Early in the morning, inside the village Spirit Hall, the Awakening Ceremony commenced. Eight children stood in the ritual formation, along with Li Feng and Tang Ya, under the guidance of Su Yuntao.
One by one, the children awakened their Martial Souls. Yet, as expected, none possessed innate soul power.
Old Ye sighed and said to Li Feng. "Even after breaking the curse, the chances may have increased, but not every child will awaken innate soul power. This world's foundation is still weak, and with the God Realm continuously absorbing origin energy, it cannot yet bestow soul power upon all its inhabitants. Even so, in recent years, the numbers have improved—once, it was only one in a hundred thousand, but now, more than one in ten thousand are blessed with it."
Li Feng nodded, deep in thought. Then, it was Xiao Ya's turn.
As the blue light of awakening surrounded her, Li Feng discreetly activated Modf, absorbing small traces of the Blue Silver Faith spread across the continent. This silent intervention subtly refined her Martial Soul, allowing her to develop innate soul power.
Suddenly, Tang Ya's eyes turned a radiant sky blue, and her hair shifted to dark silver—a transformation that stunned the onlookers.
"Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass," Su Yuntao announced. "Come forward and test your innate soul power."
Tang Ya stepped forward, placing her hand on the Soul Power Testing Orb. The sphere lit up brightly, though not to its fullest extent.
"Not bad! You have the innate six soul power," Su Yuntao nodded in approval. "It's not on the level of innate full soul power, like that boy I awakened in Soul Saint Village, but this is still good for you to become a Soul Master."
He glanced at Tang Ya once more. "Girl, what is your name?"
"Tang Ya," she answered.
He then turned to Li Feng. "I'll test the last one, and then we'll discuss your future with Spirit Hall."
"Alright, stand aside. Now, boy, step forward."
Li Feng entered the Awakening Circle, suppressing his excitement. As the awakening began, the soul power within his body surged, splitting into three distinct flows. He intentionally suppressed the power in his left hand and allowed only his right-hand Martial Soul to manifest.
A black rose slowly bloomed in his palm—its petals deep as night, their edges tinged blood-red. The sight was both eerie and mesmerizing.
At that moment, a familiar mechanical chime echoed in his mind.
[Ding… Tutorial Stage has ended.][System Functions Unlocked and Evaluation has endid.]
Li Feng swiftly dismissed the notification and focused on the ceremony.
Su Yuntao's brows furrowed as he observed the mutant Black Rose. "I've never seen a Black Rose with red-edged petals before… This must be a mutated Martial Soul." He gestured towards the Soul Power Testing Orb. "Come, let's see your soul power."
Li Feng placed his hand on the orb.
The room was instantly bathed in blinding light, surpassing even Tang Ya's results.
"You also have innate soul power!" Su Yuntao exclaimed. "However, your Martial Soul's quality is low…" He hesitated, then asked, "Boy, what is your name?"
"Li Feng," he answered calmly.
Su Yuntao nodded. "Good. Xiao Ya and Xiao Feng, would you like to join Spirit Hall? Even if your Martial Soul is weak, you can still become strong. If you study Soul Engineering, you won't just learn how to create Soul Tools—you'll also be able to use them to compensate for any weaknesses."
He continued, his tone turning more persuasive. "In the past two years, Soul Tools have spread across the continent thanks to the Angel Saintess, the greatest Soul Engineer of our era. She is a Legendary Level 4 Engineer and has personally overseen the development of many academies. Recently, she has traveled to Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire, and this year, she will be coming to Nuoding City for two months to further spread the knowledge of Soul Tools."
"If you join Spirit Hall, we will cover all your educational expenses."
Li Feng and Xiao Ya exchanged glances.
Only those with powerful backgrounds or exceptional talent would be admitted to Spirit Hall Academy. The rest would simply be assigned to the nearest Spirit Hall-affiliated academy, where they would train and eventually serve as Spirit Hall officials upon graduation.
