"Holy crap, I transmigrated!"
Xue Yao opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was a luxurious ceiling trimmed in gold.
He froze for a moment and tried to raise a hand to rub his eyes, only to discover that his arms were pitifully short.
They were chubby and white, like two lotus roots.
He had transmigrated—and into the body of a baby, no less.
Xue Yao was pretty baffled.
Just a moment ago, he'd been playing Roco Kingdom World at his computer.
He'd been unbelievably lucky and had just caught a Little Griffin. It was black and white with a dazzling sheen, incredibly rare.
He hadn't even had time to take a screenshot and show it off when his computer suddenly let out a loud bang.
When he opened his eyes again, he was here.
"Your Majesty, look at our Yao'er. His eyes are wide open."
A woman's voice came from beside him, exceptionally gentle.
Xue Yao struggled to turn his little head.
A man and a woman came into view. They were leaning over the cradle, gazing at him with loving smiles.
These were his parents in this life.
The man was named Xue Lang, and he had quite an extraordinary status.
He was a scion of the Heaven Dou Empire's imperial family and was now the king of the Farack Kingdom.
Xue Lang was forty-eight years old and a fifty-eighth-level Soul King. His Martial Soul was a Swan.
The woman was his mother, Gao Nianzhen.
Gao Nianzhen was thirty-five and very beautiful, but her strength was even more impressive than the king's.
She was a sixty-seventh-level Soul Emperor, and her Martial Soul was an exceedingly rare, top-tier Mutated Martial Soul: the Golden Lion.
"Our Farack Kingdom will be counting on Yao'er from now on."
Xue Lang extended a finger and gently teased Xue Yao beneath the chin.
He continued, "Nianzhen, what Martial Soul do you think our son will awaken? How much Innate Soul Power will he have?"
Gao Nianzhen shot him a look.
"Do you even have to ask? He'll definitely inherit my Golden Lion."
Her voice brimmed with pride. "My Martial Soul is a top-tier mutation. Our son is bound to be stronger than your Swan."
Xue Lang gave an awkward laugh and didn't dare argue.
In the cradle, Xue Yao listened quietly.
Martial Soul. Innate Soul Power.
The moment he heard those two terms, he understood.
This was Douluo Continent.
He'd read the novel in his previous life, so he was familiar with its setting.
He just didn't know exactly when this was. Had Tang San been born yet? Who was in charge of Spirit Hall right now?
But Xue Yao soon couldn't be bothered to think about it.
Since he was here, he might as well make the best of it.
Transmigration was actually pretty great.
And with this reincarnation, he'd landed on his feet. The timing couldn't have been better.
He was the second prince of the Farack Kingdom, born into a family with a throne to inherit. His parents were strong even by the standards of this era. He was a bona fide top-tier second-generation rich kid.
With a start like this, who needed a bicycle?
The more Xue Yao thought about it, the happier he became. He couldn't help grinning with his toothless mouth and giggling.
He even reached out with both hands and grabbed the finger Xue Lang had been using to tease him.
"Oh!"
Xue Lang's eyes lit up, and his face filled with delight.
"Nianzhen, look! The little rascal isn't crying or fussing. He's even smiling at me!"
Gao Nianzhen leaned closer. Seeing her son's carefree smile, she felt her heart melt.
"Yao'er is such a good boy. He's been clever since he was little. He'll definitely be a genius."
The couple's cheerful laughter filled the great hall.
In the blink of an eye, six years passed.
Early morning.
In the back garden of Farack Royal Palace.
A boy was out for a morning run.
He wore a training outfit, and sweat covered his forehead, but his breathing was steady and measured.
The boy was Xue Yao.
"Your Highness! Slow down!"
A maid ran behind him, already gasping for breath.
"Your Highness, please stop running. Her Majesty the Queen is waiting for you in the great hall. You're going to awaken your Martial Soul today!"
Xue Yao stopped.
He took the towel the maid handed him, wiped the sweat from his face, and nodded.
"I know. I'll change and head over."
After watching the maid leave, Xue Yao took a deep breath.
The day had finally arrived.
He hadn't wasted a single day in the past six years.
