"Then just let him die in some 'accident.'"
Xue Qinghe's voice was icy, so cold that Jun Yi shivered in his swaddling clothes.
Qian Renxue really is ruthless. She could even bring herself to kill an adorable child like me? Jun Yi grumbled inwardly.
"The Heaven Dou Imperial Family is rife with factions now. Only the second and third princes have much talent. The fourth prince is still young and poses no concern. It seems I'll need to find some pretexts to strip these younger brothers of mine of their right to compete for the throne."
Xue Qinghe continued stroking Jun Yi's cheek as he spoke, his face expressionless.
"Yu Long and I will certainly do everything we can to assist you, young miss," the black-robed man said.
"I only hope this child shows some talent in the future. At least he would be of some use then, and I wouldn't have raised a piece of trash for nothing."
Five years later, in a courtyard within the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, a delicate-featured boy was fiddling with a dazzling assortment of loose parts, rare metals, and other materials.
As he assembled the pieces in his hands, he complained:
"System, you're really unreliable. Other people's systems give them whatever they want. Why do I have to do everything myself with you?"
"This is to temper the host and prevent the host from becoming dependent on the system, only to end up as a piece of trash who is nothing without it."
The system answered in an icy voice.
"Oh, I didn't expect you to actually have my interests at heart, System. Not bad, not bad."
After offering that praise, the boy gave up on the parts in his hands and muttered to himself, "Soul Tools really are hard to make. Even with blueprints, I can't figure out how to assemble one. Huo Yuhao really must be talented."
With that, he put away all the blueprints and metal parts on the table, then went back inside and sat down.
Over these five years, Jun Yi had fully accepted the fact that he had transmigrated.
He had once asked the system why he had come to the Douluo Continent. Its answer was simple: a shooting star had happened to pass while Jun Yi was fantasizing, so his wish had come true, bringing him here.
Jun Yi had found that explanation utterly absurd, but he really had transmigrated. No matter how ridiculous the explanation was, he believed it.
As for his current name, he was still called Jun Yi. Xue Qinghe had originally wanted to name him Xue Mantian and had called him that for quite some time.
But once Jun Yi was old enough to speak, he had wheedled Xue Qinghe into changing his name to Jun Yi. Xue Qinghe had readily agreed. After all, he was only a pawn; what he was called made no difference.
Throughout these years, Jun Yi had lived cautiously, not daring to cause Xue Qinghe trouble or make too many requests.
Though Jun Yi appeared to be Xue Qinghe's adopted younger brother, he understood that he had merely been lucky enough to be chosen as a pawn for Qian Renxue to win people's hearts.
It was also after Qian Renxue adopted Jun Yi that Xue Qinghe became widely known for "loving the people as his own children." Not only had he gained a good reputation among the common people, but he had also reaped considerable political capital at court.
Still, whatever else might be said, Qian Renxue had done him the kindness of adopting him. On top of that, she really did treat him well on the surface. Otherwise, he would never have obtained so many rare metals and materials to forge Soul Tools. Jun Yi was grateful for that.
"Today's the day I awaken my Martial Soul. Qian Renxue should be here soon. This is so exciting. I wonder which fruit I'll awaken."
"If it's the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, that'll be amazing. Who'll be able to take a punch from me then?"
It was time to fantasize...
About an hour later, a knock at the door reached Jun Yi's ears, accompanied by a gentle question:
"Xiao Yi, are you there? I'm here to take you to awaken your Martial Soul."
Jun Yi hurried to the door and opened it to welcome Xue Qinghe, saying:
"Brother Qinghe, come in and sit down."
"I won't sit down. Today's the day you awaken your Martial Soul. Are you ready?"
Xue Qinghe gently stroked Jun Yi's head and asked with a smile.
"I'm ready, Brother Qinghe. I even ate extra today. I'm sure I'll awaken a good Martial Soul!"
Jun Yi deliberately patted his belly, looking eager to get started.
"Good. I believe in you, Xiao Yi. But don't put yourself under any pressure. Whether you can become a Soul Master or not, I'll make sure you live out your life in peace."
Xue Qinghe took Jun Yi's little hand as he spoke.
"Thank you, Brother Qinghe."
With that, Jun Yi followed Xue Qinghe into a sedan chair, which eight bearers carried toward the square inside the palace.
