In Heaven Dou City, Heaven Dou Empire.
"Hello, Toji. Are you helping your father deliver goods again today?"
In front of a noble family's residence, an elegant, dignified noblewoman watched the child before her, who was only nine years old, pulling a cart of coal with his bare hands.
It was so heavy that even several normal adult men couldn't move it, yet the child had pulled it over with one hand as easily as could be.
Toji straightened up and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Yes. Three years ago, Mom and Dad spent their entire fortune, even the money for their medical treatment, just to hire a Soul Master to perform my Martial Soul Awakening."
"But we never expected that my Martial Soul wouldn't have any Soul Power at all. I couldn't become a Soul Master, and I let Mom and Dad down, so all I can do is work hard and use my natural strength to earn money for the family."
Nine years had passed since Toji accidentally went out, got hit by a car and died, then transmigrated to the Douluo Continent.
Nine years ago, when he regained consciousness, he had found himself in his mother's womb, and was subsequently born into this other world.
On the Douluo Continent, every child faced a crucial moment at the age of six, one that could determine the course of their life.
Whether their awakened Martial Soul had Soul Power and whether they could become a Soul Master all depended on how well their Martial Soul Awakening went.
Toji was clearly among those whose awakening hadn't gone well.
His Martial Soul Awakening had left him without Soul Power, unable to become a Soul Master.
In fact, the moment Toji's Martial Soul awakened, the Martial Soul image had not only reflected Toji himself, but the yellow-gold phantom that had initially appeared and the Innate Full Soul Power displayed on the Soul Power detector had also vanished without a trace, leaving him with a Martial Soul that had no Soul Power.
Even the Soul Master his parents had hired was utterly astonished by the bizarre situation.
Toji only heard him mutter to himself:
"That shouldn't be. By all rights, this should be a Body Martial Soul. This child also has natural strength, and the Body Martial Soul he awakened even has Innate Full Soul Power. He's a genius among geniuses, so how could he end up without any Soul Power at all?"
With that, the Soul Master turned and left. He ran off so quickly that he didn't even take the time to explain things to Toji's parents.
Apparently, they had paid a huge sum to find a disciple of a top sect to help him awaken...
His parents' family had once been a fallen Soul Master family. Now, with their talented members dwindling, they had become an ordinary household, and had only managed with great difficulty to contact a disciple of a top sect through their old connections...
Now, their hopes of seeing their son become a dragon had been dashed as well.
Well, that was just great. His Martial Soul Awakening was a bust, he had no Soul Power, and a fortune had been thrown into the sea without even making a splash.
Without any hope of becoming a Soul Master, what could natural strength alone accomplish in the other world of the Douluo Continent, where Soul Masters reigned supreme and the weak were prey to the strong?
Toji only hoped to cure his parents' illnesses, then live out the rest of his life in peace.
That was how it was without a cheat.
The most miserable transmigrator.
Now nine years old, he was three years past his Martial Soul Awakening, and he had grown accustomed to life as an ordinary person.
"You've had it hard, child." The noblewoman sighed, looking at Toji with great regret. "To have such strength, yet not be a Soul Master... I'll continue to give your family plenty of business, then. I'll buy this whole load."
"Thank you, big sis," Toji said, beaming. This load had sold without a hitch!
"But... Soul Guidance Technology has developed rapidly over the years. Your job might even become obsolete before you know it," the noblewoman said, a hint of worry in her voice.
But no sooner had she spoken than a little girl of about six emerged from behind her. The moment the girl saw Toji, she broke into a sweet smile.
"Big brother, you're here again! Do you want to come inside and play with me?"
"Oh, Zhang Lexuan, you're being naughty again. Didn't I tell you to cultivate diligently?" The noblewoman hurried to reason with the little girl when she appeared. "He still has work to do, and you need to go cultivate properly and attend your lessons. Don't waste your talent for Innate Full Soul Power like this."
"All right, Mom." Zhang Lexuan pouted, then looked at Toji, reluctant to leave. "Bye, big brother. I have to go back to my lessons..."
"Go on. I'll come play with you another day."
Toji smiled as he watched Zhang Lexuan leave, but his face was full of envy.
She was lucky, and she'd been born into a good family too.
Not only did she have Innate Full Soul Power, but she had also been born into a wealthy family, enjoying the best resources and education. Her starting line was higher than other people's from birth.
Unlike him. Sigh.
"That child is so naughty," the noblewoman couldn't help saying. Then she took out a handkerchief and wiped Toji's face. "Child, it's getting so late. You should be heading home too, shouldn't you?"
"Mm, thank you, big sis. Goodbye, big sis."
"All right, goodbye."
Toji raised the cart, which was much larger than he was, with one hand and carried it on his back, then ran swiftly toward home.
He was faster than some one-ring and two-ring Soul Masters the noblewoman had seen running at full speed.
The noblewoman felt another pang of regret.
"What a pity... If only he were a Soul Master."
Humming a tune and ignoring the strange looks people gave him, Toji prepared to leave Heaven Dou City.
Just then, he heard people talking about rumors of recent Evil Soul Master activity. He stopped for a moment, curious.
