A Trash Martial Soul Right from the Start?

"Martial soul: Mystic Sword. Innate soul power: level one."

The officiant's voice rang through the grand hall, utterly cold and even tinged with mockery.

Lin Mo's vision went black, and countless fragments of all kinds of memories flooded his mind.

He clutched his forehead in pain, forcing himself to remain standing as he tried to push back the memories pouring into his head.

"Where... am I?"

He barely managed to open his eyes and look around. He seemed to be in a lavishly decorated hall, but the men and women, young and old, standing around him all looked at him with mockery and contempt.

Another unfamiliar memory followed right on its heels.

Wait a minute. I... I transmigrated? Don't tell me this is Douluo Continent II?

Meanwhile, the gray longsword in his other hand slowly faded away, merging into his body.

Mystic Sword, innate soul power level one. Damn, could my luck get any worse?

Having often read transmigration novels in his previous life, he quickly accepted his situation and immediately took stock of everything he currently knew.

Judging by what I know, I must have transmigrated here last year. But before my martial soul awakened, I wasn't conscious at all. That strange power from the awakening just now-or rather, soul power-must have roused me from my slumber.

In that case...

Cheat? System?! Any old grandpa out there willing to save me?!

Recalling his martial soul and soul power level, he could not help lamenting his fate. But he could cry to heaven and earth all he liked; neither would answer.

Nothing I can do. In that case, I'll just have to cling to the protagonist's coattails.

"Hey, idiot! Get the hell down here! What are you standing up there for?"

"Ha! Huo Yun'er really did pick up an idiot. Even after awakening his martial soul, he's still this stupid. He's a perfect match for that little bastard of hers."

"Hahaha! An idiot paired with a bastard? Now that you mention it, they really do fit."

Lin Mo shot the speaker a vicious glare, but the man was not intimidated in the least. Instead, he pointed at him with an arrogant air.

"What are you looking at, little idiot? Get down."

Knowing full well that he had no strength to speak of, Lin Mo could only step down from the platform in silence.

I'm so pissed! How dare they call me an idiot? Forget it. They say swallowing your anger calms the wind and waves, but the more I think about taking a step back, the more cheated I feel!

It's fine, it's fine. The White Tiger Duke is my enemy. Once I've latched onto Huo Gua's coattails, as long as I don't take her into Shrek, revenge should still be possible. Right, that's what I'll do.

Just as he stepped off the platform, a little girl with long azure hair ran over, wearing an old dress washed nearly white.

The girl raised her eyes to look at him. They were a beautiful azure blue, though now misted with tears, as if she had been terribly wronged. Her fists were clenched tightly, and she said nothing, only looking at him anxiously.

"Brother Xiao Mo, are you all right?"

"Well, well, well. Isn't this the little bastard who just awakened an eye martial soul with level-one innate soul power? So worried about your idiot, are you?"

A middle-aged woman nearby, dressed in far more luxurious clothes, mocked her without restraint.

The girl did not respond to a single word. She merely took Lin Mo's hand in silence.

But Lin Mo's mind had stalled.

Wait, wait. What the hell? This girl awakened an eye martial soul, and her innate soul power is level one. Could she be Huo Yuhao? No, isn't Huo Gua a guy?

He pondered this as the petite girl led him forward by the hand.

"No way..."

He muttered under his breath. Although he could not believe it, aside from her gender, everything about the person before him matched: her appearance, her features, even her martial soul and innate soul power.

Why has my ticket to success turned into a girl?

He opened his mouth, thought for a long while, and finally asked.

"Um, what's your name?"

"Huh? Brother Xiao Mo, I'm Huo Yuyao."

"..."

My name's right. It's exactly the same as before I transmigrated. But this kid's name is way off, isn't it?

Huo Yuhao? Huo Yuyao?

He let her keep leading him by the hand.

Could it be... that I've transmigrated into some parallel world?

Only then did he finally absorb all his memories.

A year earlier, before his memories returned, he had been nothing more than an ordinary five-year-old boy. Huo Yun'er had found him beside a stream and brought him home.

