Douluo: AFK to Become a God

Heaven Dou Empire, Fasno Province, Notting City.

In a quiet courtyard in the western part of the city, a boy about five or six years old was practicing his daily morning exercises.

"March in place, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Two, two, three, four, prepare for stretching exercises... one, two, three, four. Chest expansion exercise!"

Muttering rhythmic slogans under his breath, the little boy was diligently performing a set of radio calisthenics.

Before long, he finished another set. Just as he was about to continue and do it all over again, a voice called out.

"Young master, come have breakfast~!"

Turning his head, the boy saw the family maid waving at him.

"Coming!"

As soon as he heard it was time to eat, Chu Chengzhou immediately abandoned the idea of doing another round of calisthenics.

Food is like iron, meals like steel—skip one, and hunger strikes hard.

As a self-proclaimed "foodie," nothing could take precedence over mealtime.

After a quick wash, Chu Chengzhou entered the dining room.

Inside, a burly middle-aged man in his fifties and a kind-looking woman who appeared slightly younger were already waiting.

"Grandpa, Grandma!"

Seeing his grandparents already at the table, Chu Chengzhou greeted them sweetly.

"Come, little Chengzhou, eat up!"

Patting his obedient grandson on the head, Li Wan said kindly.

"Chengzhou, you turned six yesterday, so you're ready to awaken your martial soul. After breakfast, Grandpa will help you awaken it," Su Nan said with a smile as he placed a piece of steamed rabbit meat in the boy's bowl.

"Mm-hmm!"

Chewing the delicious steamed rabbit meat, Chu Chengzhou nodded seriously.

In the world of Douluo, children who reach the age of six can awaken their martial souls.

Doing it too early is unwise, as their bodies aren't fully developed, and doing it too late could delay their cultivation.

But why hadn't Su Nan helped Chu Chengzhou awaken his martial soul on his birthday yesterday?

Born into a common family, with poor cultivation talent, if one is too useless, wouldn't it spoil the child's good mood on their birthday? Anyway, there's no big deal in delaying for a day.

As for the grandfather's surname being Su and the grandson's surname being Chu, they are not actually biological grandfather and grandson.

It is unclear when it started, but time travelers have been associated with an ominous aura, and most of them do not have a happy family.

Chu Chengzhou is no exception. He lost his parents at a young age, and whether he will have "limitless soul power" in the future depends on the upcoming soul awakening ceremony.

Notting City is a small place, and most soul masters have attended the Notting City Primary Soul Master Academy.

More than twenty years ago, Chu Chengzhou's parents, who were orphans, awakened innate soul powers of level 3 and level 4, which were considered "good talents."

Although innate soul powers of level 3 and 4 aren't impressive, in a small place like Notting City, they are already considered exceptional, and it's not an exaggeration to say that such talent is seen once in ten years.

Even though their growth environment wasn't as favorable as those backed by major forces, they still had a good chance of reaching the level of a Soul Sect with four rings, and even the possibility of becoming a Soul King with five rings.

Looking at the entire continent, Title Douluo stands at the top of all beings. With their personal strength alone, they can gain a status comparable to that of a national emperor, revered as "Your Excellency" by the people.

An eight-ringed Soul Douluo is a major figure, a seven-ringed Soul Saint is a skilled expert, and a six-ringed Soul Emperor is considered a small expert. However, in Notting City, a four-ringed Soul Sect is already a "big shot."

Those who can reach such a level are only the branch masters of the Wuhun Hall and the principals of the city's Primary Soul Master Academy. Even the city lord, who inherits a title, is only a three-ringed Soul Venerable.

Because Chu Chengzhou's parents had worked hard to cultivate at the Notting Academy and had a tragic background, the principal, Su Nan, took a liking to them and accepted them as disciples.

They lived up to their teacher Su Nan's expectations, reaching the rank of a second-ringed Great Soul Master at a young age.

Just as Su Nan was preparing to cultivate his promising disciples into his successors, an unexpected event occurred.

During a trip to the Soul Hunting Forest, both disciples went missing, and they were never heard from again. Chu Chengzhou, only a year and a half old at the time, became an orphan.

With both of his disciples dead and only the young child left, Su Nan, as the teacher, could not turn a blind eye.

So, Su Nan brought his apprentice's grandson back to his home to raise him, and they referred to each other as grandfather and grandson.

After a harmonious breakfast, Chu Chengzhou followed his grandparents into the living room.

Su Nan took a blue crystal ball for testing soul power and six small black stones used for awakening martial spirits from the storage soul guide hanging at his waist.

The martial spirit awakening formation was very simple. Su Nan arranged the six martial spirit awakening stones in a hexagonal shape, completing the formation.

"Xiao Chengzhou, come stand in the middle."

Su Nan called to Chu Chengzhou.

"Okay~!"

Nodding, Chu Chengzhou complied.

Then, Su Nan quickly clapped his hands, and six faint dark lights entered the six martial spirit awakening stones on the ground.

Suddenly, a layer of golden light was released from the six martial spirit awakening stones, forming a faint golden light shield that enveloped Chu Chengzhou.

In an instant, Chu Chengzhou saw golden light spots emerging from the awakening stones, flowing into his body.

Warmth. This was Chu Chengzhou's first feeling. It was as if he were wrapped in a warm world, an indescribable sense of comfort.

The warm energy seeped into his body, and Chu Chengzhou felt that a trace of "primal force" seemed to appear within him?

Before Chu Chengzhou could fully process the sensation, under the guidance of this warm energy, it felt as though something inside him shattered. All the warmth began to rush toward his right palm.

'Single martial spirit?'

The sensation only appeared in his right hand, and Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated.

It was certain that twin martial spirits were out of the question.

However, the frustration in his heart quickly faded. After all, the probability of having twin martial spirits was too low, and it couldn't be forced. Even with a single martial spirit, there was still hope of achieving Title Douluo or even reaching the 100th rank and becoming a god.

He opened his right hand, and Chu Chengzhou saw a dull gray little flag appear in the palm of his hand.

"Uh~ What is this..."

Looking at the gray little flag in his palm, Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but pause.

Due to having memories from his previous life since childhood, even though his parents passed away early, he had seen their martial spirits.

His father's martial spirit was a black iron rod called the Black Iron Rod.

His mother's martial spirit was a red little flag called the Flame Flag.

This gray little flag martial spirit seemed to be inherited from his mother, but it most likely underwent a mutation—probably a malignant mutation?

After all, the dull gray color didn't look as elegant and sophisticated as his mother's Flame Flag martial spirit.

Seeing Chu Chengzhou awaken the gray little flag martial spirit, Su Nan and Li Wan couldn't help but raise their eyebrows, showing an expression of surprise.