Douluo Continent · Grass Snake Village.
Like the neighboring Grass Chicken Village, most people in this village had Grass Snake Martial Souls. That was how it got its name.
According to the elders, someone in the village had once awakened a True Dragon Martial Soul. It was hard to tell whether this was a legend made up to impress the neighboring village or something that had really happened.
But whether it was a phoenix or a True Dragon,
the people living here had never seen either. They were just ordinary folk, living plain and peaceful lives.
Today, however, a towering dragon apparition broke that tranquility.
"Gasp! A True Dragon! It really is a dragon!"
"Our ancestors didn't lie to us! Someone in Grass Snake Village really can awaken a True Dragon Martial Soul!"
"Thank you, ancestors, for answering our prayers! Thank you!"
The crowd erupted into an uproar, every eye fixed on a purple-haired boy standing on the Awakening Platform.
The boy was named Lin Yan. Above his head, a colossal dragon apparition wreathed in flames had spread its wings, blotting out the sky.
The dragon radiated pure dragon might. With wings on its back and two horns on its head, it was the quintessential Western dragon. Many villagers trembled at the mere sight of it.
Its flames swirled together in scarlet and dark purple, their terrifying heat seemingly capable of igniting the deepest desires in people's hearts.
What a magnificent sight!
Everyone present looked on with either envy or awe.
Flender, who was presiding over this Martial Soul Awakening ceremony, was utterly astounded.
"How can this be? A True Dragon Martial Soul that can rival the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon! In Grass Snake Village, of all places!"
Ma Hongjun, whom Flender had just taken on as his personal disciple, looked equally incredulous.
"Why does his dragon feel fiercer than my phoenix?"
"And those flames are clearly the exact same Evil Fire as mine. How could there be such a coincidence?"
It really was a coincidence.
That morning, Flender had just left Grass Chicken Village after taking Ma Hongjun, who had awakened an Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul, as his personal disciple.
Then, that afternoon, he arrived in Grass Snake Village and ran into Lin Yan, who had also awakened an "Evil Fire Demon Dragon" Martial Soul!
Flender hadn't even had time to return to the academy in between. Ma Hongjun was still right there with him.
If anyone claimed the two boys' Martial Souls had nothing to do with each other, no outsider would believe it...
"Hoo~"
Inside the Awakening Array, Lin Yan let out a long breath. The heat in his meridians made him feel warm and comfortable.
But he wasn't fooled by that fleeting comfort. As a transmigrator, he knew his Martial Soul was the "Evil Fire Demon Dragon"! The flames that came with it were also genuine "Evil Fire."
For now, its drawbacks hadn't shown because he was still young and hadn't fully matured, or perhaps because his Soul Power Level was still low.
If he kept cultivating and grew older, he would have to endure the Evil Fire's torment every waking moment. One careless moment, and he could even explode and die.
"Child, come and have your Innate Soul Power tested."
"Do you know? He's Ma Hongjun from the neighboring village. His Martial Soul mutated too. He's a phoenix, and you're a dragon."
"The main thing is, I feel like your dragon has a stronger presence and purer bloodline than his. You're sure to awaken an even higher Innate Soul Power!"
That was a pure True Dragon Martial Soul, one whose quality might even surpass the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, one of the Upper Three Sects.
Flender's shrewd little eyes gleamed with excitement.
Even Ma Hongjun had Innate Soul Power Level 9. Surely this kid would have at least Innate Full Soul Power, Level 10?
Just as expected, his guess was confirmed in no time.
The instant Lin Yan placed his small hands on the testing crystal, light suddenly blazed across the entire crystal ball.
"Innate Full Soul Power! It really is Innate Full Soul Power!"
"Child, from now on, you'll be joining my Shrek Academy."
One phoenix and one True Dragon.
One with Innate Soul Power Level 9, and one with Innate Full Soul Power.
Flender looked at the two boys before him, his old face blooming like a chrysanthemum. He couldn't have been more thrilled.
Lin Yan saw no reason to be coy about it and agreed at once.
He didn't have much choice. He was too young, and as an orphan with nothing to his name, he had no assets. Even if he wanted to seek refuge with Qian Renxue or Bibi Dong, he didn't have the money for the journey or the strength to make it.
Joining Shrek for the time being seemed fine. As long as he stubbornly refused to go hunting when it was time to obtain a Soul Ring, there shouldn't be much danger otherwise.
Soon, Flender led the two boys out of Grass Snake Village and set off for Shrek Academy.
Along the way, Lin Yan began quietly planning his future.
"An Evil Fire Demon Dragon?"
"I never imagined the heavens would play such a huge joke on me. Since that's how it is, I'll just have to accept all the beauties of Douluo Continent."
That was right: Lin Yan had no intention of using some method that tortured him to suppress his Evil Fire.
He'd transmigrated once, and he was already struggling to get by without the internet or modern tools.
If he had to restrain his desire for women on top of that, what was the point of transmigrating? What was the point of gaining strength?
He might as well find a bench, sit cross-legged, and cosplay the Giant Buddha of Leshan.
Of course, he wasn't going to be like the future Ma Hongjun, running around to brothels to vent his Evil Fire.
Lin Yan had his own tastes and his own pride. Douluo Continent had so many beauties.
There was Zhu Zhuqing, whose toes vanished from sight when she lowered her head; Xiao Wu, the hundred-thousand-year-old hooligan rabbit; Qian Renxue, the prettiest little angel on the entire continent; and even Bibi Dong, the Secret Chamber Douluo whom countless transmigrators wanted to call "Mom"...
Only women like them were worthy of becoming his cauldrons... ahem! His dual-cultivation partners!
But that was all for later.
He was still young, and his strength was low. The Evil Fire barely affected him, so there was no need to worry about any of that just yet.
Lin Yan estimated that the Evil Fire wouldn't reach the point where it could make him explode unless he was around ten and had obtained his third Soul Ring.
He could find a girlfriend then. Until that time, he only needed to cultivate step by step as usual.
As for the most important matter right now, it was the problem of his First Soul Ring, which he would need before long.
"Should I use Whale Rubber to improve my physical strength and get myself a thousand-year First Soul Ring?"
Lin Yan began to waver.
He didn't know how much Whale Rubber would increase his physical strength or how expensive it was, and he wasn't sure whether Flender would lend him money to buy some.
"Maybe I should forget it. The weight of this secret is too great. It could change the entire soul world."
"Especially if Flender really starts digging into it. How could I explain knowing this secret? Could it expose the fact that I'm a transmigrator?"
At that thought, he began to back down.
But then he reconsidered. He only had one Martial Soul, and he'd only get one First Soul Ring in his entire life.
If he didn't know a way to raise his body's limits, that would be one thing. But now that he knew what Whale Rubber could do, Lin Yan couldn't bring himself to settle for a mediocre Soul Ring.
After turning it over in his mind, Lin Yan found himself caught between two choices once more...