopping in front of the crystal ball.
The girl gently pressed her palm down.
In an instant, the crystal ball hummed and vibrated, and a bluish light flashed.
The next second, a phantom image of a spirit cat slowly rose behind her—
The blue cat's tail swept across the air, leaving a lingering afterimage.
"good!"
Zhu Tao finally managed a slight smile.
Huo Yao released her hand, and the crystal ball's light gradually dimmed, returning to its previous luminous white color.
As she walked back triumphantly, she couldn't help but glance at Huo Ling'er, who was standing at the back of the line, and raised her eyebrows at her dramatically.
"Next!"
A shy little boy stood between Huo Ling'er and Huo Yao.
He carefully stepped forward and gently touched the shimmering white 'Awakening Crystal Ball'.
Whoosh—
The crystal ball glowed once more, casting a soft bluish light.
Behind him, a phantom of the Wind Shadow Cat also appeared, even clearer and more solid than Huo Yao's.
Zhu Tao nodded with satisfaction, lost in thought:
Even if the last girl awakens as an ordinary Wind Cat, this trip won't be a complete waste!
In the corner, the petite Huo Ling'er stood quietly, her lips slightly pursed.
Her sleek black outfit gave her an air of strength and resilience.
"Next."
Huo Ling'er was slightly startled.
His gaze quickly shifted from the birthmark on the back of his right hand, he took a deep breath, and walked forward with his head held high.
She was so thin, and her complexion looked far less healthy than Huo Yao's and Su Chengyu's.
But in those clear and bright eyes, a hint of unusual determination flashed.
She stopped and gently placed her right hand on the crystal ball.
It seems that she is no different from everyone else...
In the same instant, a white phantom materialized behind her.
only...
She frowned slightly.
Just now, the moment her right hand touched the crystal ball, the crystal ball clearly trembled slightly!
However, before she could figure it out, she heard...
"Gala—"
A crisp cracking sound.
It rang in everyone's ears without warning.
At the same time, the white phantom behind her also disappeared.
Zhu Tao immediately turned around.
That crystal ball used by the Spirit Cat Clan for awakening their martial spirit...
It actually shattered!
The white sphere broke in two along a winding crack in the middle and fell to the ground.
how so? !
Zhu Tao tried to remain calm, but couldn't hide the shock in his eyes.
What did he just see?
It's clearly just an ordinary wind cat!
It's just... a bit bigger than a regular Wind Cat...
He didn't even have time to look at it carefully before it was gone.
His pupils contracted slightly.
Close your eyes and recall that brief glimpse you just caught—
With its snow-white long fur and stiff whiskers, it resembles a typical hawk cat by about three-tenths, but its limbs are thick and its fur is shiny…
What kind of cat is that?
A... mutated... giant wind cat?
In any case, it is white and does not have the bluish-gray characteristics of the 'Wind Shadow Cat'.
Moreover, what else could a child who awakens a martial soul in the Wind Shadow Spirit Cat family ancestral hall be besides 'Wind Shadow Spirit Cat' and an ordinary Wind Cat?
However, the problem now is—
The crystal ball is broken... What happened?
He had been an awakening master for over ten years and had never encountered anything like this before; he only vaguely remembered his master mentioning it—
When the quality of the awakened martial soul exceeds the limit that the crystal ball can withstand, it may shatter.
His Awakening Crystal Ball is exclusively for the use of the Netherworld Cat family.
In the Star Luo Empire, the only martial soul of its caliber that surpasses the Netherworld Cat is the Evil-Eyed White Tiger.
but...
The Evil-Eyed White Tiger's martial spirit has always been passed down only to boys; girls can never awaken it!
His experience limited his imagination.
Of course, there is another possibility—the crystal ball has reached the end of its service life.
Yes, that must be it!
·
The dark, heavy doors of the ancestral hall opened.
"how?"
The two brothers, Huo Jiang and Huo Qing, who were the heads of the Fengying Lingmao family, vied to enter the ancestral hall.
His gaze swept over the children and landed on the cloth bag in Zhu Tao's hand containing two broken crystal balls.
Zhu Tao's expression showed a hint of unease.
