Gluttonous Constitution?

As the last few children trudged out of the Awakening Hall with their heads hanging, the parents waiting outside hurried forward. Some took their children by the hand, while others simply grabbed them by the collar, and the crowd made its way home in a grand procession.

Along the way, Lin Xuan's name became the "standard answer" parents used to lecture their children. Scoldings and the aggrieved cries of children rose one after another.

"Look at Lin Xuan! He trained day after day for three years, and now he's awakened Third-Rank Soul Power. What about you? You haven't even seen a trace of soul power!

"Starting tomorrow, you'll go up the mountain before dawn every day and supervise your younger brother's running laps. If you can't make it, then help your younger brother make it. No slacking off!"

"When I told you to train with Lin Xuan, you kept saying it was too tiring. Now you know the difference, don't you?

"Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance of awakening soul power, you should've fought for it. What a waste!"

"When we get home, I'm throwing out all the toys you and your sister have!

"From now on, aside from eating and sleeping, you'll spend all your time supervising your sister's training. If she still can't awaken soul power in a couple of years, just wait for the whip!"

The parents of the children who had yet to awaken their Martial Souls were all fired up, determined to make their own children follow Lin Xuan's example. After all, he was a living, breathing "success story."

Those without children decided they would go home and have one, then temper them from a young age.

If training really could awaken soul power, they would hit the jackpot. Listening to the voices gradually fade away, Lin Xuan shook his head helplessly. He had never expected to become the village's "inspirational role model."

He only hoped those children would not end up hating him.

At that moment, Lin Xuan was gripped by a sudden wave of hunger.

His stomach felt utterly empty, as though it had been hollowed out. He was so hungry that his vision swam, worse than after running ten kilometers.

He frowned, thinking that awakening his Martial Soul had probably consumed too much energy. After all, energy had to be conserved; the manifestation of soul power and a Martial Soul needed energy to sustain it.

Fortunately, it was nearly noon, so he should not have to stay hungry for long.

Sure enough, before long, the doors of the Awakening Hall opened again, and Su Yuntao came out with Tang San.

Unconcealed regret covered Su Yuntao's face as he muttered under his breath, his expression as bitter as though he had eaten gall.

He could not have felt more depressed.

Out of nine children, three had awakened Blue Silver Grass Martial Souls!

One had no soul power, one had Third-Rank Innate Soul Power, and the other was even more outrageous—Innate Full Soul Power! Sacred Soul Village might as well rename itself "Blue Silver Village"!

Such outstanding talent paired with a Waste Spirit like Blue Silver Grass was simply a tragic waste. It pained him terribly.

Su Yuntao could still accept Lin Xuan's Third-Rank Blue Silver Grass, but Tang San's Tenth-Rank Blue Silver Grass truly shattered his composure.

"Master Su Yuntao! You're out!"

Old Jack spotted the Martial Soul Awakening Certificates in their hands at once. The wrinkles on his face bloomed with laughter, and his voice was filled with excitement.

"Who would've thought it? Our Sacred Soul Village produced two children with soul power at once! Our ancestors have truly blessed us!"

He had already begun making plans in his heart.

The village's Work-Study Student slot had to go to Lin Xuan. After all, Lin Xuan was descended from the native residents of Sacred Soul Village, with deep roots and a proper background. He deserved preferential treatment.

As for Tang San, he could borrow a slot from a neighboring village. Su Yuntao had said that no other villages had awakened any children with soul power, so it should not be difficult to ask.

Thinking of this, Old Jack felt even prouder.

As expected of a village that had once produced a Soul Saint—it was simply different! Once he returned, he would definitely burn two sticks of incense before the stone monument at the village entrance and pay proper respects.

"Old Jack, you truly should be congratulated."

Su Yuntao sighed and spoke in a complicated tone.

"Especially this child named Tang San. Innate Full Soul Power is a talent seen only once in a hundred years.

"Unfortunately, both children have Blue Silver Grass Waste Spirits. What a pity."

