Parallel World Self, Another Future

"Hiss!"

Lin Qing gasped sharply in reality.

He didn't even have time to think, raising his hand to pinch his thigh hard.

"!!!"

The genuine pain told him this wasn't a dream, nor had he gone mad.

"So... I died?"

Lin Qing sat on the broken wooden stool, dazed, his mind a chaotic mess.

If I died, then who am I now?

Both the scenes in the vision and the experiences recounted by the narration perfectly overlapped with his own life trajectory.

Including his Martial Soul!

Lin Qing focused his mind.

A faint, burning sensation emerged between his brows.

The next second, a similarly deep and mysterious vertical pupil quietly manifested.

His Martial Soul was also the Heavenly Eye!

Of course, while called the Heavenly Eye, for now, it was just a very cool-looking vertical eye on his forehead.

Aside from his vision becoming exceptionally sharp, allowing him to see the veins on leaves a hundred meters away, he hadn't discovered any special abilities.

As for his Innate Soul Power, it was also level eight.

One coincidence could be called an accident.

Two coincidences could still be called a coincidence.

But when everything was a coincidence... this could no longer be explained by "coincidence"!

"This deceased Lin Qing is very likely me, but the version of me in this world currently sitting here."

Lin Qing forced himself to calm down and began to analyze the situation.

He could only think of two possible explanations.

First: This was just a gimmick created by a golden finger.

The so-called "last words" and "relics" were just background stories fabricated by the system to distribute rewards.

After all, what kind of proper system would actually let a host listen to their own last words?

Second: This deceased Lin Qing was indeed him, but not the version from his timeline.

Instead, it was him from a parallel world or another timeline.

Only this could explain why their experiences were so similar.

"Whatever."

Lin Qing shook his head, casting the messy thoughts to the back of his mind.

"Regardless of the situation, it shouldn't be harmful to me."

If the system really wanted to kill him, would it go through so much trouble?

Since I'm here, I'll make the best of it.

Suppressing the shock in his heart, Lin Qing's gaze returned to the urn on the table, his eyes growing fervent.

"Let me take a good look at what your relics can bring me!"

As if sensing his thoughts, the narration in his mind continued to sound steadily.

[After my Martial Soul awakened, I received an invitation from the Martial Soul Hall.]

The scene shifted.

A letter appeared in the hands of "Lin Qing."

The envelope was stamped with the unique emblem of the Martial Soul Hall.

[At the same time, I could also choose to go to Notting Academy, where Tang San was, to study.]

Another scene showed the old village chief of Emperor Soul Village leaning on his cane, speaking kindly to the young "Lin Qing."

"Child, I have secured the work-study student quota for Notting Academy for you."

At this moment, Lin Qing faced the first choice of his life.

[Considering I had no background, low strength, and no golden finger...]

The narrator's voice showed a subtle fluctuation for the first time, as if sighing.

[After careful consideration, I chose to join the Martial Soul Hall!]

The image froze.

The young "Lin Qing" stood at the village entrance, carrying a simple pack.

He took one last look at Emperor Soul Village, where he had lived for six years, and at Er Ni, the young girl who was weeping as she bid him farewell, before turning to stride away with a firm step.

"Oh?"

In reality, a flicker of surprise flashed through Lin Qing's eyes.

He had long since grasped the situation in this region.

Emperor Soul Village was located on the border of the Heaven Dou Empire, a remote and impoverished backwater; the nearest junior soul master academy was Notting Academy in Nuoding City.

It was the very same academy where Tang San had spent six years in the original story.

Given his status as an orphan, without any unforeseen circumstances, he would likely have had to rely on the village chief to secure a work-study spot at Notting Academy.

There was no helping it; he was too poor to have a choice.

Yet, the Lin Qing of this parallel world had actually received an invitation from Martial Soul Hall!

"It seems... quite reasonable, actually?"

Lin Qing quickly grasped the crux of the matter.

The Heavenly Eye, as a body martial soul, might not have been fully understood in this era, and many likely regarded it as a common mutated martial soul.

But an Innate Soul Power of level eight!

That number was enough to command attention anywhere.

One had to realize that an Innate Soul Power of level seven was already considered a minor genius.

Levels eight and nine were the kind of seedlings that all major factions scrambled to claim.

As for Innate Full Soul Power? That was something sought after but rarely found.

As the largest soul master organization on the Douluo Continent, Martial Soul Hall had eyes and ears everywhere.

How could they not extend an olive branch upon discovering a child with level eight Innate Soul Power?

Lin Qing stroked his chin, lost in thought.

"The invitation from Martial Soul Hall on my end is likely already on its way, just not delivered yet."

After all, Emperor Soul Village was too remote; it took time for information to travel.

"Interesting."

Lin Qing's gaze grew increasingly bright.

The experiences of the parallel-world Lin Qing were like a window suddenly flung open, showing him a completely different future and an entirely different path.

"Even if this so-called 'relic' is nothing more than these memories, its value is already immeasurable."

Because what these memories brought him were not gold or treasures.

They were information!

True and detailed information about the future.

It was not the one-sided world seen through the perspective of the protagonist Tang San and his companions in the original Douluo Continent novel.

It was the Douluo Continent experienced and witnessed firsthand from the perspective of an ordinary soul master.

Such information was essentially a "growth guide" tailored specifically for him.

He could perfectly summarize the optimal choices based on the experiences of the parallel Lin Qing, avoiding potential pitfalls and seizing those fleeting opportunities.

"This is far more practical than any divine technique, secret manual, or legendary artifact."

Lin Qing took a deep breath, calming his excitement.

He refocused his gaze on the light and shadow display before him, a scorching curve tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"I really want to see how the 'me' who chose to join Martial Soul Hall ended up dying."

That was right; since it was a relic, it meant that this six-year-old Lin Qing was dead.

The last words continued.

[After I joined Martial Soul Hall, because I needed to graduate from a junior soul master academy before I could head to the high-level 'Martial Soul Hall Academy' in Martial Soul City, I was arranged to study at a junior soul master academy near the Martial Soul Hall branch in Suotuo City.]

In the light and shadow display, the young "Lin Qing" walked into a bustling city with a pack on his back.

Shops lined both sides of the street, and the pedestrians were dressed in fine clothes; compared to the dilapidation of Emperor Soul Village, this place was simply another world.

The scene shifted to the front of an ancient stone building.

A gilded plaque hung above the main gate: Suotuo Junior Soul Master Academy.

[Just on my second day of enrollment, I received a piece of 'good' news.]

Even though it was supposedly good news, the narrator's voice carried a hint of imperceptible mockery.

[Viscount Priest of the Priest Family, a noble in Suotuo City, said he saw potential in me and was willing to sponsor me.]

A man dressed like a lavishly adorned butler respectfully handed a letter to the parallel Lin Qing.

[He offered 1000 Gold Soul Coin right off the bat.]

"1000 Gold Soul Coin?!"

Lin Qing nearly jumped off his rickety wooden stool.

His eyes went wide, and his breathing grew ragged.

One had to know, a single Gold Soul Coin was enough to cover the expenses of an average family of three for several months!

One thousand Gold Soul Coins—that was nothing short of an astronomical figure!

For an orphan like him who couldn't even get enough to eat, it was a fortune he didn't even dare to imagine.

Is this Viscount Priest being too generous? Why?

A sliver of wariness rose in Lin Qing's heart.

Something was wrong with this man!

Pies didn't just fall from the sky.

Even if they did, it was highly likely to be an iron disc—the kind that could smash a person to death.