Chapter 1: Tai Chi, Qimen, Zhao Xuanzhen

The Douluo Continent, Spirit Tower Headquarters.

The towering spire pierces the heavens, standing majestic and shimmering with brilliant silver light; its eight-sided body vanishes into the sea of clouds, lending this continent’s foremost structure an air of mystery.

“Cut a watermelon in half—you take one half, I take the other…”

The blazing sun hung high, its rays pouring down from afar, dispersing the thin mist above the training ground and illuminating the youthful yet strikingly handsome face, along with the graceful, rhythmic movements of Tai Chi.

“Xuanzhen, can this slow, ancient martial art really be used in combat?”

Not far away, two women stood in perfect unison, arms crossed, heads tilted, eyes fixed unwaveringly on the boy.

They were twins, their appearances as if the Creator had carelessly reused the same mold twice—snow-white hair reaching their waists, delicate features with sharp contours, effortlessly beautiful like fairies stepped from a fairy tale, needing no adornment.

The only difference lay in their eye color: the elder, Bai Haoze, had sky-blue irises, while the younger, Bai Zhichen, possessed emerald-green ones; now, both pairs of beautiful eyes glowed with unmistakable agitation.

Hearing this, Zhao Xuanzhen’s lips curled into a faint smile; his Tai Chi shifted from Double Fists to Ear to Turn and Left Kick, a few strands of jet-black hair falling loosely across his forehead, the tail of his hair tied into a small bundle, swaying with each movement.

“It’s just for strengthening the body—there’s no need to apply it in actual combat.”

“Big White, Little White, you two seem unusually restless today. You’ve been staring at me all morning—you haven’t even practiced your Soul Fusion Technique.”

“We’ve trained together for over twenty years; our compatibility has long reached the soul’s limit. Even with more effort, it’s hard to break past ninety percent.”

Bai Haoze studied Zhao Xuanzhen; the sunlight seemed to gild his dark-brown irises with celestial radiance. When their gazes met, she could clearly see the reflection of the red sun within his eyes.

“But you, Xuanzhen.”

Bai Zhichen picked up her sister’s thread, her clear voice laced with concern: “Soul awakening is the watershed moment that determines a Soul Master’s entire life. If your soul is too weak, even the Heavenly Phoenix Immortal will struggle to secure for you the Spirit Tower’s most precious cultivation resources.”

“After all, the Eternal Tower Master is the true ruler of the Spirit Tower, and his philosophy has always been harsh: the worthless do not deserve resources.”

“As for souls, three parts depend on mutation, seven on luck.”

“The remaining ninety points? It’s all up to whether your parents gave you anything.”

Zhao Xuanzhen remained calm, utterly unconcerned about awakening a weak soul like Blue Silver Grass; his serene tone irritated the two girls, evoking the strange sensation of the emperor not worrying while the eunuch fretted.

The Bai sisters exchanged a glance; their twin telepathy instantly forged perfect understanding.

Bai Zhichen activated her Soul: White Unicorn; a flash of silver light, and they appeared behind Zhao Xuanzhen as if teleported, simultaneously extending their wicked “An Lushan claws”—one grabbing his ponytail, the other reaching for his head.

Just before they thought their ambush had succeeded, Zhao Xuanzhen twisted his body and slipped free of their grasp!

Predicted!

Pulling the ponytail was fine—touching his head was absolutely forbidden!

After completing the final posture of Tai Chi, Zhao Xuanzhen shifted his palms apart, exhaled and pressed downward, ending the form. He looked at the stunned sisters and smiled lightly: “By the way, has the teacher returned?”

“The Heavenly Phoenix Immortal went to the Xuanming Sect; she’ll return to the Spirit Tower tomorrow morning.” Bai Haoze, still stunned by the failed ambush, answered automatically.

“The Xuanming Sect?”

Zhao Xuanzhen paused slightly, then understood: “The teacher is covering all bases…”

Given the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo’s status as Deputy Tower Master of the Spirit Tower, visiting the millennia-declined Xuanming Sect was a lowering of her station. The only reason she would make the journey was for the Xuanming Sect’s unique elixir: the Xuan Water Pill, refined from the essences of numerous water-type soul beasts and plants.

