At this moment a 5-year-old boy with light purple hair could be seen reading a book with deep interest in his eyes.
"It's been five years since I first woke up in this world... and yet I still can't believe it." Thought the boy with light purple hair as he placed the book on the table then looked out the nearby window.
Outside the window he saw it... people summoning farm tools, trinkets and ordinary items out of nowhere. Besides them there were also people who had taken on the physical traits of animals and even insects.
These were Martial Souls.
Indeed... this was the world of Soul Land where everybody awakens a power by the name of Martial Souls! And this young 5-year-old boy with light purple hair is a reincarnated person who was once a huge fan of the Soul Land Stories.
Now reborn as Cai Zaochen an orphan living in a place called Dimstar Village, a village located near the borders of Heaven Dou Empire, he seeks to find the reason as to why he was reincarnated in this fantasy world from one of his favorite stories.
Klink..
It was then that the door to the small library opened and an adorable looking bespectacled 5-year-old little girl with jade green hair tied into braids quickly entered.
"Ah... Shanyao, is Grandpa Ted calling me for lunch already?" Asked the reincarnated boy with light purple hair.
The bespectacled little girl with jade green hair simply shook her head and said: "No I just came to check up on you. Don't you realize that you've been cooped up in the library for nearly five hours already Zaochen?"
"Have I?" Said the light purple haired boy named Cai Zaochen with an embarrassed smile while scratching his head.
"What are you even reading for you to stay here this long?" Asked the jade green haired little girl by the name of Cui Shanyao while tapping her glasses.
"Nothing much... just history and stories about Spirit Masters and Spirit Beasts." Replied Zaochen as he placed the book into one of the bookshelves.
Unbeknownst to Zaochen the moment he said these words, Cui Shanyao's eyes turned sharp for a brief moment before quickly turning back to normal.
Cui Shanyao: "Do you also hope to become a Spirit Master after awakening your Martial Soul Zaochen?"
Spirit Master.... regarded as the noblest profession in all of Douluo Continent. When one awakens a Martial Soul they will immediately be tested whether or not they have Spirit Power. If they do possess Spirit Power, then that means it's possible for them to become a Spirit Master. Everyone in Douluo Continent awakens their Martial Souls at the age of six through the Spirit Awakening Ceremony.
"Who knows... To be honest I guess you could say that I'm just kinda happy to be part of this world." Replied Zaochen with a wide smile on his face.
"Is that so?" Muttered Shanyao while tilting her head as if wondering about Zaochen's words.
"Alrighty then..." Said Zaochen as he stretched his limbs then said: "Since I've been here so long, I guess it's time for some exercise."
"Hey Shanyao!... Let's go for a run... Come on I'll race you to the fields!" Said Zaochen as he swiftly took Shanyao's swan shaped hairclip and quickly ran out the library's door.
"Hey what are you doing?!... That's my favorite hairclip give it back!" Shouted the adorable bespectacled Shanyao as she immediately chased after Zaochen with a panicked expression.
....
In his previous life, Zaochen was just an ordinary office worker... until one day he got himself involved in a terrorist attack which resulted in him and his coworkers as hostages in what looked to be a warzone between terrorists and law enforcement.
In an attempt to save a friend's child, he ended up getting hit by over a dozen stray bullets which naturally resulted in him passing away.
When he then next opened his eyes, he suddenly found himself as a newborn infant in the arms of an orphanage caretaker in the world of Soul Land of all places.
It was here that he began his new life as Cai Zaochen... However, there was always something he found quite peculiar about his reincarnation. And that was the mysterious ring that appeared when he first woke up in this world.
....
Now sitting down atop a grassy hill, Zaochen could be seen inspecting the ordinary looking ring in his hand.
Staring at this ring, Zaochen couldn't help but think: "They told me this ring suddenly appeared beside me in a flash of light one day while I was still a baby."
Shaking his head, the purple haired boy muttered: "To this day I still haven't figured out who it belongs to... or where it even came from."
Suddenly an elderly man called out to Zaochen saying: "Hey little Zaochen it's about lunch time... best to head back to the orphanage otherwise the other brats won't leave behind any food for you."
This elderly man is known by most people in the village as Grandpa Ted, the current head of Dimstar Village. Besides this he also happens to be one of it's Village Protectors, which are low ranking Spirit Masters who have decided to retire and simply devote themselves to protecting their village.
"Yeah, thanks Grandpa Ted!" Replied Zaochen as he quickly stood up from the grassy ground and waved to the elderly village head.
"Hm?" When the elderly man left, Zaochen noticed the bit of blood on his finger. It seems he had accidentally cut his finger on a small sharp stone as he stood up just now.
