The first few years of Qiangu Longyu’s second life passed very differently from those of his first.
The most obvious difference wasn’t the existence of Soul Masters, Soul Beasts, or powers capable of destroying mountains.
It was his family.
It had taken Longyu some time to fully understand his situation.
Qiangu Qianjun.
Qianjun Douluo.
One of the great priests of Spirit Hall’s Worship Hall, and one of the most powerful Titled Douluo on the continent.
That man was his grandfather.
At first, Longyu had thought it was simply an extraordinary coincidence.
However, hearing his family’s surname had confirmed something even more important.
Qiangu.
That surname wasn’t unfamiliar to him.
In an era thousands of years into the future, the Coiling Dragon Staff would be a hereditary Martial Soul associated with the Qiangu Clan.
And now, he had been born into that very family.
Longyu didn’t know exactly how much of the history he remembered still applied to this world.
He had read the stories of Douluo Dalu in his previous life, but that didn’t mean he remembered every name, date, or detail.
Much less could he claim to perfectly understand events that had taken place thousands of years before some of the stories he had read.
But there was one thing he could reasonably conclude.
His family was most likely connected to that future Qiangu Clan.
And that meant there was a considerable possibility that his Martial Soul would be…
The Coiling Dragon Staff.
Of course, that was still only a possibility.
In this world, Martial Souls could be inherited from either parent.
Mutations, variations, and even situations that didn’t perfectly fit the rules Longyu remembered could occur.
So he couldn’t take anything for granted.
He would have to wait until he was six years old.
And Longyu quickly discovered that six years could feel like an eternity when one was trapped inside the body of a baby.
“Longyu!”
The powerful voice echoed throughout the room.
The small Longyu, who had only recently learned to walk with some stability, raised his head.
A tall man had entered.
His hair was gray, and his presence was impossible to ignore.
Qiangu Qianjun.
Longyu barely had time to react before he felt his body leave the ground.
“Look how much you’ve grown!”
You were here three days ago.
Longyu remained expressionless as his grandfather lifted him as though inspecting some extraordinary treasure.
Qianjun frowned slightly.
“Why do you always look at me like that?”
Longyu blinked.
“Grandpa.”
The serious Titled Douluo’s face immediately lit up.
“That’s better!”
Longyu had discovered something rather quickly.
His grandfather could maintain a stern expression in front of practically anyone.
In front of him, that dignity disappeared with surprising ease.
“Big Brother, you’re going to spoil the child.”
Another voice came from the entrance.
Longyu turned his head.
A second elderly man had calmly entered the room.
His presence was different from Qianjun’s.
If his grandfather gave off a sense of stability, like an immovable mountain, this man felt considerably more aggressive.
Longyu recognized him immediately.
Not because he had seen him many times.
But because Qianjun talked about him constantly.
Jiangmo Douluo.
Qianjun’s younger brother.
Another of the great priests of the Worship Hall.
And another wielder of the Coiling Dragon Staff.
Jiangmo observed Longyu for several seconds.
Then he smiled.
“So this is the little monster you never stop talking about.”
Qianjun frowned.
“What do you mean, monster?”
“You said he learned to speak earlier than normal.”
“He’s intelligent.”
“You also said he almost never cries.”
“He has a good temperament.”
“And that he watches everything as if he can understand it.”
Qianjun raised his chin slightly.
“My grandson is naturally extraordinary.”
Jiangmo fell silent.
Then he looked at Longyu.
Longyu looked back.
The two remained like that for several seconds.
Finally, Jiangmo burst out laughing.
“Yes.
You’re definitely going to spoil him.”
Longyu sighed internally.
I suppose this will be my second grandfather.
He wasn’t far from the truth.
Time continued to pass.
One year.
Two years.
Three.
Longyu grew.
And as his body developed, so did his understanding of the world around him.
Spirit City was far more impressive than he had imagined.
In his previous life, all of this had been described through words, illustrations, and animation.
Experiencing it personally was completely different.
Soul Masters walked through the streets.
Carriages transported goods from different regions of the continent.
People with strange Martial Souls could be found practically everywhere.
And towering above it all was Spirit Hall.
But Longyu didn’t see Spirit Hall merely as the organization he remembered from the story.
To him, it was something far more complicated.
It was his home.
There were people here who had known him since he was a baby.
Guards who bowed their heads whenever he passed beside Qianjun.
Servants who brought him food.
Soul Masters who deeply respected his grandfather.
Elders who discussed matters affecting entire regions of the continent.
Longyu began to understand something he could never have fully appreciated while reading a story.
Organizations weren’t made up only of their leaders.
There were thousands of people.
Families.
Soldiers.
