Chapter 1: Shi Quan

"Shoes are worn, hat is worn, the kasaya on my body is worn..."

"You love me, I love you, Mixue Bingcheng is sweet and sweet..."

"You are the that that... sunshine rainbow Xiaobai dragon..."

Douluo Continent, southwest of the Heaven Dou Empire, Fasinuo Province.

Shi Family Village.

These catchy and somewhat hypnotic songs from Blue Star were emanating from a small courtyard within this Shi Family Village on the Douluo Continent.

"Xiao Quan, stop reading and come over to eat."

A soft, low call came from the house in the center of the courtyard.

"Got it, Mom."

A tender child's voice came from a corner of the courtyard, and the humming stopped along with it.

Creak—the rocking chair paused, and a boy who looked no more than five or six years old listlessly placed the book he was holding onto the small desk beside the chair before slowly standing up.

On the side of the book were written the large characters: "Spirit Beast Encyclopedia".

The boy had clean, short hair and very fair skin, and his bright, intelligent eyes gave people a sense of cleverness.

The courtyard was not large, but the fence surrounding it was covered in flowers of various colors; the fragrance of flowers was refreshing without being overpowering, and being in the courtyard gave one a sense of relaxation and ease, clearly well-tended, showing that the owner of the courtyard was very attentive to it.

In just a few steps, the boy arrived in front of the main house of the courtyard.

Before he even walked into the main room, a mouth-watering aroma of food wafted out, making one's appetite soar.

Sitting on the right side of the dining table was a woman with an oval face, roughly twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with dark, bright eyes and an elegant bearing; in terms of appearance, she could definitely be called beautiful.

The dishes were already set on the table, and the boy walked to the table and sat down on the left side with practiced ease, leaving the middle seat open.

Just as the boy sat down, a man of about thirty walked out of the kitchen carrying three bowls of rice; the man had an ordinary appearance, the kind that would be completely unremarkable in a crowd.

"Thanks for your hard work, Dad!" The boy smiled and raised his hand to take a bowl of rice from the man.

"Eat." The man nodded slightly, his voice low and steady.

The family of three looked very warm and harmonious.

The boy's name was Shi Quan, the woman on the right was named Li Meili, Shi Quan's mother in this life, and the man in the middle was his father in this life, named Shi Jian.

Shi Quan did not know if he was lucky or unlucky to have caught the trend of transmigration and suddenly arrived in this world of the Douluo Continent.

As for his previous life, Shi Quan was an ordinary "three-no" office worker—no house, no car, no savings—a graduate of an ordinary undergraduate university, belonging to the most common group of people, with nothing special about him.

If you ask about any special talents?

The answer is none at all!

As for the transmigration, after a night of overtime, it was pouring rain when he got off work; to save a few bucks on taxi fare, he was riding his bike home in the rain with an umbrella when he suddenly felt a numbness and lost consciousness.

They say when a person is unlucky, even drinking cold water gets stuck in their teeth; before losing consciousness, Shi Quan guessed that he had likely been struck by lightning, and the last thing he thought about in his mind was that his hard-earned savings would probably all have to be spent on medical bills.

When he regained consciousness, he only felt himself wrapped in a warm liquid, his whole being muddled, unable to do anything; he did not know how long he had been wrapped in this warm liquid until, one day, he finally felt himself being squeezed and pulled by something, and thus he was born into this world.

Only then did he understand that this lightning had likely struck him directly into someone's belly, but for some reason, he had retained the memories of his previous life and was reborn; that warm feeling had all come from his mother in this life.

After being born, Shi Quan immediately noticed the differences in the world.

It was simple: he did not understand a single word of what everyone was saying.

They say children are smart; although he carried the memories of his previous life in his mind, it did not affect his mental sharpness at all, and in less than a year, he learned the language of this world and realized that he had transmigrated into a world filled with martial souls.

Speaking of transmigration and rebirth, it would be a lie to say he wasn't excited or thrilled.

But it was also truly boring.

For an ordinary office worker from the 21st century, having your phone taken away is already desperate enough, not to mention having to return to the body of a child where you can't do anything—just thinking about it, one can feel that kind of extreme, boring despair.

