Chapter 1: My Name Is Jin Mian, Grandson of Golden Crocodile Douluo
Spirit City.
This is the holy land longed for by Soul Masters across the entire continent.
And the Spirit Hall, which countless Soul Masters desperately wish to join, stands at the very center of the city.
Because it helps commoner Soul Masters awaken their martial souls free of charge and recruits large numbers of talented individuals, the influence of Spirit Hall has only continued to grow.
It has now become the undisputed number-one power on the continent.
But this has also drawn the fear and vigilance of the two great empires.
Before Spirit Hall rose to prominence, those who could awaken martial souls were almost entirely members of the noble class. Commoners had virtually no opportunity.
Even if a lucky commoner managed to awaken a martial soul, the path upward was tightly controlled by the two empires. No matter how hard they worked, it was extremely difficult to grow stronger.
However, after the appearance of Spirit Hall, they began helping civilians awaken martial souls for free and regularly distributed Gold Soul Coins to encourage Soul Masters to cultivate, completely changing the monopoly once held by the two empires.
Douluo Palace.
This is the residence of the Seven Grand Priests, whose authority surpasses even that of the Supreme Pontiff Palace.
The reason they possess such enormous power is simple — all seven Grand Priests are above Rank 96.
Inside a luxurious estate:
"It's been six years since I came to this world, and today I can finally awaken my martial soul."
"As a transmigrator, isn't it reasonable to awaken a Golden Crocodile King?"
A black-haired boy sat on the rooftop, resting his chin on his right hand as he muttered to himself.
The boy's name was Jin Mian, and he was six years old.
That's right — he was not originally from this world.
In his previous life, Jin Mian had been an unemployed college graduate.
One afternoon, while lying on the sofa watching the latest episode of the Douluo Dalu anime, something unexpected happened.
Halfway through the episode, a semi-truck appeared out of nowhere and killed him.
And the place he had been living was on the sixth floor.
When he woke up again, he discovered that he had transmigrated into the world of Douluo Dalu.
He had become a newborn baby — also named Jin Mian.
What excited him even more was his identity in this life: the only grandson of Golden Crocodile Douluo.
Being familiar with the Douluo storyline, he naturally knew who Golden Crocodile Douluo was.
This was the Second Priest of the Douluo Palace, the owner of the top-tier beast martial soul Golden Crocodile King, and a terrifying Level 98 Peak Douluo — Golden Crocodile.
Aside from Grand Priest Qian Daoliu, Sea God Island's High Priestess Bo Saixi, and the previous-previous sect master of the Clear Sky Sect, Tang Chen, he was among the strongest beings alive.
Not only that, but Golden Crocodile Douluo, already over 150 years old, even outranked Qian Daoliu in seniority.
Growing up, many people deliberately tried to curry favor with Jin Mian.
This was the weight carried by being the sole grandson of the Second Priest, Golden Crocodile Douluo.
Naturally, Jin Mian couldn't be bothered to pay them any attention.
As for why he was the only grandson?
That was because, shortly after he was born in this life, his parents were killed while resisting Tang Hao's attack on Spirit Hall.
Just as Jin Mian was lost in thought, a gentle female voice sounded beside him.
"Jin Mian, the martial soul awakening ceremony is about to begin. Second Grandpa has already gone ahead — why are you still here?"
Hearing the familiar voice behind him, Jin Mian turned around.
He saw a young girl with short golden hair, wearing a golden dress. Though her delicate features had not fully matured, it was easy to tell she would grow into a great beauty.
Especially her eyes, as pure as a frozen lake in the polar regions.
She was Qian Renxue — the granddaughter of Grand Priest Qian Daoliu, daughter of former Pope Qian Xunji, and current Pope Bibi Dong, and the future Angel God.
In his previous life, whether reading the novel, manga, or watching the anime, Jin Mian had always liked Qian Renxue.
Beautiful, talented, and intelligent — a truly high-quality woman.
Unfortunately, her ending was tragic.
Her grandfather sacrificed himself for her godhood.
Her father was killed by her mother.
Her mother deeply disliked her.
And in the final battle, she shattered her own divine position to save her mother.
Thinking of this, Jin Mian silently resolved to change Qian Renxue's fate.
Just as he was wondering how to build a good relationship with her, an opportunity had already appeared three years ago.
One night, after being ignored again by Bibi Dong, Qian Renxue ran to the riverside and cried.
Jin Mian happened to pass by while running errands. Seeing her wiping away tears, he knew he couldn't miss such a perfect opportunity, so he stepped forward to comfort her.
That night, Qian Renxue's tears soaked a large patch of his left shoulder.
From then on, Jin Mian began taking the initiative to spend time with her whenever he was free.
Before long, he became the first and only friend in Qian Renxue's life.
Normally, Qian Renxue maintained a distant, unapproachable demeanor. But in front of Jin Mian, she would occasionally act spoiled like an ordinary girl.
"I was just thinking about something. I'll head over in a moment."
"Didn't you say yesterday you wouldn't talk to me for a whole month? How come you came looking for me after just one day, Little Sister Xue?"
When saying "Little Sister Xue," Jin Mian deliberately emphasized the words and showed a mischievous grin.
Bang!
Qian Renxue dashed forward and knocked him on the head with her fist.
"How many times have I told you — don't call me Little Sister Xue. Call me older sister."
"And who came looking for you on purpose? Grandpa and Second Grandpa saw you hadn't arrived yet and asked me to find you. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother with you."
"Hmph!"
Despite the pain in his head, Jin Mian only laughed.
"I refuse. Little Sister Xue, Little Sister Xue, Little Sister Xue…"
"Ah…" Qian Renxue sighed helplessly.
Her eyes were filled with confusion.
She was clearly three years older than Jin Mian, yet this little rascal, who loved sitting on rooftops swinging his legs, insisted on calling her "Little Sister Xue."
Sometimes he even tempted her into calling him "Brother Jin Mian," promising that if she did, he would call her older sister.
Having never experienced the harsh realities of society, Qian Renxue agreed — only for Jin Mian to immediately go back on his word.
This infuriated her.
She complained to Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo more than once.
Qian Daoliu, seeing that his granddaughter — who never played with other children — finally had a companion, was delighted and said nothing.
He even encouraged her to spend more time with Jin Mian.
As for Golden Crocodile Douluo, there was even less to say. Jin Mian was his only remaining family line — of course, he would side with his own grandson.
After hearing that Jin Mian had tricked Qian Renxue into calling him "brother," he even praised his grandson for being clever.
Unconvinced, Qian Renxue complained to the other priests.
But after listening, they all pretended not to hear anything.
After all — the eldest brother's granddaughter being bullied by the second brother's grandson — and neither guardian saying anything?
They certainly weren't going to express opinions.
They immediately claimed to have urgent matters and slipped away.
At that moment, Qian Renxue felt like the sky over the Douluo Palace had darkened.
"Alright, stop fooling around. Let's go. Grandpa and Second Grandpa have been waiting for quite a while."
Qian Renxue interrupted him.
"What's the rush? Those old men are bored all day anyway. Let them wait a bit longer."
After saying that, Jin Mian pulled Qian Renxue down to sit beside him.
—
End of Chapter