Transmigration, Spirit Hall.

Inside an orphanage in Spirit City.

The sun rose in the sky, its warm rays bathing the courtyard as a gentle breeze brushed through the treetops, causing them to rustle softly.

In the yard, a young boy in black robes sat quietly with his eyes closed.

"Xiao Ban, you're six years old today. It's the day you awaken your martial soul. Are you nervous?"

Just then, a sweet voice, crisp as the song of an oriole, rang out beside his ear.

The boy opened his eyes to see a beautiful girl with reddish-brown hair standing there, hands behind her back, tilting her head as she smiled at him.

This person was none other than the future Pope of the Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong.

But as she was now, she was merely a lively teenage girl, showing no trace of the future queen she would become.

Looking at the vibrant and adorable young Bibi Dong before him, Ban Shu couldn't help but be momentarily dazed.

Six years old, awakening a martial soul—without realizing it, he had already been in this world for six years. How time flies.

Yes, Ban Shu was a transmigrator. That's nothing to be surprised about, right?

It's just that his transmigration was rather peculiar; he had been playing Naruto when he was sent here after being "red-heated" by Madara Uchiha.

Of course, that alone wouldn't be much—fill in the blanks yourself, those who know, know.

What was most infuriating was that he had been on the verge of winning, but then the potato server kicked in, and Ban Shu spat out a mouthful of blood, his vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground.

Then, he transmigrated to the Douluo Continent.

Here, Ban Shu became an infant, was picked up by the Spirit Hall, and was sent to this orphanage, where he had lived ever since.

When he was four, he met Bibi Dong, and in the two years that followed, she often came to visit him, and gradually, the two became acquainted.

Honestly, Ban Shu often complained that his transmigration was far too sloppy.

Moreover, over these six years, he had tried to call out for a system, but unfortunately, there was no response.

No system? It didn't matter. After all, this was the Douluo Continent; as long as he awakened a decent martial soul, he could live quite well.

Furthermore, knowing Bibi Dong in her youth made him realize that the timeline was very early. Without Tang the God King stirring up trouble, it could be considered quite safe.

...Probably.

Fortunately, he still had his trump cards as a transmigrator. Although there were no Spirit Pagodas or spirit cores at this stage, there were still immortal herbs and god trials.

Immortal herbs to raise the floor, becoming a god to raise the ceiling—a one-stop service for Douluo.

The only variable was whether the gods would actually take a liking to you; if your martial soul wasn't up to par, they wouldn't give you the time of day.

"I just hope I can awaken a relatively strong martial soul."

Ban Shu prayed silently in his heart, wondering what kind of martial soul a transmigrator like him would awaken.

"..."

"Xiao Ban! How dare you space out while I'm talking to you!"

A slightly indignant voice rang in Ban Shu's ear, followed by a jade-like hand suddenly reaching out to pinch his ear.

"Hiss~"

Ban gasped in pain, finally snapping back to reality and realizing he had left Bibi Dong hanging for too long.

"Sister Dong'er, I'm sorry, I was just a bit distracted."

"Hmph!"

Bibi Dong pouted, feeling inexplicably annoyed. "Distracted for so long—were you thinking about other pretty girls, huh?"

"You're not learning to be good at such a young age. As your sister, I have to discipline you properly!"

"I wasn't."

Ban rubbed his reddened ear. Although he didn't know why Bibi Dong was so angry, his strong survival instinct told him he needed to say something nice to coax her.

"Sister Dong'er is the most beautiful and kindest big sister in the whole world. Why would I think about anyone else?"

Ban Shu racked his brain, blurting out every compliment he could think of.

"I suppose you still have a bit of a conscience, kid."

Hearing Ban Shu's praise, Bibi Dong immediately broke into a smile, clearly very pleased.

"You still haven't answered me. Today is the day you awaken your martial soul—are you prepared?"

Speaking of serious matters, Bibi Dong's expression became earnest. "Awakening a martial soul is the most important event in one's life. There can't be any mistakes."

"Actually, it's fine. While awakening a martial soul is important, I think one's mindset is more important. After all, this isn't something I can control, so it's best to just let nature take its course."

He slowly straightened up and feigned relaxation as he stretched.

"Really?"

Bibi Dong looked at Ban with some suspicion, then reached out to pinch his cheek. "You've acted like a little adult since you were small. Even now, you're still putting on a front."

"Oh, I'm not!"

Ban Shu struggled to pry away Bibi Dong's mischievous hand, then sighed and pinched his thumb and forefinger together. "Alright, I'm still a tiny bit nervous."

"That's more like it. Always acting like a grown-up is exhausting."

Bibi Dong nodded in satisfaction. Her little brother was perfect in every way, except for being far too mature for his age.

After chatting for a while, Bibi Dong looked up at the sun and realized it was getting late, so she grabbed Ban Shu to head toward the spirit awakening ceremony.

"Hurry, hurry! The spirit awakening ceremony is about to start!"

"Hey! Slow down, slow down!"

Bibi Dong was already a Spirit Master now and possessed great strength; Ban Shu was nearly dragged off his feet.

By the time they arrived, the orphanage director had already begun calling names to arrange the order for the awakening.

Bibi Dong let go of his hand, raised her fist, and cheered him on: "Go for it, little Ban!"

"Mm."

Ban Shu smoothed out his hair before walking into the crowd to wait in line. Heads may roll and blood may flow, but the spiky hairstyle must remain intact.

The director quickly finished the arrangements, but he didn't rush to begin the awakening ceremony; instead, he stood to the side, quietly waiting for something.

Before long, two figures appeared at the entrance of the great hall.

The man in the lead wore the robes of the Pope, his golden hair flowing, his features handsome, and his presence extraordinary. It was none other than the current Pope, Qian Xunji.

Behind him followed a sturdy bishop in red robes, the very person who would be assisting with their spirit awakening today.

Bibi Dong, hiding to the side, was quite surprised: "He actually came in person?"

The orphanage director immediately bowed his head in reverence: "Greetings, Your Majesty the Pope!"

"Mm."

Qian Xunji gave a slight nod and swept his gaze over the children.

When his eyes landed on Ban Shu, he intentionally lingered for a few seconds before stepping onto the podium, prepared to oversee the day's spirit awakening ceremony himself.

That single glance made Ban Shu swallow hard. Could his target today be me?

It had to be. The Pope never attended ordinary spirit awakening ceremonies; the only variable this time was himself.

He had been very close to Bibi Dong, a fact that couldn't be hidden from the man. Coming here now meant he wanted to test his talent.

If he showed promise, the Pope might not interfere with their relationship, but if his talent was abysmal, the two of them would likely be torn apart.

No, he absolutely could not let that happen!

Ban Shu took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He was in no position to resist the Spirit Hall right now; his only hope lay in this spirit awakening.

He had to gamble—gamble that as a transmigrator, his martial spirit would be anything but ordinary!