Lin Yao

Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City, Daoxiang Village.

Daoxiang Village lay on the outskirts of Heaven Dou City. It was famous for its distinctive rice paddies throughout a hundred miles, and rumor had it that it had some connection to the Upper Three Sects' Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

As a result, the villagers lived relatively prosperous lives and were not easily preyed upon by those greedy for their wealth.

At this moment, the Golden Crow was setting in the west, and brilliant stars filled the sky. On a small hill within the village, a child lay on a soft patch of Blue Silver Grass.

The child was around five or six years old, with an adorable, youthful face. Yet his eyes lacked the clarity and foolishness expected of someone his age, occasionally flashing with maturity instead.

One hand rested beneath his head as he gazed absentmindedly at the stars, while the other nimbly spun a small black sword forged from refined steel.

The boy's name was Lin Yao.

Both his parents were Soul Masters who had come from Daoxiang Village, the pride of the village. Their strength had both reached the terrifying realm of Soul Elder and above. In remote regions, they could have become the masters of a Martial Soul Branch Hall.

Six years ago, in order to raise Lin Yao better and keep him from being affected by the conflicts between Soul Masters, the two had returned to their hometown, Daoxiang Village.

However, the problem lay with Lin Yao himself.

He was not merely a native born and raised on Douluo Continent. He was also a transmigrator.

Back then, his phone had only one bar of battery left while he was gaming. Driven by a lucky impulse, he broke his habit of not playing on his phone while charging it. In the end, his bad luck struck, and he transmigrated to Douluo Continent.

As for Lin Yao's name, it was said that the stars had shone especially brilliantly across the sky on the day he was born. His father believed it was a blessing from heaven, so he deliberately gave him the character Yao.

"That isn't right. I wasn't even playing one of those cash-grab reskin games using the Soul Land IP. I was slaughtering enemies in the canyon with Yao in Honor of Kings. So why did I end up in the Soul Land world? This is way too strange."

Lin Yao could not help muttering to himself. The iron sword spinning in his right hand turned even faster, as if he was not worried in the slightest about stabbing himself.

This was the doubt that had arisen in Lin Yao's heart after his brain had developed enough for him to emerge from the hazy state of reincarnation and regain his senses.

That was right. This was Douluo Continent, a dog-eat-dog world centered around Martial Souls, where the strong could possess anything they wanted.

"You child, it's almost time to eat, yet you ran all the way out here to lie around. Get up already. It's time to get ready for dinner."

Just then, a gentle voice rang out from nearby. Concern and indulgence filled it, interrupting the chaotic thoughts in Lin Yao's mind.

"Also, be careful when playing with that sword your father gave you. It isn't your Martial Soul. What if you stab yourself?"

Hearing this, Lin Yao shook his head and cast aside all those unrealistic thoughts. He would wait and see after tomorrow's Martial Soul Awakening. Then he sheathed the little iron sword he had been twirling so fancily at his waist.

With a swift kip-up, he sprang from the ground. Looking at the young woman who had come before him, he smiled. "All right, Mom. I'll listen to you."

"You always know how to say nice things, but I've never seen you actually do as you're told..."

Seeing the child before her, the young woman quickly raised a hand to straighten his slightly rumpled clothes, chiding him with a smile in her eyes.

Though she said that, she knew full well that despite his young age, he was thoughtful and sensible enough to put people at ease.

"Mom, this is the subtle evolution of combining ideas with reality. It's the beginning of a man's independence and self-reliance. That way, once I awaken my Martial Soul and become strong, I can go see the wider world."

"Yes, yes, you have so many ideas, and such lofty ambitions too. I'm looking forward to it. But right now, the most important thing is going home for dinner..."

After returning home, Lin Yao saw a steady-looking middle-aged man cultivating Soul Power in the courtyard. When he saw the two of them enter, he immediately stood and walked over.

This man was his father, Lin Yuyang.

"You're back."

"You need to give yourself some time to relax. Don't keep yourself wound so tight."

When Lin Yao's mother, Zhao Wan, saw her husband still not letting even this bit of time go to waste as he sat cross-legged cultivating, she shook her head.

Neither of them could let her relax. The older one pushed himself too hard, while the younger one had far too many thoughts.

"Haha, my talent isn't good enough, so I have to work harder if I want to improve. Maybe once I break through to Soul King, I can give Yao a better life."

"And Yao, hurry up and eat. Get some rest early so you'll be in better condition. Even though I'll be presiding over your Martial Soul Awakening tomorrow, you still can't be careless."

"Father, I know what I'm doing."

Lin Yao nodded solemnly.

Although his father's cultivation talent was not particularly high, and he did not have the kind of Innate Soul Power that the protagonists of the original story possessed, where even the worst started at Level 7, nor did he have abundant resources, he was in no way inferior when it came to hard work.

Through relentless effort over time, he had raised his current strength to the utmost limit his talent could achieve.

