"I should still check him over…"
The coachman was uneasy. After all, he had used soul power when he shoved the child away earlier.
Though the boy hadn't been hit by the carriage and he'd tried to restrain his strength, soul power could still be harmful to a young child. Better to examine him just in case.
"S-Sir… there's no need…"
Before the woman could finish, the coachman had already grabbed hold of the child.
"You alright…?"
Ignoring the boy's struggle, the coachman frowned slightly.
But inwardly, he was surprised. This scrawny kid actually has a sturdy body?
A thought suddenly struck him, and he asked,
"How old is this little rascal?"
"I'm not a little rascal, I'm a grown man!"
The boy shot back, full of defiance.
"He's six years old, sir…"
"I'm seven already, Mom."
The boy chimed in again, as if upping his age would make him stronger.
"Has he had his Martial Soul awakened?"
"No… When the people from the Spirit Hall came last time, he was out looking for me…"
The woman's eyes dropped with guilt as she looked at her son.
For people living at the bottom of society, the awakening of a Martial Soul was a critical opportunity—it could change a child's entire destiny.
If a child successfully awakened their Martial Soul and possessed innate soul power, they had a chance of becoming a Soul Master.
Once registered, even a basic Soul Master could receive a monthly stipend from Spirit Hall in soul coins—enough to dramatically improve the living conditions of a poor family.
After all, a single gold soul coin could sustain a common household for several months.
"Sir, I'd like to see whether this little brat qualifies to become a Soul Master."
After a moment's thought, the coachman looked back toward Aether and made his request.
They had already delayed their trip for the sake of this man's business, and testing the kid would take more time. The coachman didn't dare decide on his own.
"No problem. Go ahead and help him awaken."
Aether waved his hand. He knew what the coachman was thinking, and since fate had led them here, he didn't mind the small detour.
Besides, this kid hadn't awakened his Martial Soul yet—and having this particular coachman help with it might be the luckiest break of his life.
After all, not many kids had the fortune of being awakened by a Title Douluo…
"Yes, sir!"
With Aether's permission, the coachman turned to the boy and asked,
"Kid, do you know how the Martial Soul awakening works?"
"Yes…"
The boy had listened intently earlier. Now that he knew this man was going to help him awaken his soul, he stopped resisting.
"Alright, then. Focus your senses."
The coachman nodded and took the boy's hand, releasing a flow of soul power.
Typically, Martial Soul awakenings required a soul awakening stone to act as a medium. But for a Title Douluo, such tools were unnecessary.
As specks of light began to gather and shimmer around the child, the coachman grew more convinced of his hunch—
This kid might just have a decent Martial Soul and a fairly high level of innate soul power.
"Alright, raise your hand. Try summoning your Martial Soul."
He let go of the boy's hand. The awakening was complete. The kid had innate soul power of level seven—a strong foundation.
As for what Martial Soul he'd ended up with, that would depend on his luck.
Buzz~
The boy raised his right hand, and a weapon resembling an iron sword hovered into view.
"Haha! Not bad, not bad! An Iron Sword Martial Soul—that's more than enough to protect your mom, kid."
The coachman laughed heartily and patted the boy's shoulder, feeling quite pleased.
He hadn't expected that today's detour would lead to discovering a promising young soul master.
"Hehe, thank you, Uncle!"
The boy beamed and gave a sincere thanks.
He had been wary of them earlier out of fear that they might hurt his mother.
But now that he saw they meant no harm—and had even helped awaken his Martial Soul—he might've been young, but he could clearly tell right from wrong.
After thanking them, he looked at the weapon floating in his hand with excitement. Turning back to his mother, he lifted it proudly and exclaimed:
"Look, Mom! I've got a Martial Soul now!"
No child in the entire Douluo Continent could remain calm during a Martial Soul awakening, and this little boy—who tried so hard to act grown-up—was no exception.
"Maomao… sob…"
The woman burst into joyful tears, her rough hand gently brushing through the boy's hair.
"Don't cry, Mom. I've got a Martial Soul now. I can become a strong Soul Master. I can protect you better now—you should be happy!"
The boy panicked a little as he tried to wipe away her tears with his small hand, whispering words of comfort.
"Yes, yes! Mommy's happy! Maomao is always the strongest in Mommy's heart!"
The woman steadied herself and said softly, full of love.
"Young one—this is for you."
Aether walked over with a gentle smile, his hand guiding the Dull Blade toward the boy.
"This is…"
The boy looked at the sword floating before him, uncertain and hesitant.
"Sir, you…"
The coachman, on the other hand, widened his eyes in shock.
Others might not recognize it, but he was all too familiar with that sword.
This was the divine weapon that had once cleaved the Sword Douluo's Martial Soul true body in two!
Where in the heavens had this brat's ancestors done something so right, that he'd be gifted such a godly sword by this lord?
The coachman swallowed hard, his eyes darting between the boy and the Dull Blade, filled with envy.
At this point, he wished he was that little brat!
"S-Sir, can I… touch it?"
The boy felt an overwhelming urge to reach out to the blade, but he hesitated. Instead, he looked up at the "lord" that the uncle had mentioned and asked nervously.
"Of course. It's yours now. I'm giving it to you."
"Thank you, sir!"
The boy gave a deep bow, then slowly reached out and gently touched the floating blade.
The Dull Blade trembled, then suddenly transformed into a stream of light and vanished into the boy's body.
His body trembled as a wave of soul power rippled out from him.
"This…"
The coachman's heart shook.
He had already sensed that this kid had innate soul power at level seven.
But the burst of soul energy he just felt—it was at least level ten, maybe even higher!
That sword had just raised the kid's soul power beyond the realm of normal—into the realm of Innate Full Soul Power…
Still reeling from shock, the boy suddenly raised his right hand as if guided by instinct.
Zheng~!
With a crisp sword cry, the Iron Sword Martial Soul he had awakened earlier transformed directly into the Dull Blade Aether had given him.
"…!"
The coachman staggered back a few steps, utterly speechless at what he was seeing.
"Young one, this is its acknowledgment of you."
Aether smiled softly and added,
"From now on, carry it with you and protect all that you hold dear."
_
Please support my patreon, patreon. com/TravelerDouluo
And get early access to my 50 advance chapters.