Awakening Martial Soul, The Twin Gates

Star Luo Empire, White Tiger Duke Mansion.

On the narrow path leading to the servant quarters, a five or six-year-old boy was trudging slowly toward the woodshed at the rear.

His frame was thin and frail, as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

His palm-sized face was quite adorable, yet at this moment, that cute face was etched with conflict, his brows knitted into a deep, furrowed line.

Today was the day the White Tiger Duke Mansion held the martial soul awakening ceremony for the children who had reached the age of six.

Martial soul: Eye. Name: Dai Yuhao. And I'm in the White Tiger Duke Mansion...

With so many factors aligned, he didn't even have the room to deceive himself into thinking he wasn't Huo Yuhao!

Just moments ago, during the awakening ceremony, the memories of his past life—which had been sealed away while he lived as an ignorant child for six full years—had come rushing back like a tidal wave, instantly shattering the shackles of his consciousness.

Of all the people to transmigrate into, why did it have to be Huo Yuhao!

Huo Yuhao, even if he was dubbed "Huo the Cheat" in later generations, his life was truly miserable to the core.

Despite being the heaven-chosen Son of Luck, he had been ruthlessly groomed by that Buddha-like figure who personally pulled the strings, turning him into nothing more than a submissive dog for the Tang family.

His beloved teacher was gone, the girl he liked was dead, and the girl who loved him had sacrificed herself.

In the end, all that remained by his side was a stitched-together monster that cared nothing for him.

Huo Yuhao had never had a penchant for being anyone's dog!

But now, this wasn't a matter of whether he wanted to or not.

With that person up above acting without a shred of integrity or bottom line, determined to bind him to the Tang family, what could he possibly do?

Perhaps from the very moment he was born into this world, as the Son of Luck of the Douluo Plane, he had already been targeted by that anthropomorphic creature, God King Tang.

I shouldn't have been so meddlesome and confiscated those two trashy books!

In his past life, he was just an ordinary teacher who had confiscated two novels his students were secretly reading during class.

Douluo Continent and its sequel, Peerless Tang Sect.

Who would have thought that while walking home that night, he would stumble upon a neighbor caught in an affair? He had only joined the crowd to watch the drama, yet he was inexplicably caught in the crossfire and muddled his way into this world.

If he had to transmigrate, and it had to be the Douluo world, why couldn't it have been the first installment?

At the very least, the previous Asura God in the first story didn't watch over everything like God King Tang, leaving plenty of room for maneuver.

However...

Innate soul power level three—it's actually two levels higher than in the original work!

Before the age of six, Huo Yuhao had lived like a little beggar, never full, never warm, suffering from long-term malnutrition, and being bullied by the Duchess's people or beaten by his so-called brother every few days.

Under such harsh conditions, his innate soul power had actually increased by two levels.

Could it be that because of his status as a transmigrator, he possessed some kind of cheat he hadn't even discovered yet?

Just as Huo Yuhao was walking with his head down, pondering in deep confusion, his spirit suddenly trembled violently, as if a thunderclap had exploded deep within his mind.

Following that, a towering, vast bronze gate appeared in his sea of consciousness without any warning.

This bronze gate was heavy and majestic, with a lifelike dragon relief carved into it. Just standing there silently, it exuded a grand aura that seemed to look down upon the ages and suppress the heavens.

This bronze gate!

Huo Yuhao's heart shook violently, his pupils contracting sharply.

Wasn't this the exact same keychain he had picked up off the ground when he witnessed that affair in his past life?

It had actually followed him through the transmigration?

The moment the thought crossed his mind, his brain roared again, shocking him so much that his eyes widened, his gaze surging with unbelievable ecstasy.

The previous gloom and sorrow were swept away, and he took off running toward the woodshed where he lived with his mother, Huo Yun'er.

"Mother!"

Huo Yuhao pushed open the dilapidated wooden door of the woodshed. The light inside was dim, and a woman was leaning against the bed.

She was frail, her face pale with an unhealthy pallor, yet she could not hide the gentle beauty in her features.

The woman was looking at him with a tender smile; she was his mother in this life, Huo Yun'er.

Although she had a six-year-old son, Huo Yun'er was only in her early twenties.

"Haohao, you're so happy—did something wonderful happen?"

Huo Yun'er's voice was soft as she reached out to straighten his clothes, which were washed white and covered in patches.

But when her gaze swept over the dust on his clothes and the new scratches on his body, her gentle eyes dimmed instantly, a flash of undisguised heartache and helplessness crossing her gaze.

As soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to think of something, her eyes suddenly brightening as she asked with a hint of expectation, "Could it be... you awakened the White Tiger martial soul?"

The Evil Eye White Tiger was the top-tier martial soul inherited by the Dai family for ten thousand years.

Ten thousand years ago, the Dai family was the royal family of the Star Luo Empire, and their ancestors had even produced a god.

Therefore, even though the Dai family no longer held the throne, their status in the Star Luo Empire remained incredibly high.

Every possessor of the Evil Eye White Tiger would receive the best training available.

As long as Hao'er awakened this Martial Soul, even if he were only an illegitimate son, the Duke, Dai Hao, would certainly acknowledge him.

In that case, the mother and son would no longer have to endure the torment and bullying of servants in this servant quarters.

Huo Yuhao shook his head gently. "My Martial Soul is an eye, not a White Tiger."

A flash of surprise crossed Huo Yun'er's eyes, but she immediately stroked the top of his head tenderly.

Her fingertips carried a slight chill as she spoke in a soft, comforting voice, "Eyes are not bad either. My Hao'er is so intelligent; you will surely become a powerful Spirit Master in the future."

Huo Yuhao gripped his mother's cool hand in return, his tone incomparably earnest. "Mother, let's leave the White Tiger Duke Mansion."

Huo Yun'er's hand stiffened abruptly. Huo Yuhao continued, "It is not that Dai Hao doesn't know we are here, nor is he unaware of the life we lead. He simply does not care at all."

"Ho-how could that be..."

Huo Yun'er's voice trembled slightly. Subconsciously, she reached into her bosom and gripped the White Tiger Dagger tightly.

That was the token of love Dai Hao had given her back then, and it was also the spiritual solace that had sustained her all these years.

She forced herself to remain calm, her tone tinged with a measure of self-deception. "The Duke... he is just busy with military campaigns year-round, unable to act as he wishes..."

"Mother, I saw it all." Huo Yuhao interrupted her attempt to escape reality.

He absolutely could not let Huo Yun'er repeat the mistakes of the original story, continuing to suffer suppression in this cold Duke Mansion and meeting a tragic end.

Her soul would even be taken away by Great God King Tang to be used as a bargaining chip against him in the future.

"The moment my Martial Soul awakened just now, it sensed two extremely powerful auras hidden within the mansion. They guard this place; any movement in the estate cannot escape their notice."

He paused, looking at his mother's pale face, and said word by word, "I only awakened an eye-type Martial Soul, not the Evil Eye White Tiger that the Dai family values. Dai Hao will only care about us even less. Mother, I do not want you trapped here for the rest of your life, being wantonly harassed, beaten, and suffering these unmerited hardships."

Did Huo Yun'er truly not know of Dai Hao's heartlessness?

How could she not know?

Yet, amidst the Duchess's day-after-day harassment and torment, she could only constantly romanticize the past affection between herself and Dai Hao. Relying on this hollow fantasy was the only way she could barely survive these dark, sunless days.

She had also hoped countless times that one day Dai Hao would remember her, remember the years she had spent caring for him, and allow Yuhao to become the legitimate Third Young Master of the White Tiger Duke Mansion.

But all these beautiful, hopeful delusions were cruelly punctured by Huo Yuhao's words.

Huo Yun'er hugged her son tightly, her thin shoulders trembling slightly. Hot tears slid down her pale cheeks, dripping onto the top of Huo Yuhao's head.

She choked back sobs, and after a long while, her soft but firm voice came from above Huo Yuhao.

"Alright, Hao'er, we will leave this place."

Compared to that Dai Hao who only lived in her memories and had not appeared for years, this thoughtful and sensible son before her was her everything.

As long as she could be with Hao'er, anywhere would be fine.

"There are too many eyes during the day; let's wait until night..."

Hearing his mother's consent, Huo Yuhao's face lit up with joy. He quickly grabbed Huo Yun'er's hand. "Mother, we don't need to wait for night. We can leave right now."

As soon as he finished speaking, a bronze door less than two meters tall appeared without warning in the cramped woodshed. It emitted no aura fluctuations, as if it had been rooted there all along.

Huo Yuhao pointed at the bronze door and explained to the stunned Huo Yun'er, "This appeared after I awakened my Martial Soul. It seems to have the ability to traverse space and can take us directly to another place."

He did not elaborate that the true power of this door was to travel between worlds.

As for what lay on the other side of the door, Huo Yuhao had no way of knowing.

He could only sense through the door that the other place was very safe.