The Divine Realm, the Asura God Temple.
Blood-red mist that never dispersed wound around the obsidian pillars. There was no light in the hall; only the dark-red divine power flowing from the throne bathed everything in slaughter and solitude.
The man in blood-red robes lounged against the throne,
"Though godhood has granted me endless years, I've lost the freedom I once had..."
For billions of years, he had guarded the Divine Realm's order and judgment, witnessing countless cycles of life and death, yet he could never again find the exhilaration he'd felt when he once shattered chaos with his sword.
Suddenly, his lowered lashes twitched,
"Hm?"
This was an excellent prospect, with the heart of a born killer. Endurance and ruthlessness were carved into his very bones and blood. He knew restraint, yet dared to burn everything away when driven to the brink.
He was destined to inherit his position and guard this cold order.
After all, Tang Chen had failed his divine trial, the other one with the title "Slaughter God" had been led astray by Rakshasa, and another was half-crippled and barely alive. There was no one else who could shoulder the mantle of the Asura God.
"I've decided. It'll be you."
The Asura God slowly lifted his eyes. His blood-red divine power became a slender yet unstoppable thread, piercing the spatial barrier between the Divine Realm and the lower world before plunging toward the cliff known as "Ghost Sorrow."
But he had forgotten that the order he guarded represented absolute justice.
The instant that thread of blood-red divine power interfered with the course of fate, the slumbering power of fortune at the heart of Douluo Planet abruptly awakened.
It gently unfurled, silently sending a wisp of equally pure fortune, this one glowing with warm golden light, toward another place.
A bolt of lightning, brilliant in its intensity, suddenly appeared in Sunset Forest. Its dazzling white light turned the forest as bright as day, then vanished in a flash.
At the spot where the lightning struck, a well-behaved little baby lay quietly in a swaddling cloth.
He was a baby boy of about one month, lying all alone beside a low clump of bushes.
"Wah... Wah..."
The baby was fully conscious. He could clearly sense his surroundings.
A cool evening breeze brushed his skin, and the rough ground beneath him dug uncomfortably into his body.
From afar came the deep growls of unknown Soul Beasts, along with the rustling of leaves stirred by the wind.
Fear, like a cold tide, swept over him in an instant.
"Did I transmigrate?
And into a baby, at that?
And the location's a primeval forest."
How long could a "tender and delicious" baby like him survive in a place like this? An hour?
Hunger, cold, wild beasts... Any one of them could be enough to kill him.
Before long, an old man with dark-green hair and beard arrived, searching the area for the lightning he had just seen.
"Hmm?"
A slightly hoarse voice, tinged with authority, rang out. Then a tall figure emerged from the trees.
"How could there be a baby here?"
The old man murmured, his face showing confusion and a trace of barely perceptible surprise.
He walked over slowly and crouched down, his gaze falling on the baby.
The child's little face was rosy and radiant. His large, golden-flecked eyes stared intently at the old man.
There was no infantile bewilderment in them. Instead, they were filled with...
A desperate will to survive?
The old man's heart stirred. He had lived for decades and seen countless people and things, yet he had never seen such clear emotion in a baby's eyes.
This child was no ordinary baby!
Sunset Forest was full of danger. An infant abandoned there should have had no hope of survival.
Yet somehow, the old man had found him.
Was it coincidence, or... fate?
"Never mind,"
the old man sighed,
"Since we've met, it must be fate. Yanyan is all alone, anyway. I'll take him back so she has some company."
With that, he picked up the swaddling cloth and flew toward the depths of Sunset Forest.
Afterward, several more groups came to search the area. When they found nothing, they left one after another, and the forest fell silent once more.
"Yanyan, Yanyan, Grandpa's back!"
The old man stood on a rocky outcrop, holding the baby and calling out.
Below, in the mountain ravine, lay a spring with two adjoining pools: the Ice Extreme Yin Spring and the Blazing Yang Spring. Together, they formed a red-and-blue pool.
Steam billowed from the water, carrying the smell of sulfur. The valley formed an inverted cone-shaped hollow, with unknown flowers and plants growing all around.
At the sound of his voice, the door of a house not far from the spring swung open with a cheerful creak.
A clear voice called out:
"Grandpa, you're back!"
The girl who spoke had a neat head of short purple hair.
Her eyes were an unusual emerald green, and she ran toward the old man.
In a few quick strides, the old man appeared before the girl, baby in his arms.
"Yanyan, slow down. Be careful not to fall."
The girl stopped and asked obediently:
"Grandpa, is the baby you're holding the one you brought back after going to inspect the place?"
"Yes. The place was completely unharmed, and there was only a swaddling cloth lying there.
"I thought that even though you awakened your Martial Soul a year ago, you might still get lonely by yourself, so I brought him back to keep you company."