It was fine when he was just born; his consciousness was blurry, his body was not fully developed, and most of the time he would just sleep after drinking milk; later, learning the language of this other world gave him something to do, which could at least help pass the boring time.

By the age of one, he had learned most of the language, his body was mostly developed, and he didn't feel as sleepy during the day.

With a twenty-five or twenty-six-year-old soul trapped in the body of a one-year-old child, spending the whole day in a woman's arms staring at her jawline, unable to do anything—you can understand what boredom is; that feeling is truly agonizing.

With nothing to do, Shi Quan could only find things to occupy himself, otherwise, let alone growing up, his mind would have collapsed first.

The thing Shi Quan found to do was reading and studying.

If you ask if Shi Quan was a person who loved to study? He definitely couldn't be called that, otherwise, he wouldn't have graduated from an ordinary second-tier university in his previous life, achieved nothing after many years of graduation, and ended up being struck by lightning while trying to save taxi fare.

But there was no other way; if he didn't find something to do, he would really be bored to death.

As a child of about one year old, besides reading and studying, he really couldn't find anything else to do.

When he was over a year old, Shi Quan began to deliberately show his intelligence, acting as if he were very interested in books.

His mother, Li Meili, was literate, and at just one year old, under her guidance, he learned most of the characters and writing of the Douluo Continent in less than a year.

The intelligence Shi Quan displayed, while surprising to his parents, brought them more joy than anything—what family doesn't hope their child is a genius?

After turning two, Shi Quan began to read on his own; he really couldn't bring himself to play with other children his age—to him, it was just too childish.

In his boredom, Shi Quan could only shift all his attention to reading and studying.

It was also this year that Shi Quan learned the world he had transmigrated to was actually the Douluo Continent.

Because he saw the Spirit Hall, the Three Upper Sects, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, and the Clear Sky Sect in the books.

When Shi Quan realized he had transmigrated to the Douluo Continent, he immediately felt a basin of cold water poured over him, chilling him to the bone.

Because his parents were both ordinary people, in this Douluo World where bloodline inheritance was paramount, he had started with a disastrous hand; as for the "golden finger" essential for transmigrators, he had called out for it I don't know how many times, but there was never a response.

After all, as a transmigrator, how could he be content with mediocrity? It wasn't that Shi Quan hadn't tried to research cultivation techniques or the like, but let alone success, there wasn't even the slightest sign of progress.

No matter how restless a heart is, one or two months might be enough to stay restless, but after one or two years, one can only barely keep moving; after three or four years, no matter how unwilling, one can only accept one's own mediocrity and start planning for the future.

At the dining table.

"The Village Chief notified us today that the village will hold this year's Awakening Ceremony the day after tomorrow; you can participate this year."

Li Meili said as she picked up a piece of meat and placed it into Shi Quan's bowl.

"Spirit Awakening?"

A glint also appeared in the depths of Shi Quan's eyes; six years had passed, and he could finally undergo his Spirit Awakening. This was the most critical juncture that would determine his future life.

After excitedly shoveling down a few mouthfuls of rice, Shi Quan's gaze shifted, and he stared blankly at Shi Jian in the middle.

"What is it?" Shi Jian paused in his eating and looked at Shi Quan in confusion.

Shi Quan chuckled, putting on an expression that said he had seen through everything, and said, "Dad, I already know you're a hidden expert. You might as well just tell me the truth."

Shi Jian was slightly stunned, then shook his head with a smile, "I wish I were a hidden expert, but that's only something that happens in dreams."

Li Meili also let out a laugh like silver bells and encouraged him, "Xiao Quan, don't worry. You are so smart, you will definitely have soul power!"

"Mm-hmm..."

Shi Quan sighed slightly and nodded gently. With the Spirit Awakening approaching, he still had some expectations, but given the current situation, he would likely inherit the martial soul of either his father or his mother.

Shi Family Village.

As the name suggests, most people in Shi Family Village have the surname Shi. According to the village elders, Shi Family Village was gradually formed by a powerful Spirit Master named Shi Hao who lived in seclusion here, and with the addition of some outsiders, it gradually became the current Shi Family Village of nearly four hundred and fifty households.

