The city of Spirit Hall was nestled between the two great empires—Heaven Dou and Star Luo. As one of the twin sacred lands of the Spirit Hall, it was also home to the Pope's Palace, a place of immense prestige and influence.
The city's fortifications were built to the standards of an imperial capital, with towering granite walls rising a full eighty meters high. These walls were crafted from premium granite and stood tall and majestic—an awe-inspiring sight.
Today was the annual Spirit Awakening Day.
As a sacred ground of the Spirit Hall, the city of Spirit Hall naturally had a special hall dedicated to spirit awakenings. And due to the city's elite status, the hall in charge of the awakenings was of an exceptionally high grade—almost intimidatingly so.
Early that morning, crowds of children and their families had already lined up outside the hall, forming a long queue. Each face was filled with anticipation and excitement.
Among the crowd was a small, thin boy standing alone—no parents by his side.
He wore a light blue tunic and black trousers. His delicate, youthful features were clean-cut and handsome. His hair was neatly combed, and his bright eyes darted around, full of curiosity.
Though only six years old, his appearance drew second glances from many passersby. Some little girls even stared at him with their wide, sparkling eyes.
"Sigh... this line is so long. I bet there aren't this many people at other awakening halls," the boy muttered to himself with a sigh, sounding oddly mature for his age.
Li Chang'an had originally been a web novel author on Earth. However, he never managed to find success, and one day, after drinking to vent his frustrations, he was hit by a car and died. When he woke up, he found himself in the world of Douluo Dalu.
He had been reborn into an ordinary merchant family in Spirit Hall City. This wasn't one of those cliché reincarnations where his parents were dead and he inherited some mysterious lineage—his background was as clean and mundane as it gets.
For the past six years, Li Chang'an hadn't discovered any cheat-like system attached to him, nor was his family part of some ancient sect. His life had been peaceful and unremarkable.
But today was a different story. Spirit Awakening Day would determine the path he would take for the rest of his life. If his spirit was decent, he would forge his own destiny. But if it turned out to be a weak one, he was prepared to give up and follow in his father's footsteps, helping with the family business and living a quiet life away from the martial world.
While lost in thought, Li Chang'an found himself already inside the awakening hall—his first time stepping into this sacred space of the Spirit Hall.
The hall was vast and decorated in a grand and solemn style. In the center stood a crystal ball atop a stone pedestal, and beside it was a middle-aged man dressed in plain robes.
Behind this man sat three red-robed archbishops. Their eyes were closed, expressions unreadable, but the aura of authority they exuded was impossible to ignore.
These three archbishops were the main reason why so many people flocked to Spirit Hall City to awaken their spirits. With such high-ranking officials present, any child with a decent spirit might be recruited directly into the Spirit Hall Academy. If their talent was truly exceptional, they might even catch the eye of one of the Spirit Hall's top figures and be taken in as a personal disciple!
"Next!"
The robed official called out to Li Chang'an, motioning for him to come forward.
"Name?"
The man was slightly surprised by how handsome the boy was and softened his tone.
Li Chang'an wasn't shy in the least. He bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle and said respectfully, "Hello big brother. My name is Li Chang'an."
"Li Chang'an, huh? Very polite. Good. Now, step up to the crystal ball and place your hand on it."
The official nodded in approval. This little boy was far more well-mannered than most others, so he naturally spoke more kindly.
Li Chang'an obeyed and approached the crystal ball, placing his right hand gently on its surface.
As his palm made contact, the hexagram formation beneath his feet began to glow softly, wrapping him in a warm, soothing light.
The glow grew brighter and brighter. The crystal ball began to shine with a brilliant radiance, yet no spirit had manifested just yet. However, the intense light radiating from the formation bathed the entire hall in golden brilliance.
This unusual phenomenon quickly drew the attention of the three archbishops. They rose from their seats and fixed their eyes on Li Chang'an.
'Could this be... the emergence of a powerful spirit?'
When the light reached its peak, something finally appeared in Li Chang'an's right hand—it was an axe. A completely jet-black axe!
Its handle resembled black jade—deep and elegant, not at all gaudy. The blade gleamed with a glossy black sheen, giving off an intense, razor-sharp aura.
The atmosphere in the hall immediately became more oppressive. Even some of the children who had already completed their awakening turned pale. The official beside Li Chang'an subconsciously took a few steps back.
One of the archbishops widened his eyes in disbelief and muttered, "Dominant suppression... absolute suppression... How is this possible? He doesn't even have a spirit ring yet!"
But the surprises didn't stop there.
As if unable to control himself, Li Chang'an's left hand slowly opened, and a small bell appeared above his palm.
Though the bell wasn't large, its presence was immense—it radiated a sense of weight and ancient majesty. It didn't have the sharpness of the axe, but its oppressive gravity was just as terrifying.
"Twin... twin spirits!" the three archbishops exclaimed in unison. Their jaws dropped wide enough to fit a whole egg inside.
With the emergence of his two spirits, the crystal ball crumbled into dust, and the formation beneath him faded into darkness.
Li Chang'an, however, was oblivious to the reactions around him. At the exact moment his spirits appeared, a crisp mechanical voice rang out in his mind!
At this moment, if it weren't for his decent self-control, he might have already burst into tears.
"System, damn it—you finally showed up!"
[Ding! Martial Soul Awakening… System initializing.]
[Ding! The 'Strongest Public Show-Off System' has successfully bound to the host.]
[Ding! You've displayed your twin martial souls in front of everyone. Show-off successful!]
[Su Yi contributed 2 points.]
[Gao Hengtian contributed 1 point.]
[Xue Ling contributed 1 point.]
A dense list of names followed—people who were stunned by Li Chang'an's twin martial souls. Based on their strength and influence, they each contributed a certain number of points...
[Ding! Character Panel:
Name: Li Chang'an
Age: 6
Gender: Male
Martial Souls: Pangu Axe (Defective Version), donghuang Bell (Defective Version)
Soul Power: Innate Level 10 (Missing Soul Ring)
Points: 1314
Evaluation: Aside from being handsome… you're basically useless!]