Awakening

Douluo Continent, southwest of the Heaven Dou Empire, Fasnuo Province.

Riverbank Village was a simple, unadorned name. It was merely a small village of just over two hundred households outside Moonflower City in Fasnuo Province, named for the riverbank not far beyond the village.

By the small river, a tiny figure sat on a flat stone. He wore a straw hat and gripped a slender bamboo fishing rod. Sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, scattering patches of light across him. They swayed gently in the breeze, bringing a hint of coolness amid the warmth of the sun.

The child stared intently at the water, waiting for a fish to take the bait. Occasionally, a dragonfly skimmed the surface, sending ripples spreading outward. His gaze followed it briefly before returning to his fishing, because this determined whether he would get an extra dish today.

Suddenly, faint ripples appeared on the water's surface, and the bamboo rod in his hand tugged with a pulling force. The child's heartbeat quickened. He immediately jerked the rod upward, pulling a small fish out of the water.

Looking at the fish still flopping about on the grass, the straw-hatted child picked it up and placed it in the bucket he had brought with him. A smile appeared on his young face as he watched the fish in the bucket.

As he looked at the fish, he seemed to recall something. The smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a trace of sorrow.

"Without realizing it, six years have already passed. I wonder if I'll be able to awaken Soul Power after coming here." The child raised his head toward the sky, his young face showing an expression far beyond his years.

Clearly, this child did not belong to this world. As for how he had come here, even he did not know.

He had merely taken a nap after work. When he opened his eyes, he had become a baby. It carried the strange feeling of Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly, except this dream had lasted six years and still had not ended. Gradually, he had accepted reality.

He had been raised by the villagers of Riverbank Village since childhood. When he saw many villagers summon tools out of thin air for their labor, he knew that he had arrived in an extraordinary world.

A few years later, once he could speak, he finally learned where he was.

Douluo Continent, the legendary bottom tier of fantasy worlds, the most unfriendly world imaginable for ordinary people. Without cheat abilities or inheritances, one could not even count as cannon fodder. A commoner's only chance lay in the faint possibility of mutation when awakening a Martial Soul.

The child stood still, staring blankly at the fish in the bucket. His name was Shi Yi. Just like in this life, he had been an orphan in his previous life. This was also the name the Dean had given him. According to the Dean, his surname was Shi, and when he had been found, it had been the Year of Yihai. Hai was the earthly branch, so the heavenly stem had been used for his name. Yi could also mean second-rate—below Jia, but second only to Jia. The position of Yi suited his fate as well, a position that was just right and conformed to the doctrine of the mean. Thus, he had been named Shi Yi.

Back then, as a child, he had not understood the doctrine of the mean or what his fate was. He had only known that Jia was better than Yi. But after growing up, studying, and working, he gradually came to understand that even such a perfectly appropriate position was not easy to attain. Yi perhaps represented the upper limit of ordinary people, as well as the limit of most people.

Many people gave everything they had and still could not reach the rank of Yi. A person's fate had already determined the highest point they could reach. This was even more obvious in this world. Yet when Shi Yi arrived in this strange yet familiar world, his fate had, to some extent, been changed. This was the variable the Dean had often spoken of in his memories.

"The Great Dao has fifty, Heaven derives forty-nine, and man escapes into the one. Perhaps I can seize that one and only variable."

Just as Shi Yi was reminiscing and letting his thoughts drift, the fish thrashed about in the bucket. His hands were still slick with mucus from catching it, causing him to accidentally overturn the bucket. The only fish inside followed the spilling water and wriggled back into the riverbank.

Shi Yi froze for a moment. Looking at the vanished fish, there was not the slightest trace of panic on his young face. Instead, he smiled.

"Xiao Yi, stop fishing! Lord Soul Master will be here soon!" A dry, hoarse, and somewhat urgent cry rang out beside Shi Yi.

Shi Yi turned his head and saw a hunched figure looking at him from not far away. It was Riverbank Village's chief, Li Changshou. As village chief, he had naturally helped support Shi Yi before.

"Grandpa Changshou, I'm coming!" Shi Yi called out. He did not even have time to pack his things, and his young voice carried a trace of excitement and anticipation.

