The air atop Clear Sky Peak was always thin, but today it felt heavy with a different kind of tension. In the central square of the Clear Sky Sect, the morning mist clung to the massive iron statues of ancestors, and the scent of damp earth was mixed with the metallic tang of spirit power.
For the young boy standing at the edge of the crowd, the cold wind was a welcome distraction. His name was Tang Feng—at least, it was now. In his mind, fragments of a life filled with skyscrapers, buzzing electricity, and the laws of physics still flickered like a dying candle.
I really reincarnated into Soul Land, he thought, clenching his small, pale fists. And not just anywhere. I'm in the Golden Age. I'm standing right next to the man who will become a legend.
He glanced to his left. A boy of the same age stood there, radiating a natural, boisterous energy. This was Tang Chen. His brother. The future Peerless Douluo who would one day shake the world with a single hammer strike.
"Don't be nervous, Little Feng!" Tang Chen grinned, his eyes bright with confidence. "We are of the Clear Sky lineage. Whatever soul we awaken, it's bound to crush everything in its path!"
Tang Feng smiled thinly. "I'm not nervous, Brother. I'm just... curious."
"Grandmaster is ready!" a voice boomed.
An elder with a beard as grey as the sect's mountain peaks stepped forward. In his hand, he held six black awakening stones and a shining blue crystal ball.
"Tang Chen! Step forward!"
The square went silent. As the direct descendant of the Sect Leader, all eyes were on the elder brother. Tang Chen walked with a stride that was far too bold for a six-year-old. He entered the circle of stones.
The Elder channeled his spirit power. "Gather your thoughts. Feel the power in your blood!"
Suddenly, a hum of immense pressure erupted. A black light surged from Tang Chen's right hand, coalescing into a massive, dark iron hammer. Its surface was cold and dull, but the sheer weight of it seemed to make the air vibrate.
"The Clear Sky Hammer!" the Elder shouted, his voice trembling with joy. "And this aura... quick, test your spirit power!"
Tang Chen placed his hand on the crystal ball. In an instant, it didn't just glow—it roared with light, illuminating the entire square like a miniature sun.
"Innate Full Spirit Power! Level 10!"
The sect erupted. "A genius! A once-in-a-century monster has been born!" Tang Chen beamed, lifting his hammer high, already looking like a young king.
"Next," the Elder called out, his voice now filled with even higher expectations. "Tang Feng!"
Tang Feng walked forward. His heart hammered against his ribs—not out of fear, but out of a strange, scientific anticipation. In his past life, he had studied the flow of electrons. Now, he felt something in his blood that felt remarkably like a high-voltage current.
He stepped into the circle. The black stones glowed.
Instead of the heavy, grounding pressure that Tang Chen had released, the temperature in the square suddenly plummeted. The sky above Clear Sky Peak, which had been clear moments ago, began to swirl with dark, angry clouds.
Rumble—
A low growl of thunder echoed from the heavens.
"What is happening?" the Elder gasped, stumbling back.
Tang Feng felt a searing heat in his right palm. It wasn't the weight of iron; it was the sting of a thousand needles. He opened his hand.
CRACK!
A bolt of blue lightning descended from the clouds, striking Tang Feng's hand directly. The onlookers screamed, but Tang Feng didn't feel pain. He felt complete.
As the smoke cleared, the hammer in his hand was revealed. It was the shape of a Clear Sky Hammer, but the material was different. It was made of a translucent, sapphire-colored crystal. Inside the hammer's head, liquid lightning swirled like a trapped storm. Blue sparks danced across its surface, leaping to the ground and charring the stone tiles.
"Mutated..." the Elder whispered, his eyes wide. "A mutated Clear Sky Hammer? But... it feels more violent than the original!"
"The crystal ball! Test him!" someone yelled.
Tang Feng reached out. The moment his finger touched the glass, a jagged bolt of electricity bypassed the ball's surface and struck the core.
CRACK-BOOM!
The crystal ball didn't just light up. It shattered into a thousand shards, unable to contain the violent frequency of the spirit power.
The silence that followed was absolute.
Tang Feng looked at his brother. Tang Chen was staring at the blue, flickering hammer with a look of pure, unadulterated excitement. There was no jealousy—only the look of a predator who had finally found a worthy partner.
Tang Feng looked down at his own hand, watching the sparks hiss.
Tang Chen, you represent the Earth and its weight, he thought. I will represent the Heavens and their wrath. Between the two of us... Spirit Hall won't stand a chance.
"Innate Full Spirit Power," the Elder finally choked out, looking at the broken glass. "No... it might be even higher."