Seven Treasures Village: a peaceful little mountain village. The population isn't large, but the villagers live a prosperous life. Smiles are ever-present on their faces.
At the entrance to the village, a young boy about five or six years old lies on a large rock, basking in the sun and napping. His face carries a maturity that sets him apart from others his age.
The boy has sharp eyebrows and bright, star-like eyes. Though his features are not fully developed, the shadow of future handsomeness can already be seen.
"Xiao Tian! Come down, it's time for lunch," a gentle woman calls from below.
The boy leaps directly off the rock with a smile. "Here I come, Mom."
"You, always scaring me like this," the woman says. She seems used to his antics, but as a mother, her heart still skips a beat when her son jumps around recklessly. "I know your body has always been stronger than the other kids, but you still need to be careful. If something happens to you, what would your father and I do?"
"I got it. I won't do it again!" the boy promises casually.
The boy's name is Jun Tianlin, born to ordinary villagers of Seven Treasures Village. But he is different—he's a transmigrator. One moment, he had been playing a game and watching Douluo Dalu anime on his computer, and the next, his computer inexplicably exploded, bringing him to this world.
It's said that on the day he was born, a meteor streaked across the sky and crashed into the Star Dou Forest. Many across the Douluo Continent witnessed it, and it reportedly caused a great commotion among the soul beasts in the forest.
His father believed this was an omen of a divine child and named him Tianlin (Heavenly Lin).
"Damn it! I was playing Legend of Sword and Fairy! How did I end up in the world of Douluo Dalu? This makes no sense!" Tianlin had raged in his heart when he first arrived.
Yes, this is the Douluo Continent—a world filled with martial souls. Seven Treasures Village, as the name implies, is connected to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan is the second-ranked sect on the Douluo Continent, located in the Heaven Dou Empire's Seven Treasure Mountain. They possess the world's most powerful auxiliary tool martial soul: the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
However, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda lacks offensive capabilities. Thus, apart from their core disciples, the clan has many affiliated families who act as protectors of the main disciples, such as the Sword Douluo Chen Xin lineage and Bone Douluo Gu Rong lineage.
Additionally, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan protects many villages at the base of the mountain. Sometimes, even commoners can produce rare talents. With their immense wealth, the clan adopts a policy of quantity over quality, recruiting large numbers of combat-type soul masters.
Talented individuals are trained intensively, while average ones serve as ordinary guardian disciples.
Even the most basic combat-type martial soul can cross realms and kill enemies when supported by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. If the so-called number one sect, the Clear Sky Clan, dominates with quality, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan rules with quantity.
Seven Treasures Village is the largest village at the foot of Seven Treasure Mountain. It was originally called Little Soul Village. Decades ago, a commoner from the village awakened a rare and powerful martial soul, earning the village its new name from the previous clan leader.
That rare talent, Yin Yang, is still alive today. At 78 years old, Yin Yang is the fourth-ranking figure in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, after the clan leader and the two Titled Douluos. He is an 89th-level agility-type Battle Soul Douluo, with the martial soul Thunder Feather Golden Eagle—the village's greatest pride.
This person doesn't appear in the original work of Douluo Dalu. After all, he's just a Soul Douluo and likely fell during one of the Spirit Hall's soul-hunting operations.
But it makes sense. A sect as large as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan couldn't rely solely on the two Titled Douluos mentioned in the original story. Lesser high-end combatants like Soul Douluos and Soul Sages must exist as well.
Returning home, Tianlin saw a burly man sweep him up in a bear hug. This was his father, Jun Tianhai. "Haha, my precious son is back! Tomorrow is your martial soul awakening day. Your old man is counting on you to make us proud!"
"Dad, don't get your hopes up too high," Tianlin said, spreading his hands helplessly. While his father had great expectations for him, Tianlin himself wasn't confident.
Martial soul inheritance typically comes from the stronger parent unless there's a mutation. Unfortunately, Tianlin's parents both had average martial souls. His mother's martial soul was a useless bead, and she had no innate soul power.
His father's martial soul was a sword—decent for combat—but it was a rusted sword, severely lacking in attack power. His innate soul power was only 1.5, and now, at nearly 30 years old, his father was still only a 21st-level Soul Grandmaster with two soul rings: one white and one yellow. It was unlikely he'd ever reach Soul Elder.
