Heaven Dou Empire, Fasinuo Province.
Holy Soul Village...
Though it had now been renamed God Soul Village.
Because a god had once been born here.
Sea God Tang San, who had ascended ten thousand years ago, had set out from this very place.
"Ugh! I started in Holy Soul Village near Nuoding City, and the village chief was even called Old Jack. How did I end up a whole ten thousand years in the future?
"Not only is there Great God King Tang's grand plan for the next ten thousand years and his dog-training scheme, but Evil Soul Masters are running rampant everywhere! How am I supposed to survive this?
"I wonder if I have a cheat. If I don't, being an ordinary person should be pretty nice too!"
While the farmers were still busy working to make a living,
a boy lay on a hillside behind God Soul Village, sprawled in a patch of Blue Silver Grass. He gazed up at the sky, sighing and muttering strange things.
Fang Le was a transmigrator from Blue Star. One day, while playing mc alone at home, a sudden thunderclap struck him and sent him transmigrating.
Then, in a daze, he found himself in Douluo Continent.
Fang Le wasn't sure whether his whole body had transmigrated, but his appearance now was practically identical to how he had looked as a child before crossing over.
Even the position of his birthmark was the same.
That left him very worried about whether he could awaken a Martial Soul.
Although he claimed that being an ordinary person would be just fine,
the truth was, in a world of extraordinary powers, being unable to cultivate would feel even worse than being grounded!
So, in order to awaken a Martial Soul, he had actually managed to stick with something for once, putting in the same effort he'd given his college entrance exam prep.
Day after day, he ran up and down the mountain to exercise and build up his body, hoping he'd awaken Soul Power.
"Le, I was wondering why I couldn't find you anywhere! Lord Soul Master arrived early! Stop lying around and come with me. What if we keep Lord Soul Master waiting?"
Just as Fang Le was deep in thought, an elderly voice, accompanied by a slight wheeze, sounded behind him.
It was anxious, yet filled with concern. It belonged to the village chief, Old Jack, who was also his grandfather now.
That was right. Even after ten thousand years had passed and Holy Soul Village had been renamed God Soul Village, its village chief was still Old Jack.
And it was thanks to Old Jack that Fang Le had been found as a baby when the old man had gone out for a stroll and taken him in.
Old Jack had cared for him devotedly, allowing him to grow up.
Otherwise, with Fang Le's infant body after transmigrating, in that wilderness, it would have taken only some Soul Beast popping out of nowhere
for him to start wondering whether he could transmigrate again after dying—or compete for the record of the fastest-deceased transmigrator.
"Grandpa, why did you come all the way here yourself? I'd have gone down the mountain after exercising. Don't you trust me? The mountain path is so steep. What if you fell?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Fang Le hurried to his feet and ran over to support the old man.
"Because you're always running off everywhere! Lord Soul Master arrived early! How could I not come get you?
"Old as I am, I'm counting on you to awaken a good Martial Soul and restore the glory of our God Soul Village!"
As the old man spoke, he led Fang Le down the mountain.
This little monkey had never been someone they could stop worrying about, not since the day he'd been brought home.
He'd been well-behaved enough a couple of years ago.
But the older he got, the more energetic he became.
He ran up and down the mountain every day, saying it would strengthen his body and increase his chances of awakening Soul Power. Old Jack didn't say much about it.
It was good for children to have energy, and the boy's body was getting sturdier by the day. Maybe, just maybe, their God Soul Village would produce another great Soul Master.
But Fang Le was clearly no stay-at-home sort. A couple of days ago, he'd been tinkering with some kind of medicine and had not only gotten himself covered in soot,
but had nearly set the house on fire. Old Jack had been so furious that he'd grabbed his cane and chased him all over the place.
"Early? Wasn't he supposed to come tomorrow?! Damn it! I haven't even bathed, changed, or prayed yet!"
Hearing Old Jack's words, Fang Le was shocked.
