"What is going on?"
Watching Luo Cheng on the altar, engulfed by starlight, the young man in splendid robes frowned.
The gray-robed elder furrowed his brows. "Strange, the altar is no longer under my control!"
Buzz!
The brilliant starlight persisted for a moment before suddenly dispersing, restoring calm to the scene.
"Young Master Luo Cheng has awakened his Martial Soul!"
Someone exclaimed in shock.
Behind Luo Cheng, a seemingly illusory nine-colored egg floated in mid-air.
The egg stood over two feet tall, surrounded by nine-colored mysterious light, radiating brilliance.
Gazing at the nine-colored egg, everyone fell silent, their expressions dazed.
Not a single star!
And still an unformed Martial Soul!
Egg Martial Souls are referred to as unformed Martial Souls. Generally, an Awakener would find it almost impossible to nurture such a soul in their lifetime. Its effectiveness was less than one-tenth of a complete Martial Soul, earning it the nickname "Wasted Martial Soul."
A starless, unformed Martial Soul—such a thing had never occurred in the history of Qishan City!
"Hahaha, and here I wondered what kind of Martial Soul it would be. Turns out, it's a starless, unformed Martial Soul with no grade! Truly the epitome of trash! As expected, a trash father begets a trash son! Even with the bloodline of my Ji Family, it can't change his trashy essence."
The young man in splendid robes erupted in laughter, his derision filling the air.
"Shut your mouth!"
Luo Cheng roared in fury, glaring fiercely at the young man. "Don't you dare insult my father!"
"Oh? What kind of look is that? A lowly ant dares to raise its voice in front of me? Kneel!" The young man's eyes narrowed as he pressed his palm down toward Luo Cheng.
"Cheng'er!"
"Watch out!"
Two figures appeared, shielding Luo Cheng.
Thud! Thud!
The blast of energy surged forth, sending the two figures flying backward as they coughed up blood.
"Father! Grandfather!"
Luo Cheng rushed to lift them up. Seeing their severe injuries, he looked up and glared at the young man. "What is your name?"
"What's this, seeking revenge? Very well, I shall grant you your wish."
Since Luo Cheng's Martial Soul was a "Wasted Martial Soul," the young man had no scruples. Just as he was about to strike, the gray-robed elder intervened. "Young Master, let's not take it too far."
Hmph!
The young man snorted coldly, looking down at Luo Cheng with disdain. "Ants like you aren't even worthy of knowing my name. If it weren't for my aunt's sake, today would already be the date of your death! Carry your shame with you and cling to life pitifully. Let's go."
"Stop right there!"
Luo Cheng abruptly stood up, his bloodshot eyes blazing as he pointed to the heavens and vowed, enunciating every word:
"Ten years! I, Luo Cheng, swear here and now! Within ten years, I will come to the Ji Family and personally challenge you!"
"Oh?"
The young man's eyes narrowed faintly, icy light flickering within them. Then he sneered, shaking his head in disdain:
"Have you ever heard of an insect trying to shake a tree? What a pity, in my eyes, you're not even an insect. Ten years? A hundred years? A thousand? Even so, you'll forever remain a lowly, insignificant ant!"
"Remember my name—it's Ji Yuanhao! When you come to the Ji Family, don't mistake the wrong person. Not that such a day will ever come..."
With a cold chuckle, Ji Yuanhao disappeared into the rift.
The gray-robed elder glanced at Luo Cheng and remarked flatly, "Sometimes, accepting one's mundane destiny isn't a bad choice. At least, it spares you from dying in vain."
Whoosh!
As he spoke, the gray-robed elder flicked his finger, and a porcelain bottle landed in Luo Cheng's hands.
"This is a Jade Body Tempering Pill, a final token of goodwill from the Ji Family to you. Forget your mother!"
With those words, the gray-robed elder collected the altar and vanished into thin air.
The sky returned to serenity, but the plaza remained enveloped in a profound silence.
The events of this day were simply too astonishing for everyone present!
"Cheng'er."
Luo Hong walked over to Luo Cheng.
Luo Cheng came back to his senses, noticing his father's pale face. He asked anxiously, "Father, are your injuries serious..."
"Cough, cough... It's nothing serious, just an old ailment acting up again."
Luo Hong shook his head.
Seeing this, Luo Cheng clenched his fists tightly.
He recalled his grandfather mentioning how, in his younger days, his father was once Qishan City's greatest prodigy. Awakening a Seven-star Martial Soul, he broke through the Body Tempering Ninth Layer and reached the Sixth Stage of Transcendence before the age of twenty, becoming the city's unrivaled expert and basking in glory.
But after his mother was taken away, his father had pursued her alone, only to be gravely injured in the process. His meridians were damaged, and his cultivation deteriorated step by step, forever losing his former splendor.
Luo Hong patted Luo Cheng's shoulder. "Don't dwell too much on your Martial Soul. Even an unformed Martial Soul can lead to greatness as long as you work hard."
Luo Cheng gave a bitter smile. His father just wasn't good at comforting people.
Awakening an unformed Martial Soul and becoming a strong cultivator was almost an impossible feat.
However, his unformed Martial Soul seemed... different!
"Don't worry, Father! I'll work hard!" Luo Cheng forced a smile onto his face.
"That's good."
Luo Hong heaved a sigh of relief, worried that Luo Cheng might fall into despair.
"Father, I'll head back now."
Luo Cheng was eager to return to investigate his awakened Martial Soul.
As he passed through the plaza, he noticed a group of Luo Family juniors gathered around Luo Qi.
"Senior Brother Luo Qi is amazing! He awakened a Five-star Gun Soul!"
"Senior Brother Luo Qi isn't just the Luo Family's brightest star—he's the number one prodigy in all of Qishan City!"
Luo Qi savored the praise showered upon him, his chin slightly raised as his eyes gleamed with pride.
From now on, he would be the Luo Family's golden child!
Luo Cheng, though still young, was mature for his age due to his early life experiences. Understanding that circumstances had changed, he kept his silence and quietly left.
Returning to his courtyard, Luo Cheng immediately shut the gates.
"I wonder, what exactly is the Martial Soul I awakened..."
Taking a deep breath, Luo Cheng impatiently summoned his Martial Soul.
Buzz!
A two-foot-tall giant egg covered in nine-colored mysterious light materialized in the courtyard.
Upon closer inspection, the giant egg was adorned with ancient and mysterious nine-colored scales.
Luo Cheng moved closer, focusing intently. Suddenly, a flicker of joy appeared in his eyes.
During the awakening ceremony, Luo Cheng had vaguely sensed that his Martial Soul wasn't truly starless. Somehow, endless starlight seemed to be sealed within the giant egg. Now, his observations confirmed it!
From within the giant egg, incomparably radiant light shone as though it contained a vast galaxy, where countless stars glittered!
The dim radiance of the galaxy, coupled with the interference of the nine-colored light, had concealed the truth from others!
"What grade of Martial Soul could this be…"
Luo Cheng stood dumbfounded.
Martial Souls were graded by the number of stars they contained: one to three stars for Low Level, three to six for Intermediate, and seven to nine for Advanced Martial Souls.
His father had once mentioned that above Advanced Martial Souls, there were even more mysterious levels: Spirit, Earth Level, Heavenly-level, and the legendary Emperor-level Martial Souls!
Those who possessed such Martial Souls were peerless geniuses, destined for greatness, and fated to reign as kings and emperors!
"Could this be the legendary Emperor-level Martial Soul? Or possibly something beyond…"
Gazing upon the dazzling galaxy within the egg, Luo Cheng's emotions surged like a tidal wave.