Drip...
Shiiing!
The moment the bit of blood on his finger made contact with the mysterious ring, a bright light shined.
"Wha?!" Sounded Zaochen as he instantly disappeared on the spot where he stood.
"Hm?" It was here that the elderly village head known as Grandpa Ted suddenly felt something and turned around.
"Zaochen?" Said Grandpa Ted as he noticed Cai Zaochen was no longer on the hill where he stood.
...
"Ugh... where am I?... HUH?!!" When Zaochen next opened his eyes, he immediately found himself at the center of what looked to be a large castle hall.
"Ah... you're finally here." Sounded a voice that came from behind the purple haired boy.
"Who..." When Zaochen turned around to see who it was, he was instantly surprised.
It was some chibi-like entity with white hair and emotionless eyes floating behind him.
"What the... Who... What are you?" Said Zaochen as he took a step back upon seeing the floating chibi-like entity.
"Oh how rude... please just refer to me by my name... Omega." Said the chibi-like entity as it floated closer to Zaochen.
"Y-You're name is... Omega?" Muttered Zaochen with a bit of a stutter.
"That's right... I must say I never expected the new lord of the Nexus Inheritance Ring to be such a young child." Said the entity named Omega as he began inspecting Zaochen up and down.
"U-Um... could you explain what's happening right now? Cause I'm pretty much lost here." Said the purple haired boy as he sat on the ground cross-legged.
Omega: "Very well... first, I will tell you about where you are right now."
Hearing Omega's words, Zaochen couldn't help but inspect his surroundings as he thought: "Perhaps I fell asleep on the grass and started dreaming or something?"
Omega: "Currently you are residing within the Nexus Inheritance Ring which possesses countless legacies and inheritances of numerous Gods and God Kings."
Hearing this Zaochen couldn't help but be unbelieving as he said: "Huh?!!... How did that happen?... I mean I was just sitting on a hill near our village one second and the next I was here?!!"
Omega: "The fact that you've been able to enter this space confirms that you're indeed the one chosen by this inheritance ring."
"Wait.. Ring?... Could it be?" It was here that the purple haired boy's eyes grew wide with realization.
"That mysterious ring was glowing just before I came here, wasn't it?" Thought Zaochen while pinching his chin.
He then tried to look for the ring in his pockets and realized it was nowhere to be found.
"The ring... it's not here." Muttered the purple haired boy with furrowed brows.
Seeing Zaochen's actions, Omega suddenly said: "It seems you are unaware of your current circumstances... be that as it may... as the lord of this inheritance ring, you are bound by the responsibilities that come with your current status."
"Responsibilities?... What do you mean?... What exactly am I supposed to do here?" Asked the purple haired boy as he looked up at Omega.
shiiing!
"Strength!.. For now, you must do all that you can to gain unparalleled strength." Said Omega as a mysterious plant suddenly appeared in front of his hands.
Zaochen: "That is..."
Omega: "It is the Divine Fruit of Rebirth... Consuming this fruit will signify your first steps in carrying the responsibilities that are tied with being the lord of this ring."
Sensing the intense heat and cold from the mysterious plant in front of Omega, Zaochen couldn't help but take another step back and say: "Look.. I don't really get what you're trying to say here... I mean I'm just a kid from a remote village... Heck I don't even believe everything I'm seeing around me right now is real, so..."
Omega sighed and replied: "It seems... perhaps it was too early for you to come here."
shiiing
"Huh?" With a wave of Omega's hand a flash of white occurred which resulted in Zaochen needing to shield his eyes.
....
"Uh..." When Zaochen next raised his head, he found himself back atop the grassy hill he was on before. However, the only difference being it was already night.
Zaochen: "Did... Did I fall asleep and end up dreaming about all of that?"
"Zaochen!" Sounded an approaching voice from behind Zaochen.
"Uncle Ted..." Muttered the boy as he turned around.
"Goodness boy you had me worried." Said the elderly village head as he placed his hands on Zaochen's shoulders with a worried expression.
After taking a deep breath, Uncle Ted then said with a sigh: "Haaa... It's good that you're safe."
"What exactly did you think happened to me Uncle Ted?" Asked Zaochen tilting his head.
With furrowed brows and a serious tone, the village head named Ted replied: "You brat where have you been?!.. Do you know that half the village spent hours looking for you?!"
"WHAT?!!... What are you talking about Uncle Ted?!!" Exclaimed the purple haired boy with a shocked tone.
....
Now lying on his bed and observing the mysterious ring in his hands once more, Zaochen couldn't help but think: "They told me I disappeared... for more than half a day... Maybe... it really did have something to do with this ring?"