"Th-this..." The smile on Old Jack's face froze instantly, as though a basin of cold water had been poured over his heart.

If even a Soul Master like him called them Waste Spirits, then there was no doubt about it. Old Jack's soaring spirits immediately sank considerably.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Old Jack warmly invited Su Yuntao to stay for a meal, but Su Yuntao politely declined.

He still had to hurry to the next village, so he took his leave in haste and vanished down the small road at the village entrance, truly "not taking a single cloud with him."

Watching Su Yuntao's receding back, Old Jack took a deep breath and suppressed the disappointment in his heart. He turned to Lin Xuan and Tang San with a kindly smile.

"Xiao Xuan, Xiao San, don't take it to heart. Although your Martial Souls are Blue Silver Grass, you awakened soul power at least. You can become Soul Masters, and that already makes you far stronger than us ordinary people!

"Grandpa promises you that, no matter what, I'll send you both to Soul Master Academy to study!"

"Thank You, Village Chief Grandpa."

Tang San nodded. His gaze casually swept over Lin Xuan, and a trace of high and mighty indifference remained in his eyes.

They both had Blue Silver Grass Martial Souls, but he possessed Innate Full Soul Power while Lin Xuan had only Third-Rank Soul Power. The gap between them was more than enough for him to look down on the other boy.

Meanwhile, Lin Xuan had his head lowered, both arms wrapped tightly around his stomach, looking utterly distraught.

Seeing this, Tang San felt even more smug—apparently, Lin Xuan had been struck by the blow of his talent. Well, that made sense. Compared to Innate Full Soul Power, Third-Rank Soul Power truly was not worth mentioning.

But how could he know that Lin Xuan was not discouraged at all? He was simply so hungry that he was about to collapse!

The hunger grew more intense, as though countless little hands were scratching inside his stomach. His mind was filled with steamed buns, chicken meat, eggs...

He even began to wonder whether he had awakened some kind of Evil Soul Master constitution. But aside from being purely hungry, he had no particular interest in anything else.

Nor did he feel any urge to eat people.

"Alright, Xiao San, go home first and tell your father the good news."

Old Jack patted Tang San's head and spoke gently.

"Grandpa wants to have a few words with Xiao Xuan."

"Mm." Tang San nodded, putting on an obedient act before turning and jogging away.

He knew that Old Jack most likely wanted to comfort Lin Xuan. After all, the gap between Third-Rank Soul Power and Innate Full Soul Power was right there.

He could not wait to get home and tell Tang Hao the news. Perhaps it would make his father, who drank himself into a stupor every day, a little happier.

Only after Tang San had gone far away did Old Jack take Lin Xuan's hand and speak earnestly.

"Xiao Xuan, Grandpa knows you might be feeling upset. Xiao San has Innate Full Soul Power, and your talent truly can't compare to his.

"But don't lose heart. You're one of our village's own children, and Grandpa will definitely take good care of you.

"I've saved the village's Work-Study Student slot for you. As for your family's fields and poultry, Grandpa will arrange for someone to help take care of them. Just prepare with peace of mind, then go study hard at Nuoding Academy in three months.

"It's fine if your talent is a little lacking. If you can't make it outside in the future, come back to the village. Grandpa will support you."

"Huh?" Lin Xuan froze for a moment before realizing that Old Jack had misunderstood.

Still, he could not be bothered to explain. This was the perfect excuse to hurry home and eat.

"Thank you, Village Chief Grandpa. Don't worry, I'm fine."

Lin Xuan raised his head, forcing out a touched expression. After bowing slightly in thanks, he turned and dashed off like a gust of wind.

"I still have things to do at home, so I'm heading back first!"

Three years of morning runs had not been for nothing. He was astonishingly fast, vanishing from Old Jack's sight in the blink of an eye.

"This child, he's clearly hurting inside, yet he's still forcing himself to endure it."

