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The plants surrounding the area were growing wildly. At the center of the forest, a golden light gathered rapidly, forming a golden, rainbow-colored egg on the ground. A clear cracking sound echoed through the air.
A small, shallow crack appeared on the egg's surface and quickly spread. From the crack, a tiny golden paw emerged, followed by a small, dog-like head slowly peeking out.
It was a young beast that looked like a Qilin. Its body was covered in golden-yellow fur. It struggled to crawl out of the eggshell. Before its four paws could even stabilize, it lowered its head and began to bite, crush, and swallow its own eggshell piece by piece.
Suddenly, a brilliant golden light descended from the sky like a pillar, directly enveloping the small beast that had just finished its meal. In an instant, its body grew from one foot to one meter long, and its golden fur turned transparent, like crystal. It let out a high-pitched roar toward the sky, and its forehead split open, revealing an eye that seemed to see through all of creation.
When Tang Chuan's consciousness reached this point, everything began to speed up. Countless fragments of light and shadow surged wildly through his mind. In an instant, he felt as if he had experienced ten thousand years. Simple memory fragments flashed continuously, almost all of them taking place in the dense Star Dou Great Forest.
Immediately after, more scenes emerged. The young beast, which resembled a mix between a Qilin and a small dog, gradually grew up. It wasn't alone; it lived among a group of Vicious Beasts. Among them were Ditian, Xiong Jun, Wan Yao Wang, Bi Ji, and several other hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beasts.
The memory fragments continued to advance, moving at an even faster pace. The Emerald Swan clan appeared. Their figures were graceful, their feathers a vibrant emerald green. Wherever they went, life flourished with new vitality. Tang Chuan saw the injured Spirit Beasts regain their health under the powerful spiritual healing of the Emerald Swans. He also saw the habitat where the Emerald Swan clan lived.
Suddenly, the scene changed. An earth-shattering roar came from deep within the forest. Tang Chuan's vision blurred, and in an instant, he saw a slender, snow-white, ice-attributed silkworm-like Spirit Beast being captured and taken away by several powerful Spirit Beasts. It had extremely powerful mental force fluctuations and a special energy called Origin. Even though it was severely wounded, it still gave off a unique and alluring Aura.
In a cave, the Vicious Beasts surrounded the silkworm, continuously devouring it. At this moment, a hint of Divine Power appeared in the eyes of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. It no longer struggled, looking at Tang Chuan with a gaze that was bewildered, complex, and filled with an indescribable emotion. It was as if their previous contact had completely caused its powerful Aura to disappear.
A huge amount of Tang Chuan's memories surged into the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's mind like a tide. At this moment, it was no longer just the arrogant and noble Emperor Ruishou. For the first time, the human world appeared in its eyes. The scenes unfolded one by one, subtly making its calm will waver.
It saw two skinny children sitting outside a worn-down wooden house. Their clothes were ragged and their cheeks were hollow. The older brother, Tang Chuan, was carefully cooking porridge in a simple iron pot while his younger brother, Little San, sat beside him, holding his legs, quietly watching the water bubble. Inside the house, a drunken middle-aged man lay on the bed with an overturned wine jar beside him. The room was a mess and reeked of alcohol.
Young Tang Chuan had long been used to everything. He took care of his younger brother while silently cleaning up the mess his father had left behind. He didn't cry or complain. He just whispered, "Little San, the porridge is ready. Come eat some." From this, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion felt a sense of resilience and responsibility.
Then, the scene suddenly shattered. A completely unfamiliar world appeared. This was Tang Chuan's previous life, where he lived on a blue planet. In that life, he was called Xiao Yan, the same name as the protagonist in Battle Through the Heavens. He was an orphan who grew up in an orphanage.
He wore a school uniform, riding a rickety bicycle on an old street, his schoolbag swaying in the wind. On his way home from school, he often walked alone, with no one waiting for him and no one to cook for him. He studied diligently in the library, all to get an admission letter that would change his fate. He worked part-time, doing odd jobs, tutoring, and handing out flyers. Life was hard, but he never gave up, always with a determined glint in his eyes. But then, an accident occurred. A sudden car crash snatched away his budding hope.
