Chapter 1: Transmigrating to Douluo Continent, Binding the Summoning System (Please keep reading… monthly votes… recommendation votes…collect)
Douluo Continent. Saint Spirit Village.
A bone-chilling cold, mixed with the smell of dry grass, earth, and a faint hint of mildew, rudely assailed Ling Han’s nostrils, forcefully pulling him from his stupor.
He abruptly opened his eyes.
It wasn't the familiar soft mattress, nor was there the dazzling overhead light on the ceiling.
What met his gaze was a low, dilapidated thatched roof that looked like it could collapse at any moment, and rough mud-brick walls covered in spiderweb-like cracks.
The biting morning light squeezed in through a crooked, barely-there gap that served as a window, stingily casting a few pale patches of light that landed right on his face.
A suffocating sense of unfamiliarity, like an icy tide, instantly engulfed him.
He instinctively tried to prop himself up, but a wave of weak softness came from his arm. He looked down —
His pupils suddenly contracted to pinpricks!
Reflected in his eyes was the hand of a child!
It was small, dirty, with delicate finger joints that looked like they would break with a snap, and rough skin with tiny scratches, encased in a faded, patched coarse cloth sleeve.
His heart felt as if it was being fiercely clutched by an invisible hand, beating wildly!
He abruptly sat up, ignoring the dizziness, and scrutinized himself — legs that were much too short, a thin and frail chest, clearly the body of a malnourished child!
“Hiss…” He gasped, his voice dry and hoarse, carrying a panic that didn't belong to this body, “What… what’s going on?!”
It wasn't a dream!
His gaze frantically swept around: a creaking broken wooden table, a chipped earthenware bowl, and beneath him, a hard, uncomfortable mud-kang covered with a thin layer of dry grass.
The air was filled with the lingering scent of wood ash and damp earth.
Everything from his previous World—the concrete jungle, the information overload, the bustling city—was instantly wiped away as if by a giant hand, leaving only this desolate, primitive, cold, dilapidated thatched hut.
“Could it be that I… transmigrated?” The six words were squeezed out with difficulty, carrying an unbelievable absurdity.
A trope from countless novels had actually become his bone-chilling reality at this moment.
An intense headache exploded without warning! A massive influx of fragmented memories, carrying the loneliness, hunger, and despair of another “Ling Han,” surged in, tearing and merging violently.
An orphan from Saint Spirit Village… mother died in childbirth… father died of illness… a destitute home… suffering from hunger and cold…
The sharp pain receded, leaving behind clear recognition and a bone-deep chill.
He had replaced this poor soul also named “Ling Han,” a mere speck of dust in the story of Douluo Continent, not even counting as a background character.
After a brief silence, a nearly savage surge of ruthlessness erupted from the deepest part of his heart!
In his previous life, he was already a rootless wanderer, struggling to survive; how much worse could this sudden “new life” be?
“Heh…” A short, cold laugh escaped his tender yet taut lips, carrying a kind of near-mad determination, “Good! Very good! Old Man Heaven, I’ll take this script of yours!”
Just as this thought surged like wildfire —
“Ding!”
A cold, emotionless, yet clear electronic voice, as if ringing directly in the depths of his soul, suddenly descended!
Ling Han stiffened all over, and a terrifying glint burst forth from the depths of his pupils!
“Detecting host consciousness anchor, soul compatibility: extremely high. Conforming to ultimate protocol…”
“Myriad Worlds Supreme Summoning System activating… binding procedure loading…”
“10% 35% 67% 99%”
“Ding! Core binding successful! ‘Myriad Worlds Supreme Summoning System,’ at your service. Objective: Ascend to the pinnacle of this World!”
That cold voice carried an undeniable authority, as if it could freeze time and space!
“It’s here!” Ling Han’s heart pounded, almost bursting through his chest! Immense ecstasy instantly drowned out all negative emotions! A golden finger! The standard for transmigrators!
But he forcibly suppressed the cheer that was almost about to escape his lips, yet his mouth curved into an arc that was highly unsuited to his childlike face, carrying three parts madness and seven parts calculation:
“System? Tsk tsk, quite the grand entrance! Finally willing to show yourself? Any later, and this host might have starved to death on the starting line of your ‘Path to the Pinnacle’!”
The electronic voice in his mind seemed to pause imperceptibly for one ten-thousandth of a second: “….”
“Alright, alright, I know you’re aloof.” Ling Han rubbed his cold little hands, his gaze burning like a physical entity.
“Less talk, System big shot! Where’s the beginner’s gift package? Hurry up! Also, what year is it now? Has that kid Tang San awakened his Spirit yet?”
“Information retrieving…”
“Current spatiotemporal coordinates: Douluo Continent, Saint Spirit Village.”
“Important plot node: Target character ‘Tang San,’ 7 days remaining until Spirit Awakening Ceremony.”
“Seven days?!” Ling Han’s smile instantly froze, then transformed into deeper amusement and a hint of imperceptible urgency.
“Tsk, I transmigrated too early… System, your timeline is truly… ‘precise’!” He deliberately drew out his words, “You threw me into this godforsaken backwater, where I can’t even see a single Spirit Master. Do you want me to start with a handful of grass, and rely on… ‘summoning’ for all my equipment?”
“…This System’s core function has been activated.” The cold electronic voice seemed to carry a hint of imperceptible fluctuation, as if its authority had been questioned, “Host may explore on his own.”
“Oh? Core function?” Ling Han raised an eyebrow, suppressing the urge to complain, his mind highly focused, “Summoning? Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? What can be summoned? Spirit Beasts? Spirit Masters? Or… some other ‘surprise’?”
“‘Myriad Worlds Supreme Summoning System’ grants the host the power to break through spatiotemporal barriers.”
“By consuming Summoning Points, Summoning Cards can be activated to summon powerful existences from different times and regions of this World.”
“Summoning targets include: Spirit Masters (human/special races), Spirit Beasts (including ancient exotic species), special artifacts, and even… deceased or future Spirit Beasts and Spirit Masters.”
“All beings summoned by the System will have an initial absolute loyalty of: 100%. Their life and death… are entirely under the host’s control.”
The cold electronic voice, word by word, exploded like thunder in Ling Han’s mind!
Absolute loyalty! Entirely under control!
What did this mean? It meant he would possess a terrifying force that belonged only to him and would never betray him! In this World where Spirit and strength were paramount, this was simply an heaven-defying power!
“Absolute… loyalty?” Ling Han repeated in a low voice, his childlike face, however, had eyes that shone astonishingly bright, as if burning with the flames of ambition, “Good! Very good! This is more like ‘ascending to the pinnacle’!”
He abruptly jumped off the cold mud-kang, his bare feet landing on the rough, cold ground, his small body standing ramrod straight.
“System!” His voice was decisive, “Tell me, how do I obtain points for the first summon! I’m determined to dig up the first ‘gold’ in this Saint Spirit Village!”
The cold electronic voice rang out amidst Ling Han’s burning anticipation:
“Ways to obtain Summoning Points are as follows:”
“First, complete tasks issued by the System.”
“Second, absorb energy-containing substances (such as rare metals, heavenly materials, and earthly treasures).”
“Third, kill or subdue powerful targets.”