Chapter 1 Chen Yao,
Spirit Hall.
A slightly secluded square.
The sun was blazing.
A young man with long, flowing hair, handsome features, and an otherworldly air sat on a recliner under the shade of a tree.
Every now and then, several young men dressed as Spirit Hall servants would pass by, carrying heavy loads. They would put down their loads and greet the young man.
"Greetings, Deacon Chen."
The young man would nod casually with a blank expression. After the servants left, the young man sipped his tea and glanced at his pocket watch.
Staring at the slow-moving second hand, his eyes filled with impatience.
The young man's name was Chen Yao.
He wasn't originally from the Douluo Continent, but in his previous life, on his thirtieth birthday,
he spent a fortune summoning his close sister, intending to have a thrilling and intense encounter.
On the way, he was fortunately blessed by the God of Dust Trucks.
After waking up, he found himself here, as an embryo.
When he was born and learned about this world, he was initially very excited, intending to emulate his predecessors, to conquer the heavens, the earth, and even the air, eventually becoming a god, ascending to the divine realm, and gaining eternal life.
However, this excitement abruptly ended after he awakened his martial soul at the age of six.
His martial soul wasn't weak; on the contrary, it was quite peculiar—a pure black mass, similar to some kind of energy, without a specific form.
After summoning his martial soul, this darkness would solidify beneath his feet, filled with an evil and sinister aura.
At this time, evil soul masters hadn't yet been defined; only the most heinous criminals were thrown into the City of Slaughter.
Otherwise, Chen Yao might have been captured by the Spirit Hall immediately after awakening.
After awakening, Chen Yao also discovered that he could summon two dark tentacles from this darkness, similar to octopus tentacles.
These two tentacles seemed like an extension of his body, moving entirely at his whim, even more agile than his hands.
Furthermore, the tentacles' form was somewhere between illusory energy and solid matter, their hardness or softness changing according to his thoughts.
It was a truly wondrous martial soul.
This peculiar energy martial soul even alarmed the Spirit Hall's Soul Douluo, Elder Ghost.
Ghost believed Chen Yao's martial soul was compatible with his own and wanted to take him as a disciple.
He immediately ordered someone to bring Chen Yao back to Spirit City.
Although Chen Yao's initial soul power was only level 4, not particularly impressive, it was decent enough, and Elder Ghost diligently taught him.
However, Chen Yao's performance remained unsatisfactory; he only managed to reach level 10 and obtain his first soul ring at the age of 12.
Perhaps this would be considered genius by others, but in Elder Ghost's eyes, it was merely mediocre.
In the end, Ghostly could only lament Chen Yao's martial soul and the effort and countless precious medicinal herbs he had poured into him over the years. He
casually sent Chen Yao to the outskirts of the Spirit Hall as a minor steward, responsible for managing the miscellaneous servants of the Spirit Hall.
In his previous life, Chen Yao had been a pleasure-seeker. In this life, he had diligently cultivated for so many years without a moment's slackening, yet he hadn't seen the desired results. His passion had been completely extinguished, and he began to give up on himself, settling into his lowly official duties.
Although Ghostly considered him utterly useless, he was a genius in the outer perimeter of the Spirit Hall.
Relying on his dark martial soul and a spirit power level of 11, he swaggered around the outskirts, accepting bribes and indulging in nightly revelry in the bustling streets of Spirit City.
This lifestyle continued until he turned twenty, which is now.
During this time, he hardly cultivated seriously, but thanks to the natural growth of his spirit power, he was now a powerful figure about to break through to level 20, a truly terrifying prospect.
He didn't know how long this carefree life would last, but he hoped it could continue indefinitely.
As for the Spirit Hall being destroyed by Tang San in the future?
That was a matter for the future; Tang Hao didn't even know Ah Yin yet.
At worst, he could simply report Tang Hao to the Spirit Hall about being in Holy Spirit Village.
What he needed to do now was enjoy the moment. A person should live in the present; if you're always worrying about the future, how can you live?
Just as Chen Yao was staring intently at his pocket watch, hoping to get off work early, a figure silently approached him.
"Hey, Chen Yao, checking the time again? Can't wait to go to your mistress's house for some fun?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Chen Yao looked up at the newcomer.
The man was an old man, dressed in the same butler's uniform as Chen Yao, with a wrinkled face, shifty eyes, and a lewd expression. His smile revealed a mouthful of yellow teeth, emitting a foul stench.
"Old Deng, what's up?"
Chen Yao glanced at Old Deng indifferently, clearly not interested in discussing his female companions, and went straight to the point.
"Hey Chen Yao, my name is Huang Yi, you can call me Old Huang, why do you keep calling me Old Deng? My surname isn't Deng!"
Old Huang asked curiously.
"That's a respectful term for old men like you in my hometown. Are you alright? If not, I'm leaving."
Chen Yao glanced at his pocket watch, realizing it was finally time to leave work. Too lazy to argue with Lao Huang any longer, he made to get up and leave.
"Hey, wait, wait, have you been planning to do something today?"
Lao Huang, seeing Chen Yao was really about to leave, reluctantly revealed his intentions.
Chen Yao stopped, turning back to look at Lao Huang with surprise in his eyes.
"I remember you just got paid a few days ago, right? You've already spent it all? Going to earn some extra money?"
Lao Huang hesitated for a moment before finally chuckling and revealing the truth.
"Well, I've got my eye on the top courtesan at the Drunken Spring Pavilion. But that woman costs 20 gold soul coins a night, like she's inlaid with gold. But this old man can't resist, so I'll just have to get some more."
Chen Yao nodded in agreement. He had seen the top courtesan; she was indeed quite beautiful. No wonder this old man was so infatuated that he was willing to come out at the beginning of the month to earn some extra money.
The so-called extra income was that they pooled their resources to find some low-level, unremarkable individuals on the only road outside Spirit City and engage in a risk-free business.
While it wouldn't make them rich overnight, it was safe and reliable; every penny they could earn was a penny, and there were occasional small surprises.
After all, the meager income from being an outer guard of the Spirit Hall was far from enough to support Chen Yao and his ilk, these parasites of the Spirit Hall, who indulged in drinking, gambling, and prostitution in the bustling areas of Spirit City every day!
"Alright,
we'll meet outside the city after nightfall." Chen Yao agreed after a moment's thought. Although he didn't frequent the top courtesans in the brothels, the mistresses he kept still had considerable monthly expenses, so having extra money was always a good idea.
(End of Chapter)