"Man... Hating a character enough to actually enjoy their waifu getting NTR'd away is something honestly." My patron said with a wry smile.
My face darkened, and before I broke into a tirade, my sponsor coughed and said calmly. "Relax dude. I get it, I quite literally get it. I purposefully went to a DXD worldline where their Sirzechs died and Zeoticus was evil so I could get my own Rias and Gryafia combo."
He kicked up his feet on his desk with a grin before saying. "Well, I also did reincarnate first in Kuroinu, and I had to purge the world of almost all of its men, even after mind-breaking the worlds operating goddesses. I am not one to worry about breaking a few eggs frankly."
"Douluo Dalu has the absolute worst main character in a setting that is almost designed to be a harem world. The bastards always go after a beast that has transformed into a human form, and even though they are all firm believers of might makes right. They still are hypocrites." I complained.
"That's the premise of cultivation universes bud. Might makes right when its their fist who is the strongest. But if someone else's fist is stronger, then obviously they are a tyrant and I will swear a blood vengeance blah blah."
My sponsor shook his head and then snorted before he waved his hand to me and asked honestly. "So, if you could change anything in Doulou Dalu, what would it be?"
I paused at the question and after a long moment of thought... I realized it was rather simple. "If I were reincarnated in Doulou Dalu 1. Then I would want Tang San to just... Not fucking exist, there is alot of cultivation stories with the MC's having the world bending over backward. But Douluo Dalu is by far the worst in how the Asura God guided him his entire journey."
There was a pregnant pause as my sponsor blinked at my question before he hummed in thought. "Thats... An interesting thought. The hole in a 'fated' one or anchor point would be annoying unless. No, I could just change it then."
I blinked as he smiled evilly and then he said with a smile. "Hohoh. I got an idea, how about instead of Tang San reincarnating into the DD world, I just have him survive in his Wuxia world, and his daughter Tang Wutong instead reincarnates in the world. And I will insert you to meet up at Nuoding Academy as kids?"
I actually pouted as I realized I would be 'reincarnated' instead of transmigrating. Before I paused and said in confusion. "Wait, wouldn't that fuck so much up? Hell, what would my cheat even be besides great talent. Most importantly, will I really need to go through the baby process?"
My sponsor shook his head and held out his hand to stop me. "Ok, one, no it will not mess things up frankly, as the Asura god will still be looking about for an inheritor. Tang Wutong will still work just fine for his wishes. As for your cheat, that will be an alchemy inheritance which will perfectly fit your two martial souls!"
Athough the two martial souls bit was fucking awesome, and I did always disdain how DD had immortal herbs but no fucking alchemy. I couldn't help blinking as he didn't mention the baby age bit.
Then he rolled his eye's and said flatly. "Don't worry. I will be inserting you at your host body's sixth birthday. You will be landing in a more well-off orphanage in a body I will insert into the timeline, so that you can join a Spirit Academy in Nuoding City... 'The' academy to be precise so you can meet with Tang Wutong and Xiao Wu."
I slowly nodded in understanding at the mass of information having been dropped onto me, and then he just reached into his desk and pulled out a glowing orb that made my eye's hurt to look at.
"Whelp, this is it, buddy. I hope to see you become a god capable of leaving your own universe in a century or something."
With that, the orb shot into my chest, making me gasp before my hands flung around as my chair tipped back, and as I fell into a portal that formed behind myself.
-
The trip through infinite dimensions, endless universes, and past uncountable eldritch horrors was about as entertaining as through a trip to the DMV, honestly. I was more busy with my mind being completely taken over by the information of my 'cheat' filling my mind.
This 'cheat' of Alchemy was a lot more than just alchemy recipes, herb and treasure knowledge. It also came with soul skills that could be attacks in of themselves, and even a REAL cultivation method that wasn't the shitty method that everyone used in Doulou Dalu.
In Doulou Dalu, basically everyone uniformly just dragged spiritual energy into their bodies to uniformly enhance their body before breaking their limits once their body was saturated over a long time to reach the next literal level of spirit rank cultivation.
