Qin Yuan

Having been too excited to sleep for most of the night, Qin Yuan woke up less than two hours after finally drifting off.

With clear, bright eyes, he glanced at the dim, pre-dawn sky outside, then abruptly kicked off his quilt, put on his shoes, pulled open the door, and scampered out of the courtyard.

At the entrance, the beautiful maid who had been squinting in a light doze jolted awake.

She only caught a glimpse of her young master's retreating back, which turned her face pale and sent cold sweat prickling across her forehead.

She rushed to catch up; as a Soul Elder, chasing a ten-year-old boy who hadn't even become a Soul Master yet was effortless.

"Young Master, where are you going?" the beautiful maid, White Butterfly, asked with concern as she followed closely behind Qin Yuan.

Qin Yuan didn't answer, charging straight into the East Palace and navigating the familiar path to the room of Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, where he tapped his small, fair hand against the door with a rhythmic thud-thud-thud.

"Cousin, are you awake?"

White Butterfly didn't dare make a sound, standing respectfully behind Qin Yuan with her head bowed; she wouldn't dream of speaking in front of the noble Crown Prince.

"Is that you, Xiao Yuan? Wait a moment." Xue Qinghe's gentle voice drifted from inside, accompanied by the rustling of clothes being put on.

After a long while, the door creaked open, carrying a faint, elegant fragrance.

A handsome face came into view, set upon a tall, well-proportioned frame that radiated an air of nobility beyond measure.

Xue Qinghe had only draped an outer robe over her shoulders, yet there was no trace of annoyance at being disturbed; only a smile of indulgence and affection graced her face.

"Xiao Yuan, why are you up so early today? Don't you usually sleep until the sun is high in the sky?"

"I want to learn Go, Cousin. Could you help me find a master?" Qin Yuan said with a smile.

"Of course." Xue Qinghe nodded without a moment's hesitation, not even asking why; as long as it was something Qin Yuan wanted, she would satisfy him.

"Thank you, Cousin!" Qin Yuan thanked her with a grin, chatted for a little while longer, and then took his leave.

Qian Renxue watched the retreating back of the boy she had raised with her own hands, her eyes filled with an unshakable, doting love.

Only when Qin Yuan disappeared from sight did she withdraw her gaze and order her subordinates to find the most famous Go master in Heaven Dou City.

Running back to his own courtyard, Qin Yuan told his maid, White Butterfly, to go get some sleep, while he waited with bated breath.

He had been transmigrated to the Douluo Continent for exactly ten years, and last night, he had finally awakened his golden finger.

With a flick of his mind, a transparent panel appeared before his eyes.

[Name: Qin Yuan]
[Age: 10]
[Martial Soul: Little Grass Snake]
[Soul Power: Level 5]
[Skills: None]
[Evolution Points: 0]

His golden finger was simple: as long as he learned a skill, he would gain evolution points, which could be used to increase his soul power or even evolve his Martial Soul!

For someone like him, whose Martial Soul had suffered a malignant mutation and who had an Innate Soul Power of only half a level, this was truly rain after a long drought!

In addition to the panel, he had also awakened an ability called [Life Miracle], which possessed the ultimate power of purification and healing; as long as he had enough soul power, he could even regrow severed limbs!

Simultaneously with the awakening of [Life Miracle], he had gained complete information on all plants, knowing the habits and characteristics of every single one like the back of his hand.

It was a pity, however, that [Life Miracle] was not a Martial Soul, but a simple ability—it could be considered an innate divine talent.

In the center of the courtyard, a stone arched bridge spanned a crystal-clear pond. Qin Yuan stood on the bridge, closed his panel, and looked down at the colorful fish swimming happily in the water.

But his thoughts were not on the fish; they drifted back ten years.

Ten years ago, he had seen someone accidentally fall into the Yangtze River. Overconfident in his own swimming ability, he had acted on impulse and jumped in to save them.

He hadn't expected the current to be so swift; not only did he fail to save the person, but he ended up losing his own life as well.

And then, he had transmigrated.

Just like in his previous life, he was an orphan, but the difference was that Emperor Xue Ye was his uncle, placing him at the very pinnacle of the Douluo Continent from the moment he was born.

