Feng Xia lay awake long after night had swallowed the village.
The oil lamp burned low beside his bed, its fading flame swaying gently with every draft that slipped through the wooden gaps in the walls. Most children his age were already deep asleep, saving their strength for the biggest moment of their young lives.
Tomorrow—the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony.
But Feng Xia's eyes were wide open, mind racing like the flickering flame.
His hand tightened around the smooth, cool device floating above his palm—the mobile martial soul. A faint golden ring of light surrounded it, like an aura only he could see.
It was still unbelievable.
A phone.
A real phone.
In the world of Douluo.
He turned it slowly, examining every detail. It was the exact same model he had on Earth, down to the tiny scratch near the volume button, the worn-out corner of the screen protector, even the subtle warmth it had after long usage.
But now…The phone wasn't just a phone.
It was a martial soul.
A spiritual existence.
A tool that held unimaginable possibilities.
He tapped the glowing screen.
It flickered—once, twice—then lit up fully with a soft hum, displaying the home screen he knew so well.
But there were changes.
Three new icons had appeared:
[Soul Power]
[Spirit Scan]
[System Store]
The rest of the apps were greyed out, unresponsive.
He pressed the first one.
[Soul Power: Locked]Awakening incomplete. Functions sealed until soul power reaches Level 1.
Feng Xia let out a breath.
So everything really begins tomorrow.
He swiped and opened the second icon.
[Spirit Scan: Inactive]Requires awakened martial soul compatibility.
So that too was unavailable until the awakening ceremony.
He tapped the third icon.
A shop interface appeared, but everything—every line, every item, every tab—was sealed behind a shimmering lock.
[System Store]All functions sealed.Unlock condition: Martial Soul Awakening.
"Figures…" Feng Xia muttered.
He lay the phone gently in his palm and let it hover above him, the soft golden glow washing over his face.
The air outside was silent. Peaceful. Deceptive.
This world wasn't Earth.
Strength ruled everything here.
Without talent, you were nothing.Without spirit rings, you were nothing.Without power, you were nothing.
And to get power…everything began with the martial soul awakening.
He closed his eyes.
What kind of future awaits me…?
Earlier That Day…
The sun had been warm, spilling golden light across the village's small plaza. Chickens pecked lazily at the ground; children chased one another through the narrow dirt paths; elders sat under the shade of age-old trees, chatting about weather, harvests, and stories that had long passed from history into myth.
Feng Xia had joined the others in the morning chores.
Carrying water.Sweeping the courtyard.Gathering firewood.
To the villagers, Feng Xia was quiet and obedient—just a slightly strange child who read too much, asked too many questions, and sometimes said things that made no sense.
To Feng Xia, the villagers were simple-hearted, hardworking people.
But there was one boy in the village who stood out—not because he was stronger, or smarter, or more arrogant.
No.
He stood out because Feng Xia knew exactly who he truly was.
Tang San.
The reincarnated son of the Clear Sky Douluo.
The main character of this world.
The one with protagonist aura.
Feng Xia watched him from a distance earlier that morning, practicing some strange movements in a deserted corner of the village—the kind only someone with previous-life knowledge would use.
Tang San's eyes were calm, mature beyond his young age. His stance steady. His breathing controlled.
Feng Xia felt a complicated mix of emotions.
Envy?No.Respect?Not quite.
It was something else.
A quiet determination.
"You're the main character of this world," he whispered under his breath that morning. "But your fate… your opportunities… they no longer belong to you alone."
Tang San didn't hear him.Didn't even realize someone else in the village knew his secret origins.
Nor did he know that the boy watching him from the shadows held a martial soul from another universe entirely.
A phone that should not exist in this world.
A phone that could change everything.
Back to Nightfall…
Feng Xia sat up slowly, glancing at the moon through the window.
Silver light. Soft breeze. Quiet night.
Tomorrow, everything began.
But…
A soft knock interrupted his thoughts.
Tok. Tok.
"Xia'er? Are you awake?"
It was the village elder's voice—Old Li, who treated Feng Xia kindly ever since he arrived in the village.
"Yes, Elder. I'm awake," Feng Xia replied.
