The Birth of Fortune, the Infant's Cry at Sunset

God Realm, Asura God Temple.

The blood-colored mist that never dispersed year-round coiled around the obsidian pillars. There was no light in the hall, only the dark red divine power flowing from the throne, bathing everything in a sense of slaughter and solitude.

A man in blood-colored robes leaned against the throne.

"Although these endless years since becoming a god are long, I have lost the freedom of the past..."

For hundreds of millions of years, he had guarded the order and judgment of the God Realm, watching the cycle of life and death, yet he could no longer find the joy he felt when he once wielded his sword to shatter chaos.

Suddenly, his lowered eyelashes trembled violently.

"Oh?"

It was an excellent seedling, a natural heart of slaughter, with endurance and ruthlessness carved into his bones and blood. He knew how to restrain himself, yet dared to burn everything away in a desperate situation.

He was meant to inherit his position and guard this cold order.

After all, the one whose divine trial he had set, Tang Chen, was ruined; another who possessed the "God of Slaughter" title had been bewitched by Rakshasa; and there was another half-dead one. There was simply no one left who could shoulder the position of the Asura God.

"I have decided it will be you."

The Asura God slowly raised his eyes. His blood-colored divine power transformed into a slender yet unstoppable thread of blood, piercing through the spatial barrier between the God Realm and the lower realm, plummeting straight toward the cliff known as "Ghost Sorrow."

He simply forgot that the order he guarded represented absolute justice by its very nature.

The moment that thread of blood-colored divine power interfered with the trajectory of fate, the power of luck sleeping at the core of Douluo Planet suddenly awakened.

It gently rolled, casting a wisp of equally pure luck, carrying a warm golden light, toward another location in silence.

A bolt of extreme lightning suddenly appeared in the Sunset Forest, its dazzling white light illuminating the area like broad daylight before vanishing in a flash.

Where the lightning struck, a well-behaved little baby lay quietly in a swaddle.

It was a male infant, about a month old, lying all alone beside a cluster of low shrubs.

"Waa... wah..."

At this moment, the infant's consciousness was incredibly clear. He could perceive his surroundings with perfect clarity.

The cool evening breeze brushed against his skin, the rough ground beneath him felt uncomfortable, and from the distance came the low roars of unknown soul beasts, along with the "rustling" of leaves stirred by the wind.

Fear, like a cold tide, instantly submerged him.

Transmigrated?

And transmigrated as a baby?

The location is still a primitive forest.

Thinking of himself as a "tender and delicious" baby, could he survive even an hour in a place like this?

Hunger, cold, wild beasts... any one of these factors was enough to end his life prematurely.

Not long after, an old man with ink-green hair and beard arrived at the spot, searching everywhere for the source of the lightning.

"Huh?"

A slightly hoarse voice, yet carrying a hint of majesty, rang out. Immediately following, a tall figure emerged from the woods.

"How could there be a baby here?"

The old man muttered to himself, his face showing confusion and a trace of imperceptible surprise.

He walked over slowly, crouched down, and fixed his gaze on the infant.

The little face was rosy and lustrous, and a pair of large, golden-flecked eyes stared fixedly at him.

There was no ignorance in those eyes as one would expect from a baby; instead, they were filled with...

A desire to survive?

His heart stirred. He had lived for decades and seen countless people and events, yet he had never seen such clear emotions in the eyes of an infant.

This child was extraordinary!

The Sunset Forest was fraught with danger. For a baby to be abandoned here, it should have been a dead end.

Yet, he had happened upon him.

Was this a coincidence, or... fate?

"Fine,"

The old man sighed softly.

"Since we have met, it is destiny. Yanyan is all alone anyway; bringing him back will give her a companion."

With that, he picked up the swaddle, turned, and flew toward the depths of the Sunset Forest.

After this, several other groups arrived to search the area, but finding nothing, they left one after another, and the forest fell back into silence.

"Yanyan, Yanyan, Grandpa is back!"

The old man stood on a mountain rock, holding the baby in his arms and calling out.

Below the mountain stream lay a twin spring, composed of the Ice Extreme Yin Spring and the Blazing Yang Spring, forming a pool of red and blue water.

Steam rolled upward from the pool, carrying the scent of sulfur, while the valley formed an inverted conical basin surrounded by unknown flowers and grasses.

Upon hearing a sound, the door of a nearby house opened with a cheerful creak.

A crisp voice rang out:

"Grandpa, you're back!"

The source of the voice, a girl with neat, short purple hair, and eyes of an unusual jade-green hue, came running toward the old man.

In a few flickers of movement, the old man appeared before the girl, cradling an infant in his arms.

"Yanyan, slow down, be careful not to trip."

After coming to a stop, the girl said obediently:

"Grandpa, is this infant you're holding the one you brought back after checking that place?"

"Yes, the place was completely undisturbed, with only this swaddle lying there.

