>> CHAPTER 04: REVELATIONS <<
The night silently enveloped the territory of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. At the top of a nearby mountain, Yu Tianlong lay on the cold grass, arms crossed behind his head, gazing at the starry sky. The gentle breeze carried the fresh scent of damp earth and surrounding pine trees, wrapping the moment in a serene tranquility as he lost himself in thought.
"Time flies so fast, and to think it's already been six years since I reincarnated into this world," he thought, reviewing old memories from another life.
The memory of his past life was still clear in his mind. He recalled his absurd death: struck by lightning during a storm while walking peacefully at night, heading home after a long day of work.
The last thing he remembered was a sudden flash filling his vision... and then, a deafening boom.
"Ah... I always thought I'd die from some illness, never imagined that mother nature herself would kill me with a lightning bolt." He opened his eyes, an ironic smile on his lips.
It was truly a twist of fate, being killed by lightning and then reincarnating into a clan whose main element was lightning. It felt like God was simply playing with him.
"But I always wondered if I truly reincarnated into this fictional world, or if I'm simply in a coma, dreaming forever," he continued, pondering his life.
"The only conclusion I came to was that it's no use thinking about it; the best thing I could do was simply survive in this world of Douluo Dalu."
"Surviving wouldn't be that hard, at least not now, for me," he thought, confident, knowing he could count on his clan's help for most of the dangers he might face, at least for now...
Because, in the future, things wouldn't be so simple for him... and especially not for his clan.
If it were anyone else in his place — someone who reincarnated into this world without knowing anything about its fictional origins — they would certainly feel blessed by the heavens for being reborn into one of the three great sects of the Douluo Dalu continent.
But Yu Tianlong wasn't "just anyone."
He knew very well the plot of Soul Land 1 and even a bit of 2, 3, and 4.
Reincarnating into one of the three great sects did bring countless advantages... but also dangers of equal measure.
"And to think I already have an enemy even before meeting him personally..." he thought, as he replayed in his mind one of the key events from the original story: the near-total annihilation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
As this memory surfaced, so did the faces of those who had become important to him in this new life: his parents, uncles, cousins, all those who had welcomed and treated him with genuine affection since birth.
"I'll definitely never allow something like that to happen... I'll make them regret it deeply the moment they dare step into the dragons' den."
Since arriving in this world, Tianlong had already devised several plans and methods to increase the collective strength of the clan. And, in a way, the story was already changing because of him.
"Well... Even if I do nothing, the future definitely won't follow the original plot."
This thought echoed in his mind with conviction. He remembered well what his mother had said shortly after his birth: that a mysterious celestial phenomenon had shaken the skies that day, releasing a wave of energy so intense that it raised the cultivation of every clan member present by two levels.
The impact of this couldn't be underestimated.
Thanks to that event, the strength of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had taken a significant leap:
The patriarch, Yu Yuanzhen, was now at level 97 (formerly 95).
Elder Yu Longwei, father of Yu Tianxin, had reached level 95 (previously level 93).
His uncle, Yu Leihao, had advanced to level 92 (formerly 89, with one extra level gained after absorbing a ring).
His father, Yu Zhenhai, was currently at level 89.
The second elder, Yu Loumian, was now at level 88.
Both — his father and Loumian — were clearly on the path to becoming Titled Douluo in the future, which would raise the total number of Titled Douluo in the clan to five.
And this wasn't even counting his mother.
Zi Ji, a spirit beast with 380,000 years of cultivation, claimed that his current strength surpassed that of an ordinary level 98 Title Douluo—and perhaps even capable of competing with someone at level 99.
With three confirmed Titled Douluo, two on the verge of ascending, and a soul beast of overwhelming power, the clan already had the strength to shake the balance of the great powers.
In fact, he was sure that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had already surpassed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, traditionally considered the second greatest sect on the continent.
And perhaps... perhaps it could even compete for first place with the legendary Clear Sky Clan — which, although it had six Titled Douluo (seven, including Tang Hao), had none above level 97.
With this current strength, if the Spirit Hall really wanted to destroy the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, they'd have to mobilize more than half of all their forces. This wasn't something that could be resolved with a simple sneak attack, like in the original story.
And if his clan decided to ally with the other great sects in a war against the Spirit Hall... then the entire continent would witness a clash unlike any it had seen before.