He hid the cloth bag behind his back, casually pointed at Huo Yao and Su Chengyu, and said indifferently:
"The martial souls of these two children are 'Wind Shadow Cat,' while the other three are ordinary Wind Cats."
Huo Qing's heart skipped a beat, and he lowered his head in silence.
"What?" Huo Jiang blocked Zhu Tao's path. "How is this possible?"
He pointed to Huo Ling'er, who was staring blankly at the ground, and asked in confusion,
"Ling'er is the daughter of my second brother and Dai Wan from the White Tiger Duke's mansion. How could her martial spirit be an ordinary wind cat? Could you be mistaken?"
Zhu Tao suddenly stopped...
What?
White, Tiger...?
However, Huo Qing pulled Huo Ling'er to his side and explained to Huo Jiang in a evasive manner:
"How could there be any mistake when Deacon Zhu personally helped the children awaken their martial souls? Perhaps Ling'er's martial soul just happened to mutate and degenerate, which is normal."
As he spoke, he crouched down, looked directly into Huo Ling'er's clear and bright eyes, and smiled slightly at her.
"Ling'er, no matter what your martial soul is, you are still your father's only daughter."
The brothers' conversation left Zhu Tao momentarily speechless.
But he always felt that something was not quite right.
White Tiger...
That's impossible!
Wait... but the name Huo Jiang just mentioned—
He had heard of Dai Wan.
She is one of the very few women in history who inherited the White Tiger Martial Soul.
However, it is said that her martial spirit is merely for show and cannot be cultivated at all.
Moreover, she died before she was thirty years old.
Everyone knows that the strongest members of the White Tiger Clan of the Star Luo Empire must be men.
Then, isn't that settled?
Even if this girl's martial soul is a white tiger, so what? She still can't cultivate, right? She's no different from an ordinary wind cat.
Besides, he's already said it... whatever, let it be!
"etc."
Huo Jiang scooped up Huo Yao, who excitedly rushed into his arms, then turned and called out to Zhu Tao, who had just stepped out the door.
"How much soul power do the children have?"
Zhu Tao's expression froze.
"Not tested."
If the crystal ball is broken, what can we use to test it?
"Brother, let's not trouble Steward Zhu anymore, let's test it ourselves."
Huo Qing's eyes flickered slightly as he took Huo Ling'er's hand and returned to the center of the ancestral hall.
·
Ten minutes later.
All eyes were drawn to a bluish-gray cat's-eye stone.
Nine silver lines are engraved on the stone surface bearing the image of the Wind Shadow Cat, with the first line barely visible.
"Yao Yao has soul power, but it's not quite level one, so let's just say it's barely level one."
Huo Jiang patted Huo Yao's head in delight and encouraged her.
"When Dad awakened his martial soul, he also had level one soul power, which was quite good. You must work hard in the future!"
"Yes, I want to become as amazing as my dad in the future."
Huo Yao proudly raised her head and deliberately made a face at Huo Ling'er.
Of the five children, only she and Su Chengyu inherited the 'Wind Shadow Cat' martial soul. From now on, Huo Ling'er will never be able to take away her Chengyu brother again.
"Brother Chengyu, you should take the test too."
Su Chengyu stepped forward and gently placed his right palm on the cat's eye stone.
Nine silver lines flashed, and the first silver line quickly lit up.
Then, the second one...
It finally stopped when the third light was almost fully lit.
Level three! Brother Cheng Yu has reached level three soul power—that's incredible!
Huo Yao held Su Chengyu's hand and cheered excitedly, her eyes brimming with smiles that seemed to burst with joy.
Su Chengyu's hand was held by Huo Yao, but his shy gaze couldn't help but turn to Huo Ling'er standing to the side.
Huo Ling'er lowered her head to avoid his gaze, said nothing, and slowly walked forward.
Unexpectedly, Huo Yao suddenly blocked her path, rolling her eyes.
My dad said that ordinary Wind Cat Martial Souls are hard to cultivate, so your test would just be a waste of everyone's time.
Huo Ling'er didn't say anything, nor did she pay any attention to her. She simply raised her hand and pressed it against the cat's eye stone.
End of this chapter...