Mornings always came early in Holy Soul Village.
The rising sun scattered golden light across the wooden sign at the village entrance. Everything looked so peaceful.
Su Yu sat beneath the old locust tree at the village entrance, a sprig of Blue Silver Grass between his teeth, staring fixedly at Village Chief Jack in the distance.
He had been in this world for six years.
As someone who had devoured all kinds of web novels, he knew, of course, that this was Douluo Continent, and that today was the day of Martial Soul Awakening.
By the usual conventions, he ought to awaken a god-tier Martial Soul, slaughter his way across the land with a system, and take the opportunity to slap down the original protagonist, Tang San.
But something seemed off.
Su Yu rubbed his eyes and looked at Old Jack again.
The village chief, who usually trembled even as he walked, was now standing before the broken stone at the village entrance, the one carved with the words "Holy Soul." He was muttering to himself.
Worse still, Su Yu clearly saw a translucent blue screen floating above Old Jack's head, several lines of large text scrolling across it:
[Survivalist System binding successful.]
[Today's sign-in location: Holy Soul Village stele.]
[Sign-in reward: Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone fragment ×1, Breath Concealment Talisman ×10.]
[Host's current Gou Dao Value: 9999. Warning: Do not reveal your strength, or you will attract the God Realm Enforcer!!!]
Su Yu spat out the Blue Silver Grass in his mouth, utterly dumbfounded.
Old Jack?
A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone?
A Survivalist System?
The old man didn't even dare kill a chicken. So he was a hidden peerless powerhouse?
Su Yu swallowed and turned to look at the blacksmith's shop next door.
Blacksmith Wang Dachui was hammering metal bare-chested, sweat running down his muscles.
Su Yu focused his gaze. A blood-red panel floated above Wang Dachui's head, too:
[Main God Space Infinite Reincarnation System loading~~~]
[Current world: Douluo Continent (low-martial plane).]
[Main quest: Survive until the end of the story.]
[Side quest: Forge a divine weapon. Reward: 5000 reincarnation points.]
Su Yu felt like his brain couldn't keep up.
He jumped to his feet and swept his gaze over every living thing in the village.
The big yellow dog at the entrance, who slept all day, had a [Demon Emperor Possession Re-cultivation System] hovering above its head.
The widow Wang next door was washing clothes in her yard, with a [Supporting Female Counterattack Face-Slapping System] floating over her head.
Even the village idiot at the far end of the village, who was always dripping snot, had the light of a [Myriad Worlds Blind Box Extraction System] flickering above him.
There was no way he could stay in this village!!!
Su Yu took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
Everyone had a system. Everyone was a transmigrator. Everyone thought they were the chosen one.
Then what did that make him?
He had been here for six years, and not once had he heard a "Ding!" in his head.
No system, no old grandpa, no golden finger.
In this dark forest, riddled with transmigrators, he was like a husky that had wandered into a pack of wolves.
"Brother Yu, what are you looking at?"
A clear, sweet voice came from behind him.
Su Yu turned around and saw a little girl in a blue homespun dress standing behind him.
She had short, deep-blue hair and clear eyes. Her small hand clutched the hem of Su Yu's clothes, her gaze full of trust.
Her name was Tang Wu, and her childhood nickname was Xiao San.
That was right. The child who should have been called Tang San, with memories of the Bashu Tang Sect and the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record in his hands, had become a soft, gullible, tsundere little girl in this messed-up world, with no memories of her past life.
Su Yu looked above Tang Wu's head.
Nothing. Not a thing.
Aside from him, she was one of the few normal people in the village without a system.
"Nothing, Xiao San. Did your dad drink again today?"
Su Yu reached out and ruffled Tang Wu's hair.
Tang Wu obediently rubbed her head against his palm and complained softly, "Dad got drunk again last night. He stood in the yard shouting at the air, saying something about Ah Yin sacrificing herself and how to do the system quest. Brother Yu, is Dad sick?"
The corner of Su Yu's eye twitched.
Tang Hao was definitely acting strange, too.
