Douluo Continent, in the north of the Heaven Dou Empire, there lies an endless mountain range called the Yun Tian Mountains.
This mountain range towers into the clouds. Due to its proximity to the extreme north, it is covered in perpetual snow, with extremely low temperatures and abnormal coldness that ordinary people can hardly endure. Thus, aside from soul masters with ice or water attributes, and some mercenaries or desperados risking their lives for a livelihood, only those fallen ones rejected by the world would choose to wander here. Otherwise, almost no one dares to venture into this desolate land.
The howling cold wind carried snow particles, scraping across the snow like countless small knives, leaving chaotic marks on the pristine white surface.
Suddenly, a heavy figure crashed heavily into the snow, kicking up a half-person-high mist of snow. It was a burly man with a deep, bone-visible wound on his chest, from which warm blood continuously gushed, splattering glaring crimson on the snow, only to quickly freeze into dark brown crystals in the extreme cold.
The man struggled to lift his head, his forehead hair matted with blood on his skin. His vision blurred from blood loss, yet he stared fixedly at the figure slowly approaching from ahead.
The newcomer wore black tight-fitting clothes, with steady steps. No dazzling soul rings lit up around him; only his hands has strong grip, and a silver-white light shadow gradually condensed behind him. The silver-cast sternum and ribs were clearly visible, identical to a human torso.
"Cough... cough..." The man violently coughed up two mouthfuls of blood, his eyes filled with utmost disbelief. His voice was hoarse, as if scraped by sandpaper. "No... impossible... The body martial soul is just... a waste martial soul. We're both... Soul Douluo, how could you... be so strong."
"Heh!"
Facing the man's disbelief, the newcomer's eyes were full of disdain. He approached the man, looking down from above with a voice devoid of any fluctuation.
"A frog in a well indulging in fantasies, merely lingering in a self-built cage—how could it understand the vastness of the heavens?"
With that, soul light bloomed at his fingertip, turning into a thin thread that pierced into the man's forehead.
"Remember, when you see the God of Death, report my name: Chen Zhen of the Body Sect. It'll waive the toll."
Not long after, a slender figure skimmed over from afar, shouting as he walked: "Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother, hurry back to the sect! Fourth Sister-in-law is about to give birth!"
The voice echoed through the mountains. The originally calm man's eyes burst with light, and he instantly turned into a streak of light flying toward the inner mountains.
…
Deep in the Yun Tian Mountains, an unnamed small village seemed long forgotten by the world, lying lonely amid the endless ice and snow.
At this moment, in a quiet courtyard, a group of burly men gathered outside the house, their faces full of anxiety as they waited. From the room came intermittent sounds of busyness, as if something important was happening.
Among the crowd, the man who had just been so imposing appeared especially restless. He paced back and forth on the spot, occasionally standing on tiptoe to stretch his neck and look into the courtyard, muttering to himself, clearly very worried about the situation inside.
"I say, kid, can you stop spinning around!" The tall and majestic elder standing nearby finally couldn't hold back. He glared at the man, his voice like thunder, grumbling irritably, "You're making my head spin with all that swaying!"
The surrounding people burst into laughter upon hearing the elder's words, lightening the atmosphere considerably.
"Yeah, Fourth Brother, don't worry too much," someone comforted. "Fourth Sister-in-law is a full six-ring Soul Emperor, with great strength and an extraordinary constitution. How could she compare to ordinary people? Nothing will go wrong."
"Haha, I think Fourth Brother is just overly concerned!" Another person nearby chimed in with a laugh.
"Isn't that right? Two years ago, when my little brat was born, Old Four, you were merciless!" Someone else teased. "Now it's your turn, and look at how anxious you are—karma comes around! Hahaha!"
The man was about to say something when he suddenly sensed something and vanished from the courtyard in a flash.
Inside the room, a group of women held a baby and said to the beautiful woman on the bed: "Congratulations, sister-in-law, it's a big, fat boy who'll run all over the mountains!"
"The little guy is quite big and sturdy."
"My child!"
The beautiful woman took the child, looking at the pink, jade-like little face with big, dark, shining eyes. The tenderness and love in her eyes seemed about to overflow.
The next moment, the man appeared in the room. He first looked at the child, then at the beautiful woman, his tone gentle: "Xiao Xi, you've worked hard!"
"What's hard about it? This is my son too. Xiao Zhen, give the baby a name first."
"Let's call him Chen Yi. My son will surely be a towering hero in the future, spreading the prestige of our Body Sect!"
...
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, three years have passed.
