On the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, beside an unnamed little river.
Lin Feng lay at the bottom of the river, bored out of his mind. Through the clear water, he watched the schools of fish swimming above him. He had arrived in this world, Douluo Continent, more than half a month ago.
According to the prompts from his system, this was the Peerless Tang Sect era, before the story had begun.
As a transmigrator, Lin Feng had a respectable identity: he was an honorable River God. His ability was called "Golden Axe, Silver Axe." Anyone or anything that fell into a river under his jurisdiction could be split into three.
Then he would ask the "owner" which one they had dropped. If they answered honestly, they could take all three. But if they lied out of greed for something better, they would leave empty-handed.
As a little river god, Lin Feng had plenty of limitations. For example, he could only move around in this river. Luckily, he was bound to a system. As long as he caused the course of the world to deviate, he could earn rewards—the greater the deviation, the richer the reward.
So Lin Feng's goal had been crystal clear from the very beginning: mess with Huo Yuhao. There was no quicker way to throw the world off course than to mess with him.
Lin Feng knew that before long, Huo Yuhao would flee Duke White Tiger's Mansion and make his way to the Star Dou Great Forest, where he would meet two important people: Tang Ya and Beibei.
While Lin Feng wondered how much longer he would have to wait, a boy of around eleven or twelve appeared by the river. He had short blue hair and delicate features.
Was that Huo Yuhao? He looked more or less like Lin Feng had imagined. The main reason Lin Feng could identify him was the boy's striking pair of bright blue eyes.
Lin Feng's spirits soared. He'd been traveling all this way, so he had to be hungry by now, right? Come on, catch some fish! The fish here were plump and delicious. Lin Feng made a few of them float to the surface so Huo Yuhao would be sure to see them.
Huo Yuhao first glanced around warily, then fixed his gaze on the fish. A flash of excitement lit up his eyes.
"Here he comes! Come on!"
Lin Feng excitedly rubbed his hands together underwater. Water Ghost Number One was ready!
Huo Yuhao took off his shoes and socks, carefully rolled up his trouser legs, and stepped into the chilly water. He moved quietly, afraid of scaring the fish, which didn't look particularly clever. At the same time, he used his Spirit Eyes Martial Soul to help him.
Just as Huo Yuhao focused all his attention on the plump fish closest to him and prepared to pounce, Lin Feng made his move.
He couldn't even be bothered to set up some complicated trap. With a slight stir of divine power, an enormous force, gentle yet impossible to resist, surged from beneath Huo Yuhao's feet.
"Huh?"
Huo Yuhao felt his footing slip, as though an invisible Big Hand had grabbed his ankle and yanked him down!
Splash!
The boy didn't even have time to cry out. He lost his balance and was dragged straight into the depths of the river.
"Beibei, do you think our Tang Sect can really rise again?"
As Tang Ya walked along, she kicked a pebble at her feet, looking a little downcast.
Beibei smiled gently and reached out to ruffle her hair.
"Of course it can, Teacher Xiao Ya. As long as we're still here, the Tang Sect will be too."
"But there are only two of us right now..."
"That's okay. We can always find a third person, then a fourth. The Tang Sect is famous. Even if it's not what it used to be, there'll surely be people willing to join."
Beibei comforted Tang Ya.
As they talked, Tang Ya's gaze happened to pass over the riverbank nearby. She saw a boy feeling around in the water for something, but the next second, he abruptly vanished beneath the surface, as though something had dragged him down. Only a widening ring of ripples remained.
"Beibei, look! Someone's fallen into the river!"
Tang Ya's expression changed, and she cried out in alarm before rushing toward the riverbank.
Beibei reacted even faster. The instant Tang Ya finished speaking, he shot forward like a streak of light and reached the riverbank in just a few breaths.
But the river had already gone still. There was no sign of the boy.
"How could this be?"
Beibei frowned and immediately released his Soul Power, trying to sense what was happening underwater. Tang Ya hurried over, frantic with worry. Seeing the calm surface, she quickly asked, "Where is he? He was just here!"
Normally, even if someone were drowning, they shouldn't disappear without a trace so quickly.
Could there be a ghost in this river?
Beibei furrowed his brow, about to dive in and save the boy.
Suddenly, with a tremendous splash, the water in the middle of the river exploded. A figure slowly rose out of it.
He was a young man dressed in an old-fashioned white robe. His long black hair flowed like a waterfall, and his handsome features seemed almost otherworldly. His gaze was calm and profound, and a gentle smile played on his lips. He hovered above the water without making the slightest ripple.
