"Cock-a-doodle-doo—!"
Dawn had barely broken, and the east was tinged with pale white. The two roosters in Lin Xuan's yard, like perfectly accurate alarm clocks, began crowing right on time.
The body clock he had developed through years of morning runs kicked in instantly. Lin Xuan sprang up from bed and instinctively tried to kip up, but—
"Bang!"
A dull impact rang out as his forehead slammed solidly into the wooden frame above the bed.
"Hiss—It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!" Lin Xuan clutched his forehead and rubbed it frantically, his features scrunched into a knot and his body twisted like a wrung-out towel.
Once he recovered, he suddenly recalled the bizarre dream from last night. His eyes lit up, and he rushed over to the old wooden bed in a few steps.
His parents had left this bed behind. It was made from solid materials and weighed at least a hundred pounds. He had tried lifting it before, but at most he could raise its legs half an inch off the ground, leaving himself panting from exhaustion.
But now, he grabbed the bedframe with one hand and gave it a light pull—
"Creak!"
He actually lifted one corner of the entire big bed with brute force, effortlessly!
"My strength actually increased this much?"
Lin Xuan's eyes were full of delight. He let go, and the bed crashed heavily back to the floor with a dull bang. Its weight had not changed, yet it felt incomparably light to him. There was only one answer: his physical fitness had undergone a qualitative leap overnight.
Before he could think further, his stomach suddenly let out a protesting growl. Hunger surged over him like a tide, even stronger than yesterday.
Lin Xuan's expression changed. He no longer cared about studying the change in his strength and turned to rush into the kitchen. Opening the cupboard, he grabbed the ten leftover steamed buns from yesterday and stuffed them into his mouth.
"After I fell asleep last night, I think I really saw Tang Wulin..."
As he wolfed down the food, he recalled last night's dream. "Then he charged at me and seemed to merge with me?"
The moment he finished speaking, a massive amount of information suddenly flooded into his mind, as though it had long been carved into the depths of his soul and had only now been unlocked.
These were not jumbled memories, but a complete explanation of his Golden Finger, clearly presented within his consciousness.
As a transmigrator, he really did have a cheat!
The core of this Golden Finger was the "Tang Wulin Synchronization Template"—as time passed, he would automatically synchronize everything related to the powers and Soul Power of Tang Wulin at the same age.
Whether it was cultivation memories, Forging Skills, Soul Power Level, Soul Rings, Soul Bones, or Soul Spirits, as long as Tang Wulin had possessed it, he would obtain it through synchronization without the slightest discrepancy, until he successfully became a god.
Simply put, even if he lay around and did nothing, once he reached twenty-five, he could naturally inherit Tang Wulin's Sea God Position and become a god directly!
Although Tang Wulin had not obtained the Sea God's divine position in the Original Work, that was because the God Realm was too far from the Douluo Continent. But this was the era of Douluo Dalu 1...
He only needed to complete the Nine Trials of the Sea God, and that God Position...
But with every gain came a loss.
This template was "passive synchronization," which meant that no matter how hard he cultivated, his Soul Power would not increase by even the slightest amount on its own. Cultivation could only restore Soul Power.
Even if he absorbed a Soul Bone, his Soul Power Level would not fluctuate at all. Before becoming a god, his strength was completely tied to Tang Wulin's growth pace. He could not be even a second faster.
But after becoming a god, the rules would reverse.
As long as he could raise his own God Position, the template would grant him corresponding bonuses. If he raised the Sea God Position to a First-Level God, he could unlock the Golden Dragon King and God of Destruction positions at the First-Level God rank;
If he broke through to the God King Realm, he could obtain the Golden Dragon King and God King of Destruction positions at the God King level, guaranteeing at minimum the terrifying power of Three Gods in One.
Better yet, although he could not actively cultivate the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, every time his strength broke through, he could add corresponding Soul Rings to the Blue Silver Grass. It was equivalent to gaining an extra set of Soul Ring skills, and in the future, he might even achieve the legendary Four Gods in One!
"Wait, this template actually comes with a mission?" After digesting all the information, Lin Xuan was suddenly stunned.
The final message in his mind was especially clear, like an obsession carrying a plea: "Protect Mother, and do not let her fall again..."
Lin Xuan fell silent for a moment.
Rather than a mission, it was more like Tang Wulin's deeply buried regret and request. Even if he did not complete it, there seemed to be no punishment.
But on second thought, Tang Wulin had given him such an absurdly powerful cheat. Helping him protect his mother, Xiao Wu, was merely a small favor. There was nothing to hesitate over.
"Isn't this a little too biased? You only care about Mom and not Dad!"
Lin Xuan shook his head helplessly, though he had already made up his mind. In his view, protecting Xiao Wu from falling was not difficult. He only needed to avoid those fatal risks in advance. As for Tang San? Even Tang Wulin, that great filial son, had not made a request concerning him, so there was no need for Lin Xuan to meddle.
