The Boy Li Chen

Heaven Dou City, one of the Federation's most prosperous main cities, bustled with traffic and throngs of people.

A ninety-nine-story, nine-sided giant tower pierced the clouds. Its surface was engraved with intricate yet imposing patterns, while a faint Soul Guidance glow flowed across its entire body. It was the Heaven Dou City branch of the Spirit Pagoda—the foremost of the continent's four great powers.

Today was the Federation's annual Martial Soul Awakening Day.

The Spirit Pagoda's Spirit Masters would awaken the Martial Souls of children who had reached the age of six for free in the tower's dedicated Awakening Hall. Countless commoners and families unable to awaken Martial Souls on their own had come with their children, drawn by its reputation. The plaza before the tower was packed with expectant, noisy crowds.

Li Chen stood at the edge of the crowd, raising his eyes to gaze at the towering structure that had become so familiar to him. A helpless smile touched his lips.

Today was the day his Martial Soul would awaken in this world, and he could not help but feel a measure of anticipation.

He was a transmigrator who had spent six years on Douluo Continent, yet he had never received the legendary golden finger. His only unusual trait was that his soul far surpassed that of ordinary people. His senses were several times sharper than those of his peers, and his memory was likewise exceptional. Aside from that, he possessed nothing special.

In this world where Martial Souls reigned supreme, Martial Soul awakening had always been "seventy percent determined by fate, thirty percent reliant on opportunity, and the remaining ninety percent entirely dependent on family background." If he failed to awaken a powerful Martial Soul, then as an orphan, he could only become background scenery in this era and watch the two Dragon Kings stir up the world.

But if he truly could not reach the pinnacle or find the path to immortality, then living peacefully and freely would not be such a bad choice either.

As his thoughts raced, it was already Li Chen's turn to register.

Outside the Awakening Hall, the Spirit Pagoda staff member responsible for registration looked up at the black-haired boy standing before him. The child wore thin, old clothes and had a slender frame. A trace of pity flickered through the man's eyes as he asked gently, "Little one, did you come alone? Where are your father and mother?"

The boy's pitch-black eyes remained calm, without a trace of the timidity common to children his age. He silently handed over his Federation identification and replied in a clear, steady voice, "Uncle, I'm an orphan. I've never met my parents."

The staff member froze for a moment, and his tone immediately became more apologetic. He did not ask further questions. His fingers swiftly worked across the Soul Guidance screen, and before long, the registration was complete. He handed the identification back. "Sorry, Uncle was being presumptuous. Your paperwork is done. Take this and go directly to the Awakening Hall ahead to wait for your Martial Soul awakening."

After thanking him, Li Chen followed the directions and slowly entered the Awakening Hall.

As he took in the scene inside, he pondered silently.

The Spirit Pagoda had never acted without profit. This so-called free Martial Soul awakening was never an act of charity. Its purpose was obvious—to use the awakening process to identify talented seedlings throughout the Federation and recruit Soul Masters with potential.

As long as one awakened Soul Power and was willing to sign a contract to join the Spirit Pagoda, one could receive a Soul Spirit for free.

But such free offerings had always hidden a price.

Few commoner families could afford a Soul Spirit on their own. This so-called free gift was merely a "loan" issued by the Spirit Pagoda. Once they joined the tower, their lives and futures would be bound by its rules. In the end, that debt would have to be repaid with interest.

For the Spirit Pagoda, it only needed to spend a few hundred-year Soul Spirits to recruit a large number of Soul Masters born with Innate Soul Power. It was a guaranteed profit.

While Li Chen was deep in thought, Su Yun, the Spirit Master in charge of this Martial Soul awakening, had already stepped up before him. He looked at Li Chen warmly and said, "Little one, let me see your awakening certificate. Once it is confirmed, you can stand in the center of the awakening formation ahead and prepare to awaken your Martial Soul."

Li Chen handed over the certificate, took a deep breath, and suppressed the surging emotions in his heart. He walked to the very center of the awakening formation carved with ancient patterns, stood firmly, and slowly closed his eyes.

"Are you ready? It is starting."

As Su Yun's voice fell, his hands rapidly formed seals and activated the awakening formation.

At first, the formation merely emitted tiny specks of starlight, gentle and unremarkable.

But in the next instant, an incomparably brilliant burst of light erupted from the center of the formation, as though a blazing sun had fallen into the mortal world. The blinding radiance instantly swept through the entire Awakening Hall. Everyone present shrank their pupils and instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes, unable to look directly at it.

Within the intense light, dense, inky-black nether energy churned and surged, carrying an ancient desolation and deathly stillness as it spread outward. An invisible pressure quietly expanded, making the surrounding air thick and heavy. It stifled their chests and nearly suffocated them.

Everyone stared intently. Li Chen stood motionless at the center of the nether energy, naturally exuding majesty.

Behind him, deep within the black mist, the phantom of an ancient, towering Ghost Gate suffused with endless deathly silence slowly emerged. Its doors were tightly shut, yet it seemed to contain countless nether ghost soldiers and supreme divine generals. Once opened, it could overturn heaven and earth.

The phenomenon faded in an instant. Behind Li Chen, a vague yet imposing and solitary figure quietly condensed, wreathed in deathly stillness and majesty. At the same time, a cube-shaped phantom filled with countless shifting points of light slowly appeared above his palm. Its aura was profound and mysterious, containing the polar forces of destruction and creation.

