1: Awakening the Wasted Soul

[PS: The protagonist starts at age 14, transmigrated in his own body.]

Star Luo Empire, Tomorrow Village.

"He— Ha—"

In the early morning, just as the sky began to turn fish-belly white, the rhythmic and powerful sounds of martial arts practice echoed from a small courtyard.

The youth's face was resolute, and his two eyes were like cold, black stars, faintly exuding a heroic and chivalrous air.

"Eight Extremities Fist: eight intents and eight forms, power reaching the extremes of the eight directions."

"When one limb moves, the hundred bones follow; when one part is still, a hundred parts are still."

"Internal movement must manifest externally; external movement must originate from within."

"..."

Bear's step, tiger's palm.

Every move and every stance was fierce and explosive, merging the strength of his entire body into a single point.

In just a short while, bean-sized beads of sweat erupted from his body, soaking his cloth clothes as his breathing became steady and deep.

"..."

"Intent and movement follow each other; qi moves and blood flows."

"Bones aligned and tendons straight; where the qi arrives, the power is released."

The youth's starry eyes suddenly grew sharp, and he closed in on a sandbag like a flash of lightning.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

He stepped into a lunge, his right arm thrusting forward as his frame erupted with a surge of majestic power.

Eight Extremities Fist, Single Sheep Ram!

As the old saying goes, 'Taiji brings peace to the World, Eight Extremities stabilizes the universe.'

Eight Extremities Fist is known for being 'fierce, violent, and hard,' utilizing direct strikes and collisions.

Power like a drawn bow, release like a crack of thunder.

Boom—!

The hundred-pound sandbag instantly flew upward, making the connecting tree branch creak and groan as if it were about to snap.

"As expected..."

"My strength has increased again!"

A bright, innocent smile blossomed on the youth's face, like the first light of dawn, clear and bright with a hint of fiery determination.

The youth's name was Su Ye. Not long ago, he had accidentally transmigrated from Blue Star to Douluo World.

Before transmigrating, he had followed his father in practicing the Eight Extremities Fist since the age of ten. For four years, he practiced every morning and evening without ever slacking off.

Knowing that strengthening the physical body in Douluo World could raise the age limit for absorbing spirit rings, he had practiced the Eight Extremities Fist even more diligently during the half-month since he arrived.

Perhaps because this World contained Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi, his Eight Extremities Fist cultivation progressed more rapidly than before.

"Whew—"

He sank his qi and finished his exercise.

Su Ye looked into the distance. At this moment, the sun had climbed over the mountaintop, casting ten thousand rays of rosy light that spilled across the landscape.

"...If I could just get a good Spirit, it would be perfect."

Just as the expectant smile appeared on his face, Su Ye let out a helpless sigh and began to scratch his head in frustration.

In his past life, the Douluo anime was a massive hit. He had even gone out of his way to buy the entire set of books and read through the original novel.

Spirits existed in this World, apparently because the bloodline energy of the Dragon God had spread across Douluo Star after its fall.

As a transmigrator whose physical bloodline hadn't undergone any baptism, it wasn't even certain if he had a Spirit.

Even if he did have a Spirit, his innate spirit power would surely be so low it would be hard to look at.

Innate spirit power was born from the energy drawn outward by the Spirit and the body... He had only been here for half a month, and Eight Extremities Fist wasn't some cultivation breathing technique. How could he have generated a level of spirit power so quickly?

Furthermore, he was already fourteen years old, having already passed the golden age for spirit power cultivation.

"Even if I can't become a Titled Douluo, at least let me be a Spirit Master."

Su Ye muttered to himself as he entered the wooden hut, thinking that whether it was possible or not would depend on the Spirit Awakening.

He washed off the pungent sweat and changed into a clean set of cloth clothes.

Before long, an old man's shout rang out from outside.

"Ye boy?"

"Here! I'm coming right now."

"Better be quick. Don't keep the Spirit Hall's Spirit Master waiting, or they'll say our Tomorrow Village is being disrespectful."

Amidst the urging, Su Ye ran out nimbly.

Outside the fence stood an old man with hair and beard as white as snow, wearing a cowboy hat. Despite being in his seventies, his body still looked quite healthy, and the smile on his face grew more transparent and open-minded with age.

Tom, the village chief of Tomorrow Village.

The courtyard Su Ye was currently living in belonged to Old Tom's second son's family. After his grandson became a Spirit Grandmaster, the whole family moved to the city.

