Saving Enough, Anomaly

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin had been in an excited state all the way home.

Three years—three whole years. They had forged diligently every day just to save enough money to buy Soul Spirits.

Although they had calculated last month that this month's earnings should be enough, when they actually received the money, they were still overwhelmed with excitement.

Thirty thousand Federation Coins each—sixty thousand Federation Coins for the two of them!

For the wealthy class, that amount might have meant nothing at all, but for an ordinary family like Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin's, it was an enormous sum.

After working so hard for so long, they could finally become Soul Masters.

"Dad, Mom, we saved enough! Wuyang and I saved enough money to buy Soul Spirits!" Tang Wulin shouted excitedly as he dragged Tang Wuyang through the front door.

Na'er was sitting in the living room, still holding the remains of a candied hawthorn stick. "Wulin Ge, Brother, you've saved enough to buy Soul Spirits?"

"Yes, we have enough. We finally reached thirty thousand Federation Coins." Tang Wuyang nodded firmly.

The two of them rushed straight into their shared room and took their respective iron boxes from a drawer in the wardrobe.

Then, cradling the boxes like treasures, they returned to the living room. They sat on opposite sides of the room, opened the boxes, dumped all the money inside out at once, and added the cash from their pockets to the piles.

"One hundred, two hundred, three hundred... twenty-nine thousand one hundred, twenty-nine thousand two hundred... twenty-nine thousand nine hundred, thirty thousand, thirty thousand one hundred, thirty thousand two hundred, thirty thousand three hundred... thirty thousand six hundred, thirty thousand seven hundred, thirty thousand eight hundred."

"Brother, there are still eight hundred extra!"

Tang Wuyang looked happily at Tang Wulin, who nodded back at him.

Tang Wuyang counted out four hundred from the extra money and handed it to Na'er. "Na'er, this four hundred is for you to buy tasty things."

Lang Yue had already returned from work and came out of the kitchen when she heard the two children. Tang Ziran happened to be coming through the door after work as well.

Hearing the children's cheers and seeing the two piles of banknotes in the living room, both husband and wife had tears in their eyes.

These two children truly had it hard. Other children their age were still playing happily, while they had already started earning money themselves.

Lang Yue walked to her husband's side, punched his shoulder hard, then turned her head away, unwilling to let the children see her tears.

Tang Ziran patted his wife's shoulder, then walked over to his two sons with a smile. He put an arm around each of their shoulders and proudly gave them a thumbs-up. "I knew you could do it. Sons, you're amazing."

"Dad, as long as I break through to Level Ten like my brother, I can go buy a Soul Spirit with him, right?" Tang Wuyang was extremely excited as well.

"That's right. Dad will go with you then."

"No, the whole family will go. Linlin, Yangyang, you're about to become Soul Masters. Dad is proud of you."

Encouraged, Tang Wuyang climbed into bed immediately after dinner, sat cross-legged, and began Meditating.

Perhaps he was simply too excited, but Tang Wuyang could not settle into Meditation for a long time.

When he opened his eyes, he found no one beside him.

Tang Wuyang was not surprised. Instead, he quietly got out of bed.

He went to the lower bunk and tucked Na'er's blanket around her. She was always restless in her sleep, and by morning, the blanket was never covering her.

Lang Yue had previously told the two of them that after they turned ten next year, they could no longer share a room with Na'er.

At that point, this room would be given to Na'er, while they would have to sleep in the living room.

Tang Wulin had agreed quickly, while Tang Wuyang had been full of questions.

Looking at Na'er's delicate sleeping face, Tang Wuyang felt uncomfortable at the thought of sleeping apart from her.

He carefully opened the door and tiptoed out.

He wanted to find his brother and calm his own heart while he was at it.

Perhaps because his Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass, Tang Wulin always Meditated in the small park not far from home at night. He said Meditation was more effective there.

He gently closed the door and slipped out of the house without making a sound, heading straight for the small park where Tang Wulin was.

What Tang Wuyang did not know was that not long after he left, bright moonlight streamed through the window into the room and fell upon Na'er.

Under the moonlight, a faint halo emerged around Na'er. Then blue, yellow, green, red, purple, gold, and silver—seven colors—flashed in succession.

Na'er's body trembled slightly. After the seven halos flickered for a moment, they merged into her brow. Only after some time did she settle down.

The moonlight remained bright. After the halo around Na'er vanished, her petite body seemed to have grown just a tiny bit larger.

The trembling ceased, and Na'er's breathing became even again. Yet her brows remained tightly furrowed, as if she were having a bad dream.

Entering the park, Tang Wuyang saw Tang Wulin seated on the grass, already deep in Meditation. He did not go over and disturb him.

