Douluo Continent, Heaven Dou Empire.
Golden Chrysanthemum Village.
It was early morning, with the first faint light of dawn.
Village Chief Old Leo had arrived bright and early, leaning on his cane as he led the village children to line up outside a dilapidated wooden hut.
They were waiting for a Soul Master from the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City.
Today was Golden Chrysanthemum Village's annual martial soul awakening day.
It would decide the futures of all the village's children.
At that moment, at the very end of the line stood a child.
He looked about six years old and wore clothes covered in patches.
The little boy had a well-proportioned build, wheat-colored skin, and rather delicate features. With a blade of Blue Silver Grass between his lips and both hands behind his head, he waited in utter boredom.
His name was Lin Hao, and he was a transmigrator from Azure Star.
In his previous life, he had been just another college drudge.
After graduating, while on his way to find work, he had fallen victim to a Dayun truck's deadly pursuit.
After being knocked down.
Through sheer astonishing willpower, Lin Hao had managed to get up, pick up his phone, and delete his browser history, among a whole series of other actions, before finally lying back down.
Perhaps some mysterious, mighty being had been moved by his perseverance and tenacity and granted him a reward!
Whatever the case, after closing his eyes and opening them again, Lin Hao had discovered that he had transmigrated.
Once he had grown a little older.
He had discovered that he had actually entered the world of Douluo Continent, a novel and anime he had watched in his previous life.
After all, martial souls, Soul Masters, and the Spirit Hall were all far too familiar!
And just like other transmigrators.
Lin Hao had lost both his parents early on.
His father had accidentally lost his footing and fallen off a cliff while gathering medicinal herbs in the hills behind the village.
As for his mother, overwhelming grief and accumulated exhaustion had made her ill, and she had sadly passed away.
Fortunately, by the time his mother died.
Lin Hao was already three years old and could take care of himself to some extent.
He relied on the various hunting techniques he had learned from watching wilderness survival shows in his previous life.
Things like snaring rabbits with rope loops, weaving vines into traps, and setting them in the river to catch small fish and shrimp.
At the same time, he had shamelessly put the mathematics he had learned through his motherland's nine years of compulsory education to use.
By teaching arithmetic to the children of the village's uncles and aunties, he had secured their help with his family's farmwork in exchange.
They grew a little rice, wheat, and vegetables, just enough for him to scrape by.
And so, like Blue Silver Grass, Lin Hao had stubbornly survived to this day.
He had even become the leader of the village children.
Unlike the other village children, who still harbored hopes for their martial soul awakening.
He knew that the martial souls awakened in Golden Chrysanthemum Village were either ordinary golden chrysanthemums or things like Blue Silver Grass, sickles, and hoes.
In all the years since his birth.
He had never heard of even a single person awakening with soul power.
Thus, when it came to awakening his martial soul, Lin Hao had essentially given up struggling.
He simply planned to attend an ordinary school in Nuoding City after awakening his martial soul and start a small business.
With his previous life's wits and the knowledge he had learned, he could run a few small businesses that involved no danger.
Once he had money, he would marry a few pretty wives and father seven or eight children.
He would fulfill a wish from his previous life!
That would be enough!
It's only year 2635 of the Douluo calendar. There are just two years left before Tang San awakens his martial soul.
By this point, Bro Tao should already be a deacon at the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City.
I wonder if Bro Tao will be the one coming to awaken martial souls in Golden Chrysanthemum Village this year.
Lin Hao gazed into the distance, thinking to himself.
Bro Tao was none other than the renowned Blind Douluo, an iconic character from Douluo Continent.
Since Lin Hao had transmigrated to Douluo Continent and even happened to be near Nuoding City.
He felt that something would be missing if Bro Tao did not come to awaken his martial soul.
One cry of "useless" from Bro Tao, and the world gained another God King.
Although that saying was only a meme!
If he had the chance, he still had to get a taste of it!
They waited for over an hour.
At last, a figure appeared in the distance and drew steadily closer.
But once that figure approached.
The sight of his clothes and appearance left Lin Hao utterly dumbfounded.
Because the newcomer was neither one of the Nuoding City Spirit Hall Branch deacons who had come in previous years nor Bro Tao.
Instead, he seemed to be that "Grandmushter" Yu Xiaogang, who had broken past fifty years of age without even breaking past rank thirty!
After all, there was the black scholar's gown, the thin frame, the buzz cut, the stubble-covered face, the stiff expression, and that faintly melancholy air.
Who else could he be but that Grandmushter?
Damn it! How did my Bro Tao turn into this Grandmushter Yu Xiaogang?!
Village Chief Old Leo also froze for a moment when he saw Yu Xiaogang.
Because Yu Xiaogang was not wearing the Spirit Hall's Soul Master uniform.
That left him uncertain whether Yu Xiaogang had come to help with the martial soul awakening.
"Sir, have you come to help Golden Chrysanthemum Village awaken our martial souls?"
Leaning on his cane, Old Leo went up to greet him and asked politely.
"That's right!"
With his hands clasped behind his back and his face stiff, Yu Xiaogang gave a slight nod and spoke.
"This year, a deacon at the Spirit Hall Branch had something come up at the last minute and couldn't carry out his martial soul awakening assignment."
"As a result, the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City is one deacon short for these assignments and has had to recruit outside Soul Masters to fill in temporarily."
"I'm one of those temporary helpers. You may simply call me Grandmaster."
"This year, I'll be conducting the martial soul awakening for Golden Chrysanthemum Village."
Not long ago, he had received a letter from his good friend Flender.
While in Suotuo City, Flender had taken on a temporary assignment posted by the local Spirit Hall Branch to help awaken martial souls in the surrounding villages.
In one village near Suotuo City, he had actually awakened a genius Soul Master with innate full soul power and a sausage martial soul, then admitted him to Shrek Academy.
Upon learning this news.
Yu Xiaogang had been tempted and could not help wanting to try his luck too.
After all, he had given up struggling and no longer held out hope of finding a way to evolve his martial soul, Luo Sanpao.
His only option was to cultivate an outstanding genius into a powerful expert, thereby proving that he deserved his reputation as a Grandmaster of martial soul theory.
But at Nuoding Academy, there was not even anyone with innate soul power above rank five.
That gave Yu Xiaogang quite a headache.
Thus, when he saw the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City posting an assignment to recruit Soul Masters as temporary help for martial soul awakenings in the various villages.
Yu Xiaogang had accepted the assignment, intending to try his luck as well.
"Grandmaster, please come in! Please come in!"
Upon learning that Yu Xiaogang had come to help awaken martial souls, Old Leo immediately grew excited. Unable to wait, he hurriedly extended a hand and ushered Yu Xiaogang toward the dilapidated wooden hut.
After the door was opened.
Yu Xiaogang entered first. Finding an open patch of floor, he took out six round black stones and arranged them into a Hexagram Martial Soul Awakening Array.
Next, he took out a deep-blue crystal ball and placed it on a nearby table.
By then, Lin Hao had followed the others inside and joined the line.
Once everything was ready.
Yu Xiaogang clasped his hands behind his back, looked at the little boy at the front of the line, and spoke in a deep voice.
"Come! Come over here and stand inside this martial soul awakening array!"
Following Yu Xiaogang's directions.
The five boys and girls in the line stepped forward one after another.
Under Yu Xiaogang's guidance, they underwent their martial soul awakenings.
Unfortunately, not a single one had any soul power.
Their martial souls were either golden chrysanthemums or Blue Silver Grass, sickles, and hoes.
Deeply disappointed, Yu Xiaogang shook his head and looked at Lin Hao, the last child in line.
"You, come over too!"
Before you continue