Tiantou Technology Academy

Chen Ming looked over his family's assets. They seemed to be enough to cover only half a year of food and drink. His expression immediately twisted. I'm doomed!

Chen Ming began thinking about how to make money. How was a little six-year-old kid like him supposed to earn any?

Just as his thoughts ran wild, someone suddenly knocked on the door. Chen Ming snapped out of it and called out.

"Coming, coming!"

As he opened the door, yesterday's Awakening Master came into view. The reason he was here was to take Chen Ming to a big city for school and, while they were at it, get him his first Soul Ring.

Chen Ming nodded in agreement. After taking a few things with him, he returned to the Spirit Pagoda, where many other children were waiting.

They seemed to all have innate Soul Power above Rank 7 and had joined the Spirit Pagoda. After everyone boarded the warship, they set off for a larger planet.

Chen Ming hadn't expected to leave for another planet the very next day to receive his education and training.

"I wonder if the little Dragon God is around my age..."

Chen Ming murmured. He didn't know whether Lan Xuanyu had awakened his Martial Soul yet, either. If he was younger than the other boy, he was done for.

While Chen Ming was on his way to another planet to receive his education, over on Tianluo Planet, a little boy was also eagerly beginning his Martial Soul awakening.

A Blue Silver Grass surrounded by water elements, along with a pink rabbit radiating a blood-red aura of slaughter, appeared before them.

"Mom, Dad, these are my Martial Souls. What are they called... Sea Silver Grass and Asura Rabbit..."

The little boy felt like something was missing, but he couldn't say what. Before long, the scene shifted back to Chen Ming.

On the way to the other planet, Chen Ming asked a Spirit Transmitter for a book about Battle Armor and began reading it.

[Battle Armor Skill +1+1]

It felt great to watch his Skill keep increasing. Chen Ming looked delighted. It was almost like hard work paid off.

After two days of travel, they arrived at Tiandou Planet. It was much more prosperous than Tianluo Planet, with far more developed cities and buildings.

Next came the physical fitness tests. Chen Ming threw a casual punch, and the result was a thousand kilograms. Seeing the number and everyone's shocked expressions, Chen Ming knew he'd still used too much strength. He facepalmed.

Then came the test of mental power. He had been born with Spirit Connection Realm mental power, scoring 150 points. The result stunned the Spirit Transmitter recording Chen Ming's details all over again.

However, they hesitated as they looked at Chen Ming's Earth Block Martial Soul, unsure whether he was worth training. In the end, they decided to see what his Soul Skill was like first.

Following the Spirit Transmitter's instructions, Chen Ming sat inside a machine and began circulating his Soul Power. Soon, the machine released wisps of energy that swirled around him, forming a phantasmal Soul Ring.

The Soul Ring gradually solidified, turned white, then quickly changed to yellow, and finally purple. It was an Artificial Soul Ring.

Chen Ming gave his first Soul Ring to his Life Tree. As for his Golden Dragon King Martial Soul, he'd get a Soul Ring for it from My World later.

Chen Ming's first Soul Skill was called Life Rain and Dew. It gathered drops of life essence to heal allies and restore Soul Power, as well as heal the soul. It could be used both internally and externally.

External use healed injuries, while internal use healed the mind. That settled it: the Golden Dragon King Martial Soul would show off its stats, while the Life Tree Martial Soul would show off its mechanics.

I punch, you punch. I heal, then punch again. You use a mental attack, and I can heal that too! I can't die—I just can't die!

The Life Tree also had a natural ability: it could quickly recover Soul Power by putting down roots. In other words, Chen Ming could recover Soul Power just by standing on the ground.

For now, though, he kept all of that hidden. If he displayed too much talent, he might be sent off to become a pawn of some major power. That would be the end of him.

"Uncles, here's my first Soul Skill."

After getting a feel for his Soul Skill, Chen Ming stood up and made a few patches of dirt appear on the ground, pretending that was all his first Soul Skill could do. The Spirit Transmitters fell silent.

"Looks like it could be used to reclaim land from the sea..."

"Can you keep making dirt with your Soul Skill?"

Another Spirit Transmitter pressed him for details. Chen Ming shook his head and played it down as much as he could.

"No, but if you use the dirt I make to grow crops, they'll mature about twice a day."

"A farming-type Martial Soul..."

The Spirit Transmitters fell even quieter. Seriously? With all those impressive stats, he had a farming-type Martial Soul?!

In the end, Chen Ming was sent to Tiantou Technology Academy. At least he had Innate Full Soul Power, so he could go and complete his compulsory education.

"What's wrong with farming? Once my cooking reaches the Excellent level, the dishes I make can have special effects."

