Plot Modification System

Douluo Continent, Holy Soul Village.

"Where is this? It stinks." Gu Han felt aches all over his body and complained.

The first breath of air he took after waking was a fresh breeze mixed with the smell of dirt and cow dung.

He slowly opened his eyes. Instead of the familiar ceiling, he saw a roof laid with thatch. A violent headache struck, and countless jumbled fragments of memory flooded into his mind like a broken dam.

A moment later, the headache gradually faded. Gu Han propped himself up and looked around the bare thatched hut, his face frozen in shock and bewilderment.

He had crossed over.

He had arrived in the world of Douluo Continent and become an orphan in Holy Soul Village. The orphan had the same name he'd had before crossing over: Gu Han.

The village chief, Grandpa Jack, had taken pity on him and let him stay in this only thatched hut.

"So I really came to Douluo Continent? Does that mean all the fantasies I had before crossing over can come true?" He cried out in delight.

But a moment later, as if he'd thought of something, his expression fell. "I have no background, and I don't even have a system. I probably won't make it out of the beginner village."

As soon as Gu Han thought that, a voice appeared in his mind, filling him with joy.

[Foreign-world soul detected. Dimensional disturbance meets binding conditions.]

[Plot Modification System activating. Activation successful.]

[Core task: Alter the established fate of the original story to earn "Magic Modification Points."]

[Magic Modification Points can be exchanged in the System Shop for anything that exists—or theoretically exists—in the Douluo World, including Soul Rings, Soul Bones, and bloodlines.]

[Current Magic Modification Points: 0]

"A system! And it's one of the rarest kinds—a system that modifies the plot."

"Heaven is looking out for me, Gu Han."

Gu Han's spirits rose, and a flicker of understanding crossed his eyes.

This meant he didn't have to follow the original story's path step by step. He could change the plot himself and throw it off its original course.

"Changing the plot, huh? That means I can do a lot." Gu Han's lips curled into a smile.

Just then, a commotion came from the center of the village, with faint, commanding shouts ringing out.

Gu Han's heart stirred. Today, Su Yuntao, a Spirit Hall deacon, had come to Holy Soul Village to awaken the Martial Souls of the children who had turned six.

Just as Gu Han was about to head to the Martial Soul Awakening, he heard a knock at the door.

He went over and opened it. An old man stood outside. Gu Han immediately recognized him as Grandpa Jack, but before he could speak, the old man hurriedly said:

"Xiao Han, today's the day of the Martial Soul Awakening. Hurry and come with me." As he spoke, he reached for Gu Han's little hand.

"All right, Grandpa." Gu Han took Grandpa Jack's hand and followed him outside.

"The plot's starting." Gu Han took a deep breath, tamping down his excitement, and straightened his worn but clean clothes.

Eight or nine children had already gathered in the small hall, lining up with nervous, hopeful faces.

Gu Han silently took his place at the end of the line, but his eyes immediately locked onto the boy in the middle. He wore patched clothes, had a well-proportioned build, and carried himself with far more maturity than the children his age.

"So that's Tang San, the fated child of the Douluo World."

"But now that I'm here, your path to godhood definitely won't be as easy." Gu Han thought to himself.

He turned to look at Su Yuntao, the stern Spirit Hall deacon with a square face. A wolf's shadow loomed behind him as he conducted the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony with meticulous care.

As golden specks of light entered the children one after another, different objects and animal apparitions appeared before them.

"Sickle. No Soul Power."

"Hoe. No Soul Power."

"Blue Silver Grass. No Soul Power."

One result after another was announced. The hope on the children's faces quickly faded, replaced by dejection.

Su Yuntao sighed too, long since accustomed to such results.

At last, it was Tang San's turn.

"Stand in the center of the formation," Su Yuntao said mechanically.

Tang San walked into the formation made of six black stones.

Golden light flared. A warm current enveloped him, and the next moment, a tender little blue grass shoot, etched with delicate veins, appeared quietly in his palm, swaying gently.

"Blue Silver Grass again."

But Gu Han kept his eyes fixed on Tang San's clenched left hand. He knew it had to be the Clear Sky Hammer.

Su Yuntao shook his head, his voice tinged with regret. "Trash Martial Soul. All right, next..."

