Douluo Dalu 1: The Tang Family Rebel

"Who would have thought that something as simple as running with weights could be so effective?" Yun Chuan clenched his fists after taking a bath to rinse off the medicinal residue and changing into a clean robe, feeling full of energy.

The medicinal bath prepared by Chrysanthemum Douluo was truly remarkable, with incredible effects.

After just one session, Yun Chuan's body not only fully recovered from the strain of overexertion, but he could also keenly feel noticeable improvements in various aspects of his physique. He roughly estimated that his overall physical capabilities had improved by about 1%.

Although part of this could be attributed to his extraordinary innate talent, the greater reason was undoubtedly Chrysanthemum Douluo's expertly prepared medicinal bath—it was incredibly potent.

As expected, being under the shade of a big tree provides ample comfort.

Reflecting on the treatment he had enjoyed growing up in Spirit Hall—unlimited access to delicious food made from spirit beast meat, frequent medicinal baths to nourish his body—Yun Chuan couldn't help but feel grateful. Compared to Tang San from the original story, who barely had enough to eat and was neglected by his own father, Yun Chuan considered himself fortunate to have been taken in by Spirit Hall. Otherwise, he might have ended up like Tang San, struggling with hunger and never even dreaming of such luxurious medicinal baths.

Frankly, if Tang San hadn't been a reincarnator with the Tang Sect's inheritance from his previous life and had not practiced the profound Xuantian Skill since childhood, his malnourished body wouldn't have stood a chance of achieving innate full spirit power. Without his advantages, he might have started with only six or seven levels of spirit power—or perhaps even less.

It's important to note that possessing twin spirits doesn't guarantee innate full spirit power. The original story never explicitly stated that all twin spirit owners have innate full spirit power.

Through ancient records in Spirit Hall, Yun Chuan learned that although twin spirits are rare, they are not as unique as portrayed in the original story, which mentioned only three people in a century: Tang San, Bibi Dong, and an unnamed individual. In reality, Spirit Hall's records over several centuries mention at least a dozen twin spirit owners. However, most of these individuals had extremely low innate spirit power or even none at all, which is why they never gained fame.

This is entirely reasonable since twin spirits are a type of mutation, and mutations can be either beneficial or detrimental. Beneficial mutations result in high innate spirit power, while detrimental ones lead to low or non-existent innate spirit power. Therefore, being born with twin spirits doesn't guarantee innate full spirit power.

The original story only mentioned twin spirit owners recorded within the past hundred years—but how long has the history of spirit masters been? At least several thousand, if not tens of thousands of years.

In such a long history, could there really have been only three twin spirit owners? Obviously not.

Anyway, back to the main point.

Today was a special day for Yun Chuan.

It wasn't just his first day of formal training—it also marked the beginning of his true independence.

From today onward, he could no longer share a room or sleep in the same bed as the female pope. Now that he had awakened his spirit, the norms of this world dictated that he should begin living independently and stop relying on his parents.

No matter how reluctant she felt, Bibi Dong had to steel herself and arrange a separate room for Yun Chuan, signaling his move out of her boudoir.

This left Yun Chuan feeling quite dejected, as it meant he could no longer fall asleep in his soft, fragrant mother's embrace, drifting off peacefully with a smile. Instead, he now faced a lonely, empty bed by himself.

The only consolation was that his new room was right next to Bibi Dong's, separated by just a wall.

Lying in his bed, with the lights out and only the moonlight streaming through the window to keep the room from plunging into complete darkness, Yun Chuan spread his limbs out in a large "X" on the bed and stared blankly at the ornate ceiling. He couldn't sleep at all. He was too accustomed to sleeping by Bibi Dong's side, or nestled in her embrace, resting his head on her soft bosom and inhaling her calming scent. The sense of being wrapped in motherly love had been indescribably blissful.

Now, being abruptly thrust into a separate room without that warmth, he felt utterly restless and unable to adapt.

"Ah, I knew this day would come, but I didn't expect it to arrive so soon." He sighed deeply, his eyes blank as he murmured to himself, "I really can't get used to this…"

Unable to sleep, Yun Chuan resorted to the most primitive method of lulling himself into slumber.

"One sheep… two sheep… three sheep…"

Meanwhile, in the room just across the wall, Bibi Dong was also lying awake.

Clad in a seductive purple lace nightgown, she lay on her bed with unfocused eyes, sleep eluding her entirely.

She had grown used to holding Yun Chuan's small, soft body in her arms like a plush toy, listening to his gentle breathing and gazing at his serene face bathed in moonlight. Those moments had felt like possessing the entire world.

The satisfaction she derived from that experience was beyond words—something no one could replace, not even with the promise of godhood.

But tonight, without that little figure by her side, Bibi Dong found herself unable to sleep.

She regretted deciding so early to have Yun Chuan move into his own room. After all, he was only a six-year-old child, still ignorant of the world. What if he cried in the middle of the night from fear? Or if he had a nightmare and called out for his mother in his sleep?

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became. Tossing and turning, unable to find peace, she felt a growing urge to get out of bed, open the door, and bring Yun Chuan back to her room. Her motherly instincts screamed at her to act on her desire to shower him with love.

But rationality held her back, reminding her that Yun Chuan was already six years old—old enough to begin learning independence.

Back and forth, she vacillated between emotion and reason, battling internally until she became increasingly agitated. Memories of the past six years spent with Yun Chuan flooded her mind, filling her heart with an overwhelming sense of loss. She feared that from this night onward, he would begin to grow up, sprouting wings and eventually leaving her forever.

A feeling of impending loss gnawed at her heart, driving her to near despair.

Her thoughts spiraled further: What if, someday, he truly leaves me? What then?

A voice whispered temptingly in her mind: Just keep him by your side forever.

It was as if the voice carried a strange magic, urging her toward an unthinkable course of action. Her eyes grew hazy, filled with an intense, inexplicable emotion.

Just as her thoughts veered toward a dangerous path, a gentle knocking sound broke the silence.

"Knock, knock."

Though soft, the sound jolted Bibi Dong like a morning bell, instantly snapping her out of her trance. Her muddled gaze regained clarity, and she realized that her earlier mental state had been highly abnormal.

"That was the power of the Rakshasa God influencing my mind again!"

Bibi Dong took a deep breath, steadying her emotions. She walked to the door and opened it quietly.

There, standing before her with a pillow in his arms, was a small, trembling figure.

Her eyes softened instantly.

"What's wrong, Chuan'er?" she asked gently, crouching down and stroking his cheek with a tender smile.

"Mom, I'm scared of the dark…" Yun Chuan said, his teary eyes shimmering as he looked at her pitifully. His small body trembled slightly, exuding an aura of vulnerability that made him irresistibly endearing.

Without hesitation, Bibi Dong scooped him into her arms, holding him tightly as a wave of guilt washed over her.

How could I have been so heartless as to let such a small child sleep alone?

Meanwhile, Yun Chuan, nestled in her embrace, allowed a sly grin to creep across his lips—his earlier pitiful expression replaced by a look of triumph. It was clear that his fear of the dark was entirely fabricated. After all, how could a nearly 30-year-old reincarnator possibly be afraid of the dark?

He had only acted pitiful to gain sympathy and sneak back into Bibi Dong's bed.

Unable to fall asleep alone, Yun Chuan had realized that life without the warmth and comfort of her embrace felt utterly devoid of meaning. So, he decided to put on a show to reclaim his happiness.

He had no choice, it was a matter of survival!