Did I say I wouldn't pay?

"How much?!"

"You said how much?!"

The outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, a supply town.

As night deepened, the town built around the continent's most famous Soul Beast habitat was at its liveliest.

In a corner of a restaurant called "Soul Hunter's Home," a greasy square table was piled high with half-meter-tall empty plates.

Behind the plates sat a boy who looked no older than six or seven. He had rare silver hair but was dressed in very shabby, typical commoner's coarse linen clothes, still stained with indelible grass clippings.

"Three Gold Soul Coins?!"

Xuan Hao's voice rose several octaves, a childish disbelief in his tone. "I just ate one meal, and you want three Gold Soul Coins from me? This whole table is worth thirty copper soul coins at most!"

What did three Gold Soul Coins mean?

For young masters from prominent families, it might have been pocket change to throw at a beggar, or a tip for a beautiful maid.

But for Xuan Hao, it was a fortune.

He was a transmigrator, and an orphan.

A few days ago, at the Martial Soul awakening ceremony in Lan Yun Village, he stood in the center of the awakening formation with great anticipation. He thought that with his extraordinary strength, which had surpassed normal people since childhood, he would at least awaken a top-tier beast Martial Soul and soar to the heavens, capable of punching the Martial Soul Hall and kicking the two great empires.

And the result?

The Martial Soul Hall deacon in charge of the awakening told him he had failed to awaken.

No Martial Soul, no Soul Power, not even a sickle or hoe.

At that moment, Xuan Hao felt the whole world turn gray.

On this Douluo Continent where strength reigned supreme, having no Martial Soul meant being an ant for life, someone even Yu Xiao Gang could easily crush.

However, fate, that bitch, before he could even process this despair, slapped him hard again, while shoving a bloody candy into his mouth.

That night, Lan Yun Village was attacked by wolf bandits.

They were a pack of half-human, half-wolf beasts, utterly devoid of humanity. Where they passed, not a chicken or dog was left alive.

Xuan Hao only remembered the sky ablaze with fire and the heart-wrenching cries.

He was pinned to the ground by a strong wolf bandit, its foul-smelling maw only a few centimeters from his throat.

In that instant, extreme fear and rage shattered some kind of lock.

He had awakened.

Golden Dragon and Silver Dragon, ultimate power and ultimate elements, Twin Martial Souls!

Xuan Hao didn't have a very clear memory of what happened next.

Under the impact of that berserk power, he lost consciousness.

When he woke up again, it was already the next morning.

What greeted his eyes were wolf bandit corpses scattered everywhere.

They couldn't even be called corpses anymore; they were fragments.

Not a single one was intact, as if they had been torn apart by some terrifying beast. Blood stained half the village's land.

And less than half of Lan Yun Village's villagers remained.

The eyes of the survivors looking at him were no longer those of the mischievous "little tyrant" he used to be, but like they were looking at a monster, filled with deep fear and alienation.

Xuan Hao understood that he couldn't stay any longer.

After helping everyone bury their deceased friends and family, he chose to leave.

Before leaving, he found thirteen Gold Soul Coins on the wolf bandits' corpses, which felt like his first kill loot.

His village was not far from the Star Dou Great Forest, so he decided to come here and try his luck.

He knew nothing about Martial Soul cultivation. He didn't know how many years of Soul Ring he could absorb, nor did he know how to judge the age of a Soul Beast.

Fortunately, there was a town on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. He spent one Gold Soul Coin to buy a Soul Beast illustrated guide. It roughly introduced some common Soul Beasts on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest and methods for judging their age.

It was very vague, and the drawings were abstract. He even suspected the thing was a scam, but it was the most legitimate one he could find after comparing several options.

And now, this single meal was going to cost him three Gold Soul Coins?

"Kid, take a good look."

Seeing Xuan Hao's strong reaction, the waiter's fake smile completely disappeared, replaced by a look of contempt and impatience.

"This is Kanor Town, a vital passage in and out of the Star Dou Great Forest! All ingredient transportation requires the escort of Soul Masters, so the costs are naturally high. These prices are clearly marked!"

The waiter sized up Xuan Hao's tattered clothes, the contempt in his eyes undisguised. "You look like a beggar. Don't tell me you're trying to skip out on the bill? If you don't have money, don't come in here pretending to be a big shot!"

"Pay up and get out! Otherwise, don't blame me for stripping you naked and throwing you out to the dogs!"

"Who are you calling a beggar?!"

Xuan Hao's eyes narrowed, and an indescribable, terrifying aura erupted from within him without warning!

Instantly, the air in the entire first-floor lobby seemed to thicken, the temperature plummeted, only to become unbearably hot the next second.

Xuan Hao's originally soft, silver-white short hair began to be dyed a layer of brilliant, dazzling golden color from the roots at a speed visible to the naked eye!

His originally sky-blue eyes instantly turned into molten, lava-like crimson-gold vertical pupils, filled with an aura of brutality, majesty, and destruction.

Accompanying the faint sound of tearing fabric, under the skin of Xuan Hao's exposed neck and the back of his hands, fine, hexagonal golden dragon scales faintly appeared. Each scale shimmered with a metallic, cold luster, as if streams of light were flowing within them.

Although no Soul Rings appeared, the pure pressure emanating from the depths of his bloodline spread out as if it were tangible.

"What... what is this?!"

The expressions of the surrounding diners, who had been watching the commotion, changed drastically. Especially those with beast Martial Souls, who even felt their Martial Souls trembling.

"You... what are you doing... this is..." the waiter stammered, trying to back away.

"Who did you call a beggar!?"

Xuan Hao slammed his palm onto the solid wood round table in front of him.

This table was made of the finest ironwood, incredibly hard, and even an ordinary Soul Grand Master might not be able to easily destroy it.

But under Xuan Hao's palm, the thick tabletop seemed as if it were made of tofu, instantly cracking and turning into countless flying wood chips!

"Did I say I wouldn't pay!?"

On the second floor, in the most luxurious private room.

The soundproofing here was excellent, and the commotion downstairs should not have been audible.

A woman in a luxurious purple robe was elegantly holding a teacup. She was incredibly beautiful, with a noble aura that made it impossible to look directly at her. Time seemed to have been particularly kind to her, leaving no trace on her face, instead cultivating a unique charm exclusive to mature women.

Opposite her sat a similarly charming young girl, about eight or nine years old, with a pair of foxy eyes exuding a natural Charm.

It was Bibi Dong, the Pope of the Martial Soul Hall, and her disciple, Hu Liena.

"Teacher..." Hu Liena's face was slightly pale, a trace of terror in her eyes, "What is this aura? My Martial Soul... my Martial Soul is afraid."

Bibi Dong put down her teacup, her gaze seeming to pierce through the floor, looking directly downstairs.

"Dragon Might, and not just any Sub-dragon species, but the aura of a true, high-ranking dragon race."

"Dragon race?" Hu Liena exclaimed, "Could it be someone from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family?"

"No, although the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's aura is domineering, it doesn't possess this kind of pure suppressive power." Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes slightly, her powerful Spiritual Power instantly enveloping the entire restaurant. "What's more interesting is that the little fellow emitting this aura, although his Soul Power is so abundant it's on the verge of overflowing, doesn't even have a single Soul Ring."

"No Soul Ring?" Hu Liena was even more shocked, "A Soul Warrior who hasn't obtained a Soul Ring can suppress my Demon Fox with just their Martial Soul's aura?"

"It's not just you; even my Death Spider Emperor is restless." Bibi Dong frowned slightly.

"This is definitely the king among Dragon Spirit Martial Souls."