Humans born on the Douluo Continent possess souls as part of their bodies—any animal, plant, or object. At age six, they awaken their souls through a ritual.

Tomorrow is Zhao Xuanzhen’s sixth birthday—the day of his soul awakening.

Zhao Xuanzhen’s deceased parents both possessed above-average talents: his father had a primal soul force of level eight, his mother level seven.

According to soul genetics, excluding rare cases like Huo Yuhao’s chronic malnutrition that dragged down his primal soul force, Zhao Xuanzhen’s future is unlikely to be particularly poor.

But in this new era, where Soul Master talents far surpass those of ancient times, a mere primal soul force of level seven or eight is utterly unworthy of the glittering golden title of “Direct Disciple of the Deputy Tower Master.” Hence, the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo had journeyed to the Xuanming Sect to procure an Xuan Water Pill to boost Zhao Xuanzhen’s primal soul force by one level.

“You two train. I’m heading back.”

With today’s training complete, Zhao Xuanzhen waved to the Bai sisters and turned to leave.

“Rest well tonight. Tomorrow we’ll accompany you for your awakening,” Bai Zhichen called out.

Zhao Xuanzhen pinched his thumb and index finger together, giving a thumbs-up.

Watching Zhao Xuanzhen’s figure fade from view, the two sisters exhaled deeply.

Instantly, their slender, curvaceous bodies swelled dramatically, transforming into the classic Korean-style double-door refrigerator physique—beautiful women turned into burly men.

They were the Spirit Tower’s secret weapon, secretly groomed as the next Tower Master’s right and left ministers, unknown to outsiders, hence trained in disguise. But Zhao Xuanzhen was different—he had been raised under their watch since returning to the Spirit Tower, one of the inner circle.

Zhao Xuanzhen left the training ground, effortlessly passing identity verification, boarding the high-speed elevator, and ascending directly to the ninety-ninth floor.

The Spirit Tower has one hundred eight floors; the top eight belong to the Qian family, the Eternal Tower Master’s lineage. The Leng family, to which the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo belongs, occupies the next five floors, with the ninety-ninth floor granted exclusively to Zhao Xuanzhen for private residence.

In the lavish open-plan living room, floor-to-ceiling windows flooded the interior with sunlight, as if the entire world were contained within. A row of exquisite bookshelves displayed countless ancient texts, each revealing the owner’s refined taste.

“Chronicles of Douluo History,” “Encyclopedia of Continent Souls,” “The Language of Steel Wool,” “Compendium of Soul Beasts”…

Zhao Xuanzhen walked to the bookshelf, his gaze sweeping over the ancient texts, then pulled out “Fundamentals of Soul Tool Theory.” He sat quietly on a luxurious sofa made from the pelt of a ten-thousand-year Flame Lion King and began reading.

Even as a reincarnator, there was little he could do before soul awakening. Daily Tai Chi was his habit from his past life; studying soul tools was laying the groundwork for a secondary profession.

In his previous life, Zhao Xuanzhen was also an orphan, found by an old fortune-teller who claimed to be the master of the Two Yin-Yang Sect. The old man discovered the boy’s body harbored Yin and Yang energies—a rare cultivation genius born once every thousand years—and on his deathbed, passed on the Two Yin-Yang Sect’s Daoist arts.

Unfortunately, Zhao Xuanzhen was frail from childhood, destined to live no longer than twenty. The old man passed away peacefully (voice trembling with sorrow).

Heaven, in its mercy, granted Zhao Xuanzhen memory retention as he reincarnated into the Douluo Continent, giving him a second life.

At this age, other children played in mud and urinated on the ground; Zhao Xuanzhen, armed with memories from his past life, opened his books.

After reading for a while, Zhao Xuanzhen stretched, suddenly feeling the room unbearably hot. A faint blue gleam flashed in his eyes as he murmured:

“Xun character, level three.”

Instantly, a gentle breeze arrived…

(End of Chapter)