The cheat system had indeed changed, the gray progress bar was full.
But other than a small new dot beside it, nothing else happened.
There were no strange phenomena, no mysterious divine light, and certainly no spiritual ascension.
All those dramatic scenes just now were nothing more than his imagination.
Fang Ling tried to interact with it, attempting to select it with his thoughts.
Huh, just like something out of Lovecraft, it couldn't be selected at all!
"Hmm…"
Still unwilling to give up, he tried again with a firmer command, still no effect.
After thinking for a moment, he muttered to himself, "Do I have to awaken my martial soul for it to fully reveal itself?"
With a sliver of hope, he splashed cold water on his face.
He tried to make himself look paler, like a European.
Then, he knelt on the ground and prayed earnestly to every god he could think of: deities from all directions, the creator god of Douluo, the Sea God, the Asura God, and so on.
He hoped to awaken a good martial soul and possess decent soul power.
Normally, with a cheat, one could dominate everything and wouldn't need to be so humble.
But his cheat was still a mystery.
Praying wouldn't hurt, after all.
After a year of living as a beggar, this wasn't the first time Fang Ling had begged.
Dignity couldn't be eaten, and it didn't provide nourishment, it had long been thrown into the mud.
After a long time, he stood up, supporting himself on the wall.
He straightened his tattered but clean clothes, dusted himself off, and walked toward the Martial Soul Hall.
Awakening one's martial soul was a sacred event. Even though Fang Ling was a beggar, he understood the importance of showing respect.
Wearing clean clothes was a matter of attitude.
If he stank and offended a soul master, it could go badly for him.
Weakness and ignorance weren't the real obstacles to survival, arrogance was.
Being a transmigrator didn't make him superior. He could still die from a stab.
And as a beggar, he had to be especially cautious.
**Martial Soul Branch Hall of Notting City
One of the city's most iconic buildings, it was a magnificent domed structure located at the city center, surrounded by bustling streets.
Since it was time for academy enrollment, it was also the season for awakening martial souls for all eligible children in the city.
So there were more people here than usual.
But since everything was well organized, it wasn't too crowded, especially not for someone like Fang Ling.
Wearing beggar's clothes, anyone who saw him would frown and avoid him.
"Excuse me, sir, where do I go to awaken my martial soul?" Fang Ling asked the guard at the gate.
"Even the little cripple wants to awaken a martial soul?"
The two guards recognized the little beggar. Both instinctively covered their noses, yet surprisingly, there was no foul smell.
They exchanged a look of confusion. One of them casually pointed, "Just follow the crowd inside. Master Su Yuntao is in the Awakening Room."
Even beggars could come to awaken their martial souls once they reached the appropriate age.
"Thank you," Fang Ling said politely and followed the flow of people inside.
He went along with the crowd, queued up the stairs to the second floor, walked down the corridor, and entered a tall arched door at the end of the hallway.
Inside, there were occasional sounds of crying and sighing.
Fang Ling curiously looked around the room.
On the floor was a six-pointed black stone star array used for awakening martial souls, controlled by a handsome young man with sharp eyebrows and starry eyes.
Judging by the guard's earlier words, this must be the legendary "Blind Douluo" Su Yuntao.
On a nearby table, a tall, curvy, and attractive female soul master was recording data with pen and paper.
Fang Ling didn't recognize her.
"Tool-type martial soul, Blue Silver Grass? Tch, another useless one. I've never seen one with strong soul power. Go test your soul power on the side. Next."
Su Yuntao announced flatly.
Fang Ling picked up on the remark, it meant the gears of fate hadn't yet begun to turn.
Su Yuntao and the female soul master worked in seamless coordination.
Soon it was the turn of the pale, sickly-looking boy in front of Fang Ling.
Green soul power flowed into the black stone array, and golden light enveloped the boy as golden dots entered his body.
"Raise your right hand."
A moment later, Su Yuntao said, "Beast-type martial soul, Bat. Might be capable of flight. Better than Blue Silver Grass. Next."
The pale boy stepped out of the star array. Fang Ling quickly entered and stood in the center.
Su Yuntao gave him a slightly surprised look. Fang Ling bowed respectfully:
"Master Su, thank you for your trouble."
After all this time, it was finally his turn.
May the gods of all realms bless him, especially the Sea God, the great Tang Buddha!
Maybe it was his clean appearance or his tattered but tidy clothes, or maybe it was his polite manner, but Su Yuntao actually gave the beggar a faint smile.
"Alright, stand still."
Green light entered the stone, golden light covered his body, and golden dots entered him. The familiar process completed.
Su Yuntao nodded slightly, "Tool-type martial soul, Scythe. It has a short range but some attack power. If you have soul power, you can become a battle soul master."
"Understood. Thank you for your guidance, Master."
Fang Ling's voice trembled slightly as he looked at the gray phantom light in his vision, which was subtly changing. He instinctively clenched his fist.
Prayers were useless. He had no special background. His martial soul was trash.
But luckily, his cheat had changed, it now showed a status panel.
A simple stat allocation panel!
"Go test your soul power," Su Yuntao waved him off. "Next."
Fang Ling walked to the table. The beautiful woman pointed to the crystal ball, "Place your right hand here."
Though her eyes showed some contempt, her expression didn't change.
He glanced quickly at the panel, no miracle. Soul power: zero.
Without hesitation, Fang Ling used his thoughts to allocate his only point to soul power.
Soul Power: 0 → 1 (0%)
A breeze blew through the room, and just as she was about to announce the result, the blue crystal ball gave off a faint glow.
The female soul master quickly corrected herself: "Zero... First level soul power."
"Name. Wait, you're a beggar, right? Did you have an identity before?"
"I named myself Fang Ling. I didn't have a name before," Fang Ling replied, shaking his head.
His previous life was beautiful, but it was in the past.
In this life, he was just a struggling beggar. Where would he get an identity?
"Alright, then wait in the room outside. We'll register your identity during a break."
No matter one's past, anyone with soul master potential could be registered anew, even beggars.
"Thank you, pretty sister," Fang Ling said, bowing respectfully.
"Hehe, I'm called Sisi. Go on."
She chuckled and continued with her work.
Amid a few envious gazes from some children, Fang Ling went into a small side room and sat down.
Finally, he could take a closer look at his cheat system.
**Host:** Fang Ling
**Martial Soul:** Scythe (Lv1)
(Common farming tool used for harvesting crops and cutting grass. Length: 55 cm. Crescent blade: 16 cm. Handle: 30 cm. No fine serrations. Wood handle.)
**Soul Power:** 1
**Soul Rings:** None
**Soul Bones:** None
**Talents:**
- Sharpness Lv1 (Innate talent of bladed metal tools. Just an ordinary scythe, fine for cutting grass. It's not an axe. You're not thinking of chopping trees, are you?)
- Toughness Lv1 (Innate trait of iron tools. Forged by a blacksmith, not refined, not reforged. Just ordinary iron. Don't expect too much from a farming tool's hardness or durability.)
Stat Points: 0
If you want to read advanced chapter please subscribe to my : patreon.com/Moorowkeel