Chapter 1: The Eyes That Watch Destiny
"Finally… he came out."
Outside the White Tiger Duke's Mansion of the Xingluo Empire, a pair of scarlet eyes silently observed a side entrance. From within, a thin figure emerged slowly into the dim light. His body was small and frail, but his eyes gleamed with determination. Even from a distance, one could feel the faint aura of hostility he carried. Clutched in his hand was a short dagger bearing the white tiger emblem.
"That figure… the thin frame, those sharp eyes, and that dagger—it must be Huo Yuhao," Xiao Qiang muttered under his breath, letting out a long sigh of relief.
He had been watching this place for days, afraid of missing this crucial moment. If he failed to find Huo Yuhao in time, the story of Douluo Dalu II would proceed according to its original course—something Xiao Qiang could not allow.
In his past life, when he was just a reader, he hadn't cared much about the fate of the characters. The fall of Mingdu and Huo Yuhao's massacre of the Sun and Moon Empire's soul engineer legions, disguised as an evil soul master, had barely stirred his emotions.
But everything changed when Xiao Qiang turned six.
That was when his martial soul awakened—and with it, his memories of a previous life returned. Now, as a soul master of the Sun and Moon Empire, he couldn't look at Huo Yuhao the same way. He knew what was coming. He understood the role this boy would play in the future.
It felt like he was about to take part in the Battle of Changping… and he was now a citizen of Zhao.
Xiao Qiang no longer cared whether Huo Yuhao was a noble hero or a villain. It didn't matter. According to Tang San, the "creator" behind this world, Huo Yuhao had already been marked for death.
Still, Xiao Qiang didn't plan to confront Huo Yuhao just yet. The boy had been under the protection of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, and more importantly—he still had his uses.
Xu Tianran would start a war in thirteen years. Xiao Qiang knew this clearly. He understood all too well how ancient empires functioned, and Xu Tianran's obsession with domination would not allow any powerful soul master to sit idle.
Xiao Qiang, born with innate soul power at level 5 and wielding a one-tomoe Sharingan, knew what fate awaited him.
When war broke out, unless he was strong enough, he'd be "volunteered" into the empire's ranks as a soul engineer soldier. And if he refused? He might end up like countless others—sacrificed in the Death God Tower.
Giving up cultivation wasn't an option either. Soul masters who refused to grow stronger were treated like higher-tier cannon fodder—disposable, but still expected to contribute. If he didn't qualify even for that? Then he'd be reduced to nothing more than a human sacrifice, like the maids and eunuchs in the palace—used and discarded without a second thought.
Staying out of trouble? That luxury only belonged to nobles and those with powerful connections. An ordinary person like him didn't even have the right to consider that kind of life.
Fortunately, Xiao Qiang had one advantage—he possessed knowledge of the future.
He knew his martial soul belonged to one of the main categories, and more importantly, he knew about Tianmeng. That gave him options, even if he hadn't yet evolved his Sharingan into a Mangekyō.
When he was five, Xiao Qiang overheard whispers about Shrek Academy's substitute student, Zhang Lexuan. That allowed him to calculate when Huo Yuhao would meet Tianmeng. Using that information—and with his superior starting talent—Xiao Qiang reached level 30 before Huo Yuhao had even broken through level 10.
He had already obtained two hundred-year soul rings, each close to the upper absorption limit for someone of his rank.
His original plan was to venture into the Great Star Dou Forest and seek out Tianmeng himself. And so he did.
But the moment he stepped into that ancient forest, a chilling realization struck him.
Who exactly was Huo Yuhao?
Yes, he was the protagonist of Douluo Dalu II—but that wasn't all. Huo Yuhao was the Son of Destiny in this world.
Xiao Qiang had tried to intercept Tianmeng and the Ice Empress—creatures meant to be Huo Yuhao's destiny—but such an act was doomed from the start.
Why?
Because fate itself wouldn't allow it.
If the opportunities meant for a Son of Destiny could be snatched away so easily, could he still be called the Son of Destiny?
The answer was clear.
Over the years, many spiritual-type soul masters had ventured into the Great Star Dou Forest. Hadn't Princess Vina entered it before? Hadn't other spiritual masters searched for similar opportunities? Yet none of them ever met Tianmeng.
It wasn't about luck. It was about narrative authority.
They weren't the chosen ones. Just like Xiao Qiang wasn't.
Competing with the Son of Destiny was like playing Russian roulette—with every chamber loaded. Even hoping the bullet would jam was more realistic.
This wasn't the Naruto world, where the son of the Hokage might become Hokage, or the son of a councilor might rise to power. There, your birth mattered—but change was still possible.
Here, in Douluo Dalu, the roles were pre-written, and deviations were punished.
If that were not the case, Xiao Qiang would've already given up and waited for death in peace.
Still, there was a tiny loophole.
Even though this wasn't Naruto, even though fate was fixed, one could still survive by dancing along the edge of the script.
After nearly dying in the forest, Xiao Qiang realized something else: even if he did manage to meet Tianmeng, and even if Tianmeng acknowledged him, the ancient soul of Electrolux—who had been drawn to Huo Yuhao by Tianmeng's immense power—would likely not choose Xiao Qiang.
Why?
Because he wasn't the child of fate.
Still, Tianmeng was bound to the Ice Empress. And with both of them, he'd have twin martial souls, both among the strongest. Even if Electrolux ignored him, he wouldn't be powerless.
If the Sun and Moon Empire's top brass saw that kind of potential, they wouldn't treat him like cannon fodder.
He could earn safety—not by rebellion, but by value.
With Tianmeng and the Ice Empress, and the opportunities he knew from his past life, Xiao Qiang was confident he could reach the level of an eight-ring or even nine-ring soul master before the war began. At that point, he'd be as strong as, if not stronger than, most ordinary Super Douluo.
Then he'd have the power to protect himself, delay the war, or even try to stop it.
But before any of that could happen…
Xiao Qiang's scarlet eyes turned once more toward Huo Yuhao. With his current cultivation and the boost from two powerful soul rings, Xiao Qiang's senses far surpassed those of the boy he was watching—Huo Yuhao, who had no soul rings and had awakened with only level 1 innate soul power.
Thanks to his enhanced perception, Xiao Qiang had already spotted Bei Bei and Tang Ya in the distance, long before Huo Yuhao could. He had been tailing Yuhao for days now.
And soon… the roasted fish scene would occur.
That was Xiao Qiang's chance.
A chance to approach the Son of Destiny.
A chance to owe him a favor.
A chance to alter the script—just a little.