Chapter 1: Rebirth in the Po Clan

My name is Yang Podi, and I'm just an ordinary worker.

What do I mean by ordinary? Well, I'm almost 35 years old, and it's been over a decade since I graduated from a technical college. Yet I haven't achieved anything significant.

From entering society with hope and ambition to now being burdened with debt, I've done it all: factory work, sales, management, even e-commerce. Slowly, over the years, I've become numb to it all.

Since childhood, my greatest passion has been martial arts. I've always dreamed of living in a world of martial heroes. I even studied martial arts, practiced sanda (Chinese kickboxing), and trained with weapons. But unlike others who preferred swords and sabers, I've always been fascinated by spears. I found swords too small and lacking in masculinity, while spears were powerful and imposing. I longed for the days of the ancient heroes who roamed the land on white horses with silver spears.

Nowadays, I work during the day and spend my nights alone in my rented apartment, watching TV, anime, and occasionally some other entertainment. Recently, I've become addicted to Soul Land, an anime full of passion and excitement.

But after living a bit, when I watched it again, something started to feel off. The more I compared the anime with the original novel, and after reading countless fanfictions, I realized that the plot had so many holes. My worldview was shaken.

One night, bored out of my mind, I was watching something in my apartment when suddenly the power went out.

"Seriously? What's going on now?" I grumbled. "Why does this rundown place keep losing power? Did the breaker go off again?"

I opened the window to check, and it looked like the other apartments still had power.

I grabbed a stool and climbed up to check the breaker. Sure enough, it had tripped. I reached out to turn it back on, but as soon as I touched it, a surge of electricity shot through me. The shock knocked me off the stool and I lost consciousness immediately.

I felt like I was sinking into an endless darkness, struggling to breathe. Was I in a hospital being resuscitated?

Suddenly a blinding light pierced the darkness and I heard people shouting, "The baby is born! The baby is here at last!"

I felt myself being lifted up, my world spinning. As I focused, I saw an old man holding me. He had a rugged face with a large scar across it.

There was something familiar about him. Wait... isn't that Yang Wudi from Soul Land?

I looked down and realized that I was in his arms. I tried to move my head and wiggled my tiny hands and feet. No... those were baby hands!

What? I just got shocked and now I've somehow ended up in Soul Land?

I tried to speak, but all that came out was a soft whimper, like the cry of a newborn.

Then everything went black again and I fell asleep.

After days of drifting in and out of sleep, I began to piece things together. I had been reborn in the world of Soul Land as the grandson of Yang Wudi, the leader of the Po Clan. My name was also Yang Podi.

My father's name is Yang Zhentian, and my mother is Niu Jinfeng, who seems to be from the Yu Clan. My mother is tall and strong, almost as tall as my father. I've heard that she's the daughter of Niu Gao, the leader of the Yu clan.

I've picked up all this from fragments of conversation, but as a newborn, my primary focus was on eating and growing.

My mother's large stature has its advantages - there is never a shortage of milk, so my days are spent eating and sleeping in blissful ignorance.

Of course, I'm in no position to influence the world around me. I'm just a baby, after all. The most I can do is cry occasionally.

At present, the Haotian Clan is the most powerful sect in the world, and the Po Clan is the top family in the outer branches of the Haotian Clan. Yang Wudi, my grandfather, is the respected elder of the outer branches and commands great respect.

As his only grandson, many people came to visit me after I was born. I saw all kinds of faces, including the leader of the Min Clan, Bai He, the leader of the Li Clan, Titan, and my maternal grandfather, Niu Gao. I also met several members of the Haotian sect, including Tang Xiao, Tang Hao, and Tang Hao's wife, Ah Yin. Just like in the anime, Tang Xiao and Tang Hao are tall and powerful, radiating strength. At this point, Tang Hao doesn't have the oppressed look he had in the original series - he actually looks quite handsome. No wonder he has won Ah Yin's heart. Ah Yin is beautiful and kind, and even held me for a while.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel much as a baby, except for how soft and full of life Ah Yin felt.

It also seems that Ah Yin hasn't become pregnant yet, so it's safe for now. As for what happens later, well, I'm just a baby - there's not much I can do about it.

Time passed, and after six months of eating and sleeping, I was finally able to say a few words like "dad", "mom", and "grandpa".

The whole family was overjoyed, especially my grandfather, Yang Wudi, who spun me around and made me dizzy. But he loved it.

I also began to try to walk, although I could only take a few steps at a time, with my mother watching over me like a protective hen.

Now that I could talk, I was weaned off breast milk. My mother wasn't very happy about this - she believed that babies should drink milk as long as possible to grow strong.

But I felt uncomfortable. After all, my soul was over 35 years old! I didn't feel comfortable continuing to drink breast milk.

My father, on the other hand, was enthusiastic. He began to prepare small portions of soul beast meat for me, making broth that made me feel full of energy every time I ate it. No wonder the children of noble families have a better foundation than ordinary people-the sheer energy in this soul beast meat was far beyond ordinary vegetables and fruits. And the cultivation systems these families have are a huge advantage.

Another six months passed, and I was able to walk steadily and speak clearly.

My mother, always protective, stayed close behind me at all times, worried that I might fall, like a mother hen guarding her chick.