Lin Ye had lain there for a full half-hour, still replaying the words of the Clear Sky Sect's Martial Soul examiner in his mind.
"Lin Ye, Iron Rod Martial Soul, Innate Soul Power: 2.5."
That one short sentence had sentenced his life after transmigrating to death.
He had transmigrated into the world of Peerless Tang Clan on Douluo Continent. When he'd first opened his eyes, he'd even congratulated himself on his luck.
Sure, he hadn't become some sect's young master or an unparalleled genius, but at least he was the son of an outer-sect steward of the Clear Sky Sect.
In this secluded sect, he had no worries about food or drink, and didn't have to do dirty, exhausting work like the lowest-ranking servants. Compared with transmigrators who started out on hell difficulty, he'd already had it far better.
But after his Soul Power test, that good fortune shattered into dust.
This was Douluo Continent, a world where strength reigned supreme, from top to bottom.
In a sect like the Clear Sky Sect, without strength, his status as a steward's son was no more than a sheet of paper that would tear at the slightest touch. Once his father stepped down, he wouldn't even be able to hold on to his comfortable life.
What made his scalp tingle even more was that he hadn't transmigrated into just any story. Of all things, he'd landed in Douluo II: Peerless Tang Clan.
Lin Ye closed his eyes. A wave of helplessness surged from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head.
Douluo I had at least left plenty of room to maneuver, but Peerless Tang Clan was the era when Tang Buddha held the sky in one hand!
Whether you were part of the naturally gifted protagonist group, an Ultimate Douluo with heaven-defying cultivation, or one of the countless ordinary people across the continent, you were all pieces on someone else's chessboard, playthings in his hands.
A little shrimp like him, with 2.5 Innate Soul Power, couldn't even dream of getting involved in the plot. When the Sun Moon Continent collided with Douluo Continent and the Holy Spirit Cult ran amok, a stray shockwave would probably scatter him until not even ashes remained.
"Seriously, other people transmigrate with Innate Full Soul Power or Twin Martial Souls. At the very least, they get decent parents. How did I end up with a start like this?"
Lin Ye rolled over and silently cursed at the wall. "It's been half a month. Other transmigrators got their cheat abilities ages ago. Where's mine? Surely I'm not really going to sit around the Clear Sky Sect, eating for free until the plot's shockwaves get me killed?"
[ Ding! Diary System bound successfully! ]
A cold mechanical voice suddenly exploded in his mind. Lin Ye sprang upright, eyes wide as saucers.
A cheat ability?!
[ This system is the Diary Assistant System. The host can receive rewards of a corresponding grade by completing one diary entry each day. Rewards are based on the entry's completeness, emotional authenticity, and information density.
Rewards include, but are not limited to, Soul Power increases, Martial Soul Evolution, increased Soul Ring age, Soul Skills, Soul Bones, cultivation techniques, continental secrets, and more. ]
As soon as the system finished its introduction, Lin Ye rolled his eyes and ranted internally: "Writing a diary? Who writes a diary? Not even a dog would write one!"
But the next second, he abruptly sat up straight, as if he'd grabbed a lifeline. His voice even trembled a little. "Wait a second. There are rewards?"
[ Ding! Complete a diary entry and you are guaranteed to receive the corresponding reward. ]
"Then we're good!"
Lin Ye's expression changed in an instant. Rubbing his hands together, he beamed with delight, nearly bouncing off the bed. "Then I'm definitely writing! Not only am I writing, I'm writing right away, and I'm writing a lot! I'll write at a steady pace... Uh, anyway, it's just a diary. What's the big deal? As long as it gives me rewards, I'll write ten or eight entries a day."
As soon as he finished speaking, a diary with a black cover and a weighty feel appeared out of thin air on the wooden table in front of him.
The moment he touched it, a diary appeared in his mind, glittering with golden light. In short, its effects were incredibly flashy.
[ Ding! The system's exclusive diary has been issued. The host can write in the diary using their thoughts. ]
Good thing he didn't actually have to write with a pen. Otherwise, he'd be exhausted to death.
[ Anyone else get it? I transmigrated. I ended up on Douluo Continent, and to make matters worse, it's the Peerless Tang Clan era. Let me start with my situation. I'm the son of an outer-sect steward of the Clear Sky Sect. To put it nicely, I'm a sect disciple. To put it bluntly, I'm an ordinary person who's a little better off than a servant. I just had my Martial Soul and Soul Power tested today. Iron Rod Martial Soul, 2.5 Innate Soul Power. A pure trash-tier start. Whether I'll ever even reach the threshold of a Soul Scholar is anyone's guess. I'd been holding on to a sliver of hope, thinking that even without talent, I could rely on my knowledge of the story to scrape by in this world. Yeah, right. This is Peerless Tang Clan! This is the era when Tang Buddha holds the sky in one hand! Whether you're an ordinary person or a top powerhouse, you're all playthings in his hands. A little shrimp like me probably won't survive more than a few years before the plot's shockwaves scatter me to the winds. I've been here half a month, and I was just about ready to lie down and eat for free until I died. Then, at last, my cheat ability arrived: a Diary System that gives out rewards for writing diary entries. What can I say? Who writes a diary like a proper person? Not even a dog would write one. Wait, there are rewards? Then we're good. From today on, I'm the number-one diarist on Douluo Continent. If I go one day without writing, I'll feel itchy all over. Anyone who tries to stop me from writing is picking a fight with me! Finally, I'll make a wish. I hope the rewards are good. I'm not asking to reach the heavens in one leap; just boost my Innate Soul Power so I can cultivate normally!]
After reading it over several times, Lin Ye was quite satisfied. He looked forward to the day's diary reward, hoping it would give him a golden-legendary drop.