It was recently the time when Spirit Hall came to awaken the Martial Souls of eligible children in the villages around Moonflower City. There was no fixed date for their arrival. Shi Yi only knew that every spring, Spirit Hall came to villages like theirs to conduct awakenings for children of the proper age.

Since Shi Yi had learned to walk, he had witnessed four Martial Soul awakening ceremonies. Yet this small village of only two hundred households had not produced a single Soul Master in years, showing just how difficult awakening was.

The small figure ran to the hunched old man. Shi Yi took the elder's slightly withered hand and said, "Grandpa Changshou, let's go."

Feeling the warmth of Shi Yi's palm, the old man's cloudy gaze fell on him. A faint smile appeared on his wrinkled face. He nodded slightly and said softly, "Let's go. Lord Soul Master is still waiting. Xiao Yi is so clever, perhaps you'll awaken Soul Power."

"Then I'll borrow your auspicious words." Shi Yi smiled as he led the elder forward slowly. He was expectant, but not impatient.

"Oh, haha... You're so young, where did you learn to speak like that?" Li Changshou said with a laugh, shaking his head.

Shi Yi did not answer. He simply smiled along with him and led the old man slowly toward the village.

No one disliked a clever child. As an orphan in his previous life, Shi Yi had struggled through society for many years. Flattery was only the most basic of skills.

Shi Yi's precociousness had even made many Riverbank Village residents consider adopting him, but he had muddled through every attempt by playing innocent. It was not that he had any issue with the villagers. He had already grown accustomed to living alone after being an orphan in his previous life. Parents were an extremely unfamiliar concept to him, and he understood that he had long since lost the ability to trust others unconditionally.

Everyone wore masks to some degree in real life. Drawing close to someone and getting to know them deeply often came at a certain cost. The villagers still treated him kindly, and Shi Yi felt there was nothing wrong with maintaining their current relationship. If he gained the ability, he would repay every bit of their kindness.

Holding the village chief's hand, Shi Yi followed the winding path until he gradually saw smoke rising from cooking fires. Greeting people along the way, the two slowly made their way toward the wooden hut in the center of the village. This counted as the village's Spirit Hall. It did not need to be built by Spirit Hall itself; the residents of every village would voluntarily work together to build one, because this wooden hut might be where the goddess of fortune descended, a place that could change their fates.

The wooden hut's outer walls had been dyed a faint brown by time, while its roof was covered in thick moss, making it appear quite ancient. As soon as he approached, Shi Yi heard the children's chirping discussions from inside. He stopped and waited beside the village chief for Lord Soul Master's arrival.

Soon, a young man carrying a bundle entered the village. He appeared to be in his twenties, with sword-like brows, bright eyes, and strikingly handsome features. He wore a fitted white outfit and a black cloak on his back. At the center of his chest was a fist-sized character for soul. This was the standard attire of Spirit Hall's direct personnel.

"Greetings, respected Battle Soul Master. We must trouble you again this time." Li Changshou spoke as he bowed to the young man. Shi Yi supported him and bowed as well.

The man said nothing. With an arrogant expression, he merely nodded, which counted as returning the greeting.

"I don't have much time. Let's begin quickly," the young man urged.

"Lord Soul Master, please." Hearing this, Li Changshou hurriedly led Shi Yi and invited the young man into the wooden hut.

Shi Yi watched the young man's retreating figure as he entered. This young man had come for four years already and seemed to be the Soul Master responsible for this region of villages. They did not even know his name. Clearly, the young man greatly enjoyed being called Lord Soul Master.

When Li Changshou entered with the young man, the children immediately quieted down and naturally formed a line. Each one looked at the young man with anticipation. Shi Yi glanced at Li Changshou before slowly moving to the edge of the line. Li Changshou then hunched over as he slowly left the wooden hut, as though afraid of disturbing this important ceremony.

A hint of disgust flashed across the young man's face, and he frowned slightly as he swiftly began opening the bundle in his hands. The wooden hut was not used normally. Only when the awakening date approached would the villagers voluntarily clean it, so there was naturally a musty smell of wood inside.

The young man quickly arranged a hexagonal array of black stones on the ground. Shi Yi looked curiously at the black stones, his small hand unconsciously clenching. He understood that, in this world where Martial Souls determined everything, he would soon glimpse his own fate.

