Chapter 4: Martial Soul Awakening
Flender observed the boys, who were wolfing down their food with keen interest. Over the past few days, he had noticed their sensible behavior and dedication to training. Their physical prowess surprised him, and he couldn't help but ponder their potential as Spirit Masters. Deciding that if they awakened satisfactory levels of soul power, he would consider accepting them as his disciples. Despite the misleading name of Phoenix Village, he knew that their martial soul, like his, was still avian in nature
In fact, Flender's recent visit to Phoenix Village was motivated by the prospect of recruiting talented individuals for Shrek Academy. He hoped to find geniuses with high soul power and bring them back to the academy to nurture their potential. Witnessing the Martial Soul awakening ceremony was part of his plan.
As if on cue, a knock at the door signaled the arrival of Old Jie, who informed them that the Spirit Hall representative had arrived. Old Jie explained that he was here to take Sheng Jun and Ma Hongjun to the Martial Soul Hall to awaken their martial souls.
Before they departed, Sheng Yu rushed over and hugged both boys tightly, reminding them that their martial soul wouldn't change their identities as her sons. Sheng Fu smiled encouragingly, wishing them good luck.
...
As they arrived at the Martial Soul Hall, they were greeted by eight other children, each filled with excitement and apprehension. Flender noted the presence of a young man in his twenties, dressed in clean clothes with the unique crest on his chest, marking him as a member of the Spirit Hall. He nodded lightly while Su Yuntao returned the greeting respectfully.
Su Yuntao instructed the children to stand in a row, introducing himself as a twenty-sixth level Spirit Grandmaster. He assured them not to be afraid, explaining the process of martial soul awakening. He laid out six black stones in a hexagonal shape on the ground and instructed the first child to step forward.
"Close your eyes and feel it with your heart" Su Yuntao instructed. Then, with a growl, he invoked his own martial soul "Lone Wolf, Possession!" Sheng Jun and Ma Hongjun watched intently as Su Yuntao's hair quickly grew longer and turned gray. His eyes turned green, his body began to swell, muscles bulged, claws on his hands extended emitting a faint cold light, and two rings of light, one white and one yellow, lingered from his feet to the top of his head. Ma Hongjun mumbled as if he were dreaming "This is the martial soul..." Despite knowing that his martial soul would likely be either pheasants or carrots, Ma Hongjun couldn't help but feel a strong desire emerging in his heart again. However, he also knew it was unlikely for him to awaken a mutated martial soul. He clenched his fists tightly and pursed his lips, bracing himself for whatever awaited him.
The child in the middle of the hexagon couldn't help but yelp in fear. Su Yuntao quickly reassured the frightened child, saying "Don't be afraid. This is the effect of martial soul possession. If any of you become a spirit master in the future, you will have the same ability"
Then, he infused soul power into the stone on the ground. Suddenly, a layer of pale golden light enveloped the child, and golden light points flew out of the stone, entering the boy's body.
"Stretch out your right hand" Su Yuntao ordered.
The boy obeyed, stretching out his right hand. All the light points rushed out, and a small chicken feathers appeared on his arm.
Su Yuntao muttered "Beast-type chicken martial soul?" He shook his head in disappointment.
"Next, I'm going to test whether you have soul power. If you have soul power, then you have a chance to become a spirit master through practice. Now, use your mind to take back your martial soul " Su Yuntao said as he took out a blue crystal ball.
The boy tried for a long time to retrieve the martial soul, nervously putting his hand on the crystal ball.
After a while, Su Yuntao said in disappointment "No soul power, next one"
"Next one" "Next one" the same scene played out one after another. Except for Sheng Jun and Ma Hongjun, all other children were found to have no soul power.
As Ma Hongjun stepped forward for his turn, a sense of anticipation filled the air. Sheng Jun observed with fascination as his friend stood amidst the six stones, surrounded by an unusually high concentration of light spots. Flender and Su Yuntao exchanged meaningful glances, sensing the potential in Ma Hongjun.
Suddenly, Ma Hongjun felt a surge of energy coursing through his body, causing him to gasp in surprise. The air seemed to crackle with energy as his body was engulfed in purple-red flames. His hair transformed into a fiery crimson, and a pair of majestic wings emerged from his back.
A resounding shriek echoed through the Martial Soul Hall, filling the space with the majestic presence of a phoenix. Flender and Su Yuntao watched in awe as Ma Hongjun stood before them, exuding elegance and nobility.
Excitement danced in Flender's eyes as he realized the potential of the boy before him. Flender eagerly urged Ma Hongjun to test his soul power, and Su Yuntao hurriedly stepped forward to assist. As Ma Hongjun placed his hand on the crystal ball, a brilliant light erupted, filling the room with its radiance. Su Yuntao's surprise was palpable as he exclaimed "Innate full soul power! There is actually another innate full soul power besides that boy from the Holy Soul Village, and his martial soul is a Top-tier Beast-type Fire Phoenix, not the useless Blue Silver Grass with no potential for development!"
Sensing an opportunity for promotion, Su Yuntao was about to recruit Ma Hongjun to the Spirit Hall, but Flender was a step ahead of him. Despite his surprise at the mention of another person with innate full soul power, Flender believed that every martial soul had potential for development. He had already decided to do his best to convince Ma Hongjun to accept him as his teacher. Moreover, he planned to visit the Holy Soul Village to find the child with Blue Silver Grass innate full soul power and bring him back to Shrek Academy. Flender was confident that under the academy's guidance, even the blue silver grass would shine brightly.
"Xiao Hongjun, do you want to accept me as your Teacher?" Flender asked eagerly. Ma Hongjun glanced at Flender, feeling a surge of positive emotions toward the man who had taught them so much about martial souls and the outside world. Turning to his brother for reassurance, he found Sheng Jun nodding gently, giving him the confidence to make his decision.
Without hesitation, Ma Hongjun knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times. "Teacher! Hongjun is willing, but please grant Hongjun's wish and accept Brother Jun as well!" he exclaimed loudly.
Flender paused for a moment, considering Ma Hongjun's request. Ultimately, he decided to agree, realizing that the benefits outweighed the drawbacks. Even if Sheng Jun didn't possess soul power, he could still contribute as a helper at the academy. As his disciple and brother of Ma Hongjun, Sheng Jun would have a much better life than remaining in the village.
"Okay, Xiao Hongjun, stand up" Flender said as he helped Ma Hongjun to his feet. Then, he turned to Sheng Jun. "Xiao Jun, do you accept me as your teacher?"
Sheng Jun immediately kneeled and kowtowed three times. "Sheng Jun is willing!" he declared.
Meanwhile, Su Yuntao watched the unexpected turn of events in shock. He felt a sense of gloom wash over him as he realized that his hopes for promotion and a salary increase were dashed. Despite this setback, he couldn't help but try to persuade Ma Hongjun to join the Spirit Hall. "Xiao Hongjun, how about you join our Spirit Hall? I promise the resources and treatment you receive will be on par with the geniuses specially nurtured by our Spirit Hall"
Flender snorted coldly, his spirit saint pressure instantly striking Su Yuntao. Seven rings of light, two yellow, two purple and three black, lingered around Flender, exuding a powerful aura. With an unpleasant expression, Flender addressed Su Yuntao sternly. "Kid, trying to steal my disciple in front of me? Do you take me for air?!"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Aczekial
Aczekial I would like to remind readers that Sheng Jun's memories of his past life are extremely vivid and fragmented (as I have mentioned in the last chapter) due to his nearly dissipating soul. Recovering a soul that was bound to dissipate comes with a price, and in this case, it's the loss of most of his memories. So right now, he is just a kid with slightly more knowledge.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone