Chapter 0010: Martial Soul

Chapter 0010: Martial Soul

The Yunlong Mountain Range is over two hundred miles away from the Imperial City of Tian Qin.

Within the mountains, peaks rise majestically, towering and grand, shrouded in misty waves.

A raging river, like an angry dragon, cuts through the mountains.

The Hualing Martial Arts Academy stands beside the Yunlong River, outside the mountain range. Surrounded by towering stone walls, it resembles an ancient fortress, solemn and imposing. From a distance, it looks like a fierce tiger lying beside the Yunlong River, exuding power without even trying.

After the carriage entered the gates of the Hualing Martial Arts Academy, magnificent buildings could be seen everywhere—pavilions and palaces clustered together, with countless gardens. The imperial palace was no more impressive than this.

The carriage arrived at a large courtyard on the western side of the Hualing Martial Arts Academy and stopped at the entrance. Yang Shiyue woke up Qin Yun and asked, "Can you walk by yourself?"

"Yes!"

Through the absorption of Nine Sun Spirit Qi from the Nine Bead Bracelet, Qin Yun's body had been nourished and his internal injuries healed to a significant extent. He was much better now, though his face still looked somewhat pale.

Yang Shiyue was about to help him when she saw him jump down from the carriage on his own. She couldn't help but say in surprise, "You've recovered well!"

Qin Yun felt a bit guilty and said, "Teacher, I've caused you trouble!"

"The tuition for this semester is twenty thousand crystals. I've paid it for you temporarily, so consider it a debt owed to me. The Hualing Martial Arts Academy is very strict; if you fail the end-of-term assessment, you'll have to leave. You must repay me before then."

Yang Shiyue's stern expression made Qin Yun feel a chill. Twenty thousand crystals was not a small amount, but he firmly believed he could gather enough within the term.

"I'll take you to the classroom to rest first. Once the other students arrive, we'll start the awakening of your martial souls!"

Yang Shiyue led Qin Yun into the courtyard, which contained several classrooms. The one furthest inside was her class.

There were already about ten students in the classroom, mostly children of ministers and generals or descendants of prominent martial families. They were all carefully selected by Yang Shiyue, and many recognized Qin Yun.

Those who knew Qin Yun were all surprised. They had come to the Hualing Martial Arts Academy earlier and did not know what had happened at the Palace Square.

As soon as Qin Yun entered, he encountered various gazes—mockery, doubt, disdain, and surprise...

He ignored them all. His experiences over the past few years had made him more composed.

"This afternoon, I will help you awaken your martial souls. Wait here patiently until I return. Remember, no matter how prestigious your family background is, anyone causing trouble here will face severe consequences." Yang Shiyue's voice was stern and cold, carrying an intimidating aura that left no room for doubt.

After she left the classroom, the startled students breathed a sigh of relief.

The Hualing Martial Arts Academy was extremely powerful, supported by a mysterious force that even the Tian Qin Empire dared not provoke lightly.

Those young and impetuous students did not dare act arrogantly and sat quietly, waiting for Yang Shiyue to return.

...

In the afternoon, after admissions were complete, there were a total of twenty students in Yang Shiyue's class.

"Let's begin the awakening of your martial souls!"

As soon as Yang Shiyue entered the classroom, the students stood up. Her serious demeanor made everyone nervous.

Awakening the martial soul is the most critical step in entering the martial path, influencing one's future martial career, which was why the students were tense.

"Sit down!" Yang Shiyue's stern gaze swept across the room, and she nodded. Then she took out a small tower intricately carved from crystal and placed it carefully on the podium.

She put her hand on the crystal tower and said, "This is the Soul Connection Tower, which can awaken the martial soul within you. After the awakening, the Soul Connection Tower will glow."

"The higher the quality of the martial soul, the different colors the Soul Connection Tower will display: brass, silver, gold, platinum, and purple gold. There are five stages of martial souls."

"Teacher Yang, what stage of martial soul is considered acceptable?" a student raised his hand and asked.

Yang Shiyue nodded and said, "Silver martial soul is acceptable, gold is better, platinum is the best. As for purple gold... those who can awaken such a level of martial soul are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns."

"Teacher, what stage is your martial soul?" a girl asked curiously.

Yang Shiyue's face suddenly showed a hint of pride as she placed her hands on the Soul Connection Tower. The originally translucent crystal tower suddenly emitted a bright platinum light, making people squint their eyes.

"This is a platinum martial soul!" After she removed her hands, the dazzling platinum light immediately disappeared.

Seeing the rare platinum martial soul, everyone was amazed, hoping they would also have such a high-quality martial soul.

"Now, come up one by one to awaken your martial souls!" Yang Shiyue held a notebook and called out, "Wang Xiaogang!"

A thin and short boy stood up confidently and walked forward.

Wang Xiaogang placed his hands on the Soul Connection Tower and asked, "What next?"

"Close your eyes and relax your entire body," Yang Shiyue said.

Wang Xiaogang closed his eyes and relaxed, quickly feeling a cool sensation spread throughout his body.

A small window on the Soul Connection Tower emitted a cool breeze, and the tower began to glow—a faint silver light, far less intense than Yang Shiyue's earlier display.

"It's a silver wind martial soul, not bad!"

Yang Shiyue nodded in satisfaction and recorded it in her notebook.

Praised by the beautiful teacher, Wang Xiaogang was very pleased and swaggered back to his seat.

The next student to test was a girl in a red dress, quite adorable, but with a proud look in her eyes. However, she couldn't maintain her arrogance in front of Yang Shiyue.

"Tang Qingyu, let's begin!" Yang Shiyue said.

Soon, Tang Qingyu's result came out—the Soul Connection Tower's small window emitted water droplets, flashing a silver light.

This was a silver water martial soul, also quite good. Yang Shiyue nodded in satisfaction.

The students Yang Shiyue had chosen, with two consecutive Awakenings of Silver Martial Souls, were considered qualified.

After the third student went up, intense flames burst from the small window of the tower, turning the Tonghun Tower golden!

This was a Golden Fire Martial Soul!

"Yan Zhongming, Golden Fire Martial Soul! Excellent!" A hint of a smile appeared on Yang Shiyue's cold and alluring face.

The tall young man smiled smugly, for Yan Zhongming possessed a Golden Martial Soul, the best one Awakened so far.

"Luo Qinghao, Silver Fire Martial Soul!"

"Ma Hongming, Silver Ice Martial Soul!"

"..."

Over a dozen students were tested, mostly Silver Martial Souls, with only one Golden Martial Soul.

And not a single Platinum one, which was indeed rare.

"Ye Weixuan, it's your turn!" Yang Shiyue called out, her eyes showing a glimmer of anticipation.

"Ye Weixuan? From the Ye family, I heard that they all have Lightning Martial Souls, which are very powerful. Wonder what rank it will be?"

"A Lightning Martial Soul sounds incredibly strong! Our Awakened Martial Souls were mostly common ones like Ice, Wind, Water, Fire, and Earth—nothing special."

The students whispered in amazement.

Seeing everyone's high expectations, Ye Weixuan's lips curled into a proud smile as he strode onto the stage.

As his hands touched the Tonghun Tower, lightning flashed from its small window, and to everyone's surprise, the tower shone golden.

"Golden Lightning Martial Soul!" Yang Shiyue was slightly taken aback and said, "The Ye family truly lives up to its reputation."

"Thank you for the praise, Teacher. I will make good use of my Martial Soul," Ye Weixuan said, his face filled with a smug smile.

"Qin Yun, it's your turn!" Yang Shiyue actually seemed quite eager for Qin Yun.