Traveler Xia Yang

The west coast of the Heaven Dou Empire.

At this moment, morning light was just breaking.

Golden sunlight fell evenly across the vast sea surface, dyeing the rolling waves into patches of leaping golden light.

Seawater gently lapped against the sandy beach, rolling up fine, white foam.

Early in the morning, the coastal mist had not yet completely dissipated, but the beach was already bustling with people.

At a single glance, countless fishermen with bare feet and trouser legs rolled up to their knees were packing up their fishing nets and preparing to head out to sea.

Several soul masters dressed in magnificent attire were leisurely pacing, enjoying the morning sea breeze.

In the seawater not far from the shore, a vigorous figure suddenly broke the water's surface.

It was a young boy, around five or six years old.

The boy had short hair, plastered damply against his forehead, and beneath his thick brows were a pair of bright eyes, his whole person radiating vibrant vitality.

The boy was named Xia Yang.

He was a traveler, and he had been in this world for six years already.

Over these years, through observation and study, Xia Yang had gradually recognized the world he found himself in—the Douluo Continent.

From the information he had gathered, he understood that the current pope was Qian Xunji, and the Clear Sky Sect had not yet released news of the Clear Sky Twin Stars.

Inferring from this, there was still at least a decade or two before the birth of Tang San, the protagonist of the original work.

Therefore, upon confirming that he was on the Douluo Continent, Xia Yang began consciously learning the knowledge of this world and persisted in exercising his body.

However, because he was still young and had merely been an ordinary person in his past life, Xia Yang's exercises over the past three years had been limited to running and swimming.

Things like push-ups, weightlifting, or the fist techniques and moves that existed in this world were all stopped by his parents.

His parents told him that he should not exercise excessively before his Martial Soul Awakening to avoid affecting his physical development.

Thus, morning sea swimming became Xia Yang's primary form of exercise.

Perhaps because of last night's storm, the seawater this morning appeared slightly turbid.

However, Xia Yang did not mind, still swimming lap after lap in the sea as per his routine.

He skillfully changed his swimming styles—at times doing the butterfly stroke as gracefully as a butterfly spreading its wings, at times imitating a frog with the nimble breaststroke, at times forging ahead through the waves with the freestyle, and at times diving underwater to display his adept diving skills.

In the sea, Xia Yang was like a swimming fish integrated with the ocean.

Until he felt that his stamina was almost exhausted, he slowly surfaced, his legs kicking gently to let his body float steadily on the sparkling sea surface.

Hoo—

Puff!

Xia Yang let out a long breath of turbid air, incidentally spitting out the seawater in his mouth.

Young Master, the time is almost here.

A somewhat aged yet full-voiced sound came from the beach.

Xia Yang turned his head to look, seeing the family's old butler, Liu Feng, standing on the beach and waving at him.

Hearing the call, Xia Yang immediately swam toward the shore.

Not long after, he stepped out of the seawater, standing barefoot on the fine, soft sand.

Seeing a naked child, some people passing by covered their mouths and chuckled.

Xia Yang was still young, so he didn't really care about such details.

Young Master, hurry and dry yourself off.

The butler handed over a soft towel.

Xia Yang took it, briskly wiping away the water droplets on his body.

As he put on his clothes, he asked the old butler, Uncle Liu, hasn't Father returned yet? Didn't they say the fleet would arrive at the port this morning?

While speaking, the two of them looked tacitly toward the nearby port filled with docked boats.

However, the boat they were expecting never appeared.

Young Master, the storm last night must have delayed the head of the family's journey.

The butler explained gently.

I originally hoped that Father could watch by my side during the Martial Soul Awakening.

Well, never mind, if he didn't return, then he didn't return.

There was a hint of disappointment in Xia Yang's tone.

Xia Yang's father was named Xia Shi, a Level Fifty-Six sea soul master whose martial soul was a North Mystic Black Tortoise of the ice attribute.