Setting aside that small request, this Golden Finger was simply absurdly perfect!
Using the template of Douluo Dalu 3's protagonist to make his way through the world of Douluo Dalu 1—if that was not crushing them from a higher dimension, what was? He would be stomping noobs!
"I've struck it rich! I've really struck it rich!"
Lin Xuan trembled with excitement. He accidentally squeezed the steamed bun in his hand into something like a compressed biscuit, crumbs scattering all over the floor without him noticing.
After the excitement passed, Lin Xuan calmed down and began considering the pros and cons.
The template was both his making and his undoing. Tang Wulin's Template was undoubtedly powerful, but he had to face one reality: being unable to cultivate actively before becoming a god meant he could not speed up his path to godhood.
According to the template's synchronization pace, Tang Wulin had taken three years to raise his cultivation to Tenth-Rank. In other words, Lin Xuan could only passively gain about two ranks a year. He would have to endure a full three years before becoming a Soul Master.
If active cultivation had counted too, perhaps he could have reached the requirement in a year and a half. But clearly, that was impossible now.
Yet he was unwilling to remain holed up in Sacred Soul Village until he turned twenty-five and became a god directly.
He had transmigrated here. If he never even experienced the splendor of the Soul Master World, would that not be a complete waste of this opportunity?
Besides, he had once wanted so badly to become a Soul Master. Now that he had awakened his Martial Soul and possessed Soul Power, suddenly refusing to attend an academy would only arouse suspicion.
The world of Douluo Dalu 1 was relatively safe. With the enormous force of Spirit Hall keeping things in check, ordinary Soul Masters and civilians had a high level of safety.
As long as he stayed low-key and developed steadily, he would basically encounter no danger.
If this were Douluo Dalu 2 or Douluo Dalu 3, he might have hidden away immediately. But in Douluo Dalu 1, he truly wanted to experience the thrill of stomping noobs!
More importantly, Tang Wulin's Template only synchronized things related to strength, such as cultivation methods, combat experience, and Forging Skills. It would not provide basic common knowledge about the Soul Master World.
For example, knowledge about Soul Beasts, Soul Masters, sect rules, and so on—he needed to learn and master all of that himself.
And even if he synchronized combat experience, without having gone through real battles himself, he would have no way to execute it perfectly with his own body.
Most importantly, he had no intention of becoming a muscleheaded brute who only knew how to launch frontal attacks like Tang Wulin.
"I've decided! Nuoding Academy!"
Lin Xuan patted his thigh, determination flashing in his eyes.
"First, I'll fill in the gaps in my basic Soul Master knowledge at the academy. Then I'll slowly integrate into the Soul Master World, follow part of the main storyline, and protect Xiao Wu."
He spread his arms as if he had already embraced the entire Soul Master World, his heart filled with anticipation.
But the hunger that came from his stomach again the next second instantly brought him back to reality.
"Food still has to be dealt with first!"
Lin Xuan stroked his chin, his expression turning serious.
Since he did not need to worry about improving his strength, he could focus most of his energy on planning his life. There were still exactly three months until school began, and he had to arrange them properly.
First, he needed to adapt to his suddenly increased strength, so he would not accidentally use too much force and make a fool of himself—or even hurt someone;
Second, he needed to prepare enough food and money. With his current appetite, three months' worth of consumption would not be a small amount;
Lastly, he needed to learn about Nuoding Academy in advance and prepare for enrollment.
He knew that life at Nuoding Academy would not be some greenhouse garden. There would inevitably be competition and conflict, but that was exactly what he wanted.
Only through practice could he truly master Tang Wulin's power and grow quickly.
As for whether obtaining Tang Wulin's Template would bring trouble, Lin Xuan did not take it to heart at all.
Gu Yuena? What a joke!
The God Realm was currently floating above the Douluo Continent, and there were multiple sites of God's Inheritance across the continent. The Silver Dragon King's injuries had yet to heal; she was still busy hiding, so how could she dare show herself?
Moreover, there were still more than twenty thousand years until the Silver Dragon King awakened. Whether she could even regain consciousness was unknown.
Besides, his early stage Soul Power growth rate was no different from that of ordinary Soul Masters. Who would pay attention to a "good-for-nothing" with Innate Level 3 Soul Power and a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul?
As for his great strength? In this world where Soul Power reigned supreme, that tiny advantage was not worth mentioning. No one would likely take notice of it.
"First, I'll finish today's breakfast. Then I'll head into the mountains to test out my new strength and see if I can hunt something to solve the food problem."
Lin Xuan finished the remaining steamed buns in a few bites, patted his stomach, and anticipation gleamed in his eyes.
Before you continue