Transmigrating to Douluo Continent, Martial Soul Awakening

Deep in the endless mountains on the edge of the Xingyao Principality, in the northeast of the Star Luo Empire, a thick, impenetrable fog hangs year-round.

Hidden here is a forbidden zone rarely found on any map, which the locals call "Dragon Valley." On the outskirts of Dragon Valley sits a remote, humble hamlet of only a hundred households: Ancient Dragon Village. This village is known for a bizarre rumor that has persisted for a hundred miles: any soul master who enters the village's territory finds their soul power draining away rapidly, as if falling into a bottomless pit.

Furthermore, the vast majority of villagers in Ancient Dragon Village possess no Innate Soul Power after awakening their martial souls. Even those who occasionally manifest a level or two are destined to go nowhere. Over time, the outside world has come to view this place as cursed, a village of commoners doomed to live and die without accomplishment.

On a small hill about a hundred meters high behind the village, a thin, small figure lay sprawled out. The child, roughly five or six years old, had healthy, tan skin and short, neat yellow hair.

He sprawled out against the rock in the shape of a star, a piece of foxtail grass dangling from his mouth. The midday sun poured down without reservation, sinking into every pore; the warmth seeped through his skin, softening his very bones.

His name is Gu Tian, a transmigrator who arrived in this world carrying memories of his past life.

"It's already been six full years since I came to this world." Gu Tian spat out the grass, looking at his own small, tender hands, a maturity beyond his years flashing in his eyes. He remembered clearly that due to an accident in his previous life, his soul had been reincarnated into this world of soul masters.

Perhaps by some twist of fate, his name in the Douluo Continent remained Gu Tian, just as it had been in his past life.

"What, lamenting your boring life story again?" A charming, feminine voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

Faced with this sudden voice, Gu Tian was not startled; instead, he responded helplessly, "Sister Ao Linxi, I'm not like you—I'm just an ordinary person. The martial soul awakening is tomorrow. If I really end up like everyone else in the village with no Innate Soul Power, I might never even make it out of these mountains."

"Pathetic. If you were to become a mere mortal while carrying the bloodline that flows through your veins, it would be an insult not only to you but to This Seat." The voice gave a light huff, filled with arrogance.

Gu Tian offered a bitter smile. Ever since he could remember, this soul, who claimed to be the "Dragon God Ao Linxi," had resided in his spiritual sea. For the past six years, his ability to possess a physique far superior to his peers was entirely due to the cultivation method called "Nine-Turn Dragon Breath" that Ao Linxi had taught him.

Although he had never seen her face and she had never delivered on the grand promises she made, Gu Tian had long since come to regard her as a friend.

"Little Tian—! Hurry home for lunch! Stop hanging around on the mountain!"

A gentle call from the foot of the mountain interrupted Gu Tian's thoughts. He stood up, brushed the dust off his backside, and ran toward home, moving across the rugged mountain path as if it were flat ground.

As soon as he entered the house, the light, fragrant scent of rice porridge wafted toward him.

"Mom, I'm home." Gu Tian washed his face and sat down at the dining table.

Gu Tian's mother, Lin Ping, was a gentle, ordinary farm woman. She didn't even have a martial soul and was the most typical sort of commoner in the village. As she ladled porridge into Gu Tian's bowl, she nagged with a hint of worry, "You child, why do you run to the back mountain every day? That mountain is so high—what if you fall? You aren't allowed to go anymore."

"I know, I won't do it again next time." Gu Tian promised quickly, afraid of upsetting his mother.

Lin Ping was long accustomed to this, but she couldn't help but nag a few more times.

"By the way, Tian'er, you're awakening your martial soul tomorrow. Mom doesn't expect you to become some great soul master; as long as you can stay home healthy and sound, I'll be satisfied."

His father, Gu Hai, who sat opposite him, set down his bowl, his expression complex.

Gu Hai was a level 8 soul master. Although his level was shockingly low, he was considered a man of status in Ancient Dragon Village. His martial soul was a dragon claw; when he channeled his soul power, his right hand would be faintly covered in a layer of thick, horny scales, and his fingers would become as sharp as claws, which allowed him to be the village's only carpenter.

