A young boy's body floated in the cold, dark waters of the river. The dim moonlight above reflected off the surface, casting an eerie glow on the surrounding trees. His name was Li Yun, a regular teenager from the modern world, though his life had been anything but ordinary in his final moments.
Drowning had been the end of him. A tragic accident during a hiking trip, where a misstep led to him being swept into the rushing waters of a river. He had fought for his life in the cold, unforgiving current, but in the end, his lungs had filled with water. His vision faded to black as the relentless pull of the river dragged him down to the bottom.
Then, nothing.
At least, that was what he had thought.
In the blackness, Li Yun had become aware of something—a presence—something vast, something... empty. It was not like anything he had ever known before. It was pure and unfathomable, a perfect void. He felt himself drawn into it, not as a physical body but as something more, something deeper.
And then, the feeling of weightlessness.
Suddenly, he was no longer drowning.
Before him appeared a scene—an ethereal light, soft and radiant. He had no idea what it was, but it was calling him, guiding him, pulling him into its embrace.
Then the realization struck.
The light wasn't calling him—it was simply... waiting.
It wasn't life. It wasn't death. It was something far older, far more ancient than anything he could comprehend. His thoughts had been scattered, lost in that strange void. But now, the light was beginning to coalesce into something—something familiar.
And in that moment, Li Yun realized: he was no longer in his world. He had been reborn—though not in the way one might expect.
When Li Yun awoke, he was no longer a drowning teenager but a child in a new world, surrounded by the overwhelming force of spiritual energy. His body was smaller, weaker, but he felt something strange—something... powerful. His senses were sharper than ever before, his mind clear, and his emotions strangely calm despite the unfamiliarity of it all.
His new surroundings were primitive, but filled with an undeniable aura of strength. He was lying in a field of tall grass, the wind whispering across his face as the scent of nature filled the air. The colors around him were vibrant, almost glowing with energy.
This was the world of Douluo Dalu.
"Am I... in another world?" he muttered to himself, his voice sounding foreign in his ears.
Before he could process much further, a flash of light filled his vision. The world around him began to distort, and a voice echoed in his mind, an ancient, rumbling tone that vibrated through his very soul.
"You are reborn, child. Choose your path."
The voice was not just heard but felt, resonating within his core. It didn't sound like a god, nor did it sound like a force of fate. It was more like a quiet, unyielding presence, offering him something—a choice.
Li Yun's instincts urged him to answer. His hand pressed against the ground beneath him as his body trembled, the spiritual energy around him suddenly sparking to life.
And then, without warning, a violent surge of energy erupted from within his body. His chest tightened as something surged upward, but it wasn't pain—it was power. The spiritual energy began to gather around him, twisting and pulling at the air like a storm.
Then it happened.
A black vortex appeared in front of him, swirling violently as if it were alive, as if it were pulling in the very essence of the world around him. His eyes widened in disbelief. What was this?
"What's happening to me?" Li Yun thought.
A soft voice, almost comforting, reverberated in his mind once more.
"You have awakened the first of your martial spirits... the Black Hole."
A black hole? The concept was terrifying enough to make him shiver, yet at the same time, there was an undeniable allure to it. It felt... familiar, like it was a part of him, as if this void had always been with him. The black hole pulsated in rhythm with his heartbeat, devouring the air around him, and with each pulse, he could feel his body growing stronger.
But that wasn't all.
Another presence, another surge of power, began to manifest beside him. A soft, faint glow of golden light. A second martial spirit? Li Yun looked down at his hands, trying to understand what was happening.
"The second martial spirit... your soul itself. You are the fusion of these two forces. You are the abyss and the star."
His soul? Could it be that his previous life had left a mark here? He had died in his old world, but this... this was a new beginning. But what did the abyss and the star mean? What kind of power did he now possess?
His mind raced as the two martial spirits inside him continued to stir, becoming more and more powerful, more connected to his body. The black hole continued to pull at the surrounding energy, devouring it, strengthening him. The golden light, his soul's spirit, brought balance, focusing and stabilizing the storm that raged inside him.
For the first time, Li Yun felt something he had never experienced before—control. He wasn't just reacting to the world around him. He was shaping it. The black hole was not just a force of destruction; it was also a force of creation, feeding on the energy it absorbed, turning it into nourishment for his body and soul.
Li Yun stood, his body now completely attuned to the new world around him. The sensations of power flooding through him were overwhelming, but there was a sense of purpose in the chaos. This power, his power, was something he could use, something that would guide him through whatever trials awaited in this strange world.
"I have no idea why I've been given this chance," Li Yun murmured, his voice low but steady. "But I'll make the most of it."
He wasn't sure what this new life had in store for him, but he was certain of one thing—no matter the obstacles, he would carve his own path through the abyss and the stars.