At first, Jun Yi had not quite understood why even the imperial family had to gather for Martial Soul Awakening. Only later did he learn that this allowed the nobility to show off their children's aptitude and obtain more resources.
Inside the sedan chair, Xue Qinghe spoke first. "Xiao Yi, Rongrong has come to the palace today too. She'll definitely be happy to see you."
"Huh? Ning Rongrong's here too? Why?" Jun Yi asked in confusion.
Xue Qinghe explained, "My teacher came to the palace today to discuss important matters with Father, and he brought Rongrong along to awaken her Martial Soul."
"What's this? Judging by your expression, you don't want to see Rongrong?"
Xue Qinghe teased him with a faint, knowing smile.
"Uh, not really. Can I go back?"
"No."
"All right."
Looking thoroughly embarrassed, Jun Yi propped his chin in both hands and stared out of the sedan chair as though he had nothing left to live for. Beside him, Xue Qinghe kept smiling.
Ever since Jun Yi had been brought into the palace, Xue Qinghe had cared for him in every possible way.
Everyone in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, and even Heaven Dou City, knew that Xue Qinghe doted on his adopted younger brother. Whenever there was anything good, whether an object or an opportunity, he would think of Jun Yi first.
At the same time, Xue Qinghe's reputation for "loving the people as his own children" had spread throughout the Heaven Dou Empire.
So when Xue Qinghe visited his teacher, Ning Fengzhi, at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he naturally brought Jun Yi along.
That was how Jun Yi had met Ning Rongrong, who was the same age as him. As for their relationship, it was somewhat peculiar...
When they arrived at the enormous knights' training ground inside the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, quite a few children Jun Yi's age were already awakening their Martial Souls.
Most of these children were younger members of noble families or the families of important court officials, which was why they had the opportunity to undergo Martial Soul Awakening at the palace.
This was unlike Tang San's awakening in Holy Soul Village, where Spirit Hall had to specially dispatch a Soul Master to the village to help all its children awaken their Martial Souls.
The Heaven Dou Imperial Family had deep pockets, so Martial Soul Awakening was naturally conducted one-on-one. There was no need to queue; once you arrived, a Soul Master would be there to awaken your Martial Soul.
Xue Qinghe and Jun Yi stepped out of the sedan chair. When the others saw Xue Qinghe lead Jun Yi into the square by the hand, they all bowed.
"There's no need for such formalities, everyone. I've also come to bring my younger brother, Jun Yi, to awaken his Martial Soul today."
Xue Qinghe's gentle voice reached everyone's ears. They all made way for this wise and virtuous prince.
Xue Qinghe brought Jun Yi to a middle-aged Soul Master, then turned to him and said, "Xiao Yi, do your best. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."
"Mm." Jun Yi nodded.
The middle-aged man took out a transparent, hexagonal crystal and placed it beside Jun Yi. Just as he was about to say something, a little girl's voice instantly rang across the entire square:
"Little Yizi! You really made me search everywhere! So you ran off here!"
Jun Yi looked up. A world-shaking streak of sword light flashed across the sky, and two figures came flying through the air, arriving beside Jun Yi and Xue Qinghe in an instant.
One man had a face like polished jade, a straight nose, and a square mouth. He looked refined and mild, and his snow-white robe was spotless.
The other had sword-like brows and star-bright eyes, with a piercing gaze. His long white hair and silvery-white robe gave him an even more unapproachable air.
In his arms was a little girl wearing a sky-blue dress, giving a neat, clean impression. Her tidy, ear-length hair, chubby cheeks, and currently puffed-up expression made her look all the more adorable.
Xue Qinghe stepped forward and bowed to the two. "Greetings, Teacher, Your Eminence Sword Douluo."
Before Ning Fengzhi could respond, Ning Rongrong hopped out of Sword Douluo's arms, landed in front of Jun Yi, and threw a punch straight at his head.
"Wait, you're actually serious?"
Jun Yi twisted aside to dodge Ning Rongrong's punch, then caught her wrist with a reverse grip and restrained her in a joint lock.
Jun Yi was just about to say something when Ning Rongrong spoke first, demanding, "Tell me, do you admit you were wrong?"
Jun Yi's face was a picture of utter bewilderment. He clearly had not done anything at all, let alone anything wrong.
"Boy, let go."
Suddenly, a chill swept through Jun Yi's entire body. He turned to look and found Sword Douluo sizing him up with a trace of displeasure in his eyes...
(End of chapter)