For six years, he had only one cultivation method—he once thought this was his ultimate trump card.
But unexpectedly, an even greater surprise awaited him. After his Martial Soul awakened, a system suddenly appeared.
At that moment, a system interface popped up in his mind.
Host: Jiang Chen
Douluo Level: 10
Zombie Level: 1/12
Soul Rings: None
Items: None
A system message appeared: [Do you want to activate the Beginner's Pack?]
"Yes." Jiang Chen didn't hesitate for a second.
[Beginner's Pack activated. You have received the following items:]
Divine Soul Ring x1: Generated according to your attributes, the soul ring's duration depends on the host's physical strength and willpower. The longer the host endures while absorbing it, the longer the soul ring lasts.
Soul Ring Upgrade Ticket x1: After use, it allows you to increase the duration of one soul ring to the maximum your body can bear (usable between levels 11-20).
Dark Blessing Potion x1: Upon consumption, heals all current injuries and restores the host to peak condition.
Looking at these newbie items in the system inventory, Jiang Chen grinned with satisfaction. Just as he was getting sleepy, someone handed him a pillow.
He had just awakened his Martial Soul and had innate full soul power. All he needed was to absorb a single soul ring to break through into the Soul Master realm and continue cultivating.
He had thought he'd have to wait until arriving at Notting Academy to get his first soul ring, but the surprise came so quickly.
The temptation to become a Soul Master was irresistible. Thinking about gaining amazing new powers immediately, he could hardly contain his excitement.
He jumped down and glanced at Old Jack's room. The old man was still passed out drunk from last night.
Jiang Chen dashed back to his own room, sat cross-legged on his bed, and prepared to absorb his first soul ring and break through.
He opened the system interface again, focused his mind on the divine soul ring, and chose to use it—but a warning popped up:
[After absorbing the soul ring, the host must survive their first Heavenly Tribulation within three days. It is advised to endure absorbing the soul ring as long as possible to increase the chance of passing the tribulation. Confirm absorption?]
Jiang Chen had been starving for power, but this warning poured cold water on his excitement.
Heavenly Tribulation? Was this some kind of joke?
The terrifying image of that zombie being struck to ashes by the Heavenly Tribulation flashed uncontrollably in his mind. It was absolutely horrifying!
And the five-colored lightning that had appeared when his Martial Soul awakened—surely that was the tribulation the system meant.
Thinking of this, Jiang Chen felt a chill in his gut and a shiver down his spine.
He recalled that zombie's life and realized it had never faced tribulations at low levels—only at the higher stages.
"System, why do I have to face a tribulation when I'm so weak?" Jiang Chen cried out in his heart.
Unfortunately, the system gave no answers, only reminders.
His small face scrunched up in frustration; the joy of gaining the system was instantly washed away.
Though he had memories of the zombie's tribulation, those were someone else's experiences—he himself had none.
"Why is my life so hard? I'm just a six-year-old kid!" he felt like crying.
No wonder his eyelids had been twitching nonstop since awakening his Martial Soul. He had guessed something bad would happen, but he never thought it would actually be a lightning strike.
It took him quite a while to accept this reality. Then, he looked again at the newbie items.
"The Divine Soul Ring—I need to endure absorbing it as long as possible, so I get a stronger soul ring. That should give me a better chance at passing the tribulation."
"The Dark Blessing Potion is probably for life-saving during the tribulation. Using it at a critical moment is like having an extra life."
"As for the Soul Ring Upgrade Ticket, it won't be much use before I break through. It's best saved until I reach level 20 to maximize its effect. But if the tribulation is too tough, even wasting it might be worth it. Any boost helps."
Calming down, Jiang Chen made up his mind: the tribulation had to be faced sooner or later—he wasn't going to give up cultivating for life.
But how to survive it was something he needed to plan carefully.
In the end, he decided to train steadily for three months before absorbing the soul ring, since the Notting Academy's semester wouldn't start for another three months.
Maybe by then his soul power would surge several levels after absorbing the soul ring, increasing his odds of success.
After all, a Heavenly Tribulation was terrifying. Who wouldn't be afraid?
He was just an ordinary kid who had only been cultivating for three years since coming to this world—he really had no confidence.
Slow and steady growth was the key to survival.
With this in mind, he forced down the urge to absorb the soul ring immediately.
Jumping off the bed, Jiang Chen felt a bit down. So much for the beginner's pack—he couldn't use any of it right away and had to wait three months. What a rip-off!
The oppressive feeling of the upcoming tribulation weighed heavily on his mind, making it hard to relax.
"No, I have to work on my body," Jiang Chen decided.
In these past few years, he'd only focused on cultivating the Zombie Transformation technique and hadn't done any physical training. Now, knowing he needed a strong physique to absorb the soul ring, he felt a sudden urgency.
Because of the ten-thousand-year-old Corpse Pill inside his body, the soul power he had cultivated over the past three years had been refined by the pill into something extraordinarily toxic.
At the same time, due to the zombie's nature, his strength and physical endurance had become abnormally powerful. Yet, despite this, he still felt it wasn't enough.
Thinking this through, Jiang Chen dashed outside in a flash.
The sun had just risen. The saying, "The whole day's work depends on a good start in the morning," was true—morning was the perfect time to train.
The looming threat of the Heavenly Tribulation hung over his head like a sharp sword, a matter of life and death. Jiang Chen dared not relax anymore.
After running for several minutes, he began to sense something was off. With his current strength, running was far too easy—hardly providing any real workout.
To truly improve his physical power, he needed high-intensity training.
When he reached the village entrance, his eyes suddenly brightened as he spotted a perfect tool for his exercise.
The women and men of the village saw Jiang Chen running towards them and all screamed, rushing inside to lock their doors tightly.
Jiang Chen just shrugged indifferently. Since moving back to live with Old Jack, he was confident it wouldn't be long before these villagers understood that he was no longer the same.
Right in front of him stood a massive stone mill, used in Saint Soul Village for grinding grain.
Excited, Jiang Chen ran up and hoisted the stone mill—several times larger than his own body—into his arms.
He estimated it weighed around seven or eight hundred pounds, a bit heavy but manageable.
"Haha, not bad. From now on, you're my training partner," he chuckled.
Carrying the stone mill, Jiang Chen quickly strode away, laughter echoing behind him.
Tang Hao's house was just at the village entrance. At this moment, Tang San had gone up the mountain to train, so Tang Hao, unusually awake early, sat at his doorstep holding a bowl of porridge cooked by Tang San.
He had just taken a sip when he saw the little runt sprinting by, carrying that gigantic stone mill.
"Pfft!" His eyes went wide, and he spat out the porridge right onto the ground.