"Hiss… it hurts… Where am I?"
Lin Xian had just graduated from university and started working as an overworked office employee.
After staying late until 2 a.m., he was heading home when he suddenly noticed a glowing card floating beside him, shimmering faintly in the night.
Was he hallucinating from exhaustion?
Before he could think further, the card burst into a brilliant light—and he lost consciousness.
When he opened his eyes again, his entire body ached with a dull soreness, swollen and uncomfortable.
Where is this?
Looking around at the towering trees and unfamiliar vegetation, he quickly realized he was deep within an ancient forest.
At that moment, a voice echoed in his mind.
[Congratulations, Host, on activating the Emotion Card Drop System!]
[Whenever the Host influences the emotions of others, there is a chance for reward cards to drop. The stronger the emotional fluctuation, the greater the reward!]
[Detected: Host is currently in the Douluo Continent plane. Updating reward system…]
[Update complete! Host, please open your Newbie Gift Pack!]
As the voice faded, a complete set of cards floated into view before him.
White, yellow, purple, black, red… and one multi-colored card.
Lin Xian was no stranger to Douluo Continent. As an anime fan, he was extremely familiar with it.
These colors… they clearly corresponded to the age ranks of spirit rings!
But that final multi-colored card—what was that supposed to represent?
For a beginner's draw, he naturally went straight for the highest grade.
Without hesitation, Lin Xian reached out and touched the multi-colored card.
The card dissolved into a stream of light and flowed directly into his body.
In the next instant, an overwhelming surge of power erupted from within him.
As if a dormant beast had awakened!
Before he could process it, his consciousness was pulled into a vast starry sky.
He found himself standing at the center of nine massive planets.
Countless specks of starlight converged toward him, transforming into pure energy that poured into his body, continuously condensing and strengthening him.
Unbeknownst to Lin Xian, in the real world, the sky had become dazzlingly radiant. Stellar Power descended like a cascade, forming a massive barrier around him.
Within this barrier, every Spirit Beast fell silent, not even daring to breathe loudly.
At this moment, Lin Xian appeared incomparably noble and sacred—like a child of the stars, surrounded and bathed in celestial light.
A true phenomenon of heaven and earth!
But just as suddenly as it came, it vanished.
In the blink of an eye, the forest returned to its former calm.
Lin Xian slowly opened his eyes.
His Martial Soul had awakened.
Its name—Star Abyss.
It allowed him to harness Stellar Power to aid cultivation and enhance his strength.
Within the starry sky existed nine major planets. Each time he broke through to a new realm, one planet would unlock.
And within each planet lay an ultimate elemental power.
Even more astonishing—through Stellar Power, he could form bonds with others and share the elemental effects of those planets.
Sensing the power of his awakened Martial Soul, Lin Xian was overjoyed.
When he used his abilities, he could literally smash planets onto his enemies.
How cool was that?
Standing there with his hands in his pockets, acting invincible—who could even compare?
Regardless of anything else, the visual impact alone would be unmatched!
As he released his Martial Soul, a phantom starry sky appeared behind him—dreamlike and unfathomably deep.
In the upper-left corner, one planet was already illuminated.
This signified that he possessed Innate Full Spirit Power.
After being baptized by Stellar Power, his spirit power had increased by an additional five levels, reaching Level 15.
As his Martial Soul manifested, a white spirit ring quietly formed around him.
Unlike a normal ten-year spirit ring, this one bore faint star patterns—clearly something granted directly by his Martial Soul.
At that moment, a stream of information appeared in his mind.
The age of this spirit ring was tied to the total age of the spirit rings of those he bonded with.
As its age increased, its color would evolve accordingly.
In other words, the more spirit rings his bonded partners obtained, the more their combined age would stack onto his own first spirit ring.
If he bonded with nine people, each possessing a 100,000-year spirit ring…
Then his own first spirit ring would exceed 1,000,000 years.
What a terrifying concept!
Of course, there were limitations.
The level difference between him and a bonded partner could not exceed 20 levels, and once a bond was formed, it could not be changed unless the other party died.
A minor restriction—but nothing to worry about.
After all, he also had the Emotion Card Drop System.
If he ever got bored, provoking Tang San or beating up Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang would definitely yield plenty of rewards.
Just as he was about to examine his Spirit Ability and the remaining cards, several voices suddenly rang out nearby.
"Second Young Miss, stop running. Just come back obediently with us."
"Opposing the Eldest Miss never ends well."
"You'd better accept your fate—otherwise don't blame us for being ruthless!"
Hearing this, Lin Xian leaped lightly onto a high tree branch.
He had already gained decent control over his newfound power.
In the distance, four black-clad, masked men were chasing a young girl.
His first impression of her—
Big.
Really big.
Her black, skin-tight leather outfit accentuated a cold and elegant aura.
Every inch of fabric clung perfectly to her curves, highlighting her striking and explosive figure.
However, during the fight, she had already suffered several cuts. Parts of her outfit were torn, exposing patches of snow-white skin.
But she had no time to care.
Though her movements had slowed slightly due to her injuries, her gaze remained sharp and resolute.
She knew she couldn't fall.
And she absolutely couldn't let those men succeed.
Her reduced speed allowed the four pursuers to quickly surround her.
They appeared like ghosts, their eyes filled with greed and cruelty.
"Second Young Miss, stop struggling. Today is the day you die."
"Why not let us brothers have some fun first?"
"With a figure like yours… tsk tsk, I've wanted this for a long time."
"Hehehe…"
Faced with their vulgar words, the girl remained silent, her sharp eyes searching desperately for any chance of escape.
Her second spirit ring flashed.
Hell Hundred Claws!
Drawing on the power of the Hell Civet, her speed exploded in an instant. In the blink of an eye, she appeared beside the black-clad man in the upper-left position.
Aiming for his neck, she focused all her claw strikes on a single point—
Killing him instantly!
"Not good—Fourth!"
The remaining three immediately unleashed their Spirit Abilities.
Though the girl reacted quickly and tried to evade, she couldn't avoid everything.
Several more wounds appeared on her body.
Three enemies remained.
If she couldn't kill them all…
Then today would be her end.