Jiang Lin of Holy Soul Village

Douluo Continent, Holy Soul Village, rear mountain.

Jiang Lin passed a huge boulder from afar. A little boy sat cross-legged atop it, eyes closed as he cultivated. It was the young Tang San.

Feeling Tang San's steadily growing aura, Jiang Lin let out a faint sigh, his face filled with envy and helplessness.

"Six years—six whole years! System, don't screw with me. Tomorrow is Martial Soul awakening day. If you pull something like this now, aren't you trying to kill me?!"

Jiang Lin was a transmigrator. Six years ago, he had been hit by a stroke of outrageous luck and sent flying straight into the Douluo Continent. Along with him came an All-Heavens Card-Drawing System.

It was just that the system's loading progress was painfully slow. It had taken a full six years to reach 99%.

Tomorrow was the day Su Yuntao would arrive to awaken the Martial Souls of Holy Soul Village's children, yet the system's progress bar remained stuck at 99 without budging in the slightest.

That made Jiang Lin suspect that this system had come just to mess with him and wreck his state of mind.

If the progress bar still did not move tomorrow, then with how utterly ordinary he had been over the past six years, there was a very high chance he would awaken some useless Martial Soul like a fork or a hoe.

If that happened, he would really be finished.

Not only would old village chief Jack, who had always supported him, be disappointed, but the other villagers—who had long coveted his house and fields in secret—would also kick him while he was down. As a six-year-old child alone, he truly would find it difficult to survive in the village.

And if he left the village, he had no strength to speak of and would find it even harder to survive outside. The best possible outcome would be catching the eye of some noble and becoming a servant.

As for whether he should cling to Tang San?

Jiang Lin had considered it. At first, he had even taken the initiative to befriend Tang San and tried to build a good relationship with him. Unfortunately, Tang San simply did not think much of him.

He was just an ordinary child. Other than being a little more mature, he had nothing that could catch Tang San's eye. If he forced himself into Tang San's company, Tang San might even see him as a burden.

So after his first attempt, the self-aware Jiang Lin gave up on that plan. From then on, Jiang Lin and Tang San were practically strangers.

"Ah, no use thinking about it. I should head back."

Jiang Lin shook his head and left the rear mountain with a bundle of firewood in his arms.

Just as Jiang Lin returned to the village entrance and was about to go home, four or five bratty children around his age immediately surrounded him under the lead of a seven-year-old boy.

They each held small wooden sticks, bamboo poles, and the like. As for the older boy, he gripped a half-solid, half-illusory sickle in his hand. They clearly meant trouble.

Jiang Lin frowned as he looked at the boy, a trace of wariness flashing through his eyes. His name was Alto.

Because Alto's parents had always wanted to seize Jiang Lin's property, Alto had been at odds with Jiang Lin since childhood. Yet thanks to Jiang Lin's intelligence, which far surpassed that of children his age, despite Alto being a year older, Jiang Lin had always been able to teach him a harsh lesson whenever Alto came looking for trouble.

But after Alto awakened his Martial Soul a year ago, the situation changed. Although Alto's sickle Martial Soul was a useless one, it was still difficult for the not-yet-awakened Jiang Lin to defeat.

Whenever Alto revealed his Martial Soul, Jiang Lin could only run.

And this time was naturally no exception.

Jiang Lin pointed behind them and suddenly shouted, "Grandpa Jack! Alto and the others are picking on me again!"

"Huh? Village Chief Grandpa?"

Alto and the others were startled, their bodies trembling as they whipped around, only to find not even a shadow of old Jack.

When they turned back again, Jiang Lin hurled the firewood in his arms straight at them.

Caught off guard, several pieces of firewood struck Alto and the others right in the face.

Having succeeded in one blow, Jiang Lin did not hesitate in the slightest and took off running.

"Jiang Lin, you bastard! You tricked me again!"

Feeling the burning pain in his face, Alto became furious and immediately led the others after Jiang Lin.

"Damn it, even a tiger gets bullied by dogs when it falls to the plains. Alto, you little bastard, just wait! Once I awaken my Martial Soul tomorrow, I'll beat your ass into eight pieces!"

But as Jiang Lin kept fleeing, he failed to notice a smooth piece of gravel beneath his feet. He lost his footing and crashed heavily to the ground.

"Hiss—"

Gritting his teeth, Jiang Lin hurriedly climbed to his feet. But after that fall, his speed finally slowed, and before long, Alto and the others caught up and surrounded him.

"Run! Keep running! Weren't you so good at running? Why did you stop now?"

Alto folded his arms, his face full of malicious amusement.

"Get him! He dared to hit me with firewood? Beat him hard!"

At his command, several lackeys grabbed their wooden sticks and swung them down at Jiang Lin's head.

"Damn it!"

After taking several blows, Jiang Lin's eyes turned fierce. Seizing an opportunity, he snatched one person's wooden stick, then grabbed another and smashed him hard.

Before long, that person could no longer endure it and retreated to the back in fear.

"Hmph, useless trash. I'll have to do this myself!"

Alto shoved aside the people blocking his way, then gripped his sickle and slashed at Jiang Lin.

"Not good—"

Jiang Lin hurriedly raised his stick to block, but Alto's sickle Martial Soul sliced it cleanly in half.

Seeing the sickle about to fall on him, Jiang Lin could only roll backward with the momentum, barely escaping its attack range.

But just as Jiang Lin tried to get up, the others had already closed in, their wooden sticks raining down on him.

Helpless, Jiang Lin could only curl up and protect his head tightly with both hands.

"Hmph, that's it! Beat him hard!"

Seeing that Jiang Lin could no longer resist, Alto withdrew his sickle Martial Soul. He then stepped forward and viciously kicked Jiang Lin.

"Damn it! Just wait! Once I awaken my Martial Soul tomorrow, even if it's a useless Martial Soul, I'll come back and fight you to the death!"

Feeling the fists and kicks landing on him, Jiang Lin's eyes were filled with frustration and resentment.

"Oh? You still dare to talk big? Hit him! Hit him hard! I'll beat you into submission today!"

At Alto's command, the others hit even harder.

Naturally, many villagers passing by witnessed this scene. Yet whether men or women, none showed the slightest intention of stopping them. Not only that, none even thought to step forward and talk them out of it.

Some even hoped these brats would beat Jiang Lin to death. Then the house and fields Jiang Lin's parents had left him could be openly taken out and divided among them!

About ten minutes later, a six-year-old boy with black hair and black eyes passed by. It was Tang San.

But like the villagers, he had no intention of helping Jiang Lin as he was being beaten. He merely cast Jiang Lin a cold glance before walking away.

After an unknown amount of time, perhaps because they had grown tired, Alto and the others finally stopped.

Seeing Jiang Lin covered in injuries and no longer struggling, one of them hesitated.

"Brother Alto, we didn't beat him to death, did we?"

Alto frowned and stepped forward to pat Jiang Lin's face. Feeling warmth beneath his hand, Alto let out a breath of relief.

"He's still got half a breath left. This kid isn't that easy to kill."

"And even if we did beat him to death, what is there to fear? The only person in the village who cares about him is Village Chief Grandpa. But Village Chief Grandpa is old now. Even if he wants to punish us, he lacks the strength."

"Hehe, true."

"Let's go home. It's time to eat. I wonder what good food Dad and the others made."

At some point, a light rain began to fall from the sky, the raindrops striking Jiang Lin's face.

In his daze, Jiang Lin seemed to hear something.

[Ding!]

[All-Heavens Card-Drawing System loading complete—]

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