Huo Yun'er had always cared for him attentively, as though he were her own child. And, well, the girl before him-Huo Yuyao-had treated him very well, too. Whenever she had something to eat, she would always give him half. In fact, because he was a boy, she would give him a larger share and eat less herself.

Although many people throughout the mansion had laughed at Huo Yun'er for picking up a boy who seemed like an idiot, she had never abandoned him. Instead, she had protected him all the more fiercely.

The two of them left the hall and were about to head toward their old room when a mocking voice rang out behind them.

"You two, get out of the way! Can't you see the young master coming?"

A guard standing nearby swept his arm out forcefully, shoving them aside so hard that they nearly fell.

"Who are these two pieces of trash?"

"They're Huo Yun'er's daughter and adopted son, young master. They awakened their martial souls alongside you."

"Really? What did they awaken?"

The speaker looked about their age, but he was stronger and taller, with a particularly striking head of blond hair. What left the deepest impression on Lin Mo, however, was his supremely arrogant expression, as though everyone else was beneath him.

"The girl awakened eyes, with level-one innate soul power. The boy awakened an ordinary sword, also level one."

"Pfft. Trash like that still has the nerve to stay in the Duke's Mansion?"

He said nothing more. He seemed to feel that even looking at them was a punishment, and swaggered away.

"What a nasty bastard."

Lin Mo glared viciously at him, then looked at the girl beside him.

Huo Yuyao said nothing. She merely clenched her fists and bit her lip, looking as though she might cry, but stubbornly holding back.

Lin Mo wanted to comfort her, but he did not know what to say. Not even ten minutes had passed since his memories returned, and he had no idea what words he could offer.

When reading novels in his previous life, he had always thought enduring humiliation was "satisfying": bearing the burden, hiding one's brilliance, then finally slapping everyone in the face.

But now that it was his turn, now that he was truly standing here, hearing those grating words and feeling those sharp, mocking gazes, there was nothing entertaining about it.

Besides, protagonists in novels always encountered all sorts of opportunities. Yet now that he had transmigrated here, he had no cheat, no system, and no old grandpa. Even his martial soul was just an ordinary Mystic Sword.

He stopped dwelling on it and silently took the girl's hand, heading toward the home in his memories. Still, an uneasy feeling lingered in his heart.

I remember the duchess wasn't quite so cruel before the martial soul awakening. But right afterward, she drove Huo Yuhao-no, Huo Yuyao now-and Huo Yun'er into a storage room. I'm afraid...

Sure enough, things were exactly as he had expected. When they reached their home, it had already been cleared out. Only a very frail middle-aged woman stood at the doorway, quietly waiting for them.

"Yuyao, Little Mo, you're back."

Seeing their old room emptied out and her mother driven from it, Huo Yuyao rushed forward in agitation, only for her mother to stop her.

"It's all right. Let's go live somewhere else."

"Mom..."

Looking at Huo Yun'er, who still wore a smile despite her frailty, Lin Mo felt an inexplicable ache in his heart.

He still had memories of the meticulous care she had given him throughout the past year.

No. Now that I'm here, I have to change something! Auntie Huo Yun'er has looked after me for so long. I have to protect her and her daughter. Once Yuyao gets help from the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, she'll definitely be able to rise!

With that resolve, he stepped forward and took the things from Huo Yun'er's hands.

The gesture surprised Huo Yun'er greatly. She gave Lin Mo a long, searching look but said nothing. Just as in the original story, the three of them were driven into a cramped storage room.

By the time they finished tidying up, it was already dark, yet they did not even have basic food.

Huo Yuyao unconsciously pressed a hand against her stomach, trying to stop it from growling, but the sound carried clearly through the quiet little storage room.

"Mm..."

"I'm sorry, Yuyao. It's all my fault for being so useless."

"No, it's not your fault, Mom. It's mine. If I'd awakened Father's martial soul, things wouldn't be like this."

Unable to bear the sight of the mother and daughter, Lin Mo decided to go out and find something to eat.

"Auntie Huo, I'll go find some food."

"Little Mo..."