"You can't say it like that." Gu Hai looked at Gu Tian, a flicker of expectation in his eyes quickly masked by worry. "I only have level 8 soul power, and my martial soul is just a dragon claw that barely strengthens my physical power. If Tian'er can do better than me and awaken a slightly better martial soul, maybe he can go out into the world and see things."

"Dad, you'd better not hold your breath." Gu Tian spread his hands helplessly. Even though his father had high hopes for him, he really didn't dare to guarantee anything.

Martial souls in the Douluo Continent were generally inherited through family lines, following the parents' trade. They usually came from the parent with the higher-quality martial soul, unless a mutation occurred—but among mutated martial souls, cases of becoming stronger were extremely rare. However, the quality of Gu Tian's parents' martial souls was very ordinary, nothing special to speak of.

The so-called Dragon God in his mind had also been giving him empty checks; for these six years, other than teaching him the "Nine-Turn Dragon Breath" cultivation secret, she had provided almost no other help.

"Forget it, no matter what martial soul our son awakens, isn't he still our son? If he inherits your dragon claw martial soul, he can just follow you and do carpentry work. He'll be able to support himself, marry a wife, and give me a big, fat grandson. Isn't it fine to just live a stable life like that?" As an ordinary rural woman, Lin Ping had no demands for Gu Tian. She had never even considered unrealistic dreams like hoping her son would become a dragon among men.

How did that saying go? Can a golden phoenix really fly out of a grass nest?

Gu Tian took a sip of porridge and asked with feigned curiosity, "Dad, is our village really that strange? Why have we been almost entirely commoners for generations?"

Gu Hai sighed, lowered his voice, and said, "It is indeed very strange. Our village actually produced a very powerful genius in the past. You should have heard his name—Gu Rong. It's just that there hasn't been any news of him for a long time, and I don't know how he's doing now."

Gu Tian's hand paused slightly. Gu Rong? Wasn't that the Bone Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? He was actually from Ancient Dragon Village!

"Back then, to keep him from being ruined by the village's curse, Gu Rong's parents pulled strings to send him out. It's said they paid a huge price; his parents' health deteriorated rapidly from then on, and not long after they returned, they were gone. They had no choice but to entrust him to a sect outside." Gu Hai's expression carried a hint of terror. "That's why the villagers say that if you want to escape the curse here, you have to sell your soul."

"What's so evil about it? Just eat your food." Lin Ping picked up some vegetables from the table and placed them in Gu Hai's bowl, trying to shut his mouth.

After lunch, Gu Tian returned to his small room and sat cross-legged on his wooden bed. Recalling what his parents had said at the table, he couldn't help but clench his fists. If he really followed his mother's wishes and lived out a plain, ordinary life, he would certainly be unwilling. Since he had been reborn into the Douluo Continent, he was determined to carve out his own path.

The martial soul awakening ceremony was tomorrow, and the results were hard to predict. Thinking of this, the fire in his heart burned even brighter. If Gu Rong could make it out, he, Gu Tian, certainly could too.

That night, moonlight spilled through the window lattice.

Gu Tian was meditating with his eyes closed when the voice in his mind became clear once again. This time, Ao Linxi's tone lacked its usual mockery and carried a trace of unprecedented seriousness.

"Alright, little one. Since that village head is bringing people from the Martial Soul Hall to help you awaken tomorrow, I will break the barrier in the eyes of those mortals for you tonight. Are you ready to welcome my true power?"

Ready? Power?

Gu Tian asked in astonishment in his heart. This out-of-the-blue statement made him end his meditation instantly. Shouldn't she have told him what to do, how much it would hurt, or if he might die? This solemn question, as if a protagonist in a novel were accepting a destiny, being dumped on a six-year-old boy who had never even left the village, only made him feel it was bizarre.

He almost blurted out, "Sister Linxi, are... are you trying to mess with me again today?"

But Gu Tian held back, clenched his fists, and took a deep breath: "I'm ready. Let's begin."