He had sneaked a glance yesterday. Tang Hao had a [Cao Thief Many Children Many Blessings System] floating above his head. Some shameless transmigrator had probably possessed him, only to discover that his wife had already turned into a plant. He must have been on the verge of a breakdown.
"It's fine. Your dad just drank too much and was talking nonsense."
Su Yu took Tang Wu's small hand. "Come on. Today's Martial Soul Awakening day. The Spirit Hall deacon should be here soon."
Tang Wu stayed close to Su Yu and whispered, "Brother Yu, I'm a little scared. What if I don't awaken any Soul Power? Will the villagers kick me out?"
"I'm here. Who dares kick you out?"
Su Yu pinched her cheek.
Just then, three unfamiliar children of about the same age walked in through the village entrance.
Two boys and a girl, clearly dressed unlike anyone from Holy Soul Village.
They looked around, their eyes gleaming with greed and calculation that didn't belong to children their age.
Su Yu instinctively glanced above their heads.
The fat boy on the left: [Villain Luck Plunder System. Target: Plunder Tang San's luck.]
The skinny boy in the middle: [Myriad Worlds Invincible Choice System. Current option: Slap Tang San down at the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony.]
The girl on the right: [Green Tea Tycoon System. Target: Win over Tang San and drain her worth.]
Su Yu stopped and pulled Tang Wu behind him.
The three outsiders had obviously come for Tang San.
In their system panels, Tang San was still the fated child with treasures all over his body.
They had no idea that Tang San before them had become a little girl without a single cheat.
"Well, well. Aren't these the brats from Holy Soul Village?"
The fat boy with the Plunder System came over, his eyes roaming over Su Yu and Tang Wu before settling on her. His eyes suddenly lit up.
He called frantically for his system in his mind. Through the panel above his head, Su Yu could see everything clearly:
[System prompt: Luck-bearing girl Tang Wu detected!!! Due to an unknown plane mutation, the original target Tang San has changed sex and become female. Her current luck value is extremely high. Immediate plundering recommended!]
The fat boy swallowed, his face spreading into a fake smile. "Little miss, what's your name? Are you here for the Martial Soul Awakening, too?"
Tang Wu felt uncomfortable under his brazen, greedy gaze. She shrank behind Su Yu, gripping his hand even tighter.
Su Yu sneered and stepped in front of Tang Wu.
He might not have a system, but his eyes seemed to have mutated, allowing him to see everyone's cheat panels.
This must be his golden finger.
"What's her name got to do with you? Go back where you came from and quit blocking the way."
Su Yu gave him an unceremonious retort.
The fat boy's expression darkened. He was about to lash out, but the skinny boy with the Choice System grabbed him and said under his breath, "Don't cause trouble. Wait until the awakening ceremony starts. The system issued a quest for us to trample them and climb to the top at the ceremony. The reward's a Hundred-Year Soul Ring."
The panel above the skinny boy's head flashed red:
[Quest issued: Humiliate Su Yu and Tang Wu at the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony. Reward: Innate Full Soul Power, Hundred-Year Soul Ring ×1.]
Su Yu saw it all clearly and couldn't help sneering to himself.
Did these cheaters really think this was their beginner's village?
Did they think a system gave them free rein to do whatever they wanted?
Douluo's a grand stage, so if your cheat is weak, don't come play.
Since they insisted on coming over to die, they couldn't blame him for showing no mercy.
Su Yu took Tang Wu by the hand and turned toward the Spirit Hall in the center of the village.
He needed to plan carefully how to use the village's hidden Survivalist System bigwigs and the infinite reincarnator to teach those three clueless transmigrators a proper lesson.
"Brother Yu, those three are so annoying."
Tang Wu lowered her head, her voice tinged with coldness.
Su Yu looked at her in surprise.
The little girl had no memories, but her instincts were sharp. And she seemed to have some kind of hidden, obsessive desire to protect him.
"Don't be afraid. They're just a few jumping clowns."
Su Yu comforted her softly.
The Spirit Hall bell rang.
A grand show called Martial Soul Awakening, but really a chaotic battle between transmigrators, was about to begin.
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