Xue Tianxing

Within the territory of the Heaven Dou Empire, Barak City, the royal capital of the Balak Kingdom, was steeped in bustling clamor.

As the heart of a vassal kingdom, the city brimmed with vitality. Carriages rolled over the bluestone streets, their wheels mingling with the cries of vendors rising and falling around them.

"Fresh Soul Power bread!" "Freshly tanned beast hides, tough and durable!" Waves of shouts carried the flavor of everyday life, and even the breeze seemed to hold a measure of excitement.

Yet the royal palace north of the capital seemed separated from that clamor by an invisible barrier.

Completely unlike the bustle outside, every inch of floor tile here exuded composure. Beneath the vermilion palace walls, everything stood out with particular clarity—apart from the orderly sounds of movement, nothing else could be heard.

Servants and maids kept their heads bowed as they hurried along in small steps. Even the hems of their skirts made no sound against the floor, and they seemed to breathe softly, afraid of disturbing the solemn dignity of the place.

In an elegant room deep within the palace, six-year-old Xue Tianxing sat by the window in a pearwood chair, one elbow resting on the sill as he stared blankly at the clear sky outside.

Xue Tianxing was still young, his face retaining a child's softness, but the shape of his brows and features already hinted at future handsomeness. His eyes in particular were striking—his sapphire-blue pupils shone like gems tempered by light, reflecting the drifting clouds when he gazed into the sky.

This child was the third son of Xue Zhe, king of the Balak Kingdom, and also his most beloved youngest son.

His elder brother, Xue Tianqi, had long since come of age. Because his Martial Soul talent was ordinary, Xue Zhe had arranged a marriage for him. His elder sister, Xue Tianning, was sixteen this year and still studying at Barak Academy.

The entire family showered him with the kind of affection usually reserved for the apple of one's eye.

Looking at the white clouds drifting through the heavens, Xue Tianxing let out a soft sigh and murmured,

"It's been six years... I never thought I'd already spent six years in the Douluo Continent."

Those words concealed a secret known only to him—he was a transmigrator.

In his previous life, he had merely been an ordinary person reading novels on his phone. Somehow, after opening his eyes, he had found himself in an entirely different world.

When he first arrived, he had not felt particularly uncomfortable. He had even recalled the transmigration novels he had read before and secretly harbored a few expectations. He had assumed that he had simply been reborn into a good family, becoming a kingdom's prince. Even if he was not the eldest son, he could still live a stable life in the future.

But as he gradually grew older, heard people in the palace speak of "Martial Souls" and "Soul Rings," and watched the guards unleash Soul Power during their drills, Xue Tianxing suddenly realized—he had transmigrated into the world of Douluo Continent 1!

At that moment, Xue Tianxing could no longer remain calm.

As a Douluo fan, he knew all too well how this world would develop. He also knew that the Balak Kingdom was caught between the Heaven Dou Empire and Spirit Hall, and that it would be impossible for them to remain untouched by the war that would eventually sweep across the continent.

Not to mention, he knew that although Spirit Hall appeared powerful, it would ultimately fail to escape defeat at the hands of the protagonist group.

At first, he had entertained the idea of joining Spirit Hall first.

If they took advantage of the situation to eliminate the protagonist, perhaps they could avoid disaster.

But he crushed that thought as soon as it surfaced—he was a prince of the Balak Kingdom. If the kingdom dared to side with Spirit Hall, the Heaven Dou Empire would be the first to refuse to let them off. They would probably die even faster then.

What about joining the protagonist group?

Xue Tianxing tugged at the corner of his mouth and gave a self-mocking smile.

What a joke. That would be gambling with his life.

Besides, even if he truly joined them, what benefits could he gain?

Once the war ended, the continent would merely be without Spirit Hall. They would still be a small kingdom dependent on the Heaven Dou Empire. It simply was not worth it.

After thinking it over and over, Xue Tianxing understood that there was no other choice for now. He could only wait until his Martial Soul awakened before making plans.