In the central square of the village, sunlight poured down as a group of children around four or five years old practiced boxing. Their movements were somewhat immature, but each strike flowed smoothly, with fierce power, clearly guided by experts.
Not far away, several steaming wooden barrels were placed. Upon closer inspection, they were filled with deep brown unknown liquid, surrounded by a pungent medicinal smell.
After finishing their boxing, the children's little faces were flushed red, panting heavily. In this icy world, it was hard to tell if it was from the cold or fatigue.
The big man standing nearby saw this and shouted loudly: "What are you all standing there for? Get in quickly!"
His voice boomed like a great bell, echoing across the square. The children, hearing the man's scolding, dared not slack off and quickly stepped toward the medicinal barrels.
With a casual wave of the big man's hand, the children's clothes were instantly shaken off, falling like snowflakes into the barrels. Immediately, the energy in the medicinal liquid seemed to find an outlet, surging into their bodies through the skin. Soon, muffled groans came from the barrels as the children endured the stimulation of the medicinal soup.
The big man stood by the barrels, watching the children struggling to endure, his face showing undisguised satisfaction.
Though these children were young, they had such tenacious willpower. As long as they awakened decent martial souls in the future, they would surely achieve great things.
"Come out now."
Time passed slowly, about two and a half hours later. The big man had been staring at the medicinal water, watching it turn from turbid to clear and transparent. Finally, he nodded in satisfaction, then slightly clenched his palm, as if invisible forces gathered in his hand.
Then, with a wave of his arm, that force acted like an unseen giant hand, precisely reaching into the wooden barrels and pulling the children out one by one.
After dressing, the group of children stood obediently before the big man like they were under a spell, without any resistance.
"Go back and practice the boxing more to build a foundation for awakening your martial souls. Only by forging a good body now will you have a greater chance of awakening powerful martial souls in the future." The big man's voice was deep and powerful, carrying an unquestionable authority. "Don't think of slacking off on me. Remember, every drop of sweat you shed now gives you more chances to survive in the future; every bit of hardship you endure now paves the way for your future cultivation. Do you all understand?"
"Understood!" The children answered in unison. Though their voices were still childish and milky, they faintly revealed an extraordinary aura, as if they already understood the hardships and importance of cultivation.
"Dismissed." The big man looked at the children with satisfaction, then waved his hand to signal they could leave.
"Goodbye, Fifth Uncle."
"See you tomorrow, Fifth Uncle."
The children bid farewell to the big man one by one, then scattered like a flock of cheerful little birds, disappearing from his sight in an instant.
"These little brats!" The big man stood there, watching the playful little ones running around. The originally stern lines on his face gradually softened, revealing a faint smile.
His gaze then turned to a small figure not far away, moving unhurriedly. The smile at the corner of his mouth grew wider as he asked: "Xiao Yi, are you going to the library to read again today?"
The child called Chen Yi was about three feet tall, with a petite build and a face as delicately cute as carved pink jade. His big eyes were clear and bright, like stars in the night sky, sparkling with intelligence. However, contrasting his childish appearance was the maturity and steadiness on his face, which was not something a child should have.
Despite that, his chubby baby face and the cute tiger-head shoes and hat he wore made him look even more endearing, like a little elf from a fairy tale world.
Hearing the big man's question, Chen Yi stopped, turned around, and respectfully bowed to the big man, then answered in a crisp voice: "Yes, Fifth Uncle."
Though his voice was childish, it carried a steadiness and firmness beyond his age.
Chen Yi's gaze fell on the big man before him, who was the sect's merit transmission elder, Huang Qiyi.
In the child's eyes, there was not only respect for an elder but also a trace of awe. This was not just because the big man was a level 79 peak Soul Sage, a super powerhouse at most ten years away from eight-ring Soul Douluo, but more because he was his father's sworn brother in life and death, a true family member in this world.
This stemmed not only from his father's generation but also from the sect's ancestral teaching—"All body under heaven is one family!"
"Then go quickly, but remember to come home before dinner, or Fourth Sister-in-law will make bamboo strip stir-fried meat." Looking at the little guy, a mischievous glint flashed on Huang Qiyi's face. The kid was young but acted mature and steady, and he hadn't been teased less by these old folks in daily life.
Hearing Huang Qiyi's teasing, even with Chen Yi's composure, he couldn't help but flush red. Though his body was small, he was after all a person with two lifetimes' experience, and being chased and spanked by his mother was still very embarrassing.
