"Siegfried, huh? Quite a unique name. Reminds me of Poseidon. If this is the way you choose to strengthen your resolve, then so be it," said the God of Evil with a small smile. "I will watch over you from the divine realm and hope for a smooth journey to your ascension as my successor."
"Thank you for your blessing. Let's not waste any more time. I want to awaken my martial spirit as soon as possible," I replied firmly.
"Haha, of course. Let's move on to the main event. I'm going to wake you up now, and when you do, don't be afraid of what you see. The one waiting for you outside is a... subordinate? of mine."
"Why did you hesitate at the end?"
"Don't worry about it. Just remember—don't be afraid, and don't attack. Now, time to wake up."
Before I could question him further about that ominous warning, I felt myself inhale sharply, as if I had just resurfaced from deep underwater. The first thing I saw was a row of razor-sharp white teeth that looked like they could shred steel.
I instinctively backed away, shouting, "What the hell?!"
"Did I not tell you not to be afraid?" the God of Evil sighed, appearing beside the creature that had nearly scared me to death.
It was a massive tiger, its fur a blend of gray and black. Reptilian wings extended from its back, and a scorpion-like bone tail swayed ominously behind it.
"Siegfried, this is the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. It contains a part of my divinity. Another Evil God caused it to mutate, but as the God of Evil, I can control all evil, even that born from other gods' power. He's the one who found and led me to you."
"Oh... Nice to meet you... tiger." I muttered. "Wait—how are you here? Aren't you forbidden from appearing in the lower realm?"
"This is just a projection, not my true form. It originates from the shard of evil divinity within our little tiger here."
"Little tiger?" I echoed, glancing at the giant beast again.
I decided not to comment further.
"Let's not delay. It's time for you to awaken and receive my trials. They won't start until you reach level 70, so you won't get immediate benefits—but making you my heir will earn you respect in areas connected to god inheritances. Now, close your eyes. Feel the energy. Guide it. The process will be painful, but if you endure it... you'll be changed forever."
I nodded, sitting cross-legged and straightening my back. I closed my eyes and braced myself.
A few seconds passed before I felt it—an inferno of power tearing through my soul channels like molten lava pouring from a volcano. My entire body felt like it was being incinerated from the inside, and even my consciousness was under assault.
I tried to guide the energy, but every time I focused, malicious thoughts invaded my mind, trying to sway me.
But I endured.
Before the betrayal, I might've given up—still clinging to the dream that everything would be fine because of my father. But that illusion was gone now.
Eventually, the pain stopped—and I heard it.
A roar.
A massive, primal roar that echoed through the Star Dou Forest like a storm.
I opened my eyes and looked up.
Towering behind me was a colossal, black-scaled dragon with glowing golden eyes and an aura of pure chaos and evil.
"Fafnir..." I whispered, awestruck by the beast's presence.
"What an interesting creature," the God of Evil murmured beside me. "Its potential rivals god-level martial spirits. And it comes from outside… that suggests it carries divinity. You called it Fafnir? Do you know what it is?"
His sudden appearance made me jump a little, but I replied, "I do. Fafnir was originally a dwarf—one of the phantasmal races, basically a superior mortal. He was once a prince, but killed his father out of greed and stole a cursed ring. That curse turned him into an evil dragon that embodied sin. He was eventually slain by the hero Sigurd—or Siegfried. That's why I took the name."
"Fascinating tale... and those dwarves… In any case, I must go. I can't maintain this projection for long or I'll be discovered by the other gods. Get to know little tiger here. He'll protect you until you're strong enough. You'll understand him through the Evil God's Mark. Farewell, and may you reach your goals."
Before I could respond, he vanished.
"Is he gone?" a voice asked.
I whipped my head around, alert, before remembering his words.
"Little tiger?"
"You don't get to call me that, human! The fact that I have to protect a child is disgusting!" the voice snarled.
I sighed. "Look, I'm not thrilled either. I don't want to be seen associating with spirit beasts and be called a traitor to humanity. But we'll just have to tolerate each other."
Silence stretched for a few seconds.
Then the tiger growled, "Fine. But I won't help unless you're on the brink of death. Otherwise, you're on your own. I can track your position through the Evil God's Mark. If I sense you're in mortal danger, I'll teleport to your side."
"Thank you. Do you have a name?"
Silence again.
"How about Byakko?"
"What?"
"Byakko. A divine tiger god who ruled the west. It fits."
"...This changes nothing, human. But I'll accept the name," said the tiger as it began walking away.
"You're leaving?"
"Like I said—if you're in danger, I can find you. I'm going hunting. I suggest you do the same."
"Alright... see you later, Byakko."
The massive beast vanished into the forest, and I finally took a moment to examine my surroundings.
The forest was the same—except for a tranquil pond nearby. I guessed Byakko brought me here intentionally.
I approached the pond to wash the grime and blood off. But when I looked down at the water, I froze.
The reflection staring back wasn't mine.
My dark brown hair had turned pitch black. My gray eyes now glowed gold, just like Fafnir's. And most striking of all, there was a glowing symbol beneath my clothes—a tattoo shaped like a tree, with roots starting from my stomach and branches stretching to just below my collarbone.
