Chapter 1

Summer night.

The bright moon hung high in the sky.

Songjiang Province, Xindanxi City.

On the rooftop of a residential building, a young boy was holding a heavy halberd, training diligently.

In the quiet of the night, the cold moonlight shone on him, casting a pale glow on his slender figure.

Holding the halberd under the moon, his shadow made three.

"Xindanxi has many bends, little fish jumping onto the boat are not rare. Catching the moon with a net, mending the stars, a bowl of hometown for grandpa to drink..."

Beside the rooftop railing, a mobile phone buzzed, and a child's voice rang out.

"Huh..." The boy panted, his movements pausing slightly as he carried the heavy halberd to the railing.

"It's time." Rong Taotao looked at the phone, which read "23:59," and turned off the alarm.

Yes, it's time to sleep.

Drip, drip.

Sweat flowed down his face, landing on the ground with a faint sound.

Rong Taotao sighed contentedly, the fatigue from his hard training making his heart feel incredibly fulfilled.

He turned around, leaning against the railing, cradling the halberd in his arms, and looked up at the dim stars in the night sky.

Tomorrow is the day of awakening.

It should... succeed, right?

No problem, absolutely no problem, after all... you are Xu Fenghua's son.

Rong Taotao rubbed his head, his wet, naturally curly hair resembling a messy dog's nest.

Under the curly hair, his slightly youthful face looked a bit cute?

After a while, Rong Taotao carried the heavy halberd, dragging his heavy feet, and walked to the rooftop stairwell.

He went down one floor to the 17th floor, opened the fire hydrant door on the wall, took out the key, and unlocked his front door.

Rong Taotao casually leaned the halberd against the coat rack by the door, wiped his wet face, and changed into slippers, but his movements paused slightly.

He quickly looked up, toward the living room sofa.

Under the moonlight, in the slightly dark living room, a figure was sitting on the sofa, silently looking toward the door.

For a moment, the two of them stared at each other, creating a rather peculiar scene.

Rong Taotao was not panicked, but many question marks appeared in his mind.

Good guy, breaking into a civilian's home at night?

Are criminals this rampant nowadays?

Did they not find anything valuable in my house and decided to stay?

Why are they staying?

To get in my face?

To insult me for being poor in person?

"Taotao." The dark figure on the sofa spoke slowly.

The deep voice of the middle-aged man was both unfamiliar and familiar to Rong Taotao.

"Huh?" Rong Taotao instinctively rubbed his curly hair.

Not a criminal? It's actually a relative?

Dad!?

Rong Taotao casually turned on the living room light, tilted his head, and looked at the well-dressed, handsome middle-aged man on the sofa.

Rong Taotao couldn't help but blink and said, "Oh, who is this? What a rare guest!"

As soon as he spoke, he sounded like an old man.

A hint of guilt flashed in the man's eyes, and he smiled apologetically at Rong Taotao, saying, "I saw you training hard just now, so I didn't want to disturb you."

Rong Taotao pouted and huffed, "About 'not disturbing,' you did a great job. The last time you disturbed me was three years ago, right?"

Rong Yuanshan said helplessly, "Dad is busy."

"Sure, being busy is good, being busy is good, men should prioritize their careers!" Rong Taotao muttered, shuffling in his slippers toward the bathroom, "Kids are just accidents. Oh, it's all because of the foolishness of youth and the intoxication of love..."

Rong Yuanshan: "..."

Rong Yuanshan watched his son Rong Taotao walk into the bathroom and then heard the sound of the shower.

Rong Yuanshan hesitated for a moment, then walked to the bathroom, leaning against the door frame, and said, "Tomorrow is your junior high school graduation ceremony."

Behind the door, accompanied by the sound of the shower, came Rong Taotao's lazy response, "Ah, what's up?"

Rong Yuanshan said, "If everything goes well, you should be able to successfully start your Soul Warrior career."

Rong Taotao: "That's not certain, the success rate of awakening is only 50%."

Rong Yuanshan smiled and said, "Big data is for all of humanity.

Soul Warrior families are different. Your mother and I are both Soul Warriors, and you have the blood of a Soul Warrior in you. You will successfully awaken and become a Soul Warrior."

Rong Yuanshan thought for a moment, seemingly to give his son some confidence, and continued, "Your brother is also a Soul Warrior, you know."

To his surprise, from the bathroom came Rong Taotao's mutter, "Oh, right, how could I forget, not only do I have a dad, I also have an older brother."

Rong Yuanshan: "..."

In the bathroom, Rong Taotao looked uncomfortable, smacking his lips, damn...

I have a dad, a mom, and an older brother who is 8 years older than me, but why do I feel like an orphan every day?

Rong Yuanshan hesitated and said, "Your brother... well, he's also busy."

Rong Taotao: "..."

"Taotao." Rong Yuanshan changed the subject and said, "You know, after you awaken, you need to fuse with a Soul Beast to become a true Soul Warrior. Have you chosen your Life Soul Beast?"