"I won't this time. I specially brought the clock soul tool that Seventeenth Uncle gave me." Chen Yi quickly explained.
"Goodbye, Fifth Uncle."
As if afraid Huang Qiyi wouldn't believe him, he immediately took out a small metal box from his pocket and shook it at Huang Qiyi.
With that, he greeted Huang Qiyi and turned to walk toward the library.
However, perhaps because the earlier embarrassment hadn't fully dissipated, Chen Yi's retreating figure looked somewhat flustered, like a startled rabbit hastily fleeing the scene.
"Hahaha, the little guy is still so easy to tease. After all this time, no improvement." After teasing a bit, watching Chen Yi's departing back, he murmured: "I wonder if in three years the little guy can awaken the sect's martial soul. If not, it'd be a pity, but maybe it's for the best..."
Among the current children in the Body Sect, the sect's higher-ups valued little Chen Yi the most. At such a young age, he showed photographic memory and astonishing comprehension, able to draw inferences from one example. He was diligent and steadfast in his actions. Currently, aside from his martial soul, the little guy had all the qualities to become a peak powerhouse. Even if he couldn't awaken an body martial soul, as long as he awakened a decent one, he could become an extraordinary expert. Thus, the elders placed great importance on him.
"Wait, where's my meat?"
…
The library.
Looking at this so-called library, Chen Yi couldn't help but feel speechless inside. This wasn't a library at all—it was just an ordinary cave! Moreover, this cave looked like it had been casually dug out, with no aesthetic appeal whatsoever.
Though Chen Yi was already very familiar with this library, every time he saw it, the corner of his eye couldn't help twitching. He really couldn't imagine how such a crude place could deserve the elegant name "library."
"One day, when I become sect master, I must replace this library!" Chen Yi thought viciously to himself. "Not only replace it, but make it golden—pure gold!"
After inwardly complaining, Chen Yi arrived at the nearby cave and saw an elderly man with a hunched back, eating pickled vegetables with tofu while sipping wine.
The old man had a hunched figure, several ferocious scars on his face, and his left pant leg was empty.
"Eighth Grandpa, I'm here to play with you again." The chubby little face paired with a smiling expression was extraordinarily endearing.
"Forget it, if you're here to read, just say so. Don't say you're here for this old man. Sigh, who remembers this old geezer nowadays?" Hearing Chen Yi's words, Zhu Hai clearly didn't believe him, his cheerful face showing a pitiful look of being unwanted.
"How could that be? Who in the entire sect dares not want you? Tell me if it's Seventeenth Uncle. I'll go beat him up right now." With that, he rolled up his sleeves and walked out.
Hearing Chen Yi's words, Old Zhu laughed. "Go on, go on. After you beat him, come back here, and I'll help you apply medicine."
Seeing Old Zhu wasn't falling for it, Chen Yi immediately used his trump card—"Look what this is, Eighth Grandpa. Top-grade soul beast Red Flame Golden Bull's best tenderloin meat." With that, he took out an oil paper package and presented it like a treasure to Old Zhu.
Hearing this, Old Zhu's eyes lit up. The next moment, the package was in his hand, and he sniffed it closely. "Mmm~ That's the flavor. It's from an 800-year-old Red Flame Golden Bull. This beast is quite rare—where'd you get it, kid?"
Chen Yi smiled mysteriously: "I have my ways. Eighth Grandpa, you eat first. I'll go in and read."
Old Zhu, who was changing his wine, waved his hand: "Go on, go on."
Chen Yi smiled and walked out. Old Zhu was a sect elder who had been severely injured years ago while protecting sect disciples outside. His martial soul, his legs, had even lost one, greatly reducing his strength.
So, they transferred Old Zhu from the front lines back to the sect to guard the library. The old man had no particular hobbies except eating and drinking, and he hadn't lost a single old tooth—far better than some supreme elder ten thousand years later.
Entering the cave, there was almost no decoration inside, just an ordinary, plain mountain cave. The only adornments were over twenty pieces of ten-thousand-year light and fire attribute soul beast bones embedded in the stone walls. Chen Yi gently pulled over his little soft stool, hugged it toward one of the bookshelves, carefully took out a yellowed book from it, then sat on the stool and read intently.
After a long time, Chen Yi slowly raised his head, then looked at the clock soul tool on him. "It's almost dinner time. I have to go back, or Mom will be angry."
He put the book back in place, casually took another one nearby, wrote a note and placed it on the small table at the door, then shouted toward the closed door: "Eighth Grandpa, I'm going home."
"Mmm, um, okay. Be careful on the way."