"Boom!"
The next second, a violent tremor came from deep within his Soul, as if some force suddenly pulled him, yanking Tang Chuan out of those countless memory fragments! He suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils violently contracting as he gasped for breath, cold sweat dripping from his temples. The moment his consciousness returned, Tang Chuan realized he was still pressed against the vertical eye on the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's forehead. He almost instinctively raised his arm and shoved the Three-Eyed Golden Lion away.
"Did I accidentally channel its power of destiny just now?" Tang Chuan said, a slight frown on his face. "Even though I don't have the Eye of Life, my blood can definitely channel destiny. Plus, I have half of a Spirit Beast's bloodline." He glanced at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion he had just kicked away and whispered, "The Crimson King seems to have broken free and is coming this way." He sensed something with his mental force, and his expression changed. "No, I need to leave quickly." He suddenly leaped to his feet, used all of his remaining spirit power, and dashed toward the edge of the forest.
Quietly watching Tang Chuan's figure leave, the vertical eye on the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's forehead slowly closed. A rare and complex emotion appeared in its eyes. It didn't chase him or get angry. After a moment of silence, it murmured, "I never thought the human world would be so brilliant!" Then, all three of its eyes closed, and it lay on the ground, as if asleep.
A week later.
Heaven Dou City, Heaven Dou Empire.
As the morning sun rose, its light scattered on the cobblestone streets. Pedestrians began to appear, carriages crossed paths, and the tall city walls in the distance shimmered golden in the morning light. At the city gate, Tang Chuan, wearing a gray-blue cloak, stood quietly in the line to enter the city. After a simple identity check by the guards, he entered the city without any trouble.
Once inside, he wasted no time. He found a friendly-looking vendor on the street and quietly asked for directions to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
"The Heaven Dou Royal Academy?" The vendor wiped his sweat, then pointed toward the west. "Follow that main road, go outside the city, and keep heading west. You'll see it. That's the grandest academy in our Heaven Dou City."
Tang Chuan nodded and thanked him. He turned and hurried in the direction the vendor had pointed. He passed through several streets and alleys along the wide, stone-paved road. Half an hour later, he finally arrived at an open area. The view suddenly opened up. Not far away, a vast and magnificent complex of buildings was located on a hillside. Ten gilded characters hung above the main gate of the Academy: "Heaven Dou Royal Advanced Spirit Master Academy."
As he slowly stopped in front of the Academy gate, Tang Chuan was about to go in when he was blocked by a group of students wearing goose-yellow school uniforms. "Stop right there, who are you? Dressed like that, you dare to come to our Heaven Dou Royal Academy? We don't accept beggars here!" The young man in the front looked him over, saw his shabby clothes, and stepped forward to question him.
Tang Chuan's brow furrowed. He was about to speak when he heard the young man scold him again. "Where did this ruffian come from? Don't you know to bow when you see our Your Highness Xue Beng?" He turned to the young man leading the group and buttered him up. "Your Highness Xue Beng, this ruffian doesn't know any better. Let me teach him a lesson today."
The leading young man seemed like a dandy. He was dressed lavishly from head to toe, with a pale complexion, sunken eyes, and an appearance of excessive indulgence.
"Xue Beng?" Tang Chuan said to himself as he heard the name. He stroked his chin and thought, In the original story, this guy pretended to be a dandy for a long time to survive. In the end, all of his brothers died, and he became the biggest winner in the Heaven Dou Empire, successfully inheriting the throne.
But in this life, you won't be so lucky now that you've met me. After all, in my opinion, there's no such thing as a rightful succession. If you're brothers, you should fight it out at Xuanwu Gate!
