Douluo Continent.
The Sun Moon Federation, Shrek City.
The eighty-first-story Heavenly Spirit Pagoda, headquarters of the Spirit Pagoda, was known as the "Pillar That Supported the Heavens." It stood majestically in the city.
The silver-white octagonal tower pierced the clouds, its tip vanishing into the sky.
Sunlight fell across the densely packed soul-guiding runes covering the tower, reflecting a solemn radiance that made one's heart tremble.
The grand plaza before the tower was already bustling with people. The annual Martial Soul Awakening Day had arrived, just as it always did.
For ordinary people, this would be a day that could change their fate.
Awakening a powerful Martial Soul and possessing Soul Power meant one could embark on the path of a Soul Master and leave the ranks of ordinary people behind.
A carp could leap over the dragon's gate in the space of a single day.
The hopes and anxieties of countless families all converged on this one day.
Fang Lin stood in the queue from the Spirit Transmission Orphanage and yawned lazily.
He was a little thin and no taller than most children his age, but his eyes were unusually clear, carrying a calmness beyond his years.
It had been exactly six years since Fang Lin had transmigrated to Douluo Continent.
This was the best of times and the worst of times...
The Dragon King era. The Sun Moon Federation had unified Douluo Continent.
Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect had deep foundations, the Spirit Pagoda was at the height of its power, the Holy Spirit Cult was stirring in the shadows, and the Abyss Plane watched with hungry eyes...
The God King's world-shocking grand plan, the Dragon King's world-shocking wisdom!
The heroes of this world were as numerous as carp crossing a river!
At last, the day has come.
A glint of anticipation passed through Fang Lin's eyes. I hope I get a decent Martial Soul...
Of course, he had already made other plans.
If... I awaken Blue Silver Grass, a wooden stick, or some other Trash Martial Soul...
Then I'll run off as soon as I can, find some remote little city, and lie low. I'll stay far away from the protagonist group and all the godlike powerhouses fighting each other, and quietly live out the rest of my life.
Fang Lin had silently prepared for the worst.
Not every transmigrator was destined to be the protagonist. In the novels he had read in his previous life, there had been plenty of examples of people transmigrating as useless losers.
Rather than complain about fate, it was better to plan an escape route early.
He only had one life. He had no interest in gambling it on some so-called "protagonist aura."
A figure appeared first on the high platform.
He was a middle-aged man in an ornate robe, with a stern face and piercing eyes. Every gesture carried the air of one who looked down upon the world.
The Spirit Pagoda Master, Qiangu Dongfeng.
Two more figures appeared one after another.
One was a stunning woman in a red dress, tall and coldly elegant, with a sharpness in her expression.
Her scarlet gown accentuated her slender figure. Her skin was as fair as jade, and her long, loose hair fell over her shoulders. Her beauty was breathtaking.
She swept her gaze over the crowd below, her expression impassive and distant, as though she were looking at scenery.
Everyone's eyes were drawn to her, yet no one dared look for long.
The Spirit Pagoda's Vice Master, Heavenly Phoenix Douluo, Leng Yaozhu.
The other was an elderly man with an immortal air, white whiskers fluttering and a plain robe that made him seem like a sage from another world.
He wore a faint smile, his eyes deep, as if he could see into people's hearts—or as if he were looking at nothing at all.
The Spirit Pagoda's Vice Master, Illusion Brain Douluo, Han Tianyi.
As the three Pagoda Masters appeared one after another, their vast auras formed an invisible wall, instantly silencing the plaza.
The hubbub was crushed by an intangible pressure. Even the wind seemed to stop for a moment.
Countless gazes turned toward the high platform, filled with awe, admiration, curiosity, and every other emotion, all churning silently in the stillness.
Qiangu Dongfeng's stern gaze swept over the crowd before he spoke calmly. "The Martial Soul Awakening ceremony begins now."
Those few words carried the unquestionable authority of a man at the top.
To show how much the Spirit Pagoda valued Soul Masters, its headquarters held a grand awakening celebration every year.
This year was no exception. The plaza was packed with people.
Thousands of families had come from across the Federation, all to accompany their six-year-old children to the awakening ceremony.
Some looked eager, some whispered prayers, and others were so nervous that their faces had gone pale.
As the ceremony began, the children lined up and went onto the Awakening Platform one by one.
The plaza was filled with noise. Cheers and chatter mingled, forming a lively overture.
"Next, Fang Lin!"
A Spirit Transmitter glanced at the list in his hand and called out.
"Here."
Fang Lin answered and stepped onto the Awakening Platform.
The Spirit Transmitter was named Su Tao, one of the Spirit Pagoda officials in charge of this awakening ceremony.
