Heaven Dou Empire, Farnos Province.
Holy Soul Village, the back hill.
It was dusk, and the sun was sinking in the west.
After leaving the woods, they walked beneath the yellowing twilight.
Two little boys, who looked only five or six years old and wore patched linen clothes, trudged along the road back to the village with large bamboo baskets on their backs, each carrying a big bundle of firewood.
One of them, a handsome little boy with short blue-silver hair and eyes, looked thoroughly annoyed. He walked along, cursing under his breath.
"Tang Hao, that damn bastard—does he deserve to be a father?"
"All he does is drink, and he doesn't care about anything. The little money he manages to earn gets spent on booze."
"Why doesn't he just drink himself to death!"
"How old are we, anyway!"
"Fine, we can put up with having to cook our own meals."
"But he makes us chop wood and haul water, too. Is he even human?"
The boy was named Tang Yin. He was five years old and would soon turn six.
He was a transmigrator.
In his previous life, Tang Yin had been an ordinary college student on Earth, facing the prospect of graduating straight into unemployment.
While out looking for a job one day, he happened to come across a truck carrying steel coils. One of the coils accidentally fell off.
It rolled straight toward a group of primary school students who had just gotten out of class.
In the heat of the moment, Tang Yin rushed over to stop it, but he wasn't strong enough. The steel coil crushed him like a bug.
Fortunately, thanks to his intervention, the flowers of the motherland should have been safe.
As an orphan, he'd lived long enough anyway.
He'd died heroically, battling a steel coil to save the flowers of the motherland.
At least he'd died for a worthy cause!
After his death, Tang Yin never expected that he would transmigrate.
He'd arrived in the world of Douluo Continent, from a novel and anime he'd seen in his previous life.
He'd also been reborn as Tang San's older brother, Tang Yin, a character who didn't exist in the original story.
At first, Tang Yin had been pretty happy about it.
After all, although his little brother Tang San had a terrible reputation online in his previous life and was practically hated by everyone, that was just how outsiders saw him.
He treated his family quite well!
And since his little brother Tang San could awaken the Clear Sky Hammer and Blue Silver Emperor as Twin Martial Souls, as identical twins, Tang Yin would most likely be able to do the same!
Wouldn't that make him a proper member of the upper class in the future?
But later, Tang Yin realized he'd been too optimistic about life.
Although the novel and anime had glossed over Tang San's childhood, the gist of it was that Tang Hao had been a terrible father, but it hadn't been a big deal.
Only after becoming Tang San's brother did Tang Yin realize just how despairing it was to have that bastard Tang Hao for a father!
Who could imagine someone feeding rice porridge to a newborn baby?
And before they'd even turned two, he'd stopped caring for them altogether.
He'd left two children under the age of two to cook for themselves, chop firewood, and haul water.
If Tang Yin hadn't been born with their mother the Blue Silver Emperor's bloodline, which gave him a fairly tenacious vitality, and if their grandfather, the village chief Old Jack, and the other village uncles and aunties hadn't often helped them, Tang Yin felt he'd have been dead long ago.
After all, unlike his little brother Tang San, he hadn't cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
"Big Brother, please don't say that about Dad."
"No matter what, Dad gave us life and raised us!"
Tang San said earnestly beside him, hoping to ease the tension between his big brother Tang Yin and their father, Tang Hao.
But at his words, Tang Yin merely curled his lip, feeling disdainful.
Father?
There were plenty of fathers in this world!
But not everyone deserved to be one!
At the very least, that drunken coward Tang Hao didn't deserve it!
Their mother wasn't even dead!
Yet this man spent every day dead drunk, with no one knowing what he was doing.
Was the Spirit Hall really that scary?
Was that why the mighty Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao didn't even have the slightest will to fight back?!
And sure, Tang Yin acknowledged that Tang Hao had given them life, but he didn't acknowledge any debt of care!
Otherwise, would they be chopping wood now just for fun?
The two brothers walked one behind the other through the village, where cooking smoke curled into the sky.