Chen Ming curled his lip. They actually looked down on farmers! Still, he bought a laptop first, then headed to the academy to register. Before long, he reached his dorm.

The dorm rooms held four people, with loft beds and desks underneath. There was also a balcony for hanging laundry and a bathroom.

Chen Ming arrived first. He mainly had nowhere else to go, so after making his bed, he opened his laptop and got to work.

He'd come up with a way to make money: writing novels! He was going to bring over all the novels that had been huge hits in his previous life and let the natives of the Douluo Universe see the entertainment of a higher plane!

[Typing Speed +1+1+1+1]

As Chen Ming typed, the Skill Mod kept working its magic. By lunchtime, he'd somehow written twenty thousand words. Then he got hungry, climbed down from his bed, and went to the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was very clean and served four grades of meals: A, B, C, and D. Grade A was the best and most expensive, with the others decreasing in quality and price.

Chen Ming ordered five C meals and wolfed them down, but they barely even filled the gaps between his teeth. In the end, he decided to hunt for some food in My World. He should probably start raising livestock and growing crops.

Three days in the game world equaled three hours in the Douluo World. Chen Ming started by clearing some farmland, then raised chickens, cows, sheep, and pigs.

First, he used the Bone Meal from the Skeletons he'd killed to fertilize his crops. Then he kept half for raising livestock and the other half for himself.

For now, he ate until he was about sixty percent full. Food in My World seemed much more filling than food on the Douluo Continent...

Of course, the Skill Mod was still working its magic. His Farming and Animal Husbandry Skills kept increasing.

After that, Chen Ming found a village. The villagers there were very friendly. They said they felt an instant connection with him and insisted on giving him the village. No matter how he tried to talk them out of it, they wouldn't listen.

They even said that if he didn't accept, they'd go get themselves killed by Zombies. Left with no choice, Chen Ming accepted the supplies the villagers gave him, along with Hay Bales and a house.

The things in the chests were a mixed bag: some came from the Douluo Continent, some from Farmer's Delight, and some from vanilla survival.

Farmer's Delight mostly added new crops. The Douluo Continent items included rare metals, thousand-year-old spirit plants, and weapon loot boxes, like the ones used for opening crates.

Chen Ming took a look. Inside were Wooden Swords, Stone Swords, Golden Swords, Iron Swords, Diamond Swords, Netherite Swords, Heavy Hammers, spears, and tool-type Martial Souls from the Douluo Continent, such as the Seven Kill Sword, Clear Sky Hammer, and Coiling Dragon Staff. There were even divine artifacts.

They were all divine artifacts from the Douluo Continent: the Seagod Trident, the Asura Magic Sword, the Scepter of Destruction, and more.

"Do I have to play the loot-box game now?"

Chen Ming was surprised. Looks like he wouldn't be bored later—he could have fun opening crates. He immediately focused his thoughts and opened one.

Various weapons scrolled from right to left. Chen Ming missed the jackpot by a hair and won a Golden Sword. He covered his face. As expected, his luck was unbelievably bad.

"Whatever. I wasn't expecting this thing to give me anything good anyway."

A gorgeous, finely crafted golden sword appeared in Chen Ming's hand. He checked its quality out of habit: Legendary-quality Golden Sword. Its durability had increased tenfold, and its damage bonus had reached nine points.

"Not bad. I'll use it for self-defense, even if it's still pretty..."

Chen Ming put away the Golden Sword and got back to work. In the Overworld, he farmed mobs and killed a few Zombies with century-old cultivation, along with some Skeletons and the like. That finally pushed his level past twelve.

[Swordsmanship +1+1+5]

[Spear Technique +1+1+1+1+4]

[Soul Power Control +1+1+1+1+2]

Watching his Skills improve bit by bit put Chen Ming in a great mood. It was wonderful to be able to see his own growth so clearly.

Chen Ming soon returned to the Douluo Continent. It was already late at night, and he was tired, so he lay down and slept.

As soon as he woke up in the morning, Chen Ming's stomach began to protest. He washed up, took out a sandwich he'd made, and ate it before getting back to typing.

He'd built up a little following yesterday. He had to keep going today, or he really wouldn't be able to support himself.

While he was typing, his roommates began arriving one after another. They introduced themselves.

"My name is Huo Tian. My Martial Soul is the Fire Tyrant Dragon, and my innate Soul Power is Rank 8."

"My name is Feng Rulang. My Martial Soul is the Gale Demon Wolf, and my innate Soul Power is Rank 7."

"My name is Lei Yuan. My Martial Soul is the Lightning Leopard, and my innate Soul Power is Rank 8."