So, at least for now, Tianlong wasn't truly worried. The future was still uncertain, but now fate was in his hands, and he knew that before shaping it, he needed to deal with the dangers already knocking at the door.
"For now, I should focus on more urgent matters. Like, for example... how the hell am I going to hide my soul beast aura from a Titled Douluo?"
He let out a long sigh, recalling the day he reincarnated into this world — not as a normal human, but as a soul beast disguised in human form.
As long as he was within the clan's territory, he didn't need to worry about it. After all, all the Titled Douluo in his family knew the truth about him... and his mother. For now, he was safe.
But that, of course, wouldn't last forever.
"Should I, in the future, go to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to get some immortal herb, like the Yearning Heartbroken Red, which can completely hide my soul beast aura? Or should I try something else, like crafting an artifact that could conceal my aura?"
"Maybe I should study the creation of Soul Tools that could disguise my aura... That would certainly require a lot of time, study, and mastery in areas I haven't even begun to explore."
The idea seemed bold, but if it worked, it would not only solve the problem of his soul beast aura but also help with another equally dangerous dilemma: his soul rings.
From the moment he was reborn in this world, Tianlong had innate full spirit power at level 20, classifying him as an absolute genius and a bearer of a divine spirit.
And today, at just six years old, he was already at level 27 — an impressive feat by itself, placing him above any known genius.
But surprisingly, that wasn't the most shocking aspect of Tianlong.
The real problem — or perhaps, the true mystery — lay in the evolving nature of his soul rings.
His two current rings shared the same peculiarity as Tang San's fifth ring — the ability to evolve as the user grew stronger. Tang San, for example, originally had a black ring that eventually turned into a red hundred-thousand-year ring as his body and mind evolved.
However, in Tang San's case, this ability was limited only to his fifth ring.
Tianlong, on the other hand, carried this same trait in both of his current rings.
When he was born, with his spiritual power at level 20, he already had two rings from birth — two white rings, that is, ten-year rings.
But as time passed, his physical and mental strength naturally increased. And his rings, at five years old, evolved into yellow hundred-year rings.
And now, at six years old, his rings had evolved again — into purple thousand-year rings. To Tianlong, this was incredible and fantastic.
But at the same time, it was a reason for concern.
Because Tianlong obviously knew that in Soul Land 1 and 2, no one had ever had a purple ring as their first ring. Even the daughter of a God King, Tang Wutong, only managed to have a purple ring as her second ring.
Only in Soul Land 3 and 4 did this become less rare, thanks to a certain organization that greatly elevated the level of spirit masters.
Currently, in today's world, having a purple ring as a second ring would already be considered an impossible and unheard-of feat.
But Tianlong's situation was about to get even worse, as he strongly suspected that his next five rings would also inherit this evolving trait.
According to his reasoning, when he reached the physical and mental strength to hit level 40 and obtained a black ring as his fourth ring, that would cause his other three rings to also transform into ten-thousand-year black rings.
Four black rings before even reaching level 80?
That wouldn't just be surprising. It would be seen as threatening. An unprecedented anomaly. A direct threat to the balance of power — especially to the Spirit Hall, which would undoubtedly react with hostility upon realizing that such power wasn't in their hands, but rather in the hands of one of their future enemies.
And as if all that weren't enough...
Tianlong still had two martial souls, and the other one also had the same evolving characteristic. Making his existence even more incomprehensible and unknown to the world.
In the end, his very existence was becoming a mystery. A deviation from the norm. A being that people didn't understand — and everything humans don't understand, they fear.
"Hah... Looks like if I want to survive in this world, I really need to create an artifact capable of hiding my aura and concealing my rings. So the first thing I need to do is learn about forging, with some Blacksmith," he thought, reflecting seriously.
And fortunately... he already had a name in mind.
There was a man, whom he knew had the level of a divine blacksmith. Someone who might have the necessary knowledge to guide him. The only problem was convincing that depressed man to teach him.
"I think I know how to convince him... Maybe after the Awakening Ceremony I can ask the patriarch or one of the elders to take me to him..."
If he could successfully create this artifact, a good portion of his problems would be solved — at least for now.
But Tianlong knew... even though hiding his aura and his rings were huge problems, there was a third obstacle even greater.
