Transmigration, Spirit Hall

Inside an orphanage in Spirit City.

The sun rose into the sky, its warm rays spilling over the courtyard as a breeze brushed softly through the treetops with a whisper.

In the courtyard, a black-robed boy sat quietly with his eyes closed.

"Xiao Ban, you're turning six today. It's time for your Martial Soul Awakening. Are you nervous?"

Just then, a sweet, clear voice like an oriole sounded beside him.

The boy opened his eyes and saw a beautiful girl with reddish-brown hair. Her hands were clasped behind her back as she tilted her head and smiled at him.

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

But now, she was merely a lively girl in her early teens. There was not the slightest hint of the future queen about her.

Looking at the lively and adorable Bibi Dong before him, Ban Shu couldn't help staring blankly.

Six years old. Time to awaken his Martial Soul. Before he knew it, he had been in this world for six years already. Time really flew.

That was right. Ban Shu was a transmigrator. Nothing surprising about that, right?

Only, his transmigration had been rather unusual. He'd been playing Naruto when Divine Steed Ban beat him into a red-hot rage, and then he'd transmigrated.

Of course, that alone wasn't anything special. You could just fill in the blanks yourself. You knew how it went.

But what made him angriest was that he'd been this close to winning when the potato server suddenly acted up. Ban Shu spat out a mouthful of blood, his vision went dark, and he collapsed.

Then he transmigrated to Douluo Continent.

Here, Ban Shu had become a baby. Spirit Hall had found him and sent him to this orphanage, where he'd lived ever since.

He had met Bibi Dong when he was four. For the next two years, she often came here to see him, and the two of them had gradually grown close.

To be honest, Ban Shu often complained that his transmigration had been far too hasty.

What's more, he had tried calling for a system during those six years, but nothing had happened.

No system? That was fine too. After all, this was Douluo Continent. As long as he awakened a decent Martial Soul, he could live quite well.

Besides, meeting Bibi Dong when she was young had made him realize that the current timeline was very early. With Tang the God-King not causing trouble, it was safe to say things were pretty safe.

...Probably.

Fortunately, he did have a transmigrator's trump cards. Although there was no Spirit Pagoda or Soul Core at this point, there were still Immortal Herbs and divine trials.

Immortal Herbs raised the floor, becoming a god raised the ceiling—Douluo's all-in-one service.

The only uncertain factor was whether the gods would take an interest in him. If his Martial Soul wasn't good enough, they wouldn't give him the time of day.

"I just hope I awaken a fairly powerful Martial Soul."

Ban Shu prayed silently. He had no idea what kind of Martial Soul a transmigrator like him would awaken.

"..."

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

A slightly indignant voice sounded beside Ban Shu. Then a slender hand suddenly reached out and pinched his ear.

"Yikes!"

Ban Shu sucked in a breath from the pain and finally came to his senses, realizing he had left Bibi Dong waiting for far too long.

"Sorry, Sister Dong'er. I spaced out for a moment."

"Hmph!"

Bibi Dong pouted, inexplicably annoyed. "You were spaced out for so long. Were you thinking about some other pretty girl, huh?"

"You're so young and already getting into bad habits. As your big sister, I'll have to teach you a lesson!"

"Not at all."

Ban Shu rubbed his reddened ear. He didn't know why Bibi Dong was so angry, but his powerful survival instincts told him he'd better say something nice to soothe her.

"Sister Dong'er is the prettiest and kindest beauty in the whole world. How could I be thinking about anyone else?"

Ban Shu racked his brain and poured out every compliment he could think of.

"At least you have a bit of a conscience."

After Ban Shu praised her like that, Bibi Dong immediately broke into a smile. She was clearly pleased.

"You still haven't answered me. Today's your Martial Soul Awakening. Are you ready?"

When she got down to business, Bibi Dong's expression turned serious too. "Awakening your Martial Soul is one of the most important things in life. Nothing can go wrong."

"It's actually fine. Awakening a Martial Soul is important, but I think your mindset matters more. It's not something I can control, so I might as well let things take their course."

He slowly straightened up and pretended to stretch casually.

"Really?"

Bibi Dong eyed Ban with suspicion, then reached over and pinched his cheek. "You've acted like a little adult since you were a kid. Even now, you're still putting on that serious act."

"Hey, no!"

Ban Shu struggled to pry Bibi Dong's mischief-making hand away, then sighed and pinched his index finger and thumb together. "All right, I'm still just a tiny bit nervous."

"That's more like it. Always pretending to be an adult is exhausting."

Bibi Dong nodded with satisfaction. Her little brother was good in every way; it was just that he was far too mature for his age.

After they chatted for a while, Bibi Dong looked up at the sun and realized it was getting late. She took Ban Shu by the hand and led him off to awaken his Martial Soul.

"Come on, hurry! The Martial Soul Awakening ceremony's about to start!"

"Hey! Slow down, slow down!"

Bibi Dong was already a Soul Master, and she was strong. Ban Shu was nearly yanked off his feet.

At that moment, the orphanage director had already started calling out names and arranging the order in which everyone would awaken their Martial Souls.

Bibi Dong let go of his hand and raised a clenched fist to cheer him on. "Xiao Ban, do your best!"

"Mm."

Ban Shu tidied his hairstyle a little before joining the crowd to wait in line. His head could be severed and his blood could flow, but his spiky hair could never go.

The director soon had everything arranged, but instead of immediately stepping forward to awaken their Martial Souls, he waited quietly to the side, as if expecting someone.

Before long, two more figures appeared at the entrance to the hall.

The one in front wore the Pope's robes. With blond hair, handsome features, and an extraordinary bearing, he was none other than the current Pope, Qian Xunji.

Behind him followed a burly bishop in a red robe. He was also the one who would help them awaken their Martial Souls.

Bibi Dong, watching from the side, was also very surprised. "The Pope himself is coming?"

The orphanage director immediately lowered his head respectfully. "Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope!"

"Mm."

Qian Xunji gave a slight nod and looked over the children.

When his gaze reached Ban Shu, he deliberately lingered for a few seconds before stepping onto the platform, intending to personally oversee today's Martial Soul Awakening ceremony.

That glance made Ban Shu swallow nervously. Could Qian Xunji's target this time be me?

That was it. The Pope never personally attended the usual Martial Soul Awakening ceremonies. The only unusual factor this time was him.

He was close to Bibi Dong, and there was no hiding that from Qian Xunji. Had he come to see how talented Ban Shu was?

If his talent was decent, then Qian Xunji wouldn't question their relationship. If his talent was terrible, there was a good chance they'd be forced apart.

No. He absolutely couldn't let that happen!

Ban Shu took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. There was no way he could resist Spirit Hall right now. His only hope lay in this Martial Soul Awakening.

He had to take a gamble: as a transmigrator, his Martial Soul couldn't possibly be ordinary!