Yao Shi was a transmigrator. An accident had caused his death in his previous life, and when he opened his eyes again, he had arrived in this world.
At the time, he had still been a newborn infant. The moment he opened his eyes, he found himself in a river. Had he not been fortunate enough that the current was slow and that he had happened to get caught on a rock, he might have drowned the moment he was reborn.
Yao Shi had remained on that rock for a day and a night. He had fainted from hunger and had been certain that he was about to die again.
Yet the scales of fate tipped in his favor once more. Perhaps his life was not meant to end yet. An old man happened to be washing mud from his feet in the river and happened to spot the infant Yao Shi, who was already on the brink of death.
The old man was merely an ordinary farmer. His Martial Soul had never awakened, and he had neither children nor family. He had not wanted to get involved, since supporting himself alone had already been difficult for most of his life. Taking in an abandoned infant would only make life harder.
Just as the old man was about to leave, he looked back one last time. At that moment, Yao Shi let out a cry. It was an infant's instinct; he could not control it. At the time, Yao Shi had already fainted.
Hearing the crying, the old man could not help but feel pity. He scooped up the infant Yao Shi, his callused hand gently brushing the little boy's face as he murmured.
"Little one, if you come with me, you may have to endure a lot of hardship from now on."
Hearing his voice, the ravenously hungry Yao Shi struggled to open his eyes. He vaguely saw a small old man smiling down at him with a kind expression before he fainted again.
Who knew how much time had passed? When Yao Shi woke again, the little old man was holding him and feeding him goat's milk from a bowl.
The old man himself had no name and had never gone to school. Since he had found Yao Shi on a rock, he had originally wanted to name him Pebble. But he thought Pebble did not sound very pleasant, so he simply named him Stone. At the time, Yao Shi had been barely alive, and the old man hoped he could live as stubbornly and strongly as a stone.
The grandfather and grandson lived together like that for several years.
At the age of three, aside from his physical strength, Yao Shi's mind had nearly recovered to the state it had been in during his previous life. He told the old man that Stone was fine as a childhood nickname, so he changed his name to Yao Shi. Yao was his surname from his previous life, while Shi came from stone.
"Hahaha, Stone, since your surname is Yao now, then Grandpa might as well be called Yao too!"
The old man did not understand why his three-year-old grandson was so clever. But since the boy could name himself, the old man simply took the name Yao as well. Even so, he still called Yao Shi Little Stone.
He did not understand what character "Yao" was, so Yao Shi used a branch to write it stroke by stroke in the dirt. After living most of his life, the old man finally had a name—Yao.
Afterward, whenever he met anyone, he would tell them that his grandson had given him a name: Yao.
Before he had a name, the nearby farmers all called him Old Farmer. After that, people gradually began calling him Old Yao or Farmer Yao.
At the age of four, Yao Shi happened to see a Soul Master and thus learned that he had transmigrated to Douluo Continent. When he learned that awakening a Martial Soul required an exorbitant fee, he had prepared himself to live as an ordinary person for the rest of his life. Life might have been hard, but getting to live another life was already a gain.
That same year, the village was attacked by a ten-year Soul Beast. Fortunately, a passing three-ring Soul Master stepped in and dealt with it, preventing major casualties. But Yao was unfortunate enough to be struck by the Soul Beast while protecting Yao Shi. His life was saved, but because his spine had been injured, his lower body was paralyzed.
Yao Shi had asked around in town. A single treatment from a healing Soul Master cost as much as one Gold Soul Coin, and there was no guarantee it would work. For a grandfather and grandson who relied solely on farming to survive, it was simply unaffordable. They could not even come up with a single Silver Soul Coin.
From that moment on, Yao Shi became determined to undergo Martial Soul awakening and become a Soul Master, so that he could earn more money and cure Yao.
He had only been an ordinary person in his previous life. After coming to this world, as a commoner, he had no way to earn money at all. Even obtaining the fee for Martial Soul awakening was a problem.
But Yao Shi remembered that Huo Yuhao during the second era had been able to survive by selling grilled fish. Why could he not do the same?
From that day onward, Yao Shi rose before dawn and worked until late at night. In the early morning, he prepared two meals and set them beside Yao's bed before going to the river to catch fish. At noon, he took them to town to sell. At night, he returned to make dinner and wipe down Yao's body.
At first, all of this had been extremely difficult for a four-year-old. But as he kept doing it, he gradually became more and more skilled.
Those days continued, and Yao Shi sold grilled fish for three full years.
Yes, Yao Shi was now seven years old. Normally, children on Douluo Continent awakened their Martial Souls at six. Yao Shi had been a year late, which meant he had one less year of cultivation than others. Fortunately, he possessed Innate Full Soul Power, so perhaps his starting point still far surpassed that of many others.
Only today, after deducting their everyday expenses, had Yao Shi finally saved the twenty Silver Soul Coins needed for Martial Soul awakening. At last, he had awakened his Martial Soul. After all his hardship, he had finally seen better days. Three years of toil had covered his hands with calluses and darkened his skin, even though he was only seven.
"Grandpa, dinner's ready. I'll wipe you down first, then we can eat."
Yao Shi's voice came from outside, drawing Yao back from his thoughts.
"Haha, alright," Yao answered softly. Yao Shi then carried in a wooden basin filled with hot water and a towel.
Yao Shi wiped down his entire body several times, then carried the water outside to pour it away. Afterward, he brought over a small wooden table and placed the food on it.
The land Yao had once farmed had already been sold. Still, the money Yao Shi had earned from selling fish over the past few years had allowed them to live somewhat better than before. Their neighbors occasionally brought them food as well.
"Grandpa, once I become stronger, I'll definitely earn lots and lots of money. I'll hire the best healing Soul Master on the continent and have you completely cured."
As Yao Shi ate from his bowl, he spoke to Yao beside him.
"Haha, alright. Little Stone has grown up. Grandpa will have to rely on you from now on."
Yao still wore that kind expression, sincerely proud of his grandson. He also believed that his grandson would certainly become a powerful Soul Master.
After dinner, Yao sat and rested for a while. Yao Shi went out to wash the bowls and chopsticks, then returned after tidying up and helped Yao lie down.
Night fell.
Yao Shi lay in the open patch of grass outside the house, bathed in moonlight. He had a blade of grass in his mouth and seemed lost in thought.
My Martial Soul has awakened, but how am I supposed to obtain a soul ring?
Other than the money left for living expenses, I have nothing extra to hire someone to help me hunt Soul Beasts.
Do I have no choice but to settle for a low-year soul ring?
Before you continue