Like Tang San had a cultivation technique to enhance his mind and spirit that relied on absorbing the special spirit energy that came with the sun's very initial dawning. I had the Flame Emperor's Divine Body technique.
Which was very much part of my alchemy cheat and needed. As it allowed to me eat even poisonous herbs, herbs, pill dregs, and other things. So that I could gain the spiritual energy even from those things. And B it allowed me to use my soul energy to fuel any furnace I used to do said alchemy!
And already as my mind was filled with recipes for things that would allow me to flip the world of Doulou Dalu on it's fucking head.
Oh you want your kid who has only been alive for a year to for sure have Innate Spirit Power? I could do that with a pill. You are a certain Doulou whose beautiful granddaughter is dying due to her own Martial Spirit that is poisoning her? A pill can not only fix that, but also make her immune to her own toxins and instead make her far more talented!
Even if my martial spirit turned out to be trash, which I highly doubted, and I could only cultivate up to level thirty or something like the Grandmaster. Everyone would have to be kind, because this big brother would have pills!
Then I felt a jolt as the swirling, blinding lights abruptly stopped and I 'awoke' to even more foreign memories entering my mind. But they were simple things, my new name was Tian Lung, and was an orphan living in Nuoding City's premier orphanage.
With my life semi-already taken care of as I already had money set aside for entering a Spirit Academy if I awoke a decent Martial Soul. Or otherwise needed funds to get an apprenticeship.
And of course, a bit of memories tricked in about the caretakers of the orphanage who had taken care of me so I could still fit in.
I blinked as I sat up in my bed, and my lips twitched as I remembered how in Doulou Dalu, people developed faster physically due to the spiritual energy. 'Hmm, I am six years old. But I would say I honestly am closer in appearance to an eight or nine-year-old.' I mused to myself as I left the two-bed dorm and went into the bathroom to check myself out.
Though... I was very much not interested in going through puberty all over again. But I knew that I needed to learn the 'secrets' of being a Soul Master and to build connections.
"Hmm, well, it's time to get going then." I muttered as today was my sixth birthday as well! Hence, it was time for me to get my martial spirit unlocked!
After leaving the bathroom and helping do a couple of chores, like passing out food to the younger children who couldn't reach the pans. I went over to one of the matrons who had her own little office.
She smiled at seeing me coming into her smaller office, as I was one of the more well-behaved kids as well. "Oh? Are you so excited to get to the Spirit Hall Branch already?"
I nodded with an honest smile crossing my face as I said with clear excitement. "I'm ready to go if you are!"
The matron gave a slight hum of thought before looking at a file she pulled out from the desk, and then she nodded, looking back to me as she said.
"Well, you alone have your birthday today, so I can take you now before the lines at the Spirit Hall building get long. Are you ready to go now?" She asked as she stood up and grabbed a purse.
Obviously, I said I was ready to go, and then she led me from the orphanage, and I was welcomed to the more ancient asian style of buildings as we entered the streets of the smaller city of Nuoding.
'Hmm, Doulou Dalu 1 does have it's magical fantasy building style. But this smaller city doesn't have too much fantastical elements.' I mused to myself as we walked towards the city center.
"There is the Spirit Hall building... I know you are an obedient child, Tian Lung, but you've got to be on your best behavior in here." The matron whispered to me as she kneeled down.
And looking into her eyes that were filled with warning, I nodded hurriedly.
As even without my inherited memories of this world. I already knew that Spirit Hall was the 'Top Dog' of the Doulou Dalu world. Although this little branch was unlikely to have anyone actually of note.
It was still one branch of the massive beast that was the continent-spanning organization that was Spirit Hall!
"Alright, little Tian... Let's see what your future holds." She whispered,d patting me on the head before carefully taking my hand and pulling me into the building.
She led me into the Spirit Hall building and the moment we entered my face twitched as I noticed multiple things. 1- This place had spirit-based technology in 'electric' like lights, along with actual air conditioning.