Old Jack watched Lin Xuan's back view and sighed helplessly. Leaning on his cane, he slowly made his way toward Tang San's Home.

Tang San was also a child from the village who had awakened soul power. He had to go check on him and, while he was at it, discuss the Work-Study Student slots with Tang Hao.

Meanwhile, Lin Xuan sprinted all the way home. The moment he pushed open the door, he headed straight for the kitchen. Every morning, he prepared the day's staple food in advance to save himself the trouble. At the moment, a large bowl of cold steamed buns still sat in the cupboard, each one generously made and as large as a fist.

He did not care whether the buns were cold or likely to choke him. He grabbed one and stuffed it into his mouth, gulping down cold boiled water as he wolfed it down.

After seven huge steamed buns went into his stomach, he finally felt a trace of fullness. Yet the hunger had not completely vanished—it had merely eased a little.

"No way, can I really eat this much?" Lin Xuan's mouth twitched. He was both shocked and a little excited.

"Could it be that what I awakened wasn't Blue Silver Grass, but the Taotie Martial Soul? Or is this my Golden Finger?"

He could not help imagining it. If he really had a Gluttonous Constitution, would he no longer have to worry about lacking energy during cultivation? But now was not the time to think about that. He needed to fill his stomach first.

Lin Xuan's gaze fell on the dozen or so chickens in the yard, his eyes growing a little heated.

But he quickly shook his head.

There were still three months until school began. Those chickens laid eggs every day and were an important source of protein. If he slaughtered and ate them now, there would be nothing to replenish later. He could not just consume everything without replacing it.

Helplessly, he could only roll up his sleeves and start kneading dough to steam buns.

This time, he deliberately used extra flour. Kneading, proofing, steaming—the entire process was incredibly practiced.

He wanted to see just how much he could eat. It would be a joke if he ended up unable to afford to feed even himself.

Meanwhile, Tang San had already returned to the Blacksmith Shop.

He pushed open the door and saw Tang Hao still lying on the broken bed in the corner, reeking of alcohol and sleeping heavily.

"Dad, I awakened my Martial Soul!"

Tang San walked to the bedside, unable to hide his excitement. "

I awakened the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, and I have Innate Full Soul Power! Even Master Su Yuntao praised my talent!"

He had originally thought Tang Hao would show at least a hint of surprise or gratification, but Tang Hao merely rolled over and waved his hand impatiently.

"I know."

The smile on Tang San's face froze, and he felt somewhat disappointed.

He knew his father had always been cold toward him, but he had not expected him to react this way even after learning that he had awakened Innate Full Soul Power.

After hesitating for a moment, Tang San gritted his teeth and slowly raised his left hand.

A flash of black light appeared, and a small, exquisite hammer materialized in his palm. Its hammerhead was pitch black and carried a faint pressure.

It was his Second Martial Soul—the Clear Sky Hammer!

He knew this hammer was his true trump card, but if it could draw his father's attention, he was willing to reveal it.

He was certain that once his father saw this hammer, he would react.

After all, Master Su Yuntao had said that each person could only possess one Martial Soul, yet he had two. That surely meant he was extraordinary.

Sure enough, the instant the Clear Sky Hammer appeared, Tang Hao's half-asleep eyes snapped open. A sharp glint flashed through his murky gaze as he stared fixedly at the hammer in Tang San's palm. The smell of alcohol around him seemed to dissipate by more than half in an instant.

"This... this is..."

Tang Hao's voice trembled slightly, and his expression was incomparably complicated—there was shock, relief, and a trace of pain that was hard to detect.

Seeing his father's reaction, Tang San finally breathed a sigh of relief. He knew he had made the right bet.

Meanwhile, Lin Xuan was still "battling" Steamed Buns in the kitchen.

A pot of piping-hot steamed buns had just come out of the steamer. He eagerly picked one up and took a bite. The soft bun melted in his mouth, filling him with happiness.

As he ate, he calculated.

He wanted to see just how enormous his appetite could become.