On the Douluo Continent, Holy Soul Village lay southeast of the Balak Kingdom, within Fasinuo Province.
Holy Soul Village was small, with only a little over three hundred households.
At the eastern end of the village stood a blacksmith's shop. Its owner was named Tang Hao.
He was a slovenly middle-aged man who spent his days either drinking or sleeping, occasionally forging a few things for drinking money.
The villagers all thought Tang Hao was a good-for-nothing. He had married a beautiful wife, but she had died, leaving him to raise two children alone and scrape by.
Only the village chief, Old Jack, occasionally helped the father and his two sons.
But no one knew that this seemingly dispirited middle-aged man was the Clear Sky Douluo who had once taken the continent by storm, a once-in-a-century genius of the Clear Sky Sect.
Of his two sons, one was his biological son, Tang San, and the other was his adopted son, Chen Mo.
He had originally intended to name Chen Mo Tang Yin, but for some unknown reason...
The name Chen Mo had formed in Tang Hao's mind the moment he saw him.
Chen Mo was a transmigrator.
In his previous life, his name had been Chen Mo, and he had been an ordinary corporate slave who died suddenly at his desk while working overtime.
When he opened his eyes, he had become an abandoned baby in the snow outside Holy Soul Village.
That year, Tang San had just been born, Ah Yin had only recently sacrificed herself, and Tang Hao had not yet completely fallen into despair.
Perhaps seeing Chen Mo had reminded him of his own son, or perhaps his heart had simply softened for a moment. Either way, Chen Mo had survived.
Of course, if that were all, Chen Mo could only have said there was more, but...
Time flew. This year, Chen Mo was six, and Tang San was also six.
They shared a birthday, with Tang San half a day younger than Chen Mo.
"Xiao Mo, is the food ready?" Tang Hao's slurred voice came from the inner room, thick with the smell of alcohol.
"Yes, Foster Father." Chen Mo carried a bowl of thin porridge into the inner room.
Tang Hao was lying on the bed, clutching a wine gourd, his face flushed and his eyes unfocused.
Chen Mo set the porridge on the table and turned to leave.
"Wait." Tang Hao suddenly stopped Chen Mo.
Chen Mo stopped and turned around. "Foster Father, is there anything else?"
Tang Hao sat up on the bed, a trace of clarity flashing through his clouded eyes.
He looked Chen Mo up and down, then suddenly asked, "Xiao Mo, you're six this year, aren't you?"
"Yes, I'm six." Chen Mo nodded.
"Tomorrow, Spirit Hall will come to the village to awaken everyone's Martial Souls. You and Xiao San should both go."
Tang Hao's voice was somewhat low.
Something stirred in Chen Mo's heart. Here it comes.
Martial Soul Awakening was one of the most important turning points since he had transmigrated into this world.
According to the original story, Su Yuntao should have come three months ago to awaken the Martial Souls of everyone in Holy Soul Village who had turned six.
But for some unknown reason, it had been delayed by a full three months.
In the original story, Tang San would awaken Twin Martial Souls, Blue Silver Grass and the Clear Sky Hammer, with innate full soul power.
And he himself... what would he awaken?
Chen Mo did not know, but he had a feeling that his Martial Soul would be anything but ordinary.
After all, he was a transmigrator.
"All right." Chen Mo nodded calmly.
Tang Hao glanced at Chen Mo, then lay back down and continued drinking.
Chen Mo returned to his room, sat cross-legged on the bed, and closed his eyes.
Tomorrow, my Martial Soul will awaken.
He knew that, according to the original plot, after Tang San awakened his Martial Souls, Su Yuntao would recommend him to Nuoding Academy. Then he would meet Xiao Wu, take Yu Xiaogang as his master, and use cheats all the way.
And he himself...
The corners of Chen Mo's mouth lifted slightly.
I'm definitely snatching Tang San's opportunities.
I'm definitely snatching Tang San's woman, too.
As for Tang Hao, heh heh, Ah Yin won't get away either!
As for why?
A cold gleam flashed through Chen Mo's eyes. He had transmigrated to the Douluo Continent in his own body, so he had retained memories from a very young age.
When Chen Mo first opened his eyes in this world, he was lying on a patch of green grass, yet strangely, snowflakes were drifting down from the sky.
Lush Blue Silver Grass covered the ground within a meter of Chen Mo, but beyond that meter lay a world of ice and snow.
When Chen Mo opened his eyes again, he saw a rugged-looking middle-aged man cutting his infant body with a small knife. The blood that flowed out dripped directly onto an emerald-green seed.
Seeing the blood of the child in his arms drip onto the emerald-green seed and make it glow softly, the crude-looking man began laughing wildly. As he laughed, tears streamed down his face.
When he looked at the child in his arms again, his eyes were filled with greed and disbelief.
The place where he had pierced the child's palm had already begun to heal, and it would be fully healed in half an hour at most.
A few days later, Chen Mo finally learned who the crude-looking man who pierced his palm with a small knife every day was.
It was none other than Tang Hao, the Clear Sky Douluo and father of this world's son of destiny!
But learning his name changed nothing. Having his palm pierced continued until after Chen Mo turned two.
Only then did Tang Hao stop doing it himself. Instead, he made Chen Mo cut himself with a knife every three days, bleed a small bowlful, and pour the blood over the carefully guarded, gold-patterned Blue Silver Grass in the center of the courtyard-Ah Yin.
Tang San had also asked Tang Hao why he did this.
Tang Hao had simply dismissed him with, "Why's a kid asking so many questions? Get lost!"
After Chen Mo turned three, he discovered that a new power had appeared within his body.
All by himself, Chen Mo secretly, secretly experimented on plants and on Tang San.
He discovered that using this power on plants could accelerate their growth cycle, while using it on people seemed to suppress a power within their bodies. Chen Mo was still unsure exactly what it was, and he had told no one.
There was also one very important thing Chen Mo had not told Tang Hao: as he watered Ah Yin with his blood, he had already formed a deep bond with her. Once the Blue Silver Grass successfully took human form, who her husband would be was anyone's guess.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, Chen Mo got up.
He made breakfast, woke Tang Hao and Tang San, ate a little himself, and headed toward the Spirit Hall Branch in the village.
Tang San followed behind Chen Mo.
"Brother, do you think awakening a Martial Soul hurts?" Tang San asked quietly.
Perhaps because Chen Mo occasionally took care of him, the normally withdrawn Tang San listened to him closely.
"It doesn't hurt. Don't worry." Chen Mo stroked Tang San's head, but inwardly, he sneered.
Whether it hurts doesn't matter. What matters is that, starting today, I'll rewrite your destiny.
Quite a few children and parents had already gathered in front of Holy Soul Village's Spirit Hall Branch.
Chen Mo found a corner to stand in and waited quietly.
Tang San stood beside Chen Mo without a word.
Before long, a young man wearing a white Spirit Hall uniform walked in.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Su Yuntao, a deacon of Nuoding City's Spirit Hall Branch, a rank twenty-six Soul Grandmaster."
Su Yuntao introduced himself with a smile. "Today, I'll be awakening your Martial Souls."
The children cried out excitedly.
Su Yuntao waved a hand to quiet everyone down, then began awakening their Martial Souls one by one.
"First, Zhang San."
A boy stepped forward and stood inside the awakening formation.
Six black stones lit up simultaneously, and a gentle light enveloped Zhang San.