Three days passed quickly. Xiao Yan still went to the mountaintop every morning to cultivate his Purple Demon Eye, then returned home to cook and forge hidden weapons.
A fist-sized refined iron chunk was finally forged into ten pitch-black Bone-Piercing Needles.
The Six Meridians Divine Sword was indeed powerful, but it also consumed a lot of inner energy. With these hidden weapons, he could make up for some of that.
"If I had more iron blocks, I could probably make a set of mechanism-based hidden weapons,"Xiao Yan thought to himself, when a familiar voice called from outside the door.
"Little San, Grandpa's here to pick you up."Old Jack had arrived at the blacksmith shop right on time.
It seemed he had reached the limit of his disdain for Tang Hao, as he didn't even bother to step inside.
"This unlucky name… I have to change it someday. I'm definitely not some 'Tang San,'"Xiao Yan muttered inwardly as he walked out of the blacksmith shop.
Under Old Jack's guidance, Xiao Yan followed him to the Spirit Hall in the center of the village.
The so-called Spirit Hall was nothing more than a slightly larger wooden hut.
It was said that since everyone had a spirit and children underwent spirit awakening every year, the Spirit Hall could be seen anywhere across the Douluo Continent.
This year, there were eight children in Holy Soul Village undergoing the awakening ceremony, and Xiao Yan was the last to arrive.
Seeing that the Battle Soul Master in charge hadn't arrived yet, Old Jack pointed to a large handprint on a thick stone pillar near the entrance of the Spirit Hall and said:"Children, this is the handprint left by a Soul Saint. It is the pride of our village."
Xiao Yan looked closely. It was a palm imprint only a few inches deep. He thought to himself: With my current strength, doing this wouldn't be hard at all.
After examining it for a while, Xiao Yan became puzzled.
"What's going on here? Isn't a Soul Saint supposed to be really powerful? Why does this look so weak? Could it be the Soul Saint only used a light tap? Or maybe it was a support-type Soul Saint? I'll wait and see when the Soul Grandmaster arrives."
Suddenly, Xiao Yan's ears twitched. He turned to look at the roof of the Spirit Hall.
A young man in white leapt down from the rooftop, landing gently in front of the Spirit Hall.
Activating the Purple Demon Eye, Xiao Yan scanned the man from head to toe and found him rather ordinary—nowhere near the level of that old mutt Tang Hao.
"Is this the so-called Soul Grandmaster that Old Jack mentioned? Seems pretty average. His movement technique is sloppy—I could beat up a bunch of him with one hand. Maybe he just hasn't released his spirit yet? Or is he another support-type soul master?"
Everyone followed the young man into the Spirit Hall, and Old Jack respectfully stepped forward.
"Greetings, honorable Battle Soul Master. Sorry to trouble you again."
A faint arrogance flickered in the young man's eyes. He gave a half-hearted nod and said:"I don't have much time. Let's begin."
Old Jack addressed the children:"Alright, children. This is the Battle Soul Master from Notting City. He will lead you through your spirit awakening. Be sure to cooperate. Grandpa hopes that one of you can become a soul master."
The young man replied impatiently:"Okay, okay. You said the exact same thing last year. Do you think becoming a soul master is that easy? I've visited six villages already—not a single child had soul power, nor a suitable spirit."
A trace of sadness appeared in Old Jack's eyes as he sighed."Yeah… Only the heirs of major sects have a good chance of becoming soul masters. For us common folk, it's just too hard."
Shaking his head with a long sigh, Old Jack slowly left the Spirit Hall.
Careless words, but the listener took them to heart.
Xiao Yan bowed his head in thought:"It seems this Holy Soul Village hasn't produced a single soul master in the hundred years since that Soul Saint. And Old Jack said the heirs of major sects have better chances… Could it be that spirits are tied to bloodlines?"
At that thought, Xiao Yan relaxed significantly.
He had been kidnapped from his home by enemies when he was a child—his background must be extraordinary. Surely, his spirit would be powerful too.
As Old Jack walked away, the young man turned to the children in front of him.
"Children, line up in a row."
Xiao Yan didn't rush and stood at the end. Compared to the other kids, his martial arts training made him stand out—taller and more robust.
The young man smiled and said:"My name is Su Yuntao, a level 26 Soul Grandmaster, and I will guide you. Now, I will awaken your spirits one by one. Remember—no matter what happens, don't be afraid."
As he spoke, Su Yuntao's eyes suddenly lit up, and with a low shout, he declared:"Lone Wolf, Possession!"
A faint cyan glow first emerged from the center of his forehead, then rose upward into his hair.
Once the green light was absorbed, Su Yuntao's originally black hair instantly turned gray and lengthened rapidly.
At the same time, his body swelled slightly, filled with strong, solid muscles.
His eyes gleamed an eerie green, and sharp claws extended from all ten fingers.
Two glowing rings floated up from beneath his feet and circled his body with rhythmic precision—one white, the other yellow.
Xiao Yan watched with interest."This Soul Grandmaster named Su Yuntao is indeed different after releasing his spirit. But… still too weak. I could beat ten of him with one hand."
"He shouted 'Lone Wolf,' so his spirit must be a battle-type wolf beast. But those two glowing rings… I wonder what they are? If every soul master has to reveal these, then my hidden weapon sneak attacks would lose their element of surprise. I'd be exposed the moment I strike."
As Xiao Yan pondered, Su Yuntao had already begun the spirit awakening process.
Golden dots of light emerged from the black stones on the ground. One boy instinctively extended his right hand, and the glowing dots gathered—suddenly forming a scythe.
It didn't look like a phantom—it was real.
Su Yuntao frowned and murmured:"An item spirit. A scythe as a weapon? Seems a bit forced."
Though his voice was low, Xiao Yan caught every word and was thoroughly puzzled.
"Why can't a scythe be a weapon? If it's sharp enough, it can be just as deadly as a sword or blade."
Su Yuntao then tested the boy for innate soul power.
Apparently, not everyone had innate soul power. After testing five or six kids, none possessed it.
From this, Xiao Yan began to understand—only those with innate soul power were qualified to cultivate.
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