He was the complete opposite of a certain Grandmaster.

With that strength, he had laid a solid foundation for Lin Yao. Their family's circumstances were certainly better than Tang San's, who had needed to cook for his Title Douluo father since childhood.

As for his own Martial Soul Awakening, Lin Yao had some idea of what to expect and had already made a rough guess.

Based on his understanding of the laws of Douluo Continent, during Martial Soul Awakening, unless it was a mutation like Ma Hongjun's or Yu Xiaogang's, or Twin Martial Souls like Bibi Dong's and Tang San's—

Normally, the stronger Martial Soul inherited from one parent would devour the other and reveal a more powerful form.

Of course, this was not a one-sided enhancement. The two Martial Souls still repelled each other, so even Martial Souls passed down for several generations could not stack the effects of their inherited superior traits.

However, the Martial Souls that grew increasingly stronger through the eras of Absolute Duo and Legend of the Dragon King showed that human Martial Souls were evolving. It was simply a process measured in tens of thousands of years.

Of course, it was still too early to talk about such things. He needed to awaken his own Martial Soul before he could better plan his future path.

Back to the point.

His father's Martial Soul was the Weapon Martial Soul, Green Peak Sword. He possessed Level 5 Innate Soul Power and was in his thirties, a Level 43 Battle Soul Ancestor with two yellow and two purple soul rings. He followed the Attack Type path.

His mother's Martial Soul was the Elemental Martial Soul, Star Radiance. She possessed Level 6 Innate Soul Power and had been his father's Childhood Sweetheart. She was close to him in age and was a Level 38 Battle Soul Elder with the ideal two-yellow, one-purple soul ring combination. She followed the Support Type path.

Neither of their Martial Souls were top-tier Martial Souls like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon or Seven Kill Sword, but neither were they low-potential Martial Souls like Blue Silver Grass, a woodcutter knife, or a hoe.

Therefore, as long as he did not encounter some absurdly disastrous start involving worthless Martial Souls, Lin Yao was already quite satisfied.

Still, whenever dissatisfaction rose in his heart, Lin Yao could not help feeling it was a pity that he did not possess one of those systems that would let him have everything handed to him.

However, Lin Yao was a transmigrator after all, and he did possess something extraordinary.

Deep in his mind, there was a dazzling vortex like a cluster of stars, slowly rotating in the darkness.

Unfortunately, Lin Yao could only see it and could not touch it.

He had tried many methods, but none produced any reaction. He had no idea what it was.

Furthermore, the modern knowledge he possessed was difficult to put to use in this world of individual might. He had no advantage over Tang San, who carried the Mysterious Heaven Skill, a martial arts technique that could be passed down for tens of thousands of years and still keep pace with the times.

Thus, while his body was still young, there were too few ways for him to train. Lin Yao could only restrain himself and strengthen his physical foundation through diet and exercise.

He had plenty of free time.

Because of that, whenever he was at leisure, Lin Yao liked to gaze up at the sky of Douluo Continent, untouched by industrial pollution, and watch the dazzling, flickering stars.

Then, whenever his thoughts wandered, he would unconsciously compare the equally vast seas of stars from his previous life and this one.

Combined with what he knew of the Soul Land world's cosmology, a trace of curiosity would arise in Lin Yao's heart.

Were those stars the various planes beneath the God Realm, distant places beyond even the God Realm's reach, or the territory formed by the evolution of planes?!

"Yao, there's no telling what Martial Soul Awakening will bring. Even children born into a top-tier force like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan can awaken a Pig Beast that only knows how to fart. You don't need to put too much pressure on yourself. We are here for you no matter what."

At that moment, Zhao Wan seemed to notice Lin Yao spacing out. Thinking that he was worried about tomorrow's Martial Soul Awakening, she immediately spoke, breaking the silence.

Her words were filled with gentleness, yet they also carried the heroic bearing of a Soul Elder who had once traveled the continent.

As Lin Yao's mother, Zhao Wan did hope that her son would become exceptional. But over the past few years, she had come to feel that it would be fine if Lin Yao simply lived out a peaceful life.

Besides, no matter how sensible Lin Yao was, in Zhao Wan's eyes, he was still the five- or six-year-old child she had watched grow up.

She brought up Yu Xiaogang's example in advance as a precaution, hoping to prevent his mindset from being affected if his Martial Soul Awakening did not meet expectations.

Having been husband and wife with Zhao Wan for years, Lin Yuyang quickly understood the meaning behind her words and began sharing his own experience along those lines.

As Lin Yao ate and nodded along, his desire to grow stronger became even firmer.

He would not allow anyone to destroy all the beauty he had now. It all required strength to protect, and fists to defend.

The awakening ceremony was tomorrow. The gradual nourishment and training he had given his body over these years, along with the foundation his parents had laid for him—everything began from this moment onward.