He wore a gray robe embroidered with the Spirit Pagoda emblem on the chest. His face was kind, and he seemed quite approachable.
Su Tao looked at the frail boy before him and smiled warmly. "Come over here, little one, and let Uncle have a look."
"Uncle, when you put it like that, you sound like a bad guy," Fang Lin said earnestly, blinking.
Su Tao was at a loss for words. "Don't worry, little one. I really am not a bad guy."
"Look, there are so many people here. If I were a bad guy, they'd have thrown me out already."
He sized Fang Lin up. The boy was thin, and his worn-out clothes had faded pale. He was clearly from an orphanage.
His eyes were unusually clear, carrying a calmness beyond his years.
Most children were so nervous on the platform that they didn't know what to do with themselves. This boy, however, was perfectly composed and even had time to joke around.
Su Tao's heart stirred faintly. This child has a good temperament. I hope things turn out well for him...
"All right. Sorry for the trouble, Uncle," Fang Lin said, nodding politely.
Su Tao's smile faded, and his expression grew focused.
He raised a hand and slowly channeled gentle Soul Power into the six-pointed star formation at the center of the Awakening Platform.
"Hum..."
In that instant, the air suddenly grew thick.
White light rose like a warm tide, surging out of the six-pointed star formation and enveloping Fang Lin.
He felt as though something within him had awakened.
A gentle warmth welled up from his dantian and flowed through his limbs and bones, leaving him utterly comfortable.
It was a sensation he had never felt before, as if every inch of skin and every bone in his body were cheering.
"What is this...?"
On the viewing platform, Qiangu Dongfeng suddenly sat up straight and turned his gaze toward the Awakening Platform.
He had only been glancing casually. Although a fair number of promising children appeared on Awakening Day each year, only a handful ever caught his eye.
But just now, he had clearly sensed an unusual fluctuation of aura.
Leng Yaozhu's beautiful eyes brightened slightly. Her red lips parted, and her voice was cool. "This aura...?"
"Interesting."
Han Tianyi took a sip from his teacup and slowly set it down. A gleam flashed through his eyes and vanished.
"Roar—!"
A domineering dragon's roar suddenly shook heaven and earth.
Brilliant golden light shot into the sky!
Fang Lin's eyes were tightly shut. Behind him, a giant golden dragon slowly emerged, spreading its wings and raising its head in a furious roar.
Its dragon body seemed forged from gold, its scales glittering. Each one was etched with mysterious patterns and shone with dazzling light.
Blood-red vertical pupils gazed down at all around, cold and haughty, radiating a crushing pressure.
Terrifying dragon might spread like a tide, making every Soul Master present feel their hearts tremble.
Those with weaker cultivation even took an involuntary step backward.
The entire plaza fell into dead silence.
Everyone looked up at the golden light, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
"This... this is... the Golden Dragon!" Su Tao's pupils contracted, and his voice trembled.
He had presided over Martial Soul Awakenings for many years and had seen all kinds of Martial Souls, strong and weak, but never an astonishing vision like this.
The Golden Dragon was a legendary Martial Soul of ultimate strength!
Su Tao was secretly delighted. I've got it in the bag! This year's awakening results are going to put me in first place again.
But Fang Lin, standing on the Awakening Platform, was already stunned.
Unlike everyone else, he felt as if the sky had collapsed.
The Golden Dragon, a Martial Soul of ultimate strength.
The most orthodox inheritor of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline, known as the Ancestor of Strength, who could supposedly shatter ten thousand techniques with a single blow!
In Douluo I, it would be an overbearing powerhouse who could swagger around with no one daring to stop him.
Even in Douluo II, it would still be one of the top Martial Souls.
What a shame... This was Dou San.
In this era, Beast Martial Souls were completely suppressed by the Golden Dragon King, elemental types were firmly suppressed by the Silver Dragon King, and weapon Martial Souls were suppressed by divine weapons.
The Golden Dragon? It was nothing more than a stray dog by the roadside...
Fang Lin's mouth twitched slightly. His feelings were a tangled mess.
Wasn't this just pushing him into a pit of fire?
"Come, let's test your Soul Power."
Su Tao didn't dare delay. He took out a crystal-clear orb.
At his words, Fang Lin gently placed his right hand on it.
"Hum!"
The orb trembled slightly, then erupted in dazzling azure light!
In an instant, the surroundings seemed to sink into the depths of the sea, engulfed by a pure, intense blue.
"Innate Full Soul Power... level ten!"
Su Tao's voice rose, and a flicker of excitement appeared in his eyes.
Innate Full Soul Power was the mark of a genius in any era.
And this was an Innate Full Soul Power possessor with a Golden Dragon Martial Soul!