At the same time, as the captain of the Mystic Tortoise, Xia Shi drifted on the sea year-round, and he did not spend much time accompanying Xia Yang.

Precisely because of this, Xia Yang particularly hoped his father could be present on this important day.

It seemed this wish was going to fall through.

Young Master, it's getting late.

The butler looked at the sky and said, The martial soul awakening ceremony on the madam's side is about to start; we must hurry.

Alright, let's head back to the city.

Having put on his clothes, Xia Yang followed the old butler toward the city.

Xiling Harbor was an emerging city built along a harbor; its scale was neither large nor small, and within the Heaven Dou Empire, it belonged to the medium tier.

Newly completed buildings could be seen everywhere in the city, and between half-new and half-old, they revealed the passage of time.

Xia Yang walked down the street, smelling the unique salty and humid sea breeze permeating the air.

In fact, the establishment of Xiling Harbor was inextricably linked to Spirit Hall.

Back then, Spirit Hall's fleet on an expedition to Sea God Island suffered a crushing defeat, almost being completely wiped out with its maritime forces lost to the last.

To rebuild its maritime forces, Spirit Hall had no choice but to start all over again.

Alas, Vast Sea City—the largest port on the west coast of the Heaven Dou Empire—had long been controlled by sea soul master forces and only paid lip service to Spirit Hall's commands.

With no other option, Spirit Hall had to choose a place to build a new port, and thus, Xiling Harbor came into being.

Xia Yang's mother, Huo Yang, was precisely a Spirit Hall deacon transferred to this place at that time.

And it was right here that she met Xia Shi, who was a sea soul master.

The two came to know and love each other, finally becoming a couple—this marriage was also made possible by Spirit Hall's policy of recruiting some sea soul masters to rapidly expand its maritime forces.

Yet later on, for unknown reasons, Spirit Hall's enthusiasm for maritime forces gradually faded, and the construction of Xiling Harbor slowed down accordingly, ultimately settling into a tranquil medium-sized city.

At this moment, Xia Yang and the old butler were walking on the streets in the city.

People came and went around them, and the bustle revealed a unique busyness of a harbor city.

The salty and damp sea breeze in the air drilled into his nasal cavity, also stirring the unease deep in his heart.

Although the parents of this life were both Spirit King-tier soul masters and their martial souls were also of medium grade, logically speaking, the martial soul and innate soul power he awakened should not be too bad.

Yet for some reason, the closer he got to Spirit Hall, the more flustered he felt, and his heartbeat involuntarily accelerated a bit.

The old butler noticed his nervousness and gently comforted him, Young Master, set your mind at ease.

The madam's and the head of the family's martial souls are not bad, and their cultivation levels are both Spirit Kings; your talent certainly won't be weak.

I hope so.

Xia Yang replied in a low voice.

The two of them spoke no more, then quickened their pace and walked toward the Martial Soul Hall Branch in the center of the city.

The Martial Soul Hall Branch in Xiling Harbor was the most conspicuous building in the city.

This building was three stories high, constructed from grayish-white giant stones, and stood majestically in the southern part of the city.

At the top of Spirit Hall stood a statue of an angel.

The gold paint on the surface of the statue withstood wind and rain without fading, still shining brilliantly.

Xia Yang was all too familiar with this building, and coupled with the fact that today was the day of his martial soul awakening, he had no heart to examine it closely, walking straight toward the two doors crafted from centuries-old coral wood.

The dark blue lumber was moisture-resistant and corrosion-proof, remaining fresh after enduring the coastal climate, making it both aesthetic and sturdy.

At the entrance, a spear-wielding knight stood guard sternly on each side.

At this moment, scattered parents were bringing their children out from inside the hall.

Some were radiant with joy, while others covered their faces in frustration.

They are all families who have just completed their martial soul awakenings, Xia Yang thought to himself.

Then, he took a deep breath, hesitated no longer, and stepped into the hall.