"I need to start studying how to create some kind of Spiritual Contract between humans and soul beasts..." he thought, letting out a heavy sigh. This was, without a doubt, the biggest and hardest of all his goals.
From the moment he arrived in this world, reborn as a soul beast, one of his greatest desires was to prevent the imminent extinction of soul beasts — a tragedy he knew would happen in a very distant future.
Among his ideas to stop this cruel fate, there was one that stood at the center of his plans:
Creating the organization known as the Spirit Pagoda.
The Spirit Pagoda, an institution that, in the future of Soul Land 2, would be responsible for a revolution in the relationship between humans and soul beasts.
But Tianlong didn't just want to copy the Spirit Pagoda. He wanted to make it better. Much better.
In the original world, the Spirit Pagoda was created by Huo Yuhao with the purpose of developing artificial soul spirits as an alternative to killing soul beasts. The goal was noble: to reduce conflicts and build a bridge of understanding between the two races.
However, not everything was perfect.
In the name of science and research, there was a dark period when the Spirit Pagoda itself massacred countless soul beasts, all in search of technological advancement and control over the soul cycle.
What was born with a purpose of peace was, for a time, corrupted by greed and human pragmatism.
Tianlong wouldn't accept that.
If he were to create this organization in his reality, it would have to be different. It would have to be better, fairer, more balanced — built on true cooperation, not the sacrifice of innocent lives.
That was his goal.
But there was a problem...
"I have no idea how I'm going to do this..." he murmured, lightly slapping his own forehead, frustrated.
These three major problems — hiding his aura, concealing his rings, and creating a bridge between humans and soul beasts — would consume a lot of time and energy. And the worst part was that, by dedicating so much to them, he ran the risk of neglecting the most important thing of all:
Getting stronger.
During the last six years, Tianlong had barely had time to dive into these three central dilemmas that worried him so much. And there was a simple reason for this: his time had been completely consumed by long sessions of intense and exhausting training.
He had focused almost exclusively on strengthening his body, spirit, and mind, and the fruits of that effort were already beginning to show.
Thanks to his discipline and determination, he had successfully recreated five legendary techniques from his past life, all from anime he loved:
Armament Haki
Observation Haki
Shunpo
Rokugan
Eight Inner Gates
Although he had recreated them, Tianlong knew he was still only at the most basic level of each. He had only scratched the surface — the true potential of these techniques was still far from being reached.
In addition, not all of his attempts had been successful.
There were failures. Many failures.
Among them all, the one that frustrated him the most was Conqueror's Haki — one of the techniques from an anime of his past life that he tried to recreate. But even after almost six years trying to manifest it, he hadn't been able to even start its development.
It weighed on his mind as a cruel reminder — not all techniques from his previous life's anime could be recreated in this world.
***
"Xiao Long?"
Gu Yuena's soft voice pulled him from his thoughts. He turned his face and saw her climbing the hill, her silver hair dancing under the moonlight, an almost ethereal glow surrounding her presence.
"Enjoying nature alone?" she asked with a curious smile, seeing him lying in the grass.
"More or less..." he replied, letting out a sigh.
She slowly approached and sat beside him. A comfortable silence lingered for a few seconds before he looked at her, staring with genuine curiosity.
"By the way, what was that technique you used in our fight?" he said, getting up from the grass and looking at her with interest.
"Hmm? That?" She raised an eyebrow. "Actually, it's not exactly a technique. It's the use of a different kind of energy than spiritual energy. It's called Blood Essence. Basically, I convert my own blood essence, along with the strength of my draconic lineage, to drastically boost my physical power for a time."
"So it's like a kind of life force," he murmured, thoughtful.
"Exactly. I thought Zi Ji had told you. Actually, that one you called Eight Gates... it seems to consume the same type of energy."
"Blood Essence, huh... I see... Teach me," he said, looking at her without shame in asking, while trying to recall what he knew about Blood Essence from his past life. He vaguely remembered that Tang Wulin, the MC of Soul Land 3, used this energy frequently and even created a powerful technique with it, known as Nine Arts of the Golden Dragon.
Gu Yuena looked at him, surprised by his direct honesty. Then she let out a little laugh.
"Just like that, no shame?"
"I had to try, didn't I?" he said with a slight smirk.
"Alright, I'll teach you. But only if you call me 'teacher' for an entire year," she teased, with a playful look.