Click.

The bathroom door opened, and Rong Taotao, who had just finished showering and changed into clean, fresh shorts and a T-shirt, was holding a towel to dry his wet hair.

Rong Taotao looked up at his father at the door and said, "You know what Soul Beast I will choose."

Rong Yuanshan looked at his son's youthful face and smiled, "I just want to confirm which path you want to take in the future.

You know, after fusing with a Soul Beast, you will have a Soul Attribute, which will determine your future growth path."

Rong Taotao nodded and responded, "Snow Realm Soul Beast."

"Snow Realm?" Rong Yuanshan hesitated and said, "More than 85% of China's land area is connected to the 'Starfield Planet.'

Without a doubt, our country can provide more support and care for Starfield Attribute Soul Warriors.

Whether it's Soul Techniques or Soul Skills, we have a deeper understanding of the 'Starfield Attribute.'

Moreover..."

Seeing his son not responding, Rong Yuanshan continued to persuade, "Snow Realm Soul Warriors are greatly restrained by Starfield Soul Warriors. If you choose a Snow Realm Soul Beast as your Life Soul Beast...

This path, well, will be very difficult."

Rong Taotao lightly nodded, seemingly very clear about the path he had chosen.

But Rong Taotao did not back down or change his mind, and said, "History books say that my mom is in the Snow Realm, on the Long River in the far northeast of China, guarding the border, right?

If my Life Soul Beast is a Snow Realm creature, practicing the Snow Realm Heart will be more efficient.

To see her, I at least need to survive in harsh low temperatures and blizzards."

Hearing this, Rong Yuanshan fell silent.

Xu Fenghua, his wife, Rong Taotao's mother.

She indeed stood in the icy and snowy north of China, guarding that land for ten years, protecting the Chinese mainland behind her.

But as Rong Yuanshan said, Snow Realm Soul Warriors are naturally restrained by Starfield Soul Warriors.

There are nine Soul Warrior attributes in this world, each corresponding to one of nine planets:

Snow Realm, Desert, Lava, Firefly Forest.

Thunder, Starfield, Void, Cloud Peak, and Ocean (Earth).

Among these nine attributes, some are mutually restraining, and in China, the majority of Soul Warriors are Starfield Soul Warriors.

A Starfield Soul Skill hitting a Snow Realm Soul Warrior will cause far more damage than the skill itself.

Seeing his son's determined look, Rong Yuanshan thought for a moment and said, "How about fusing with a Cloud Peak creature? Becoming a Cloud Peak Soul Warrior?"

Hearing this, Rong Taotao's eyes lit up!

Cloud Peak Soul Beast?

That is an extremely rare Soul Beast!

Rong Yuanshan continued, "In this world, no Soul Skill can restrain a Cloud Peak Soul Warrior.

Moreover, you aspire to the Snow Realm, and to your, um... mother.

A Cloud Peak Soul Warrior can also practice the Snow Realm Heart and use Snow Realm Soul Skills, allowing you to survive in harsh cold environments."

Rong Taotao looked at his father with a puzzled expression and said, "Cloud Peak Planet... China doesn't have a connection to that planet. To go to Cloud Peak Planet, you have to enter through the sky vortex in the Arctic Circle?"

Seeing Rong Taotao's expression, Rong Yuanshan smiled affectionately, his warm hand gently rubbing his son's soft, curly hair.

Rong Yuanshan said, "Consider it as compensation for neglecting you."

Rong Taotao's Adam's apple moved, and he suddenly grabbed Rong Yuanshan's hand, saying, "Dad!"

Rong Yuanshan: "..."

Rong Taotao looked obedient, his words sweet, "Dad~ Good dad!"

This is too damn real, right?

Rong Yuanshan suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable, his lips twitching awkwardly, and said, "I won't just give you a Cloud Peak Soul Beast. I can provide you with an opportunity, but whether you can seize it depends on you."

Rong Taotao was taken aback, an opportunity? Does he want me to compete with others?

Then let's do it!?

Thinking of this, Rong Taotao's eyes subconsciously looked toward the door.

Rong Yuanshan slightly turned his body and looked in the same direction.

When he saw the halberd leaning against the coat rack, he sighed inwardly.

Although Rong Yuanshan hadn't been home for three years, the person secretly protecting his son had told him everything about his son's growth.

Rong Yuanshan knew that on the vast rooftop, every corner was drenched in his son's sweat.

Confidence,

comes from every night under the moon and stars.

comes from that lonely, yet burning, wild heart growing.

Rong Yuanshan also knew why his son was so persistent.

He wanted to see the mother who left him heartlessly,

He wanted to see the woman who lived in the history books.

The legendary Soul Warrior who, over a decade ago, dominated the Long River Campaign, building a border wall with her flesh and blood.

The first Soul General beyond the border: Xu Fenghua.