Heaven's Will Cycles

Spirit City, Orphanage.

A figure burst into the dappled, tree-shaded courtyard in a whirlwind.

"Xiao Hai! Look, I borrowed a few more books today!" Her crisp voice was filled with undisguised excitement.

The newcomer was none other than Hu Liena.

Her neat, fitted outfit outlined her just-developing figure. Though still young, every gesture already carried a faint, natural charm, strangely blending with her spirited bearing.

She ran eagerly up to the boy and presented several books to him as though offering treasure.

A delicate-featured, silver-haired little boy was lounging against the tree trunk.

He looked up, the corner of his lips curving into a teasing smile as he deliberately drawled,

"Oh, it's Sister Nana. Why isn't that little tagalong with you today? Where's that childish brat Yan?"

At his words, Hu Liena raised a pretty brow, her face showing both annoyance and amusement.

"Him? Didn't he lose to you again yesterday at staring contests? He's hiding somewhere and sulking right now."

"Is that really necessary?" Lin Hai spread his little hands, looking completely innocent. "We weren't betting houses or land. Why'd he get so worked up?"

"Pfft!" Hu Liena could not help laughing. "You have the nerve to say that! Every time you bet an 'inch of hair' with him, your cuts are never precise. His red hair looks like it's been chewed on by dogs all year round!"

Lin Hai stroked his smooth silver hair and blinked without the slightest guilt.

"Then this time, I'll be merciful and let him grow it out properly for a while."

"Enough with the nonsense!" Hu Liena put away her smile and said seriously, reaching out to pull Lin Hai along.

"Business first! Hurry up, it's time to awaken our martial souls! And I'm warning you, if your Innate Soul Power is below level nine..."

"Heh, Yan will definitely hold it over you for the rest of your life!"

Hu Liena's words reminded Lin Hai of a classic line from his previous life: You got beaten by a monkey!

He helplessly spread his hands. "You make it sound like I can decide my own Innate Soul Power."

Lin Hai was an utterly ordinary reincarnator.

In his previous life, he had been a textbook chuunibyou teenager. Apart from handling necessary everyday matters, such as eating and drinking,

the greatest joy in his life had been immersing himself in the worlds of anime and web novels—following dramas, watching anime, reading novels, listening to music...

Thanks to his well-off family, there had even been three computers in his bedroom. They were not separated for work, dramas, and games; every single one was dedicated to watching shows!

Then, during one particularly indulgent vacation, his young body finally failed to withstand such unrestrained exhaustion—

after running the "Heart of the Three Orifices" at high intensity for an entire day and two nights, he had unfortunately dropped dead. At the moment of his death, three screens still flickered with scenes from different dramas...

Perhaps his obsession with "other worlds" had moved some unseen existence?

Lin Hai's soul did not dissipate. Instead, it crossed time and space and was reborn into one of the worlds he had once cultivated—the world of "Douluo Continent."

His registered place of residence was Spirit City.

In this life, his parents had been ordinary Soul Masters living in Spirit City. Their family circumstances were not as good as in his previous life, but they had wanted for neither food nor clothing.

Yet Destiny was unpredictable. When Lin Hai was three years old, his parents had both tragically died beneath soul beast claws while out hunting soul rings.

Overnight, Lin Hai achieved the ultimate evolution—he became a lone hero.

At that time, it had only been three days since Lin Hai awakened the memories of his previous life. The return of those memories plunged him into profound panic.

The discomfort of suddenly transmigrating, his longing for his family from his past life, and the vast differences in lifestyle all left him suffering immensely.

He was also worried about his bloodline. His parents' martial souls in this life had simply been far too ordinary—

his father possessed the control-type plant martial soul, Greenwood Vine, while his mother possessed the support-type Flowing Light.

More crucially, neither of them had Innate Soul Power above level four. Their talents were mediocre.

Lin Hai, who understood full well the importance of bloodline inheritance on the Douluo Continent, felt his heart turn cold.

No matter whose martial soul he inherited, it seemed to foretell a cultivation path littered with thorns and hardship.

Then there was the death of his parents in this life. Even if they had shared only three days of fate...

The successive blows nearly pushed him into an abyss of severe self-doubt:

In my previous life, I made my parents bury their child. In this life, my parents made me an orphan?

What a fine cycle of Heaven's Will...

The memories of his previous life weighed heavily on him. Poor talent meant slow cultivation, and even reaching level ten Soul Power could remain a distant dream.

Without strength or status, he would not even qualify to access core Soul Master theories. How could he determine which soul rings might strengthen his martial soul?

One had to know that martial soul enhancement was by no means as simple as matching attributes!

Much less gain access to supreme figures like Chrysanthemum Douluo and Poison Douluo, who possessed knowledge of Immortal Herbs and Immortal Herb resources?

Without understanding poisons, even if he somehow learned information about Immortal Herbs, he would never be able to survive in Dugu Bo's medicinal garden.

Lin Hai calmly ran through everything and reached an almost despairing conclusion:

the only "asset" he seemed able to rely on was this handsome face Heaven had gifted him.

Thus, after figuring out the current timeline, he made a decisive choice.

He took the initiative to visit the Spirit City Orphanage. "I'm an orphan. Are you still accepting people?"

Under the director's stunned gaze, he became a member of the orphanage.

Not long afterward, he "coincidentally" encountered the orphanage's central trio—Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan.

With his outstanding appearance, just the right social finesse, and the contrast provided by Xie Yue and Yan, Hu Liena quickly developed a sense of closeness, as though she had met a kindred spirit too late.

During the three years he spent at the orphanage, Lin Hai mainly did three things, quietly paving the way for his future:

First, he devoured knowledge: he voraciously read every Soul Master theory book he could get his hands on.

This was both a continuation of his interests from his previous life and because he knew well that, in this world where strength reigned supreme, knowledge was the first cornerstone to controlling one's own Destiny.

Second, he won over Little Fox: he spent a great deal of time with Hu Liena, chatting with her to ease her boredom and telling her bizarre, fantastical stories.

Everyone in the orphanage knew that Hu Liena was completely obsessed with looks. Whoever was good-looking was the one she wanted to play with.

Before Lin Hai joined, Xie Yue had already been one of the rare handsome boys the orphanage had seen in recent years.

As for Yan, he was there to play with her brother.

Lin Hai, meanwhile, had happened to be born in this life with an exceptionally fine face, blessed by the heavens.

One loved listening to stories and judging faces; the other wanted to grow close and had looks to spare.

With a snap, they hit it off at once and quickly became inseparable playmates.

Third, this could be considered a side effect of winning over Hu Liena:

Xie Yue and Yan always followed Hu Liena around, so whenever Lin Hai was bored, he taught them little games from his previous life.

Orphans possessed nothing, so the stakes were novel—an inch of hair!

Xie Yue cared rather deeply about his image. After losing twice and watching his looks plummet, he decisively withdrew from this "dangerous game."

Yan was stubborn and tough, becoming Lin Hai's long-term "provider of emotional value."

Upholding the tenacious spirit of "if it's not an inch, grow it out and come again," he fought on despite repeated defeats.

As for Hu Liena? Not long after Lin Hai joined their group, her daily lines quietly began to change.

From the way she had once relied on her brother—"Brother, I'm hungry"—she smoothly switched to showing concern for Lin Hai—"Xiao Hai, are you hungry?"

There were countless changes like these.