But after listening for a while, he heard nothing but nonsense. Toji shook his head helplessly, left Heaven Dou City, and returned to a small village outside the great city.
Though he had to run dozens of kilometers, running a marathon like this every day had made Toji feel his physical stats growing stronger in every respect. His endurance in particular had risen very quickly, so this was also a way to train his body and get stronger.
Toji would never miss even the slightest opportunity to grow stronger.
In this dog-eat-dog world, Toji, who couldn't become a Soul Master, could only seek another path.
Pushing open the door to his home, Toji called out:
"Dad, Mom, I'm home! I sold all the goods again today."
But what would normally have been an ordinary day had become extraordinarily strange.
In the family's moderately sized living room, his parents were serving tea and water with fawning expressions to three people seated there.
Hearing Toji's shout, the three turned to look at him, every one of them frowning.
"Strange. He clearly isn't a Soul Master, so why didn't my Soul Power sense him approaching?"
Another Soul Master hurriedly chimed in after hearing his companion's words.
"Me neither. Was it the same for you?"
"Mm, the same for me. How strange. All three of us have reached the Soul King level. How could we fail to sense even an ordinary child?"
"My Lords Soul Masters..."
His father had barely spoken when a Soul Master raised a hand and impatiently cut him off.
"Cut the nonsense. Child, come here and let us take a look at what's going on with you."
Toji saw his parents frantically signaling for him to do as he was told. After a moment's thought, he obediently stepped forward.
"Hold out your hand. Let me take a look."
Toji did as he was told.
The Soul Master, who claimed to be at the Soul King level, raised his hand and placed it on Toji's. Gentle Soul Power appeared, then entered Toji's body.
But once inside, it was like a bottle of mineral water poured into a vast ocean, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
The Soul King's eyes widened.
"Hiss... Strange, so strange. I can't detect anything wrong at all. Kid, what's your Martial Soul?"
"Emmm... I think my Martial Soul is myself. Look." Toji didn't know much about the subject either, but since someone was willing to help him, he was willing to show it.
The Martial Soul image appeared before the three Soul Kings, and it was unmistakably Toji himself.
"His Martial Soul is himself? A Body Martial Soul?"
The three Soul Kings were surprised, then shook their heads regretfully.
"What a pity. He doesn't have a trace of Soul Power. It's a little strange, but he still isn't a Soul Master."
"That's enough for today." One Soul King drained the remaining tea in a single gulp, then looked at Toji's parents and instructed them, "The three of us are from Shrek Academy's Inspection Corps. We've been ordered to hunt down Evil Soul Masters, and unfortunately, there are three Evil Soul Masters doing evil in this area."
The Soul King took out several Soul Tool buttons and handed them to his parents.
"If you run into them, remember to crush a signal button. We'll come immediately."
"Yes, my Lords Soul Masters. Farewell."
Toji sighed as he watched his parents humbly see the three arrogant Soul Masters out.
Was this the difference in status between ordinary people and Soul Masters?
"This child has no manners at all. We're leaving, and he hasn't even bowed?" one Soul King said, somewhat displeased to see Toji standing there blankly.
"That's enough. We came out to hunt down Evil Soul Masters, not to make trouble." Another Soul King glared at him. "Why are you picking a fight with a child? Especially a piece of trash like this who doesn't even have Soul Power. Isn't that a waste of time?"
"All right, all right."
Hearing their words, his parents were angry but dared not speak. His father even reached out, intending to force Toji to bow.
But Toji was much stronger than they were. He stood ramrod straight, and though his father wanted to make him bow, he lacked the strength.
"What a special child. I'll remember you." Seeing this, the Soul King smiled at him, then left with the other two Soul Masters.
"Toji! What are you doing?" His father hurriedly spoke once the three had fully left. "Those three are Soul Masters, Soul Masters at the Soul King level, and they're from Shrek, too. We can't afford to offend them at all."
"Dad, Mom, I sold all the goods. I'm a little tired, so I'm going back to my room to rest." Toji sighed and turned back to his room.
"Then you're not eating dinner?"
"No, I ate dinner at Zhang Lexuan's house before coming back."
"Honestly, Zhang Lexuan comes from a noble family. She's far above the likes of ordinary people like us..."
Listening to his parents, Toji sighed again, took a bath, and lay down on his bed. His exhausted body soon sank into a deep sleep...
He didn't know how long he had slept.
In his hazy state, Toji smelled a pungent stench of blood. It was so foul that it forced him awake.
"What's going on?"
Now awake, Toji was on high alert. His whole body tensed as he quietly opened his bedroom window and looked outside.
There was nothing.
But where was that stench of blood coming from...?
At the thought, Toji's entire body went rigid.
Oh no, it's coming from inside the house!
Toji recalled what the three Soul Masters had said during the day.
Was it Evil Soul Masters?
Toji threw open his bedroom door, intending to warn his parents to be on guard against the arrival of Evil Soul Masters.
"Dad, Mom, Evil-"
Toji's voice cut off abruptly.
For in the hall before him, three figures in black robes were crouched over his parents' corpses, gnawing at them.