Divine Realm
Above the clouds, in front of a grand palace.
Tang San stood silently, gazing at the sea of clouds below.
His eyes were closed, as if deep in thought.
As a god, he had never concerned himself with the affairs of the mortal world before being discovered by Good and Evil. He had never believed that the so-called soul tools could pose a threat to him. Even though he had already foreseen that the chosen one of this continent's destiny would rise through soul tools and that these devices held immense potential, he still remained unafraid.
Because he was a god. No matter how rapidly soul tool technology advanced, he could wake up from a nap, flick his fingers toward the Douluo Star, and erase all hidden threats as easily as crushing an ant.
But now, things had changed…
Good and Evil had disrupted his plans.
The former forcibly stripped him of his control over the Douluo Star. Although his mother, Ah Yin, had fused deeply with the Golden Tree—devouring numerous souls to achieve near-perfect "100%" control and barely escaping their detection—it still wasn't enough.
As for his father, after devouring the consciousness of the Douluo Plane, he had been forcibly separated. To survive, he had no choice but to bow his head and borrow a small portion of the God of Life's power.
Thus, even when his identity was inevitably exposed in the future, the only forces he could rely on in the Douluo Star were the Clear Sky Clan, his mother Ah Yin, and Shrek Academy.
But revealing his identity was a last resort.
Under the watchful eyes of Good and Evil, he had to stay low—very low. In fact, this plan was known only to him. Not even Da Ming, Er Ming, his mother, Xiao Wu, or the Shrek Seven Devils were informed.
In the early stages, he could only rely on himself.
Though unaware of the current state of the mortal world, the Divine King Tang San still possessed considerable confidence.
Good and Evil would occasionally check on the Douluo Star, but in the Divine Realm, one day was equivalent to a year in the mortal realm. Even if they observed the planet every few days, it would still be years apart in mortal time. As long as he didn't act too conspicuously, he wouldn't be easily discovered. Furthermore, after his father devoured the Douluo Plane's consciousness and had his soul forcibly removed, the consciousness itself had perished. A new consciousness would take at least ten thousand years to be born, based on mortal time.
No interference—this was his confidence.
"Back then, I started from the brink of destruction, relying on a Blue Silver Grass and a Clear Sky Hammer to ascend to godhood. Now, I can do it again!" Tang San thought, full of ambition.
"Let's begin!"
With those words, divine power surged around him, forming an almost imperceptible pale blue meteor streaking through the clouds, heading straight for the Douluo Star…
Heaven Dou City
In front of a blacksmith shop.
Tang San came to a stop.
His body, around eleven years old, appeared thin and frail. His clothes were tattered, but his expression remained firm. A wisp of his divine soul had entered the body of a child who had starved to death on the streets. However, after a slight modification by his residual divine power, the martial souls of this body were identical to his original—Blue Silver Grass and Clear Sky Hammer!
Though this body had not yet awakened at age eleven, it was still the most suitable vessel he could find.
Xuantian Skill and Purple Demon Eye were engraved deep in his memory. Tang Sect's hidden weapons—these were his capital for standing at the peak once again.
(PS: Side note—yes, even after ascending to the higher realm for so many years, our Tang Divine King's cultivation techniques haven't changed a bit. It's still the old trio: Xuantian Skill, Purple Demon Eye, and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. In Douluo Dalu 5, his initial abilities are still the same…)
This body had no parents, no relatives—just as he wished.
Why bother acknowledging new parents? As a Divine King overseeing countless mortal realms, in his eyes, he was the true parent of these living beings. Otherwise, wouldn't randomly accepting a pair of mortal parents be an act of rebellion against the natural order?!
Even without any background, he could rise again with his own hands!
And it would start from this blacksmith shop…
"Hey, whose child is this?"
A tall, dark-skinned man at the blacksmith shop frowned and waved his hand impatiently. "Go, go, go! We don't have food to give away here. Try somewhere else if you're begging."
Tang San's mouth twitched slightly.
The dignified Divine King mistaken for a beggar—what a contrast.
But he quickly adapted to his new identity.
Playing innocent is also a skill of the Tang Divine King…
"Ahem, Uncle, I'm not here to beg. I'm here to apply for a job as a blacksmith," Tang San blinked his innocent eyes and spoke in a childlike voice.
"A job as a blacksmith?"
The man burst into laughter. "Kid, do you think just anyone can be a blacksmith? With that scrawny body of yours, can you even lift a hammer? Don't end up falling into the furnace!"
"Let me try, please?" Tang San insisted.
"…Fine, come in."
The blacksmith sighed, eventually softening his heart. He figured the child was just starving and making up an excuse for a meal.
Though soul tools had now overshadowed traditional blacksmithing, and business was declining, he could at least spare a bowl of food.
"Here, this is the smallest hammer in the shop. If you can lift it, I won't mind taking you in as an apprentice…"
He led Tang San to the forge and warned him to be careful before heading to the back room.
"Honey, prepare some food," he called to his wife.
"We can barely feed ourselves, and now you're bringing another mouth to feed?" she complained.
"Ah, how much can a child eat? Look at his ragged clothes—probably an orphan with no one to take care of him. We're just giving him a meal. After he eats, we can find an excuse to send him away."
His wife gave him a glare and pinched his waist lightly before sighing and heading to the kitchen.
When the blacksmith returned with the food, he froze in shock.
"Ding!"
"Ding!"
Tang San, with his frail body, was swinging the small hammer. The sight was astonishing enough to nearly make the blacksmith drop the food tray.
"Huff…"
Tang San slowly put down the hammer and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
Originally, he had wanted to try the largest hammer, but this body wasn't strong enough yet—he had almost flung himself into the furnace.
The blacksmith's eyes shone briefly before dimming again.
"A natural talent for forging… but what a pity."
Had he been born ten thousand years earlier, he could have become a legendary forging master, perhaps even comparable to the great ancestor of forging, Gao Lou.
"Uncle, can you take me in now?"
Tang San looked up expectantly.
"This… fine, eat first," the blacksmith sighed.
Even if this child was gifted, what could he do?
He was simply born in the wrong era.
In this age, under the dominance of soul tools, traditional blacksmithing barely had a place.
The fall of the Tang Sect had led to the discontinuation of weapons like the Zhuge Divine Crossbow. The cost of production was high, yet their range and power were far inferior to soul tools, making them obsolete. Even the Heaven Dou Royal Family had stopped using them.
Now, only farm tools and daily necessities kept the blacksmith trade alive.
Even if he wanted to refine top-quality products, nobles had long switched to soul tools.
For modern blacksmiths, even survival was a challenge…
It was said that Heaven Dou's strict tariffs on soul tools were the only reason they could still scrape by. If the restrictions were fully lifted, they would all have to change professions.
(End of Chapter)