As the gentle night breeze brushed over him, Tang Wuyang's previously restless heart suddenly calmed.

As though guided by some unseen force, he sat down on the grass not far from Tang Wulin and gradually entered Meditation.

As the Qilin Phantom appeared behind Tang Wuyang, countless specks of light gathered from every direction and silently entered his body.

A closer look would reveal that the specks came in seven colors: red, blue, yellow, cyan, gold, black, and silver. Each represented a different element, with the blue and cyan specks clearly more numerous than the others.

Tang Wuyang felt as though he had arrived in a seven-colored ocean. Countless elemental particles, like tiny sprites, surrounded him.

The specks gradually gathered into several seven-colored ribbons that softly wrapped around Tang Wuyang's body. At the same time, the warm current formed by Soul Power in his Dantian spread outward.

In Tang Wuyang's perception, everything about him seemed to have turned seven-colored. Every cell in his body was immersed in an ocean of elements.

What Tang Wuyang himself did not see was that faint golden patterns had appeared on his forehead.

The patterns were still like before, spreading downward in a web-like formation from head to toe before slowly retracting.

Sitting there, Tang Wuyang was like a source of light, seven colors and light gold flashing alternately.

Not far away, Tang Wulin seemed to be drawn by something. The palms resting on his knees opened unconsciously, and Blue Silver Grass and the Holy Dragon Spear emerged.

At the same time, Blue Silver Grass continuously sprouted from the grass around him.

As the Blue Silver Grass swayed in the wind, pale blue specks drifted out from it. Mixed with the silver-gray specks in the air, they all entered Tang Wulin's body.

Before dawn.

"Linlin, Yangyang, Linlin, Yangyang..."

Lang Yue's anxious calls echoed through the silent streets.

The two figures sitting cross-legged in the small garden trembled at the same time and woke from Meditation without prior agreement.

Dew had soaked their clothes, but Tang Wuyang felt an indescribable clarity throughout his body. Not far away, Tang Wulin had also gained a deeper understanding of his Martial Soul.

Hearing Lang Yue call out, Tang Wuyang hurriedly shouted back, "Mom, we're here."

Tang Wulin had already risen to his feet and come to Tang Wuyang's side.

Tang Wuyang took Tang Wulin's outstretched hand, used it to pull himself up, and brushed grass scraps from his pants.

The brothers ran out together, calling for their mother as they went.

"Why did you two run out here? You scared me to death." Seeing that her sons were safe and sound, Lang Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mom, we're sorry. My brother and I were Meditating in the small garden just now."

"Oh, right, Mom, I think I broke through to Level Ten."

Though Tang Wuyang could not be certain yet, the changes in his body and the feeling within him both told him that his Soul Power had likely broken through.

"And me too. I feel like my connection with Blue Silver Grass has become closer." Tang Wulin spoke of his own gains with a delighted expression.

Lang Yue looked at her two sons, who had already grown as tall as her shoulders, and could not help spacing out.

Though they were both still damp, they looked at her with bright, spirited eyes.

"To Mom, your safety is what matters most. Come on, let's go home. Mom will make you breakfast."

Lang Yue kissed each son on the forehead, took one hand in each of hers, and headed toward home.

"You broke through?"

When Tang Ziran learned that his younger son might have reached Level Ten as well, he was naturally happy for him.

"Since you think you've broken through, go to the academy for a test today."

"If you really reached Level Ten, you can go buy a Soul Spirit with Linlin tomorrow."

"Mm!" Tang Wuyang nodded happily.

"Na'er, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?" Amid his happiness, Tang Wuyang suddenly noticed that Na'er seemed somewhat off today.

Normally, as soon as breakfast was ready, she would have started eating eagerly. But today, she merely sat there blankly, not touching her chopsticks at all.

"Huh? I'm fine, Brother. Congratulations!" Na'er seemed to suddenly come back to herself. She gave Tang Wuyang a sweet smile before finally beginning to eat breakfast.

Tang Wuyang could clearly sense that Na'er was in low spirits. Thinking she was upset because she did not have a Martial Soul, he did not ask further.

The facts proved that Tang Wuyang's intuition had been correct.

When he arrived at the academy, he told Lin Ximeng that he might have broken through and underwent a Soul Power Test under her guidance.

The device showed that he had indeed reached Level Ten.

Every time a Soul Master's cultivation reached a whole-number level ending in ten, a Soul Ring had to be obtained to break through. Only after absorbing a Soul Ring could one continue increasing Soul Power.

Soul Rings could be obtained by hunting Soul Beasts, but Soul Beasts were now scarce. Therefore, more people chose the Soul Spirits produced by the Spirit Pagoda.