So much for staying incognito.
I just sighed silently before taking off my clothes and slipping into the pond.
The cool water washed over me, calming my nerves, but my attention was drawn to the glowing mark on my chest. It was far more striking up close. The roots were twisted together tightly, and the branches reached outward—bare, with not a single leaf to be seen. It looked... desolate.
I had a strong guess about what the tree symbolized, just as I had a good idea of what caused my change in appearance. Considering that Byakko was originally a white tiger before mutating due to the Evil God's shard, it stood to reason that my transformation—my now enhanced appearance—came from awakening Fafnir and adapting to the evil attribute.
It made me wonder: is the holy attribute of the Seraphim martial spirit stronger or weaker than my evil one?
Members of the Qian family all had blonde hair and golden eyes, at least while using their martial spirit. Maybe strong attributes directly affect appearance.
Tang San came to mind.
When he awakened the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline, his appearance changed drastically. Perhaps his transformation was a result of both his refined bloodline and a powerful attribute—nature, or maybe life, something of that nature.
I ended my musings there and climbed out of the pond, leaving my old, torn clothes behind as I dried myself and changed into a fresh set from my storage.
Thankfully, the Violet Sun Necklace was still with me. If those bastards had known about it, they probably would've taken it. But only Grandpa Wudi, my parents, and... Aunt Yuehua knew it existed.
My thoughts drifted toward my aunt—the woman who had raised me as her own for the last two to three years.
I knew I'd miss her. I already did.
But I'd see her again.
When I became stronger—strong enough to stand beside her not as a frightened child, but as a true spirit master—I'd protect her, just like she once protected me.
Fueled by that resolve, I summoned Fafnir.
The illusionary dragon materialized behind me, its massive, glowing golden eyes staring down with overwhelming presence. But I didn't flinch. I didn't look away.
This was my martial spirit—my power—and it would carry me to everything I desired.
Martial Spirit Possession: Evil Dragon Fafnir.
As our energies merged, the world shifted.
My senses sharpened—sight, sound, even my spiritual awareness surged forward. I could feel the emotions of nearby spirit beasts, their fear unmistakable as they scrambled to escape the terrifying aura Fafnir released.
Black scales appeared, wrapping around my forearms and shins. The mark on my chest glowed even brighter, responding to the influx of energy.
I had never felt better—stronger, faster, more alive. It felt like I could sprint across the entire Star Dou Forest without tiring.
I didn't waste any time.
I ran to the nearest tree and began attacking it—punches, slashes, trying to guide my spirit power into my limbs, testing its behavior, discovering how it flowed and surged.
I would forge my own techniques.
My own legacy.
Just like my great-grandfather.
I would prove myself worthy of Fafnir.
I would, without a shred of doubt, become the strongest.
Stronger than Tang San.
Stronger than Qian Renxue.
Stronger than Bibi Dong.
All of them.
I would rise to godhood—and when I did, I would make sure no one could ever threaten the people I cared about. And if anyone dared to try...
I would destroy them.
That was the promise I made to myself before I resumed training.
And just like that, three years passed.
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Author's Note:
Alright, here we are with another chapter!
First, I'd like to thank everyone who commented and voted on the fanfic ideas in the last post. A lot more people responded than I expected, and I'm genuinely flattered by the interest. As of now, the Danmachi idea is in the lead, but I'll wait until the next chapter drops before finalizing the winner.
Now, onto the content of this chapter.
We've finally reached the point where the MC awakens his martial spirit, and I want to clarify a few things so no one gets confused—so this note will be a bit longer than usual.
First, the tiger.
It's one of the main reasons I went with the Evil God's inheritance—aside from the obvious tie-in with Fafnir being an evil dragon. I needed to give the MC a protector early on, and this felt like the most natural and lore-consistent way to do it. I chose the name Byakko as both a nod to Earth mythology and because it fits the Chinese-inspired setting.
Second, the comment about Fafnir being on the level of a god-level martial spirit.
This doesn't mean the MC now has innate spirit power at level 20. Instead, it means that his cultivation speed is comparable to those who do. Since Fafnir contains a trace of divinity, it boosts his growth rate—but because it's not native to the Douluo Dalu world, it doesn't enhance innate spirit power the way local divine level martial spirits and their respective gods would.
Third, the time skip.
This is one of two major time skips planned for this volume. After that, time skips will become much rarer(will happen at the same time as the ones in the OG Donghua). As you may have noticed, the focus for the early stages of the story is on the MC developing self-created techniques, much like Tang Chen. His first few spirit rings will lean heavily toward enhancement-type abilities.
Fafnir's self-created skills will draw inspiration from Dragon Slayer Magic in Fairy Tail, while his halberd techniques will be my own creations—though inspired by Demon Slayer and Ushiwakamaru from Fate, particularly her Noble Phantasm: The Wandering Tales of Shana-Oh.
One last unrelated thing:I'll be posting an image of the MC in the comments. And for those of you who might be upset that I didn't include every detail of Fafnir's legend—yes, I am aware of the full story, including the death of his brother. I just wanted to keep things concise for narrative flow, so chill.
That's all for now—see you in the next chapter!