Star Luo Abandoned Son, Adopted by Qian Renxue

The outskirts of Spirit City.

The full moon hung high in the sky, the night as black as ink.

Gusts of bone-chilling wind bit at the skin, turning hands and feet a raw, frozen red.

In a cramped, narrow alleyway.

A six-year-old child dressed in tattered rags stood blocking the entrance, his face etched with tension.

Directly in front of him stood a black-furred stray dog.

The dog was massive, standing as tall as an adult when on its hind legs, and it held a white plastic bag in its jaws.

Faintly visible inside the bag was a chicken leg.

The surface of the plastic was filthy and covered in grease, clearly something discarded in a trash bin by someone else.

"Damn stray, give that chicken leg back to me!"

The child shouted, then moved his left hand behind his back, silently drawing a dagger from his waistband.

Seeing this, the stray dog backed away, eventually cornered against the wall.

I haven't eaten in two days; I have to finish this dog off quickly!

Qin Xuan steeled his heart and lunged at the dog.

The stray wasn't stupid; it dropped the chicken leg and lunged forward, jaws wide, snapping at Qin Xuan's lower leg.

Qin Xuan didn't dodge, and blood instantly stained his pant leg.

"Die!"

Enduring the agony in his leg, he grabbed the dog's head with his right hand and plunged the dagger into its throat with his left.

Awoo—

Blood sprayed from the wound.

The alleyway suddenly echoed with the dog's dying wails.

It released its grip, staggered a few steps, and collapsed to the ground, breathless.

It was a desperate tactic—trading a thousand to kill the enemy while suffering eight hundred in return.

Having not eaten for two days, Qin Xuan had little stamina left.

He had to land a lethal blow immediately.

Otherwise, once his strength gave out, he risked being killed by this sturdy stray.

"Uncle She, did you hear that?"

Three hundred meters from the alley, a young girl with skin like snow and a thin veil over her face stopped in her tracks.

Beside her walked a middle-aged man clad in golden armor.

Hearing this, the man swept his spiritual power across the alley, a look of surprise crossing his eyes.

"Young Mistress, that was the cry of a stray dog. It was killed by a child of five or six."

"Oh?" The blonde beauty said with interest. "Uncle She, let's go take a look!"

As she spoke, she headed toward the alley, the man following closely behind.

Inside the alley, Qin Xuan picked up the chicken leg, ignoring the pungent, slightly spoiled odor, and began to devour it.

In less than thirty seconds, he had finished the entire thing, not even spitting out the bone.

"Sigh..."

"I must be the most miserable transmigrator ever."

"I haven't even awakened my martial soul yet, and I'm already on the verge of starving to death on the Douluo Continent."

Qin Xuan sat against the wall, his eyes reflecting a maturity that didn't belong to his age.

He came from Blue Star, a young man who had just graduated from university.

His older brother sold fish at the market, his younger sister was a freshman in college; though they weren't wealthy, they lived a happy life.

But an accident had sent Qin Xuan, by some twist of fate, to the Douluo plane, where he became the illegitimate son of the Star Luo Emperor and a maid from the Zhu family.

Viewed as a disgrace by the Star Luo Emperor, Qin Xuan took his mother's surname.

His mother was merely the lowliest maid in the Zhu Mansion, so when Qin Xuan turned four, she was forced by pressure to cast him out of the Zhu Mansion and abandon him in the slums to fend for himself.

Zhu Zhuqing had felt pity and secretly given Qin Xuan ten gold soul coins.

Thus, relying on those ten coins, Qin Xuan began his life as a wanderer.

He had delicate skin, refined features, black hair, and violet eyes—a handsome appearance.

At five, he had nearly been kidnapped by villains to be sold at an auction house.

Fortunately, Qin Xuan was quick-witted and managed to escape their clutches.

Ten gold soul coins—not a large sum, but not exactly small either.

Even with Qin Xuan pinching every penny, those ten gold soul coins only lasted him a year and a half.

In the six months that followed, he often slept in the open, living a life of unbearable hardship.

The only belief that kept him going was the upcoming Spirit Awakening at the age of six.

After all, for a transmigrator like Qin Xuan who lacked a golden finger, that Spirit Awakening was his only chance to change his fate.

"Did you kill this wild dog?"

Just as Qin Xuan was contemplating his future, a cold yet faintly gentle female voice reached his ears.

He looked up.

Qin Xuan saw a stunning girl dressed in a gold-threaded palace gown, her face partially hidden by a thin veil.

Behind this golden-haired girl stood a middle-aged man clad in golden armor.

"I killed the wild dog. What of it?" Qin Xuan forced himself to stand despite the pain in his left leg. Though he appeared unmoved on the surface, his heart was already churning with turbulent waves.

He had watched the original anime and recognized their true identities at a glance.

The noble-looking golden-haired beauty before him was naturally Qian Renxue, having shed her disguise.

The other man in golden armor was none other than Snake Spear Douluo.

Qian Renxue looked Qin Xuan up and down, her gaze finally locking with his cold purple eyes as she said calmly:

"What is your name, and how did you end up in such a state?"

"My name is Qin Xuan..." Upon hearing this, Qin Xuan took five minutes to tell Qian Renxue his background in full detail.

Sincerity is often a double-edged sword; used correctly, it is a trump card, but used wrongly, it is a fatal weakness.

In front of a powerhouse like Qian Renxue, Qin Xuan dared not utter a single lie.

After all, given Qian Renxue's status in Spirit Hall, investigating his background would be the simplest of tasks.

After listening, Qian Renxue fell into deep thought, pondering something.

It was She Long, standing to the side, who exclaimed in surprise:

"To think that the Star Luo Emperor, as a ruler of a nation, would commit such a cruel act of abandoning his own kin!"

At these words, a flash of sorrow crossed Qin Xuan's eyes, followed by a curious question:

"May I ask how I should address you both?"

She Long looked toward Qian Renxue, seemingly waiting for her response.

A moment later.

A faint smile curled the corners of Qian Renxue's lips as she spoke slowly:

"Nature selects the fittest; only the strong survive."

"Qin Xuan, if your leg injury is not treated, I fear you will not survive three days in this cold winter night."

Qin Xuan was no fool; he naturally understood the subtext of her words and quickly asked, "What conditions must I agree to for you to save me?"

"Do you wish to take revenge on the Star Luo Empire?" Qian Renxue asked calmly.

"I do!" Qin Xuan replied without hesitation.

At this point, no matter what conditions Qian Renxue proposed, Qin Xuan had to agree.

Opportunities are fleeting, and joining Spirit Hall was far better than dying on the streets.

"Mm..." Qian Renxue nodded in satisfaction, then removed her veil and said coldly:

"I am Qian Renxue, the current Young Mistress of Spirit Hall."

"I am quite moved to see that you harbor great ambitions despite being in such dire straits."

"Would you be interested in joining my ranks?"

"I am more than willing. Thank you, Young Mistress, for saving my life." Qin Xuan cupped his hands and bowed in gratitude.