Bullet Ant

Douluo Continent, southwestern Heaven Dou Empire, in a small mountain village.

The ground suddenly shook violently. The villagers saw a man in golden armor, like an angel, soar into the sky from the direction of the ruined temple atop the mountain. He brandished a golden greatsword and slashed viciously toward the ground.

"Is that a Titled Douluo? Nine spirit rings!" In this world, even illiterate villagers knew what those shining halos represented: spirit masters, the noblest profession!

And nine spirit rings meant a legendary Titled Douluo!

Just as they were about to worship that terrifying being, another man suddenly leaped into the sky. He wielded a fearsome giant hammer, and he too had nine spirit rings: Two Yellow Two Purple, four black, and one red. The final red spirit ring was especially eerie, radiating terrifying power that shook the heart.

"Isn't that the young man from the couple who gave birth in our village? He's actually a great Titled Douluo? Heavens!" The villagers quickly recognized the extraordinary-looking man.

Boom!

The black giant hammer shattered the golden greatsword, and the earth trembled again. Birds and beasts scattered through the forest. A group hurriedly fled while escorting an injured man. As they passed through the village, the injured man glanced at its villagers and said coldly, "You were the ones who gave Tang Hao food and water and helped them deliver their child?"

"Great Titled Douluo, we only acted out of kindness..." The village chief bent at the waist, his face deathly pale as he tried to explain.

"Anyone who helped Tang Hao is an enemy of my Spirit Hall! Kill them all!" The injured man's eyes were full of resentment. If that Blue Silver Grass had not delivered successfully, perhaps he would not have nearly been hammered to death!

Spirit rings and spirit bones—all of them would have belonged to their Spirit Hall!

Cries, pleas for help, curses, and cruel laughter echoed through the mountain village... In the end, the village fell utterly silent. Just as all sounds faded away, an infant who should have been dead opened his eyes and let out a loud cry!

"I'm sorry! It's all because I'm useless!" A shrill, miserable howl rang through the village and lingered for a long time!

In the southwest of the Heaven Dou Empire, Fasuo Province, Holy Spirit Village.

Atop a towering mountain, dawn had just broken over the horizon when a six-year-old boy suddenly opened his eyes. Purple light radiated from them, soul-stirring and mesmerizing!

"It's been three months, yet the Mysterious Heaven Skill still can't break through the bottleneck of the first level. Why? The Extreme Demon Eye, which can only be cultivated at dawn, has been improving steadily, but the Mysterious Heaven Skill cannot break through its bottleneck."

"Could it be because this world differs from my original world?"

Tang San looked at this strange world and formed such a guess. Then he revealed a carefree expression unfitting for his age. "I've heard that people in this world awaken spirit souls. Perhaps that's the answer."

"Third Brother, it's time to eat! I'm hungry!"

At that moment, a child carrying an enormous Casting Hammer appeared halfway down the mountain. He was doing squats with the hammer on his shoulders. It was a two-hundred-jin hammer!

Yet on Tang Jiu's body, the hammer felt no heavier than an extra straw!

Tang San's mouth twitched as he muttered, "Little Jiu really is a freak. I cultivate the Tang Sect's supreme internal art, the Mysterious Heaven Skill, yet my physical qualities still aren't as good as his naturally growing body—especially his strength. It's even more monstrous than mine, and I've lived two lives!"

Tang San was certain that even those masters from his previous life who specialized in external techniques had not possessed such physical qualities at the age of six, let alone ten.

Tang San did not know that Tang Jiu was a transmigrator.

In his previous life, Tang Jiu had been a streamer who courted death, specializing in challenging the limits of the human body and exploring all kinds of deadly places. His idol had actually been Tang San!

Because of Tang San's bold and stirring leap off a cliff, he had gained more followers in a single day than Tang Jiu had gained through three years of streaming!

There was simply no justice in that!

If jumping off a cliff had not meant certain death, he might have imitated it himself to gain a wave of followers.

But who could have imagined that he would ultimately succeed in courting death anyway?