Tang Wuyang became the eighth person in the class to reach Level Ten. Now, he only needed to obtain a Soul Ring and cross the Level Ten threshold to truly step onto the path of a Soul Master.

As for why he was the eighth, it was naturally because the seventh person to reach Level Ten was Tang Wulin, who had gotten there before him.

"Tang Wuyang, you need to have your family take you to the Spirit Pagoda to buy a Soul Spirit as soon as possible. Once you fuse with a Soul Spirit, you'll become a true Soul Master."

"Official Soul Masters receive a monthly subsidy of one thousand Federation Coins."

"Also, remind your brother. He reached Level Ten several days ago, so he needs to buy a Soul Spirit as soon as possible too."

"Once you advance, the subsidies you receive from the Federation will be enough to cover your tuition at the Intermediate Academy." Lin Ximeng gave her earnest instructions.

Tang Wuyang nodded with a smile. "Teacher Lin, my brother and I have already saved enough money to buy Soul Spirits. We're going tomorrow."

Lin Ximeng smiled and nodded. "Good. Tomorrow, Teacher will request leave for both you brothers. I hope you each obtain a Soul Spirit that satisfies you."

"Thank you, Teacher."

Becoming a Soul Master meant receiving subsidies, and the Intermediate Academy was compulsory education. The monthly Soul Master subsidies would be enough to cover their regular living expenses.

With those subsidies, when they left Aolai City for the Intermediate Academy, Dad and Mom would no longer need to support us. They said that if we cultivated to an even higher stage, we could receive even more subsidies!

Thinking of the bright future ahead, Tang Wuyang looked forward to it immensely.

Although he was excited, after school Tang Wuyang took Na'er home and still went with Tang Wulin to Mang Tian's Workshop. Only after completing that day's Forging Task did they return home.

Tang Ziran received the academy's notice right away. He also arranged to take leave the next day, preparing to bring the two children to buy Soul Spirits.

Lang Yue had wanted to go too, but work was too busy and she could not get leave.

After returning home, the brothers prepared to help in the kitchen as usual.

However, when Tang Wuyang saw Na'er sitting on the sofa, he changed direction. He had Tang Wulin go ahead while he headed into the living room.

"Na'er, why have you been spacing out all day?"

Tang Wuyang sat beside Na'er and looked at her in confusion. "Is it because of your Martial Soul? It's okay. Even if you don't have a Martial Soul, Brother will always protect you." As he spoke, he raised a hand and rubbed her little head.

Na'er looked up at Tang Wuyang. A trace of strange light shone in her clear purple eyes. "Brother, after dinner, can you take a walk by the sea with me?"

Tang Wuyang turned to Tang Ziran as if asking for permission.

"Go ahead. Be careful and come back early." Tang Ziran nodded in agreement.

Although Aolai City was marked as a city on maps, it was actually only a somewhat larger town.

The Tang Family's home in the Civilian District was very close to the sea. A few minutes' walk from their door would bring them to the beach.

This beach was not particularly beautiful. It did not have fine sand, only more gravel and broken shells.

It was said that humanity's excessive hunting of Soul Beasts in the sea had provoked nature's wrath.

The two children sat close together on the beach facing the sea. Na'er rested her head against Tang Wuyang's shoulder, looked out at the sea, then raised her head to gaze at the starry sky. "Brother, there are so many stars tonight!"

Tang Wuyang smiled. "Yeah! Maybe they've come to celebrate because my brother and I are about to become Soul Masters."

"Na'er, why have you been so unhappy today? Are you sad because you can't become a Soul Master?"

Na'er denied it. "No."

She fell silent for a moment, then pulled Tang Wuyang to his feet and looked into his eyes. "Brother, if one day I leave, will you miss me?"

Tang Wuyang froze. "Huh? Why would you leave? Did you remember something?"

Na'er pouted sweetly. "I'm just saying, if!"

Tang Wuyang hugged Na'er and whispered in her ear, "I would. Of course I would. Na'er is my little sister, after all!"

"Hmm? Na'er, did you grow a little taller?" As he spoke, he reached out to measure her height.

A mist formed in Na'er's eyes. She hugged Tang Wuyang tightly and said, "I'll miss you very, very much too." Her little head rubbed against his shoulder.

Tang Wuyang hugged Na'er back. "If we're together every day, then we won't miss each other. Once my brother and I get into the Intermediate Academy, we'll talk to Dad and Mom. After you graduate, you can come to the same city too, and then we can go to school together again."

Na'er silently held Tang Wuyang as different emotions continued flickering in her eyes.