In the Dou Ling Empire, in a magnificent mansion on the outskirts of Douling City.
Lin Yao sat on the edge of his bed, holding a book about Soul Beasts on the Douluo Continent. As he read, his thoughts churned ceaselessly.
When he thought about what had happened to him, he still could hardly keep it together. He'd somehow made it through the grueling college entrance exams, played games all night, and then, with one blink, found himself in this world.
Being transported to another world was one thing, but he'd ended up in the body of the only son of an academic official in the Dou Ling Empire.
At that very moment, all Lin Yao wanted to say was, "If you're going to transport me to another world, at least send me somewhere decent!"
What was the point of dumping him in a useless empire that was utterly insignificant?
Being born into a useless place was bad enough. His new father oversaw education throughout the entire Dou Ling Empire, so their family's fortunes and lives were inextricably tied to the empire. He probably wouldn't even be allowed to surrender if he wanted to.
As Lin Yao studied the book on Soul Beasts in his hands and made plans for the future, someone suddenly knocked on the door.
"Young master, the Martial Soul Awakening array is ready. The master asks you to come over right away," a sweet voice called from outside.
Lin Yao sighed inwardly. No matter how much he planned, he still had to complete his Martial Soul Awakening first and find out what kind of potential he had on Douluo Star.
Lin Yao didn't answer the maid. He simply opened the door, and the golden-haired maid, whose looks perfectly matched his father's tastes, hurriedly bowed.
"Young master, this way, please." The maid bent at the waist and gestured for Lin Yao to follow. The polished jade floor reflected his youthful figure beneath his fine clothes.
As the chief education official, Lin Yao's family was fabulously wealthy, second only to the officials in charge of salt and iron.
That status had its pros and cons. The advantage was that he wouldn't have to worry about shortages of any cultivation resources that Gold Soul Coins could buy.
The downside was the very thing Lin Yao had thought of first: with a family like his, they were of no use to the other empires.
The people of the Douluo Continent simply couldn't imagine what value such a position might have.
What was done was done. He'd better awaken his Martial Soul first.
Lin Yao reached the room where the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony was being held. After taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door.
Construction on this Martial Soul Awakening chamber had begun as soon as Lin Yao was born. Every point in the array had been made from the finest rare materials available in the Dou Ling Empire.
Though these materials couldn't determine the outcome of a Martial Soul Awakening, they could still make the process more comfortable.
It was clear that Lin Xueli had taken great care with the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony for his precious late-in-life son, Lin Yao.
Lin Xueli naturally didn't drag his elderly self out to conduct the ceremony. Instead, he had invited a strong, vigorous Soul Master who struck Lin Yao as rather comical.
Why did he seem comical? Because his name differed by just one character from that of the man who had awakened God King Tang San's Martial Soul ten thousand years ago—Yu Yuntao.
Lin Yao looked at Yu Yuntao. According to Lin Xueli, he was one of his former students. No matter how Lin Yao's Martial Soul awakened, Yu Yuntao wouldn't spread the news, which would protect Lin Yao as much as possible.
Yu Yuntao didn't look down on Lin Yao the way Soul Masters often did on ordinary people. Instead, he spoke to him gently. "Xiao Yao, stand in the center of the array."
Lin Yao put his thoughts aside. Filled with anticipation at the prospect of gaining extraordinary powers, he stepped into the awakening array.
Once Lin Yao stood in the center, Yu Yuntao came before him. Then, with a single step, a wolf-shaped figure wreathed in blue lightning appeared behind him.
Seven optimally configured Soul Rings appeared at his feet. Lin Yao hadn't even had time to wonder whether that level of talent was considered good in the Dou Ling Empire when Yu Yuntao held out his hand toward him. Soul Power flowed slowly from his palm, and the array began to shine with a strange light.
The light from the rare, high-grade materials wasn't dazzling. Instead, it was soft and warm. As Lin Yao felt power surging through him, Yu Yuntao instructed him, "Feel this power. Guide the power within you to respond to it."
As he watched Lin Yao's Martial Soul Awakening ceremony, Lin Xueli prayed silently. Just like a parent anxiously waiting for their child's college entrance exam results, he'd been fretting over Lin Yao's Martial Soul for days.
Neither his own Martial Soul nor his wife's was particularly outstanding, so he'd searched through both families' genealogies from cover to cover.
One generation of the Lin Family had once awakened a black Lesser Dragon Martial Soul. Among Lin Yao's mother's relatives, the best Martial Soul had been an apple Martial Soul with five levels of Soul Power, from the food-type category.
All Lin Xueli could hope for now was that Lin Yao's Martial Soul would revert to an ancestor's—a return to the black Lesser Dragon.
Just as Lin Yao began to sense the Soul Power, a purple pillar of light suddenly shot up from his body.
The pillar burst through the roof of the Lin Mansion and soared into the sky, piercing the clouds.
At that moment, Lin Yao saw a black dragon he knew all too well.
It was the Ender Dragon, the final boss in a game he'd played in his previous life called Minecraft—a milestone that nearly every survival-mode player had to overcome.
The black dragon beat its wings and merged into Lin Yao's body, leaving a black dragon-shaped tattoo on his skin. At the same time, Lin Xueli saw the dragon's phantom appear behind his son.
Then the purple light turned an eerie gold, and a golden apple shimmering with a strange light appeared in Lin Yao's hand.
Lin Xueli's heart lurched. He knew exactly what this meant—Twin Martial Souls! A gift on par with the one possessed by that being who had become a god on the spot ten thousand years ago!
Meanwhile, in the Divine Realm.
The God of Destruction, who rarely paid any attention to the world of the Douluo Continent, had turned his gaze toward it for once.
Just as he stepped out of the Destruction Temple, ready to take a good look at the source of the purple pillar of light on the Douluo Continent, his wife, the Goddess of Life, in her green dress, came to stand beside him.
"Little Zi, did you feel it too?" The Goddess of Life spoke softly as she asked the God King of Destruction.
The God of Destruction gave a slight nod, unable to hide his delight. "Someone has appeared who can bear my God Position of Destruction... Could it be that you've found someone who can inherit your God Position of Life too, Little Lu?"
The Goddess of Life nodded, then said to the God of Destruction, "Yes. We may soon be free of our divine positions... And it seems the inheritors we've chosen are very close to each other..."
Before you continue