The old man had been a hunter his whole life; his roots were deeply planted in these mountains.

When Su Ye transmigrated, he happened to run into Old Tom setting traps, so he followed him back to Tomorrow Village.

Being able to live peacefully in the village was largely thanks to this kind old man's help.

"Let's go, I'll take you to awaken your Spirit." Looking at the youth's vibrant appearance, Old Tom's deep eyes flickered with joy as he quickly beckoned.

"Coming!"

Su Ye, never one to take the conventional path, took a running start and vaulted over the wooden fence with one hand.

Thud—!

A stylish landing, perfect form.

Seeing the youth's lively and mischievous manner, Old Tom seemed to see his younger self and shook his head with a smile.

The two of them soon arrived at the center of the village.

Every village had a Spirit Hall village-level office used for Spirit Awakening.

This year, there weren't many children of the right age in Tomorrow Village, with only eight in total at the scene.

Not long after the two arrived, a woman wearing the white robe of a Spirit Hall Deacon came over.

"Village Chief, it's been a long time." She seemed to know Old Tom and greeted him with a smile.

Good, good, she's an acquaintance of the Village Chief. Su Ye thought that his awakening was likely a sure thing.

"Ye... Little Ye?"

Old Tom let out a surprised sound, his aged face showing astonishment. "It's only been a few years, and you've already become a Spirit Grandmaster?"

It's been more than a few years... Knowing the old man was a bit forgetful, Ye Ling smiled helplessly. "Village Chief, the last time we met was when you went to the Junior Spirit Master Academy to visit the injured Luo."

"He was only ten then, and now he's in his twenties and already married with children. Have you forgotten?"

Old Tom then realized, knocking his forehead in annoyance. "Ah, look at this old man's memory. It always feels like it was just a few years ago..."

Ye Ling smiled and didn't mind, her eyes lightly scanning the group of green children with some anticipation.

However, the moment her gaze met the fourteen-year-old Su Ye behind Old Tom, her expression visibly froze.

"Village Chief, he is...?"

Ye Ling's tone was stiff; according to regulations, outsiders were not allowed to observe Spirit Awakening.

Old Tom quickly stepped forward, explaining that Su Ye was a child from the mountains who hadn't awakened a Spirit before, so he brought him to try.

"I see..."

Understanding now, Ye Ling immediately beckoned to Su Ye and smiled. "For the Village Chief's sake, you can line up and give it a try."

"With his blessing, maybe you'll awaken a decent Spirit."

After speaking, she turned and opened the door to the wooden hut. Several glass windows allowed the morning sun to filter through, making the interior feel classical and holy.

Clang—

Everyone went inside and the door was closed. The eight young faces immediately became nervous.

Su Ye silently prayed to all the gods and buddhas to let him awaken a powerful Spirit.

"Little ones, before the Spirit Awakening, I have a few words to say."

Ye Ling put on the air of a sophisticated teacher and said solemnly:

"Generally speaking, the quality of a Spirit determines the amount of innate spirit power."

"Of course, you don't need to be discouraged. Even if the Spirit you awaken is just a sickle or a hammer, as long as you have innate spirit power, you can still become a Spirit Master."

"If your talent is decent, we will invite you to join Spirit Hall, where we will train you to become noble Spirit Masters."

As she spoke, blue light blossomed in Ye Ling's palm, and a sharp blue iron sword appeared in her hand. Her voice carried a hint of pride.

"This is my Spirit, the Blue Star Sword."

"The Spirit everyone awakens will be different. It could be a dog, or it could be a wolf. So when awakening your Spirit, everyone must stay calm."

"That, you... your name is Su Ye, right? You're the oldest, so you give everyone a demonstration first."

Uh... "Fine, I'll go first then."

Su Ye was stunned for a moment, then he rolled his wrists and stepped forward resolutely, his gaze lingering on the sword in her hand.

As a martial artist, what he wanted most to awaken was a Tool Spirit—a saber, spear, or sword would all do.

The youth's courageous and calm demeanor made Ye Ling quite satisfied. She then took out several black crystals and began to set up the formation.

"Go inside."

"Will do."

As the golden spiritual light from the formation surged into his body, Su Ye suddenly felt something inside him breaking through.

I... I have a Spirit!

The youth couldn't help but feel wild joy in his heart.

The next second.

Witnessing the descent of the Spirit, the joy in Su Ye's eyes vanished like a dying star.

He was about to explode.

"Holy crap!!"

"Brother Kun!?"