Teachers.
Healers.
Administrators.
Soul Masters.
People who were simply trying to live their lives.
That made knowing the future even more uncomfortable.
If history followed roughly the path he remembered…
Spirit Hall would disappear.
Many of these people would die.
Others would lose their homes.
And some of the people Longyu would eventually know personally were destined for particularly terrible fates.
But there were still many years left.
Tang San hadn’t even been born yet.
Longyu also had no intention of behaving as though every future event was inevitable.
The simple fact that he existed already proved that this world wasn’t exactly the same as the story he remembered.
So he made a decision.
He wouldn’t treat his memories as prophecy.
He would treat them as information.
Incomplete information.
Possibly inaccurate information.
But extraordinarily valuable information.
When Longyu was three years old, Qianjun discovered one of his grandson’s peculiarities.
He liked books.
Far too much.
“Again?”
Qianjun stared at the child sitting in front of a table.
An open book lay before him.
Longyu raised his head.
“Yes.”
“Children your age should be running around.”
Longyu calmly pointed toward a window.
“It’s hot.”
Qianjun fell silent.
“That doesn’t mean you should spend the entire day reading.”
“I like reading.”
“I know.”
Qianjun walked over and looked at the book.
A Basic Introduction to Soul Beasts.
One of the old man’s eyebrows rose.
“Do you understand this?”
“Some of it.”
That was true.
Although Longyu retained the mind and memories of his previous life, he had still needed to learn the written language of this world.
Fortunately, children learned quickly.
And he had a considerable advantage.
Qianjun sat across from him.
“Then tell me something.”
Longyu partially closed the book.
“What?”
“Why are you so interested in Soul Beasts?”
The true answer was complicated.
Because Soul Rings would be fundamental to his future.
Because he knew that choosing the wrong ones could affect the entire developmental path of a Soul Master.
Because he suspected that many of the currently accepted ideas surrounding Soul Rings were incomplete.
Because he remembered concepts from eras thousands of years more advanced than this one.
But Longyu couldn’t say any of that.
So he chose a much simpler answer.
“Because I’ll need Soul Rings someday.”
Qianjun stared at him.
“There are still three years until your Martial Soul Awakening.”
“Then I have three years to learn.”
Silence.
Qianjun continued staring at him.
Then he started laughing.
“Good!”
His enormous hand landed on Longyu’s head.
“Now that sounds like my grandson!”
Longyu felt his hair become completely disheveled.
“Grandpa.”
“Hm?”
“My hair.”
“It’ll fix itself.”
Longyu decided arguing was pointless.
However, Qianjun did something after that which would considerably change the next few years of his life.
He began bringing him books.
At first, they were simple texts.
Introductions to Martial Souls.
Soul Master classifications.
Basic information about Soul Beasts.
Records concerning Soul Rings.
Then, slightly more complex texts began to appear.
And Longyu started noticing problems.
Not necessarily errors.
At least, not always.
But there were generalizations.
A certain beast was considered appropriate for a particular type of Martial Soul because it had traditionally been used that way.
Some Soul Masters chose rings simply because they provided a powerful Soul Skill.
Certain families repeated the same combinations generation after generation.
Longyu rested his cheek against one hand as he read.
This is too superficial.
A Soul Ring didn’t disappear after granting a Soul Skill.
It permanently integrated with the Soul Master.
Then…
Why think only about the immediate ability?
Longyu took a small sheet of paper.
His handwriting was still rather childish.
He slowly wrote:
Martial Soul.
Underneath it:
Soul Ring 1 → Soul Ring 2 → Soul Ring 3…
He stared at it.
If every Soul Ring integrated with the Martial Soul…
Then every choice should somehow influence the ones that followed.
Perhaps only slightly.
Perhaps significantly.
But there had to be an influence.
A path.
A direction.
Longyu wrote another word.
Evolution.
He stared at that word for a long time.
Then he shook his head.
He still didn’t have enough data.
An idea wasn’t a theory.
Much less a truth.
He needed to observe actual Soul Masters.
Compare similar Martial Souls.
Study their Soul Rings.
Analyze what differences appeared after years of cultivation.
He needed information.
A tremendous amount of information.
Longyu put down the brush.
Later.
He was three years old.
There was time.
Shortly after turning four, Longyu properly met another person who would change his life.
It wasn’t an elder.
Nor a teacher.
It was a girl.
Longyu was walking beside Qianjun through one of the grand corridors when he heard a voice.
“Grandpa!”
A small figure ran past them.
Golden hair.
Clear eyes.
An appearance Longyu recognized even before hearing her name.
At the end of the corridor stood a man.
Tall.
Golden-haired.
