Chapter 1: A Heart Clinging to Hope
The White Tiger Duke's Estate.
Huo Yuhao stared at his own small, soft hands, feeling a wave of despair.
His memories had just settled, confirming the impossible truth: he had transmigrated into the body of Huo Yuhao, the protagonist of Douluo Continent II: The Unrivaled Tang Sect.
Frankly, it was a nightmare.
In his past life, he'd been a childhood fan of the Douluo Continent series and had read the second installment. He'd dropped the later sequels due to school, never picking them up again. Years later, buzz about the series pulled him back in, turning him into a critic who followed the drama just to see how tangled the author's plots could get.
But now… he was Huo Yuhao?
He'd become the punchline?
Think, he urged himself. If you're the protagonist of The Unrivaled Tang Sect, what do you do?
The answer was simple: he couldn't. This was the story of a son-in-law, meticulously orchestrated by the God-King Tang San from the shadows. Set in a world of martial souls, not magic or battle aura, it was a tale where a divine enforcer, though forbidden from direct interference, could easily puppet a chosen one from behind the scenes.
Later books like Douluo III and IV were filled with retcons and inconsistencies, making the entire narrative feel shaky.
The realization made Huo Yuhao break into a cold sweat.
What a wonderful start. Just wonderful.
But setting that aside… as Douluo's chosen one, Huo Yuhao's legend began with his greatest patron: the Skydream Iceworm! A million-year soul ring as his first? Compared to Tang San's initial four-hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider ring in the first series, it was like comparing the sun to a flickering candle.
Not to mention the later opportunity for godhood offered by Electrolux!
He used to stand on the sidelines, judging.
"This plot makes no sense!"
"Even I could do better."
Now,he was Huo Yuhao.
The future looked bleak, utterly hopeless.
What could he say? The advantage of starting first was overwhelming.
If their positions were reversed, he'd show Tang San what true despair felt like. Everyone mocks Tang San until they realize they're in his web.
But the current Huo Yuhao was just a pitiful Level 10 Soul Master trainee without a single soul ring. He'd nearly been killed by a ten-year-old Wind Baboon and only escaped using the Level 5 soul tool, the White Tiger Dagger.
Fight a God-King? With this?
With his innate soul power of Level 1 and his Spirit Eyes martial soul?
Life was cruel.
"...So, I'm already being watched by Tang San, aren't I?"
Composing himself, Huo Yuhao looked skyward, resigned.
Are you watching, God-King Tang?
Even the original owner's mother was gone.What choice did he have?
One step at a time.
Endure,and plan carefully.
"I've taken this body and its burdens. From today, I am Huo Yuhao."
He was eleven. His soul power had reached Level 10, and he was preparing to leave the Duke's estate to hunt a soul beast, to gain a ring and become a true Soul Master.
So, why not just take the Skydream Iceworm's gift and run?
If he never joined Shrek Academy,what could the so-called God-King do to him?
This was his fight for survival!
He, Huo Yuhao, would rather die than become a loyal dog of the Tang family!
Thirty years east,thirty years west—never underestimate the young!
Huo Yuhao understood his path.
Just then, a mechanical voice sounded in his ears, accompanied by glowing blue text before his eyes.
[Ding! Achievement System successfully loaded!]
[Achievement Unlocked!]
['Waste Martial Soul' Achievement attained. Reward: Hope Gu.]
['Outsider' Achievement attained. Reward: Soul-Calming Gu.]
Huo Yuhao was stunned, then exhilarated.
His cheat system—finally here.And a double reward!
He examined the [Achievement System]. Perhaps because of the Gu Master novels he'd read before transmigrating, every achievement unlocked via this system granted a Gu-related reward.
Achievements were split into passive (based on his status or actions) and active quests (granted by fulfilling the wishes of specific story characters).
"A wish-granting system?" Huo Yuhao mused. It felt oddly familiar, yet different.