"No, how about a fairer deal? I'll teach you two of my techniques in exchange for your instruction on Blood Essence."
Gu Yuena smiled as if she had won a precious bargain.
"Two techniques for one? Deal."
"But, since you're being so generous, I'll add a challenge," she said, crossing her arms. "If one day you manage to defeat me using only Blood Essence, I'll give you one more technique. Deal?"
"Deal," he replied without hesitation, giving a small victorious smile, as that was why he offered two techniques—he knew she would offer another one to make it fairer.
"Ah, but can I at least know the name of that technique you'll give me if I beat you?" he asked, trying to see if it was something important from his past life.
"Hidden Dragon," she said.
Tianlong froze for a second. His eyes widened as he remembered that body technique and to whom it belonged.
"Hidden Dragon... The Dragon God's technique," he whispered without thinking.
Gu Yuena narrowed her eyes. A glint of suspicion appeared as she stood up from the grass, looking at him cautiously.
"How the hell do you know that?" She took a step back, surprised, staring at him strangely, almost summoning her spirit to fight.
"Since I've said it now... I won't hide it from you..." he said, as he opened his mouth, sending his words via spiritual energy directly to her, so only she could hear. To an outsider, it looked like he was just moving his mouth.
"I have certain fragmented memories of the future," he said, unafraid of sharing that secret with her, as Gu Yuena would be a great help—especially in creating the Spirit Pagoda in this world, since she was one of its leaders in Soul Land 4.
Gu Yuena stared at him seriously. Her expression hardened.
"Memories of the future? You expect me to believe that?" she said, also using spiritual energy to mask her voice.
"Don't believe me? Actually, now that we're talking about this, I've always wondered what the other half of the Dragon God, the Silver Dragon King, was doing here in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan," he said, looking at her after revealing her true identity.
"You really..." she said, speechless, completely believing him after he called her Silver Dragon King, as not even the gods knew she was in the mortal world.
"But, if you have memories of the future, then how come you don't know what I'm doing here now?" she said, raising an eyebrow, beginning to doubt him. If he could see the future, he shouldn't have questions about her presence.
"Good point. The memories I have of the future are, I believe, from a different timeline, because in my memories, I didn't exist, and you were supposed to awaken from your slumber only about 20,000 years from now," he said, knowing that Gu Yuena only appeared in Soul Land 3, which takes place 10,000 years after 2, and that one 10,000 years after 1. So, 20,000 years in the future.
Hearing this, she nodded, believing him a bit more, as the only reason she came out of seclusion was because of him. If he didn't exist, she wouldn't be there either.
"Alright... I believe you now..." Gu Yuena finally murmured, her silver eyes searching for contradiction in TianLong's gaze, but all she found was determination.
"But... does Zi Ji and your father know about this?"
Yu TianLong nodded slightly.
"Yes, my mother and father know. And yesterday, I told the Patriarch too."
She narrowed her eyes, surprised. "You told the Patriarch? So soon?"
"Yes." He crossed his arms and looked at the sky briefly before returning his gaze to her.
"I trust him. Yu Yuanzhen is an honorable man. Someone who carries the weight of the clan and genuinely cares about everyone's future. If I want to change the course of certain things, I'll need his help sooner or later."
"But isn't that dangerous?" Gu Yuena asked, still cautious. "What if he decides to use you? Or do something against you?"
TianLong gave a slight smile.
"I only revealed something that might happen in the future. Nothing else... And still, all I said was that I have visions... And that's why I'm preparing in advance. I can trust him, and letting him know helps a lot. Especially when problems begin to arise."
Gu Yuena stayed silent for a moment, digesting those words. Part of her still wondered how much she should trust the judgment of a six-year-old boy.
But the way he spoke, how he carried that responsibility... it didn't match an ordinary child. It was as if he was always ten steps ahead.
"So you haven't told anyone yet about... what will actually happen in the future?" she asked in a low voice.
"No." TianLong shook his head.
"Not even my parents yet. They know I know a bit about the future... But they have no idea what it holds. And honestly, I don't have the full picture either. Just fragments, loose memories. Most things are still foggy. Changes have already begun, so the future I knew might already be unraveling."