"This is... a special ghost-type Body Martial Soul? And it is actually Twin Martial Souls!"

Su Yun stared at the sight before him, his voice trembling uncontrollably with shock.

Across the ten-thousand-year history of Douluo Continent, ghost-type Martial Souls had been exceedingly rare. The most renowned was Ghost Douluo, who had joined hands with Chrysanthemum Douluo to use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill twenty thousand years ago. Yet the aura and pressure of this Martial Soul before him were far more substantial and exalted than Ghost Douluo's ghost-type Martial Soul!

Li Chen lowered his gaze toward the imposing figure behind him. A trace of deeply buried memory and understanding flashed through his eyes.

Ghost-type?

Absolutely not.

This was the Pluto Martial Soul, which stood above countless Martial Souls in the world, commanded the netherworld, and ruled over rebirth! And the cube in his palm was an ultimate treasure containing destruction and creation, far beyond any ordinary Martial Soul!

"Little one, don't just stand there. Come test your Innate Soul Power!"

Su Yun forcibly suppressed the excitement in his heart. Though he had already vaguely sensed that this child's Soul Power was extraordinary, he still could not hide his nervousness when it came time for the actual test.

Under Su Yun's guidance, Li Chen raised his hand and pressed it against the Soul Power testing device.

The instant his fingertips touched the device, the number on the Soul Guidance screen began to soar wildly at a terrifying speed. In the blink of an eye, it settled on a dazzling number—10.

"Innate Full Soul Power! It really is Innate Full Soul Power!"

Su Yun's eyes instantly shone brightly, his voice filled with delight and admiration. Twin Martial Souls paired with Innate Full Soul Power—what heaven-defying talent was this? He immediately looked at Li Chen, his tone eager and coaxing. "Little one, your talent is exceptional. Would you be interested in joining our Spirit Pagoda?"

Today was originally meant for the Spirit Pagoda to recruit talented commoners. Much less a peerless genius like this, one seen only once in ten thousand years. If he reported this, he would surely earn a great merit!

Li Chen looked up and deliberately spoke with the straightforwardness of an innocent child. "Uncle, I heard that if I join the Spirit Pagoda, I can receive a Soul Spirit for free. Is that true?"

He knew perfectly well that the Spirit Pagoda only granted Soul Spirits through two paths. The first was recruiting gifted Soul Masters and gifting them one for free. The second was selling them at exorbitant prices. As an orphan, he naturally had no other choice.

As for powers such as Shrek, the Tang Sect, and the War God Temple, he had no way to come into contact with them at present. Besides, in his view, each of those powers had its own schemes. None of them was an absolute sanctuary. Though the Spirit Pagoda was ambitious, it was his only way out right now.

Su Yun was briefly stunned, but the smile on his face soon grew more genuine and amiable. He deliberately slowed his speech, crouched down to meet Li Chen's eyes, and patiently explained in a gentle, highly persuasive tone.

"Of course it is true. Uncle would never lie to you. You are a rare genius with Twin Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power. As long as you are willing to join the Spirit Pagoda, not only will you receive a hundred-year Soul Spirit that best suits your Martial Souls for free, but from today onward, all your cultivation resources in the Spirit Pagoda—from basic Soul Master stipends and cultivation techniques to future guidance for advancing your Soul Spirit—will be provided according to the standards for genius disciples."

He paused, looked into Li Chen's eyes, and continued, "You are alone, without anyone to rely on. The Spirit Pagoda can give you a safe place to live and arrange for a dedicated Spirit Master to guide your cultivation one-on-one. You will not need to worry about food, clothing, or shelter. You only need to focus on cultivating and becoming stronger. Our Spirit Pagoda is one of the continent's four great powers, with the richest resources and foundation. For a genius like you, we will devote our full efforts to cultivating you. In the future, we will prioritize securing Soul Bones, Battle Armor, and Spirit Ascension Platform slots for you. It will be far better than fumbling your way forward alone and running into walls everywhere."

Su Yun spoke sincerely. Every word struck directly at Li Chen's current circumstances. He laid out tangible benefits while giving him a sense of security, persuading him entirely from the perspective of an orphaned child without the slightest hint of coercion. Instead, it made one feel warmth.

"Then, Uncle, I'm willing to join the Spirit Pagoda," Li Chen answered softly, his eyes clear as he looked every bit like a child who had been persuaded.

"Good! Wonderful!"

Su Yun laughed aloud, filled with joy. He stepped forward and gently took Li Chen's hand, his tone becoming even warmer. "Little one, Uncle will take you to test your spiritual power first. The higher your spiritual power level, the greater your advantage will be when selecting a Soul Spirit in the future."

As he spoke, he led Li Chen into a room filled with a modern Soul Guidance atmosphere and guided him to stand before a spiritual power detector.

A gentle spiritual fluctuation was released from the detector and swept across Li Chen's body. On the giant Soul Guidance screen ahead, the numbers began to jump rapidly.

One hundred!

Two hundred!

The number climbed relentlessly without the slightest pause before finally stopping steadily.

Su Yun looked up, instantly sucked in a cold breath, and cried out in shock:

"Spiritual Power of two hundred and fifty-nine, born in the Spirit Connection Realm!"