System Reward: Voice of the Stars

Lin Yuan's arrival met with no objection from Nan Cheng or Lan Xiao. Seeing how adorable the little boy was, and how thin and frail he looked, their hearts instantly overflowed with sympathy—especially when they heard Lan Xuanyu say that Lin Yuan had lost his parents when he was very young. It struck them both right in the heart.

Good heavens, wasn't this just another Xuanyu?

Xuanyu had been lucky enough to meet them, but Lin Yuan...

The more Nan Cheng and Lan Xiao thought about it, the worse they felt. They even began cursing the Federation—how could it let an orphan fall to such a state?

"Lin Yuan, from now on, treat this place as your own home. You won't have to wander anymore!"

"Your uncle's benefits were just raised last year. It's only one more set of chopsticks at the table. It's fine."

Nan Cheng's eyes were red as she looked at the skinny Lin Yuan. His clothes were already a little worn, and there was a calmness in his eyes that didn't belong to a child his age. He must have gone through so much hardship to become like this, right?

He was only three years old!

Nan Cheng's maternal love was triggered all at once.

"No..." The corner of Lin Yuan's mouth twitched slightly as he looked at the food in his bowl, piled so high it had already reached his nose.

At the dining table, Nan Cheng and Lan Xiao kept asking Lin Yuan how he was, whether he was warm enough, whether he was hungry, and the food in his bowl only piled higher and higher. It wasn't until it rose above the top of Lin Yuan's head that the two of them finally withdrew their hands.

That afternoon, Lan Xuanyu did not go out with Lin Yuan again. Instead, he clung to Lin Yuan the whole time, pestering him to tell him Battle Through the Heavens.

At first, Nan Cheng and Lan Xiao had only wanted to bring the two of them some fruit, but before they knew it, they too were drawn into the story and became two of Lin Yuan's loyal listeners.

It went on until evening, as the setting sun sank outside the window.

Lin Yuan stopped.

The three of them came back to themselves as if waking from a dream.

Lan Xiao smacked his lips, still wanting more. He had never imagined that the world of Battle Through the Heavens could be so fascinating.

Although he was a soul master, he was not of the combat type. The story Lin Yuan told had, in a sense, fulfilled a dream for him on another level.

"You must be hungry. I'll go prepare dinner." Nan Cheng stood up and smiled as she rubbed Lan Xuanyu's and Lin Yuan's heads. She had just been about to leave when she saw a small figure dart over to the doorframe, grip the doorknob, and shake his head.

"Aunt Cheng, I already troubled you at noon. How could I impose again tonight? It's getting late anyway. I should be heading back."

"Little Lin, where do you live?" Nan Cheng hurried over to Lin Yuan with an anxious expression, picked him up, and stood beside Lan Xuanyu.

"Big brother, just stay. Our home is pretty big, and my bed is really nice," Lan Xuanyu said sincerely, holding Lin Yuan's hand.

"Uh, I do have a place to stay," Lin Yuan said earnestly, blinking.

"You have a place to stay? You..." Nan Cheng did not let him off just because he said that. In her eyes, this was clearly the stubbornness of a poor child forced to grow up too soon!

But before she could continue, Lin Yuan once again came to the doorframe and waved. "That's that, then. Goodbye, Uncle, Auntie. Xuanyu, tomorrow at the flowerbed—don't stand me up!"

As soon as he finished speaking, before they could say anything else, Lin Yuan pushed open the door, shut it, and quickly left.

Only the three of them remained, staring at one another.

In Ziluo City, inside a three-hundred-square-meter apartment on one of the mid-to-high floors, Lin Yuan pushed open the door. He had only just entered when an icy voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

"Ding. The plot of Soul Land: Ultimate Douluo has begun. Congratulations to the host for forming a bond with Lan Xuanyu and completing the first check-in. Special reward obtained: Voice of the Stars."

"Note: The reward will directly attach to the host. During reward distribution, there will be pain. Please endure it, host."

"Next check-in location: martial soul awakening at age six. If the host cultivates Voice of the Stars in advance, he will obtain a mysterious martial soul. May the host press forward with all his strength!"

"Ding! Current relationship between Lan Xuanyu and the host: childhood friends."

Boom!

Lin Yuan's head felt as if it were about to explode.

At that moment, he seemed to have entered the core of the planet beneath his feet. He saw what appeared to be a solid sphere made of metal slowly rotating, its contracting and expanding rhythm seeming as if it wanted to tell him something.

Not only that, Lin Yuan also felt as if his soul had left his body. He stood in the sky above the planet, looking down at all living beings. They seemed frozen in place, and all kinds of emotions surged toward him like an ocean!

When his soul fell back into his body again, beads of sweat as large as soybeans kept rolling down his cheeks.

It was as if he could hear the heartbeat of the planet beneath his feet. Everything before his eyes—the sofa, the television—began to overlap. Soon, sweat soaked his entire body, and invisible silver-white energy continuously flowed around him.

If a soul master were here, they would surely cry out in shock. This spiritual power had actually condensed into substance!

Lin Yuan's heart kept pounding, and his consciousness seemed to gradually blur.

Rumble!

Lin Yuan felt as if his body no longer belonged to him.

"No. I can't collapse here. That would be too embarrassing. At the very least... at the very least, it has to be on the sofa, right?"

At that moment, Lin Yuan became inexplicably stubborn. He dragged his exhausted body toward the sofa.

Every step was so difficult, as if his soul and flesh were struggling against each other. His body said, Just collapse here. It's no big deal.

But his soul said, No. I can't. Am I really that useless?

When Lin Yuan finally reached the sofa, at that moment, his soul and body seemed to come into balance. Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Yuan obeyed the summons in his heart and collapsed straight down.

The instant he fell, Lin Yuan felt boundless darkness surge in from every direction like a tide, and he passed out.

Meanwhile, at Lan Xuanyu's home.

In the living room, Nan Cheng, Lan Xiao, and Lan Xuanyu were holding a small family meeting.

"Does little Lin really have somewhere to stay? He isn't going to sleep in a tent, is he?"

Nan Cheng was deeply worried. To be honest, after spending the day with him, she truly liked this child named Lin Yuan. He was polite, knew how to conduct himself, and was even considerate enough not to trouble them.

"How could that be? You and I are soldiers. We know the Federation's support policies for orphans." Lan Xiao shook his head, but the heavy look on his face kept showing that his words and his feelings did not match.

"But there are exceptions to everything. Mistakes happen, don't they?" Nan Cheng said with a bitter smile.

The atmosphere fell silent in an instant.

If Lin Yuan had been there, he would definitely have slapped his thigh. No wonder Lan Xuanyu had been completely different as a child and as an adult. Even the educational environment was different!

Lan Xuanyu felt stifled inside. He did not know how to speak up. He was a clever child, and although his family could be considered well-off, he also knew that raising a child was not that easy.

Just then, a knock suddenly sounded from outside the door.

Bang, bang, bang!

"Is it Brother Lin Yuan? I'll get the door!" Lan Xuanyu immediately got off the sofa, ran to the entrance, and opened the door.