"Exactly! I told you to take it easy these past few days. Lord Soul Masters come around sometime during this period, but there's no telling exactly when.
"You little monkey, you've just finished exercising and your body's a bit worn out. What if that affects your Martial Soul Awakening?"
The old man looked at the grandson supporting him, his face full of worry.
He knew all too well how badly his grandson wanted to awaken Soul Power.
Every time he exercised, he pushed himself until he was completely exhausted. It pained Old Jack just to watch.
But now they were at the final moment. Sigh! All they could do was leave it to fate.
Awakening a Martial Soul with Soul Power was hard. Awakening a good Martial Soul with Soul Power was harder still.
In fact, if God Soul Village hadn't once produced Sea God Tang San,
the adults might not have believed the place had any luck left in it, and sent people every now and then to help with the awakenings.
They wouldn't have bothered to see if another genius might emerge.
Otherwise, whether children in a tiny village like this could awaken a Martial Soul at all would be another matter.
He'd heard that out there, awakening a Martial Soul cost ten Gold Soul Coins per person!
For people as poor as they were, saving up ten Gold Soul Coins could take two or three years—even if they didn't eat or drink.
You could say that was the one good thing Tang San had ever done.
In a small square at the center of God Soul Village, a stone tablet bearing a Soul Saint's palm print had once stood, but no one knew where it had been thrown by now.
In its place stood a statue of Sea God Tang San, who had once come from the village.
It was something the entire village could be proud of.
Beneath the statue, a young man in a white robe stood with a group of little children, waiting for the Martial Soul Awakening to begin.
"Why hasn't he arrived yet? I'm not waiting anymore! You, child, come out! Stand inside this circle. I'll awaken your Martial Soul."
The young man in white looked extremely haughty. The long wait had clearly worn out his patience.
He pointed to a child in the crowd, ordering him to stand in front of him so he could awaken the child's Martial Soul.
"I'm late! I'm late! Please forgive us, Lord Soul Master! This is the last child in God Soul Village who needs his Martial Soul awakened."
Just then, Old Jack finally arrived, bringing Fang Le along after a long delay.
He put on a big, ingratiating smile and begged the young man in white to forgive him, while discreetly slipping a bag full of coins into his hand.
"Go on in. When I call you, come out right away. You country bumpkins are always so slow!
"You really think that just because Lord Sea God once stayed here for a while, you'll awaken some amazing Martial Soul? Ridiculous."
The young man in white glanced at the few scattered coins in the bag. He wasn't very satisfied, but even a mosquito's leg was meat, so he coldly waved Fang Le into the awakening line.
But the man's arrogant attitude made Fang Le clench his fists. A moment later, though, he relaxed them again.
Before awakening, the gulf between him and a Soul Master was as wide as the sky from the earth.
He had to put up with it.
"Fierce Tiger Possession!"
As Fang Le joined the line, the Martial Soul Awakening officially began.
The young man gave a loud shout. His muscles swelled all at once, stretching his already loose robe until it looked ready to burst.
At the same time, the white-robed Soul Master's pupils turned into the vertical slits of a cat, fangs grew from his mouth, and his arms transformed into tiger claws.
Orange-yellow and black fur spread across his face, forming the character for "king."
As white, yellow, and purple Soul Rings descended, the Soul Master seemed to transform into a truly ferocious tiger, radiating a fearsome presence.
The children were so frightened they nearly wet themselves.
But they were only a little scared. Their parents had already told them what to expect before they came.
"Sickle, Trash Martial Soul, no Soul Power."
"Hoe, Trash Martial Soul, no Soul Power."
"Blue Silver Grass, Trash Martial Soul, half a level of Soul Power."
In no time, it was Fang Le's turn in the awakening line.
Among the children before him, only two had awakened Blue Silver Grass and gained Soul Power—half a level for one, and two levels for the other.
The rest had all awakened farming tools, with no Soul Power.
"You, stand in the circle here."
Before you continue