Douluo—Chapter 1: If I Were the White Emperor, I Would Make Peach Blossoms Bloom Everywhere!
Inside the imperial palace of the Star Luo Empire, the air crackled with tension.
Bang!
"Dai Chengfeng, you are so insolent!"
"Do you know what you have done?"
The majestic man seated high on the throne slammed his palm down on the armrest of the dragon chair, leaving a deep concave print in the gold. His regal presence, meant to inspire loyalty and fear, instead radiated fury.
It was evident to everyone present that the Emperor's rage was a storm waiting to erupt.
Beneath the high platform, a boy, about six years old and adorned in a luxurious golden robe, shook his head helplessly, his heart sinking as he realized the moment of reckoning had finally arrived.
"What was supposed to come has finally come," he thought, steeling himself for the confrontation that lay ahead.
With a mix of innocence and confusion, he asked the furious Star Luo Emperor, "Father, I don't know what I did wrong."
"You don't know what you did wrong?!"
Looking at his fourth son Dai Chengfeng, who donned a mask of feigned ignorance, the Star Luo Emperor's voice rose angrily, "What good things did you do yesterday? You say you don't know?!"
"Reporting to Father, yesterday I only took my uncle to the Soul Hunting Forest and obtained my first soul ring."
"Since my soul power has reached level ten, what's wrong with getting a soul ring?"
Hearing his son refuse to acknowledge any wrongdoing only intensified Dai An's scowl.
"You are right to obtain the soul ring!"
"But the soul beast your father instructed you to hunt was the Golden Scale Beast, so you could awaken the best first soul skill of my Dai family's White Tiger Martial Soul: White Tiger Shield Body Barrier."
"But what of you?!"
"What soul beast did you allow Zhu Fan to hunt? What first soul skill did you awaken?!"
Dai Chengfeng bowed his head slightly and replied solemnly, "Replying to the emperor."
"The soul beast your son requested your uncle to hunt is the 450-year-old Gengjin Beast, and the first soul skill I awakened is the Gengjin Qi."
Speaking this, he leaned into his youth, trying to act like a spoiled child, hoping to curl back into his father's favor and avoid punishment.
"But Father, it's not my fault that I disobeyed your orders."
"I truly could not find the Golden Scale Beast, so I absorbed the Gengjin Beast instead..."
"Shut up!"
Before Chengfeng could finish, Emperor Dai An, filled with fury, roared back, "Rebellious son! I am not old and confused yet!"
"I have meticulously arranged everything; how could you fail to find the Golden Scale Beast?"
"I believe you did it on purpose!"
"Do you understand the responsibility you bear?"
"You are the first genius with full innate soul power in my Dai family, apart from my ancestors!"
"You carry not only the glory of my Dai imperial family, but you also bear the weight of hope for the Star Luo Empire to unify the Douluo Continent in the future!"
"But now, you squander your talent like this?"
Dai Chengfeng met his father's seething gaze with helplessness. "Father, I feel wronged! How could I willingly waste my talent?"
"Still stubborn!"
Dai An's eyes blazed with fury, his breathing intensified, and he glared at his son, fury etched into every line of his face.
"The ancestors decreed this!"
"The first three soul rings of my Dai family members must absorb the Golden Scale Beast, the Golden Wave Beast, and the Vajra Tiger in that order, awakening the White Tiger Shield Body Barrier, the White Tiger Intense Light Wave, and the White Tiger Vajra Transformation..."
"This is the only path to maximize the potential of the White Tiger Martial Soul and compensate for its fatal flaw: it moves sluggishly in the early stages and is ill-equipped to deal with long-range attacks."
"But look at your so-called Broken Gengjin Qi!"
"Though it can threaten distant enemies, what of your defense?"
Hearing his father's pointed question, Dai Chengfeng could barely suppress the urge to roll his eyes.
'The martial soul of our Dai family is the White Tiger, one of the Four Holy Beasts!'
'As a result, you, ancestor, actually let your descendants awaken the White Tiger Shield Body Barrier, the White Tiger Intense Light Wave, and the White Tiger Vajra Transformation?'
'Don't limit your descendants like this!'
His ancestor's rules, though established with good intentions, felt like chains binding him.
Yet, Dai Chengfeng, as a time traveler, had a perspective that transcended time and limitations.
He understood the true nature and potential of the White Tiger!
If he succumbed to absorbing the soul rings of the Golden Scale Beast, the Golden Wave Beast, and the Vajra Tiger as Dai An commanded, and awakened the White Tiger Shield Body Barrier and the others...
While that might grant early combat prowess, it would ultimately lead to a limitation of choices and options beyond the initial stages of power.
But!
In the pursuit of rapid success, instead of prioritizing the foundational strengths of the White Tiger Martial Soul...
Dai Chengfeng feared that his ultimate achievement would end up no different from Dai Mubai, who merely inherited a second-level god's power.
