On the Douluo Continent, martial souls were the foundation, and Soul Power was the basis!
This was a world that depended utterly on martial souls.
Only after ordinary people awakened their martial souls could they cultivate Soul Power, embark on the path of a soul master, and command extraordinary power.
Without a martial soul, even if one possessed heaven-defying divinity and wielded a divine artifact, one would appear no different from an ordinary mortal incapable of trussing a chicken.
The beings of the God Realm needed no martial souls to command the origin of heaven and earth.
He had been born with a Divine King's bloodline. Naturally gifted with the power of laws, he had never needed to awaken any martial soul.
But now that he was in the Douluo Lower Realm, those rules simply did not apply.
What gave him an even greater headache was the difference in eras.
Ten thousand years ago, Spirit Hall ruled the land and handled martial soul awakenings for all commoners. Every child, upon reaching six years old, could have their martial soul awakened for free by a Spirit Hall soul master.
But now, Spirit Hall had already been destroyed for ten thousand years!
The old order had completely collapsed, and the free benefit of universal martial soul awakenings no longer existed.
To awaken a martial soul nowadays, one could only seek out a professional soul master hall or a private soul master and pay for the service!
Money!
That was the most fatal deadlock!
He had only just arrived in this world, alone and without anyone to rely on. His pockets were completely empty.
Not to mention gold, silver, copper coins, or imperial banknotes—he did not even have half a coin of the most basic currency used in this world.
Without a penny to his name, he could not take a single step!
For a time, the son of a Divine King who had roamed the God Realm and looked down upon countless heavens was stumped by mere mortal currency.
Li Changsheng stood stiffly in the middle of the bustling street, looking helpless and utterly at a loss.
He could not exactly rely on his identity as a Divine King's son and beg by the roadside for money to awaken his martial soul, could he?
If word got out, he would disgrace both the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life beyond redemption.
Just as he was at his wits' end and nursing a silent headache, the corner of his eye suddenly caught sight of a slender figure not far away at the street corner.
She was a girl who looked to be only around ten years old. Though still young, her slender, graceful figure had already begun to take on the shape of a devastating beauty.
She wore a simple golden short dress with a clean, neat cut that made her look light and lively.
Two fair, straight jade-like legs were exposed beneath it, her skin as white as jade and as smooth as congealed cream.
A head of soft, dazzling golden hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her back like a waterfall.
Under the sunlight, her golden hair glimmered with a faint, gentle radiance, making her exceptionally eye-catching.
The girl's face was exquisitely beautiful, with picturesque brows and eyes, a delicate nose, cherry lips, and clear, fair skin.
Though she had not fully grown into her features and still retained some childishness, the foundation of an unparalleled beauty was already unmistakable.
At a glance, anyone could tell that once she grew up, she would be capable of toppling kingdoms and dazzling an entire region.
Her almond-shaped eyes were clear and lively, her gaze bright and pure, carrying a gentleness and softness uncommon among children her age.
She stood quietly beneath the shade of a tree at the street corner, seemingly waiting for something.
With just one look, Li Changsheng instantly confirmed her identity, and a flash of understanding passed through his eyes.
She was far too easy to recognize!
The girl before him was Jiang Nannan, one of the future Shrek Seven Monsters, a top-tier assault-type soul master of this era, and the future Soft-Bone Douluo!
Across the entire Peerless Tang Clan Era, the whole Heaven Dou Empire, and even the entire Douluo Continent, there was no second girl with such distinctive traits.
Born a commoner, blessed with peerlessly beautiful looks, possessing unique golden hair, and carrying a lively yet gentle air in her brows and eyes.
With those three exceptionally distinct traits combined, she was practically one of a kind. There was no need for further confirmation.
Looking at the golden-haired girl standing quietly at the street corner, Li Changsheng's eyes, clouded by his financial predicament, instantly lit up.
After searching everywhere in vain, he had found her without any effort!
Was this not ready-made hope?
Having made up his mind, Li Changsheng no longer hesitated and slowly walked toward the girl at the street corner.
