Early the next morning.
As the first ray of sunlight slipped through the cracks of the wooden cabin, Li Xuan instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes. He groaned softly and slowly opened them.
"Hsss…"
A sharp, knife-like pain coursed through every inch of his body. It hit him like a freight train, forcing a hiss of pain from his clenched teeth.
After several minutes of just lying there, breathing through the pain, he finally felt the worst of it subside.
"Must be the effects of that pill from last night," he muttered, wincing. "Too powerful... my body couldn't absorb it all." He took a few deep breaths, trying to suppress the residual agony.
Half an hour later, Li Xuan had finally adjusted to the pain well enough to climb out of bed. He grabbed the half-empty bottle of mineral water leftover from last night and chugged it without hesitation.
The water helped—just enough to clear his head.
"System," he said weakly, leaning against the mud wall for support, "show me what kind of second martial soul I awakened."
[General Attributes]
Name: Li Xuan
Age: 6
Martial Souls: Heaven-Controlling Vial, Nine-Heart Nine-Flame Lotus
Soul Power Level: Level 10 (First Soul Ring Not Yet Acquired)
Soul Bones: None
Survival Points: 48
---
"Heaven-Controlling Vial?"
Heaven-Controlling Vial!?
Li Xuan's eyes went wide as he shouted in disbelief.
"This… this is insane!"
He ignored the stabbing pain and shot up, his face lit up like it was Christmas morning. This was beyond lucky—it was legendary! He stretched out a trembling hand, and as he channeled the soul power in his body, a complex, mysterious pattern shimmered into view on the back of his hand.
Last night, while unconscious, Li Xuan had absorbed the memories of this body's former occupant. Along with knowledge of this world's language and martial soul techniques, he also now understood his current situation.
If regular soul marks were doodles, then this thing on his hand was an intricately carved miniature masterpiece—it was like an ancient mural etched into his skin.
It was…
Mysterious.
Profound.
And had an old-world grandeur that made it feel almost sacred.
As he poured more soul power into the mark, a soft green light flickered to life. A tiny, palm-sized jade-green bottle manifested in his hand.
"A little green bottle... it's really the Heaven-Controlling Vial!" he exclaimed. His excitement boiled over. He leapt from the bed and bounced around the tiny straw hut like a kid on too much sugar, momentarily forgetting about his aching body.
This wasn't just any item—it was the artifact once wielded by Han the Immortal! That guy bulldozed his way through every obstacle and eventually became a true immortal thanks to this very bottle!
Eventually, Li Xuan collapsed, exhausted from the excitement, and carefully withdrew the Heaven-Controlling Vial back into his body.
Then he turned his gaze to the sea of flowers beyond the door.
With the Heaven-Controlling Vial, he could rapidly cultivate rare spirit herbs—herbs that could skyrocket his cultivation. If he could grow enough of them, he might actually get strong fast.
Li Xuan didn't know what most of these spirit herbs were, but he did know one thing: if there were any real treasures hidden among these blooms, it would be here in Chrysanthemum Douluo's flower field.
Just as he was planning his next move, a loud voice rang out from outside the hut.
"Food's ready! Eat up and get to work! You've got weeding duty today—if you don't finish, it's ten lashes. Again."
A harsh, growling voice barked from outside.
Li Xuan recognized it instantly—it belonged to Lin Mo, the overseer of this place and, unfortunately, his immediate boss. According to his inherited memories, Lin Mo was a distant relative of Chrysanthemum Douluo. His martial soul was a whip, but he'd been born without any soul power. That didn't stop him from becoming a sadistic expert in using it, though. Many of the "flower slaves" had met their end under his cruel hand.
This entire flower field was part of Chrysanthemum Douluo's private estate, located just outside the main territory of Spirit Hall. It was filled with all sorts of exotic and rare plants he had collected from across the land—and needed constant tending.
That's where the flower slaves came in. Spirit Hall had supplied convicted criminals to maintain the place. Officially, they were laborers. In reality, they were expendable.
Li Xuan's own parents had offended a high-ranking official, so here he was: the six-year-old son of a disgraced family, exiled to weed flowers.
Yesterday, while hauling water for irrigation, Li Xuan hadn't been able to carry enough. So Lin Mo took it upon himself to "motivate" him—twenty lashes. That brutal beating had literally killed the original Li Xuan.
Now it was his turn to play the game.
"Yes, Overseer! I'll eat right away and get to work!" Li Xuan called back politely as he stepped out of the hut, doing his best impression of a meek and obedient child. On the inside, though, he was rolling his eyes so hard they nearly got stuck.
Truth be told, with his full soul power, Li Xuan could squish Lin Mo like a bug. But Lin Mo wasn't the real problem. Chrysanthemum Douluo was.
There were powerful soul masters stationed all around the flower fields. If Li Xuan acted out, a few Soul Saints could wipe out all the flower slaves without breaking a sweat.
Escape had once seemed like the only option. But now? With the Heaven-Controlling Vial, this place wasn't a prison—it was a goldmine.
The whole field was brimming with priceless plants. Why run? He'd rather stay and quietly steal everything.
"Still alive, huh?" Lin Mo said with a mocking grin, cracking his whip lazily as Li Xuan walked out. "Looks like yesterday's beating didn't knock the spirit out of you after all."
He didn't wait for a reply—just sneered and rode off on a cart, heading to wake the others. Still, there was something strange in his eyes as he glanced back at Li Xuan.
Li Xuan sighed. One day, Lin Mo... you're going to be fertilizer in your own precious flower bed.
He shook his head and went through a quick wash-up before heading toward the dining area.
Each flower slave had their own plot of land to tend, and their huts were deliberately far apart to prevent any ideas of rebellion. Mealtimes required a long walk just to reach the shared canteen.
Halfway there, Li Xuan suddenly remembered something—the white scroll on his bed.
He turned on his heel and ran back to the hut.
"Nope. Not using it now," he muttered, stopping himself just before activating it. He vividly recalled that after using the Martial Soul Awakening Pill yesterday, he'd been out cold the entire night.
If this scroll had the same effect... well, a few hours of sleep might earn him another round of lashes. And this time, there might not be any coming back.
Thinking fast, he dug a small hole near the hut's entrance and buried the scroll. The huts had no locks, and Lin Mo was notorious for rummaging through people's belongings. Anything useful would be "confiscated."
With the scroll safely hidden, Li Xuan resumed his walk to the dining area.
Another half hour passed before he arrived.
He limped toward a rickety straw shed in the middle of a grassy clearing—today's mess hall.
"Here's your food," grunted the cook, handing over a stale, grayish-looking bun. He paused, eyeing Li Xuan's pale, exhausted face, and begrudgingly handed over a second one.
"Cough... thanks, Overseer," Li Xuan wheezed dramatically, clutching the two rock-hard buns and hobbling to a nearby stone to sit down. He gnawed at the cold bread like a man chewing rubber, but he didn't mind.
Every bite was a step closer to revenge.