Douluo Continent, southwest of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Holy Soul Village!
A small village formed by over three hundred households scattered across the wilderness.
It was named after an unverified Soul Saint who had emerged from it.
Located in Fasnu Province, south of Notting City.
Purple mist billowed in the sky as villagers walked in small groups towards the farmlands outside the village.
They worked at sunrise and rested at sunset.
Along the path, the only child stood out.
That was a child of five or six.
He wore coarse linen clothes and had neat, black, short hair. His large, black eyes sparkled with intelligence, and his smile was very innocent.
At the moment, he had a square wooden box hanging around his neck, filled with colorful candies.
He had two gourds hanging from his waist. If you got close, you could even smell a faint scent of alcohol and the fresh fragrance of grass.
From afar, someone greeted him.
"Little Qiu, what's up? Did you knock down a beehive again?"
Ye Qiu turned his head and laughed.
"Aunt～ How did you know?"
"Alright, enough of the show. Those two lumps on your head are practically horns."
"Haha."
A smattering of laughter erupted from the surrounding villagers.
"Ye Qiu, come over here!"
"Give Aunt Zhang two of those honey pomelo candies, the youngest in my family loves them!"
"Coming right up, Aunt Zhang!"
Ye Qiu didn't mind the friendly teasing from the villagers and happily ran over to Aunt Zhang, who was rather stout.
He pulled out two candies and placed them in Aunt Zhang's basket.
"Here, take this. Remember to come eat at my place when you have time, I won't mind your little mouth!"
Aunt Zhang chuckled, pulling out two copper coins and placing them in Ye Qiu's palm.
"Alright, Aunt Zhang, take care!"
Ye Qiu waved at Aunt Zhang, who was walking away, with a big smile on his face.
Ever since he could provide for himself.
He seldom went to other villagers' homes for meals.
He greeted the villagers working in the fields and slowly walked towards the village.
Suddenly.
Ye Qiu's eyes lit up.
He waved towards the small hill on the side of the village.
He shouted, "Hey! Xiao San, up early again, exercising!"
On the small hill, a thin figure could be seen.
He looked to be about the same age as Ye Qiu.
The sun and the occasional heat from the furnace had made him appear even more tanned. His clothes were simple but clean, and his black hair was neatly cut.
Although young, his agility was something even adults would envy.
He leaped down from the small hill,
as light as a swallow, constantly jumping and leaping, and was about to land on the flat ground.
However, he was distracted by Ye Qiu's voice at the last moment.
Stumbling, he nearly fell.
Tang San immediately frowned, warily looking around.
He made sure no one noticed his difference.
Only then did he look at Ye Qiu with annoyance. "Ye Qiu, you're clearly younger than me, stop calling me that!"
As the words fell.
Tang San stopped showing off his agility, and, in a down-to-earth manner, ran towards the blacksmith shop at home.
He, Tang San, never wanted to pay attention to the little brats in the village, often isolating himself and playing alone.
"Little San, slow down, don't fall, Uncle Haozi won't feel bad for you!"
Ye Qiu wasn't annoyed and smiled as he saw Tang San off, not forgetting to send his regards to the elders in Tang San's family.
"Remember to say hello to Uncle Hao for me! And don't forget to pay the bill for the wine you owe!"
"..."
Tang San frowned.
Ignoring Ye Qiu's shout, he continued running towards home.
"Tch, didn't the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record teach him to be polite?"
Ye Qiu pursed his lips.
Often, when he went to collect debts, he wouldn't get a good look from Tang San or his father.
Sometimes, Ye Qiu really wanted to call someone a little punk.
But his strength didn't allow for it; he'd likely end up with a few silent sleeve arrows stuck in his forehead.
"Xiao Qiu."
He'd just watched Tang San leave.
An aged voice came from behind.
Ye Qiu, his face still that of a young boy, smiled as he looked at the slender old man in the distance.
He immediately ran over.
"Grandpa Jack, are you buying candy or wine today?"
"Haha, you little rascal."