Tang Jiu's cause of death had been a Bullet Ant sting. He had been tortured to death by pain!

Bullet Ants came from the Amazon Rainforest. They were the ants with the most painful sting in the world. It was said that the pain was comparable to being struck by a bullet, reaching the highest pain rating of ten—equal to the pain of childbirth. Most terrifyingly, after being stung by a Bullet Ant, the pain lasted for 24 hours!

"Could being bitten to death by an ant be the reason for this monstrous physique of mine?"

Tang Jiu had actually guessed as much. After all, ants were the strongest creatures in the animal kingdom when it came to strength!

According to ant mechanics experts, an ant could lift more than twenty times its own body weight and drag objects more than fifty times its own weight!

In other words, if a person weighing one hundred jin possessed an ant's strength, he could lift twenty thousand jin and drag fifty thousand jin!

That showed just how terrifying an ant's strength was!

"I never expected courting death to have such benefits! These are definitely the physical qualities needed to awaken a Beast Spirit. Maybe one day, I'll even be able to carry Third Brother's Sea God's Trident!"

Tang Jiu felt reassured. The chance of awakening a trash spirit soul in this world was far too high. Moreover, he was not Tang Hao's biological son, merely an adopted child he had picked up. Who knew what spirit soul he would awaken? Only by being extraordinary himself could he be sure of awakening a powerful spirit soul.

Tang Jiu had actually considered asking Tang San to teach him the Mysterious Heaven Skill. But after subtly probing him, he discovered that Tang San's sect consciousness was strong and that he had no intention of spreading the Mysterious Heaven Skill in this world. He could only rely on himself!

Tang Jiu effortlessly carried the Casting Hammer, which was taller than he was, and followed Tang San home for breakfast.

He was very much looking forward to today's spirit soul awakening. The two brothers were promising candidates in whom Village Chief Old Jack had placed great hopes. Three days ago, Old Jack had specifically given Tang Hao a stern talking-to.

In Old Jack's words, "Even if they awaken hammers, that'll do!"

After all, hammers possessed offensive power and were far better than hoes. Many blacksmiths awakened hammers as their spirit souls and thus set foot on the bright path toward becoming spirit masters.

Tang Jiu had noticed then that Tang Hao's face had become as black as a Casting Hammer. He seemed ready at any moment to kick the old village chief away. To belittle hammers like that in front of the great Clear Sky Douluo was truly unbearable!

At the dining table, Tang San served Tang Hao and himself each a bowl of porridge, then said, "Little Jiu, the rest is all yours!"

"Porridge again? Why isn't there any meat in any of our meals?"

"No money." Tang Hao was brief and to the point.

Tang Jiu grumbled inwardly. It was bad enough that he could not afford pork in his previous life, but Tang Hao was a grand Titled Douluo and could not afford meat either? His life was far too decadent!

No wonder he and Third Brother were both so skinny and weak!

Though Tang Jiu complained, he unceremoniously lifted the iron pot and began breakfast. The way he ate and the amount he consumed made Tang Hao and Tang San's mouths twitch.

Just as Tang Jiu ate like a tyrannosaurus, Village Chief Old Jack came in, leaning on his cane and knocking on the door. He first snorted coldly at Tang Hao, then smiled kindly and said, "Xiao San, Little Jiu, Grandpa has come to pick you up!"

Tang Jiu put down the pot, shouldered the Casting Hammer, grabbed Tang San, and rushed out. He paid no attention at all to Tang Hao's ugly expression.

"Xiao San, don't forget to make lunch!" Tang Hao snorted.

"Ah, I feel like you're the real biological son!" Tang San cast Tang Jiu an envious glance. Tang Hao seemed especially indulgent toward Tang Jiu. He always had Tang San do the laundry and cooking. If Tang San had not lived two lives, he might have thought that he was the one Tang Hao had picked up!

"I feel like the old man owes me a lot of money!" Tang Jiu had always felt like Tang Hao's creditor.