Would he have the luck of a transmigrator and awaken a powerful Martial Soul to carve out a path for himself, or would his talent prove average, leaving him to find a chance to cling to some powerful patron for a stable life?

It all depended on this.

Yesterday had been his sixth birthday. Today was the day his Martial Soul would awaken.

In this world, one's bloodline and Martial Soul could almost determine whether one lived or died.

The quality of one's Martial Soul and the strength of one's Innate Soul Power directly defined one's future path—the higher one's Innate Soul Power, the greater one's future accomplishments could be. If one's Innate Soul Power was weak, then unless one encountered an enormous stroke of fortune, one would probably amount to little in this lifetime.

The inherited Martial Soul of their family was the Ice Phoenix. It was said to have mutated from the swan of the main bloodline. Though it could not be considered top-tier, it was still outstanding among ordinary Martial Souls. The older generation even claimed that the Ice Phoenix bloodline contained a trace of phoenix aura, though no one could prove whether that was true.

Yet despite having a decent Martial Soul, the Xue Family's cultivation talent was generally only considered above average.

His father, Xue Zhe, was nearly sixty and possessed level eighty-two Soul Power. It would likely be difficult for him to reach the rank of Titled Douluo in this lifetime. His eldest brother, Xue Tianqi, had Innate Soul Power at level five and had only barely reached the Soul Ancestor rank. His second sister, Xue Tianning, was slightly better, with level six Innate Soul Power, and had only just touched the threshold of Soul Elder.

In truth, his father's strength as an eighty-second-level Soul Douluo already made him a powerhouse on the continent—after all, Titled Douluo were few and far between, and Soul Douluo were respected wherever they went.

But in Xue Tianxing's eyes, considering the turmoil this world would face in the future, he still could not help feeling weighed down.

Xue Tianxing could only secretly pray that his Innate Soul Power would be higher. It would be even better if his Martial Soul underwent a favorable mutation.

He was a transmigrator, after all. He could not possibly be worse than those who came before him, could he?

As he was lost in thought, a knock sounded at the door. A servant's respectful voice came from outside.

"Your Highness, the time has come. His Majesty sent this servant to invite you over."

Xue Tianxing came back to his senses, reached out to straighten his brocade robe and smooth the wrinkles at its hem, then rose and walked out of the courtyard.

The passage leading to the Awakening Hall was especially deserted. Nobles, generals, and ministers usually passed through here, but today there was not a soul in sight—Xue Zhe had invited no outsiders to his Martial Soul awakening ceremony. Only the family would be present.

Many paintings of their ancestors hung on the corridor walls, while Ice Phoenix statues stood every few steps. Their craftsmanship was exquisite, and even the patterns of their feathers were clearly visible.

Not only here, but throughout the entire palace, symbols of the Ice Phoenix could be seen everywhere:

This was the symbol of their Balak Kingdom, just as the swan was the emblem of the Heaven Dou Empire. Even the kingdom's flag bore an embroidered Ice Phoenix spreading its wings.

After passing through several corridors, heavy hall doors opened one after another before him. Soon, the magnificent palace hall stood in sight.

The guards stationed outside wore blue armor. Seeing him arrive, they raised their hands and pushed open the heavy doors, the creak ringing especially clearly through the silence.

The hall was spacious and empty, with only four people—two women and two men—waiting inside.

Xue Tianxing stepped in. Behind him, the hall doors slowly closed again, shutting the light and shadows of the outside world away.

Upon the throne sat a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his thirties, smiling warmly at him.

That was his father, Xue Zhe, the current king of the Balak Kingdom.

Xue Tianxing stopped in the center of the hall and bowed toward the throne.

"Father King."

Then he turned toward the dignified and elegant woman at the side. She was his mother, Yu Ningxin.

Xue Tianxing had never known what his mother's Martial Soul was—she never mentioned it or displayed it—but he knew that she was a level seventy-five Soul Saint, far stronger than many court ministers.

"Mother."