Chapter 01 - Desire for Power and New Determination

Author's Note: After reading your opinion I decided to create this new book.

Like I said before, even though it's a rewrite, it's basically a totally different book from what I wrote in my previous book.

Many things will be different and I still have to think of many things to add.

I hope we can enjoy this new journey together and don't forget to give me your opinions on this story at the end of each chapter.

Leaving the formalities aside, let's move on to the chapter!

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Douluo Continent, Star Luo Empire, White Tiger Duke's Mansion

The sky was covered in gray clouds and heavy rain fell on the slightly weak and malnourished body of a young man who looked to be 7 years old kneeling in front of a grave.

Although the boy was wearing clothes full of patches and dirt, it did not cause his immature face to lose its beauty. His shoulder-length scarlet-red hair and golden eyes that glowed with hatred and resentment were exceptionally attractive.

"Again… Once again I lost the person most precious to me." The seven-year-old boy clenched his fists and bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

"If you're going to make me suffer again, why did you give me a new chance at life?" Shouting injustices to the heavens, the young man shed tears as he recalled all the scenes he had experienced in the last eight years.

This seven-year-old boy is Yu Haochen who was given a second chance at life and reincarnated in the Douluo Continent.

In his previous life, Yu Haochen suffered all kinds of abuse and bullying since he was a child. His mother who was the only person who loved him died early due to chronic illness and his father was a gambler and alcoholic who beat him for the pettiest of reasons.

Because of his father's gambling debts, Yu Haochen was forced to drop out of school at an early age, making him unable to complete high school.

Under precarious circumstances, Yu Haochen worked tirelessly at various part-time jobs to support himself amid his father's beatings and abuse.

With persistent efforts, Yu Haochen used his free time to study programming and mechanical engineering for a few years and finally, at the age of 18, managed to break out of the hellish life his father put him through.

At the age of 20, his company was already internationally recognized for its requinted technology and computer programs used in all sectors of industry.

Yu Haochen who had a hellish and loveless life was finally finding goals and happiness that life can offer.

However, his best friend, with whom Yu Haochen founded his company, betrayed him and leaked all his projects and technologies to a rival company. Before leaving the company, he also froze the company's assets with the help of other investors and bankrupted Yu Haochen.

It was at this time that his father died and the remaining gambling debts fell to Yu Haochen.

When the loan sharks who lent his father the money arrived to collect his debts and found a poor Yu Haochen, in rage, they ended up torturing Yu Haochen before killing him.

However, God seemed to have ulterior motives and gave him a new chance at life.

The moment he opened his eyes, he was abandoned in a basket in front of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. Perhaps out of pity, his adoptive mother, Yu Xing, one of the White Tiger Duke's servants adopted him and raised him.

Although the life he led as a servant's adopted son was not the best, due to his adoptive mother's unconditional love, Yu Haochen was slowly coming out of the shadow of his past life and enjoying the love he was receiving from his adoptive mother.

However, everything changed due to the White Tiger Duke lust.

One night, after drinking too much wine, the White Tiger Duke forced himself on his adoptive mother because of her beauty.

Although his mother did not become pregnant, the Duke's wife burst into rage because of jealousy. Abusing her status as a Duchess, she turned the lives of Yu Haochen and his adoptive mother into a living hell.

After the White Tiger Duke returned to the frontlines, the Duchess removed her adoptive mother from the servants' quarters and made her live with Mo Xie in an old warehouse, cutting off almost all of her salary, leaving just enough to buy one or two hard pieces of bread every day.

Even what Yu Haochen had suffered in his past life seemed like child's play compared to the life he and his mother led in the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.

When Yu Haochen turned three years old, he was forced to do chores for other servants and when he or his adoptive mother failed to complete a task, they were both whipped repeatedly until they could barely move and scars formed on their bodies.

This cycle repeated itself day after day.

Even Huo Yuhao, the supposed destiny child, and his mother Huo Yun'er, a concubine of the White Tiger Duke did not suffer as much as them.

Knowing that this was a world where strength spoke louder than words, Yu Haochen endured as much as possible, waiting for the day of his martial soul's awakening.

It wasn't that Yu Haochen didn't want to run away, but the Duchess had many eyes on him and his mother, so there was never any chance for him to escape. He could only place his hopes on his martial soul, hoping that it could be strong enough to draw the attention of some elder from the White Tiger clan.

Only then would he be able to free himself from the Duchess's abuse and give his mother a better life.

However, although Yu Haochen had awakened what he called Spiritual Dragon Eyes, a rare Body Martial Soul with spiritual attributes and draconic bloodline, his innate soul power was only Level 4.

Although he is stronger than Huo Yuhao's innate Level 1 soul power Spiritual Eyes, he was not strong enough to be favored by any elder of the White Tiger Bloodline.

Realizing this, the Duchess further intensified her efforts to make the already miserable lives of Yu Haochen and his adoptive mother even worse.

This has continued until the present.

Today is Yu Haochen's 7th birthday and also the day his adoptive mother died.