"Uncle, you haven't tested my Soul Power yet."

Tang San spoke calmly. His voice held a child's innocence, but his judgment seemed beyond his years.

Su Yuntao frowned. Still, out of duty, he took out the blue crystal ball.

"If your Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass, the chance of having Soul Power is almost zero. Let's try anyway. Put your right hand on it."

Tang San did as he was told.

In an instant!

The entire crystal ball burst into dazzling blue light.

Its radiance illuminated the dim hall until it was bright as day!

"I-it's Innate Full Soul Power!" Su Yuntao cried out.

He looked from the crystal ball to Tang San, disbelief written all over his face.

"Innate Full Soul Power! What a shame, what a shame. How could it be Blue Silver Grass?"

Just then, the system's clear notification rang in Gu Han's mind:

[System notification! Key plot point detected: Tang San's Martial Soul Awakening. Beginner task triggered: First Tease.]

[Task requirement: Change the result of "Tang San's Innate Full Soul Power."]

[Task reward: 100 Magic Modification Points and one random Soul Ring.]

"Here we go."

Gu Han knew he had to do something.

Almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he felt something deep within his soul stir.

A pair of scissors appeared in his consciousness, ancient in design and translucent, with countless fine, glittering golden threads wrapped around them. The image flashed past.

At the same time, the scene before his eyes changed.

He saw an incredibly clear golden line connecting Tang San to the crystal ball.

The other children either had no line to the crystal ball at all or had only a faint gray one, so dim it was almost invisible.

"So these are the Lines of Karma?" Gu Han suddenly understood what his Martial Soul was: a Martial Soul capable of interfering with karma, the Karma Scissors.

Just as Su Yuntao was about to write "Innate Full Soul Power" in his record book,

Gu Han focused all his attention on the golden line connecting Tang San to the crystal ball.

It wasn't a particularly thick line. Yet, facing his Martial Soul, Gu Han felt that severing these lines would take no more than a single snip.

He summoned the Karma Scissors with a thought and lightly snipped the karmic line.

"Snip!"

A faint sound, audible only to Gu Han, rang in his ears.

In the hall, Su Yuntao was about to put pen to paper when he suddenly paused, his brows knitting tightly. He blinked hard and looked at the crystal ball in his hands again.

Something strange happened.

The bright blue light suddenly dimmed, then flared back up to about seventy percent of its former brilliance.

"Hm? Strange..." Su Yuntao rubbed his eyes, utterly perplexed.

"Just now...it clearly looked like Innate Full Soul Power. Did this old crystal ball malfunction? Or were my eyes playing tricks on me?"

He eyed the crystal ball suspiciously, then looked at Tang San, whose face showed complete confusion. In the end, he shook his head and wrote in his record book:

"Tang San, Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass, Innate Soul Power...Level seven."

[System notification! Beginner task complete! Key plot point successfully altered!]

[Rewards issued: +100 Magic Modification Points! Random Soul Ring issued and ready to use at any time.]

[Notice: Due to this change, the protagonist Tang San's fate has deviated slightly. Its subsequent effects will continue to be calculated as Magic Modification Points.]

"Success. My strength is still too weak to fully affect his Soul Power." Gu Han was happy, but still did his best to wear the same look of surprise as the other children.

At that moment, Tang San was far more shaken inside than he appeared. He stared at the now-dim crystal ball, clear astonishment and disbelief appearing on his little face for the first time.

"What happened? Why do I feel like the Soul Power in my body, which had nearly reached a bottleneck, has decreased so much?" Tang San could clearly feel the change within himself.

"Next."

Su Yuntao's voice pulled Tang San from his thoughts. He silently stepped aside.

Gu Han took a deep breath and walked forward. When he stood in the center of the formation, he could clearly feel Tang San's gaze on him.

Golden light flared again, and warm energy enveloped his body.

This time, Gu Han clearly "saw" the apparition of the Karma Scissors within his consciousness tremble slightly in the golden light. Unlike other Martial Souls, it didn't manifest outside his body. Instead, it fused even more deeply with his soul.

Then, a pair of scissors wrapped in golden threads appeared in his right hand.

Su Yuntao had been about to call it a Trash Martial Soul, but the power it gave off made his heart skip a beat.