Even if he sought the favor of Tang San...
Not that he could ever do such a thing; even if he managed to secure some recognition, his destiny would culminate in inheriting only a first-level god—a clear ceiling for his martial soul.
For many, ascending to a divinity is a blessing that one cannot dare to take for granted.
But that was not what Dai Chengfeng desired!
Did the White Tiger Martial Soul fall short of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul?
Was the utmost limit of the White Tiger Martial Soul confined to the second-level God of War?
Absolutely not!
A time traveler, Dai Chengfeng aspired to shout to the world that the White Tiger is the Holy Spirit of Heaven, a once-feared evil god capable of wielding dominion over death. The White Tiger was also the master over the innate Gengjin!
He would become the White Emperor!
He would rise higher than the God King!
"Huh!"
Dai Chengfeng took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts and composure. These ambitions pulsed vividly in his mind, but first, he had to engage his father.
Perhaps it was due to his innate precociousness or his understanding of human nature...
From birth until now, his father had maintained strict discipline over Dai Weisi and Dai Mubai, yet he held a particular indulgence for Dai Chengfeng.
Because of this favoritism, he felt a keen desire not to disappoint his father.
"Father!"
"Have you ever heard the phrase that the best defense is always offense?"
"My first soul skill, the Gengjin Qi, is so sharp it can breach most barriers in the world. Its potential certainly surpasses that of the White Tiger Shield Body Barrier!"
"Bold!"
Star Luo Emperor Dai An sprang to his feet, snatching a teacup from the table and hurling it at Dai Chengfeng's feet, rage bubbling over.
"You dare to claim that your Gengjin Qi holds greater potential than the White Tiger Shield Body Barrier?"
"What you mean to say is that you are more powerful than our ancestors!!!"
"Dai Chengfeng!"
"Have I spoiled and indulged you so much that you now feel empowered to act so arrogantly?"
"Initially, upon seeing you awaken your innate full soul power, I resolved to support you as the next crown prince of our Star Luo Empire."
"Today, I meant to help you realize your mistakes and to guide you away from reckless decisions when absorbing the second and third soul rings."
"But now it seems that I must punish you!"
Dai An declared, his voice echoing dramatically as he summoned guards. "Come here!"
Within moments, imperial guards clad in silver armor entered the chamber, kneeling in unison. "Your Majesty, what do you command?"
"I declare!"
"From this moment onward, all titles and fiefs of the fourth prince, Dai Chengfeng, shall be abolished. He will be demoted to a commoner and exiled to Wu'an City!"
"You shall not return to the imperial capital without my explicit order!"
A hush swept through the guards as they absorbed this shocking pronouncement.
After all, the chosen prince of the Star Luo Empire, favored above all, faced such punishment!
Just days prior, the court celebrated Dai Chengfeng's awakening of innate full soul power—an event deemed nearly miraculous. The foundations of the empire felt certain that he was destined to inherit the throne without question.
The eldest prince, Dai Weisi, and the third prince, Dai Mubai, seemed mere shadows in his presence.
Even the Zhu family had panderingly presented their youngest daughter, Zhu Zhuqing—barely of marriageable age, yet promised to Dai Mubai—to ensure strong alliances and cultivate relationships to facilitate a martial soul fusion technique at the earliest opportunity.
But now...
"What grave mistake did this Prince Chengfeng commit to incite such wrath from His Majesty?"
"A demotion to commoner and exile to Wu'an City?"
It is worth noting that while the word "An" implies safety, Wu'an City is anything but secure.
Rather, it serves as a border town teetering on the fringes of the Star Luo Empire and the Tiandou Empire.
Despite the absence of large-scale conflict due to the Wuhun Palace's presence, bloodshed on a smaller scale is a constant.
Wu'an City is one of the main battlegrounds, where for several days each month blood runs like a river, and death veils the skies.
"Dai Chengfeng!"
"I will ask you a final question. Do you recognize your errors?!"
"Should you be willing to admit your faults and cease gambling against the imperial glory of our Star Luo Empire, instead embracing our ancestors' martial soul development methods, I would allow you to absorb your soul rings as they did."
"You are still young; I can afford you a chance at redemption!"
Looking at his father, who held the power to revoke all his punishments should he confess his errors, Dai Chengfeng shook his head resolutely, his heart steeled against any thoughts of yielding.
"Father!"
"Are ancestors infallible?"
"Time itself will unveil their mistakes, and I shall... surpass those who came before me!"
With those words, Dai Chengfeng turned and strode confidently out of the hall, leaving behind the expectations and limitations that threatened to bind him.
After all, some convictions are worth fighting for.
"The cold west wind sweeps through the courtyard; the snow is frigid, and the fragrance fades, but my heart knows no sorrow."
"If destiny places me as the White Emperor one day, I will ensure peach blossoms bloom everywhere!"
(End of this chapter)