Before she could finish, Lin Mo ran out.

The education he had received in his previous life would not let him simply sit by and do nothing.

Following his memories, he reached a kitchen in a fairly remote corner. It was where the servants prepared their meals, so there were no guards. Even the door was battered and shabby.

Seeing this, Lin Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief. Now that he had found the kitchen, there was bound to be food inside.

But it also inadvertently brought his previous life to mind.

Sigh. Is this transmigration a good thing or a bad thing? I never thought I'd have to sneak around just to get something to eat.

He cautiously approached the doorway. Though the wooden door was battered, it was still locked, which left him at a loss. The kitchen did have a window, but it was too high for him to reach.

This won't work. This body is way too small and scrawny. Never mind my height-even if I jump, I can't reach that window. I barely even have the strength for strenuous exercise.

As he thought, he tried to find another way.

No, I don't know how to pick locks either. Sigh. If I'd known, I would've learned a bit of everything in my previous life.

Frustrated, he kept feeling around the edge of the door, while his own stomach gradually began to grow hungry.

This is so annoying. I'll just cut it open. My martial soul is a sword, after all.

With a thought, he actually managed to summon his martial soul by will alone. He had not paid attention to it at noon, but now he examined his sword closely.

Holding the plain, ancient-looking gray longsword, he felt as though he could sense the sharpness of its edge.

This really doesn't look like an ordinary longsword. At least, not in appearance.

But this was no time to dwell on it. He gripped the sword and was about to bring it down on the lock when he suddenly remembered something and stopped.

No, no. If I cut straight through the lock, they'll definitely trace it back to me if they investigate tomorrow. It would be fine if they only punished me, but I can't risk dragging those two into it.

Lin Mo looked around and noticed that the right side of the door was already close to falling apart. An idea came to him.

Heh. As a college student from my previous life, I might not have much, but I've got plenty of sneaky ideas.

He slashed straight at the crumbling edge of the door. Just as he had sensed earlier, the ancient-looking longsword was extremely sharp. One light slash cut through the wood.

Then he caught the door to keep it from falling, carefully pushed it open, and used his sword to gouge numerous pits and holes into the smoothly cut wooden joint.

Okay. Now, even if they investigate, as long as I insist I know nothing, they can only conclude that the old wooden door fell apart from neglect.

He carefully slipped into the kitchen. Seeing a basket filled with potatoes nearby, he immediately grabbed several.

It's a whole basket anyway. They probably won't notice anything missing.

There were also a few cornmeal buns on the table, but taking those would be too obvious, so he left them alone. He then put the wooden door back in place and slipped away.

When he returned to the storage room, he took out the potatoes and said apologetically.

"Sorry. These were all I could find."

"Little Mo, you... you didn't go to the kitchen, did you? You mustn't! It was locked. Don't tell me you broke the door down? If they find out..."

"Don't worry, Auntie. I wasn't that reckless. But these potatoes are raw, so they'll need roasting. I'll go outside and roast them first."

He did not notice the slightly strange look in Huo Yun'er's eyes as she watched him.

After dinner, he lay on the bed with Huo Yuyao. Listening to the steady breathing beside him, he found himself unable to sleep.

He had transmigrated from the modern world. This era could hardly even be called medieval, and for someone accustomed to technology, its way of life was utterly difficult to accept.

What was more, he was a thoroughly naive college student with almost no survival skills. Even roasting the potatoes that evening had only been possible because, just before transmigrating, he had happened across a video about roasting food in the wilderness. He had found it interesting and watched it, which was how he knew what to do.

As for how to obtain food under their current circumstances, with neither a steady food supply nor any money, he did not have the slightest clue.

For the first time, he found himself inexplicably longing for his own world. Though this world did have all sorts of wondrous, novel things, for a student whose survival skills were practically nonexistent, it could be considered hell-at least in these early days.

He turned his head toward the moonlight outside the window. Its pure white glow was exactly like the moonlight back home, just as brilliant and serene.

Yet gradually, he felt that the light radiating from the moon seemed to turn into a tangible energy, slowly drawing toward him.