The sunlight outside dimmed. Inside Ming Tian's room, Meng Qianji leaned against the wall in the shadows, listening as Ming Tian finished recounting everything that had happened. Ming Tian also told him what You Hua had said to him.
Ming Tian asked:
"Master, Mom said it's best to find a Soul Bone within two years. Do you have any ideas?"
Meng Qianji raised an eyebrow and said:
"Soul Bone, you really know how to make things difficult for people. Why do I have such a troublesome disciple? Do you think Soul Bones are just lying around? Do you even know what it takes to get a Soul Bone?"
"No, I don't."
Ming Tian shook his head.
Meng Qianji further explained:
"Soul Bones are a one in ten thousand chance. Except for Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, which are guaranteed to produce them, it's practically impossible to find a Soul Bone from a ten-thousand-year or even a thousand-year Soul Beast."
"There are seven types of Soul Bones. The torso and head bones are the most difficult to obtain, and external Soul Bones are priceless treasures, second only to Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings. Soul Bones also have another name: 'Blood River Treasures,' meaning that when a Soul Bone appears, it will cause a scramble, until blood flows like a river. Amongst the seven Soul Bones, the arm bone is the easiest to obtain. Your master, though not very accomplished, managed to reach Soul Douluo and luckily has a left arm bone. Left arm bones are almost the easiest to produce."
"But I can't just chop off my left arm and give it to you."
"Master, you're joking."
Ming Tian scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. It seemed Soul Bones were truly rare.
"However, your luck has always been good, and you're at the Yanling Auction House. Maybe one day, the Yanling Auction House will have a Soul Bone. I'll see if I can help you buy it then, but don't get your hopes up."
Meng Qianji's words showed he cared about Ming Tian. Ming Tian felt touched and a little embarrassed.
"Alright, I'll be going now. Staying here isn't a long-term plan. You should try to gain the friendship of the Yan siblings; it won't hurt to get along with them."
Ming Tian nodded, and Meng Qianji disappeared as mysteriously as he had arrived.
In the following days, Ming Tian focused on solidifying his body and soul power. His soul power had already reached level thirty-four. To become stronger, he had to constantly increase his soul power, aiming for the Soul Sect and Soul King levels.
Time flew. A month had passed since he arrived at the Yan family, and it was soon Yan Qingwan's sixth birthday.
On this day, Yan Qingwan would awaken her Martial Soul.
Yan Wei loved his daughter's birthday, and it was an important day for Martial Soul awakening, so he would naturally hold a grand banquet. People in Tianling City who were friendly with the Yan family or were in a friendly relationship with them all came to celebrate.
Yan and Ming Tian practiced together in the backyard, constantly honing their coordination. They were already a winning combination in the Tianling Soul Arena, and few people could defeat them.
"Alright, let's stop here for today."
Yan said, ending the practice, a happy expression on his face.
"I heard a lot of people have arrived already, all here to celebrate my sister's birthday. I'm really looking forward to it. I wonder what Martial Soul my sister will awaken."
"Isn't it going to be your family's Flame Lord?"
Ming Tian laughed.
"Hopefully not. Flame Lord, though of extremely high quality, is better suited for boys. It's a bit hard to imagine for girls."
Yan shivered at the thought of Yan Qingwan awakening the Flame Lord.
"But, a humanoid Martial Soul is definite."
"Why?"
"Flame Lord is humanoid, and our mother's Martial Soul is also humanoid, so Qingwan's Martial Soul will definitely have a humanoid form."
"I see."
"Let's not talk about this. Ming Tian, today is Xiaowan's birthday. Have you prepared a gift for her?"
"Huh? A gift?"
"Yes! I prepare gifts for Xiaowan every birthday! This time, I'm giving Xiaowan the rewards we earned from our ten consecutive victories in the Grand Soul Arena. What about you?"
"Huh? I... I haven't prepared anything..."
Ming Tian said, a little surprised, and lowered his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"You, Ming Tian, your emotional intelligence is so low. Not to mention whether she's my sister or not, she's a beautiful girl, and you didn't even show any consideration on her birthday? How will you find a partner in the future? I'm worried about you."
Yan, acting like an experienced person, looked at Ming Tian and lectured him.
"I'll go prepare one right away!"
Ming Tian's face turned red, and he immediately ran off.
That's right, since he had come to the Yan family, the people of the Yan family had taken care of him, and Yan Qingwan had helped him in many ways. He was also indebted to them. It was her birthday, and he hadn't even bothered to prepare a gift. It was terrible!