"When I call your name, step into the center," the young man said blandly to the children.

The wooden hut was not very bright, with only a few beams of light shining through the windows. The young man stood in the shadows, and paired with his arrogant expression, he frightened the children somewhat. Hearing him, they nodded timidly. Some of the more timid ones seemed too frightened to respond.

Seeing this, Shi Yi bowed slightly to the young man. "Yes, Lord Soul Master."

A trace of surprise flashed through the young man's eyes as he looked at Shi Yi. Then he heard Shi Yi add, "Grandpa Village Chief said Lord Soul Master is a good person, so you don't need to be afraid."

The young man also patiently forced out a smile and nodded. "Children, big brother is here to help awaken your Martial Souls. Don't be afraid."

Then, the young man waved one hand and shouted, "Summon, Iron Spear."

An extremely ordinary iron spear appeared in the young man's hand. It was pitch-black throughout, its Sharpness tip gleaming with a metallic luster. As the Iron Spear appeared, the young man also flamboyantly spun it in a flourish.

To Shi Yi, a corporate drone from a modern civilization in his previous life, this felt unbelievably cringeworthy. Even his toes curled in embarrassment. Still, Shi Yi gave him plenty of face and started clapping. The children beside him stared at the young man with anticipation and admiration in their young eyes, joining Shi Yi in applause.

Thanks to the young man's awkward performance, the children were no longer afraid. One by one, they obediently began following his instructions.

As the first child slowly entered the Awakening Array, the entire wooden hut alternated between brightness and dimness. The children consciously stepped up one after another.

"Scythe... Let's test your Soul Power... No Soul Power... You cannot become a Soul Master..."

"Blue Silver Grass? No need to test it. A useless Martial Soul has no Soul Power."

"Hammer... Moonlight Flower... Fan... Shovel..."

The children who awakened these Martial Souls slowly returned to the line with disappointed expressions. Seeing their disappointment, Shi Yi was filled with emotion. No matter the world, changing one's fate was an extremely difficult thing.

"Next." Perhaps because he had continuously activated the Awakening Array, the young man looked more fatigued, and impatience had entered his voice.

Shi Yi slowly stepped into the Awakening Array and closed his eyes, as though welcoming the arrival of his fate. Familiar azure light rose, and his body was enveloped in a faint glow. Shi Yi only felt warmth rising within him.

As time passed, the light grew brighter and brighter. Shi Yi could clearly sense that something in his right hand seemed about to burst out of his body. As his heartbeat gradually accelerated, the sensation became increasingly intense.

Suddenly, a tiny movement came from his palm, making his whole body tremble. Alive?

Shi Yi abruptly opened his eyes, fear flashing through them. An ant appeared in his right palm. It was somewhat larger and more slender than an ordinary ant, with a relatively large head, a pair of compound eyes, and long antennae.

The young man also looked at the ant in Shi Yi's hand in great surprise. As a Soul Master, he naturally sensed that the "Martial Soul" in Shi Yi's hand was a living creature. Though he had never seen a Martial Soul like this living creature before, he understood that Shi Yi's Martial Soul had mutated.

"A Mutated Martial Soul? What a pity it's only an ordinary ant." The young man could not help sighing as he looked at Shi Yi.

Shi Yi looked at his palm, excitement flashing through his heart. Even if his Martial Soul was an ant, as long as it had mutated, it should generally awaken some Soul Power. Moreover, his situation seemed extremely similar to Yu Xiaogang's.

Shi Yi had never hoped to awaken some insanely powerful Martial Soul, because he knew that was unrealistic. Based on his understanding of Douluo Continent, powerful Martial Souls should have been inherited through generations of Soul Masters reproducing.

When a genius appeared in a family's first generation, their Martial Soul would grow along with their cultivation. Then the Martial Soul passed down to later generations would possess some of the traits their predecessors had gained through their own efforts, improving their cultivation and adding Soul Rings.

"Come test your Soul Power. I don't know what kind of mutation this is, but in my experience, as long as a Martial Soul mutates, it will have at least some Soul Power," the young man said softly to Shi Yi.

Shi Yi nodded. "Thank you, big brother."

With that, Shi Yi slowly placed his hand on the blue crystal ball before the young man.