The world was collapsing.
Or at least, that was how Feng Xia's brain interpreted the sensation. The elevator he had stepped into—an old, groaning thing in his apartment building—shuddered once, twice, then dropped. A sharp metallic scream split through the cramped space, followed by a violent jolt that knocked the breath from his lungs.
His phone flew out of his hand.
A blinding white flash swallowed his vision. Sound, weight, pain—everything dissolved, as though his consciousness were being yanked backward through a spinning tunnel.
For an unknown stretch of time, there was nothing.
Only the vague awareness of floating.
Then—
Buzz—buzz—
The vibration of his phone.
That impossible, familiar little tremor was the first thing that dragged him back into reality.
His eyes snapped open.
He expected a hospital. The crushed remains of an elevator. Paramedics. Chaos.
Instead… he found a simple wooden ceiling above him, its surface uneven and darkened with age. A faint scent of herbs lingered in the air, mixed with the smoky smell of a cooking fire.
He blinked several times.
Still wood.
Still herbs.
Still unfamiliar.
He lifted himself with a groan and looked around.
The room was small. Clean, but extremely humble: a wooden bed, a single chair, a small rough table, a window covered by a thin cloth curtain. A clay basin filled with water sat in the corner.
Nothing electric.Nothing modern.Nothing even remotely close to Earth.
He looked down at himself—and froze.
His arms were thinner, shorter. His legs barely reached the edge of the bed. His hands were small, like those of a child.
His heartbeat quickened.
"…This isn't my body."
The words slipped out in a trembling whisper.
But the mirror across the room confirmed it: a seven-year-old boy with black hair, delicate features, and bright but confused eyes stared back at him.
That boy was him.
Reincarnation? Transmigration? Like those online novels I read?
His breath caught.
If he was truly in a different world…If this wasn't Earth…
Then—
Buzz—buzz—
Again.
That vibration.
It came from his right hand.
He slowly lifted his palm.
A faint golden outline pulsed under his skin—rectangular, familiar, impossible.
It glowed once—
—and a mobile phone materialized in his hand.
Feng Xia nearly dropped it.
His voice cracked with disbelief:"A… phone? Here?!"
It wasn't just any phone. It was his phone from Earth—the cracked corner, the slightly dented frame, the anime wallpaper of a Douluo Spirit Hall emblem.
But the phone emitted a faint spiritual aura, like the glow of a soul tool.
As he stared, frozen between fear and awe, text appeared on its screen:
[Martial Soul Detected]→ Type: Mobile Phone (Unique, Unknown Rank)→ Status: Unawakened→ Features: 99% sealed
His breath hitched.
"…My martial soul is a mobile phone?"
A laugh escaped him—part shock, part hysteria, part genuine amusement.
In a world where martial souls defined everything…Where people awakened swords, hammers, tools, beasts…Where even something as useless as a blue silver grass could become legendary—
He had gotten a mobile phone.
Ridiculous.Absurd.Absolutely broken in both good and bad ways.
He pressed a finger to the screen.
It responded instantly, like any normal smartphone.
A notification popped up:
[Spirit Power: 0][Martial Soul Functions Locked][Awaken to access features]
His chest tightened.
If this phone was truly his martial soul, then—
This world really was Douluo.
Before he could process anything further, a warm female voice called from outside:
"Xia'er! Breakfast is ready!"
His new name.His new identity.
Feng Xia took a deep breath.
A new world.A new body.A new martial soul.
His old life… was gone.
What remained now… was survival.
And maybe… greatness.
When Feng Xia stepped outside, sunlight spilled across a tranquil village scene.
Modest wooden homes. Dirt paths. A few small fields. Children running. Chickens pecking at the ground. The distant sound of a creek.
So… this was Holy Spirit Village.
Not the novice-village of Tang San.Not that "Holy Spirit Village."
A different place entirely.
Good.
Because Feng Xia had no intention of living in Tang San's shadow.
As he approached the small outdoor table, a gentle woman looked up—a caretaker in simple clothing, her eyes weary but kind.
"Xia'er, you're awake? You slept so long. Come, eat something."
He nodded automatically.His mind was still reeling with shock and questions, but hunger tugged at him.
While eating the simple porridge—thicker and richer than he expected—he listened to conversations around him.
"Tomorrow's the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony."
"Old Su is coming from the town."
"Do you think any of the kids will awaken something good this year?"
Talk of spirit power. Martial souls. Awakening.
This confirmed it.
He was at the crucial age of awakening.
Which meant Tang San's awakening… was happening somewhere else.He didn't know if this world followed canon timing exactly, but one thing was clear—if he awakened a useless martial soul publicly, he would be ignored or pitied by the village.
He couldn't allow that.
He needed to understand his phone martial soul before awakening.
He glanced at the semi-illusory device hidden in his palm, invisible to everyone else.
"I need answers…"
And he needed them fast.
Late that night, after everyone in the orphanage had fallen asleep, Feng Xia sat alone under the moonlight behind the storage shed.
The mobile phone hovered above his palm, faintly glowing.
"So… how do I use you?"
The phone flickered.
A single app icon appeared on the blank screen:
[System Settings]
He tapped it.
A new message popped up:
Martial Soul not awakened.All features locked.Basic functions available:• Storage (Limited)• Scan (Limited)• Notes
Storage?Scan?
Wait—storage!?
He tapped Storage.
A small window appeared:
Inventory: 0/1 items
Feng Xia's eyes widened.
"…Wait. I can store things? Like a mini spatial tool?"
If so, that was already incredibly powerful.
He picked up a small stone and held it near the phone.