Perhaps to adapt to Douluo's rules, the Gu were treated as special equipment. He inspected his two new rewards.
[Hope Gu: Rank 1 Gu. Gradually improves a Soul Master's aptitude and compensates for innate deficiencies.]
[Note: In adversity, cling to hope.]
[Soul-Calming Gu: Rank 5 Gu (One-time use). Increases harmony between soul and body, enhances spiritual talent.]
[Note: Since you're here, settle in comfortably.]
In Gu Master lore, Gu operated on true essence. Rank 5 was the peak for mortal Gu, with Ranks 1-5 being mortal and 6-9 immortal, all requiring special feeding—a tedious process.
Now, however, Gu could be stored within the system and materialized, sustained and used by his soul power.
Testing them, Huo Yuhao found the Hope Gu acted as a constant passive buff, requiring minimal soul power. The Soul-Calming Gu was one-time use, vanishing after.
Shortly after using the Soul-Calming Gu, he felt not only a boost in spiritual power but also a deep sense of clarity. His body felt refined, bones and meridians improved, even his appearance subtly enhanced.
Simultaneously, he sensed a latent change in his Spirit Eyes martial soul.
"It's like an evolution,but it won't happen instantly." He suspected the full transformation would manifest as his soul power grew.
"But are the Spirit Eyes really a waste?" Huo Yuhao doubted it. His weak constitution had hampered them. Though his innate soul power was only Level 1, the Spirit Eyes were a top-tier Body Soul, highly prized in the Body Sect—not treated as trash like at Shrek Academy, where only his second martial soul, Ultimate Ice, earned respect.
One treated him like a treasure, the other a fool.
The saying held truth:There are no useless martial souls, only useless Soul Masters!
Douluo Continent held opportunities to defy fate;low innate soul power wasn't an absolute shackle.
For example, the Skydream Iceworm!
With that thought,Huo Yuhao immediately slipped out of the Duke's estate and headed north toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
Time was critical.If someone intercepted his opportunity, regret would be useless.
---
Six Days Later. Near the Star Dou Great Forest.
Hungry again, Huo Yuhao caught and grilled fish. He'd survived on this skill for days.
Using his Spirit Eyes to control the flame made the fish exceptionally delicious—no wonder he was later called the Grillmaster.
It even unlocked another achievement.
['Helpless but Well-Fed' Achievement attained. Reward: White Boar Gu.]
[White Boar Gu: Rank 1 Gu. Modifies the Soul Master's physique, fundamentally increasing physical strength.]
[Note: Strong as an ox… or a boar.]
After using it, his physical strength now likely matched a high-level Beast Soul Great Soul Master. The downside was a greatly increased appetite, which slowed his travel, though his enhanced stamina mostly compensated. He reached the original story's fish-grilling spot around the same time anyway.
He grilled here not just to eat, but to wait. Like a fisherman waiting for the bite, he'd know his chance had come when a certain couple appeared. Then he'd enter the forest.
He could also test his theories about the achievement system.
He heard them before he saw them.
"That smells amazing!"A clear, delighted voice rang out.
Huo Yuhao smiled slightly.The fish had taken the bait.
He looked up.
A handsome youth and a well-dressed young woman approached.The girl rushed ahead, her eyes fixed on the sizzling fish.
"Hey there!How did you make your fish smell this good?"
"By grilling it,"Huo Yuhao replied automatically, observing her.
She had long dark hair in a high ponytail,a light blue outfit highlighting her youthful figure. Her bright almond-shaped eyes, straight nose, and oval face were currently filled with eager anticipation.
But what truly caught Huo Yuhao's attention were the lines of text that appeared beside her.
[Tang Ya]
[Relationship: Stranger]
[Achievement Quest: Restore the Tang Sect. Starting point: Grilled Fish.]
Rebuild the glory of the Tang Sect… starting with grilled fish?
Huo Yuhao almost laughed.This was going to be interesting.
(End of Chapter)