A gift... Where could he find a gift now? What does Qingwan like?
Ming Tian was completely clueless in this area, and he could only fret. Qingwan's birthday banquet would start soon.
He looked around, thinking of his master, but then he thought...
"What? You want me to help you with chasing girls? Ming Tian, why do you ask your master for everything? Your master is also single!!"
Right, with Meng Qianji's straightforwardness, he would definitely roast him like that...
What to do? What to do?
He rubbed the storage ring on his hand; he would do this small action when he was anxious.
Looking at his storage ring, he suddenly thought of something...
In this small thirty-cubic-meter storage ring, there was a one-thousand-cubic-meter storage ring worth thirty million gold soul coins...
Wasteful! Wasteful!
His master would probably beat him to death if he knew.
Just as Ming Tian was thinking, Yan Qingwan's birthday banquet began, and Ming Tian had to hurry over.
He saw that the area prepared by the Yan family to entertain guests was already filled with people. Ming Tian quickly found a corner to sit down. Looking at the people present, he soon recognized some familiar faces: Gan Ling, Ning Tong...
And Yuan Yun, Yuan Yu. These two siblings had particularly prominent positions, and Yuan Yu was chatting and laughing with Yan Qingwan. Behind them, a middle-aged man was talking with Yan Wei. Through others' conversations, he learned that this person was the City Lord of Tianling City, Yuan Tianxiong!
Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Yan Wei walked out with a smile, expressed his gratitude to those who had come, and began to host the banquet's opening. When the atmosphere was sufficiently built up, Yan Wei came out and said:
"Thank you all for your presence today. My daughter's sixth birthday is today. As you all know, it is the day of Martial Soul awakening. Therefore, my daughter's Martial Soul awakening will begin under your witness. I believe this is the Yan family's honor, and even my daughter's!"
"So, I will now invite my daughter to come out and prepare for the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony!"
With that, Yan Qingwan walked out under everyone's gaze. She was much more beautiful than usual today, wearing a dress in shades of crimson and azure, with colors that deepened from light to dark, and a dark crimson robe over it, with a turquoise skirt with cloud patterns.
Yan Qingwan wore a pentagonal wooden plaque around her neck, wider at the bottom and narrower at the top. She walked to her father, Yan Wei, and gently bowed.
"My daughter, are you ready?"
"I'm ready."
Yan Qingwan said calmly, and Yan Wei nodded, gesturing to He Chen.
He Chen held the Soul Awakening Sphere and came before Yan Qingwan.
"Miss, please place your hands on it and feel the soul power within you."
Yan Qingwan did as she was told, gently placing her hands on the Awakening Sphere, feeling the trace of soul power within her body.
"Buzz――――"
Instantly, the Awakening Sphere lit up brightly, and Yan Qingwan felt that a certain power within her body had awakened. A crimson large petal lotus blossom phantom blossomed behind her.
"This is..."
The crimson lotus flower spun, its petals opening one by one, and a girl's figure unfolded on the lotus seat inside.
Orange-red was the color of this girl. Her hair was a mass of burning orange flames, with three diamond-shaped lotus petals on her forehead, and sharp eyebrows, a fierce gaze that looked down on everything, and her eyes were also orange-red. She stretched out her slender arms, with lotus petal bracelets on her wrists, the lotus petals overlapping to form a skirt, and her toes lightly touching the lotus seat, appearing behind Yan Qingwan.
"This is, Lotus Maiden! It's Yan Lotus Maiden! It's Empress A'zi's Martial Soul!"
"Mom! It's Mom's Martial Soul!"
Yan also shouted. The "A'zi" they were referring to was Yan Wei's deceased wife, Yan Qingwan and Yan's mother, Empress A'zi!
Yan Qingwan was also in tears at this moment, not expecting that she would inherit her mother's Martial Soul, and the feeling of her mother's presence had returned.
"Congratulations, Miss, on awakening this Martial Soul. Your mother's spirit in heaven will be very pleased."
"Please proceed with the innate soul power test."
The Yan Lotus Maiden was definitely a top-quality Martial Soul, which caused envy among those present. They wondered what the innate soul power of this top-quality Martial Soul would be.
Yan Qingwan continued to test her innate soul power, placing her hands on another sphere.
The light flared up again, and this time everyone couldn't sit still. Yuan Tianxiong, Yuan Yun, Yuan Yu, Gan Ling, Ming Tian, and others all stood up.
"This is, Innate Full Soul Power?!"