He spoke, partially lying about only having memory fragments. And at the same time, telling the truth — after all, many events of the original Soul Land 1 story were already deviating from what he remembered. What once was certainty, now was only possibility.
In fact, TianLong had already concluded that he wasn't in the original Soul Land 1 timeline. This conviction came upon realizing that, within his own clan, he had met four people who shouldn't exist in that era of history.
After that, there was a brief silence between them, only the sound of wind brushing against nearby leaves.
Then Gu Yuena looked at him with a more serious expression, her eyes taking on a glint of genuine concern.
"You said I woke up only 20,000 years in the future... Do you know why?" she asked, unsure, because if she awoke in such a near future, something serious must've happened.
TianLong hesitated. The question was expected, but no easier for it.
"That's complicated... I'll tell you later," he said, not yet wanting to reveal that the reason for her awakening in Soul Land 3 was the near extinction of spirit beasts, which drove her to a singular goal: exterminating the human race.
"You're hiding something..." she murmured, but before she could press him further, something unexpected happened.
Suddenly, two small lights emerged from within his body and began materializing in front of them.
One had the appearance of a fox with two small horns on its head.
The other looked like a small white octopus.
"Queen, queen! Now we can talk to him, right? Say yes, say yes!" cried the little fox, excitedly floating around them.
"Please, queen! Let us talk to him!" said the little octopus, almost bouncing.
"Who told you to come out, you little brats?" said Gu Yuena, giving them a stern look.
Meanwhile, Tianlong watched, curious.
"They are..." said Tianlong, looking at the small beings and feeling that each had the aura of a 100,000-year-old beast.
"Just two nosy little brats," Gu Yuena replied.
"They must be the former parasite beasts of the Dragon God, right?" said Tianlong, recognizing them as the ones who appeared in Soul Land 4. He knew the little octopus was later called Tang Kongkong and the little fox was Xiao Bao, spirit beasts who lived as parasites inside the Dragon God, cultivating his spiritual energy.
"You even know this?" Gu Yuena narrowed her eyes again in surprise at his knowledge.
"My king, please accept us as your servants!" cried the fox, flying to him with tears in her eyes.
"Yes, please! My king!" whimpered Kongkong, jumping toward him.
"Why do they want to be my servants?" asked Tianlong, though he already had a suspicion.
"Because, the moment you were born, they felt an aura similar to that of the Dragon God," Gu Yuena explained.
"I see... So that's why you also left the forest and came here?" said Tianlong, curious.
"Yes," she replied, hiding the fact that she also wanted to see and protect him, because if he had the same power as the Dragon God, perhaps one day he could become just as powerful. Maybe even his successor.
"I see, then I won't accept them as my servants, but as my friends," he said, giving a small pat on the heads of the two spirit beasts.
At the same time, he knew having them by his side would be great. The little octopus controlled the space element, allowing him to escape powerful enemies. And the little fox could solve two of his problems.
"Thank you, master!" cried Xiao Bao, moved.
"My king..." said Kongkong, eyes also shining.
"Now that you've accepted them, open your mental space so they can enter," she said.
Tianlong closed his eyes for a moment. A gentle wave of energy spread out, and the two vanished into light, entering his spiritual sea.
"This energy... So good," said the little fox inside his mind, while the little octopus squirmed with joy.
"Though these two are quite lively and nosy, they can be of great help to you," Gu Yuena commented, arms crossed, hiding the relief of knowing Tianlong would now be safer.
"Yes, I know. The little octopus, who controls the space element, can guarantee me an escape route against powerful enemies. And, from what I know, the little fox has illusion powers that can fool even Title Douluos, right?"
"Yes, my king," Xiao Bao replied in his mind.
"With that, I won't have to worry about my spirit beast aura being exposed and, in the future, about the color of my rings," said Tianlong, knowing that in Soul Land 4, it was Xiao Bao who hid Tang Xuanyu's rings and aura.
"Great, two of my main problems are solved," he thought, letting a slight smile of relief escape.
The conversation between them continued for a few more minutes in a lighter tone. When they realized it, night had completely fallen.
"Let's go back. Zi Ji must be starting to get suspicious," said Gu Yuena, turning around.
Yu Tianlong nodded and walked beside her in silence.
Under the starry sky, their footsteps vanished along the trail between the trees, and with them, the beginning of an alliance was forming—one that would change the fate of the continent forever.
.....