"Young Sect Master of the Tang Sect, did you drop this golden-haired Huo Yuhao?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Feng lifted a boy out of the water. The boy had short, neatly cut golden hair. His entire body radiated a sacred, imposing, upright aura, like a born king.
Beibei's eyes immediately turned wary. Who was this man? How did he know Tang Ya's identity? Could he be one of those people?
At once, Beibei moved in front of Tang Ya without drawing attention to himself.
Tang Ya ignored the way he had addressed her and focused on the golden-haired Huo Yuhao. She hadn't gotten a good look at his face, but she had seen his hair.
"No, that's not him."
Tang Ya shook her head, though confusion still clouded her mind. Had someone else fallen into the river? The golden-haired boy was clearly still breathing. If he'd fallen in earlier, he would probably already be dead.
"Then did you drop this black-haired Huo Yuhao?"
As he spoke, Lin Feng produced a boy with the same face as the golden-haired Huo Yuhao. Their builds were a little different, but their features were identical. The aura coming from this Huo Yuhao, however, made people deeply uncomfortable.
Was this some kind of mental Soul Skill?
Or had three brothers actually jumped into the river one after another, and they had only seen one of them?
"Did all three brothers jump into the river together just now?"
Tang Ya looked at the Huo Yuhao in Lin Feng's hand with pity. What kind of despair would drive three brothers to jump into a river together?
She completely ignored Lin Feng's talk of different-haired Huo Yuhaos. After all, who would think that someone could turn into three people the moment they fell into a river?
"No, they didn't. Young Sect Master of the Tang Sect, you only dropped one Huo Yuhao."
"Did you drop this black-haired Huo Yuhao?"
Lin Feng continued to look at Tang Ya with a bright smile.
"No."
Tang Ya still had a lot of questions, but when Lin Feng asked, she answered honestly.
"Then did you drop this blue-haired Huo Yuhao?"
Lin Feng brought out the third Huo Yuhao—the normal one. Compared with the other two, this Huo Yuhao was quite thin, and his aura was weaker too.
Who was this man? Beibei frowned as he studied Lin Feng. Everything about him was strange, yet Beibei's senses told him that Lin Feng was just an ordinary person.
But Beibei's instincts warned him that this young man's strength was unfathomable. It would be best not to anger him.
"Y-Yes, this is the boy."
Tang Ya nodded. She had seen him fall into the river with her own eyes.
She had no idea what was going on with the other two. She had thought they might be three brothers, but there was only one. Her thoughts were a complete jumble.
When Lin Feng heard Tang Ya's answer, a brilliant, approving smile spread across his face. He clapped his hands and praised her:
"What an honest child you are! As a reward for your honesty, I'll give you all three Huo Yuhaos!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Feng swept his arm out as though throwing three sandbags.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The three Huo Yuhaos—the golden-haired one, the black-haired one, and the ordinary one—traced three arcs through the air. With three dull thumps, they landed in a neat row on the grass in front of Beibei and Tang Ya.
Satisfied, Lin Feng dusted off his hands. He gave the completely petrified Beibei and Tang Ya a thumbs-up, then slowly sank backward into the water.
"Until we meet again, honest people."
With that breezy farewell, he vanished beneath the surface, leaving behind only a faint ripple, as though he had never appeared at all.
At the same time, a long-awaited, heavenly voice rang in Lin Feng's mind.
[ Ding! Detected a massive deviation in the world's course! The Child of Destiny, Huo Yuhao, has undergone a fundamental change in his form of existence! ] [ Deviation level: Extremely high! ] [ Calculating rewards... ] [ Congratulations, host! You have received the following rewards: "River God Domain" range increased a thousandfold! "Divine Power Origin" * 10! God-Bestowed Soul Ring * 9 ]
Woohoo, I'm taking off!
Beibei and Tang Ya stared blankly at the three Huo Yuhaos on the ground. That man had actually given all three of them away?
The ordinary Huo Yuhao slowly came to. He coughed up a few mouthfuls of river water and opened his eyes in confusion.
Then he saw another "himself" sitting to his left, propping himself up in the same way. That "self" had golden hair and golden eyes filled with nobility and authority, and was frowning as he examined his own hands.
Next, he saw yet another "self" sitting up to his right. That "self" had black hair, and his bewitching purple eyes scanned their surroundings with interest. The curve of his lips sent a chill down anyone's spine.
Three Huo Yuhaos. Six eyes. They looked at one another, completely dumbfounded.
The golden-haired Huo Yuhao asked, "Who are you?"
The black-haired Huo Yuhao said, "Heh. Interesting..."
The ordinary Huo Yuhao said, "Huh????"