Douluo Continent, southwest of the Heaven Dou Empire, Fasno Province.
Wangjia Village,this was an ordinary village near Notting City, so ordinary that it could not be more so. Growing grain and vegetables to supply Notting City was basically its only source of income.
As a result, large stretches of farmland could be seen everywhere around the village. Among these fields, and among the farmers working them, there was a half-grown child mixed in. He skillfully swung a hoe to weed the crops. After all, if you wanted crops to grow well, weeding and catching pests were indispensable.
His name was Wang Li, six years old this year. He had been given this name because he was unusually large at birth. His mother died from complications during childbirth, but he survived tenaciously. Separated from his parents the moment he was born, he was given the single-character name "Li," meaning separation.
A few years ago, wild boars from the back mountains came down and ravaged the crops. The adults of the village went out to drive them away, but for ordinary people, dealing with those thick-skinned, tough boars was extremely difficult. In the end, there were many casualties, and his father was among them. Now, Wang Li could truly be said to be all alone.
Even though he was only six years old, Wang Li already had three years of farming experience. Through hard work, along with occasional assistance from the village chief and villagers, his body had not been worn down by exhaustion. On the contrary, he was sturdier than children of the same age.
At six years old, he had the physique of a ten-year-old. His skin was wheat-colored, healthy and full of vitality. His facial features were well-proportioned, with thick eyebrows and large eyes. In the city, he might not stand out much, but in the countryside, with his looks and build, he would definitely grow into a handsome young man famous within ten miles.
Time quickly reached noon. The sun blazed down on people, unbearably hot. Even adults could not endure it, let alone a child like Wang Li.
He put away all his farm tools and quickly walked back home at the western end of the village. However, in front of his house, it was not empty. An elderly figure was sitting there.
When Wang Li saw the old man, he smiled honestly and called out,
"Grandpa Village Chief, why did you come over?"
This old man was the village chief of Wangjia Village, named Wang Ping. His name suited him well, as he handled matters fairly. Wang Li, an orphan, had received a great deal of care from Wang Ping in daily life.
Wang Ping looked at Wang Li with a gentle and satisfied gaze. More than half of the villagers in Wangjia Village shared the surname Wang, so there was some distant blood relation between them, though that was not the most important thing.
What mattered was that Wang Li was obedient, sensible, hardworking, and willing to do physical labor. For a farmer who lived off the land, as long as he was not lazy, there was always a way to survive. Barring accidents, Wang Li would grow into a good young man in the village and would not become a lazy or idle person.
Good labor was something no village chief would dislike. This was reality. Although Wang Li called Wang Ping "grandpa," he was not actually Wang Ping's biological grandson.
Wang Ping motioned for Wang Li to put down his tools and said,
"Xiao Li, you've had a hard fate. At such a young age, you have to work in the fields every day. But tomorrow, you won't need to go to the fields. Tomorrow, the honored soul masters from the Spirit Hall will come to our village to awaken the martial spirits of children who have reached six years old. If you can awaken a powerful martial spirit and become a soul master, you'll rise above ordinary people and won't have to suffer through farming anymore."
As he said this, Wang Ping's eyes were filled with envy. On Douluo Continent, all professions were inferior except that of a soul master.
Hearing this, Wang Li smiled and said,
"I understand, Grandpa Village Chief. The Spirit Hall is really good. Even a small village like ours gets soul masters to come and awaken our martial spirits."
Wang Ping nodded in agreement.
"That's right. So, Xiao Li, come early to the Spirit Hall in the center of the village. We can't keep the honored soul masters waiting. Even though you no longer have parents, you're the one I worry about the least. I believe you'll definitely awaken a powerful martial spirit."
There seemed to be a deeper meaning in Wang Li's eyes.
"Thank you, Grandpa Village Chief. Maybe I really can awaken a powerful martial spirit."
Wang Ping shook his head and smiled. As village chief, he had seen many children awaken their martial spirits, but he had never seen a truly powerful one. After accumulating so much disappointment, although he once hoped that a strong soul master would emerge from the village, his heart had long since grown calm.
Wang Ping stood up and said in a comforting tone,
"If that happens, our village will produce a powerful soul master. I should be going now. I still need to visit the next household."
Wang Li smiled and waved.
"Goodbye, Grandpa."
Watching Wang Ping's departing figure, Wang Li could not help but think to himself,
"It's finally about to begin. Martial spirit awakening. What kind of martial spirit will I use to step onto the path of a soul master?"
Wang Li was so confident because he came from another world. In that world, Douluo Continent was a novel, and he was fairly familiar with its contents.
He awakened at the age of three. His memories from before the age of three quickly became blurred and faded, while memories from his previous life constantly surfaced in his mind.
Regarding this situation, Wang Li guessed that it was the brain's self-protection mechanism, sealing away his original memories. Only when his body had developed enough at the age of three to accept them were those memories released.
After all, there was a saying: "Since I can remember…" Generally speaking, humans do not remember things from before the age of three. Even if they do, the memories are fragmented and vague. Only memories formed after the age of three can be retained clearly.
After awakening, Wang Li, who had been a working adult in his previous life, accurately grasped the change in the villagers' attitudes toward him.
While other children were still at the age of crying and playing, he had already taken up farm tools with his young body and gone to the fields to work.
How much work he did was not important; attitude was what mattered. After all, people help in emergencies, not in poverty. Being obedient, sensible, hardworking, and not becoming a burden or a parasite meant that neighbors would be willing to lend a hand out of goodwill. Otherwise, when no one was wealthy, no one wanted an extra mouth to feed at home.
Wang Li had farmed the land for three years, and a brand-new world was about to open before him.
In a good mood, Wang Li pushed open the door and went inside the house.
He strode into the kitchen, lifted the lid off the pot on the stove, and found cold plain porridge inside,almost half a pot full. With quick, practiced movements, he ladled some out.
With pickled vegetables as accompaniment, he squatted behind the stove and ate in big mouthfuls.
This was his main food. He also wanted to eat meat, but he did not have the means.
The porridge provided carbohydrates, the pickles provided salt, and together with his hard labor, they gave Wang Li a body that even he found fairly satisfying. Although he was not sure whether a strong body had anything to do with awakening a martial spirit or soul power,
being tall and sturdy was still better than being dark and scrawny.
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