Even so, the offer was too beneficial to refuse.
"We accept," Li Feng said.
"Yes," Xiao Ya nodded. "We want to be part of Spirit Hall."
Su Yuntao smiled. "Good. Here are your admission certificates for Nuoding Academy. Since you are now members of Spirit Hall, come to the branch office each month to receive your soul master subsidy. Now, go and inform your families of the good news."
...
That evening, after celebrating with the villagers, Li Feng lay on his bed, finally allowing himself to relax.
He opened the System Notification Panel, eager to examine his system.
[Congratulations on completing the Tutorial Stage.]
[From now on, you must complete missions to earn Modification Opportunities.]
[Unlocked: Mission Bar.]
Then came the Evaluation Report—and Li Feng's breath caught.
[Tutorial Evaluation: SSS+ Grade]
[Congratulations! You have achieved the highest possible evaluation. Only six users have ever reached this level.]
[Your modifications have altered 80% of the world's original trajectory. The plot has significantly diverged.]
Li Feng's eyes gleamed as he scanned the list of Achievements:
Created two new Soul Beast Species: BSEG's and Flower Dragons.
Introduced New Martial Soul Types.
Increased the Awakening Potential for Civilian Soul Masters.
Reintroduced Soul Engineering & Soul Tools to mainstream cultivation.
Unlocked a New Soul Master Evolution Path.
(More details to be revealed later.)
Then, the Rewards Section appeared:
[Rewards Obtained:
Unknown Level Modification
User Master Dual Account Data + Master Dual Subsystem
System Permissions Lv. 4
Letter from the Previous SSS+ Grade User
Beginner Pack Lv. 4
Achievement Pack
Evolution Path Tree]
Li Feng clenched fists and then exhaled slowly, steadying himself.
"Fuh… I knew the system would change after my interference. Good thing I made preparations—especially after the destruction of both the Clear Sky Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan… and the death of Bone Douluo."
His eyes darkened. The so-called glorious sects… beneath their prestige and honor lay secrets drenched in blood.
Well, I know that something like this happens even not showing up in the novel since this is a reality now, but all this stuff makes me sick.
"Most of the continent's soul master geniuses never fell at the hands of Spirit Hall… but by the very clans and sects. The Upper Three Sects have killed more of their own prodigies than anyone else—whether out of fear, greed, or their endless power struggles."
His thoughts flickered to the Clear Sky Sect's Seventh Elder— by an order of the sect master. He murdered the Third Elder's son, hoping to shift the blame onto Spirit Hall. The fool never realized that his crime had already been exposed—nor that his victim had long since uncovered the truth.
If he remembered correctly, the cousin of Tang San who appeared in the manhua… was that victim's granddaughter.
Then there was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—revered for its wealth and influence, yet rotten at its core. The so-called Bone Douluo, a supposed guardian of the sect, had personally massacred the Outer Elders and young prodigies of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, including the Fourth Elder's son.
When the Fourth Elder sought justice from the Sect Master, he was denied.
So he turned to the Avenger League.
The corpse of Bone Douluo was all that remained when it was over. The Blue Lightning Sect—once one of the Upper Three—was reduced to ashes, its legacy destroyed. Only Yu Luomian and his subordinates survived, spared by Spirit Hall's intervention. More than fifteen titled Douluos had arrived that day, led by none other than Qian Xunji—the Limit Douluo himself.
And those were just a fraction of the betrayals that had shaped this continent.
For centuries, Spirit Hall had been condemned for suppressing geniuses. And yet, under Xunji's rule, they had never once targeted young talents.
It was the others—the so-called righteous factions—who had crushed the next generation before they could ever rise.
Li Feng's gaze grew sharper, colder.
"Even Tang Chen… even Xunji's own father… they butchered their own rising stars era. That's why not a single Titled Douluo from that generation survived."
Not even Sword Douluo from that era.