Chapter 1 Martial Soul Awakening
At dawn, the first rays of the rising sun illuminated the Duke's Mansion of the Star Luo Empire, and the golden glazed tiles exuded a sacred and solemn atmosphere under the sunlight.
Warm golden sunlight streamed through the low windows of a corner room in the Duke's mansion, illuminating Dai Yuhao's face as he sat cross-legged on the bed.
Stimulated by the sunlight, Dai Yuhao squinted slightly. The slightly reddish blood vessels at the corners of his eyes and his excited expression indicated that he probably hadn't slept a wink last night.
The reason is simple: today is his sixth birthday.
Six years old is a special day for children on the Douluo Continent, as they have reached the age where they can awaken their martial soul.
Today, Dai Yuhao will undergo the most important awakening of his martial soul in this Duke's mansion.
A person's martial soul is most likely to be inherited from one of their parents, but there are also mutated martial souls that result in entirely new martial souls.
As a descendant of the White Tiger Duke, Dai Yuhao's ideal situation would be to awaken a martial soul exactly like the White Tiger Duke's, the Evil Eye White Tiger, the most top-tier beast martial soul on the Douluo Continent.
Only in this way can the current situation be changed, allowing himself and his mother to return to his father's sight, and enabling him to know that his mother has been ill for a long time and to ask a doctor to treat her.
Dai Yuhao's mother was named Huo Yun'er, and she was once the personal maid of the White Tiger Duke. Personal maids exist to serve their masters, and that's how Dai Yuhao came into this world.
With the offspring of the White Tiger Duke, Huo Yun'er, having gained status through her son, was no longer a maid but became the White Tiger Duke's concubine, possessing her own small courtyard in the Duke's mansion.
However, this period of peace was short-lived. The Sun Moon Empire's small-scale actions on the border increased day by day. As the God of War of the Star Luo Empire, Duke White Tiger had no choice but to personally go to the border to take charge and deal with the fierce border friction.
The departure of the White Tiger Duke also marked the beginning of Huo Yun'er's nightmare. The Duchess, who had taken charge of all matters in the Duke's mansion, began to suppress any factors that might be detrimental to the future development of her children. Huo Yun'er and her son Dai Yuhao naturally became the Duchess's primary targets.
When Dai Yuhao was only two years old, the Duchess forced him and his mother to live in the woodshed in the servants' quarters and cut off all their financial support.
In order to raise Dai Yuhao, Huo Yun'er had to do more heavy work to earn a living. In addition, due to the suppression and bullying by the Duchess's faction, Huo Yun'er contracted a serious illness and her health deteriorated day by day.
An unhappy childhood made Dai Yuhao more mature and sensible than his peers. At the age of five, he was already helping out as a servant in the Duke's mansion to supplement the family income. Through the servants, he learned why his family had fallen to such a state.
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None of these mothers told him this, only that he was the child of the Duke's mansion master, and that his current state was due to her incompetence. Every time he said this, Dai Yuhao would see his mother quietly shed tears.
Despite the suppression from the Duchess's faction, Dai Yuhao was still surnamed Dai and was the son of the White Tiger Duke. The servants in the manor who were not affiliated with the Duchess were relatively friendly to him, and someone told Dai Yuhao about an opportunity to change his situation.
That is Dai Yuhao's upcoming martial soul awakening.
Because once the White Tiger Martial Soul of the White Tiger Duke lineage is awakened, even the Duchess will no longer be able to oppress them and will have to report to the Duke so that she can receive the Duke's full support.
It has to be the Evil-Eyed White Tiger Martial Soul!
Dai Yuhao clenched his fists to encourage himself, then turned to look at Huo Yun'er, who was still asleep on the wooden bed on the other side of the dark hut, her face pale.
"Mother..."
Her furrowed brows revealed that she was not at peace even in her dreams. Since falling ill, her mother had become increasingly sleepy, and only lying in bed could make her feel better.
Dai Yuhao gently got out of bed and quietly walked to Huo Yun'er's bedside, gently rearranging the quilt for his mother.
Mom, wait for my good news.
Dai Yuhao encouraged himself inwardly, then quietly left the woodshed. The sunlight outside was already quite dazzling, and Dai Yuhao's malnourished body appeared even paler under its rays.
Although it was only early morning, the servants outside were already busy, handling all sorts of miscellaneous matters in the Duke's mansion.
A servant saw Dai Yuhao appear and kindly reminded him, "Young Master Dai, the steward is waiting for you in the side hall."
"Okay, I'll go right away!"
Upon learning that the steward was already waiting for him, Dai Yuhao quickly straightened his clothes, left the servants' courtyard, and hurried through the intricate corridors toward a side hall of the Duke's mansion.
"Master Steward, I'm here."
In a side hall of the Duke's mansion, the middle-aged butler stood in the center of the hall, turning his head to look in the direction of the sound. Dai Yuhao's thin figure had just crossed the threshold, his face filled with undisguised excitement.
He had been observing Dai Yuhao's situation in the Duke's mansion. Although he wasn't from the Duchess's lineage and was only responsible to the White Tiger Duke, he couldn't withstand the Duchess's pressure until Dai Yuhao demonstrated any value worthy of cultivation.
After all, the Duchess had another identity: the most beloved youngest daughter of the previous Star Luo Empire Emperor, the empire's darling.
"Stand here."
Following the butler's directions, Dai Yuhao stood in the center of the hall, where an intricate array of unknown materials was laid out beneath his feet.
The butler, noticing Dai Yuhao's slightly trembling body, said with concern, "Don't be nervous. The awakening of your martial soul will happen naturally, and there is no danger involved."
As he spoke, the butler had already summoned his martial spirit, and a spear appeared in his hand. Dangerous lightning crackled at the tip of the spear, and six dazzling spirit rings floated beside him. A pressure immediately made Dai Yuhao feel a little breathless.
"Cough... cough cough!"
After coughing a few times while clutching his chest, Dai Yuhao managed to catch his breath and avoid fainting during the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony.
"Stay calm and feel with your heart!"
The butler infused the array on the ground with soul power, and immediately a golden light shone out from the array, enveloping Dai Yuhao. Furthermore, many golden light spots merged into Dai Yuhao's body.
At this moment, Dai Yuhao stood firmly in the formation by relying solely on his instincts. Mysterious white halos emerged from his body, even overpowering the golden light of the formation.
The butler's eyes narrowed. Could this scene truly be the Evil-Eyed White Tiger Martial Soul?!
The White Tiger Duke's children all underwent martial soul awakening under his guidance. The two children in the Duchess's lineage both possessed the Evil Eye White Tiger martial soul. The strange phenomena that occurred during their martial soul awakening were exactly the same as today!
At this moment, the white light emanating from Dai Yuhao began to condense in front of him, forming a strange white ball. The white ball slowly unfolded, standing up to Dai Yuhao's waist height, like a fluffy little elf.
Its fur is like snow that has just fallen on the branches in winter, pure white with black stripes. The black stripes on its forehead merge into the character "王" (king), adding a touch of domineering power. Its eyes are heterochromatic, one blue and one gold, like crystal clear amber.
"Meow?"
It twitched its pointed ears and let out a soft, meowing sound.
The housekeeper was somewhat confused. What was going on?
[end of the chapter]