Ten SSS-Grade Martial Souls? You’ve Got to Be Kidding! - Chapter 1:

Chapter 1: Xu Qiu, Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony

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Blue Star, Great Xia.

Walking down the street, Xu Qiu looked at the various advertisements around him and finally confirmed that he had truly transmigrated.

He had arrived in a parallel world with a technological level similar to his previous life, but where martial arts and Exotic Beasts coexisted.

“Martial Arts World, Exotic Beasts… My god, a world like this really exists. Novels really didn’t lie to me!” Xu Qiu exclaimed.

At the same time, he felt a trace of fear. 

Reading about such worlds in novels was thrilling, but actually living in one was a completely different experience. Who knew if an Exotic Beast might suddenly appear from somewhere and devour him?

According to the original owner’s memories, Exotic Beasts ran rampant in this world, and even cities were not absolutely safe. Historically, many powerful Exotic Beasts had destroyed entire cities.

“Power. I must obtain power!”

Xu Qiu clenched his fists tightly.

Martial arts were the only force in this world capable of contending with Exotic Beasts. Only by mastering martial arts could one gain the right to survive.

“Based on the original owner’s memories, his academic and martial performance were both excellent. In today’s Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony, there’s a good chance he’ll awaken a powerful Martial Soul!” Xu Qiu thought to himself.

The Martial Soul was an essential foundation for a Martial Artist’s cultivation.

Martial Artists with Martial Souls far surpassed ordinary Martial Artists in achievement. Generally, Martial Souls awakened around the age of sixteen. Therefore, major high schools held a Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony when students advanced to their final year, identifying those with Martial Souls and determining their grades before placing them into specialized classes for focused training.

Xu Qiu was a student at Qingyun No. 3 High School in Qingyun City.

He was also extremely well-known at the school. Whether in academics or martial studies, his performance was outstanding. It was almost certain that he would awaken a Martial Soul, and possibly one of a very high grade.

By the time he arrived at the school, the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony had already begun.

“Ah Qiu, over here!”

A pleasant voice called out.

Xu Qiu looked over and saw a bright and charming girl in a school uniform waving at him. She was Xiao Mei, the original owner’s girlfriend and one of the two campus belles of Qingyun High School.

Many students looked at him with envy.

“the academic prodigy Xu is here! This time, he’ll definitely awaken a powerful Martial Soul. At least B-grade!”

“B-grade? You’re underestimating him. It has to be at least A-grade!”

“Do you think it’s possible he could awaken an S-grade?”

“Heh, S-grade is hard to imagine. In all these years, only a few S-grade Martial Souls have appeared in the entire Qingyun City. Every one of them is listed on the Qingyun City Hall of Honor for countless citizens to admire!”

“But this is the academic prodigy Xu. Maybe he really can awaken an S-grade.”

Under the envious gazes of the crowd, Xu Qiu walked to Xiao Mei. She linked her arm with his, lifted her chin proudly as she sensed the jealous looks from the other girls, and said, “Ah Qiu, what kind of Martial Soul do you think you’ll awaken this time?”

“As long as I awaken one, that’s enough. As for its grade, that depends on fate,” Xu Qiu replied with a slight smile, subtly withdrawing his hand from her embrace. She was a bit too enthusiastic, which made him uncomfortable.

In truth, he felt little attachment to this girlfriend. After all, she was the original owner’s girlfriend, and he had only just transmigrated and was not familiar with her.

“Ah Qiu, you’ll definitely awaken a high-grade Martial Soul! Oh, right—if I can’t awaken a Martial Soul, or if mine is very low-grade, would you dislike me?” Xiao Mei asked pitifully, looking at him.

“Of course not. We’ve been together for so long. Whether you have a Martial Soul or not, you’re still my girlfriend,” he said, then asked in return, “What if I can’t awaken a Martial Soul?”

Xiao Mei smiled and said, “That’s impossible. Ah Qiu, you’ll definitely awaken a powerful Martial Soul. You’ll have to protect me in the future.”

Xu Qiu smiled and did not press the matter further.

On the high platform, the principal of No. 3 High School brought out a device with a crystal ball placed on top and announced loudly, “The Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony now begins! Students, step forward one by one according to your student numbers for testing!”

“Li Ziyang!”

A boy in a blue-and-white school uniform with sharp brows and bright eyes stepped forward and placed his hand on the crystal ball.

One second later, the crystal ball emitted a white glow. Within the light, a massive snow-white wolf gradually appeared. As the wolf manifested, the surrounding temperature began to drop.

The principal’s eyes lit up. “An A-grade Beast Martial Soul—the Snow Wolf King!”

The crowd erupted in astonishment.

“It’s actually an A-grade Martial Soul?!”

“Wow, Li Ziyang is unbelievably lucky!”

“I can’t believe the very first person awakened an A-grade Martial Soul!”

Li Ziyang’s face was filled with excitement. He looked toward Xu Qiu in the crowd, slightly raised his chin, and revealed a hint of provocation in his eyes.

“Tsk, Li Ziyang and Xu Qiu have never gotten along. They’re always competing. I heard Li Ziyang even pursued Xiao Mei, but she chose Xu Qiu in the end. Now that he’s awakened an A-grade Martial Soul, no wonder he wants to show off. If Xu Qiu can’t awaken an A-grade Martial Soul, it’ll be embarrassing for him.”

“The academic prodigy Xu is handsome and excels in every subject. Li Ziyang skips classes and causes trouble with his gang all the time, like a street punk. If I were Xiao Mei, I’d choose the academic prodigy Xu too.”

As the crowd buzzed with discussion, Xiao Mei pouted beside Xu Qiu and said, “Li Ziyang is just ridiculously lucky. But Ah Qiu, you’re definitely better than him!”

After Li Ziyang returned to the crowd, he was immediately surrounded and praised, which made him even more smug.

Meanwhile, the others continued awakening their Martial Souls.

Martial Souls were classified into SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, D, E, and F grades. The higher the grade, the rarer it was. Generally, an A-grade Martial Soul was already one in a thousand, an S-grade was one in ten thousand, and an SS-grade was one in hundreds of millions. Across the entire Great Xia, there were only a handful of SS-grade Martial Souls. As for the highest SSS-grade, it existed only in legends across all of Blue Star—such Martial Souls were worthy of being recorded in history.

Therefore, for most students, awakening an A-grade Martial Soul was already the pinnacle of life. Awakening an S-grade would bring honor to one’s ancestors.

After Li Ziyang, no one else awakened an A-grade Martial Soul. Some students failed to awaken any Martial Soul at all and stood aside with dejected expressions.

“Next, Xiao Mei!”

Now it was Xiao Mei’s turn.

She stepped forward nervously and placed her hand on the crystal ball.

In an instant, the crystal radiated brilliant light, and the device emitted a humming sound. Within the glow, a deep-blue trident emerged, releasing waves of aqua-blue radiance.

The principal of No. 3 High School couldn’t help but exclaim, “An S-grade Weapon Martial Soul—the Sea King’s Trident!”