Death was... banal.
There was no blinding light, no life flashing before his eyes. Just the deafening blare of a truck horn, a sharp burst of pain, and then, silence.
He had been crossing the street, thinking about which instant noodle flavor to buy for dinner. A mediocre life ended by a sleepy driver.
Pathetic.
And then, the silence was replaced by a sharp cry and the warmth of an embrace.
He had been reborn.
---
## Six Years Later - Holy Spirit Village
Wooosh!
The air split with a sharp whistle.
Crack!
A thick branch, the width of a man's arm, snapped on impact, its wooden fibers groaning under the weight before plummeting to the forest floor.
Huang Tian landed with the agility of a cat, his bare feet barely rustling the carpet of damp leaves and earth.
His chest rose and fell rhythmically, expelling clouds of vapor into the cold morning air.
Sweat plastered his silver-gray hair to his forehead and ran down his youthful yet determined face. His eyes, an unusual amber color, gleamed with an intensity that did not belong to a six-year-old.
"Again!"
He twirled the wooden sword in his hand, feeling its familiar weight. It was a piece of ancient, heavy, and sturdy wood, which he had carved himself over the past two years.
For any other child, this piece of wood would be a burden, but for him, it felt like an extension of his own arm.
He moved again.
Fwoosh! Thwack! Crack!
He moved not with the fluid grace of a fencing master, but with the pure, overwhelming ferocity of his physical strength.
Every step buried his feet slightly into the ground, every swing of the sword carried the momentum of his entire body.
Sou!
He leaped over an exposed root, spun in the air, and delivered a downward strike that split a melon-sized stone in half with a loud bang.
"Haah... haah..." He stopped, leaning on the wooden sword plunged into the ground, his body vibrating with the effort. "Still not enough."
His voice was clearly that of a child, but it carried an adult frustration.
'Let's see if anything has changed...'
With a simple thought, a translucent, bluish screen, visible only to him, flickered before him.
---
## [Huang Tian's Status]
Level: 10 (Innate)
Spiritual Power: 10 (Stagnant)
Martial Soul 1: [LOCKED] Imperial Black Dragon
Martial Soul 2: [LOCKED] Imperial Battle Armor
Physique: Latent Dragon Body (Stage 1)
---
Sigh!
'Looks like there won't be any changes today either...'
It had been six months.
Six months since his Spiritual Power had hit the bottleneck of level 10 and refused to advance a single millimeter further.
He knew this was the limit for anyone who hadn't yet awakened their Martial Soul. But even so, it was frustrating.
Meditation helped, keeping his spiritual power dense and pure, but it didn't increase it. In contrast, his body was another story.
The "Latent Dragon Body" was a passive bonus from his first martial soul, even though it was locked. It meant his physical growth was explosive. His strength, speed, and endurance were absurd for his age.
Huang Tian was happy about this. He knew he needed it. He wasn't stupid. Knowing the story of Douluo Dalu was a blessing, and that's why he was building his body from an early age.
He knew the dangers lurking beneath the peaceful surface of this world. Hundred-thousand-year-old Spirit Beasts, manipulative organizations, the Spirit Hall and its unbridled ambition.
He couldn't afford to be weak. If he could do something that would further elevate his power in the future, he would do it without hesitation.
And having a strong body would help him absorb spirit rings far beyond the theory imposed on all these generations.
"Especially for her," he murmured, his amber eyes softening for a moment.
Even as someone with a matured mind from the moment of his rebirth, he had developed deep bonds with people in this world during his six years of life.
His mind wandered to the small house on the edge of the village.
He did this for Huang Shui, or more precisely, for his mother. A woman of twenty-five or twenty-six, with long hair black as night and equally dark eyes that held a kindness and melancholy that seemed too old for her young face.
She was his mother, and she raised him alone.
A single mother in a small village was a target for gossip, but Huang Shui's dignity and reserve kept most malicious tongues at bay.
She was a seamstress.
Her hands, though delicate, were skilled, transforming simple fabrics into clothes that stood out in the village.
Huang Tian's clothes, for example, were always well-cut, durable, and aesthetically superior to those of the other villagers.
He never had to wear patches.
About his father, even though he was curious, he never asked about him, and she never offered any information either.
Aside from his fair skin, he bore almost no resemblance to his mother. Her hair was night, his was the ash of dawn. Her eyes were pools of ink, his were amber flames. "Father's traits, I guess," he thought, shrugging.
But that didn't matter. In this place, she was his world. Someone he would have to protect his entire life.
Sometimes, at night, he would catch her looking at the stars and talking of big cities, of academies for Spirit Masters, of the brightness and vastness of the world out there, not as a dream, but as a memory. He knew, instinctively, that she must have a mysterious story to tell.