The warm afternoon sunlight filtered through the gaps between the branches and leaves of the roadside plane trees.
Specks of light fell upon Jiang Nannan's golden hair, coating it in a gentle glow and making her already stunning face appear even more crystal-clear and captivating.
The girl stood obediently before a small vegetable stall, where baskets of fresh, emerald-green vegetables were neatly arranged in front of her.
They were clean, freshly picked wild vegetables and greens still carrying the morning dew—the most common ingredients on ordinary families' tables.
Noticing a boy approaching her, Jiang Nannan, who had been quietly waiting for customers, immediately perked up.
Her clear almond eyes, which had held a trace of confusion, suddenly brightened as though two lucid stars had been lit within them. A lively smile instantly colored her brows and eyes.
Years of selling from a stall made her straighten her posture at once. In a sweet, gentle voice carrying just the right amount of warmth, she softly called out, "Sir, would you like to buy something? Feel free to take a look. These vegetables were picked fresh this morning. They're especially fresh, not wilted at all."
The girl's voice was soft and pleasant, so gentle that it naturally inspired affection. There was none of the shrewdness of a street vendor in it, only pure sincerity.
Yet in the face of her enthusiastic greeting, Li Changsheng, who had stopped in front of the vegetable stall, did not lower his head to inspect the neatly arranged fresh vegetables at his feet.
He stood tall and still, his eyes fixed directly on Jiang Nannan's exquisitely beautiful face.
His gaze was open and direct, without the slightest evasion or frivolity. He simply stared at her with particular seriousness.
He looked nothing like a customer there to buy vegetables. Instead, he seemed to have come specifically to see her.
Jiang Nannan grew faintly flustered under his gaze. Her long eyelashes fluttered lightly, and a trace of confusion appeared on her delicate face.
Subconsciously, she raised a hand and gently touched her smooth, flawless cheek, as soft as congealed cream.
It felt smooth and immaculate. There was no dust, no stain, and nothing strange on it.
After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Nannan softly asked with an innocent look of confusion, "What is it, sir? Is there something on my face?"
Her voice was gentle, carrying a hint of the shyness and puzzlement unique to a young girl.
Li Changsheng gently shook his head.
His gaze remained open and straightforward. Without beating around the bush, he went straight to the point and said something that left Jiang Nannan instantly stunned. "Nothing. I just wanted to ask, do you have any money on you?"
The moment those words fell.
The noisy roadside seemed to fall silent for an instant.
The gentle smile on Jiang Nannan's face suddenly froze. Her clear, lively almond eyes widened sharply, and she stood completely dumbfounded, her mind crashing on the spot.
She stared blankly at the handsome, extraordinary boy before her. Her beautiful eyes were filled with enormous question marks, and her mind buzzed as she completely failed to process what he had said.
What?
What kind of absurd question was that?
She stood there dumbly as stormy waves rose in her heart, her mind filled with unbelievable question marks.
Who asked something like that?!
She was a vegetable vendor setting up a stall, a seller waiting for customers to spend money on her goods!
Since ancient times, sellers had asked buyers whether they wanted to buy something and whether they had brought money.
What kind of ridiculous logic was it for a buyer to come over and immediately ask the seller whether she had money?
She had been setting up her stall on the streets of Heaven Dou City for years and had seen all kinds of passersby and customers.
There had been domineering ones, gentle ones, picky ones, and generous ones, but she had never encountered someone as strange as the person before her!
She remained stunned for a long while before barely coming back to her senses. Her pink lips pressed together slightly as she looked at Li Changsheng with a baffled, helpless expression and murmured, "S-Sir... did you get something mixed up?"
"I'm selling vegetables, not buying things..."
"Customers are supposed to bring money to buy my vegetables. Why would you ask whether I have money on me?"
The girl's tone was aggrieved and innocent. Her large eyes blinked repeatedly as she looked in utter confusion at the inexplicable young man before her.
She truly could not understand how this boy, who looked so extraordinary and unlike an ordinary street commoner, could ask such a completely nonsensical, utterly absurd question.
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