Please Accept the Ash Box

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

Yu Cheng's Martial Soul awakening had not gone well.

He repeatedly examined the Crystal Ball in his hand. No matter how he looked at it, there seemed to be no reaction at all.

"You have no Soul Power. You cannot become a Soul Master."

Su Yuntao's tone was calm.

The previous child's full Soul Power had merely been an accident.

Innate zero Soul Power was what Trash Martial Soul Blue Silver Grass was supposed to be like.

"..."

Yu Cheng's mentality nearly collapsed.

He had not expected to awaken Innate Full Soul Power like Tang San.

After all, he had neither a Title Douluo father nor a cultivation technique from birth.

But Innate zero Soul Power...

Was this really the treatment a transmigrator was supposed to receive?

During the first era of Douluo Continent, gods could not interfere with the continent at will.

The Douluo Continent of this era was thriving, with all things competing in abundance.

Empires, Spirit Hall, the seven great sects...

Ever since awakening his past-life memories, Yu Cheng had carefully planned everything, hoping to accomplish something great.

Who would have thought...

A Martial Soul awakening would drag him back to reality.

***, give me my money back!

The door opened.

Old Jack approached with a flattering expression.

"Master Su, did any children in Holy Spirit Village awaken Soul Power this year?"

Su Yuntao pointed at Tang San. "This child has Innate Soul Power, though unfortunately, his Martial Soul is only Blue Silver Grass."

"Really? Our village is going to produce another Soul Master!"

Old Jack's face was filled with delight.

He did not care what Tang San's Martial Soul was.

Several villagers also gathered around.

"I told you Xiao San was no ordinary child. He has been clever since he was little!"

"..."

Tang San had always been cold and aloof since childhood. Being watched by so many people left him at a loss. He clutched the corners of his clothes with both hands, unable to say a word.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the villagers, Yu Cheng left.

People's joys and sorrows were never shared.

After returning home.

Some dried meat and preserved fruit were laid out in the small courtyard.

Yu Cheng's parents had died when he was young, and he had been raised by his grandfather. A few months ago, his grandfather had gone hunting in the mountains and was tragically killed by wild beasts.

"Innate zero Soul Power. Is there any transmigrator more miserable than me?"

Yu Cheng turned over a salted fish.

"Even after a salted fish turns over, it is still a salted fish. How is this salted fish supposed to turn things around?"

Yu Cheng worked while thinking.

There was not no way to obtain Soul Power after birth on Douluo Continent.

"The Mysterious Heaven Skill!"

"Even a simplified version of the Mysterious Heaven Skill can convert inner force into Soul Power!"

Yu Cheng immediately thought of a solution.

He had interacted with Tang San a few times, and they could be considered friends.

In Yu Cheng's view, since he had been born in Holy Spirit Village, he could consider joining the Tang Sect camp and taking Tang San's backdoor route.

When the wind was favorable, he would cheer Tang San on. When it turned against them, he would place Tang San in front to shield him.

Even if he could not become a god, becoming a Title Douluo and bullying men and women across the continent would still make the transmigration worthwhile.

But...

"Tang San and I are only ordinary friends. If I deliberately get close to him, I might only receive a Sleeve Arrow!"

"The Tang Sect does not support idlers. In Tang San's eyes, someone with Innate zero Soul Power is not even worth as much as a stray by the roadside."

Yu Cheng shook his head.

"Since the Mysterious Heaven Skill is hopeless, should I try getting close to Dugu Bo and plot to obtain an Immortal Herb?"

Yu Cheng fell silent.

In the original story, Tang San had broken Dugu Yan's soul skill and been taken by Dugu Bo to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, where he eventually obtained a whole pile of Immortal Herbs.

If it were him...

He had neither Soul Power nor poison-cleansing skills, and he knew nothing about Immortal Herbs.

"Ugh, whether I approach Tang San or Dugu Bo, it seems like a dead end!"

Yu Cheng sighed.

On Douluo Continent, powerful Martial Souls only appeared in major sects.

To survive in this world, one needed influence and a background.

If one had neither, then one could only burn more incense to the Angel God and pray for their Martial Soul to mutate.

"Maybe I can wait until Tang San joins Shrek, then steal the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone."

Yu Cheng soon came up with another idea.

Soul Bones had long been known as treasures of the river of blood. A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was enough to defy fate and change one's life.

The original story stated that the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone was hidden beside a waterfall in the back mountain.

