Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends.

The blizzard that had been raging for several days finally stopped on the third day.

Several gaps opened up in the thick, lead-gray clouds, refracting brilliant golden sunlight.

Lin Wan curled up in the pile of decaying grass, hugging her knees with both hands.

Several days of hunger had left him dizzy and extremely weak.

"Clang! Clang!"

Just as Lin Wan was about to faint, several penetrating sounds suddenly entered his ears, bringing him back to consciousness.

Lin Wan suddenly opened her eyes, and a guess instantly formed in her mind: Could it be that the Spirit Hall's Soul Masters have arrived?

Sure enough, the hoarse voice of the village elder, Drus, soon reached them.

"All children aged six and above, immediately! Gather at the Martial Soul Branch Hall in the center of the village. The Soul Master has arrived. The Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony will begin immediately."

A slight smile appeared on Lin Wan's pale face.

"The awakening of the martial spirit has finally arrived."

His voice was weak but filled with hope for the future.

Lin Wan staggered up from the pile of rotting grass, the icy air instantly sending a chill down his spine.

He hastily brushed the grass clippings off his body, then took his porcelain bowl from the corner of the hut.

Today, the food team will return with the Spirit Hall's Soul Masters. Lin Wan guessed that they would definitely distribute food soon, since the villagers had been starving for several days.

"Brother Wan! Brother Wan!"

Gouwa stumbled over, his little face blue from the cold, snot dripping from his nose, but his eyes were shining brightly.

"The Soul Master is here! Does that mean we'll have food to eat?"

Lin Wan glanced at Gouwa helplessly.

I knew he was a bit slow, but I never expected his only concern would be being able to eat.

"Ah."

Helplessly, Lin Wan took Gouwa's cold little hand, stepped out of the hut, and headed towards the Martial Soul Branch Hall in the center of the village.

The blizzard had been raging for several days, and the snow in the village was deep, making every step Lin Wan took extremely difficult.

But then he thought about how he would soon awaken his martial soul, and his resolve instantly hardened.

He gritted his teeth and pulled Gouwa forward again.

Chapter 3 Gouwa is actually a genius!

The Martial Soul Branch Hall in Hanbei Village is a house built of stone blocks, with a thick layer of snow on the roof and long icicles hanging from the eaves.

The only thing that distinguishes it from the other houses in the village is a faded flag hanging at its entrance, with a blurred image of a six-winged angel symbolizing the Spirit Hall.

Above the lintel is a wooden plaque inscribed with the name of the Wuhun Hall Hanbei Village Branch.

When Lin Wan and Gouwa arrived, there were already more than a dozen children gathered in the hall. With Lin Wan, Gouwa, and others arriving one after another, there were about twenty people in total.

These twenty-odd children are almost all the children in Hanbei Village who are to be awakened this year.

In the center of the main hall stood a man dressed in a plain white robe.

The robe was of a much better quality than the villagers' coarse linen. The cuffs and collar were embroidered with pale silver patterns that symbolized frost and snow. Although it was also a bit old, it was washed clean and spotless.

Lin Wan recognized the man; he was Anxi, a deacon of the Spirit Hall in Tianshuang City. In previous years, he was the one who came to awaken the spirits of Hanbei Village.

However, he seemed a little impatient at the moment, while old Drews was bowing and scraping beside him as he spoke.

After carefully counting the number of children present, old Drews respectfully addressed Anxi: "They're all here. All the children are here this year."

Anxi nodded to old Drews, "Now that you're all here, the children can go inside, and you can wait outside."

Upon entering the hall, Anxi took out several stones and a crystal ball from his pocket.

"My name is Anxi, a level 31 Soul Master, and my Martial Soul is the Frostbird."

He introduced himself to Lin Wan and the others, and then took a step forward.

With each step he landed, a cold yet powerful aura erupted from his body.

The air inside the hall seemed to freeze instantly, the temperature dropped sharply, and a thin layer of white frost even condensed on the walls at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The twenty-odd children instinctively hugged their arms and backed away, their eyes filled with awe and fear.

Anzai's eyes lit up with a blue light, his golden hair moved without wind, and wisps of cold air swirled around him.

Behind him, a huge bird, its entire body made of crystal-clear ice and with a wingspan of nearly two meters, appeared.

The bird's silhouette was incredibly lifelike, each feather shimmering with a cold light. Its sharp, icy eyes looked down upon all living beings, and with a slight flap of its wings, it sent tiny ice crystals fluttering down.

"Martial Soul Possession!"

Lin Wan looked at Anxi with envy in her eyes.

This is the power of a Soul Master—extraordinary and detached, controlling elemental forces. Seeing it with your own eyes is a thousand times more awe-inspiring than any written description.

Anxi did not maintain the possession of the Martial Soul for too long, after all, the possession of the Martial Soul also consumes Soul Power.

The illusory image of the ice bird behind him appeared only briefly before slowly dissipating, but the powerful pressure and the drop in temperature inside the hall deeply shocked all the children present.

He composed himself, regaining his composure, and pointed at the black magic circle on the ground, his voice remaining calm and even:

"Line up, one at a time. Stand in the center of the magic circle and don't move."

