The black light that surrounded Victor condensed slowly.
At first it appeared similar to William's awakening, and several elders even leaned forward with renewed interest. The dark aura thickened behind Victor's back as though something was preparing to emerge. For a brief moment the hall grew completely silent again.
Then the shape revealed itself.
It did not resemble a beast, weapon, or elemental spirit.
Instead, a small mass of dark liquid slowly formed in the air behind Victor. The substance trembled gently like thick ink suspended in water. It pulsed weakly and shifted its shape without any clear structure.
The strange creature gave a faint ripple.
Then it simply floated there.
The silence inside the Martial Hall became heavy.
Several people blinked in confusion, as though they had not understood what they were seeing.
Harold stared at the floating mass for several seconds before narrowing his eyes. His spiritual energy briefly brushed against the martial soul as he examined it carefully.
Victor remained calm inside the beam of light, but he noticed every subtle change in the atmosphere around him.
Finally Harold withdrew his energy and spoke in a solemn tone.
"Low level Grade One martial soul."
He paused slightly before continuing.
"Dark Slime."
The words fell into the hall like a stone dropped into still water.
For a moment no one spoke.
The expectations that had filled the hall earlier had been extremely high. Victor was known throughout the estate as a child who trained relentlessly. Even the elders had occasionally praised his discipline. Many people had believed he might awaken a powerful martial soul similar to William's.
But what appeared behind him now was nothing more than a lump of dark slime.
Several younger children could not hold back their laughter before their parents quickly silenced them.
The elders exchanged strange looks with each other.
Richard stood silently at the front of the hall.
The bright excitement that had filled his eyes earlier slowly faded. His gaze remained fixed on the small trembling mass behind Victor for a long moment.
He did not say anything.
However the slight crease that formed on his forehead revealed his disappointment clearly.
Richard had ended his secluded cultivation early to attend this ceremony. One grandson had awakened a grade nine martial soul. That had been a tremendous surprise.
He had briefly allowed himself to hope the second grandson might possess similar potential.
But reality had turned out very different.
A grade one martial soul was considered the lowest category of martial spirit. Most warriors who possessed such spirits struggled even to reach the early stages of cultivation.
Richard slowly exhaled.
His expression returned to calm, but the excitement from earlier was gone.
Near the side of the hall, David felt his chest tighten.
His fingers unconsciously gripped Sarah's hand harder.
Sarah lowered her head slightly. The sadness in her eyes was difficult to hide. For years she had watched her son wake before sunrise to train in the yard. She had believed that effort would surely bring some reward.
Yet the martial soul that appeared now looked so weak that it seemed almost fragile.
David gently released her hand and forced a small smile.
"It is alright," he said quietly.
His voice was steady, but the faint heaviness inside it could not be concealed completely.
Inside the hall whispers slowly began to spread.
"A grade one martial soul…"
"After all that training?"
"I thought the son of David Walker might at least awaken something decent."
"What a waste of effort."
Some of the younger family members looked toward Victor with clear disdain. In aristocratic martial families, strength determined one's value. A weak martial soul often meant a limited future.
Marcus Walker stood near the center of the hall beside William.
His expression remained stern as always, but his eyes briefly glanced toward his son.
William stood proudly near his grandfather. The faint shadow of the Sabertooth Tiger still flickered behind him.
When he heard Harold's announcement, a faint smile slowly appeared on William's face.
He looked toward Victor with unconcealed smugness.
The difference between them had become absolute.
A grade nine martial soul versus a grade one martial soul.
From this day forward the gap between their futures would be as wide as heaven and earth.
Marcus finally spoke.
His tone remained calm, but there was a trace of pride that he did not bother to conceal.
"A martial soul represents fate."
He looked briefly toward Victor before continuing.
"Effort alone cannot change one's talent."
Several elders nearby nodded quietly.
To them the result was already obvious.
William would become the future pillar of the Walker family.
Victor Walker, despite his discipline, would likely remain an ordinary warrior at best.
