The hurdle of awakening had passed.
And he had aced it.
The hall was still echoing in Luo Tian's mind — gasps, hurried whispers, the Spirit Master's trembling voice announcing innate full soul power. Even now, as congratulations mixed with envious stares from children who had grown up beside him, it felt unreal.
Spatial attribute.
Full innate soul power.
He had walked back to the orphanage in a daze.
Now, lying on his narrow wooden bed, staring at the cracked ceiling, he exhaled slowly.
This might still be a dream.
Snow brushed against the window. The wind whistled faintly through the gaps in the frame. It felt real. Too real.
He lifted his hand.
A faint ripple distorted the air above his palm.
The fractured silver cube emerged silently behind him — pieces suspended in a void that swallowed sound. Space itself bent slightly around it.
The Void Cube.
Not flashy.
Not loud.
But terrifying.
He swallowed.
"A mutated frost lightning martial soul… and a rare spatial element…"
He still couldn't believe it.
Frost lightning.
He had only confirmed it moments ago.
When he first tried meditating after returning from the awakening hall, he focused on stabilizing the spatial cube — just as the Spirit Master had instructed.
But as his consciousness sank deeper into his spirit sea—
Something else responded.
Cold.
Violent.
Crackling.
The temperature in the room had plummeted instantly. Frost crept across the edge of his blanket. Pale-blue arcs snapped between his fingers, sharp and unstable.
For a moment he had lost control.
A thin bolt of icy lightning struck the floor beside his bed, leaving a charred frost mark.
He had panicked.
Not because it hurt—
But because it was real.
Very real.
He now possessed twin martial souls.
One space.
One mutated frost lightning.
In this world, true dual spirits were almost mythological.
Where did this inheritance even come from? he wondered.
A hidden bloodline?
A one-in-a-billion mutation?
Or simply—
Ten points of luck forcing a statistical miracle?
He let out a shaky breath.
"No use overthinking it…"
Still.
A quiet fear lingered in his chest.
What if he woke up tomorrow—
Back in his apartment.
Rain tapping the glass.
Phone in hand.
The golden wheel nothing but a hallucination.
He closed his eyes tightly.
The sensation of the orphanage bed beneath him grounded him. The faint smell of old wood and medicinal herbs lingered in the air.
A knock interrupted his spiraling thoughts.
"Tian'er? Are you alright?"
It was Aunt Bing.
He quickly suppressed both spirits and sat up. "I'm fine, Aunt Bing. It just… feels like I might wake up and all of this will shatter."
The door opened gently.
Aunt Bing stepped inside and sat beside him. Though only in her thirties, hardship had carved faint lines at the corners of her eyes. She pulled him into a warm hug despite his half-hearted protest.
"It's real," she said softly. "And you earned it."
He stiffened slightly.
Earned it.
If only she knew.
"Tian'er," she continued, smoothing his hair, "you've always been different. Quiet. Disciplined. Even when other children cried, you endured. You exercised every morning. You never threw tantrums. You studied whenever you could."
She smiled faintly. "Most children your age don't think about keeping their bodies fit."
Luo Tian scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I just… didn't want to be weak."
That part wasn't a lie.
From the moment he could walk, he had trained.
Tiny exercises.
Breathing control.
Stretching.
Endurance drills.
He had told himself that even if his martial soul was trash, maybe a small effort would matter.
Maybe luck favored preparation.
He had prepared.
And luck had answered.
Aunt Bing sighed softly. "Tomorrow, many people will come."
"I know."
"Some will promise power. Some will promise protection. Some will promise wealth." She looked at him seriously. "But remember this — the orphanage and I will stand with whatever choice you make."
He blinked in surprise. "I thought you'd tell me to join the Heaven Dou Royal Family."
She shook her head.
"The Royal Family gives us funding, yes. Many of our children are orphans of war. But I won't influence your future for money." Her gaze softened. "You are not a bargaining chip."
Something tightened in Luo Tian's chest.
In his previous life, no one had ever said something like that to him.
"Don't worry, Aunt Bing," he said quietly. "I won't forget this place."
She smiled and stood. "Sleep. Tomorrow will be… overwhelming."
After she left, the room grew silent again.
Luo Tian lay back down.
Overwhelming was an understatement.
Even without stepping outside, he could feel it.
Heaven Dou City was already stirring.
Envoys from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy would come first. They would offer elite resources and inner-court status.
Nobles would follow, seeking adoption and political leverage.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan would certainly take interest — a spatial guardian was invaluable to a support clan.
And then there was the most dangerous player of all—
Spirit Hall.
If they offered a Titled Douluo as teacher, refusal would not be simple.
He turned to his side.
This continent was a chessboard.
Power invited protection.
Protection invited control.
If he chose poorly, his future would no longer belong to him.
He summoned the fractured cube again.
This time, he carefully called upon the frost lightning as well.
Silver space bent around him.
Blue-white arcs flickered through the distortions.
Two forces.
One silent and absolute.
One violent and explosive.
They did not clash.
They rotated around each other.
Balanced.
Potential.
He stared at the ceiling again.
Is this really mine?
What if tomorrow he woke up—
Back in that apartment.
Scrolling.
Laughing at a fake advertisement.
Dying unnoticed.
The thought sent a strange chill through him — colder than frost lightning.
No.
Even if this was a dream—
He would treat it as reality.
Because in this world, talent determined survival.
And luck only opened the door.
Slowly, his breathing steadied.
Snow fell quietly outside over Heaven Dou City.
Beyond the orphanage walls, forces were already moving.
But inside a small wooden room—
A boy who had once died clung fiercely to his second chance.