Possessing an extraordinarily powerful presence that was nevertheless completely restrained.
Qian Daoliu.
Longyu stopped.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt something strange.
Not fear exactly.
It was the realization that he was personally looking at someone who, until now, had only existed as a character within his memories.
Qian Daoliu.
The Grand Worship.
One of the great Limit Douluo of this era.
The girl reached him.
Qian Daoliu extended a hand and gently stroked her head.
“Renxue, I told you not to run through the corridors.”
“But you were late.”
“Only a few minutes.”
The girl puffed out her cheeks slightly.
Then she noticed Qianjun.
“Grandpa Qianjun!”
Longyu raised an eyebrow.
Qianjun smiled.
“Little Renxue.”
So they already know each other.
It shouldn’t have surprised him.
The families of the great priests practically lived within the same circle.
Then the girl’s eyes moved toward Longyu.
She stared at him.
Longyu stared back.
Qian Renxue.
The future heir of the Six-Winged Angel.
The woman who would one day infiltrate the Heaven Dou Empire.
The future Angel God.
And one of the people whose fate had ultimately been destroyed by the events of the original story.
But the person standing in front of him wasn’t that woman.
She was simply a four-year-old girl looking at him curiously.
Renxue pointed at him.
“Who’s that?”
Qianjun looked offended.
“You don’t know my grandson?”
“I’ve never seen him before.”
“I’ve told you about him.”
Renxue thought for several seconds.
“The one who’s always reading?”
Longyu slowly turned his head toward his grandfather.
Qianjun avoided his gaze.
Exactly how much do you talk about me?
Qian Daoliu let out a faint chuckle.
“Renxue, this is Qiangu Longyu.
He’s the same age as you.”
Renxue’s eyes immediately showed more interest.
“Really?”
Longyu nodded.
“Hello.”
Renxue walked over until she stood directly in front of him.
She inspected him from head to toe.
Longyu wasn’t entirely sure what she was looking for.
Finally, she asked:
“Are you strong?”
Longyu blinked.
Qianjun coughed.
Qian Daoliu closed his eyes for a moment.
Longyu seriously considered the question.
They were four years old.
“No.”
Renxue frowned.
She looked disappointed.
Longyu continued.
“Not yet.”
The girl’s expression changed.
“I’m going to be very strong.”
“I hope so.”
“Why?”
Longyu looked directly at her.
Because he knew what Martial Soul she would awaken.
Because he knew she would possess innate soul power that surpassed normal limits.
Because he knew that one day she could become a god.
But obviously, he couldn’t say any of that.
“Because you’re the Grand Worship’s granddaughter.”
Renxue proudly raised her chin.
“Exactly.”
Longyu had to suppress a smile.
Then she pointed at the book under his arm.
“What are you reading?”
“Soul Beasts.”
“Why?”
“Because they’re interesting.”
“Fighting is more interesting.”
Longyu looked at Qian Daoliu.
Qian Daoliu looked away.
It seemed Qianjun wasn’t the only grandfather with problems.
“We can do both,” Longyu replied.
Renxue thought about it.
Finally, she extended a hand.
“Then we’ll be friends.”
Longyu looked at that small hand.
A simple action.
Insignificant.
But he knew perfectly well who this girl was.
He also knew who she would become.
For an instant, his memories tried to overlap with the person standing before him.
The infiltrator of Heaven Dou.
The heir of Spirit Hall.
The Angel God.
Tang San’s enemy.
The woman defeated at the end of a war.
Longyu discarded all those images.
That was the future he knew.
Not the girl standing in front of him.
He extended his own hand.
“All right.”
Renxue smiled.
And just like that, without any special ceremony, a friendship began that neither of them could yet understand.
Behind them, Qianjun looked at Qian Daoliu.
“It seems they’ll get along.”
Qian Daoliu nodded slightly.
“So it seems.”
Neither child heard what they said afterward.
Renxue was already questioning Longyu about the strongest Soul Beast he knew.
Longyu was trying to explain that the question didn’t have such a simple answer.
Renxue insisted that it had to.
And as they walked together through the corridors of the Worship Hall, Longyu realized something.
Until now, he had constantly thought about changing the future.
Spirit Hall.
Tang San.
The war.
The gods.
Great events that were still decades away.
But perhaps he had been starting from the wrong place.
Before changing organizations…
Before changing wars…
Before changing the fate of the continent…
He first needed to know the people who were part of that future.
Not as characters.
Not as names written in a story.
As people.
Longyu looked at the little Qian Renxue walking beside him.
There were still two years until their Martial Soul Awakenings.
Two years.
A great many things could happen before then.
And this time…
Longyu would be there to see them.