"So I've been matched into the Douluo server now? And I've landed in the Peerless Tang Sect era, with Buddha sitting high above, looking down on the mortal world?"
"I'm supposed to fight the Sea God? Are you serious?!!"
Gu Xingyue looked at the system floating before him, reached out a finger, and poked his cheek, his face filled with disbelief.
[Absolutely!]
"Then give me cheats! Without cheats, how am I supposed to stand against Tang San? He's one of the Divine Realm's five enforcers. I'll die." Gu Xingyue spread his hands, his tone carrying the helplessness of someone ready to smash an already cracked pot.
Just moments ago, he had been at home munching on a Qiaolezi ice cream bar and swigging ice-cold Sprite. He had closed his eyes and opened them again, only to find himself inexplicably transported here.
As far as he knew, there was nothing wrong with his heart-so why on earth had he been dragged here as a conscript?
More absurdly, this lousy system actually wanted him to "beat down the whole world."
Gu Xingyue seriously suspected it had trained under the Hidden Leaf Village and possessed the "Will of Tyranny": stand in the middle and fight both sides.
Just as his mind wandered beyond the heavens, the system's mechanical, icy electronic voice rang out again:
[Simple. I'll just give you cheats, won't I?]
Gu Xingyue's eyes lit up in a flash. He snapped his head up, his tone three parts excitement and seven parts anticipation. "May I ask which school you trained under, System? Qidian's male-oriented fiction or Faloo's power fantasies?!"
[Neither. That's the answer.]
Gu Xingyue's face fell instantly, as though someone had kicked him from the clouds straight into the mud. "Seriously, dude, are you messing with me?"
[Nonsense!]
Gu Xingyue held his forehead and let out a long sigh. "Fine, fine. Then tell me, what exactly are your cheats? Feel free to spell it out."
[Since you've asked with such sincerity, I shall mercifully tell you-I am the incarnation of love and justice, the Romance Conquest System!!!]
"..." Gu Xingyue fell silent for two and a half seconds. "That's what I'm saying. You're a romance system, so what exactly are you getting so fired up about? Sure, this place is also called the 'Romance Continent,' but I can't just redeem everyone I meet with love, can I? I'm not Great Love Immortal Venerable."
[Host, your level is still far too low. You dare underestimate this system.] [Honestly, what am I going to do with you? Get yourself a chair, sit down, and listen closely-as long as you bind yourself to high-quality women, you'll receive corresponding rewards based on your conquest progress.]
Gu Xingyue instantly turned serious and nodded thoughtfully. "I see. I've grasped the core of your system. In plain terms, it's picking up girls and cheating, all in one."
[Then do your best, Host! A beautiful future of reigning supreme across eternity with three thousand harem beauties is beckoning to you!]
Gu Xingyue ignored this bowl of poisoned motivational soup outright and calmly added, "Wait, where's my starter pack? Do I even have to remind you about that? Pay attention, will you!"
[Haha, sorry, sorry. That was an oversight on my part. It has now been corrected, improvements are underway, and the proper action is being taken immediately. All right, Host, please collect your grand starter pack!]
The corners of Gu Xingyue's mouth lifted slightly. "Are you the Doubao system?"
[What a nasty insult! I'm the Lord of All Heavens who presides over cheats. Watch it next time! Don't get so cocky!]
As though he had heard nothing, Gu Xingyue completely ignored the system's final roar and raised a hand to open the starter pack.
Three options popped up instantly-
[Clear Sky Tang Chen's aptitude: comprehend supreme techniques on par with Ring Detonation and the Great Sumeru Hammer. A master in essence, an absolute master of micro-control!] [Skyreach Yun Ming's aptitude: invincible in the present age, with the potential to become a god!] [Underworld King Harosa's aptitude: favored by the plane, a child of destiny!]
Gu Xingyue did not even blink before instantly selecting the third.
Hesitating for even a second would have been disrespectful to that option.
Self-created soul skills and extraordinary talent-so what? Compared with "the plane's favor," they were all roadside trash.
Huo Yuhao, favored by the plane, had picked up a million-year soul beast for free right at the start. Who could keep their composure at that?
So there was no need to hesitate!
Once he made his choice, the system interface refreshed, and a second set of options appeared:
[Holy Light Dragon / Holy Dark Dragon] [Blue Silver Emperor / Clear Sky Hammer] [Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine / Evergreen Life Vine]
Still without the slightest hesitation, Gu Xingyue instantly selected the third combination.
Those were the Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine and the Evergreen Life Vine!
Two Trisolaran martial souls beyond the ninth tier-not just in the current Peerless Tang Sect era, but even in the Dragon King era, they would be solidly T0 in the meta.