He never asked. He just kept it in his heart.
"I'll get you out of here, Mom," he promised the wind, his grip on his wooden sword tightening. "We'll go see the world together. Just wait a few more years." He murmured.
A sound of breaking branches pulled him from his thoughts.
Huang Tian turned, adopting a defensive posture purely out of instinct, the tip of his sword pointed at the source of the noise.
"Brother Tian."
Emerging from the thick foliage was a boy, a head shorter than him, with short, neat dark blue hair and calm, dark eyes that seemed to observe everything with an unusual serenity.
He wore simple blue linen clothes, clean, but visibly patched in some places.
Tang San.
Huang Tian's face broke into a genuine smile, the tension draining from his shoulders. He lowered his sword.
"Xiao San, you little ghost. You move more silently than forest rabbits," Huang Tian teased, his voice playful and full of energy.
Tang San offered a small smile in return. "You make enough noise for a herd of bulls, Brother Tian. I could hear your strikes from across the stream."
"That's called strength training, my friend. Something your small, frail body couldn't replicate," Huang Tian retorted, nudging his friend with his shoulder.
The two were an unlikely pair.
Huang Tian, the loud extrovert with monstrous strength. And Tang San, the quiet introvert with skill and technique that defied logic.
They trained together occasionally.
Huang Tian usually initiated the combat training, hoping to hone his skills with Tang San's experiences.
But without a doubt, he always lost.
Tang San, despite being physically weaker, used his Mysterious Jade Hand and Purple Demon Eye to dodge, parry, and find openings with humbling precision.
Huang Tian would put up a good fight for several minutes, but still ended up on the ground, looking at the sky, as Tang San extended a hand to help him up.
There was no resentment. Just a deep respect between the two.
Huang Tian knew exactly who Tang San was and what he would become. Befriending the future Sea God and Asura God? The best decision he could make in this life.
And even if he became stronger than Tang San in the future, he would not turn against him or abandon him. Overall, he thought Tang San had a good personality and was a good friend.
"What brings you here? Got tired of hammering iron with your father and came to see how a true warrior trains?" Huang Tian flexed his small but already prominent biceps exaggeratedly, making Tang San roll his eyes, though a corner of his mouth twitched.
"Grandpa Jack is calling us," Tang San said, his voice calm as ever. "He's gathering all the children in the village square. The Spirit Hall Master has arrived."
Huang Tian's amber eyes widened, and a slow, excited smile spread across his face. The sweat on his forehead suddenly felt a little colder.
So it turns out it was today!
The day of Awakening. The day everything began.
His heart pounded against his ribs, a mixture of nervousness, anticipation, and an almost wild joy. He looked at his mental status screen one last time, focusing on the two locked lines.
Martial Soul 1: Imperial Black Dragon
Martial Soul 2: Imperial Battle Armor
A dragon. A damned black dragon. A top-tier martial soul, perhaps even surpassing the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
However, he knew this was too flashy. Too dangerous. Revealing something like that in the poorest village in Nuoding province would be like lighting a beacon for the Spirit Hall.
Without a doubt, they would take him, brainwash him, and control him. He would lose his freedom before he even had it.
That's why he decided he would use the dragon as his secondary martial soul, the martial soul he would only place hundred-thousand-year and higher soul rings on.
The armor, on the other hand... It was perfect. Powerful, defensive, and with a weapon. Attack, defense, and agility.
An armor-type tool Martial Soul was rare, but not unheard of. It wouldn't attract the same level of scrutiny as a top-tier dragon. He had already decided this since he learned of his two martial souls.
He would only show the armor.
"Finally," Huang Tian breathed, his smile widening. He tucked the wooden sword into a leather loop on his back and slung his arm over Tang San's shoulders. "Let's go then, Brother San. Let's not keep the honorable Spirit Master waiting."
Tang San nodded, and the two boys, one the silent pillar of the future and the other someone waiting to see that future, began to walk together out of the forest, toward the faint sound of the village bell.
Toward the beginning of their legends.
---
The central square of Holy Spirit Village was little more than a compacted patch of dirt, with the village well on one side and the modest chief's office on the other.
Today, however, it was filled with a crackling energy. Children, all about six years old, were grouped together, some hiding behind their parents' legs, others bouncing with nervous excitement.
Huang Tian and Tang San joined the group.
Huang Tian, with his height and sturdy build, stood out.
He saw his mother, Huang Shui, standing near the edge of the crowd. She gave him a warm, encouraging smile, and he responded with a confident wink that made her laugh softly. He felt a warmth spread through his chest. Protecting that smile. That was his main goal.
In the center of the square was a distinguished-looking man, dressed in an immaculate white robe, with a black cape over his shoulders.