Pay-to-Win System

"Tool Martial Soul, Hoe, no Soul Power."

"Tool Martial Soul, Cleaver, no Soul Power."

"Beast Martial Soul, Wild Boar, level-one Innate Soul Power. Hmm, not bad."

"Tool Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass, level-two Innate Soul Power. What a shame. No attack power, no defense, no support abilities, and you can't even eat it. A textbook Trash Martial Soul. This one's hopeless." Su Yuntao gave the little girl before him a pitying look, then moved on to awaken the next person.

Qin Muchu glanced curiously at the little girl. Her young face was full of disappointment, and she looked ready to burst into tears.

"Lord Soul Master, is there really no way to cultivate with Blue Silver Grass?" Qin Muchu asked Su Yuntao, who was awakening the Martial Soul of the person ahead of him.

"Tool Martial Soul, Broken Bowl, no Soul Power." After announcing the result, Su Yuntao turned to Qin Muchu. "As far as I know, no one in the continent's history has ever become a Soul Master with Blue Silver Grass as their Martial Soul. I've overseen awakening ceremonies for years, and today is the first time I've encountered Blue Silver Grass with any Innate Soul Power. Come, step into the formation."

"Is that so?" Qin Muchu stepped into the center of the formation, deep in thought. If he hadn't come along and stirred things up, this Blind Douluo would witness history in two months.

As Su Yuntao poured Soul Power into the Awakening Stones, golden motes of light surrounded Qin Muchu.

That feels good. Qin Muchu felt a warm current enter through every pore and flow along his meridians, spreading through his organs and every limb and bone. Soon, he felt something trying to emerge from his right hand.

??? Just one Martial Soul?

Only his right hand felt anything. That meant he had just one Martial Soul. His dream of Twin Martial Souls was thoroughly shattered.

It's fine. There's still a chance. If I awaken Innate Full Soul Power, or at least a high level of Soul Power, I'll still have a decent future.

With that thought, he looked down at his right hand. His Martial Soul had fully appeared: an iron sword covered in rust, with several chips along its blade.

"What the hell is this thing? Damn it!" Qin Muchu's head buzzed, and his whole world went dark. Who could he possibly cut with a sword like this? At least his father's Sword Martial Soul had been bright and gleaming. What was this thing supposed to be?

A bad feeling rose in his chest.

"Oh? A Rusty Sword? Haven't seen one of those before. Come on, little guy, let's test your Innate Soul Power."

Please, please, please let it be high-level Soul Power. Lord of the Azure Sky, all the Buddhas in heaven, Jade Emperor, Asura God, Sea God, Rakshasa God, bless me. Don't let my Soul Power be too low. Qin Muchu prayed as he placed his hand on the blue crystal ball.

One second. Two seconds...

Watching the crystal ball remain utterly still, Qin Muchu felt the last of his hope die.

"Tool Martial Soul, one beat-up old sword, no Soul Power. Go home and build up your strength. Joining the City Guard someday might be a good choice." Su Yuntao patted Qin Muchu on the head and moved on to the next person.

In the Qin Family courtyard, Qin Muchu lay on the ground as still as a corpse. He stared blankly at the sky, feeling as if that boundless expanse of blue were drawing closer and closer.

"Is the sky falling?" Qin Muchu murmured. He couldn't remember how he had left Spirit Hall. After stumbling home in a daze, he had lain down on the ground, his whole world turned gray.

"Ding~ Worthless host detected. Pay-to-Win System activating."

"???"

Qin Muchu sprang up from the ground. He thought he had imagined the voice, but when the Virtual Screen before him gradually lit up, he finally knew it was real.

"A Pay-to-Win System? You want me to spend money? What can I afford with the little I have? Are you messing with me?" Qin Muchu nearly lost his mind. Good news: he had a system. Bad news: he had no money.

Judging by its name, this system wanted him to pay up. With the little his parents had left him, even keeping himself fed and clothed would be a problem. Where was he supposed to find spare money for it?

"Ding~ Pay-to-Win System activated successfully. Douluo World rules adapted. Checking host's physical condition... Check complete. Modifying host's talent... Modification complete. Host's talent raised to level-five Innate Soul Power. Host's natural talent is deeply worrying."

The barrage of announcements left Qin Muchu stunned. It took him a long moment to react. A gentle current of power had appeared in his body out of nowhere, filling the meridians that had felt hollow before.

"Well, damn. It can even raise someone with no Innate Soul Power. This system is incredible." Qin Muchu's face lit up with excitement. In an instant, he had gone from hell to heaven, leaping straight into a whole new class.

The Virtual Screen before him finally opened in full. Five options were clearly listed on its blue interface: Status Panel, System Shop, Mystery Box Opening, Gold Soul Coin Top-Up, and Balance Check.

"That's it?" Unwilling to give up, Qin Muchu repeatedly closed and reopened the screen. After several tries, he finally accepted reality. No quests, no check-ins, no daily rewards. Just those five options, and Mystery Box Opening was grayed out and unavailable. It was official: this system cared about nothing but money.

He opened the Status Panel first. The screen before him flickered:

[Status Panel]

[Host: Qin Muchu]

[Soul Power: Level 5]

[Martial Soul: Rusty Sword]

[Soul Rings: None]

P.S. The host's abysmal talent is astonishing even by the standards of the entire system world.

"..."

Looking at his Status Panel, Qin Muchu could barely stand the sight of it. And what was that last jab supposed to mean? Could a system mock its own master?

The last time he had felt this savagely attacked was in his previous life, when a "little fairy" had chased him down on Big Red Book.

Qin Muchu silently closed the Status Panel and opened the System Shop. "Damn it! System, did you get something wrong? My fucking name is Qin Muchu, not Ning Rongrong."

Qin Muchu completely lost it—not because the shop lacked good items. Quite the opposite: its selection was rich, and plenty of the items would shock the world if brought out. But those prices...

[Beginner's Gift Pack] Price: 10,000 Gold Soul Coins (newcomer benefit)

[Basic Meditation Method] Price: 1,000,000 Gold Soul Coins (the most basic meditation method; speeds up cultivation and refines Soul Power)

[Basic Spirit Power Cultivation Method] Price: 1,000,000 Gold Soul Coins (the most basic Spirit Power cultivation method; increases Spirit Power)

[Thousand-Year Soul Ring] Price: 1,000,000 Gold Soul Coins

[Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring] Price: 10,000,000 Gold Soul Coins

[Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring] Price: 100,000,000 Gold Soul Coins

[Million-Year Soul Ring] Price: 1,000,000,000 Gold Soul Coins

[Martial Soul Upgrade Card] Price: 100,000,000 Gold Soul Coins (improves Martial Soul quality; made for failures like you—you deserve it)

[Soul Ring Age Upgrade Card], [Soul Bone Age Upgrade Card]

[Divine Position] Price: 10,000,000,000 Gold Soul Coins