Thud!
The door to Zaochen's room suddenly burst open and a bespectacled girl with jade green hair immediately rushed in.
"Shanyao?" Muttered Zaochen as he got up from the bed.
BAM!
"WAAAA!!... Zaochen you're safe!!" Shouted the five-year-old Cui Shanyao as she tackled Zaochen to the floor with a hug.
"Ugh... Shanyao... I can't breathe." Said the purple haired boy with difficulty as Shanyao still had him in her tight hug.
"Oh!.. sorry sorry~~" Said the bespectacled girl as she stood up and took a step back with an embarrassed expression on her face.
"Guh... What's wrong?... What's got you looking so upset?" Asked Zaochen as he got up from the floor.
Shanyao then wiped away her tears and replied: "You've been missing for so long I thought something might've happened to you."
Hearing this and seeing Shanyao's expression, Zaochen couldn't help but observe this 5-year-old girl once more as he thought: "Although I've realized this long ago... but still... Shanyao really doesn't feel like a five-year-old kid... Though not frequent, there are times when I'm with her that I feel like I'm talking to an adult."
"What?... Why are you looking at me like that?... Are you gonna make fun of me for crying?" Said Shanyao looking at Zaochen with a pout.
"Or maybe... I'm just overthinking." Thought the purple haired boy while scratching his head.
Zaochen: "No I wasn't... I was just surprised that you were that worried about me."
"Why wouldn't I be worried.. you're my friend." Said Shanyao while innocently tilting her head.
Caught off guard by her expression, Zaochen couldn't help but think: "Come to think of it... among the kids my age, Shanyao is probably the one I most get along with."
Then suddenly....
ROAR!!.. ROAR!!.. ROAR!!..
Several beast roars could be heard from outside.
....
"SPIRIT BEASTS!... SPIRIT BEASTS ARE INVADING!!!"
"WAKE THE VILLAGE PROTECTORS QUICK!!"
"HIDE THE CHILDREN!!... DON'T LET THEM LEAVE THE HOUSES!!!"
Taking a look from the orphanage's window, both Zaochen and Shanyao watched as over a dozen large wolves with long fangs began invading the village and destroyed anything and everything they came into contact with.
They could also see several of the village's adults on the ground bleeding. Clearly these were the villagers who tried to block the Spirit Beasts.
"The fisherman Grandpa and the apple Grandma that always gave me food... they... they're hurt!... N-No this..." Said the bespectacled girl with jade green hair as small tears began to drip down from her eyes.
"Shanyao quickly stay down and don't go near the windows anymore!" Quickly said Zaochen as he held down Shanyao's head for fear that they might attract the attention of one of the wild spirit beasts outside.
"B-B-But... can't we do anything to help the adults?" Asked the bespectacled girl as she wiped the tears off her face.
"That's not something we kids should be worrying about right now... Instead we need to do what we can to stay safe... that's the best way we can help the adults okay?" Said Zaochen in a reassuring tone.
"O-Okay... sniff sniff~~" Replied Shanyao clearly trying to suppress the sadness from what she saw just now.
Having seen the scene outside as well, the purple haired boy also couldn't help but show an expression of dismay as he thought: "It feels similar... to that time..."
By this point Zaochen couldn't help but recall the time from just before he woke up in this world. The time before he died... the time he was held hostage by terrorists and saw many people die right before his eyes. Deep down, he really couldn't stomach seeing such a sight again. To be helpless and powerless when such things happened before him.
"Hm?" It was here that Shanyao noticed that Zaochen was clenching his fists as she thought: "Is Zaochen... scared?"
BOOM!
"Raa!"
Without warning a large muscular monkey type Spirit Beast suddenly rose from the ground near Zaochen and Shanyao.
"That's..." Muttered Zaochen as he saw the monkey type Spirit Beast then thought: "I've read about this spirit beast from the village's library... a decade old spirit beast, one that burrows underground and travels through dirt... Soil Monkey!"
With shaking hands, Zaochen immediately grabbed Shanyao's hand and said: "D-Don't worry Shanyao... I won't let it hurt you!"
"Um..." Replied the bespectacled little girl as she simply stared at Zaochen with a calm expression.
"Grr..." Sounded the Soil Monkey as it slowly approached the two children.
Seeing this Zaochen quickly pulled Shanyao towards the nearby window, opened it then shouted: "HELP! HELP!... THERE'S A SPIRIT BEAST IN HERE!!!"
Unfortunately...
"They... can't hear me?" Thought Zaochen with his expression turning pale as he realized his voice was being drowned out by the sound of the wolves' howling and roaring outside.
