Martial Soul Awakening

Heaven Dou Empire, Skywater City.

The sun rose in the east, and rosy clouds filled the sky.

By the banks of Tianshui Lake, a child of about six, with black hair, dark eyes, rosy lips, pearly teeth, and a pretty, delicate face, stared at the reflection on the water, questioning his entire existence.

"Dude, where the hell did I end up? Is this still China?"

Looking at the childish face reflected on the water, Jiang Lan could barely keep it together.

Seriously, he'd only stayed up late for a while to grind the dailies in Seer with his PVE super pet, Lord of Tides · Starlight Ruth King. How had he gone from closing his eyes to opening them in another world—and turned into a little kid on top of that?

Was this right?

And since when had transmigration gotten so casual?

You just grabbed someone and sent them to another world?

That was kidnapping!

At the very least, they could've waited until he saved some little girl who'd charged into the street without looking, right before she got flattened by a truck, so he could earn his good karma first.

Jiang Lan used self-deprecating jokes to suppress the panic of being dumped in an unfamiliar place and forced himself to calm down.

After taking a few deep breaths, Jiang Lan looked down at the wrinkled, completely ill-fitting modern T-shirt and black shorts he was wearing, and muttered to himself:

"Looks like I came over bodily, not as a transmigrated soul. If I'd taken over someone else's body, that'd be a real dealbreaker."

Jiang Lan tightened the slightly loose waistband of his shorts, brushed the dust off his backside, and stood up from the lakeside, his eyes darting around.

Before him stood a cluster of European-style classical buildings. Most of the people walking along the streets were young, beautiful women.

The strangest thing was that their hair came in all sorts of colors.

Of course, "all sorts" wasn't quite accurate.

Most of their hair was blue or white.

"Anime really doesn't lie. Not only is everyone's hair a rainbow, even the random passersby are prettier than the beauties on Douyin." Jiang Lan looked around at the city's buildings and the people on the streets, unable to stop himself from marveling.

"Speaking of which, where's my cheat?" Jiang Lan fell into thought.

"System, you there?"

"Hey, System?"

"System, Dad?"

"If you won't give me a system that gives me loot and tips, I'd even take a cat system!"

"..."

"Damn it!" Jiang Lan darkened his face, cosplaying a Magnetic Field dark face.

Space-Time Administration, what the hell had you done? How was he supposed to rule another world without a system?

So this was what they meant by throwing a kid into another world to survive the hard way, without any cheats.

What a load of crap!

Kids, take a guess: could he survive a week in another world?

Just as Jiang Lan was pondering his fate, several graceful figures appeared on the surface of Tianshui Lake.

They wore fitted blue dresses that accentuated their curves. Their faces were exquisite and lovely, each with her own distinct beauty rather than looking like copies of one another.

They moved with lithe grace, their toes skimming across the rippling lake as if they were walking on solid ground. In just a few breaths, they raced from the island in the middle of the lake to the shore.

"Oh! What a cute little boy! Were you waiting here just for us?" A younger girl in the group spotted Jiang Lan standing by the lake and came right over, already acting like they were old friends. She pinched his cheek and asked with a grin.

"Mm." Jiang Lan came back to himself and looked at the overly familiar girl, his expression turning a little strange.

This woman was speaking Chinese!

What the hell kind of other world was this?

Was everyone in the world speaking Chinese or what?

Although he had no idea what was going on, Jiang Lan instinctively went along with her question and answered.

"Lian'er, stop teasing him. Hurry up and help the little boy awaken his Martial Soul. I wonder if we'll find any promising students this year." The girl leading the group sighed.

"Who can blame us? The entry requirements at Skywater Academy are just too strict."

Skywater Academy had the strictest admission requirements of the Five Elements Academies. Applicants needed a water-attributed Martial Soul, had to be female, and had to be beautiful.

Because of the strict requirements, Skywater Academy had very few students.

So every year, Skywater Academy offered free Martial Soul Awakenings to the residents of Skywater City and the nearby villages, then recruited suitable candidates from among them.

"Martial Soul, Soul Master, Skywater Academy..." Jiang Lan kept his face impassive, but inside, waves were raging.

No way. Was this the Douluo Continent, known as the bare minimum of fantasy worlds?

But could someone who'd transmigrated in their own body really awaken a Martial Soul?

"Little brother, step inside." As they chatted, the girls laid out the Martial Soul Awakening ritual on the ground.

At that, Jiang Lan stepped into the ritual obediently.

"Martial Soul, possess me!"

Before the girl leading the group had finished speaking, a water-blue glow shone between her brows. Her body didn't change much, but a few light-blue scales appeared at the corners of her eyes, lending her a bewitching beauty.

"Close your eyes and feel carefully." The girl conducting the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony spoke as she poured Soul Power into the ritual.

At once, a layer of golden light spilled out from the ritual and formed a pale-gold barrier around Jiang Lan.

"Roar—!"

Jiang Lan closed his eyes. A resounding dragon's roar came from the depths of his consciousness.

His consciousness appeared in a blank space. Beneath his feet stretched a deep-blue sea.

Under the surface, a huge shadow swam through the water.

"Splash!"

The next instant, the waves surged.

A massive figure burst from the water and soared into the sky!

It was a mighty, sacred dragon, radiating majesty!

Its body was the color of the deep sea. Its indigo scales gleamed like polished obsidian, their sheen cold and metallic.

Its face was fierce, its crimson slit pupils sharp as blades. Fine, pointed teeth showed through its slightly open jaws, and an icy-blue horn pointed straight toward the heavens.

Water-blue, fin-shaped manes grew along its neck, swaying gently in the breeze like seaweed, their tips touched with a faint red.

Two long, slender whiskers hung from the corners of its mouth, covered in mysterious patterns and tipped with the same hint of red.

Water elemental flame surged at the corners of its mouth like fire, adding to its ferocity.

Its limbs were thick and powerful, and its ice-blade claws glinted coldly, as if they could tear the sky apart with ease. Its long tail swung behind it, the fan-shaped fin at its tip swaying in the wind.

Most striking of all were the wings on its back.

Their membranes were translucent and icy blue, surrounded by water-blue Water Element. Wave-like patterns rippled across them, like frozen surging seas.

The moment Jiang Lan laid eyes on the giant dragon, understanding dawned in his heart.

This was his Martial Soul—Lord of Tides · Starlight Ruth King!

His cheat had arrived.