The voice came out of nowhere.
Chen Zhou shuddered in fright. He instinctively looked over his shoulder, only to find no one behind him.
Just as he was starting to feel puzzled, the voice calmly sounded in his mind.
"Don't bother looking. I'm inside your body."
"What the hell? Who are you? Wasn't I born into this world? Wait, bro, you've been alive this whole time?"
"Waaah, bro, I didn't mean to take over your body. When I came here, you should've been dead already."
There was a trace of fear in Chen Zhou's voice.
Anyone would be frightened to suddenly find another consciousness inside their body.
But, to Chen Zhou's surprise, the voice's owner was perfectly calm.
"I'm not the owner of this body. I have no connection to it at all. I don't even know why I'm here."
"My name is Neuvillette. I was handling Fontaine's affairs when a flash of white light appeared, and I established a connection with you."
The voice was calm, yet tinged with confusion, as if its owner also had no idea how he had ended up here.
Hearing the voice, Chen Zhou froze.
At first, he'd thought someone was cosplaying Neuvillette, or that the other person was a fellow transmigrator. But listening to the other man's calm tone, Chen Zhou realized for the first time that something was wrong.
Before he could think it through, though, the young man in black calmly urged him from the side. "Young Master Qiangu Qingzhou, please hurry. I'm taking the three of you to choose which Spirit Pagoda you'll be assigned to."
The young man's tone was gentle, but his words left no room for argument.
Chen Zhou fell silent for a moment as he looked at the chubby ball of water before him and the small, skinny water snake beside it.
He hesitated for only a second before picking up the snake and turning to leave.
[You won't regret this choice. This water snake has great potential, and it possesses an unyielding will.]
Hearing the gentle voice, Chen Zhou didn't respond. He was curious whether the presence in his mind really belonged to Neuvillette, but he had no time to think about it just then.
He hurried after the young man in black with his short little legs.
The other two girls weren't twins, but they were clearly sisters, and both held similar Soul Spirits.
They hadn't gone far when the young man in black led them to a huge black archway.
Patterns ran across the black gate, giving it a solemn and imposing air.
The young man in black knocked softly. When the gate opened, he led the three of them inside.
Beyond the gate was a vast room, where another elderly man sat.
The old man's calm gaze swept over them. Then he pointed to a Simulation board beside him.
Displayed there were eighteen Spirit Pagodas, representing all the Spirit Pagoda's core locations across the Sun-Moon Federation.
"Choose one each. Once you arrive, you'll become disciples of the local Tower Master and enjoy generous benefits."
The old man's voice was a little hoarse. After he finished speaking, he paid the three of them no more attention and resumed dealing with the paperwork in front of him.
The two girls exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with reluctance.
But it seemed they had already prepared for this. Each chose a Spirit Pagoda that was relatively close by.
Chen Zhou was even more straightforward. He merely glanced over the options, then slapped his hand down on the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda without a moment's hesitation.
Among the eighteen core Spirit Pagodas, the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda was unquestionably one of the worst.
Not only was it remote, far beyond the Spirit Pagoda's core sphere of influence, but the conditions there were poor as well.
Though all the locations were in major cities, Eastsea City still fell far behind the other top-tier metropolises.
Yet when Chen Zhou chose the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda, no one said a word.
Neither the young man in black nor the two girls cared in the slightest. They simply watched without comment.
"Please follow me. Go back and pack your things. Once you're ready, Soul Guidance Cars will take you to the high-speed rail station."
"Then our staff will escort each of you to the Spirit Pagoda you chose."
The young man in black spoke calmly, then gestured for them to follow.
Chen Zhou and the two sisters followed him out of the Spirit Pagoda and headed to the Qiangu Clan's residence nearby.
Only after returning to his room and locking the door did Chen Zhou drop into a chair and ask the presence in his mind:
"Are you really Neuvillette? How can you prove it? And why are you here? Or, more accurately, why are you inside me?"
"I don't know the answers to any of those questions. But it seems I can lend you my power."
Neuvillette's voice was calm. Even though he found the situation just as unbelievable, his tone never wavered.
Chen Zhou froze. He instinctively raised a hand.
A massive Water Dragon appeared behind him.
It looked no different from an ordinary Water Dragon, simply another of the elemental dragon species—indeed, one of the most common kinds of Water Dragon.
But as a strange fluctuation slowly spread, Chen Zhou felt the blood in his veins begin to flow a little faster.
Then the ordinary Water Dragon before him began to change.
Its body grew longer and sleeker, while its water-blue scales became thicker and sharper.
The transformation came suddenly, yet without a sound.
As the power entered his body, Chen Zhou lowered his head slightly.
A piece of information inexplicably appeared in his mind—or rather, it seemed to have been engraved there.
It was information about his Water Dragon Martial Soul, or perhaps about the Authority Neuvillette had bestowed upon him.
[Authority of the Ancient Dragon: Primordial Water Pivot]
This power was mysterious. It not only evolved and transformed Chen Zhou's Water Dragon Martial Soul, but also granted him this Authority.
Its specific ability was absolute control over water elements. He could use water to create anything, and even transform his entire body into flowing water.
Feeling the power within him, Chen Zhou's eyes flickered as he stared at his Martial Soul.
Compared to before, the Water Dragon had grown much larger and looked far more robust.
Most importantly, its body seemed to contain a power that didn't belong to it.
It seemed to be a power originating from the Primordial Sea.
And as Chen Zhou established a connection with this power, he seemed to begin forming an unstable connection with the Primordial Sea in another world.
The connection was now extremely subtle and weak. But as his strength grew and he gained more of Neuvillette's Authority,
he would become firmly connected to the Primordial Sea, and might even gain near-absolute control over the oceans of this world.