The Holy Light Dragon and Holy Dark Dragon certainly required no mechanical skill, a wheelchair setup that "anyone with hands could play," but compared with these two, they could take a back seat.
As for the Blue Silver Emperor and Clear Sky Hammer?
Did roadside weeds even deserve to scam their way into that comparison?
The Evergreen Life Vine's value put it on equal footing with Life Gold. Blue Silver Grass had no business coming anywhere near it.
The Clear Sky Hammer was even more of a bottom-tier weakling.
The Coiling Dragon Staff, Skyreach Spear, Star God Sword, Heartless Sword, Amorous Sword-which of them wasn't more appealing than the Clear Sky Hammer?
Besides, how many times had Buddha used the Clear Sky Hammer after becoming a god?
Almost never.
Conclusion: choosing these two overpowered martial souls was the right call.
With the Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine and Evergreen Life Vine, his prestige was instantly maxed out. He could claim a divine seat just by logging in.
Once both rewards were confirmed, the system sounded another notification:
[Congratulations, Host, on obtaining the "Child of Nature" identity, god-tier twin martial souls, and rank-thirty Soul Elder cultivation. Congratulations, truly congratulations!]
"Child of Nature... not bad. It fits my martial souls pretty well. As for Soul Elder cultivation? Not an Ultimate Douluo. Bad review."
Though he complained aloud, Gu Xingyue was already boiling with excitement inside.
He took a deep breath and released his martial soul.
In that instant, he felt a warm current surge through every limb and bone, as though something that had lain dormant for ages had finally broken out of its shell-the beast sleeping within his body had awakened.
His white hair lifted without wind, arcs of electricity leaping between the strands with crackling snaps.
Electric light seemed to blaze deep within his eyes, tiny flashes of lightning reflected in his pupils.
A dark-purple "bamboo shoot" slowly emerged in his palm-the Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine.
A soul beast said to have inherited the Thunder God's bloodline, the destroyer of the plant kingdom.
Its cultivation rose entirely through devouring heavenly lightning: the more lightning strikes it endured, the stronger it became.
However, the power of lightning would constantly accumulate within its body. It usually approached its limit at twenty thousand years, and could last fifty thousand years at most before its energy ran out of control and it exploded.
Thus, there had never been a hundred-thousand-year Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine in the world.
Yet now, it had been born as a martial soul.
An absolute powerhouse, the loneliness born of that strength, and the one to teach Buddha love was...
The Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine coiled in his palm, its body wreathed in deep-blue electric arcs, like dormant lightning dragons compressed into the space of a few inches.
Gu Xingyue could clearly feel its connection to his bloodline. Every flicker of an electric arc tugged at his heartbeat.
The plant seemed like another part grown from his own body, breathing and pulsing with him.
Yet the awakening was not over.
A completely different warm current rose from his right hand. A realm of exuberant vitality, of all things racing to flourish, seemed to unfold before his eyes.
The satisfaction of commanding the sprouting and growth of all things welled up within him, stirring a profound feeling-this was the surge of life without end!
He lowered his gaze.
An emerald-green vine slowly emerged in his right palm, its branches and leaves unfurling with the warm, gentle luster of jade.
A faint green glow symbolizing life energy flowed over the vine's surface. The light was not dazzling, yet in an instant, it filled the surrounding space with a tranquil presence that soothed the heart and refreshed the mind. Even the sunlight seemed a little softer.
The Evergreen Life Vine.
It was said to be a spiritual plant that had grown in the Lake of Life, at the very heart of the Great Star Dou Forest, in ancient times.
Life crystals had condensed beneath the Lake of Life, the crystallization of the entire mother planet's life energy.
The Evergreen Life Vine grew atop those crystals, taking a thousand years to grow a single inch. Exceedingly precious, it was a supreme spiritual material that could only be encountered by chance, never sought at will, and its value was in no way inferior to immortal herbs.
Now, it coiled quietly between Gu Xingyue's fingers, its leaves trembling gently as though breathing.
One on the left, one on the right; one lightning, one wood.
One governed destruction and slaughter; the other oversaw growth and nurturing.
The two martial souls hovered above his palms, one purple, one emerald. Lightning and vitality intertwined and illuminated each other, forming a strikingly asymmetrical yet extraordinarily harmonious spectacle around Gu Xingyue.
As the martial souls slowly withdrew into his body, the strange spectacle gradually faded. Lightning and emerald green vanished into nothingness, leaving only the faint, fresh scent of vegetation and a weak lingering trace of electric current in the air.
Gu Xingyue looked down at his palms, his fingertips curling slightly, as though he were still savoring the sensation of those two utterly different powers coursing through his blood.
His lips slowly curved upward.
"All right, starting two god-tier martial souls ahead. This is playable!"
Before you continue