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A fiery red silhouette coalesced in Yang Fan's palm at a visible pace—and finally solidified into a long black spear!
"Soul Breaking Spear?!"
Yang Fan recognized his martial soul—it was indeed the hereditary martial soul of the Breaking Clan.
But his version was clearly different.
During the awakening, other children's Soul Breaking Spears materialized no longer than ten centimeters in their palms.
His, however—without even counting the tip—was easily over eighteen centimeters.
Most striking of all were the strange flame-like patterns etched along the shaft.
Others might not have known what they were—but Yang Fan, having trained under Yao Lao for years, recognized them instantly.
Pill Pattern!
Two years ago, Yao Lao had given him a fourth-grade Fire-Devouring Pill imprinted with these very patterns.
That pill refined the body like internal fire, dramatically enhancing physical strength.
"What… is this?"
Yang Wudi shot to his feet, trembling with emotion.
As both clan patriarch and grandfather, he'd kept his eyes fixed on Yang Fan from the very beginning—and how could he miss what was unfolding in his grandson's hand?
"The Soul Breaking Spear has mutated!"
The elder standing closest to Yang Fan blurted out in astonishment.
"Yang Fan, come quickly—test your soul power!"
Martial soul mutations only went two ways: either beneficial or detrimental.
And in the vast majority of cases… it was the latter.
Though Soul Land had a few famed soul masters whose mutated souls brought them glory, most mutants faded into obscurity—never gaining recognition in the soul master world.
Yang Fan was more excited than anyone. His heart pounded so hard he thought it might leap out of his throat.
As the last to awaken his martial soul, he was now first in line to test his innate soul power—because innate soul power was the sole criterion to judge whether a mutation was good or bad.
"Place your hand here."
Before him stood an Awakening Stone—a soul power testing device nearly as tall as he was. Unlike ordinary rocks, its surface gleamed with a deep, polished luster from countless hands that had touched it over the years.
At this moment, hundreds of eyes from the Breaking Clan locked onto Yang Fan.
He took a deep breath and slowly placed his palm upon the stone.
The instant skin met stone, the freshly awakened energy within him surged violently—as if the stone were trying to suck it all out.
In a flash, the previously inert stone flooded with blazing red soul power.
Light erupted outward, drenching the entire area in crimson radiance.
"Innate… innate full soul power!"
"Hahahaha—!"
"It's innate full soul power!"
"Innate full soul power!"
Yang Wudi was beside himself with joy, pounding the armrests of his seat until tears streamed down his weathered face, splashing onto the arena floor.
Only innate full soul power could produce such dazzling brilliance!
The entire clan was now in uproar.
In the history of the Breaking Clan, the highest recorded innate soul power had been Level 7.
Yang Fan's awakening of full innate soul power had already shaken the clan to its core—and by Soul Land standards, this was nothing short of explosive.
Yang Fan clenched his fist tightly as the fiery red aura swirled around him.
Three years.
Do you know what these three years have been like for me?
He'd been waiting for this day.
Innate full soul power. A mutated Soul Breaking Spear.
This was exactly what he wanted.
The awakening ceremony continued…but after such a dazzling display, no matter what soul power levels the others achieved, none could compare.
…
Back in his courtyard room, Yang Fan sat alone.
He summoned his mutated Soul Breaking Spear using his newly awakened soul power.
"Congratulations, little one," came a voice.
Yao Lao drifted out from behind him like a ghost.
Over the past few years in Soul Land, Yao Lao had thoroughly studied the soul master cultivation system.
By this world's standards, Yang Fan was nothing short of a prodigy.
Just moments ago, he'd watched Yang Wudi get so emotional that snot bubbles nearly burst from his nose.
"Thank you, Master," Yang Fan said sincerely.
He knew none of this would have been possible without Yao Lao's relentless guidance over the past two years.
The pill patterns on his spear were the brightest testament to his master's teachings.
Innate full soul power might be the peak his martial soul could reach—but it was far from Yao Lao's limit.
"No need to thank me," Yao Lao replied gently. "This is the reward for your own hard work. I've done little."
Beneath his ancient eyes, warmth and pride shone unmistakably.
Watching this beloved disciple—whom he'd taken in just two years ago—Yao Lao had finally found meaning in his lingering existence as a soul fragment in this strange world.
"Master… what exactly are those pill patterns on my Soul Breaking Spear?"
His mutation wasn't dramatic—aside from being thicker and sturdier than a standard Soul Breaking Spear, the only real anomaly was those strange patterns.
"Simple," Yao Lao explained. "That Fire-Devouring Pill you swallowed at age five didn't just refine your body—it altered your martial soul as well."
Soul masters and Dou Zhi (Dou Qi cultivators) were fundamentally different.
For Dou Zhi practitioners, techniques, skills, and weapons were all acquired through training.
But a martial soul? It was innate—part of one's very being.
Yao Lao had understood this in theory… but never imagined a simple Fire-Devouring Pill could actually mutate a soul master's martial soul.
"Oh…"
Yang Fan nodded. That matched his own suspicions.
The pill had strengthened his body—and made his spear thicker, denser.
But he hadn't yet discovered what special abilities this mutated spear possessed.
"Have you decided?"
The atmosphere in the room shifted suddenly.
Long ago, he and Yao Lao had agreed: once his martial soul awakened, they would leave for training and adventure.
And now… that moment had arrived.
"I've decided!" Yang Fan's eyes burned with resolve.
The desire to leave for training had never wavered—not for a single day since he was three.
All that grueling conditioning, all that pain—he'd endured it to awaken a powerful martial soul and high innate soul power.
He wanted to become a mighty soul master.
And venturing out into the world was the first step toward that goal.
"Good!" Yao Lao declared. "Since you've made your choice, your master will walk this path with you."
…
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the clan—
News of Yang Fan's mutated martial soul and innate full soul power had sent shockwaves through the Breaking Clan.
Immediately after the ceremony, Yang Wudi and the two elders convened an emergency clan meeting.
"I've already ordered every clan member to keep Yang Fan's innate full soul power a secret," Yang Wudi said gravely. "Not a word must leak outside."
The initial euphoria had passed. Now, cold pragmatism returned.
Though the Breaking Clan had stabilized over the past two years, it was only because their alchemy provided vital benefits to both empires—giving the Spirit Hall pause before openly targeting them.
But if word got out that the Breaking Clan had produced a soul master with innate full soul power, the Spirit Hall would move swiftly to eliminate him.
"Don't worry, Clan Leader," one elder said firmly. "As long as we two old fools are still breathing, not a single hair on Yang Fan's head will be touched by those Spirit Hall scoundrels."
"Our immediate priority," the other elder added, "is deciding how to cultivate Yang Fan moving forward."
"What's there to discuss?" the first elder snapped. "Yang Fan is a once-in-a-century genius—the heavens' gift to our Breaking Clan!"
(T/N: Are they called 'pill patterns'? I can't remember clearly and the wiki doesn't say)
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