Of course, as a Soul Grandmaster, his father still held some status in the village as the warehouse manager.
Tianlin didn't resent his parents, but he often felt regretful. "A sword is fine, but why does it have to be rusty? Is this some kind of joke?"
He had no system, no inherited techniques or hidden weapons like Tang San. He had no idea how he would survive in this power-driven world.
However, he wasn't entirely without hope. In his mind were two books. Sadly, he could only see their covers and couldn't open them to learn their contents.
"Never mind," his mother, Mo Lan, said. "It doesn't matter what martial soul our boy has. If he inherits yours, he can just become the village warehouse manager like you. It's a stable job with income and status. He can marry a wife and live a peaceful life."
As he ate, Tianlin clenched his fists. He couldn't resign himself to such a life. If he had come to this world, he was determined to carve out a path for himself.
The awakening ceremony was tomorrow. What would the results be? It was still uncertain.
...
The Next Morning.
Under the village chief's guidance, all the six-year-old children of the village gathered together.
The kind old village chief said, "Children, in a little while, the soul master from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan will come to help you awaken your martial souls. You must cooperate well. Grandpa hopes that one of you will become a soul master, just like Grandpa Yin Yang."
At the mention of Yin Yang, the children's eyes filled with admiration. They had all grown up hearing stories of him.
The awakening ceremony for this village was handled by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. After all, this was a village under their protection. Leaving it to Spirit Hall would tarnish the clan's reputation.
Soon, a sound of rushing air came from the sky. A figure descended from above and landed before the children. It was a middle-aged man with wings on his back—a clear sign of a flying-type beast martial soul.
Suspended around him were four glowing rings: one white, one yellow, and two purple. He was a Soul Ancestor!
"Respected Soul Ancestor, thank you for coming," the village chief greeted him warmly.
"No need to be so formal, Village Chief," the Soul Ancestor replied politely. Of course, his politeness wasn't for the village chief, but out of respect for Yin Yang.
After a brief exchange, the Soul Ancestor led the children into the awakening hall.
"Alright, children, line up. Don't be nervous. My name is Tian Yu, a 42nd-level agility-type Battle Soul Ancestor from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's Reconnaissance Hall. My martial soul is the White Bird. I will now help you awaken your martial souls one by one."
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's external combat forces were divided into three halls: the Battle Hall for offense, the Defense Hall for protection, and the Reconnaissance Hall for intelligence gathering. Tian Yu was a subordinate of Yin Yang, which explained his courteous demeanor.
"Too bad it's not Master Su Yuntao performing the ceremony," Tianlin thought wistfully. "If he awakened a trash martial soul for me, maybe I'd have a chance to become a god."
As Tianlin's thoughts wandered, the ceremony began. Tian Yu took out six black stones and a shining blue crystal ball.
He arranged the stones and signaled the first child to step forward.
"Don't be afraid. Close your eyes and focus," Tian Yu instructed, releasing his soul power. His four rings appeared once more. "White Bird, Possession!"
A pair of massive white wings extended from his back, and his fingers transformed into sharp talons. He looked imposing and majestic—an extraordinary demonstration of beast martial soul possession.
The children were awestruck, including Tianlin, who had prepared himself mentally. The sight of a soul master's martial soul in action was truly marvelous.
"Children, this is my martial soul, the White Bird. If any of you awaken a beast martial soul, you'll gain abilities like mine.
"Now, extend your right hand!" Tian Yu commanded the boy in front of him.
The boy instinctively stretched out his right hand, and instantly, countless light points emerged from the six stones, surrounding him.
A long spear slowly materialized in his hand.
"Oh, it's actually a spear! This is quite a decent offensive-type weapon martial soul. Come, let me test if you have soul power. As long as you have soul power, you'll be able to become a Soul Master in the future!" Tian Yu said excitedly.
He was responsible for awakening martial souls in the surrounding villages, and he knew how difficult it was for ordinary people to become Soul Masters. He hadn't expected to encounter someone with potential right away today.
