Star Dou Great Forest, the forbidden zone of life.
"Di Tian." A middle-aged man heard the call and immediately used spatial power to appear beneath the Lake of Life.
A massive silver dragon coiled within this space, its entire body covered in layer upon layer of silver scales. Yet near its chest, a hideous scar cut across its body, the wound's edges wreathed in dark-red divine power. It was the work of the Asura God. Even after tens of thousands of years, that power continued to eat away at its body, keeping the wound from healing. It was the Silver Dragon King.
"Zhushang, what are your orders?" The middle-aged man came before the dragon and immediately dropped to one knee.
The Silver Dragon King spoke to him.
"I sensed an extremely powerful dragon bloodline. Go to the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest and investigate it yourself. Bring it here."
The middle-aged man immediately replied, "Yes, Zhushang."
A ripple of spatial power swept through the air, and the man departed.
With his departure, silence returned to the space. The Silver Dragon King's gaze lingered in the direction of the forest's outskirts, and a rare trace of confusion appeared in her slit pupils.
"This bloodline aura..." Her voice was so low that only she could hear it. "If my senses aren't mistaken, it's even stronger than mine."
She tightened her coiled body slightly. The small movement sent a stab of pain through the scar across her chest, and the dark-red divine power flickered a few times. But he paid it no mind. All his attention was drawn to that distant aura.
"But how could that be?"
After the Dragon God's fall, there should be no dragon bloodline in this world that surpassed hers. She was half of the Dragon God, inheriting his wisdom. Aside from the Dragon God and the Golden Dragon King, even the Nine Great Dragon Kings would be innately suppressed in her presence. That was a fundamental rule etched into the dragon bloodline.
Yet that aura had stirred an indescribable feeling deep within her blood.
The Silver Dragon King closed her eyes, pressing every emotion back into the depths of her heart. She would wait until Di Tian returned.
As time passed, Di Tian drew closer to the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. The nearer he got, the more keenly he felt the powerful bloodline suppression. With every step closer, it grew more pronounced.
It wasn't pressure on the level of Soul Power, but something that came from the deepest part of the bloodline—the instinctive urge to submit that arose in dragons when faced with a being of higher rank. Di Tian slowed his steps without realizing it. A bead of cold sweat even appeared at his temple.
He had never sensed an aura like this, not even from Zhushang.
Following the aura, Di Tian finally found its source. It was a dainty human baby, with soft black hair resting against its forehead, sleeping peacefully beneath a tree. A rainbow glow radiated from its body, drifting slowly like a living thing and making the plants within several feet look dreamlike.
Strangely, this was already the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, where Soul Beasts roamed in abundance. Yet not a single one dared approach within a hundred meters of the baby.
Di Tian held his breath and cautiously sensed the area. There were no signs of any Soul Beasts nearby, only that aura, which made his bloodline tremble, quietly radiating from the baby. Then he carefully picked up the human child and used spatial power to leave.
At the same time, somewhere in the sky, an aura sensed Di Tian carrying the human baby away, then silently departed.
Di Tian returned to the Lake of Life and immediately brought the black-haired baby beneath it.
The Silver Dragon King sensed the aura coming from the black-haired child. It was oppressive, yet strangely familiar. "Di Tian, what do you think?"
Di Tian pondered for a moment. "Zhushang, could this aura belong to the Dragon God? But you're half of the Dragon God. How could something like this happen?"
The Silver Dragon King thought for a while. "Whatever the truth, there's no mistaking the strength of this dragon bloodline. From now on, this child will be the young master of the Star Dou Great Forest. I'll raise him myself. We'll discuss everything else when he's grown. Perhaps this child can lead us back to the Divine Realm."
Six years later.
Star Dou Great Forest, Mixed Zone.
A Twin Cyclops Giant raced along in a panic, as if fleeing for its life. Behind it chased a strange Soul Beast that looked like a lion, with four dragonlike claws, each treading a golden flame. It was the Emperor Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. On its back sat a well-proportioned boy with clear skin, handsome, relaxed features, and pure black eyes. It was Lin Shuo, the baby from six years ago. He had short black hair, but tiny flecks of rainbow light shimmered faintly deep within the strands.
Lin Shuo had been an ordinary student from Blue Star. He never expected to wake up one day and find himself in another world. Once he was old enough, he gave himself the same name he'd had in his previous life. For the past six years, the Silver Dragon King had personally raised him in an independent space deep beneath the Lake of Life. As his memories fully merged, he had recognized Di Tian and the Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena and understood that he had crossed over to Douluo Continent. After years of subtle probing, he had also figured out that he'd arrived during the Peerless Tang Sect era. Based on his investigation, he judged that he was about the same age as Huo Yuhao.
From what he knew of Douluo Continent and what Di Tian had told him about his origins, Lin Shuo suspected his bloodline was somehow connected to the Dragon God. But he could learn more only after his Martial Soul Awakening.
While the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was still chasing the Twin Cyclops Giant, a Three-Headed Red Demon Mastiff suddenly appeared behind it. It was over five meters long, with three heads more than a meter in diameter, and fangs that gleamed a crimson gold. It was Scarlet King, ranked eighth among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, with a cultivation base of over three hundred thousand years.
"Young master, Auspicious Beast, Di Tian just asked us to return so the young master can undergo his Martial Soul Awakening," Scarlet King said respectfully.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion shot Scarlet King an unhappy look. Its golden fur shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight as it halted, its four dragonlike paws treading golden flames. It glanced mournfully at Lin Shuo on its back and let out a few low whines, clearly not done playing.
Lin Shuo smiled and reached out to rub the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's head, his tone full of helpless affection. "All right, all right. I'll play with you again after my Martial Soul Awakening."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion reluctantly swished its tail and let out a low grumble of agreement. Then it turned and trotted toward the Lake of Life.
As Lin Shuo sat on the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's back, feeling the wind against his face, he was far from calm inside.
His Martial Soul Awakening—at last, the day had come.
He knew there was blood in his body connected to the Dragon God, but he had no idea what kind of Martial Soul he would awaken. Would it be a powerful dragon Martial Soul? Or something like Tang Wulin's or Lan Xuanyu's? He couldn't say. But now, the moment he would find out had finally arrived.