Lang Shen jolted awake immediately and started to look around the unfamiliar space he was in. His last memory was just seeing the young man who sat next to him on the bus standing up and activating the thing stuck on his chest. Frantically, he thought, 'Did something happen? Why am I here? And who is this person who calls himself an-"
The elder god raised one hand to silence Lang Shen and responded, "You died in a bombing. You're here because you're dead. I've told you before, I'm just an elder god. And yes, I can hear your thoughts." Lang Shen was startled when the god told him the news but after a short while, he took a deep breath and calmed down, accepting what had happened as there was no way to fix it now. In a curious tone, he asked the god, "So, you said I was chosen for some type of experiment? Why me? Any other soul could've done it right?"
Nonchalantly, the elder god responded, "Yes, any other soul would've been good too. That's exactly why we decided to have some fun and choose a soul randomly. Hence, why we're here. Before you ask, all you have to do for the experiment is to go to another world of your choice and live there. We're testing how lower souls interact with higher realms. Once again, before you ask, yes, this is the lowest realm."
Intrigued by what the elder god was saying, Lang Shen stayed there thinking for a while and finally came up with an answer. "Alright, I'll do it. It's probably my best choice considering the number of crimes I've committed..."
A wide smile suddenly appeared on the god's face as he clapped his hands while saying, "Good! Now, from what I'm seeing of your life on Earth, you had no prior knowledge of the places you will be able to choose and the abilities you would be able to choose from. Your life was much too secular. Well, let's fix that."
The god outstretched his hands towards Lang Shen and the latter for a slew of information rushing into his mind. It didn't take too long for him to re-organize the new thoughts and information in his mind. After that, he began thinking about where he would like to go and what powers he would like. Before long, Lang Shen finally came to a conclusion that ensured survivability, versatility, and overwhelming power. Looking back at the elder god, Lang Shen said, "I'm done."
The god smiled happily and nodded, urging Lang Shen to continue with choices. "Alright, for the place I want to go, I'll choose the world in the novel called 'God Of Martial Arts.' I have always heard about cultivation from my old masters but now I have a chance to experience it first hand. For my abilities, I'd like the powers of Toichiro Suzuki, Shigeo Kageyama, and Keiji Mogami. That's not all, for my biology I'd like to be the 'Father of All Quincy', and my martial spirit would naturally be the Soul King. Those seem like abilities that would serve me well as I'm not planning to die again soon."
The god laughed as he looked at Lang Shen proudly and started making some peculiar signs with his hands. He then said, "Good! A soul that finally knows how to choose! Those powers are dangerous but you will learn how to control them, I have faith in your resolve. Do you want to be reincarnated in the same body?"
Thinking a bit about his past, Lang Shen responded, "No. I'd like to start anew in the new world so I'd like to be in the body of the man called Jugram Haschwalth. Also, can you add-on the ability to make Quincy equipment and clothing for me? It would help." The elder god finished making strange hand signs and put his hands on Lang Shen's soul, causing a seal to appear on it. "It is done. Now, go. I'll send you to that world and you'll know what to do. Just make sure you don't die." The elder god caused a small portal to open up and sent Lang Shen's soul out, starting the process of reincarnation immediately.
[Sometime later during the evening in Gan Yu Region, Xue Yue Kingdom, Yun Yang Town]
At a branch clan of the Imperial Duan Clan, many people could be seen surrounding the largest house in the clan. Many things could be heard from the observers who all wore light blue robes that signified the colors of the clan.
"The clan head's wife is having a baby today! I wonder if it will be a son or daughter?!"
"You're worried about that?! What if the child isn't born with a powerful blood spirit?! We will remain a branch family for the rest of our days!"
"He has to be born with one, the heavens are even celebrating his arrival, look at the sky!"
When everyone heard him, they looked up and saw the sky getting very cloudy unusually fast. Lightning could be seen racing through the clouds as they got even larger. For some odd reason, everyone there started to instinctively fear something, or someone. Their martial spirits were the cause of this as it was deeply connected to their body and the spirits themselves shook in fear, causing the owners to feel the same emotion. The mood changed from excitement to imminent danger very quickly as someone shouted:
"Look at the clouds, they're about to-"
BOOMMM! BOOMMM! BOOMMM!
Lightning struck the house where the baby was being born many times, completely unrelenting in its fury. It was as if the heavens themselves were angry that this baby was coming into the world. The heavenly tribulation lasted only about two minutes and by the time it was done, most of the people on the outside were either dead or injured. The large house that was once there was now completely annihilated. Not a splinter was left. The only thing that wasn't completely destroyed in the tribulation ironically was the target of the tribulation itself, a baby that had its eyes wide open looking around calmly. This was the reborn Lang Shen, but he already knew that his name would be different in this world so he already prepared to abandon it.
Originally, it was a normal baby being born until the soul of Lang Shen took over its body and turned it completely pitch black. His parents were completely dumbfounded at his condition and were just starting to investigate when the lightning struck, obliterating all of them. Their souls and the lightning were immediately absorbed by Lang Shen, enabling him to gain his senses. Normally, he would've had to absorb a large number of souls to do so but the lightning provided enough energy for him.
Suddenly, a carriage with multiple expensive horses arrived, and a young man, about 26 years old, ran out of it frantically with a woman at his side.
"Uncle Sheng, Miss Ling, where are you?!"