Douluo Continent, Star Dou Forest.
The forest was dense, full of life and the scent of nature. Quiet. Still. Air as fresh as it gets.
“Damn, another boring day. Sky’s blue, clouds are white. Great.”
A tiny sapling swayed in the breeze, weak branches trembling, a few bright green leaves fluttering.
No one could hear it. No one cared. But inside the weak-looking one-year-old Aoki Tree soul beast, there was a different soul.
“Seriously? What did I do to deserve this? Why throw me into this world as a plant-type soul beast? Is this some kind of joke?”
Michael Green cursed in silence. Ever since he’d somehow ended up in this world a year ago, he’d screamed in frustration more times than he could count.
In the past, all those tales of crossing into other worlds sounded amazing. But now that it happened to him, the reality was cruel.
No chosen one story here—others got cheat powers and ruled worlds. He came here to be food.
If there was one good thing about only having one year of soul power, it was that no soul master bothered hunting him—for now.
But the moment he thought about the future, dread sunk in. Work hard, grow in power, hit the hundred-year mark—just to be butchered as a soul ring.
Scratch that—he might not even survive to see a hundred years. Might get taken out in fifty, maybe earlier.
It was like feeding a pig just to slaughter it later.
And lucky him, he was that pig.
Even worse, he was a tree. No legs. Couldn’t run if he wanted to.
Michael felt like he’d cried all his tears dry. This whole thing was a damn trap.
“Ding-dong, Breathing System has been successfully bound.”
A voice echoed in Michael’s mind, making him freeze.
What the hell? A system? Now?
He’d long since given up hope. A whole year without a single sign of cheat powers—he figured he was just doomed.
But now, with that mechanical voice, a spark lit up again in his chest.
Hell yeah! I’ve got a system now!
Heart pounding, he quickly thought, “System.”
Whoosh—light flashed, and a status panel popped up in his mind.
Host: Michael Green
Age: 26
Soul Beast: Aoki Tree
Soul Power: 1 year
Bloodline: None
Items: None
EXP: 0
Activate: Yes/No
Michael stared at the pathetic numbers for a second, then shifted to the last option.
Without a second thought, he picked “Yes.”
A burning light engulfed him. Warm currents surged through his body. It was... amazing.
His tiny tree body glowed faintly, flimsy branches swaying with a pleasant chime.
After a while, the light faded.
Michael came to, still basking in the warmth, eyes half-closed.
“Whew. That felt pretty damn good.”
He took a deep breath.
“Ding! You took a deep breath. Gained EXP +5000.”The cold mechanical voice of the system chimed in. Michael Green froze. Before he could even react, the next line popped up.
"You took a breath, gained EXP +1000."
"You took a breath, gained EXP +1000."
"You took a breath, gained EXP +1000."
Michael suddenly remembered the name of his system—Breathing System. The moment the thought hit him, his tender little branches trembled, and his breathing deepened.
"Beep, you took a deep breath, gained EXP +5000."
"Beep, you took a deep breath, gained EXP +5000."
"Beep, you took a deep breath, gained EXP +5000."
The notifications kept ringing in his ears. Michael silently called out to the system, and the stat panel appeared again.
Host: Michael Green
Age: 26
Soul Beast: Green Wood Tree
Spirit Power:
Bloodline Item: None
EXP: 41000
What used to be a blank panel now had something new. There were plus signs
+
next to both "Spirit Power" and "Bloodline". Down at the bottom, the number 41000 was ticking up fast.
Michael, who had seen his fair share of novels, had a bold guess. He focused his will and tapped the
+
next to Spirit Power.
Spirit Power: The energy inside him surged, increasing by one year. Michael could feel the change clearly.
His wooden heart skipped a beat.
He was making it. He was finally on the rise. No longer just a useless little tree.
"Beep beep, you took an excited deep breath, gained EXP +10000."
The sudden +10000 line gave him pause, but right after came a wave of excitement.
"Beep beep, you took an excited deep breath, gained EXP +10000."
"Beep beep, you took an excited deep breath, gained EXP +10000."
"Beep beep, you took an excited deep breath, gained EXP +10000."
The numbers kept climbing. For the first time in his life, breathing felt like a blessing.
He couldn’t help but feel fortunate—lucky that trees in Douluo Continent could breathe. If they couldn’t, he’d be doomed.
While sucking in air like his life depended on it, Michael kept tapping away at his stats.
Spirit Power: 2 years, 3 years, 4 years...
In the blink of an eye, his power hit 10 years. A wave of heat surged through his body, and vast energy rushed upward from his roots.
Powered by it, his little sapling body stretched upward. In no time, the Green Wood Tree that was just a meter tall grew into a towering three-meter-high figure. Fragile twigs thickened into sturdy branches, and the canopy burst into lush foliage.
He shot up by two meters in an instant. Even the air felt fresher with each breath.
His Spirit Power climbed fast, so fast his chest couldn’t take it.
"This... I need to take a break!"
If he didn’t pause now, Michael felt like he’d die from excitement before anything else.
"Beep beep beep, you took a deep breath, gained EXP +100000."
The voice echoed again in his head. Michael stood stunned.
What kind of wicked system was this? He just wanted to rest a bit!
It was insane. Pure madness!
"Sigh... Can a tree not breathe in peace these days?"