But as far as Yu Cheng knew, there were more than a dozen waterfalls in the back mountain of Holy Spirit Village. Finding the real location would not be easy.

What if Tang Hao had left behind a trap? How could he withstand the methods of a Title Douluo?

Even without traps, the waterfall was so high. Could an ordinary child like him climb up there?

Difficult!

One misstep would lead to eternal regret!

Just as Yu Cheng was thinking, a voice suddenly sounded in his mind:

[I am Yu Cheng.]

[By the time you see these words, I am already dead.]

[Please accept the Ash Box and properly bury the belongings.]

A cold electronic voice echoed through Yu Cheng's mind.

"No, I was just planning to steal a Soul Bone, and an Ash Box already got delivered?"

Yu Cheng could not hold it together on the spot.

Could stealing a Soul Bone also be a dead end?

Just as he was about to check where the Ash Box was, a phantom box appeared in his mind the next moment.

It was made of fine sandalwood, with exquisite carvings.

There was an emblem of a pair of bat wings on the lid, slashed through by a cut.

Yu Cheng looked confused.

Did this... come with instructions?

"My name is Yu Cheng. What follows are my last words..."

A familiar voice sounded.

A translucent spirit floated out of the Ash Box.

Yu Cheng was startled. The spirit looked seventy or eighty percent similar to him, like a middle-aged version of himself.

Dark circles under his eyes, hollow eyes, and a pale complexion.

His entire aura was cold. At a glance, he clearly did not look like a good person.

"You are... the future me?"

Yu Cheng asked in confusion.

Could his future self have left a cheat for his present self?

"More or less. I am one of your possible futures, with your current self as the anchor point. You can think of me as coming from a parallel world."

"In the future, you may also receive other Ash Boxes. Heaven Dou Yu Cheng, Star Luo Yu Cheng..."

"The future is infinite."

Future Yu Cheng pointed at the symbol on the Ash Box.

"This mark represents an Evil Soul Master."

"Huh? I do not even have Soul Power. How could I become an Evil Soul Master in the future?" Yu Cheng asked in surprise.

"We share the same anchor point, but we are not the same person. I possess half a level of Innate Soul Power."

Evil Soul Master Yu Cheng explained.

"I see." Yu Cheng nodded.

He had originally wondered whether a Blue Silver Grass Soul Master could truly embark on a path of no return.

At this time, Spirit Hall did not judge Evil Soul Masters by their Martial Soul attributes, but by what Soul Masters did.

Yu Cheng knew his own personality very well.

As a transmigrator, he possessed a flexible moral bottom line.

Evil Soul Master Yu Cheng had only half a level of Innate Soul Power, barely better than a stray by the roadside.

If there were a way to grow stronger quickly, Yu Cheng felt that he probably would not withstand the temptation.

"How did you die?" Yu Cheng asked.

"I was killed by Tang San with a Hidden Weapon."

Yu Cheng frowned slightly upon hearing that.

Over the years, he had interacted with Tang San quite often. He would even sell Tang San some extra meat at a cheap price.

Yu Cheng dared guarantee that as long as he had a piece of meat to eat, Tang San would have a bone to gnaw on.

No matter what, they should not have become mortal enemies, right?

"Did the matter of me stealing the Soul Bone get exposed in the future?" Yu Cheng asked.

"I never obtained the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone. Tang San and I met in the arena of Slaughter City."

Evil Soul Master Yu Cheng shook his head, his tone melancholy.

"So that was it." Yu Cheng nodded.

The rules of the Hell Slaughter Arena were that only one out of ten survived.

It determined both victory and defeat, as well as life and death.

When his future self faced Tang San, he definitely would not have held back.

But without using Soul Rings, defeating Tang San, who possessed Hidden Weapons, was nearly impossible.

"Then what are your belongings?" Yu Cheng asked.

He was rather curious about what was inside the Ash Box.

It could not possibly contain only a pile of ashes, could it?

Did he want to be laid to rest?

"As for belongings, there are indeed some. But the most important thing should be my memories. I can teach you how to cultivate, though I will not be able to exist for much longer."

Evil Soul Master Yu Cheng spoke.

Yu Cheng nodded. He roughly understood the Ash Box's function.

As long as he kept opening boxes, he could inherit the legacies of other Yu Chengs.

One person's abilities were limited, but what about two people, three people, or even more?

Moreover, the other Yu Chengs all used him as their anchor point.

By studying their paths of development, he could avoid many detours.

"Wait, teach me cultivation?"

"You have a way to let me possess Innate Soul Power?"