The door opened slightly, and Old Li stepped in with a lantern.
His old eyes softened. "Couldn't sleep, could you? Children are always nervous before their awakening. Even I was, long ago."
Feng Xia smiled politely.
"You don't have to worry. Even if your martial soul is an ordinary tool spirit, you can still live a good life," Old Li comforted.
Feng Xia almost coughed.
A tool spirit… well, you're not wrong.
"Thank you, Elder."
Old Li stepped closer, lowering his voice mysteriously.
"By the way, I heard little San awakened early last night."
Feng Xia blinked.
So Tang San had awakened his Xuan-Yin inner power again just like in the original… or maybe even his own Blue Silver Grass early.
Old Li continued, "That boy… there's something special about him. You be careful not to compare yourself to him too much."
Feng Xia forced a smile.
"I understand."
But inside, his conviction grew stronger.
Tomorrow… I will awaken my martial soul. And when the time comes… Tang San, let's see whose destiny truly changes this world.
Old Li nodded, patted his shoulder, and left.
The room fell silent once more.
Feng Xia looked at the floating mobile phone in his hand.
Slowly, very slowly, a grin formed on his face.
"I'm ready."
Feng Xia remained seated on the small wooden stool long after the village chief left. The room had grown quiet again, but his mind churned noisily, filled with thoughts that overlapped, collided, and reshaped themselves again and again.
A mobile phone for a martial soul.
Even now, after the initial shock had faded, the absurdity made him almost laugh—almost. But the faint glow of the device in his hand reminded him this was no ordinary phone anymore. Even unawakened, it pulsed with a strange, restrained vitality, like a sealed treasure waiting for the correct key.
He turned it over in his hand.
The screen was dark, yet every now and then, symbols flickered across it: encrypted, indecipherable, drifting like ghostly data fragments.
Something's inside, he thought. I just can't access it yet.
He tried tapping the screen.
Nothing.
He tried holding the power button.
No response.
He tried saying "System… start?"
Still nothing.
The phone remained inert—more spirit essence than electronic device.
A single line of text appeared:
[Functionality Locked Until Martial Soul Awakening]
Feng Xia exhaled slowly.
"So that's how it is."
He would get no hints, no previews, no cheats until the ceremonial awakening.
Typical of the Douluo world: even heaven-defying martial souls obeyed the system of rings, awakening, and spirit power.
But despite the limitations, excitement stirred inside him.
A phone.A device built for communication, information, apps, videos, games, maps, downloads, scanning, data storage…
If even one of those functions translated into soul power form…
His future potential was terrifying.
But potential meant nothing until he awakened it and saw what it could actually do.
His eyes sharpened.
The awakening is tomorrow.
He needed to prepare.
The Village at Dusk
When Feng Xia stepped outside, the warm orange of dusk painted the sky. Mist drifted lazily from the fields. Children chased each other with wooden sticks. Farmers carried baskets of herbs. A few elderly people sat near the well, chatting about spirit power and weather.
Everything was so real, so grounded, so undeniably Douluo.
He inhaled the air.
It was crisp. Fresh. Mixed with the faint scent of spirit herb pollen carried by the evening wind.
In the center of the village, the old awakening stone—etched with ancient patterns—stood beneath a canopy of woven vines. Tomorrow, children aged six would form a line here. A Spirit Hall deacon would arrive to conduct the ceremony.
Feng Xia's heart tightened.
Tang San.
He scanned the village.
Little houses. Dirt paths. Soft lantern light glowing from windows.
If Tang San were here, this place would not look like this.
This wasn't Holy Spirit Village.
This was Cloudmist Village, a small settlement tucked near the edge of the Balin Mountain Range—far, far away from Spirit Hall headquarters and far from Nuoding Academy.
Which meant—
"No Tang San," Feng Xia murmured.
Relief washed over him.
No protagonist halo.No hidden Clear Sky Hammer.No OP twin spirits overshadowing every other child.No Tang Hao appearing randomly to crush hopes and steal opportunities.
For the first time since waking up, he relaxed.
He truly had a chance to rise without being crushed by the narrative weight of Douluo's original story.
