The boy with a fishing spear in Vast Sea City!

Heaven Dou Empire!

In remote Ju Zi Village, outside Vast Sea City.

Dusk blurred the horizon. The setting sun spilled gold across the sea, draping it in gauze and making everything along the shore seem dreamlike.

At this hour, the villagers had finished their busy day and were returning home one after another.

At the northern edge of Ju Zi Village lay a lake so clear its bottom was visible. Dense woods surrounded it, lending it a secluded air. A stream wound down through the trees, crossed the village from north to south, and finally rushed into the sea.

A stretch of the stream south of the village.

Several small figures stood around the bank. They were all children of six or seven, bent over and gazing curiously at the water before them.

Minutes passed. Apart from the clear sound of running water, there was still no movement on the surface.

A dark-skinned boy with a face full of freckles sniffled and could not help asking, "Brother Hao's been underwater for so long. What if he drowned?"

"Little Blackie, don't talk nonsense! Everyone knows how good Brother Hao is in the water. This little bit of time is nothing to him." A somewhat scrawny boy in plain clothes calmly shot back.

"My name isn't Little Blackie! My dad gave me a name. It's Wang Kun," Wang Kun protested loudly, his face full of indignation.

"All right, all right, stop arguing! It's just a stream. You're acting like it's the ocean. Who'd be stupid enough to drown here?"

Another boy, round and chubby, tried to ease the tension.

"That's true!"

Just as the words left their mouths, a dark shape appeared beneath the glittering surface. It drew closer and rose steadily, visibly nearing the waterline.

"He's coming up!"

Splash!

Something burst from the water—but it was not a person. It was a huge fish, half as long as a grown man and easily thirty pounds.

The fish flew out of the stream straight at Wang Kun.

Wang Kun scrambled to catch it, but fresh from the water, the fish was full of strength. With one mighty thrash, its enormous tail smacked him across the face and left him dazed.

As he was about to lose his grip, the other boys rushed in to help.

"Hold tight, Brother Kun! Don't let it get away!"

"Kun's hopeless! He can't even hold on to a fish!"

Working together, they finally subdued it. Every one of them was a mess, but none could hide his smile.

In this remote village, fish was a rare chance to eat meat.

"You can't even catch one fish. How are you going to become a powerful Soul Master someday?!"

Then the water churned. In the glow of the setting sun, a figure leaped out like a silver fish, stretching his body beneath the light. His legs snapped into motion; he turned in midair and landed steadily beside the stream.

In the fading sunlight stood a tall, black-haired boy, bare-chested and carrying a fishing spear over his shoulder.

A smaller fish hung motionless from the spear.

"Brother Hao!"

At the sight of Lin Hao, the boys scrambled to their feet and crowded around him, gazing at him with unrestrained admiration.

"Brother Hao, did you hear me say something bad about you and make me look like a fool on purpose?"

Wang Kun looked at Lin Hao, remembered his embarrassment, and could not resist asking.

"No. I, Lin Hao, never hold grudges. Why would I take revenge on you?"

Lin Hao answered with a straight face. Before Wang Kun could say more, he turned to the others and pointed at the fish they had wrestled into submission.

"Take this fish home and share it. Your Martial Soul Awakening is tomorrow, so consider it something to build up your strength. I hope you all awaken powerful Martial Souls."

"Long live Brother Hao!"

The children burst into delighted laughter at his words.

Together, they picked up the fish and ran excitedly toward Ju Zi Village.

Watching his childhood friends celebrate, Lin Hao wondered how many of them would still be smiling after tomorrow's Martial Soul Awakening.

Ju Zi Village was tiny. Only its chief was a Soul Master. Everyone else had Soul Power below level ten, and their Martial Souls were all bottom-of-the-barrel.

Had they failed to work hard enough when they were young?

Not at all.

Every one of them had wanted to change their fate through cultivation and had trained as if his life depended on it. But talent stood like a chasm before them, firmly barring the way forward.

After spending half their lives trying, they had been forced to face reality, return to the village, take up their fathers' trades, and live as ordinary people.

There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters.

What a load of crap!

I wonder what Martial Soul I'll awaken? Lin Hao thought as he walked home.

Six years ago, he had fought the Great Fortune Heavenly Emperor to the death, lost by a single move, and crossed over to Douluo Continent.

His parents had been ordinary fishermen who made their living at sea. Their days had been unremarkable.

In this life, his parents' Martial Souls had been an ordinary fishing spear and fishing net. Neither had ever reached level ten Soul Power.

A year ago, both had died in a storm while out fishing.

Knowing Martial Souls were inherited through bloodlines, he could not help praying silently.

I'm not asking for much. Just let me do better than Yu Xiaogang and be able to cultivate. Then at least I'll have a chance to turn the heavens upside down and change my fate.

After his prayer, Lin Hao returned home, cleaned his fish, put it in the pot, and enjoyed a hearty meal.

Heaven and earth were vast, but eating came first!

Whatever else needed doing could wait until after dinner. He had already done everything he could.

Lin Hao had trained his body diligently since childhood. Thanks to his skill in the water, he often caught fish, giving himself meat to strengthen his constitution.

The rest was up to fate!

After all, Douluo Continent had hundreds of millions of people, yet its Soul Masters probably numbered fewer than a million altogether.

On Douluo Continent, Martial Soul Awakening came down to the luck of the draw.

Even the son of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's leader could awaken a worthless pig with only half a level of innate Soul Power, while an ordinary barnyard bird could mutate into the Evil Fire Phoenix, a half-finished top-tier Martial Soul.

Whether he proved a dragon or a worm would be decided in one nerve-racking moment tomorrow.

Early the next morning.

Lin Hao burned incense, bathed, and made himself spotless before arriving at a wooden house in the center of Ju Zi Village.

Quite a few villagers had gathered to watch. Wang Kun and the other boys from yesterday were there too. With Lin Hao, there were seven children in all.

They were this year's group of children eligible for Martial Soul Awakening in Ju Zi Village.

Seeing that all the children had assembled, the village chief, Old Luo Rui, rubbed his hands and turned with an ingratiating smile to a stern-faced, middle-aged man dressed in Spirit Hall attire. He spoke respectfully.

"Honored Lord Su Haitao, these seven are all the children in Ju Zi Village who qualify this year."

Su Haitao?

You awaken God Kings too!

Among the crowd, Lin Hao gave Su Haitao a second look of surprise.