"What the hell is this garbage? Is this supposed to be Douluo World? Who wrote this crap?"
Kai Rivers slammed his phone onto the bed, scrolling through yet another fanfic full of over-the-top praise for Tang San.
"Seriously? Tang San won't even share the Tang Sect's secrets with his drunk of a father, but suddenly he's handing them over to some random outsider after five minutes of small talk? What kind of lazy writing is that?"
He kept muttering under his breath. "And don't get me started on Tang San himself—he's a walking contradiction. Self-righteous on the surface, but completely ruthless underneath. Might as well rename him Yue Buqun 2.0."
"These fanfic authors… Have they even read the original story? Probably just watched the TV show and thought they were experts. And don't even get me started on the romance—'one true love in a feudal society'? Please. And it's always between dudes too! Come on."
Kai was flipping through his QQ Reading app, ranting to himself when—
FLASH!
His phone exploded in a burst of blinding white light.And then—nothing.
...
Douluo Continent – Heaven Dou Empire – Holy Soul Village
"Kai, working out again?"
An elderly man with a white beard, hunched posture, and warm smile approached, leaning on a cane. He stopped in front of a large boulder, where a young boy was doing push-ups.
"Morning, Grandpa Jack," Kai said, not breaking rhythm.
"The Spirit Hall's deacon is coming today to awaken the children's martial spirits. You're six now, so don't be late."
"Understood."
"Keep training, but wait for me when you're done. I'm heading to the blacksmith's shop. That Tang Hao... toughest man in the village to talk to. How someone like him raised such a well-mannered kid, I'll never understand," the old man mumbled as he shuffled off.
The boy—Kai Rivers—wasn't born here. Like Tang San, he was a soul from another world, reincarnated into the Douluo Continent.
But unlike Tang San, Kai was an orphan. No one in the village knew where he came from.
It happened on a stormy night. Lightning crackled, thunder roared. Old Jack had gone outside to bring in some tools when he found a baby in a bamboo basket, wrapped in cloth. Embroidered on the cloth: a single character—Kai.
Despite the storm, the baby hadn't cried once. That eerie calm left a deep impression. So Old Jack gave him a name and raised him as his own.
"Three hundred!"
Kai finished his last push-up, then lay back on the rock, gazing at the clouds.
"Six years in this world already... Yep. Should've listened when they said not to play on your phone while charging."
That's how it had happened. A phone, an explosion, and now here he was—inside the very world he used to obsess over in his past life.
At first, he thought it was a dream. But the first time he fell while learning to walk, the pain made it clear—this was real.
Now, both he and Tang San were six. That meant today was the day: Martial Spirit Awakening.
What kind of spirit will I awaken?
In this world, everyone awakened a martial spirit. It could be anything—a tool, a plant, a weapon, even a beast. Usually, a child inherited one from their parents.
But Kai? He had no idea who his parents were. His future was a mystery. Still—
Whatever it is, I know I have soul power.
That was the one thing he was sure of.
Since birth, Kai had meditated daily. A habit from his past life. In that sense, he had a head start over most kids—even those born into powerful clans.
Unlike the children of noble sects, village kids usually had no guidance. Most didn't even know what meditation was. But Kai had taught the others as best he could, including the most notorious child in the village...
"Kai, are you done resting?"
Old Jack returned, now leading a group of seven or eight children. Among them was a boy with short black hair, bronze skin, and faint blue-silver glints in his eyes.
Kai's eyes narrowed slightly.That was Tang San.
"Yeah." Kai jumped down from the three-meter-high boulder, landing without a sound.
Tang San flinched ever so slightly.
"Alright, let's head to the Spirit Hall," said Grandpa Jack, leading the way.
They arrived in the village square, where a weathered handprint was embedded in stone.
"Kids, take a good look," said Jack. "This is the handprint of a Soul Saint—born right here in our village. Most villages are lucky to produce a Soul King, but we had a Saint. Because of him, we pay fewer taxes than others. Be proud—this is our legacy."
He glanced at the children, his tone growing serious.
"If any of you become Soul Masters, train hard. Don't bring shame to Holy Soul Village."
Kai stepped forward, his gaze calm and confident.
"We will," the children replied, one after another.
A small girl tugged at his sleeve. "Brother Kai... Do you really think we can become Soul Masters?"
Unlike Tang San, Kai never kept knowledge to himself. He'd been helping the village kids train and meditate, even if only for a little each day.
"I don't know what fate has planned," Kai said gently, "but if you've been meditating daily, you've already taken the first step."
"I've been meditating for an hour every day!" one boy said proudly.
"Only an hour?" another chimed in. "My mom makes me meditate for an hour and a half! She said even a rank-10 Soul Master gets five gold coins a month from Spirit Hall! Imagine how many sweets that could buy!"
The kids chattered excitedly.
Kai smiled.
"Then that's it. You've already worked hard. Let's see what fate has in store."