This world is the same Douluo… but my path won't cross his.
Good.
Let Tang San play hero somewhere else.
Feng Xia would build his own legend.
Returning Home
He returned to his small wooden house.
Inside, the table was laid with food: steamed cornmeal, wild vegetable stew, and a small plate of mountain mushrooms. Simple. Humble. But warm.
The old woman—Aunt Lin—came out from the kitchen, her eyes softening when she saw him.
"There you are, Xia'er. I was worried you wandered too far."
Feng Xia blinked.
Aunt Lin wasn't his real grandmother—his Earth memories confirmed that. But she was the woman who had raised this body since infancy. In this world, she was family.
And this body's emotions stirred naturally when hearing her voice.
He smiled gently. "I just walked around the village."
Aunt Lin nodded slowly, wiping her hands on her apron. "Tomorrow is the awakening. I know you're nervous."
"I'm… curious," Feng Xia said carefully.
Her smile faltered.
"Even if your martial soul isn't outstanding, Xia'er… you can still live a good life. Farmers and craftsmen are important too."
He understood the meaning behind her words.
She didn't believe he would awaken anything spectacular.
Nobody expected much from an orphan with average family lineage.
Feng Xia lowered his gaze.
If only she knew…
He held the mobile martial soul in his hand, hidden beneath the table.
This thing is far beyond "good."
He didn't tell her.
Later. After awakening. After confirming what it could do.
Then—only then—would he reveal a fraction of its ability.
They ate quietly. The oil lamp flickered and the wooden walls creaked with the wind.
When he finally lay down on the bed again, the moonlight poured through the window like silver dust.
The phone appeared, faintly glowing above his palm.
Tomorrow.
Everything changed tomorrow.
He closed his eyes.
And slept.
The Awakening Ceremony Begins
Dawn broke with a crimson sky.
Children ran through the village, laughing nervously. Parents straightened collars, braids, and sleeves. The awakening stone hummed with faint light.
The Spirit Hall deacon arrived on horseback—robes white, demeanor strict, carrying the wooden box of awakening crystals.
Feng Xia took his place in the line.
His heart pounded.
Ahead of him, one by one, children stepped forward.
"Next."
A girl placed her hand on the crystal. A soft yellow glow pulsed.
"Martial soul: Grass. Spirit power: level 1."
Next.
A boy awakened a hoe spirit. No spirit power.
Then a girl awakened a small rabbit martial soul. Level 2.
Whispers of excitement or disappointment filled the crowd.
Feng Xia remained silent.
His hands felt cold.
He gazed at the crystal orb placed atop the awakening stone. It emitted a steady, pure radiance.
This is it.
His turn came.
The deacon glanced at him. "Name?"
"Feng Xia."
"Place your hand on the awakening crystal."
He stepped up.
Aunt Lin watched from the crowd, gripping her apron tightly.
The village chief exhaled nervously.
The children behind him whispered.
Feng Xia closed his eyes—
—and placed his palm on the crystal sphere.
The world went silent.
Then—
BOOM—!
Light exploded like a thunderclap.
Wind currents swirled violently around the awakening stone.
The deacon staggered.Villagers gasped.Children yelped in shock.
The crystal orb pulsed with golden light—
—forming the outline of a rectangular object.
Thin. Sleek. Modern.
The deacon's eyes widened.
"What… what kind of martial soul is that?!"
Feng Xia opened his eyes.
A glowing mobile phone hovered above his palm, crackling with golden energy.
The deacon stared. "I've… I've never seen such a thing…"
The villagers murmured.
"What is that?""Some type of metal tablet?""Is it a spirit tool?""No, it's too strange…"
The mobile screen suddenly lit up—
Displaying a single line:
[Martial Soul Awakening: COMPLETE][Initial Function Unlocked: ???]
Feng Xia's heartbeat thundered in his ears.
The second line flickered—
Then solidified:
[Initial Function Unlocked: APP STORE]
The entire awakening stone cracked.
The deacon dropped his tablet in shock.
The crowd fell silent.
Feng Xia simply stared at the glowing words.
App… Store…?
A slow smile spread across his lips.
This world… was about to change.