The Douluo Continent, Tian Dou Empire, Tian Dou Region, Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
Outside the gates of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, a small courtyard housed a family of four.
In the courtyard, a child was exercising. The boy stood about 1.2 meters tall and appeared to be six years old. However, he looked significantly stronger than his peers. Though his face still carried the softness of youth, his gaze held an unusual maturity far beyond that of a typical six-year-old.
The boy was lifting a custom-made barbell, performing deep squats while muttering numbers under his breath.
"Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred!"
After completing a full set of one hundred repetitions, he carefully placed the barbell back on its rack. The rack itself had been specially crafted—it didn't resemble anything from this world—but it ensured safety during workouts, preventing accidents like the barbell falling onto him.
Once finished with his exercise, the boy sat alone in the courtyard, gulping down water and catching his breath between heavy pants.
A voice called out from inside the house: "Xiao Xiong, come in for breakfast! You're still so young—why are you lifting weights again?"
"Mom, I'll be there in a bit. Just let me rest."
Soon after, the family of four gathered around the table for breakfast. The meal was relatively hearty, consisting mainly of steamed buns and meat porridge.
The woman suddenly spoke up: "Xiao Xiong, tomorrow morning is the sect's scheduled spirit awakening ceremony. Don't injure yourself before then—it will cause trouble later."
The boy frowned slightly. "Mom, why does the sect organize these mass spirit awakenings? Isn't there a risk of privacy leaks? Besides, you and Dad could perform the awakening yourselves. Why not just do it at home?"
The woman gently patted the boy's head. "Xiao Xiong, the sect has its reasons. Your father and I are both outer sect members of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, so we must follow their arrangements."
The boy merely responded with an "Oh" before continuing to gulp down his porridge.
This child was named Yang Xiong. Despite his young age, he seemed unusually mature and sensible compared to other children.
What others didn't know, however, was that Yang Xiong wasn't originally from this world—he hailed from Earth.
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On Earth, Yang Xiong had been an ordinary worker. After graduating university and reaching his early thirties, he remained unmarried, working as an engineering maintenance staff member at a small factory.
His job had been relatively stable, and his salary was passable—not great, but better than most blue-collar workers'.
Unfortunately, the factory was run by an unscrupulous boss who exploited employees ruthlessly. There was always endless work, and Yang Xiong's supervisor—a workaholic—loved assigning tasks right before closing time.
One night, while repairing machinery on the production line, Yang Xiong felt a sudden wave of dizziness. Though the machine had been powered off, a spark unexpectedly shot out, sending an electric shock through his body.
When Yang Xiong regained consciousness, he found himself reborn as a newborn infant.
He was bewildered. How had being electrocuted turned him into a baby? Was there something else going on?
Around him were people dressed in strange attire, speaking languages he couldn't understand—their words nothing more than chaotic noise.
It took several months for Yang Xiong to realize he had somehow crossed over to the Douluo Continent.
Though Yang Xiong often worked overtime, he enjoyed reading novels and watching anime during his weekends. Recently, he'd become obsessed with the Douluo Dalu anime adaptation.
Yang Xiong had read the novel long ago, but the anime brought the story to life in vivid detail. The earth-shattering special effects were mesmerizing and ignited a fiery passion within him.
But now that he was actually on the Douluo Dalu, everything felt different. This was a feudal society with rigid class distinctions. Being reincarnated as a direct disciple of a major sect would have been ideal, but what did he get instead?
Yang Xiong's father, Yang Lin, was an outer sect steward of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. At forty-five years old, he was only a Soul King at rank fifty-eight, wielding the Iron Sword as his martial soul. It was uncertain whether he'd ever break through to become a Soul Sage.
Still, Yang Lin remained confident. Aside from completing sect missions, he devoted himself entirely to cultivation.
Within the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, reaching Soul Sage status granted one the position of outer sect elder, while achieving Soul Dou Luo status elevated one to inner sect elder. As for Title Douluos, they were the pillars of the sect.
Compared to other sects, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect treated its outer sect disciples fairly well, even those without the Glazed Pagoda Spirit. Their status here was relatively high, unlike in sects like the Hao Tian Sect or Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, where only specific spirits—like the Hao Tian Hammer or Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon—were accepted into the inner circle.
Yang Xiong's mother, Sun Yu, was also a soul master, though her spirit was a rare type: Eyes. With a soul power of only forty-two levels, she served as a patrol officer within the sect. Due to her unique spirit, she held a minor steward position.
The final member of the household was Yang Xiong's older brother, Yang Wei, whose spirit was also the Iron Sword.
Six years older than Yang Xiong, Yang Wei was twelve years old but had only reached level twenty-one in soul power. He attended a prestigious academy in Tian Dou City, though barely meeting the entrance requirements.
Yang Xiong found his family's situation—and their spirits—utterly exasperating.
Outer sect stewards like his father were essentially cannon fodder.
As for their family's spirit, the Iron Sword seemed decent at first glance, but its innate soul power grade was too low. While it had some flexibility, it lacked top-tier inheritance, making future prospects bleak.
His mother's Eye Spirit, theoretically, was a top-tier spirit. But without systematic training methods or extraordinary opportunities like a certain hacking Huo, her potential achievements were limited.
Through observation, Yang Xiong realized he shared the same age as Ning Rongrong, the sect's young princess. That meant he was also the same age as Tang San—no advantage there.
Yang Xiong couldn't help but feel cheated by fate. Unlike Tang San, he hadn't inherited any powerful techniques from a past life. Nor did he possess formidable bloodlines courtesy of his parents. Left with no other choice, he asked his father to craft some workout equipment, adhering to fitness routines from Earth.
Still, Yang Xiong remained confident. Even if he lacked resources, he could rely on his knowledge of the storyline to guide his family toward safer paths.
Besides, his family held no real stake in the sect's survival. What did their rise or fall matter to him? When it came to avoiding danger, Yang Xiong considered himself quite adept.
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