As soon as he'd learned to walk, he'd started consciously training his body: running, stretching, and working on his core.
He knew all too well how chaotic this world would become.
Without a strong body, even someone who awakened a top-tier Martial Soul wouldn't be able to withstand high-intensity cultivation.
Over the past few years, he'd also figured out the timeline.
Four years ago, a major event had rocked the continent and stunned the world.
Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao had, for some unfathomable reason, killed Qian Xunji, the pope of Spirit Hall.
When news of the incident reached the Farack Kingdom, Xue Yao immediately understood.
Qian Xunji was dead. That meant the story had just begun.
He silently did the math.
He was six years old this year.
By that calculation, he was two years older than Tang San.
He was two years younger than Dai Mubai of the Star Luo Empire, and one year younger than Oscar.
As for Qian Renxue of Spirit Hall, she should be seven years older than him.
On the surface, Douluo Continent was calm, but beneath the surface, undercurrents were already churning.
Spirit Hall was plotting, and the two great empires were restless too.
When war broke out, it would be the kind that tore a hole in the sky.
So Xue Yao had laid out two paths for himself early on.
The first path.
If he awakened his Martial Soul today and his Innate Soul Power was below level five, he'd give up on making a fuss.
Without talent, he'd be nothing but cannon fodder, no matter how hard he trained.
In that case, he'd go straight to Nuoding City and befriend Tang San.
If an ordinary person had poor talent, someone like Tang San definitely wouldn't give him the time of day.
But Xue Yao was different.
He was the second prince of the Farack Kingdom, a genuine noble.
What kind of person was Tang San at heart? A staunch champion of feudalism.
Put simply, Tang San was all about that. He cared a great deal about status and position.
If Xue Yao approached him with a prince's title, a little generosity would be enough to secure that powerful ally.
Then he'd be guaranteed a peaceful life.
That was the fallback plan.
But what if his Innate Soul Power was above level five?
What if he turned out to be a rare genius?
A faint smile curled Xue Yao's lips.
If his talent was good, why cling to someone else's coattails?
He had the resources of an entire kingdom at his disposal, and both his parents were high-level Soul Masters. He could forge his own path.
There was nothing more satisfying than keeping his destiny in his own hands.
Half an hour later.
Xue Yao took a bath and changed into a luxurious formal outfit.
He pushed open the door and strode toward the palace's main hall.
Inside, Xue Lang and Gao Nianzhen were already waiting.
Six years had passed, but Xue Lang hadn't changed much. He still had the refined bearing of a king.
Gao Nianzhen, on the other hand, looked even younger.
She'd broken through just last year and was now a seventy-second-level Soul Saint.
In the entire Farack Kingdom, Gao Nianzhen was at the very top in terms of strength.
When she saw her son enter, her eyes filled with affection.
She walked over and patted Xue Yao's head.
"Yao'er, are you nervous?"
Xue Yao shook his head, his expression calm.
"No. Mom, let's get started."
Gao Nianzhen smiled with satisfaction.
She liked how composed her son was. He never panicked when something important came up.
"Good. Mommy will awaken your Martial Soul herself today."
Gao Nianzhen took two steps back.
The next moment,
the air in the great hall suddenly turned turbulent.
Gao Nianzhen's gaze sharpened. A dazzling golden light burst from within her.
"Martial Soul Possession!"
With a low roar, the enormous phantom of a Golden Lion appeared behind her.
The lion was majestic, its golden mane seeming to burn.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black.
Seven Soul Rings rose from beneath her feet, bobbing up and down in the great hall.
The Soul Saint's pressure swept through the hall.
Xue Yao stood where he was, staring at the seven Soul Rings surrounding his mother.
His eyes shone startlingly bright.
This was the power of a Soul Master. It was overwhelming.
"Yao'er, step into the center of the formation."
Gao Nianzhen raised a hand and pointed toward the six black stones already arranged on the floor.
Xue Yao didn't hesitate.
He stepped straight into the hexagram formed by the Awakening Stones.
Once he was in position, he took a deep breath.
Come on.
Whether I turned out a dragon or a worm would be decided by this one moment.
Before you continue