The Beginning of the Story

"In that vast universe, there was a brilliant blue planet. It was the center of the universe, and also a forbidden existence. We came from it, and we were searching for the road home."

Kaluya Village was a tiny village on the border of the Heaven Dou Empire.

A group of children had gathered on a small hill.

In their midst, a "king of the kids" was solemnly telling them "stories of a faraway place."

"Brother Lin, does that mean you came from that faraway place and ended up stranded here?"

"Isn't that sad? I have a mommy and daddy, but you don't, Brother Lin."

"Boo-hoo~ Brother Lin, you can have my steamed bun. Let's not miss home, okay?"

Wei Lin planted his hands on his hips, looking like a proud little peacock.

"You should keep it for yourselves. Who do you think your Brother Lin is? I'm someone who'll do great things someday, for real. Even Titled Douluo will all be working under me."

As the children cheered, Wei Lin's grin grew even more swaggering, and he continued his "bragging"... his tale celebrating a legend.

It was only when the sun was about to set and the children were called home by their parents one after another that the smile gradually faded from Wei Lin's face.

Yeah, he missed home.

This place wasn't home, after all.

He plopped down on the mound of earth, his eyes reddening slightly as he watched the setting sun sink.

"Damn heavens! What the fuck did I do to deserve this?! Did you have to hit me with a meteorite?! And I was the only one it killed! I really ********"

After cursing for a good while, Wei Lin flopped onto his back, drained of strength.

Since coming to the Douluo Continent, he had arrived in the Star Dou Great Forest as a baby. Just when he thought he was about to land and turn into a loot box, a pair of hands had picked him up. Then there was no then.

When he woke up, he was in this little village, taken in and raised by a kind family.

"Sigh~ It's been twelve years since I came to this world. Where's my cheat? Did I really transmigrate naked?"

Wei Lin raised his right hand, and a scroll slowly appeared.

This was his Martial Soul.

A very "ordinary" scroll.

"What on earth is inside this thing? Why can't I open it, no matter what I try?"

Over the past six years, Wei Lin had tried many times to open it and see what was inside. It looked impressive enough, but when he was tested, his Soul Power showed a big fat goose egg.

Wasn't that ridiculous?

"Brother Lin, it's time to eat!"

A young voice called from afar, and two ten-year-old girls waved to him from a long way off.

"All right, Qingfeng, Qingyu, I'm coming."

Wei Lin stood up and dusted off his backside. These two little ones were the daughters of the family that had adopted him, a pair of adorable twin sisters exactly two years younger than him.

He had even chosen their names himself. They sounded nice, didn't they?

Just as he took that first step, a voice he had longed to hear day and night rang out in his mind.

"Ding~ System activating... activation successful. Welcome back, my lord. The Strongest Game System has been activated. A beginner gift pack will now be issued. Please enjoy the game, my lord."

Name: Wei Lin

Age: 12

Martial Soul: Map of Mountains, Rivers, and the State

Soul Power: 0

Items: beginner gift pack

"This... my cheat? Holy shit! Six years! Do you know how I've spent these six years?!"

Wei Lin felt his eyes grow a little warm.

Who could understand the delight he had felt when he first awakened his Martial Soul, only to be sent plunging to rock bottom by his Soul Power?

But...

The Map of Mountains, Rivers, and the State?

Wei Lin stared at those words for quite a while.

Are you sure you didn't get the name wrong? With that big fat goose egg for Soul Power, could his Martial Soul really be something that badass?

That was the Map of Mountains, Rivers, and the State! A supreme-grade innate spirit treasure, one of the supreme treasures the great goddess Nüwa had used to attain the Dao!

Put that thing on the Douluo Continent, and he should have become a god on the spot. Instead, he got a goose egg? Wasn't this a joke?

It couldn't be Aha looking for amusement, could it?

Wei Lin nodded slowly. That was possible too. When in doubt, pass the blame to Aha.

"Whew. Open the beginner gift pack."

Ding~ Beginner gift pack opened.

Obtained pink balls ×30

Obtained basketballs ×30

Congratulations, my lord, you have obtained the Martial Soul: Five Innate Five-Directional Flags (including the central Wu Ji Apricot Yellow Flag / eastern Azure Lotus Treasure-Colored Flag / southern Off-Ground Flame Light Flag / western Plain-Colored Cloud Realm Flag / northern Xuanyuan Water Control Flag)

Note: The five flags can be combined or separated, serving as a single Martial Soul or as individual Martial Souls.

Soul Power: level sixty (equipped with exclusive Soul Spirits): Five Spirit Beasts.

Five Spirit Beasts

Age: ten thousand years

Attributes: ultimate fire / water / earth / wood / metal

Description: A symbiotic entity of five supreme innate exotic beasts. They can appear individually or emerge together as one.

They are: Wu Ji Apricot Yellow Flag · Houtu Dark Qilin / Azure Lotus Treasure-Colored Flag · Azure Radiance Blue Dragon / Off-Ground Flame Light Flag · Li Fire Vermilion Bird / Plain-Colored Cloud Realm Flag · Heavenly Punishment White Tiger / Xuanyuan Water Control Flag · Xuanming Black Tortoise

Five-spirit coordination: When all five flags are arrayed together and all Five Spirit Beasts emerge, they can establish the Innate Five-Directional Five-Element Great Formation. Its five powers of defense, burning annihilation, purification, slaughter, and encirclement evolve in a cycle, forming a world of its own within a barrier.

Innate Five-Element Domain: Wu Ji Thick Earth / Azure Lotus Pure Realm / Li Fire Burns the Heavens / Cloud Realm Metal Sha / Xuanming Weak Water

Five-Directional Primordial Domain.

Ding~ The Five Innate Five-Directional Flags have stabilized the four directions. The Map of Mountains, Rivers, and the State has entered its first stage.

Martial Soul: Map of Mountains, Rivers, and the State (first transformation)

Soul Ring: five-colored

Soul Skill: What Is Thought Is What Is Gained (as long as you dare to imagine it, you can have as many Soul Skills as you want).

"The beginner gift pack has been delivered, and all game system functions are now available. Please enjoy the game, my lord~"

As the system finished speaking, Wei Lin felt a ding in his head, making him suddenly dizzy. It was brief, but it still left him feeling a little unwell.

When his senses returned, he found himself standing before a towering structure amid the clouds.

The Sky Tower.

Although it was only a tower, but...

When Wei Lin turned to look behind him, he saw a city so enormous that he couldn't even begin to imagine its size.

It was just... empty.

Just then, a screen of light appeared before him.

The panel was simple.

Personal information / Backpack / Home / Training ground / Instance portal / Shop / Game gacha

Wei Lin briefly familiarized himself with the panel, then chose to leave.

As the portal opened, Wei Lin slowly walked out.

Beyond the door was the very spot where he had been standing.

The sun was still slowly sinking in the evening sky.

Yet Wei Lin felt especially at ease now.

He didn't immediately check his body.

The influx of Soul Power made him feel especially full. Although the system had loaded it directly into him, it felt as though he had cultivated it himself.

Yeah, no wonder they said cheating felt good for a moment, and cheating all the time felt good all the time.

"For now, though, eating comes first."

Wei Lin set off toward home.

His slightly bent back slowly straightened.