Sun Moon Continent, Mingdu.
In a luxurious manor, even though the sun had only just peeked over the horizon, a boy was panting heavily, a wooden sword clutched in his hand as cold sweat streamed down his forehead.
The boy was named Yue Hongchen, a transmigrator from Blue Star. In a bizarre accident, he had been sent straight to Douluo Continent by a fully insured semi-truck he called an "otherworldly transporter."
Ever since he was born, his parents had been gone. He didn't know whether they had died in an accident or abandoned him. As far back as he could remember, he had lived with the Hongchen Family. Jing Hongchen had found him in the wild and brought him back, naming him Yue Hongchen.
The current era was not the age when Tang San rose to prominence. It had been ten thousand years since Tang San became a god, and this was an era known as the "age of nurturing the child of fortune."
"Brother, you're up so early again. Your Martial Soul will be awakened soon, so go wash up! I'll wait for you so we can go together!"
At the gentle voice from inside the house, Yue Hongchen looked up and met his younger sister's sleepy eyes. Her long, straight silver hair was gathered over her right shoulder and tied into a ponytail. She rubbed her large, watery blue eyes with both hands.
Yue wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a smile, "All right! What about Xiao? Isn't he coming with us?"
"Xiao..." At the mention of him, Meng's face immediately fell. "He went off to study Soul Tools first thing this morning. He never spends enough time with me."
"Come on, Xiao wants to become a powerful Soul Engineer so he can protect you!" Yue put away his wooden sword and gently tapped Meng on the forehead.
Meng pouted and turned her head away, looking displeased. "Hmph, I don't care. You're both my brothers, but you have time to play with me, while he's nowhere to be seen all day."
Yue didn't know what to say. After all, Meng wouldn't listen to a word right now. Once she grew up a little and became more sensible, she'd stop throwing these little tantrums.
Thinking this, Yue Hongchen nodded indulgently, agreeing with Meng. It was her awakening day, so he might as well let the little girl be happy.
"I'll go wash up. Wait here."
Meng obediently nodded. She didn't dart into Yue's room like she usually did. It was getting late, and if they kept Grandpa waiting, she'd get scolded again.
Yue would speak up for her, of course, but then he'd get scolded too. She couldn't keep getting him into trouble.
Before long, Yue was ready and came out dressed. His short silver hair, the same color as Meng Hongchen's, was still damp. He must have been in a hurry and hadn't dried it completely.
He stood in the courtyard, the morning light glinting off his hair and adding a radiant glow to his ever-sunny smile. Meng stared at him, transfixed.
She only snapped out of it when Yue held out his hand. "Come on! Let's not keep Grandpa waiting."
She nodded softly, then placed her little hand in Yue's. He took her hand and led her toward the awakening hall behind the manor.
As they pushed open the hall doors, they saw a white-haired boy talking with an imposing old man whose face was covered in wrinkles.
At the sound of the door, both of them turned to look.
"Grandpa, you're wearing that ugly mask again. You do it every day."
Though Meng complained, she rushed into Jing Hongchen's arms with a smile.
Jing Hongchen chuckled as he caught her, then crouched down and ruffled her hair. "Well, Grandpa has to go back to the academy later. I have to wear this face to keep those students in line. I'm sorry I scared you, little Meng."
"Brother." Xiao walked over and greeted Yue respectfully.
Yue smiled as warmly as ever and reached out to ruffle Xiao's hair.
"Don't be so formal. You've been studying Soul Tools while I've been practicing the sword ever since we were old enough to understand things, so we haven't seen much of each other. But we're still family."
Yue's words warmed Xiao's heart. He'd been so obsessed with Soul Tools that he'd barely spent any time with Yue and Meng these past few years. He'd thought Yue resented him just as Meng did.
"All right, cheer up. You'll awaken a great Martial Soul and have high Soul Power."
"Of course, Brother!" Xiao nodded, his voice finally less stiff.
"Come on, little Meng. Shall Grandpa awaken your Martial Soul first?"
"No!" Meng shook her head like a rattle. "Awaken Brother's first! He's loved swords since he was little, and he's so handsome. His Martial Soul must be a beautiful sword!"
Her eyes lit up as she spoke, clearly excited to see Yue's Martial Soul.
"Very well! I'll awaken little Yue's first, then!"
As he spoke, Jing Hongchen beckoned Yue over.
"Grandpa!" Yue stepped in front of Jing Hongchen and called out, feeling nervous.
To be honest, he still didn't even know whether he could awaken Soul Power. He was adopted, and he had no idea what level his parents had reached.
"Don't be nervous." As if he could tell what Yue was thinking, Jing Hongchen patted him on the shoulder with his large hand.
"Believe in yourself. You can become a powerful Soul Master. I've already spoken to Mu En about your going to Shrek. As long as your talent is good enough, you can study there as a visiting student."
Yue nodded, then stepped onto the center of the awakening platform at Jing Hongchen's gesture.
"Get ready. I'm about to begin."
Yue nodded, and Jing Hongchen began pouring Soul Power into the awakening platform.
As the Soul Power flowed into it, the patterns on the platform lit up. Soft streaks of white light entered Yue's body, helping awaken the Martial Soul slumbering within him.
Yue closed his eyes and carefully felt the changes inside him. As the white light entered his body and traveled along his meridians, he felt something trying to emerge from his right hand.
More and more white light entered his body, and the sensation in his right hand grew stronger.
At last, unable to resist, he instinctively raised his right hand. A sword appeared in his grasp.
The sword was finely crafted, with a long, slender blade that gave off a faint blue glow. Cold light shimmered along its edge, while intricate patterns adorned the hilt, echoing the blue radiance of the blade.
"Wow! What a beautiful sword!" Meng's eyes seemed to turn into stars as she gazed at the sword in Yue's hand.
"It looks like a fine Martial Soul. Your wish came true, too." Jing Hongchen nodded with satisfaction, genuinely happy for Yue.
He had watched Yue work hard over the past three years. The sword that had appeared today proved that his efforts had paid off, and he could become a sword cultivator just as he'd hoped.
"Here, let's see what level you have..." Jing Hongchen took out a crystal ball to measure Yue's Innate Soul Power. The next moment, however, he nearly dropped it.
Yue still had his eyes closed, holding the sword firmly in his hand. Behind him, a blue-white Soul Ring floated quietly in the air.
Jing Hongchen hurriedly covered his mouth, afraid of making a sound and disturbing Yue.
He was certain Yue wasn't a Soul Beast reincarnated as a human, yet Yue had formed a Soul Ring on his own. It was probably all because of his Martial Soul—the sword, which no faction had ever documented.
At that moment, Yue was in his Sea of Consciousness, looking at the "uninvited guest" before him.
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