Deep within the Clear Sky Sect, in an exquisite bedchamber protected by layers of arrays.
Wang Dong'er sat at her vanity, twirling the pale pink ribbon in her fingers as she gazed at her reflection. The corners of her mouth kept lifting into a smile.
In three days, she would set out for Shrek Academy.
She'd been in the Clear Sky Sect for far, far too long—so long that she was almost forgetting what the outside world looked like.
Her elders were always saying the outside world was dangerous, protecting her so thoroughly that not even a breath of wind could reach her. But the more they did that, the more she longed to see the world beyond.
Especially the legendary Shrek Academy. It was the holy land in the hearts of Soul Masters across the continent, a place that accepted only monsters, not ordinary people. She'd long wanted to see for herself whether it was as amazing as the stories claimed.
She was busy packing the luggage she'd take to Shrek, folding a few changes of clothes and putting them into her Soul Tool. As she imagined life at Shrek, she wondered whether she'd meet any interesting classmates and whether she could pass Shrek's rigorous entrance tests.
But just then, something that made her hair stand on end happened.
A golden diary appeared out of thin air on the empty vanity, lying there quietly as if it had always belonged.
Wang Dong'er tensed at once, her Soul Power surging into action as her beautiful eyes filled with wariness.
She knew better than anyone how strict the Clear Sky Sect's defenses were. What's more, countless protective arrays guarded her residence. Forget a person—even a fly couldn't possibly slip in without anyone noticing.
Yet this diary had simply appeared before her out of thin air, without triggering a single array or making the slightest sound.
Her first thought was to call for the guards outside, but before she could speak, the golden diary suddenly transformed into a soft yet irresistible beam of light. Before she could react, it shot straight into her mind.
Wang Dong'er heard a buzz in her head. In her sea of consciousness, a diary glittering with golden light now floated, its cover bearing clear lettering as though it had been carved especially for her: [Lin Ye's Diary Copy—Wang Dong'er Exclusive Edition].
Lin Ye?
Wang Dong'er was completely stunned, her pretty brows drawn tight as questions filled her mind.
Who was this person?
She'd lived in the Clear Sky Sect for so long and had never heard that name.
As a secluded sect with a history spanning ten thousand years, the Clear Sky Sect had preserved its complete sect structure. It had at least eighty thousand disciples and members, if not a hundred thousand.
Who was this person? Why had his diary appeared out of nowhere in her bedroom and entered her sea of consciousness, becoming her exclusive copy?
With her mind full of questions and her wariness refusing to fade, Wang Dong'er cautiously brushed her consciousness against the floating diary.
The diary opened at her touch, and every stroke of its writing appeared clearly in her mind. It was the diary entry Lin Ye had just written.
Wang Dong'er read it word by word. The more she read, the tighter her brows drew, and the greater her confusion became.
[ Anyone else get it? I transmigrated. ]
Transmigrated? What did that mean? Had he passed through somewhere?
She'd never heard that word before. It wasn't even mentioned in the sect's ancient records.
She read on. When she saw "Iron Rod Martial Soul, 2.5 Innate Soul Power, son of an outer-sect steward of the Clear Sky Sect," she finally relaxed.
So he was from the Clear Sky Sect, just the son of an Outer City steward. It was perfectly normal that she didn't know him.
But the very next sentence left her stunned again.
[ If I had to transmigrate, why couldn't I have landed in Douluo I? Even if I'd landed in an era with old-fashioned Soul Rings, I could've relied on my foreknowledge to scrape by. But instead you dumped me into Douluo II: Peerless Tang Clan?! ]
Douluo I? Douluo II? What strange names were those?
And Peerless Tang Clan?
Of course she knew about the Tang Sect. The Clear Sky Sect and the Tang Sect shared the same origin. They weren't exactly inseparable, but they could still be called brothers on good terms.
But the Tang Sect of today had long since lost the glory it had enjoyed ten thousand years ago. It had fallen into complete decline; even its sect headquarters had been lost. Only a handful of people remained, barely keeping the sect going in the Heaven Dou Empire. It couldn't even be considered a third-rate sect.
Yet this Lin Ye called this era "Peerless Tang Clan"?
Could it be... that the Tang Sect of the future would rise again and become worthy of the word "Peerless"?
Wang Dong'er's heart inexplicably beat a little faster. She continued reading, but what came next made her eyes widen in disbelief.
[ This is Peerless Tang Clan! This is the era when Tang Buddha holds the sky in one hand! Whether you're part of the naturally gifted protagonist group, an Ultimate Douluo with heaven-defying cultivation, or one of the countless ordinary people across the continent, you're all playthings in his hands, pieces on his chessboard! ]
Tang Buddha?
Someone surnamed Tang?
Wang Dong'er instinctively pressed a hand to her chest. An inexplicable familiarity welled up inside her, something she couldn't put into words.
She had a feeling she was deeply connected to that surname, but the elders never let her bring it up. Even her current name was Wang Dong'er.
But who exactly was this "Tang Buddha"?
Holding the sky in one hand? Everyone on the continent was his plaything?
How could that be possible? Even the three famed Ultimate Douluo on the continent today couldn't do something like that, could they?
She read the entry three times. The questions in her mind only piled higher and higher.
Transmigration, Peerless Tang Clan, Tang Buddha, system... These were all words she'd never heard before. And the knowledge of the future that shone through every line Lin Ye had written filled her with intense curiosity.
Who exactly was this person called Lin Ye?
Were his words nothing but nonsense, or... were they things that would really happen in the future?
Wang Dong'er kept her consciousness locked on the diary glittering with golden light, her fingers curling slightly as unease stirred in her heart.
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