Neighbor

Time passed, and a month went by.

An Ping's progress in activating his Spiritual Power was unexpectedly slow. After persisting with guidance every day for a month, he had finally increased the Spiritual Power he could freely control from a single thread to a wisp—only about one percent—and could barely extend it one meter beyond his body.

Without anything to compare it to, he had no idea whether that progress was fast or slow. Unexpectedly, despite not deliberately cultivating it, his Soul Power had reached level seven in just one month.

Fortunately, after a month of various experiments, he could now freely control his Martial Soul with his consciousness. He no longer had to flip through pages bit by bit whenever he wanted to find a particular book. As long as he had read it before, he could directly locate it with his consciousness, much like a search engine from his previous life.

Furthermore, after searching for a month, he had finally found a method for guiding and activating Spiritual Power. It was called Nara's Detailed Guide to Spiritual Power Guidance.

Judging by the name, it seemed to have been written by someone named Nara.

According to the book, Nara had discovered a ruin while traveling. While exploring it, he encountered an undamaged wall engraved with a strange pattern.

After various tests, he discovered that observing the pattern normally with one's eyes caused dizziness, while touching it with Spiritual Power would pull that Spiritual Power into circulating according to the pattern.

Nara took the wall away. After years of research and repeated simplifications of the pattern, he developed a method for guiding the activation of Spiritual Power.

It was a rest day. After breakfast that morning, An Ping sat on his bed, opened the book to the guidance method, and carefully read it several more times to reinforce his memory.

Then, familiar with the process, he entered a meditative state. His consciousness touched the wisp of Spiritual Power he could already freely control, and he cautiously began tracing the pattern according to the method described.

Starting from the beginning—horizontal strokes, turns, slants, presses, curves, angled lines...

As he traced it bit by bit, the throbbing between his brows gradually intensified. The Spiritual Power that remained dormant began to be slowly drawn out in tiny strands.

Soon, as he completed the first full tracing, a strand of Spiritual Power completely broke free from its dormant state. An Ping felt a little delighted. This method really worked, and its effect was exceptionally good.

An Ping then calmed his emotions and began diligently practicing the guidance method.

With each tracing of the strange pattern, strand after strand of Spiritual Power shifted from dormancy into an activated state. Only when his consciousness grew fatigued did An Ping have no choice but to withdraw from meditation.

A rumbling sound rang out. An Ping rubbed his protesting stomach, jumped down from the bed, and glanced at the time. It was already past five in the afternoon. He had not expected so much time to have passed.

After searching through the kitchen for quite a while, he found that there was no food left. Only then did he remember that he had planned to go shopping today. Helplessly, he changed clothes and headed out.

When he opened the door, he saw Lin Qing, the neighbor he had not seen in two months, standing outside with a box in his arms, preparing to set it down.

Lin Qing was a Mecha Designer who had always taken good care of An Ping. Some time ago, he had said he was going away on a business trip.

"Good afternoon, Uncle Lin. What are you doing?" An Ping asked.

With an "Ah!" the box fell to the ground with a loud bang, making it clear that its contents were not light.

Seeing the suddenly opened door and An Ping standing there, Lin Qing steadied himself before saying, "Little An Ping, are you going out? I was transferred to Heaven Dou City because of work, so I'll probably be stationed there permanently from now on."

As he spoke, he pointed at the box on the ground. "I can't take these books and notes with me, so they'd just go unused. I remembered that you like reading, so I thought I'd bring them over to you. Maybe you can become a Mecha Designer someday too."

An Ping was not really a child. How could he believe such a flimsy excuse? Even if Lin Qing really could not take them along, a Mecha Designer's notes would be highly sought after outside, even if the designer himself was not especially high-ranked.

An Ping was touched. For a moment, he did not know what to say, and could only manage, "Thank you, Uncle Lin."

Lin Qing casually waved his hand. "What's there to thank me for? We've been neighbors for so many years. I watched you grow up. Let's move the things first."

Since they were a gift from someone else, An Ping could not very well let Lin Qing carry everything alone. He helped move some of it as well. Ever since awakening his Martial Soul, his physical fitness had improved considerably.

Growl! An Ping's stomach began protesting again. He scratched his head, feeling rather embarrassed.

Seeing An Ping's expression, Lin Qing laughed twice. "Look at me. Little An Ping, you were about to head out for food, weren't you? How about this? I delayed your meal, so I'll treat you to something delicious."

"Uncle Lin has taken such good care of me. Now that you're leaving, I should be the one treating you."

"You're just a child and have no income. Save the little money Uncle An left you. I said I'm treating, so I'm treating." Lin Qing made the decision firmly, then took An Ping out with him.

At a restaurant, the two sat down. Lin Qing ordered first, then chatted while they waited for the food. "Little An Ping, you've awakened your Martial Soul, right? What kind of Martial Soul is it? What level is your Innate Soul Power?"

"It's a book. My Innate Soul Power is level six," An Ping answered.

"Oh, a book. That suits you quite well. Your Innate Soul Power is pretty high. You'll definitely become a powerful Soul Master in the future."

After that came another round of questions and answers, mostly about how things had been at school lately, whether anyone had bullied him, and whether he had any difficulties.

As they talked, time passed little by little. The waiter brought out the dishes, and Lin Qing ordered wine and a drink as well. Naturally, the drink was for An Ping.

Lin Qing opened the drink and poured An Ping a glass, then poured himself some wine. Seeing this, An Ping raised his drink in a toast. "Uncle Lin, thank you for taking care of me all these years. Now that you're leaving, I'll use this drink in place of wine. I wish you smooth sailing and a bright future."

Seeing An Ping act like that, Lin Qing raised his wine, clinked glasses with him, and downed it in one gulp. "You may be small, but you're quite the clever one."

With a sigh, he continued, "Come to think of it, Little An Ping, you never had your parents to care for you growing up, and now Uncle An has left too. You need to take good care of yourself from now on. If anything happens, remember to contact me..."

After another bout of nagging, An Ping said, "Thank you for your concern, Uncle Lin. I can take care of myself."

"Yes, yes. Our Little An Ping has always been sensible. You can definitely take care of yourself. Hurry and eat, or the food will get cold." Lin Qing sighed inwardly. This child was so mature that it made his heart ache.

On the way back after dinner, perhaps because he had drunk some wine, or perhaps because the emotions stirred by a long separation from someone familiar had affected him, Lin Qing became even more talkative. Most of it was about telling An Ping to take care of himself. Knowing it came from concern, An Ping agreed to each reminder.