The old man spoke fondly.
Hearing that, the girl stepped closer to look. A tiny, exquisitely cute bundle of flesh came into view.
His head made up more than a third of his body.
It was round as a plump boiled egg, topped with a rare cap of silvery hair.
His eyes were closed, and pale golden downy lashes lay sparsely along his eyelids.
His soft cheeks and lips had the rosy hue unique to babies, and his nose was delicate and small.
A peaceful, comforting scent seemed to radiate from his whole body.
"Grandpa, look, he has a jade pendant too.
"It has words carved on the back—Chen Jieqi."
"Yes. Grandpa checked before bringing him back. He's a boy, too."
"Grandpa, he's so cute, and he smells so nice. I'm going to call him little brother Xiao Qi from now on."
As they chatted, the two slowly headed toward the house...
"I actually made it!"
Listening to their conversation, Chen Jieqi gradually realized that he must have transmigrated to Douluo Continent, known as the "fantasy sewer."
He wasn't upset. He just thought,
Since I'm here, I'll make the best of it. I only hope I'll have Soul Power when I awaken my Martial Soul later.
Otherwise, even an ordinary person would have a hard time lying low. This is a world that eats people alive, after all!
Fortunately, Heaven hadn't treated him too badly. Although he hadn't received the "system" that came standard with transmigration, he did have a special ability unlike anyone else's.
Perhaps it was because of the transmigration, or perhaps because he had been struck by lightning, but Chen Jieqi's spiritual power was far beyond that of ordinary people. He showed extraordinary abilities from an early age.
By five months, he could speak fairly clearly!
By eight months, he could move around and walk normally!
By the age of one, he could read and write!
Meanwhile, the girl had turned eight. She was already a one-ring Beast Soul Master.
Her Martial Soul was the famous Jade Phosphor Snake, and her Innate Soul Power was as high as Rank 7. Her name was Dugu Yan.
And the old man was naturally Dugu Bo, known as an "angel investor."
Another year passed like that. Dugu Yan had already obtained a Soul Ring and reached Rank 21. During that time, whenever she wasn't at the academy, she would run back to tease her little brother Xiao Qi.
Dugu Yan liked sticking close to Chen Jieqi for more than just his small, adorable appearance.
It was also because of the special, peaceful scent that wafted from him.
It smelled wonderful, eased the discomfort she usually felt from cultivating Soul Power, and slowed the spread of the poison.
Dugu Bo watched all of this, growing ever more convinced that Chen Jieqi was mysterious...
Another year passed, day by day.
Chen Jieqi was now three years old, and he was gradually figuring out some of the secrets of his body.
Besides his unusually powerful spiritual strength, the "scent" he gave off seemed similar to the "Holy Light Power" that the Paladin class in WOW believed in.
It had a powerful purifying effect against negative or abnormal conditions such as darkness, corruption, and poison.
Whenever he prayed devoutly for a certain length of time, or successfully consumed the power through purification,
he could feel his "Holy Light Power" condensing noticeably. This was probably his "cheat ability."
He probably couldn't fully control this power yet because he hadn't undergone Martial Soul Awakening,
so it leaked out of him and made him a "tasty morsel" to be around.
But this was also a boon for Dugu Yan. After spending a long time by Chen Jieqi's side,
the poison caused by her Martial Soul had noticeably less effect on her, and her cultivation speed was much faster than in the original story.
From then on, Chen Jieqi relied on his extraordinary spiritual power and photographic memory
to devour knowledge about Soul Beasts, medicine, local customs, and all kinds of other subjects, studying every day to improve himself.
Before they knew it, another three years had passed. The scenery in the valley remained unchanged, just as it always had.
In front of the house, Chen Jieqi sat cross-legged. He wore a bronze-colored outfit, and his silver hair fell loosely around him.
It had the fluffy look unique to children. His face was soft with childish innocence, and his eyes were clear and lively.
Chen Jieqi had just finished meditating and praying. Thanks to his unusually powerful spiritual strength,
over the past few years he had gradually learned to rein in the "Holy Light Power" leaking from him and direct it through his body to nourish his bones, tendons, organs, and more.
Long-term self-strengthening, combined with plenty of nutritious food, had given Chen Jieqi an astonishing physique.
"Little brother Xiao Qi, are you done praying?"
A clear, delighted voice called out. It was Dugu Yan, who had just returned from Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Now thirteen, she had grown into a graceful young woman. Her once-purple hair and emerald eyes were becoming closer to the black common among ordinary people.
Her short hair was still as neat as ever, giving her a dashing look.
"Yanyan, I just finished. It's not a rest day today. Why are you back?"
Chen Jieqi asked in confusion.
"Tomorrow's your Martial Soul Awakening ceremony. Of course I had to be here to see it for myself."
"Oh, right. I almost forgot..."