Ever since Tang San learned that Nan Xuan's home internet was insanely fast, he had embarked on the road of freeloading Wi-Fi, and once he started, he couldn't stop.
Each time, Nan Xuan would happen to spot Tang San while he was in a match, then make him kill himself and quit.
Every time Tang San came out, he was still shaken.
Nan Xuan felt that making Tang San kill himself every time was getting boring, so he changed the match rules. Players could no longer quit by killing themselves; they could only be killed by their opponents.
When Tang San saw those rules, his face darkened. This rule set was a stumbling block on his path to freeloading internet.
At night, Tang San lay in bed, thinking about how to die at his opponent's hands faster—in short, how to feed faster.
At noon today, while he had been in an individual match, he saw Nan Xuan walking over while yawning. He didn't want to keep making up excuses every time; at this rate, he'd run out of excuses. So, before Nan Xuan fully woke up, he wanted to kill himself and immediately quit the match.
"What's going on?" Tang San jabbed the Silver Needle in his hand into his brow and heart several times, only to find that he still hadn't left the match. He panicked.
With no other choice, he figured he had stabbed the wrong places, so he pricked himself all over.
The player opposite him watched this child mutilate himself and couldn't bear it anymore. "How about I help you?"
Tang San's eyes lit up at once. That would be great.
And so, Tang San exited the match in time, then crawled and scrambled away from the scene.
Nan Xuan watched Tang San's bedraggled appearance and smiled.
He had deliberately changed the rules in the middle of Tang San's match, because any notifications outside couldn't be seen from within the match.
"I just enjoy watching others chase thrills." Nan Xuan sneered.
Lan Yingying watched Nan Xuan return to the house, still grinning from ear to ear.
"You're already this old, yet you're still so childish." Lan Yingying said speechlessly.
"Tch, what do you know? You have no idea how fun it is to mess with him. Want to join in?" Nan Xuan said with a smile.
Lan Yingying stared at Nan Xuan in stunned disbelief, then said, "That's my son's body, after all. I'd rather not mess with him myself. It feels a little weird."
Nan Xuan thought about it and agreed. In that case, he would enjoy all the fun by himself.
That night, Tang San was still thinking about what had happened at noon. He felt that when necessary, he should fight his opponents at close range, because that would let them kill him faster.
"If that's the case, then tomorrow I need to check out close-combat martial souls. Should I try the Clear Sky Hammer? After all, there's a high chance my martial soul will be a hammer in the future." Tang San tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Thinking about what had happened that day kept him awake.
Beside him, Tang Hao watched his son fidgeting around and disrupting his sleep, and couldn't help shouting, "What the hell are you hammering around for? If you don't want to sleep, go forge some iron!"
Tang San instantly behaved himself. Sleep, sleep. He didn't want to go forge iron in the middle of the night.
"Wuwu, why does my house only have one bed?"
Early the next morning, Tang San climbed up the small hill with two dark circles under his eyes.
"Thankfully, my Purple Demon Eye can fix dark circles. Otherwise, I'd look a bit like one of Bashu's specialty animals." Tang San said thankfully.
After Tang San finished cultivating, he made porridge for the family's ancestor. With one respectful call of "Ancestor," the man came out.
Tang Hao looked at the daily porridge. If he weren't a Title Douluo, he'd probably have drunk himself into diarrhea by now.
Tang Hao gritted his teeth and downed the bowl of plain porridge, took a little liquor to cleanse his palate, then went back to lie down.
Looking at his family's situation, Tang San sighed inwardly. If I hadn't cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Skill, wouldn't I be malnourished under these conditions?
In the end, he cast aside those thoughts and forged an ideological brand into his heart. My ancestor—no, my father—is the last family I have in this world. I had no family at all in my previous life, but at least I have one in this life. I can't dislike him.
After hastily tidying up the house, Tang San used his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and rushed to the corner of Nan Xuan's wall.
"If I'd had this Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track back then, I wouldn't have needed to get vaccinated after being chased and bitten by dogs." Nan Xuan watched Tang San's bizarre footwork and sighed.
Tang San had already entered the Network World. Today, he planned to try the Clear Sky Hammer.
After choosing his martial soul, Tang San started an individual match.
"Huff, huff."
Tang San gripped the hammer's handle with some difficulty. As he watched his enemy approach from afar, he used the Mysterious Heaven Skill and Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon before barely managing to swing the Clear Sky Hammer.
"Hahaha, kid, your martial soul hasn't even awakened yet. There's no way you can swing the Clear Sky Hammer right now." As soon as the man opposite him finished speaking, he saw Tang San swing the hammer.
Though it was really just a swing. It only moved a little.
"Sigh, using the Clear Sky Hammer without undergoing martial soul awakening drains too much spiritual power. You're still so young, so I'll send you on your way." The middle-aged man didn't want these children randomly wasting their spiritual power. With a sigh, he sent a kitchen knife flying into Tang San's neck.
Tang San was killed by his opponent, then wrapped in light and sent out. Yet his hand still instinctively touched his neck.