Grandpa Jack, the village head, stroked his meticulously groomed beard, looking quite spirited.
He reached out and ruffled Ye Qiu's hair.
"Forget the wine. It's as weak as watered-down horse piss. Only that drunkard Tang Hao likes it. Give Grandpa some candy instead."
"Alright, here you go!"
Ye Qiu's smile was innocent.
He reached out, and five candies were perfectly nestled between his fingers, which he then handed to Grandpa Jack.
After carefully putting the money away, Ye Qiu looked up at Grandpa Jack again.
Smiling, he asked, "Grandpa Jack, did you come to see me specifically? Do you have something to tell me?"
"Yes, I'm here to inform you that you'll be participating in the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony in three days."
Grandpa Jack smiled and put a lollipop into Ye Qiu's mouth, his eyes filled with deep expectation, even a kind of wishful thinking.
It had been many years since the village had produced a Soul Master.
"Three days from now?"
Ye Qiu's expression shifted slightly, and a trace of anticipation couldn't help but appear in his eyes.
"That's right, it will be in the Hall of Martial Souls in the center of the village. Remember to come then."
Grandpa Jack nodded kindly.
"Alright, come eat when you have time. Grandpa still needs to inform the other kids."
"Goodbye, Grandpa Jack!"
Ye Qiu stood on his tiptoes and waved his small hand.
When there were fewer people on the road, Ye Qiu finished his morning business, still holding the candy in his mouth. He then carried the box and walked home.
A lonely, silent, single-room wooden shack. This was Ye Qiu's home.
He had no relatives and nothing of value, this was the situation he found himself in when he came to this world.
He had been eating at other people's houses since he was a child.
"Sigh~"
Lying on the hard wooden bed, Ye Qiu let out a long sigh.
Douluo Continent, Martial Soul Awakening.
Having a decent understanding of this world, Ye Qiu naturally understood the importance of Martial Souls.
"I wonder what Martial Soul I'll awaken. Will it be the same as my parents, a frog?"
Ye Qiu muttered to himself, then quickly shook his head, his face filled with disdain.
"I hope not."
Maybe he'd experience a bloodline reversion and awaken a more powerful Martial Soul with high Innate Soul Power?
"Ugh, I'm so done with this ordinary and mediocre life."
A hint of melancholy couldn't help but appear on Ye Qiu's face.
"If my Martial Soul is no good… I'll have to see if I can live off of a woman, haha."
Ye Qiu chuckled at his own words.
Wanting to give them a warm home was just a normal thought.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Under Grandpa Jack's organization, many children of the appropriate age gathered in the Hall of Martial Souls in the center of Holy Soul Village.
The so-called Hall of Martial Souls in Holy Soul Village was just a slightly larger wooden hut.
Shelter from the wind and rain? No problem.
So many children—this was a great opportunity to sell candy.
Ye Qiu had a box hanging around his neck and was enthusiastically hawking his wares.
Tang San stood quietly, watching.
Hearing Ye Qiu repeatedly say the same three words and then pause, he found it irritating.
"Hey! Little San, how about I treat you to some candy?"
Ye Qiu grinned, approaching Tang San and offering him a green lollipop.
"No, thank you."
Tang San shook his head coldly.
He wasn't at all interested in the small favors children exchanged.
"Alright."
Ye Qiu rolled his eyes.
He didn't have any strong negative feelings towards Tang San yet, but sometimes the kid was really annoying.
\n\n
Not long after.
Having just finished a few small tasks, Ye Qiu saw Grandpa Jack beaming at a certain young man.
"Slurp～slurp～"
Tang San stood in front of Ye Qiu.
Hearing the sound of Ye Qiu sucking on his candy behind him, he couldn't help but frown slightly.
The young man was wearing the uniform of the Hall of Martial Souls. He had a decent appearance, and his eyebrows and eyes showed arrogance and superiority as he waved his hand, dismissing Grandpa Jack.
The main task of the day was about to begin: Martial Soul Awakening!
Wishing everyone a pleasant life!
(End of this chapter)