Soul Fusion!

Within a magnificent hall, a figure dressed in dark crimson robes sat high above, golden dragon patterns coiling around his sleeves and proclaiming an unassailable status: Emperor!

Yet this man of immense power displayed none of the majesty that could sweep across the world. All he possessed was fury, long suppressed within his heart.

The emperor stared intently at the body lying below and the delighted ministers gathered beside it.

"Your Majesty, Crown Prince Liu Ju was found hidden in a dry well. When he was discovered, he had already taken his own life." The ministers below reported the outcome with beaming faces.

They did not know that the fury in the eyes of the emperor upon the dragon throne, Emperor Wu of Han Liu Che, was about to burst forth. The moment he heard of the crown prince's death, he understood that he had been used by these great aristocratic clans.

While the ministers reported their affairs, Liu Che had already begun formulating his plan for retaliation.

As everyone continued discussing the arrangements to come, unaware that the countdown to their deaths had reached its final moments, a streak of light flowed from the unseen depths of Liu Ju's corpse and entered a rift in space-time.

That streak of light was Liu Ju's soul, on the verge of dispersal. It passed straight through the space-time rift and arrived in a Small Thousand World on a plane known as Douluo Continent.

On the continent of that world, inside an estate clearly belonging to a wealthy family, a young married woman was about to give birth. She lay on a large bed specially prepared for delivery while a midwife calmly directed her through the labor.

Outside the room, a middle-aged man in a gold-and-white cloak paced back and forth in a panic. His blond hair swayed as he listened to the agonized moans from within, his worry impossible to conceal.

"Brother Dai, don't panic. The midwife is the finest and most skilled in the Star Luo Empire." A woman dressed in luxurious clothing comforted him from the side. She was the Third Madam of this estate.

The man was the master of the Duke's Estate, the current head of House Dai, the White Tiger Duke: Dai Hao!

"I know, but Yuner's screams..." Dai Hao stared worriedly at the door. Elsewhere, a clearly older young married woman watched the room with venom in her eyes.

You wretch, why are you so lucky? You had better not give birth to a son, or else just wait for death!

This woman was the First Madam of the Duke's Estate, the eldest daughter of the late former emperor, Xu Xingling! She was also the current emperor's younger sister, married off to House Dai to strengthen their ties.

Above them, unnoticed by everyone, the streak of light passed through the roof and flowed directly into the room, entering the body of the child being born. In that instant, his soul fused with Liu Ju's soul.

This change drew the attention of the Plane Consciousness of this world.

"Hm? An external soul? I wonder what its temperament is like. Perhaps it can be put to use."

As it spoke, it prepared to investigate, only to widen its eyes the next second. Was this not the Child of Destiny it had selected? How had he fused with an external soul?

Moreover, judging by the aura around him, its Child of Destiny seemed to have changed. At the same time, the Plane Consciousness sensed a faint trace of space-time power, as though it were guiding it in a certain direction.

"It seems I can bring in reinforcements!" With that, the Plane Consciousness followed the space-time rift toward the source of that soul.

The Plane Consciousness did not yet know that it was about to meet an immensely powerful existence.

Back at the Duke's Estate, the newborn child had short black hair and resembled Yuner greatly. His eyes and the bridge of his nose, however, had inherited Dai Hao's features, possessing both resilience and a trace of childish softness.

"Good! Wonderful! From now on, you will be called Dai Yuhao! My first son!" Dai Hao looked at the little boy before him with delighted surprise, immediately carrying him to Yuner's bedside.

The frail young married woman on the bed was the Second Madam of the Duke's Estate, Huo Yuner, the one with the least background and a commoner by birth!

"Yuner, you've worked hard!" Dai Hao gently stroked the woman he loved. She shook her head, signaling for him to say no more. Her body was already too weak for speech, and she merely watched the little boy in her husband's arms with a peaceful expression.

"Oh! This is our son, Dai Yuhao!" Dai Hao placed Yuhao in Huo Yuner's arms. For a moment, the three of them looked just like an ordinary family as they gazed at the scene before them.

The Third Madam outside chuckled softly, while the First Madam's face was filled with resentment. Her marriage to Dai Hao had been purely political, and neither of them loved the other. As for why they had married—

It was because of Dai Hao's guilt toward his younger brother. Due to Dai Hao's command error, his younger brother had died on the battlefield. When Xu Xingling received the news, she had just given birth to her and Dai Hao's younger brother's second son: Dai Huabin!

Their first son was Dai Yueheng.

It had to be said that Dai Hao's younger brother possessed truly powerful genes. Both sons had awakened the White Tiger Martial Soul. Unlike Dai Hao's Huo Yuhao and Dai Luoli, who both had Mutated Martial Souls.

Six years had passed since Dai Yuhao's birth. During that time, due to the Sun Moon Empire stirring at the border, the emperor immediately ordered Dai Hao to head to the frontier and defend it.

He did not even have time to give orders to comfort Huo Yuner and her son. He merely arranged for an old companion, now serving as the old steward of the Duke's Estate, to look after the mother and son.

After Dai Hao left, Xu Xingling began causing trouble. She targeted Huo Yuner and her son, assigning them to the side quarters and gradually reducing their meals. However, under the old steward's pressure, she could only let the matter drop.

Today was the day everyone would awaken their Martial Souls. All the children of age in the Duke's Estate had come, their faces full of excitement as they hoped to awaken a powerful Martial Soul.

As the awakening ceremony began, Dai Yuhao watched the children at the center of the formation with curiosity. Seeing her son's childish behavior, Huo Yuner smiled softly and rubbed his little head reassuringly.

The old steward also laughed heartily as he stroked his beard. Once the previous child had finished awakening, Dai Yuhao was brought forward to begin his Martial Soul awakening.

As the awakening Soul Master's power flowed into him, Dai Yuhao felt the power that had been sealed within him since birth begin to awaken. At the same time, the infusion of Soul Power stirred the sliver of Liu Ju's soul deep within Dai Yuhao.

The next moment, the soul shattered, and two powers began merging into Dai Yuhao's mind. A blue-and-white flute and an azure-blue longsword appeared in his consciousness, though he could not use them. With his current strength, he was unable to call upon them.

Outside, Dai Yuhao felt his eyes itch. The next moment, golden light flashed through his pupils, only to quickly dim.

"Hm? A Martial Soul? Eyes!"

The awakening official was somewhat surprised, but he still had him step forward to test his Soul Power. The result shocked him as well. "Innate... Innate Level One Soul Power!"