"Grr..." Seeing that the Soil Monkey was still approaching them, Zaochen quickly stepped in front of Shanyao with clenched fists.
Shanyao: "Zaochen that big monkey..."
"Nothing's gonna happen to you Shanyao I promise!" Said the purple haired boy as he then bit his lower lip. Clearly, he was afraid and yet he knew he had to stay strong for his friend.
"Graa!" The Soil Monkey then charged at the two children trapped at the corner of the room.
"No!!" Shouted Zaochen as he grabbed a small lamp near them and threw it at the Soil Monkey.
"GRAA!!" Roared the large Soil Monkey as it simply deflected the small lamp with a swing of it's arm.
"Graa!"
"NO!"
Then with another swing of it's large arm, it easily sent the purple haired boy flying towards the nearby wall.
bam!
"Ugh!" Upon hitting the wall, Zaochen fell to the ground with his consciousness somewhat hazy.
"Zaochen!... Uh?!" Shanyao who was about to rush to Zaochen's aid, was then blocked by the Soil Monkey who was then staring at her with fierce and excited eyes.
"No... I... I can't... let this... happen!" Muttered the purple haired boy as he saw the spirit beast staring down at his friend with blurry eyes. A bit of blood could now be seen trickling down the side of his lip.
At that moment... the memory of a child he had saved just before his death from his previous life began to overlap with Shanyao's image.
He then took out the mysterious ring from his pocket and muttered in a determined tone: "I don't know if what happened earlier was real... but if it was... then please... please help me save my friend!"
shiiing!
At that moment as if responding to his words, a flash of light shined from the mysterious ring and from it...
...appeared an eye-catching dagger emanating mysterious light from it's blade.
"Thank you..." Muttered the purple haired boy as he grasped the shining dagger in his hands.
By this point Shanyao simply stared at the Soil Monkey with a calm but somewhat worried eyes.
puchi!!
"Graa?!" Without warning... when the Soil Monkey was about to pounce towards Shanyao...
Zaochen suddenly rushed in and stabbed the Soil Monkey with the glowing dagger just below it's left armpit.
He had remembered that from one of the books he had read in the village library, there was one that stated that the Soil Monkey could be easily killed by stabbing it just below it's left armpit for that is where it's heart could be easily reached.
"Graa.."
thud!
In but a moment... the Soil Monkey fell to the ground... completely dead.
"Zaochen!" Shouted Shanyao as she hugged the purple haired boy in her arms.
"Shanyao... you're safe..." Muttered Zaochen before finally falling unconscious.
"Zaochen wake up..." Said Shanyao in a worried tone.
At that moment nobody could see... but the bespectacled jade green haired little girl had a dark expression.
....
Throughout Dimstar Village, destruction could be seen everywhere... wolves and white ringed spirit masters were battling it out as fiercely as they could.
Suddenly...
A large silhouette rose from the center of the village, completely covering the sky above it.
The moment the silhouette appeared, the fighting within the village ceased as the wolves began to whimper and duck their heads in fear. As for the villagers, they were so frightened that they all fell to the ground one by one at the sight of the silhouette.
"W-What the hell is that?!!" Said the village head named Ted as he too fell to the ground in fear.
The moment the large silhouette's eyes began to glow with green light, a soft yet overwhelming female voice began to sound throughout the minds of the attacking Spirit Beasts.
"Enough!"
"Whimper~~" The wolves whimpered in retreat due to the overbearing spiritual pressure from the large silhouette.
"LEAVE!" Said the soft yet overwhelming female voice as the spiritual pressure suppressing the spirit beasts increased by several fold.
"Whimper~~"
"Whimper~~"
"Whimper~~"
The moment the large silhouette vanished, the over a dozen or so spirit beasts began to rush out of the village as fast as they could with their tails between their legs.
Seeing the wolves desperately leaving their village, Grandpa Ted couldn't help but mutter: "What... What just happened?"
Within a room inside the orphanage, Shanyao could be seen stepping out of the shadows with a sigh as she fixed her glasses. This 5-year-old little girl looked as if she had just done something somewhat exhausting.
Suddenly...
Klink...
"Is anybody here?!" Shouted Grandpa Ted as he entered through the orphanage's front door in a hurried manner.
"Grandpa Ted!... Hurry hurry.. Zaochen needs help!" Said the bespectacled little girl as she hurried towards the elderly village head.
....
Within the mysterious inheritance ring, the entity known as Omega could be seen opening his eyes as he said: "Hm... The fact that you've returned so soon means you have resolved yourself, correct?"
A 5-year-old boy with light purple hair then walked out from the shadows and said: "Last time I was here you said something about me gaining strength, right?... How do I do that?"