Morning light spilled across the room, speckling the shabby white walls with reflected starlight.
Quite a few children in old clothes were playing nearby, laughing and shouting, their eyes bright with joy.
Only one boy sat in the corner.
His expression was calm.
But if you looked closely, you could see that tears were streaming down his face.
If you asked why he was crying, all he could say was that he loved this land with all his heart.
In the boy's hands was a calendar.
The days on it had been crossed off one by one, until at last this day arrived.
Three words were written clearly on it: Awakening Day.
"Six years! It's been a whole six years. I've finally made it to the day of Martial Soul Awakening!"
As he spoke, the boy wiped the tears from his face, then slowly stood up.
Who could understand what it was like to suddenly die while playing a game?
He'd been doing just fine, fighting in the Abyss.
Since the Moon Crystal Complete Form and the Skirk Ice Team had been popular lately, he'd swapped out the Old World Team he'd put together before.
He'd replaced it with those two new teams.
Then, he had no idea whose interests he'd stepped on, but he'd just kicked the bucket.
When he opened his eyes again, he'd thought he was lucky enough to have come to the Teyvat Continent, since it was his favorite game.
But who'd have thought that when he opened his eyes, he'd find himself in an orphanage?
Fortunately, the matron was a kind woman. Otherwise, Li Ang had genuinely considered starting over right away.
Of course, today was also the day he'd decided to begin again.
Now that the six-year deadline had arrived, it was time to see whether he was a horse or a mule.
Before he died, Li Ang had learned about the history of the entire Douluo Continent, so he knew a thing or two about Martial Soul Awakening.
As the saying went, Martial Soul Awakening was seven parts bloodline and three parts mutation.
Most ordinary people had poor bloodlines, and Li Ang didn't even know who his parents were, so there was even less to hope for.
"Ah, I just hope I get a halfway decent Martial Soul."
"My biggest dream is to live forever. As long as I can stay alive, I don't care if I'm living high on the hog!"
Muttering to himself, the boy stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes.
He looked outside, where a gentle, middle-aged woman was walking in.
She glanced around at the children and said:
"Everyone, come gather around."
"Today is Martial Soul Awakening Day. Come with me to the Spirit Pagoda for your awakenings."
The woman's voice was gentle. As she spoke, she beckoned the children to gather.
Seeing this, Li Ang yawned and hurried over with a few quick steps.
The matron here was around forty years old.
A burn scar ran from her eye to the corner of her mouth.
He'd heard that the orphanage had once caught fire, and she'd been left with the scar while rescuing the children.
The scar looked frightening, but no one at the orphanage cared about it.
A city bus slowly made its way toward the Spirit Pagoda, which wasn't far from the orphanage.
Since it was Awakening Day, all kinds of private cars had already crowded outside the Spirit Pagoda.
All sorts of people packed the regular entrance, while those with connections found someone to take them through the special entrance.
The orphanage went through the special entrance too.
Because orphans were in a special situation, and because the Federation had called for everyone to be given the chance to awaken, orphans were put at the front of the line.
With the matron leading them, the children began going in one by one for their awakenings. Li Ang was among the last few in line.
There were about fifteen children turning six this year, but it would be lucky if even one or two of them became Soul Masters with Soul Power.
It wasn't that wealthy people were less likely to abandon their children. It was simply far less common than among ordinary people.
As the children began awakening one by one, reports came back.
Most awakened a Martial Soul but had no Soul Power.
They were all ordinary things like hoes and shovels.
The better ones had one or two ranks of Innate Soul Power, but most had none at all.
Before Li Ang, only one girl had awakened a Martial Soul called a Kingfisher.
Her Innate Soul Power was rank five, which was relatively high among the awakened children.
"Next, Li Junyue."
The Spirit Master called out, but no one moved. He looked at the matron, puzzled.
The matron turned around helplessly. "Li Ang, he's calling you!"
As Li Ang walked forward, the Spirit Master's gaze fell on him.
The boy in front of him looked ordinary, dressed plainly, and gave off an entirely unremarkable impression. The Spirit Master only glanced at him before leading him inside.
Looking at the Awakening Platform in front of him, Li Ang reached up and scratched his head.
This was his first time undergoing an awakening, so naturally he was curious about it.
The Spirit Master beside him didn't hurry him along. He seemed used to this.
But after waiting for two minutes, he realized something was wrong: Li Ang was standing there, dancing a strange dance.
As the boy spread his legs and bobbed his body up and down, the Spirit Master stared at the bizarre dance in bewilderment.
"Could this be some ancient tribe's ritual? Does doing this enhance the Martial Soul Awakening?"
The young Spirit Master muttered, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
But once Li Ang finished dancing, he didn't hesitate at all. He slapped his hand directly onto the Awakening Stone.
A blinding light flared. Li Ang opened his eyes and stared straight at the Awakening Stone in front of him.
The dazzling light enveloped him. It felt as if something had appeared inside his body, something swollen and taut that pressed against his lower abdomen, making him uncomfortable.
By the time he realized what was happening, a gigantic blue planet had slowly emerged.
A planet in the sky outside seemed to mirror it, as though the two were inextricably linked to the Douluo Planet.
Quite a few parents and children stared at the azure planet, their eyes full of confusion and curiosity.
Meanwhile, inside the awakening chamber, the young Spirit Master stared at the shattered Awakening Stone, utterly stunned.
He walked forward two steps in a daze, then saw immense waves of power surging around the boy.
The strange sight immediately terrified the young Spirit Master. He stood rooted to the spot, unable to move.
Li Ang was just as bewildered. His Martial Soul was strange because it seemed enormous, as if it wasn't inside his body at all.
He could sense exactly what his Martial Soul looked like, because he was now viewing the huge blue planet below from above.
But the longer he looked at the planet, the more familiar it seemed. Whether he looked from the left, the right, or above, it all gave him a powerful sense of déjà vu.
"Holy crap, this thing is my Martial Soul? Why does it look exactly like the Douluo Planet in children's picture books?"
"So my Martial Soul is the Douluo Planet?"
Before you continue