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In the southwest of the Heaven Dou Empire, within the Fasno Province, west of Nuoding City, lay the farmlands of Harvest Village.
Golden stalks of wheat swayed under the setting sun, their plump forms shimmering in the light. The rice fields stretched endlessly, crisscrossed by narrow paths and irrigation channels.
A lone figure darted through the golden-brown landscape, wheat stalks flying past like scattered fragments in the wind. The figure moved with the grace and speed of a fawn—swift, agile, and full of life.
Upon closer inspection, the figure revealed itself to be a young boy with dark, fine hair. Under the sunlight, his strands shimmered with a deep ocean-blue glow. His youthful face carried a determination uncharacteristic of someone his age.
Sweat clung to his coarse black linen shirt, outlining the lean and toned contours of his body, accentuating his athletic build.
This boy racing through the fields was named Ye Lan. He was not a native of the Douluo Continent but had been reincarnated here from Blue Star.
In his previous life on Earth, Ye Lan had been crossing the street when he suddenly heard the sharp blare of a horn.
Turning his head, he saw a massive runaway dump truck speeding straight toward him.
Faced with the monstrous red vehicle, Ye Lan could have simply dodged backwards and escaped its deadly path.
But in front of him stood two adorable elementary school children, holding hands.
Clenching his jaw, Ye Lan hurled himself toward the children without hesitation, shielding them with his own body.
With a thunderous crash, Ye Lan was flung through the air like a kite with its string cut, thrown over ten meters before tumbling violently across the concrete road. His consciousness began to fade, the last things he heard being the sound of sirens and muffled voices.
"Blind spot—I didn't see him!"
"I thought it was just a speed bump!"
"It's tough for everyone these days…"
"Talk to my insurance company!"
As Ye Lan's awareness slipped away, he nearly jolted back to life out of pure rage from the dump truck driver's excuses. Fortunately, the two children were saved, a small comfort that justified Ye Lan's instinctive sacrifice.
Whether it was due to that selfless act or the whims of a reincarnation truck from another world, Ye Lan found himself reborn into the Douluo Continent.
At first, Ye Lan had no idea where he had ended up. It wasn't until he grew older and overheard adults speaking of spirit masters and martial souls that he began to understand.
Only then did Ye Lan realize the shocking truth—he had been reincarnated into the very novel he had read in his past life: Douluo Dalu. With that revelation, he abandoned his childish laziness and idle lifestyle of simply eating and playing.
He began training at a very young age. But this wasn't to become an athlete, of course.
In the Douluo Continent, only spirit masters held power and status.
They were the rulers of the land. If Ye Lan failed to awaken innate spirit power, he would be no different from the ordinary masses—just another nameless soul under the rule of others.
Worse still, he could one day find himself caught in a clash between the Sea God, Angel God, and Rakshasa God.
Or swept up in the unification wars led by the Spirit Empire. Ye Lan had no intention of dying such a meaningless death. He was determined to take control of his own destiny.
On the Douluo Continent, every child undergoes the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony at the age of six, during which their martial soul and innate spirit power are revealed.
Generally, the stronger the martial soul, the higher the innate spirit power. One's potential as a cultivator is tied directly to this power. Without innate spirit power, it is impossible to absorb spirit energy and become a spirit master.
Based on what Ye Lan remembered from the novel in his past life, he could roughly deduce that physical fitness was extremely important—it directly affected the age limit of spirit rings!
If one's body was weak during Martial Soul Awakening, even a powerful martial soul might be dragged down by poor physical condition, resulting in low innate spirit power. This would then affect the soul's quality and slow down future cultivation.
Take, for example, the theoretical master Yu Xiaogang. He was originally supposed to undergo a beneficial mutation from his family's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul into the Golden Holy Dragon!
But unfortunately, due to his low innate spirit power—just half a rank—the Golden Holy Dragon underwent a harmful mutation and became the flatulent Luo Sanpao.
If Ye Lan ended up with the same fate, he wouldn't be able to accept it.
From the moment he could walk, Ye Lan began training his body with simple exercises. However, he was careful not to overexert himself, fearing it might stunt his growth and leave him short and stubby.
Aside from training, nutrition was equally important. As the saying goes: "Man is iron, food is steel." From the time he could remember, Ye Lan had a steady diet of meat, eggs, and milk.
Although Ye Lan lived without worries about food and clothing on the Douluo Continent, he had his share of misfortune.
Around the age of three, his parents suddenly went missing. He only remembered being held in the arms of a lone wolf spirit master named Su Yuntao, crying uncontrollably. Su Yuntao had told him, "Your parents are gone. From now on, I'll raise you well."
Su Yuntao was the very same Spirit Hall deacon from the original novel who helped Tang San awaken his martial soul. In this world, Su Yuntao had been colleagues with Ye Lan's parents. The three were close, and Su Yuntao used to call Ye Lan's father "Big Brother" and his mother "Sister-in-law."
Whenever Ye Lan asked about the circumstances of his parents' disappearance, Su Yuntao would always dodge the question and change the subject. Ye Lan couldn't help but feel that there was a deeper secret behind it.
In his past life, Ye Lan had been an orphan. So in this life, having parents—even if only for a short time—was an incredible blessing. As an infant, in the dark world before he opened his eyes, Ye Lan often nestled into the warmth of his mother's embrace, soaking in the gentle love she gave. His mother would even joke with his father, saying, "Little Lan is such a clingy baby!"
After his parents disappeared, Ye Lan was placed in the care of Harvest Village's chief, Grandpa Tom. Whenever Su Yuntao had a break from the Spirit Hall sub-division, he would rush over to Harvest Village to check in on Ye Lan.
The money for Ye Lan's nutritional needs came from Su Yuntao's support. Thanks to Ye Lan's conscious efforts in training and his steady food supply, he stood half a head taller than his peers and was noticeably sturdier than the average child his age.
That evening, drenched in sweat from training, Ye Lan returned to Chief Tom's house.
Before he even stepped inside, the mouth-watering aroma of roasted meat hit his nose. Unable to resist, Ye Lan hurriedly pushed open the door.
There sat Tom by the stove, holding a green tree branch. Skewered on the branch was a golden, crispy roast chicken.
Seeing Ye Lan's gaze fixed on the roast chicken, Tom chuckled and said, "Little Lan, don't rush! The chicken will be ready soon. Go wash your face—you're filthy right now, looking like a little beggar!"
Ye Lan scratched his head sheepishly. He couldn't help it—training burned too much energy, and now he was starving.
"I was just admiring Grandpa's amazing cooking skills!" Ye Lan replied with a grin.
"Haha, this roast is made especially for you. Now go, go," Tom said with a laugh.
Soon after, Ye Lan finished washing the dust from his face and the mud from his hands. His small, tender fingers grabbed a drumstick and he bit into it eagerly.
While carving the roast chicken, Tom casually said, "Master Su Yuntao will be coming to our village tomorrow. Aside from checking on you, he'll also be hosting this year's Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony for Harvest Village."
"Little Lan, you're six now—just the right age for awakening. Tomorrow, whatever Master Su asks you to do, you do it. No mischief, understand?"
"I'm already grown up! I won't be naughty," Ye Lan protested, puffing up his chest. "I've waited so long for this day. With all the training I've done, I'm sure I'll awaken innate spirit power!"
(End of Chapter)