Heavenly Being

"I caught you!"

A crisp laugh rang out as a little girl grinned and grabbed the boy's hem, refusing to let go no matter what.

The boy sighed as though resigned to his fate, though the corners of his lips curled up slightly. "Fine. You won this game of hide-and-seek."

"Yay!"

Hearing the laughter of the girl younger than him, the boy's previously calm expression softened as well.

"Since I won, can you grant me one request?"

"Sure. Wu Tong, tell me. What do you want?"

The boy looked at Tang Wu Tong, the pink-and-blue-haired girl standing slightly shorter than him, and agreed with his hands on his hips.

"Can we skip practice today? It's so boring by myself."

The boy gave a faintly bitter smile and reached out to gently brush Tang Wu Tong's pink-and-blue hair. His voice was calm, but carried a trace of helplessness. "I don't want your father to punish me. Only by becoming stronger can I protect what matters most to me."

The moment she heard that, Tang Wu Tong's cheeks instantly flushed. She turned away with a huff. "D-Do I need you to protect me?"

The boy froze, then laughed heartily and shook his head. He waved at the still-shy Tang Wu Tong, stepped into the footwork of Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, and swiftly vanished into the clouds and mist.

"Ah! You ran away again!"

Hearing Tang Wu Tong's unwilling shout behind him, the boy did not stop. Instead, he kept running toward his destination.

His short ice-blue hair shimmered with dreamy colors beneath the sunlight, while clouds drifted endlessly through his blinking Jade Eyes.

The boy's full name was Xue Xiao Ran. He was already ten years old.

His father was named Xue Lei Han, and his mother was named Dugu Yan.

During these ten years in the God Realm, apart from playing with Tang Wu Tong, the girl who had grown up alongside him, and several other companions, he spent his time receiving instruction and guidance from his uncles and aunts.

This had been Xue Xiao Ran's own request. His goal was to become as powerful as his father, Xue Lei Han, the Ice God, God of Judgment. For this seemingly childish reason, he had received his father's wholehearted support, who had even called in favors to find teachers for his son.

Xue Xiao Ran had heard from his mother, Dugu Yan, that the teachers his father found for him were all men and women who had once faced life and death alongside his father.

They taught Xue Xiao Ran everything they had learned in their lives. Xue Xiao Ran absorbed it quickly and possessed extraordinary talent for learning, leaving all those uncles and aunts marveling that the son Old Xue had produced was another little freak.

After racing for who knew how long, rows of buildings emerged from the clouds and mist. Xue Xiao Ran followed familiar steps and entered one exquisitely decorated little wooden house.

"You were much faster than yesterday, Xiao Ran. You've improved again."

A tall man spoke with his back to Xue Xiao Ran, his tone carrying faint praise.

The man had long sea-blue hair draped over his shoulders. Even from behind, he seemed remarkably handsome. The aura he gave Xue Xiao Ran was as calm and gentle as the sea.

"You've learned most of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Mysterious Jade Hand, Purple Extreme Demonic Eyes, Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, and Hundred Solutions for Hidden Weapons. Your understanding of them has reached a certain level as well, yet you still cannot use them as freely as you wish. Why do you think that is?"

The man turned around. Faced with that dashing appearance, Xue Xiao Ran respectfully clasped his fists and replied, "Uncle Tang, I think I may be lacking real combat experience."

Tang San smiled faintly, seemingly quite satisfied with the answer. "Not bad. You were able to see the root of your problem at a glance. Then come on. Let me help you train your real combat experience."

Xue Xiao Ran nodded. His Jade Eyes narrowed slightly, a faint purple tint appearing within them.

Whoosh!

An afterimage remained where he had stood, while Xue Xiao Ran's figure darted swiftly around the room.

At the same time, two Throwing Darts appeared in his hands. A faint chill coated them before he flung them out fiercely.

Tang San smiled slightly. He neither dodged nor moved, not even turning around. With a casual stretch of his hand, he caught the Throwing Darts just inches from the back of his head. Feeling the temperature on the darts, the smile on his lips widened.

Seeing his attack casually blocked, Xue Xiao Ran was not discouraged in the slightest. His body twisted through the air as all kinds of hidden weapons continuously appeared in his hands. Without even looking, he flung them straight out in midair.

With the help of the Purple Extreme Demonic Eyes, every trajectory of the hidden weapons seemed to trace predetermined arcs in his mind, all pointing directly at Tang San.

"Your technique is becoming more and more proficient. You don't feel any pain now, do you?"

Tang San praised him as he casually caught the hidden weapons flying toward him and placed them on the wooden table.

Before long, the wooden table was neatly covered with all kinds of hidden weapons, all of which Xue Xiao Ran had thrown just moments ago.

"Reporting to Uncle Tang, the soreness and numbness I used to feel after practice are gone now."

He shook his hands to show that there were no lingering effects.

"Then continue. Let me see how well you've practiced One Stone Two Birds."

"Yes, Uncle Tang."

"You two, why are you practicing so late again?"

A woman in a long pink dress stood there, her long hair woven into a trailing scorpion braid. From the side and back, her delicate, slender, fair neck was visible. The cinched waist of her dress perfectly outlined her lovely figure.

At that moment, this beautiful woman stood with her hands on her hips, looking irritably at the smiling Tang San and the pale-faced Xue Xiao Ran as she complained.

"Good evening, Aunt Xiao Wu."

Xue Xiao Ran's voice was as weak as that of a dead man just pulled from the desert. He forced a slight smile onto his calm face.

"Honestly, come sit down. Once I finish cooking, eat more today and replenish your nutrients."

"Then I'll gladly accept." Aunt Xiao Wu pulled Xue Xiao Ran over to the table. After sitting in the soft chair, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

"You too, honestly. Sigh, he's still just a child." Although Xiao Wu said that, she still leaned against Tang San as they walked into the kitchen.

"Ten years old isn't that young."

Tang San smiled helplessly and stroked Xiao Wu's beautiful hair. "Do you remember what we were like when we were ten?"

"Of course I remember."

Xiao Wu leaned happily into Tang San's embrace.

After a long while, Tang San slowly spoke. "Lei Han trusted me enough to hand Xiao Ran over for training. I can't let him down."

"I'm saying, why are you Eight Monsters and the Ten Elites training little Xiao Ran day and night? He's still just a child."

Xiao Wu muttered unhappily.

"Xiao Ran's goal is to surpass his father. What do you think of that goal? Isn't it ambitious?"

"Hey, that goal's not bad!" Xiao Wu clapped her hands.

"Xiao Ran was already born with Twin Martial Souls. Who would have thought Angel God Qian Renxue would break the rules and forcibly give him another top-tier martial soul?" Tang San could not help feeling amused whenever he recalled the scene of his martial soul awakening.

"Really, he's exactly like his father when he was young."

Tang San looked at the boy meditating in the living room with his eyes closed as he circulated the Mysterious Heaven Skill, as well as the blue-and-pink-haired girl beside him who was thinking of teasing him, and could not help smiling.

"Only someone like him deserves to be my son-in-law."