William crossed his arms and laughed softly.
"Well cousin," he said in a low voice that only Victor could clearly hear.
"All that training… and this is the result."
His eyes lingered on the small floating slime behind Victor with open ridicule.
"What a disappointing martial soul."
The dark slime trembled faintly behind Victor as though responding to the words around it.
Victor slowly stepped out of the hexagonal beam.
The pillar of light faded and the awakening formation gradually dimmed until the hall returned to its normal state.
Dozens of eyes remained fixed on him.
Some carried pity.
Others held ridicule.
A few simply looked indifferent.
Victor ignored all of them.
His gaze shifted briefly toward the dark slime floating beside him.
The creature pulsed gently like a small drop of living shadow.
A grade one martial soul.
Victor's expression remained completely calm.
No frustration appeared on his face.
No embarrassment.
No anger.
Instead a faint, almost imperceptible glimmer of curiosity passed through his eyes. He now wanted to check something.
The grade of a martial soul determined the speed of cultivation.
Each increase in grade meant a proportional increase in absorption speed. If a Grade One martial soul could absorb one unit of energy per second, then a Grade Nine martial soul could absorb nine units in the same time. The difference was enormous.
However, the martial soul was not only a tool for absorbing energy. Every martial soul also possessed a unique innate talent. Generally speaking, the higher the grade, the stronger the talent it granted.
Victor began to consider something carefully.
If the divine card could truly be applied to the slime, then he would be able to compare the absorption speed of a Grade One martial soul with that of a divine grade martial soul.
Only then would he truly understand what kind of level the so called divine grade represented.
Suddenly, a fragment of information surfaced in his mind.
It came directly from the slime.
A simple memory.
[Cleaning: The slime can absorb garbage.]
Victor felt the corner of his eye twitch slightly.
So this was the unique talent of his martial soul.
Now he understood perfectly why everyone in the hall had been looking at him with ridicule.
However, he did not have much time to think about it.
Marcus Walker's voice soon echoed across the hall.
"Father, should we continue the ceremony?"
Richard nodded calmly.
"Proceed."
Soon the other younger members of the family began awakening their martial souls.
Henry, another cousin of Victor, awakened a mid level Grade Six martial soul called the Swift Mantis. Soon after, someone else awakened a Grade Five martial soul.
One after another, the awakenings continued.
By the time dozens of children had completed the ceremony, Victor turned out to be the only one whose martial soul was below Grade Three.
In fact, he possessed the lowest grade of the history.
"From today onward," Richard suddenly said in a cold tone, "William will cultivate directly under my guidance."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Victor's cultivation resources will be reduced to half of what the others receive."
Sarah's eyes widened instantly.
She opened her mouth to protest, but David quickly grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly.
Sarah turned to look at her husband.
David shook his head slightly.
The meaning was clear.
Do not speak.
A tear slowly rolled down Sarah's cheek.
"How can Father treat his own grandson like this?" she whispered painfully.
David did not answer her question.
Instead, he looked toward Victor.
"Come here."
Victor walked toward him.
Although his martial soul was disappointing, Victor's expression remained calm.
David handed him a thin booklet.
"Even if your martial soul is not remarkable, you can still achieve something through hard work," David said steadily.
"This is the basic energy cultivation technique of the Walker family. Try to comprehend it within thirty days. If you succeed, you may be able to become a One Star Spirit Warrior within a few months or perhaps a few years."
His voice sounded calm, but Victor could clearly sense the heaviness hidden inside it.
Victor accepted the booklet and nodded.
"Thank you, Father. I will do my best."
At that moment, William's voice sounded nearby.
"Yes, Cousin Victor is very good at training," William said while nodding with exaggerated seriousness.
"I am sure he will cultivate twenty four hours a day and eventually surpass me through sheer willpower and hard work."
Several people nearby chuckled quietly.
The mockery was obvious.
Victor did not even turn his head to look at him.
He simply turned to walk away.
Just as he was about to step forward, a sudden notification appeared inside his mind.