They made their way to a rundown blacksmith shop on the west side of the village.
Piles of discarded iron and coal cinders sat outside the shop, and the air was always thick with the smell of rust and coal dust.
Before they even entered, a pungent stench of cheap liquor hit them.
Tang Yin's brows knitted tighter. He kicked open the half-shut wooden door, which banged loudly.
The room was dim. A burly, unshaven man lay face-down on a battered wooden table, snoring like thunder. Several empty wine jars had rolled to the floor beside him.
He was Tang Hao, the father of Tang Yin and his younger brother Tang San in this life.
Seeing this, Tang Yin was instantly furious.
Drink, drink, drink all day long. Why hadn't you drunk yourself to death yet?
By then, Tang San had already quietly walked over. With practiced movements, he gathered up the scattered wine jars and set them aside, then picked up a broom and began sweeping the trash and spilled liquor off the floor.
He worked meticulously, as though doing something of the utmost importance.
He paid no attention to his father's thunderous snores.
Tang Yin felt utterly helpless.
He thought his brother, that father-worshipping fool, was beyond saving!
Just then, a brisk set of footsteps approached from outside.
A vigorous old man with white hair and beard appeared in the doorway, leaning on a cane. He was none other than Old Jack, the village chief of Holy Soul Village.
He first poked his head inside and looked around. When his gaze passed over the drunken Tang Hao, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Then his eyes fell on Tang Yin and Tang San, and a kindly smile spread across his face.
"Xiao Yin, Xiao San, you're both home?"
Old Jack's voice was strong, with the kind warmth of an elder.
"Grandpa Jack, you're here."
Seeing Old Jack arrive, Tang Yin's little face immediately broke into a smile, and he greeted him respectfully.
Compared with Tang Hao, his so-called father, Tang Yin felt that Old Jack had helped the two brothers much more throughout their childhood!
"Grandpa Jack."
Tang San also stopped what he was doing and greeted him respectfully.
Old Jack stroked his snowy-white beard and chuckled.
"Xiao Yin, Xiao San, I'm here to let you know!"
"Remember to come for your Martial Soul Awakening tomorrow morning. Don't be late!"
After that, Old Jack turned and left, preparing to notify the others.
"Martial Soul Awakening?"
Tang San murmured, seeming quite curious.
Was it finally time for his Martial Soul Awakening?
A flicker of anticipation also passed through Tang Yin's eyes. He was very curious.
What Martial Soul would he awaken in this life?
But since he and Tang San were twins, he'd most likely awaken the Blue Silver Grass and the Clear Sky Hammer as Twin Martial Souls, too.
He just didn't know how much Innate Soul Power he'd have.
The next morning.
At the Spirit Hall Branch in Holy Soul Village.
After the arrival of the famous Brother Tao,
Tang Yin and Tang San stood together at the end of the line, waiting for their Martial Soul Awakening.
A handsome young man with a slender build and a white uniform stood at the front. After arranging the Martial Soul Awakening formation, he introduced himself.
"First, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Su Yuntao, an attendant of the Spirit Hall. I'll be presiding over your Martial Soul Awakening ceremony today."
"Don't be afraid when the time comes!"
Then, in front of everyone, Su Yuntao summoned his Martial Soul, the Lone Wolf, and entered Martial Soul Possession, transforming into a wolfman. Quite a few children were frightened.
But Tang Yin and Tang San weren't affected.
Tang Yin's eyes were full of anticipation.
Wow!
So this was Martial Soul Possession?
It was just like transforming. Pretty cool!
It was a shame that my Martial Soul would most likely be the yet-to-awaken Blue Silver Grass, along with the Clear Sky Hammer. I wouldn't be able to transform, though.
Tang Yin felt a little disappointed.
As for Tang San, his eyes gleamed with excitement.
So this was the mysterious Martial Soul?
I wonder if my Mysterious Heaven Skill's inability to break through to the first level has anything to do with not having absorbed a Soul Ring.
Before you continue