Almost as soon as Tang Chuan's thoughts settled, the young man in the front walked toward him with a sneer. "Get out of my way! Don't block our Your Highness Xue Beng's path." Before he finished speaking, he suddenly extended his palm, trying to push Tang Chuan.
"Crack!"
A crisp, bone-chilling sound echoed as his right arm was instantly twisted and broken the moment it was about to touch Tang Chuan.
"Ah!" A sharp scream was heard. Before the young man could even react, Tang Chuan's punch sent him flying backward like a kite with a broken string.
He tumbled three times in the air and crashed heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and stone chips.
This sudden scene caused Xue Beng and his followers to freeze, their faces filled with disbelief. They were completely unable to react. A moment later, the smile on Xue Beng's face instantly froze.
He straightened up, his pale face distorted, and pointed fiercely at Tang Chuan. "Kid, are you looking for death?! How dare you hit my people?!" He waved his right hand violently. "Go! Cripple this blind fool for me!"
Hearing this, the students in the goose-yellow school uniforms immediately looked fierce. Their spirit power surged as they surrounded Tang Chuan without hesitation. "Kid, you're finished!" one of them said.
"You dare to touch Your Highness Xue Beng's people? You're looking for death!" Seven or eight figures, with a sharp Aura, swarmed toward Tang Chuan, forming a siege in the blink of an eye. However, less than two seconds passed.
"Bang!"
"Crack!"
"Ah, ah, ah!"
Accompanied by a series of thuds and bone-cracking sounds, figure after figure flew backward like kites with broken strings. Some were kicked into stone pillars, while others were slammed directly to the ground.
Screams rose and fell, and the area in front of the Academy gate instantly became a place of wailing. These young students, who thought of themselves as elites of the Royal Academy, were all knocked to the ground without being able to withstand even a single move from Tang Chuan.
"A bunch of nobles who only know how to eat, drink, gamble, and whore all day," Tang Chuan said, seeing his subordinates all beaten and wailing in just a few breaths. "Their spirit power is shallow; they're nothing but roadside trash!"
Xue Beng's face changed drastically. His arrogant attitude completely collapsed. "You...you..." he said. "Ah!" Before he could even finish speaking, he suddenly let out a scream, turned, and ran. His usual high and mighty princely airs were now long forgotten. He just wished his parents had given him two more legs.
However, he had only run a few steps when a blue vine shot out from behind him, instantly wrapping around his waist. "Ahâno!" Xue Beng's pupils violently contracted, and he let out another scream. Before he could finish, his body was flung back.
"Bang!" He was pulled back like a broken sack and slammed heavily in front of Tang Chuan. He had just landed and hadn't even struggled to get up when Tang Chuan stepped directly on his chest. Then, punches rained down.
"Slap! Bang!"
Fists and feet struck, every blow landing. "Ah, ah, ah!" Xue Beng screamed. "Stop hitting me! I'm a Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire!" The punches and kicks made him see stars. He was bruised and swollen, with several teeth knocked out, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, and his face instantly swollen like a steamed bun. Even his facial features were almost unrecognizable.
Amidst the flying dust, the ground was a mess. Xue Beng's face was swollen like a pig, with multiple bruises on his body. He looked utterly miserable. After a moment, he struggled to get up, blood still clinging to the corner of his mouth. With two teeth broken, his speech was a bit airy as he stumbled away.
After he had finally escaped Tang Chuan's ten-meter range, the pent-up frustration and humiliation in his heart could no longer be suppressed.
He suddenly turned his head and roared loudly, "You...you actually dared to assault this Prince! Do you know what you've done? You're slapping the Heaven Dou Empire in the face! If you're brave enough, leave your name!"
Tang Chuan was expressionless. He was about to respond, but a flash of inspiration struck him, and a plan formed in his mind, making his lips curl into a deeper smile. He slowly raised his head, his voice calm and composed.
"I don't change my name when I act, nor my surname when I sit. I am Tang San of Shrek Academy." He paused. "If you're brave enough, come find me at Shrek Academy in Soto City."