Emperor Xue Ye was busy with state affairs and had originally intended to hand him over to a concubine in the harem to be raised once he reached a month old, but Xue Qinghe had taken the initiative to take him in.

At that time, the real Xue Qinghe had already been eliminated, and the one truly raising him was Qian Renxue.

Although Xue Qinghe was his cousin in name, Qin Yuan felt nothing for this cousin he had never even met.

What's more, he was just an infant at the time, praying internally that Qian Renxue wouldn't kill him—it was such a perfect starting hand, after all!

Fortunately, Qian Renxue wasn't cruel enough to kill an infant who posed no threat to her position as Crown Prince.

And so, the ten-year-old Qian Renxue took charge of raising him, the month-old infant.

Now, ten years later, his relationship with Qian Renxue was as close as mother and son... er, sister and brother.

It could be said that even if he wanted the stars in the sky, Qian Renxue would move heaven and earth to get them for him.

Before he was six, Emperor Xue Ye had been exceptionally good to his nephew.

But after he awakened his Martial Soul at six and was revealed to be a waste with only half a level of Innate Soul Power, failing to inherit his father's powerful Martial Soul, the Emperor's attitude turned cold, and he drastically reduced his provisions that very day.

It was only then that he truly understood what it meant to say that the imperial family is the most heartless of all.

The affection shown to him was only because he had value, with the expectation that he would inherit his father's powerful Martial Soul.

Once his Martial Soul suffered a malignant mutation and lost its value, he was discarded immediately.

At the time, he had felt quite hurt; after all, he had been an orphan in his past life and valued familial bonds deeply, never expecting such an outcome.

Fortunately, Qian Renxue did not change her attitude because of the quality of his Martial Soul; if anything, she doted on him even more than before, terrified that he might suffer the slightest grievance.

She even beat the princes and princesses like Xue Beng, who had mocked his Martial Soul at the time, so severely that they couldn't get out of bed for three days, ensuring that no one in the entire imperial palace dared to ridicule him again.

Seeing the reactions of Emperor Xue Ye and Qian Renxue after his Martial Soul's malignant mutation, Qin Yuan had actually felt at the time that the mutation wasn't entirely a bad thing.

At the very least, he had learned who treated him with sincerity and who was merely putting on a facade.

"Sigh." Withdrawing his thoughts, Qin Yuan let out a soft sigh:

"Uncle, oh Uncle, you truly hurt me; back then, I really did treat you like a true uncle."

"Young Master, breakfast is ready." At this moment, his other maid, Red Moon, walked over and said softly.

There were two maids in Qin Yuan's courtyard, named White Butterfly and Red Moon. They were both very beautiful, with tall, voluptuous figures, curvaceous and well-endowed; anywhere else, they would be considered rare beauties.

They were eighteen or nineteen years old, and their soul power had both reached the level of Soul Elder. Four years ago, as government affairs became busier, Qian Renxue, fearing that Qin Yuan wouldn't be well cared for, had personally vetted and selected them to serve him.

Qin Yuan had only one evaluation for this: being born well is a technical skill.

"Mn." Qin Yuan nodded, turned, and walked to the stone table placed in the courtyard to sit and eat.

He first consumed the foul-tasting Whale Rubber; even after eating it for six full years, he still found it difficult to endure the pungent odor.

Having eaten it for six years, he had developed a resistance to Whale Rubber, and ordinary Whale Rubber was already useless to him; only Whale Rubber from beasts over five thousand years old could improve his physical constitution.

The money to purchase the Whale Rubber was, naturally, provided by Qian Renxue.

Before the age of six, it had been Emperor Xue Ye, but after he turned six, Emperor Xue Ye had cut off the funding directly—ruthless to the core.

Before obtaining his golden finger, even though his Innate Soul Power was only half a level, he had never given up on cultivation.

There was no hope of becoming a top-tier Soul Master, but even becoming a Soul Grand Master would at least make him stronger than an ordinary person, and his lifespan would surely be extended a little.

Standing at the pinnacle of the continent like this, how could he not want to enjoy it for a little longer!