But also the interior was very well decorated and had less of a straight eastern style and more of a fuck you this the fantasy land vibe.
"I am here to have my ward unlock their Martial Soul." The matron said respectfully to the man sitting in a well-padded and thick chair that was at the end of the room. And just after speaking, she took out a small bag that rang with the sound of coins.
The man smiled in turn and said happily. "Ah, someone who wants some early service. Very well, come on into the back, then to the Spirit Awakening platform."
The man led us into the back, and the back atrium was massive with a large raised platform in the center of the room. "Come stand over at the platform, young man. It will push soul power into your body to bring your Martial Soul up to the surface."
So I walked up onto the platform, and the man went over to a control system, and he said easily. "Just relax and lift up your dominant hand so that your Martial Soul may display itself!"
Then, as the system came to life and I felt the soul power pushing into my body, I gasped as I felt something inside of myself come undone.
And then I blinked as I felt pressure in my gut as a large circular pill cauldron that had eastern dragon engravings along with the handle and feet of the cauldron having dragon heads and limbs form above my hand.
But that wasn't all. I could feel in my gut another rising sensation and before I could react my other hand came up without me even realizing it. I heard both my guardian and the Spirit Hall elder hiss in suprise as a... Mountain? Formed above my other hand.
"Twin Martial Souls... Some kind of incense holder and a mountain? Hahaha and of course, he has Innate Soul Power!"
'Shit... I didn't have any control over my soul energy and exposed having Twin Martial Souls.' I thought as the man's glee was a scary thing and my guardian spoke quickly.
"That's such good news Tian Lung! You are going to be a talented Soul Master for sure!"
And as I looked between the matron and the elderly man who belonged to Spirit Hall, I realized that I may be getting press-ganged into Spirit Hall.
I really didn't want to be part of Spirit Hall honestly because... Actually, why didn't I want to? All their troubles with the main character wouldn't take become an issue until-
My thoughts were cut off as the man sighed and said with some pity. "Twin Martial Spirits and it's an incense tool, and a mountain. What is he even going to do with a Spirit Ring. Poison someone maybe? Throw a rock or something?"
The matron paused as the man took a drink from a small flask he had hidden in his sleeves and the matron asked quietly. "Wait... Are you saying Tian's Martial Souls are trash martial souls?"
The man shrugged and said honestly after he hid the flask away. "I cannot say truthfully. The incense soul is certainly trash for sure. But the mountain? Most martial souls that are common objects like rocks, ore, basic tree's and such are trash for sure. His mountain martial soul seems to be a completely mundane mountain and is thus almost certainly trash tier."
My eyebrows twitched at his complete bullshit because for one, I knew that the so-called incense pot was a fucking pill furnace. Which to be fair, with how Alchemy didn't exist in Doulou Dalu it made sense he didn't recongize it.
But my Mountain Martial Soul? How could an entire mountain be trash? I was almost certain that depending on the Soul Ring's I put into the mountain the more spirituality and effects I could bring it!
Though... My pill furnace did have the issue that it wasn't able to physically manifest and be a physical object for a long while but still!
"Haaa. Here young man, you can have the money back. Go get you and your guardian some candy or something. I am sorry for disappointing you." The Spirit Hall elder said with a wry smile as he tossed the small bag of money back to my guardian who caught it numbly.
Then we were rather awkwardly escorted out of the Spirit Hall building with my guardian and sharing a look as we left before she asked gently. "So Tian... You want to go get that snack now?"
But I shook my head and said firmly. "No, let's go enroll me into the Nuoding Spirit Academy. I want to be a Spirit Master!"
My guardian gave me a long searching look before she said softly. "Alright, Tian, that's your decision. But after the orphanage pays off your tuition, and lodging it's up to you, to pay for your meals and other needs."
'Man... If it wasn't the norm for this world for poor kids and orphans to be left in charge of themselves. I would be almost aghast, but this is the best reality for me.' I mused to myself before nodding firmly and saying. "I am sure. Let's get going then."