The awakening has begun.

Anxi stretched out his hand, his slender fingers shimmering with a faint white halo—the light of his soul power.

He flicked his finger, and six streams of condensed soul power were precisely injected into the six black stones surrounding the magic array.

Om-!

The six black stones were instantly lit up, emitting a faint light.

The first child was a small, thin boy, and I was especially nervous in the dim light.

His body trembled violently, and after a moment, a rusty, clearly miniature version of a woodcutter's knife appeared shakily in his hand.

Anxi expressionlessly picked up a fist-sized blue crystal ball with what appeared to be flowing mist inside: "Put your hand on it."

The boy trembled as he placed his hand on the crystal ball, but the crystal ball did not react and remained as still as a dead object.

“No soul power. Next.” Anzai’s voice was flat.

The second child awakened to be the ice flower commonly seen in Skyfrost City.

The crystal ball remained unresponsive.

The third one is an ice chicken with sparse feathers.

Fourth, a twisted, splinter-covered fire poker...

The fifth one was a pitted, gray stone...

As each child completed their awakening, Anzai's expression grew increasingly calm.

The atmosphere inside the main hall grew increasingly oppressive and heavy.

Lin Wan stood in the middle of the line, while Gouwa stood in front of him.

Lin Wan grew increasingly nervous as he looked at the individuals in front of him who lacked soul power. He clenched his fists, forcing himself to calm down.

"Next." Anzai's voice already carried a hint of fatigue.

It's Gouwa's turn.

He glanced at Lin Wan, then stood with a silly grin in the center of the glowing magic circle.

A soft light enveloped him.

The light from the magic circle seemed to be a few degrees brighter than before.

Gouwa's body stiffened abruptly, as if a power carrying an icy aura had been awakened within him.

He let out a muffled groan, his small body trembling violently, and blue veins faintly bulging beneath his exposed skin.

The surrounding temperature seemed to have dropped a little more, and the ice crystals condensing in the air seemed to be denser.

Under everyone's gaze, a blurry beast-like figure began to appear on his right hand.

It was a large bear cub covered in thick, white fur.

Ice Bear!

Anxi's usually calm and collected eyes lit up the moment she saw the Ice Bear Martial Soul take shape.

He knew this martial spirit; in the vicinity of Frost City, ice-type beast martial spirits were not extremely rare.

However, the Ice Bear is definitely a top-grade martial soul with great power and considerable potential.

"good very good!"

For the first time, Anzai's voice carried a hint of warmth, "Child, place your hand on the crystal ball. Concentrate and feel the power within you."

Gouwa was a little confused by Anxi's reaction, but he still did as he was told and carefully placed his little hand, which still had frostbite, on the crystal ball.

Anxi's heart was in his throat.

Lin Wan also held his breath; he knew the crucial moment was approaching.

The moment Gouwa's palm touched the crystal ball, the dark crystal ball emitted a gentle golden light.

The light was steady and dazzling, casting a golden glow on Gouwa's little face and Anxi's surprised face.

"Innate Soul Power Level 7!"

Anxi's voice was filled with barely concealed excitement, "Good! Very good! Child, what's your name? Would you like to join the Spirit Hall? The Spirit Hall can give you the best training and help you become a powerful Soul Master!"

His gaze toward Gouwa was filled with the joy of discovering a hidden gem.

With innate soul power at level 7 and the Ice Bear Martial Soul, this is definitely a promising talent worth nurturing.

He had been awakening his martial spirit for decades, and finally encountered a promising talent.

Chapter 4: Martial Soul Awakening

For Anxi, as long as he sends the genius Gouwa to the Spirit Hall, he can gain enormous benefits, and he might even be able to live in Spirit City.

The sudden surprise completely stunned Gouwa, whose brain was already struggling.

He glanced at the crystal ball radiating golden light, then at the excited Soul Master, and finally subconsciously looked at Lin Wan in the crowd.

He scratched his messy hair, and stammered with a heavy nasal tone, "I...I...I need to ask Brother Wan first!"

"Brother Wan?"

Anxi paused slightly, then followed Gouwa's gaze to Lin Wan.

He was a boy who was equally thin, but whose eyes were unusually calm, unlike a six-year-old child.

A hint of surprise crossed his mind, but he didn't delve into it, simply nodding gently.

"Okay, go stand aside and think it over."

He gestured for Gouwa to stand behind him near the magic circle, his attitude clearly extremely eager.

After all, he is a genius who has the potential to become a Soul Saint in the future, so befriending him is the best choice.

After Gouwa, it was Lin Wan's turn.

He took a deep breath, trying to use the cold air to calm his wildly beating heart.

Three years of waiting, more than a thousand days and nights of struggling in hunger and cold, all hope and despair have now converged into this moment.

Lin Wan stepped onto the six-pointed star array made of black stones.

As he stood in the center of the magic circle, Anxi once again infused the six black stones with his soul power.

Om-!

The golden light shone again, stronger and more dazzling than ever before.

Countless golden specks of light appeared and then flowed into Lin Wan's body.