What kind of number one tool martial soul is this? I can't even use it now. Why make a hammer this heavy? Save it to weigh down a coffin lid? Tang San couldn't help complaining inwardly.
After Tang San switched back to the Silver Needle martial soul, he started another match. Clearly, he had already mastered this Silver Needle martial soul to perfection.
Before long, he won the match.
What made Tang San happiest today wasn't actually winning the match, but that no one caught him freeloading internet. It was so peaceful and comfortable.
Nan Xuan couldn't possibly go catch Tang San freeloading internet every day. What if Tang San stopped coming?
Give him a little space, and even the slightest sense of luck could expand without limit.
During those days of freeloading internet, Tang San spent the years that would leave him with the fondest childhood memories.
In a few days, his martial soul would awaken.
Today, Nan Xuan told him that in another week, Spirit Hall would send someone to awaken their martial souls.
Tang San was puzzled as to how Nan Xuan knew.
Naturally, Nan Xuan told him, "I run a business. It's normal for me to know the timing of certain things."
When it was time to sleep that night, Tang San couldn't sleep again and tossed and turned.
But this time, Tang Hao didn't scold him, because he had achieved bed freedom. Although his father was still lying in the bed opposite him, at least they were no longer sharing one bed.
Tang San was extremely nervous about his martial soul awakening a week later. Through his understanding of this world from the Network World, he had become increasingly worried about his martial soul.
Early the next morning, after Tang San returned from cultivating, he did not first go cook for Tang Hao. Instead, he came to Nan Xuan's place.
"Uncle Nan Xuan, do you know what my mother's martial soul was?" Tang San didn't dare ask his father, but surely asking his uncle was fine.
Nan Xuan glanced at Lan Yingying and said with a smile, "Sorry, Little San, but I've never met your mother. Still, her martial soul should have been Blue Silver Grass. After all, the girls in the nearby villages all have Blue Silver Grass. Maybe your mother's martial soul was the same."
Upon hearing that, Tang San's entire face fell.
Blue Silver Grass and a blacksmith's hammer... How am I supposed to revive the Tang Sect? Do I have to get rich by selling Hidden Weaponry? Tang San roared inwardly.
Tang San, who looked very calm on the surface, thanked Nan Xuan and left.
After watching Tang San leave, Lan Yingying walked over to Nan Xuan and asked irritably, "If you wanted to say something, just say it. Why did you look at me first?"
Nan Xuan chuckled and said to Lan Yingying, "Ah, it was just a natural reaction. Don't be so petty."
"Hmph. If there's a next time, prepare your own meals." After saying that, Lan Yingying turned and left, not giving Nan Xuan any chance to explain.
Nan Xuan didn't intend to explain either. They were already so familiar with each other, so there was nothing to fear.
During that week, Tang San came to freeload internet less often. Perhaps he was worrying too much because his martial soul was about to awaken.
That day, the village chief, Old Jack, came to Tang San's door and called out, "Little San, Little San!"
"Grandpa Village Chief, what do you need me for?" Tang San asked.
Old Jack hunched his back and said, "Tomorrow at noon, Spirit Hall's deacon will come to our village to conduct the martial soul awakening ceremony for you children. Remember to gather at Spirit Hall in the village center at noon."
"Okay, Grandpa Village Chief." Tang San had already learned this news from Nan Xuan, but he still answered Old Jack politely.
Old Jack had watched Tang San grow up and knew that he was sensible, so he didn't remind him any further. Before leaving, he glanced at Tang Hao inside the wooden house and could only sigh.
"Dad, my martial soul will awaken tomorrow at noon." Tang San returned to the table and said to Tang Hao.
"Mm." Tang Hao answered in his usual deep voice. After finishing his porridge and drink, he went back to lie down.
Tang San only smiled at that.
Over the past few years, he had participated in individual matches, but his points had always hovered around 500. He simply couldn't rise any higher.
Even the Mysterious Heaven Skill he cultivated could no longer improve.
The reason he couldn't advance in the former was easy enough to understand: he simply hadn't won enough matches. Whenever he got close to 500, he lost a few rounds and had points deducted again.
That left him somewhat helpless.
As for why the Mysterious Heaven Skill couldn't advance to the second level, he still hadn't found the reason. He always felt as though there was a natural shackle within his body.
Tang San searched the Network World and found the explanation: "Without the support of a soul ring, Soul Power Level cannot increase."
Tang San could now only place his hopes on his martial soul awakening.
At noon the next day, Tang San headed to Spirit Hall in the village center. Seeing the children his own age, he stood a little farther away.
He had already been withdrawn and unsociable in his previous life. Over the past few years, he had spent all his time in the Network World, leaving him with fewer and fewer opportunities to interact with children his own age.
Before long, a deacon dressed in white arrived.
Led by the village chief, the group of children followed the white-clothed deacon into Spirit Hall.
Tang San was still the same as always, standing at the very back. After everyone else finished awakening, it was finally his turn.
Tang San was enveloped by a gentle glow. He felt the shackle within his body shatter, and the Mysterious Heaven Skill began circulating on its own.
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