"Sir, what should I do?" The boy, emboldened by Tian Yu's good mood, cautiously asked.
"Use your mind to retract your weapon martial soul. In the future, summoning it will also rely on your mind. Then, we'll test your innate soul power!" After speaking, Tian Yu handed a crystal ball to the boy.
The boy retracted his weapon martial soul and placed his hand on the crystal ball. At that moment, the crystal ball emitted a bright light.
"As expected, you have soul power, and it even matches mine—reaching the innate level of four! This is excellent news!" Tian Yu was overjoyed. Now, he could report back to Elder Yin Yang with good results.
You must know that in recent years, no Soul Masters had been born in Seven Treasure Village, and he had often seen their elder sighing heavily.
"Alright, child, stand aside for now. You have the potential to become a Soul Master. I will take you back to the sect later. Train well in the future, understand?" Tian Yu said gently.
"Yes!" The boy was ecstatic. Becoming a Soul Master was the dream of every child in the village.
Tian Yu looked up and continued, "Alright, next!"
The awakening ceremony continued, with various scenes unfolding one after another. Unfortunately, none of the others yielded good results after the first child.
"Martial Soul: Hoe. Well, it could barely be used as a weapon, but no soul power."
"Martial Soul: Water jar. No soul power."
"Martial Soul: Chicken. It's a beast martial soul, but still no soul power. A chicken doesn't seem very useful either."
"Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass. Completely useless—no attack power, no defense power, no auxiliary abilities. The textbook definition of a waste martial soul!"
After several consecutive awakenings, Tian Yu let out a heavy sigh. As expected, miracles didn't happen often. Still, he was relieved that there was at least one spear martial soul this year—it wasn't a wasted trip.
As the number of participants dwindled, those unable to become Soul Masters lowered their heads in disappointment. Meanwhile, the first boy had a smug expression on his face. In his mind, these people were no longer in the same league as him.
He was destined to be a chosen one—the future Soul Master!
"Finally, it's the last one. Child, come forward!" Tian Yu, looking a bit tired after performing so many awakenings, called over Tian Lin, the last participant, after taking a brief breath.
Tian Lin nervously stepped into the center of the formation. As Tian Yu activated his soul power, Tian Lin's body began to float uncontrollably, and the six awakening stones emitted light far more intense than before.
"This child... could it be..." Tian Yu felt a surge of anticipation. Such a powerful awakening phenomenon suggested he might witness something extraordinary.
At this moment, Tian Lin, with his eyes closed, felt as though he was in a warm world—like the embrace of his parents when he was a child. A gentle energy flowed through his internal organs and limbs, filling him with indescribable comfort.
Meanwhile, he felt a surge of powerful energy in both his hands, as if something was trying to break free from the constraints of his body.
Tian Lin immediately clenched his left hand and only extended his right hand. Having read the original story, he knew that this situation was likely the sign of a twin martial soul awakening.
As a transmigrator, he naturally understood the importance of keeping a low profile. He quickly used his mind to retract whatever was in his left hand, hiding it from view.
In his right hand, a dark blue longsword appeared, its blade inscribed with ancient characters.
"This is... the Demon Sword!" Tian Lin's heart raced. Wasn't this the very sword from the Xianjian series he had been playing before he transmigrated? It was the sword used by Murong Ziying and Jing Tian!
He had even reached the final boss battle, challenging Chonglou for the perfect ending, pushing the Demon Sword to its limits in the process.
Unexpectedly, the Demon Sword had followed him here.
As for what was in his left hand, he could roughly guess—it was probably even more powerful than the Demon Sword.
"What a fine sword!" Tian Yu suddenly exclaimed. The sword's design was so exquisite that just looking at it conveyed a sense of extraordinary power.
"Child, does this sword have a name?"
"Yes. It's called the... Suppressing Demon Sword!" Tian Lin had initially wanted to call it the Demon Sword, but considering how people in the Douluo Continent had a deep hatred for evil Soul Masters, the name "Demon Sword" might lead to misunderstandings. If someone mistook him for an evil Soul Master and attacked him, it would be too tragic.
Adding the word "Suppressing" changed everything. Suppressing demons was about vanquishing evil spirits—clearly a righteous and noble cause!