Qibao Third Orphanage
On the rooftop of a remote courtyard, a handsome young boy with short black hair lay lazily, basking in the sun.
If a soul master were to look from above, they'd notice something unusual—this boy was incredibly still. Though he appeared to be sunbathing, he was actually meditating.
Even though meditation doesn't typically increase soul power for those who haven't awakened their martial soul, Xu Yang, who had transmigrated here, understood otherwise. Meditation not only enhances soul power but also strengthens spiritual power—and for soul masters, spiritual power is critical. It's the foundation that determines a soul master's potential.
After all, by the time of Douluo Dalu 3 and Douluo Dalu 4, spiritual power had been categorized into levels, with complete cultivation methods developed.
Xu Yang hadn't actually read Douluo 3 or Douluo 4, but he remembered a classmate mentioning them back in the day when they discussed novels. He had only read Douluo 1 and Douluo 2, and since it had been a while, much of the plot was fuzzy—but he hadn't forgotten key settings, which were enough for him.
Immortal herbs, ultimate attributes, whale glue, soul cores…
All of these were invaluable treasures in the Douluo 1 timeline, and Xu Yang knew them well. This was the advantage of foreknowledge.
To form the all-important soul core, strong spiritual power was essential. That was why Xu Yang meditated on the rooftop—hoping to improve even a little before awakening his martial soul.
Even a small edge might allow him to form a soul core as early as the Soul Contra or even Soul Saint stage.
Of course, it would be ideal if he could awaken a martial soul with a spiritual attribute!
Even if he didn't, he planned to improve his base strength and martial soul as much as possible, and then absorb spirit rings with spiritual attributes to boost his spiritual power.
As for why he meditated in the sun rather than indoors—
He had discovered that meditating under the sun improved his results. It was easier to enter the meditative state and his spiritual power advanced slightly faster. At night, the effect was absent.
As a result, Xu Yang had become something of a night owl, often cultivating during the day.
He suspected his martial soul would be fire- or light-attributed, and that he definitely had innate soul power—ordinary martial souls wouldn't have this effect. The only question was, how much innate soul power did he have?
"What a shame I don't know what my martial soul is…"
Xu Yang sighed. In this life, he was an orphan. Unlike the other children in the orphanage, he had no idea who his parents were. Most of the other kids were from villages near Qibao City, sent here after their parents died. Xu Yang, on the other hand, had been found and brought in by the orphanage director.
Not knowing his parents naturally meant not knowing his martial soul.
Fortunately, the Qibao Third Orphanage was funded by the wealthiest sect on the continent, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, so life here was comfortable. While they didn't eat lavishly every meal, the food was balanced and plentiful. They were well-fed and healthy—much better off than some other scrawny kids out there.
The orphanage even had teachers to teach them to read and learn about various subjects, including soul beasts and soul masters.
There was also a decent-sized library. The basic meditation method Xu Yang used had come from there. It seemed that this kind of technique was common on the continent and easy to obtain.
This was the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's investment—those who became soul masters would serve the sect, and those who didn't would work in the sect's industries.
After all, the sect's enterprises were spread throughout the continent, and manpower was always needed.
And on this chaotic land of Douluo, only those raised from childhood would be truly loyal.
An hour passed.
Xu Yang opened his eyes, ending his meditation, and climbed down into the courtyard via a nearby ladder. He headed toward the main building of the orphanage.
Today was Martial Soul Awakening Day—he didn't want to be late and miss it.
Even though Douluo Dalu was sometimes mocked as cliché fantasy, he didn't care—wielding supernatural powers had always been every boy's dream.
In less than three minutes, he arrived inside. This year, only seven children at the Qibao Third Orphanage were of the right age to awaken their martial souls.
Seeing Xu Yang arrive, Director Ning Que nodded at him. Ning Que remembered every child under his care, but Xu Yang stood out—not just because he'd found him, but because this child was mature and patient, eager to learn, unlike the others who were more rambunctious.
For that reason, Ning Que had high hopes for Xu Yang and believed he could become a great soul master.
Xu Yang smiled back and quietly took his place at the end of the line, waiting for his turn.
"Tan Hao, martial soul Blue Silver Grass, innate soul power zero—cannot become a soul master."
"Miles, martial soul Green Vine, innate soul power level three—not bad!"
"Wang Xin, martial soul Battle Wolf, innate soul power level four—very good!"
"Li Qian, martial soul Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, innate soul power level six… I didn't expect the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda. I'll notify the sect to come pick you up!"
…
The first six children awakened quickly. Three had no soul power, but the others did. The standout was the girl Li Qian, who awakened the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda. She was likely part of the sect's main family in the future.
Why wasn't her surname Ning, though? Xu Yang, having lived here for years, understood.
The sect had main and branch families. Due to strict rules, main family members had to marry or be married to battle-type soul masters, so their descendants didn't always inherit the Glazed Tile Pagoda. Those who awakened other martial souls were considered branch members.
Li Qian was likely from a branch family, inheriting the pagoda through a rare recessive trait. It wasn't common, but it happened every few years.
After seeing the pagoda, Director Ning Que couldn't stop smiling—having a genius or main family member in the orphanage meant big rewards for him too.
"Xiao Yang, your turn!"
"Yes, Director!"
Xu Yang quickly stepped into the six-pointed star array made of black stone.
"Extend your dominant hand and try to summon your martial soul."
Xu Yang closed his eyes and reached out with his right hand.
Ning Que began channeling soul power into the array, helping him awaken his martial soul.
Immediately, Xu Yang felt warm all over, as if something within him was surging upward, ready to break free.
After a dozen seconds, a golden orb appeared in his hand.
Golden flames flickered on its surface, radiant like the sun in the sky.
"A fire attribute… top-tier martial soul!"
"But… I've never seen this one before?!"
…
(End of Chapter)