Douluo Continent, Holy Spirit Village.
Yin Zhang slowly opened his eyes and let out a breath of stale air.
His expression was complicated.
He was a transmigrator—and it had already been almost seven years since he arrived in Holy Spirit Village, just two weeks short.
Last year, on June 1st, the annual Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony had taken place.
But because he had not yet reached the age of six, he had helplessly missed the chance for a free awakening. On the Douluo Continent, a child must be exactly six years old to awaken a Martial Soul—even being one day short was not permitted.
And Yin Zhang's birthday fell in late June.
On top of that, his current body was frail and sickly. His adoptive grandfather, Old Jack, was unwilling to take him to Notting City for a self-funded Martial Soul Awakening. As a result, Yin Zhang had no choice but to wait an entire extra year before undergoing the ceremony.
As for why Old Jack refused to take him—there was only one reason. In his eyes, Yin Zhang was weak and chronically ill, unlikely to awaken a powerful Martial Soul, even less likely to possess soul power, and almost certainly unable to become a Soul Master.
After all, Holy Spirit Village hadn't produced a single Soul Master in more than a decade.
Old Jack had no descendants of his own and had originally intended to raise Yin Zhang as his successor.
But Yin Zhang was unwilling. Holy Spirit Village was far too small.
If he really had to spend his entire life here, just the thought of it was enough to drive him mad.
After getting up, Yin Zhang washed up and walked to the gate of the courtyard to wait.
Although Old Jack had adopted him, Yin Zhang had proactively asked to live alone when he was five.
Coincidentally, a blacksmith in the village had moved to the neighboring Wild Chicken Village, leaving behind an empty wooden house.
Thus, Yin Zhang moved into the blacksmith's former home and began living by himself.
It was worth mentioning that Yin Zhang had never found any family with the surname Tang in the village.
In fact, at this time, there were no blacksmiths at all in Holy Spirit Village.
The wooden house Yin Zhang currently lived in was very likely the house that would later belong to Tang Hao in the original story.
Thinking that Tang Hao would eventually take over this place made Yin Zhang feel both helpless and indifferent.
If he awakened soul power, he would leave Holy Spirit Village for good. At most, he would return occasionally to check on Old Jack.
Before long, Old Jack came hobbling over with his cane, accompanied by a short-haired boy.
The boy looked completely ordinary—the son of a family that raised chickens in the village.
Yin Zhang had never interacted with him. Together, they followed Old Jack toward the center of the village.
They arrived at an open space in front of a relatively luxurious wooden building—barely worthy of being called a branch hall of the Spirit Hall.
After Old Jack finished enthusiastically recounting the village's glorious past—how Holy Spirit Village had once produced a Soul Sage—
A middle-aged man appeared before Yin Zhang.
"Old Jack, I'm in a hurry. Bring the children inside with me."
The man spoke impatiently, clearly familiar with Old Jack. Without waiting, he opened the door to the "Spirit Hall" and walked in.
Old Jack nodded repeatedly, bowing with a flattering smile. Then he turned back to Yin Zhang and the others.
"This is Master Ou Yu from the Notting City Spirit Hall. Master Ou Yu is a powerful Great Soul Master—you must show proper respect!"
The children responded vaguely and followed him inside.
They all understood that this moment represented the sole turning point in their lives.
Either they would rise above others and enter the Notting City Soul Master Academy—
Or they would remain like their fathers and grandfathers, farming this small plot of land, living lives of toil from sunrise to sunset, backs bent to the earth.
Everything depended on today.
Yin Zhang was no exception.
The moment they entered the hall, he heard Ou Yu reply to Old Jack.
"You're mistaken, Old Jack. I'm no longer a Great Soul Master."
There was an unmistakable trace of pride in his voice.
As he spoke, three soul rings appeared beneath his feet—one white, one yellow, and one purple.
A Soul Elder!
Old Jack exclaimed in shock,
"I never imagined that you'd already broken through to the Soul Elder rank! When did this happen?"
Having shown off successfully and now in high spirits, Ou Yu replied,
"Not long ago. A week ago, I reached Rank 30. After obtaining my third soul ring, I advanced to Rank 31—an attack-type Battle Soul Elder."
"Once I finish performing Martial Soul Awakenings for the dozen or so villages around here this year, I'll be transferred to a neighboring city as a Grand Deacon. I won't have to stay stuck in this backwater of Notting City anymore."
"Just thinking about it feels great!"
Old Jack grew anxious.
"Then… Master, if you leave, what about Holy Spirit Village's Martial Soul Awakening in the future?"
Ou Yu waved his hand impatiently.
"Don't worry. A new Great Soul Master named Su Yuntao joined the Hall this year. He'll be responsible for awakenings in these small villages from now on. You'll see him next year—talk to him then."
"Now I'm going to awaken the children. You can leave."
Hearing that Holy Spirit Village's future awakenings were secured, Old Jack immediately relaxed. Smiling broadly, he withdrew.
After Old Jack left, Ou Yu turned his gaze to the children.
This year, only seven children in the village—including Yin Zhang—had reached the age of six and met the requirements for the Martial Soul Awakening.
Ou Yu glanced over them and quickly noticed Yin Zhang's pale face and unsteady steps.
With a sigh, he said,
"Ah, it's you. Poor kid—you really had bad luck. You missed last year just because you weren't six yet. You've wasted an extra year waiting. I hope you at least have soul power."
"Line up. One by one—step forward for the awakening."
As he spoke, Ou Yu took six oval-shaped black stones from his pack and tossed them onto the floor, arranging them into a formation.
The first child stepped forward into the array.
Ou Yu began chanting an unfamiliar incantation. Instantly, the six black stones lit up, their beams of light connecting into a dazzling pattern that enveloped the child.
"Close your eyes. Calm your mind. Feel it—and summon your Martial Soul."
When the awakening ended, the child slowly opened his eyes.
In his right hand was an ordinary sickle.
Seeing this, Ou Yu nodded slightly.
"A sickle… it has some offensive capability. If you have soul power, you still have a chance to become a Soul Master."
After all, Yu Xiaogang—with an innate soul power of only 0.5—had still cultivated all the way to Rank 29.
Ou Yu then took out a round, sky-blue crystal larger than an adult's head.
"This is a soul power testing crystal. Place your right hand on it and sense whether you have soul power."
The child did as instructed.
Unfortunately, as time passed, the crystal showed no reaction.
Panicking, the child switched hands—but the result was the same.
Ou Yu put the crystal away and waved his hand.
"Next."
The second to step forward was Yin Zhang.
He slowly entered the black stone array and closed his eyes.
As Ou Yu once again chanted the incantation, Yin Zhang was completely enveloped by the formation—
And he felt his previously frail body suddenly fill with vitality.