Lin Ze'an

Douluo Continent.

Heaven Dou Empire.

A small village.

It was the height of noon, and the blazing sun beat straight down upon the earth.

A boy sat by the river, his back against a large tree.

Its shade sheltered him, keeping the scorching sunlight off his body.

In the boy's hands was a homemade fishing rod.

The line was wrapped around the tip of the rod and trailed into the water.

The stream was crystal clear, teeming with fish swimming to and fro.

Yet not a single one seemed willing to visit his hook.

The boy wasn't in a hurry. With a blade of foxtail grass between his lips, he waited quietly.

His reflection on the water showed his youthful face.

"Xiao An, fishing again?"

An elderly woman with white hair passed by and greeted the boy warmly.

The boy was named Lin Ze'an, and he was one of the villagers.

He turned to see the old woman carrying a basket of vegetables, then simply dropped his fishing rod and went over. "Granny Li, let me help you."

Lin Ze'an took the basket from her hands.

"Oh, thank you so much, Xiao An."

Lin Ze'an often helped the village elders.

He was every old person in the village's dream grandson.

On the way back, Lin Ze'an held the basket high in both hands, his steps a little unsteady.

After all, the basket was still rather heavy for him.

"Xiao An, how old are you this year?"

Granny Li's memory wasn't very good, and she often forgot all sorts of things.

Lin Ze'an was still focused on wrestling with the basket, not thinking at all about the significance of that number. He answered offhandedly, "Granny, I'm six this year."

But this time, Granny Li hadn't forgotten. "Six, huh? Then, Xiao An, have you awakened your Martial Soul yet?"

At the words "Martial Soul," Lin Ze'an froze for a moment, then came back to himself.

Right! How could he have forgotten about that?

He was six this year. According to the tradition of this continent, it was time for him to awaken his Martial Soul.

With that thought, Lin Ze'an quickened his pace. After seeing Granny Li home, he hurried off in another direction.

That direction led to the village's general store.

This was the sixth year since Lin Ze'an had transmigrated to Douluo Continent.

That was right—he was a transmigrator.

And the general store was his home in this life.

His father, Lin Gang, was a village merchant, as well as a forty-eighth-level Soul Ancestor.

He was also responsible for protecting the village in his daily life.

Since he had once risked his life to kill an Evil Soul Master who had broken into the village, the villagers all held him in awe.

When Lin Ze'an reached the general store, he could hear the sound of things being rummaged through from far away.

He didn't even need to think about it. Lin Gang had lost something again.

Lin Ze'an lifted the curtain and walked inside.

In the storeroom, Lin Gang was searching through things, drenched in sweat.

As the village merchant, most of what Lin Gang sold day to day was practical goods.

Just then, he pulled a bag of fine salt out of a box and set it on the counter.

Noticing someone had entered, Lin Gang stopped what he was doing.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of a reasonably clean hand.

Seeing Lin Ze'an, a smile appeared on his face. "You're back, son. Didn't catch any fish again today?"

Lin Ze'an nodded helplessly.

"You don't even bait the hook. No wonder you come home empty-handed." Lin Gang teased him as he resumed searching.

"What do you know? This is Jiang Taigong fishing—the willing will take the bait."

Lin Gang said nothing and kept looking for things.

"Oh, right, Dad."

Only then did Lin Ze'an remember he had something important to ask. He hurriedly said, "I'm six this year too. When will I awaken my Martial Soul?"

At the words "Martial Soul," Lin Gang's hands clearly faltered.

He stopped what he was doing and stared blankly at the ceiling, as if lost in old memories.

After a long while, he lowered his head again.

But there was a glimmer of tears at the corner of his eyes.

Under Lin Ze'an's puzzled gaze, Lin Gang looked over at him, his expression unusually serious. "Son, let me ask you something."

"If one day you become a powerful Soul Master, what will you use that strength for?"

Without hesitation, Lin Ze'an answered, "Of course, to protect!"

What would be the point of having power if he used it to hurt others?

Looking at his son's determined eyes, Lin Gang nodded with relief. "Good... Just like your mother was back then."

Hearing his father bring up his mother on his own, Lin Ze'an felt a little strange.

As far back as he could remember, he had never seen the mother from this life.

Lin Gang usually refused to discuss her at all.

In any case, Lin Ze'an wasn't really a child, so he hadn't asked much.

Now, though, Lin Gang had brought her up himself. Could there be a story behind it?

Seeing his son's confusion, Lin Gang sighed, picked up the water gourd on the table, and took several gulps.

Then his gaze drifted toward Lin Ze'an. "Xiao An, I know you've always been curious about your mother. I'll tell you today."

Lin Gang sat down in a chair and began recounting the past to Lin Ze'an.

It turned out that Lin Ze'an's mother, Jin Ling, was the daughter of a powerful figure in Spirit Hall.

While out gaining experience one time, she had accidentally saved Lin Gang, who was under attack by a Soul Beast.

As it happened, the two ran into each other several more times afterward, so they decided to travel together.

As they spent more time together, they gradually fell in love.

Lin Gang was already in his thirties, yet his Soul Power Level was only forty-eight.

It was clear his talent was nothing special.

As expected, Lin Ze'an's maternal grandfather strongly opposed the two being together.

What happened next was a little melodramatic.

Lin Gang and Jin Ling fled to the Star Dou Forest.

Later, the two wandered from place to place until they reached the village where they now lived.

They had thought they could simply live out their days in peace. But on a later hunting trip, she was killed by an Evil Soul Master.

That was why Lin Gang hated Evil Soul Masters so much.

But Lin Gang remembered clearly that his beloved had left this world with a smile.

She had been happy that she had protected the village and the person she loved.

The Evil Soul Master who killed her hadn't survived either. Jin Ling had counterattacked just before her death, and the heavily wounded enemy was slain by Lin Gang when he arrived.

A mighty Soul King had died at the hands of a low-ranked Soul Ancestor.

After finishing his story, Lin Gang continued to look at Lin Ze'an with a serious expression.

He was waiting to hear his son's answer.

Lin Ze'an's gaze grew even more resolute. He looked straight into Lin Gang's eyes. "Father, I've made up my mind."

He said firmly, "I want to become a Soul Master and protect the people important to me, just like Mother did!"

At that, Lin Gang's expression softened again.

He ruffled Lin Ze'an's hair. "You really are like your mother."

Then he went into the back room and brought out a bundle that had gathered a little dust.

When he opened it, six sparkling, translucent stones lay quietly inside.

"There's still some time before the people from Spirit Hall arrive. I'll awaken your Martial Soul myself."

Lin Ze'an's village was much like the other villages on the continent.

Every year, people from Spirit Hall came to awaken the Martial Souls of children who were old enough.

However, the awakening ceremony for this year had ended a while ago, and Lin Ze'an hadn't been six yet at the time.

If he waited until the next one, it would delay his cultivation.

Fortunately, Lin Gang was also a Soul Master. Awakening a Martial Soul was a simple matter that he could handle himself.

As Lin Ze'an watched expectantly, Lin Gang arranged the stones into a formation.

Then he motioned for Lin Ze'an to step inside.