If one speaks of Shi Family Village, the most famous thing is undoubtedly the stone carvings and clay sculptures. This is also the main source of income for Shi Family Village. The stone carvings and clay sculptures made in Shi Family Village are not only supplied to the nearby Nuoding City, but people from some large cities in Fasinuo Province even come to Shi Family Village to place orders.

The reason Shi Family Village is famous far and wide is its own solid strength. The stone carvings and clay sculptures of Shi Family Village are not only exquisite but also lifelike. Whether it is a person or an object, most can be replicated. It is precisely by relying on this craft of stone carving and clay sculpture that the living standards and quality of life in Shi Family Village are much better than those in nearby villages.

And Shi Quan's father, Shi Jian, is also very famous in Shi Family Village. Shi Family Village is famous for its stone carvings and clay sculptures, and Shi Jian is not yet thirty, but his clay sculptures are vivid and lifelike, something even the forty or fifty-year-old craftsmen in the village cannot compare to. In the entire Shi Family Village, no one dares to claim to be first if he claims to be second.

His mother, Li Meili, is from the neighboring Blue Heart Village and is a rare beauty among the nearby villages. He had heard that there were quite a few people who pursued his mother back then. Shi Quan didn't know much about the love story between the two, nor did he know why Li Meili eventually chose his father, but he knew that his mother was happy and joyful.

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, the day of the Spirit Awakening arrived.

Early in the morning, Li Meili got up to help Shi Quan tidy up. For today's Spirit Awakening, Li Meili even specially prepared a clean and tidy new set of clothes for Shi Quan, implying that Shi Quan could awaken soul power and have a new beginning.

"My son is so handsome today. Don't be nervous during the Spirit Awakening later; our Xiao Quan is the best."

Before leaving, Li Meili did not forget to look Shi Quan up and down again, leaned over to tidy him up once more, and kissed his little cheek affectionately with her cherry lips.

"Don't worry, Mom."

Shi Quan clenched his fists with an expression of "who else but me," though in reality, he had no confidence in his heart. He knew the difficulty of an ordinary person possessing soul power; the possibility of him having soul power was actually not high. After all, the intelligence he currently displayed was merely the accumulation from his previous life.

Li Meili nodded, then took Shi Quan's hand and walked toward the Spirit Hall in the village.

The parents of this life were extremely good to Shi Quan, especially his mother, Li Meili, who had doted on him since he was young and granted almost every request. His father, Shi Jian, had a calm personality; although he would not take the initiative to show it on weekdays, Shi Quan could clearly feel that Shi Jian cared for both his mother and him in his heart.

The Spirit Hall of Shi Family Village was in the center of the village, not far from their courtyard. In a short while, the two arrived in front of the Spirit Hall.

The Spirit Hall was a relatively large bungalow, and a small square was paved with stones all around. When the two arrived, there were already five or six adults standing on the square.

"Why is Xiao Quan's mother so slow today?"

As soon as they arrived, the people on the square greeted Li Meili familiarly.

They were all from the same village, and the neighbors were actually very familiar with each other. Plus, with Shi Jian's craft, their family was still very popular.

Li Meili also chatted very familiarly with the people on the square.

Shi Quan stood quietly beside Li Meili without speaking. Beside him, three or four children of the same age were playing and chatting with each other.

Because Shi Quan had been reading since he was young and had never gone out to play with other children in the village, he was not familiar with them.

In a short while, there were more and more people on the square. Spirit Awakening was the most crucial turning point for commoners to change their lives, and most of the children in the village were brought by their elders in person.

Shi Quan counted roughly, and so far, including him, there were already twelve children undergoing Spirit Awakening this year. This number was already quite large, but it looked like no one else was coming, so it should be twelve people.

The Spirit Master sent by the Spirit Hall had not yet arrived, and the small square was very lively, with everyone chatting about daily life and boasting to each other.

"Xiao Quan's mother, your Xiao Quan has been smart since he was young. A-Jian also almost possessed soul power back then. Maybe your family will produce a Spirit Master today."

The speaker was an old woman of about fifty or sixty, and Li Meili responded with a smile, "Then I will borrow your auspicious words, Auntie Feng."

There is no such thing as "almost" when it comes to possessing soul power; if you don't have it, you don't have it, and if you have it, you have it.

However, the reason such rumors spread was also because his father Shi Jian's martial soul was a Mutated Spirit.

(End of this chapter)