A faint shimmer—
Swish—
The stone vanished.
Inventory updated:
Inventory: 1/1 items
Small Stone
His mouth fell open.
"…This is broken."
This was only the unawakened version.
What would happen after awakening?
He tested the Scan feature next.
Pointing the phone at a stray cat wandering nearby, he tapped the icon.
A grainy interface scanned the creature.
Target: Village CatSpirit Power: 0Danger Level: None
"Okay… that's useful too."
These were only the locked-down features.What would happen when he fully awakened it?
Slowly, a calm excitement replaced the earlier panic.
"Maybe this martial soul… isn't useless."
But he would need spirit power.
He would need awakening.
He would need… strength.
The next morning, the villagers gathered in the old hall—dusty wooden floors, faded banners, and a large stone pillar carved with ancient symbols.
The village official, Old Su, wore a simple robe. He looked lazy and bored, as if he had repeated this ceremony far too many times in his life.
"Children, form a line," he said.
Feng Xia stood among them, his heart pounding.
One by one, the children touched the awakening stone. Some awakened pitchforks. Some knives. One awakened a very pathetic-looking chicken feather duster.
"Next—Feng Xia."
Dozens of eyes turned toward him.
Feng Xia stepped forward.
His martial soul—his mobile phone—hovered invisibly in his palm.
He placed his hand on the stone pillar.
Old Su yawned—and then frowned.
The awakening stone glowed.
Light surged.
A faint hum filled the hall.
"What's this?" Old Su muttered.
The children gasped.
The villagers whispered.
Feng Xia's pulse hammered.
The glow intensified.
Then—FLASH!
A bright golden light burst across the hall.
A shape materialized.
Rectangular. Sleek. Faintly glowing.
Old Su choked on his own breath.
"Wh–What martial soul is that?!"
The villagers murmured.
"A mirror?""A book?""No, look, it's glowing—"
The light faded.
And in Feng Xia's hand… floated the unmistakable outline of a modern mobile smartphone.
Old Su's jaw dropped.
The villagers stared blankly, unable to understand the strange object.
Even Feng Xia himself felt dizzy with disbelief.
The awakening stone chimed:
Martial Soul: Mobile PhoneSpirit Power: Level 3
The hall froze.
Level 3.
A genius for a small village.
But the martial soul itself… was incomprehensible.
"A-are you sure this isn't a defective awakening?" a villager whispered.
"Looks like a black tile…" another said.
Old Su hesitated, turning to Feng Xia.
"…Child, what exactly is your martial soul supposed to do?"
Feng Xia smiled slightly.
He didn't know yet.But he knew one thing:
This martial soul wasn't ordinary.
And he would not be anyone's background character.
Not Tang San's.Not anyone's.
He bowed politely.
"I will find out, Uncle Su."
Old Su sighed.
"Well… level 3 spirit power means you can cultivate. That's good enough. Good luck."
Good luck.
Yes.
He would need luck.
Because now he had something worth fighting for.
And something worth hiding.
That night, Feng Xia sneaked out again.
He summoned his martial soul.
The mobile phone shimmered—and fully materialized, glowing in divine light.
A new message appeared:
Martial Soul AwakenedBasic functionality unlockedNew Features:• App Store (Locked)• Spirit Power Charging• Spirit Lens• Combat Mode (Locked)• Call Function (??? Locked)
He trembled.
This wasn't a martial soul.
This was a cheat.
He tested Spirit Power Charging first.
The phone absorbed a strand of his spirit power.
A small battery icon appeared:
Spirit Power Stored: 0.1%
Could it store spirit power like energy? Release it later? Use it to power apps?
He tested Spirit Lens.
The scenery around him shifted into a faint overlay, showing:
Grass: Non-spirit materialStone: Non-spirit materialAir: NormalDistance to nearest spirit beast: >10 km
This was like having a built-in detection tool.
He then discovered something else.
When he focused on a nearby child's house—
The lens displayed:
Human: Age 7Martial Soul: Wooden BowlSpirit Power: Level 0
This was basically an X-ray appraisal technique.
He grinned.
"Okay, this is insane."
But the App Store icon tempted him the most.
When he tapped it, a message appeared:
App Store LockedRequirement: Spirit Ring 1
Of course.
Everything in Douluo required rings.
Still…
"…With this martial soul, I won't stay ordinary."
He looked at the horizon.
The world of Douluo was dangerous. Full of geniuses. Full of monsters—human and beast alike.
But he had a mobile phone that could grow.
A martial soul unlike any in history.
And just like in canon, the strongest protagonist—Tang San—would one day appear.
Feng Xia's lips curled slightly.
He didn't hate Tang San out of jealousy.
He hated him because Tang San would always receive protection, plot armor, hidden advantages… while ordinary people were ignored, trampled, overshadowed.
But Feng Xia?
He wasn't here to be ordinary.
He would carve out his own path.
He looked at his martial soul, glowing faintly in his palm.
"Let's get stronger."
The phone chimed, almost as if responding:
Buzz—buzz—
A new notification appeared:
[New Quest Unlocked]Obtain your first spirit ring.Reward: App Store Level 1, New Feature Unlocked
A quest.
A proper system quest.
Feng Xia exhaled slowly, excitement building in his chest.
This world was vast. Beautiful. Cruel.
But he had a tool that defied all logic.
A martial soul shaped like a phone.
A weapon shaped like modern technology.
A path shaped by his own determination.
Feng Xia clenched his fist.
"Douluo… get ready."
His eyes shone with unwavering resolve.
"I'm not Tang San. I won't beg for opportunities.I'll create my own."
His journey… had begun.