Shrek City, Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.
As the annual Martial Soul Awakening Day arrived, countless people gathered in the Spirit Pagoda Plaza, filling the air with noise and excitement.
Morning sunlight spilled across the earth, making the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters look even more imposing.
Countless parents nearby brought their children, some quietly waiting in line, others using connections to take the special entrance.
But one group stood out from all the rest: several elderly women leading more than twenty children.
They were from an orphanage. Out of pity for the orphans, the Qiangu Family had made a special exception, granting these children the same chance to awaken their Martial Souls.
And if any of them awakened a powerful Martial Soul, they could even join the Spirit Pagoda directly.
Among the children was a somewhat taller boy who seemed out of place beside the others.
He had long silver hair and delicate features. At first glance, he didn't even look like an orphan—instead, he looked like the young master of some wealthy family.
They were also using the special entrance, so the line moved fairly quickly.
A group of little kids stood there, gazing up at the towering building. Many were playing and chattering.
Only the boy stood still, staring straight at the Spirit Pagoda, a trace of helplessness in his eyes.
"Other people start out as rich tycoons or young masters. Why did I have to start out as an orphan?"
"Thank goodness I'm in Shrek City. At least as an orphan, I can get enough to eat."
The boy muttered with a helpless look on his face. Only in Shrek City could orphans like them easily make it to the age of six.
In any other city, they wouldn't even have enough to eat, let alone anyone to care whether they lived or died.
He was a transmigrator. In his previous life, he'd been a college student who'd suffered about as much as anyone could.
After staying up all night, he'd gone straight to an eight o'clock class the next morning—then, by a stroke of bad luck, dropped dead of a sudden heart attack.
But when he opened his eyes, he found himself in an orphanage in Shrek City.
Luckily, it was Shrek City, so his life over the past few years had been decent enough.
As the boy walked along, a pair of chubby little hands patted his shoulder.
"Hehe, Boss Chen Ye, what do you want to do when you grow up?"
"I don't know. What about you, Xu Duoduo?"
"I want to taste every delicacy under the sun and eat everything delicious!"
"That's a worthy ambition."
Chen Ye looked at the little fatty and nodded, then patted his shoulder.
"Not a bad dream. If I'm capable someday, I'll definitely help you make it happen."
"Really? Thanks, Boss." The little fatty scratched his head, a simple-minded grin on his face.
Chen Ye glanced at the boy but didn't say anything more. He didn't know who he was or where he came from, let alone what kind of Martial Soul he might awaken.
In the world of Douluo Continent, if he didn't have a good Martial Soul, his life would be over before it even began.
No matter how capable or talented he was, he'd never be able to make something of himself.
As he pondered this, a hoarse female voice called from up ahead. "The next one is Chen Ye. Where's little Chen Ye?"
"I'm here, teacher!" Hearing the teacher call, Chen Ye hurriedly waved, then headed inside.
Since the line was arranged alphabetically, Chen Ye was among the first few to go in.
Before entering, he glanced back at the children, then silently stepped inside.
The Awakening Room was small—very small, in fact—with hardly any safety equipment.
The person in charge of awakenings was a young man.
The man looked at him with a gloomy expression. There wasn't a penny to be made from awakening orphans.
Most of these orphans had been abandoned by their parents, who were all at the bottom of society.
So the Martial Souls they awakened were usually rubbish.
And even if one of them awakened a decent Martial Soul, they couldn't afford a Soul Ring anyway.
Thinking about how his coworkers could rake in tens of thousands of Federation coins in commissions that day, the man's face darkened further. He looked at Chen Ye and beckoned. "Come on, what's taking you so long?"
"Hurry up and awaken. Then you can get out."
The man sounded impatient. He casually picked up an Awakening Stone and set it on the table, then pointed at the crystal.
"Just put your hand on it, and you'll awaken. Your Martial Soul will show up automatically."
He offered no further instruction, simply dropping back into his chair.
Chen Ye's gaze lingered on him for a moment, but he wasn't particularly bothered.
After all, he was an orphan with no power or connections.
Even if the man treated him badly, there was nothing he could do about it.
Chen Ye paused, then walked forward. He looked at the Awakening Stone before him, hesitating.
"I wonder what kind of Martial Soul I'll awaken. I hope it's a powerful one."
"Father, Mother, give me a hand here! You abandoned me, fine, but you'd better at least have been Soul Masters with Soul Power!"
Chen Ye silently prayed. The man watched him bobbing his head about with an annoyed look, but said nothing.
When Chen Ye finished praying, he placed his hand directly on the Awakening Stone.
The ritual was nothing like he'd imagined. There was no stinging pain, nor any strange sensation.
It felt as if a power within him was gradually awakening. The power was terrifying, yet somehow tiny.
Chen Ye felt the power, bewildered. It was in his mind—or, more precisely, in his spiritual sea.
A giant dragon, its entire body grayish white, slowly appeared.
Looking at the strange dragon, Chen Ye first felt relieved, then a little helpless.
He now understood that he was in the era of Legend of the Dragon King.
At this point in time, the Golden Dragon King and Silver Dragon King, the two rulers of the dragon race, kept all dragon-type Martial Souls suppressed, unable to raise their heads.
So awakening a dragon-type Martial Soul was a good thing, but he was destined to be cannon fodder all the same.
Thinking this, Chen Ye felt somewhat at peace. After all, no one had said that transmigrating meant you'd become the protagonist.
"It seems I'm just not destined to be the main character. Still, at least I awakened a dragon-type Martial Soul."
"No matter what kind of dragon this is, my Innate Soul Power level shouldn't be low."
Most dragon-type Martial Souls came with Innate Full Soul Power, and Chen Ye figured he wouldn't be an exception.
He slowly opened his eyes. The number displayed below was, just as he'd expected, ten.
Chen Ye breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could say anything, the man saw it too. His eyes lit up as he looked at Chen Ye.
"Not bad. Innate Soul Power, level ten—full Soul Power. Go over there and register. Once you sign the contract, you can join the Spirit Pagoda."
"Then you'll have a way forward, instead of remaining a poor orphan."
As he spoke, the man pointed toward another room.
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