"Hello, I'm Chen Ming. My Martial Soul is Earth Block, and I have Innate Full Soul Power."

"Innate Full Soul Power?!"

The three of them were surprised to hear that Chen Ming had Innate Full Soul Power. He nodded.

"Bro, I didn't expect you to have Innate Full Soul Power."

"You're really good at keeping it under wraps."

"It's nothing."

After the four of them had introduced themselves and gotten acquainted, they began putting their things away.

"Chen Ming, what are you doing?"

Huo Tian noticed Chen Ming sitting on his bed, clacking away at his laptop keyboard, and asked curiously.

"Typing. I'm browsing the forums and news."

Chen Ming didn't reveal that he was a novelist or anything. He didn't want someone tracking him down in real life or pounding on his door for an update.

"By the way, I recommend this novel I came across recently: Douluo Firmament. The writing's good, and it updates fifteen chapters a day. Plenty to read. Come check it out."

Chen Ming couldn't resist promoting it. The three of them crowded around and read the first chapter.

"Chapter One... The Fallen Genius? Soul Power: Three Stages?"

"What app are you reading it on? I'll search for it."

Curious, the three of them started looking it up. Soon, they found an author with the pen name Goblin Patriarch.

"What a weird name."

But before long, the three of them were completely absorbed. Chen Ming chuckled and typed even faster.

The dorm room fell eerily silent. Chen Ming typed on his bed, while the other three sat in their chairs below, staring at their phones.

"Whew... It's noon. Are you guys going to eat?"

Chen Ming checked the time, then leaned over to ask whether the three of them wanted to go eat. They all gave the same response.

"Let me finish reading."

"I'll go after I finish this chapter."

"You go ahead."

Seeing how engrossed they were, Chen Ming didn't disturb them. He happily headed out to eat.

He found a pavilion, took out the meal he'd prepared earlier, and laid it out on the table: six dishes, one soup, and a huge bucket of rice.

The campus was full of students arriving to register or returning for the new term. Chen Ming's figure stood out.

The main reason was the enormous rice bucket and lavish spread beside him. It really drew attention.

Fortunately, he had thick skin. Besides, after awakening the Life Tree and Golden Dragon King Martial Souls, his looks could only be called top-tier.

Dragons were known for their good looks, after all. Just look at the Goddess of Life.

With two god-tier beauty Martial Souls backing him up, Chen Ming naturally looked good. And that wasn't even counting his other account.

His other alt had awakened the Source of Destruction and Silver Dragon King Martial Souls. His hair turned silver-white and his eyes violet. He could have passed for a copy of Gu Yuena.

Besides, there were hardly any ugly Soul Masters with talent on the Douluo Continent. Soul Power really was a wonderful thing.

With that thought, Chen Ming quickly finished his meal. He put away the dishes and left.

When he returned to the dorm, those guys were still reading. He didn't disturb them and climbed onto his bed to keep typing.

After a while, a groan rang out, and everyone looked over.

"Oh my god! I finished it?! More chapters, more chapters! There's barely enough to read!"

Lei Yuan grumbled and hit the button to request more chapters. The others had finished reading too, and they were all left wanting more.

"You could try tipping the author to get them to write extra chapters."

Chen Ming grinned and propped his head up with one hand on his bed as he reminded them. The three of them looked down at their phones. None of them seemed short on money.

"Then write more for me! I've got money to burn!"

"I want to read more! Update already!"

Chen Ming watched the income on his laptop climb to twenty thousand Federal Credits in just one day and could barely contain his grin. Besides, he'd only get faster at typing. As his Skill increased, he wouldn't have to worry about making mistakes, either.

The three of them soon headed out to eat together. Chen Ming's hands were moving so fast they were almost a blur. His thoughts raced, and his Spirit Connection Realm mental power combined with his explosive typing speed was terrifying!

And so the registration period passed quickly. Thanks to Chen Ming's efforts, his novel started becoming popular.

All by himself, he'd carved out a place for novels on the Douluo Continent. The class assignments for Chen Ming and the others also came out: they'd been placed in Freshman Class 9.

Since they were roommates, the four of them were assigned to the same class, and they got along pretty well.

The four of them entered the classroom. Chen Ming went straight to sit by the Window Seat, and the others sat with him.

"Old Chen, why are you sitting so far back?"

"This is the Window Seat, and it's close to the cafeteria. I can climb out the window and be there in a few steps."

Chen Ming said it in a conspiratorial tone. The other three had no idea what was so special about that. Before long, time passed amid the class's chatter.

As the bell rang, a middle-aged man walked in. He stepped up to the lectern and looked around like a lion surveying its territory.