Thinking that although you awakened your martial soul a year ago, you must still get bored on your own, I decided to bring him back to keep you company."

The old man said dotingly.

Hearing this, the girl stepped forward to look, and a delicately carved, jade-like little meatball came into view.

His head took up more than a third of his entire body, round and plump like a boiled egg, adorned with rare silver hair.

His eyes were closed, with sparse, pale golden eyelashes resting against his eyelids.

His soft face and lips were flushed with a unique baby pink, his nose bridge delicate and small, and his whole body radiated a peaceful and comfortable scent.

"Grandpa, look, there's a jade pendant here too, and there are characters carved on the back—Chen Jieqi."

"Yes, before I brought him back, I checked; he is a boy."

"Grandpa, he is so cute, and he smells so good. I'll call him little brother Xiao Qi from now on."

The two talked as they slowly walked toward the house...

I finally survived!

Listening to their conversation, Chen Jieqi slowly realized that he must have transmigrated to the Douluo Continent, known as the "sewer of fantasy."

He wasn't annoyed, though, only thinking, Since I'm here, I'll make the best of it. I just hope I have soul power when I awaken my martial soul later,

otherwise, it's hard for an ordinary person to even survive; after all, this is a world that eats people!

Fortunately, the heavens were kind to him. Although he didn't have the "system" essential to the transmigrator army, he did have a golden finger that set him apart from others.

Perhaps due to the transmigration, or perhaps because he was struck by lightning, Chen Jieqi's soul power was far beyond that of an ordinary person, and he had shown extraordinary talent since he was young.

He could speak quite clearly at five months old!

He could move and walk normally after eight months!

He could read and write after one year!

At the same time, that girl was already eight years old and was a one-ring beast soul master.

Her martial soul was the famous Jade Phosphor Snake, her Innate Soul Power was as high as level 7, and her name was Dugu Yan.

The old man's identity was naturally Dugu Bo, known as the "angel investor."

Another year passed, and Dugu Yan had already obtained her soul ring, reaching level 21. During this time, whenever she wasn't at the academy, she would run back to tease her little brother Xiao Qi.

The reason Dugu Yan liked to cling to Chen Jieqi wasn't just because he was small and cute, but because he radiated a "special scent" that was upright and peaceful.

It was not only pleasant to smell, but it could also alleviate the discomfort caused by her daily soul power cultivation and delay the erosion of toxins.

Dugu Bo saw all of this, and he found Chen Jieqi increasingly mysterious...

Day after day, another year passed.

Chen Jieqi was already three years old, and he had slowly figured out some of the mysteries of his body.

Aside from his soul power, which was far beyond that of an ordinary person, the "scent" radiating from his body was likely similar to the "Holy Light Power" believed in by Paladins in World of Warcraft.

It had a strong purification effect on negative or abnormal states such as darkness, corrosion, and poisoning.

At the same time, whenever he prayed devoutly for a certain period, or when a purification was successfully completed, he would feel this "Holy Light Power" become noticeably more refined. This must be his "golden finger."

It was likely because Chen Jieqi had not yet undergone his martial soul awakening, meaning he could not fully control this power for the time being, causing it to leak out and turn him into a "popular treat."

However, this was beneficial for Dugu Yan; after spending a long time by Chen Jieqi's side, the toxic erosion caused by her own martial soul was significantly alleviated, and her cultivation speed was much faster than in the original story.

From that point on, relying on his extraordinary soul power and photographic memory, Chen Jieqi began to frantically absorb and study knowledge regarding soul beasts, medical theory, local customs, and various other aspects, charging himself up every single day.

Unknowingly, another three years passed, and the scenery in the valley remained unchanged as always.

Chen Jieqi sat cross-legged in front of the house, dressed in a bronze-colored tunic with his silver hair draped loosely, retaining the fluffiness unique to a child, his face full of soft, youthful innocence, and his eyes pure and lively.

At this moment, Chen Jieqi had just finished his meditation and prayer. Due to his extraordinary soul power, he had gradually been able to gather his leaking Holy Light Power over these past few years, using it to circulate and nourish his bones, meridians, and internal organs.

Long-term self-strengthening, combined with sufficient nutritional intake, had brought Chen Jieqi's physique to an astonishing level.

"Little brother Xiao Qi, have you finished your prayer?"

A crisp, joyful voice rang out; it was Dugu Yan, who had just rushed back from Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Now thirteen years old, she had grown into a graceful young woman, and her original purple hair and emerald green eyes were becoming closer to the black of an ordinary person, though her short, neat hair still gave her a heroic air.

"Sister Yanyan, I just finished. It isn't a holiday today, so why did you come back?"

Chen Jieqi asked in confusion.

"Tomorrow is the day of your martial soul awakening, so of course I had to be here to witness it myself."

"That's true, I almost forgot about it myself..."