After all the abuse and torture, his adoptive mother finally died from illness and exhaustion caused by the high workload, lack of nutrition, and old hidden wounds caused by the frequent beatings they both suffered from the Duchess's subordinates.

Yu Haochen can still hear his mother's last words filled with remorse and concern asking him to find a chance to run away and live a peaceful life.

Looking at the tombstone with Yu Xing's name engraved with a dagger and the place where he buried his mother's body, Yu Haochen prostrated himself once again.

After paying his respects, Yu Haochen stood up and a fierce light flashed in his golden eyes. "Don't worry mom. I will send the Duchess and the entire White Tiger bloodline to the underworld no matter how long it takes."

If it were before, Yu Haochen might not had so much confidence.

Even if he had determination and put in a lot of effort, with his low talent, unless he became an Evil Soul Master, he would not gain enough power to destroy the White Tiger Mansion.

But now it was different.

After burying his mother, the sun-and-moon-shaped birthmark on his chest burned like a blazing flame. With this burning, his senses seem to have become sharper and some memories of unknown techniques and knowledge appeared in his mind.

It was exactly because of these techniques and knowledge that gave him the confidence to take revenge.

After experiencing the loss of his mother in both his past and present lives, and his helplessness as he experienced abuse, torture, and betrayal in both lives, Yu Haochen's desire for strength could no longer be contained.

He desired enough strength to make all his enemies tremble just by hearing his name.

From being inside the fantasy story he read once in his past life, Yu Haochen also knew that if he became strong enough, transcending the realm of mortals and ascending to the realm of gods, he could also resurrect his mother.

"It's time to go…" Yu Haochen looked at the White Tiger Duke's Mansion in the distance with hatred and muttered.

The death of his adoptive mother appears to have greatly relaxed the Duchess's vigilance over him, giving him a chance to escape.

So, without wasting any time, after grabbing a bag with some silver coins and some torn clothes that were packed in advance, Yu Haochen rushed towards Star Dou Forest.

Thanks to his birthmark, his soul power which had been cultivated to Level 7 one year after his martial soul awakening, was once again raised to Level 10.

Yu Haochen only needed to hunt a soul beast and absorb a soul ring to become a soul master.

With the techniques and knowledge he gained from his birthmark, it wouldn't be difficult to make money and increase his strength quickly.

Although Yu Haochen didn't understand what exactly his birthmark was, he knew that he was still too weak to discover the truth. However, he was confident that by becoming stronger, he would eventually unravel the mystery behind it.

His departure did not alert anyone in the mansion.

Only Huo Yuhao, who usually looks for him from time to time to hunt for some food in the river, and Huo Yun'er who took care of him and his adoptive mother a few times noticed that Yu Haochen disappeared.

It's not that Yu Haochen also doesn't want to take Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun'er away with him.

With the Duchess also watching the mother and son, the chances of Yu Haochen running away with them are almost zero. Because of this, Yu Haochen kept blaming himself in his heart for still being too weak.

Yu Haochen and Huo Yuhao had similar childhoods and naturally helped each other as they grew up. The same happened to his adoptive mother and Huo Yuhao's mother.

Due to this, they both became very close to each other.

When Huo Yuhao found out that Yu Haochen disappeared, he ran straight home and told Huo Yun'er everything.

"Yuhao, don't talk about this to anyone. It's a good thing that Xiao Haochen left at this time. In the future you guys will be able to meet again, so there is no need to be too sad." Huo Yun'er said in a gentle voice, her expression a little complicated.

"Okay…" Huo Yuhao nodded, still a little sad that his only friend left.

"May Xing'er's spirit in the sky protect you from all tribulations…" Huo Yun'er muttered softly as she looked at the gray clouds in the sky.

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Seven days later

Looking at the map in his hands and the towering trees on the side of the road, Yu Haochen wiped the sweat running down his pale face and took a deep breath to ease his tiredness.

After several days of running and sleeping outdoors, Yu Haochen finally arrived at the entrance of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Because of his severely malnourished body, Yu Haochen had to continually use his already meager soul power while traveling. The continuous use of his soul power made his pretty face turn pale white and his body trembled from time to time.

Sensing the situation of his body, Yu Haochen found a river near the entrance of the Star Dou Great Forest and began to set up camp.

"It looks like I will need to cultivate according to the cultivation techniques in my mind before entering the forest. Otherwise, with my current body, I wouldn't know how I would die if I entered the Star Dou Great Forest without Yuhao's luck…" Yu Haochen smiled bitterly as he rested while sitting against a rock near the river.

Yu Haochen looked at the fish swimming in the river and made up his mind.

"Let's first cultivate and gain some combat power before looking for my first soul ring." Yu Haochen started to plan his next training.

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Author's Note: This was the first of many chapters to come.

If you find any grammar or typing errors, please let me know in the comments. My primary language is not english and I didn't have time to edit this chapter.

Leaving that aside, do you guys think I should give the Skydream Ice Worm as the MC's first soul ring? Please give me your opinions.