Martial Soul Awakening

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

At the first light of dawn, Tang Sanmei opened her eyes as if there were an alarm clock inside her body.

Feeling the steady rhythm of breathing beside her, she turned her gaze toward Tang Yin, who was still fast asleep, her bright eyes crinkling like crescent moons.

"Brother."

Tang Sanmei was about to wake Tang Yin for their usual morning practice, but she stopped herself mid-call.

Today was the day of the Spirit Awakening, and the two had originally planned to take the day off.

Thinking of this, she intended to snuggle back into her brother's warm embrace to continue sleeping, but a clatter of objects came from the smithy, followed shortly by the rhythmic clang-clang of hammer hitting metal.

"That hateful old man!"

Tang Sanmei's expression sharpened. She rose and headed toward the smithy, her brows knitted with irritation.

No sooner had Tang Sanmei left than Tang Yin, also woken by the hammering, sat up with a scowl. He swayed as he got out of bed and headed toward the smithy as well, feeling quite puzzled.

Their cheapskate father usually slept until noon before starting his work, only to spend all his earnings on the cheapest ale before stumbling home drunk at night. It was unprecedented for him to be up this early.

On the other side.

Bang!

Tang Sanmei shoved the smithy door open, channeling a sliver of her Mysterious Heaven Skill into the push, which only made the already dilapidated door groan further under the strain.

"You're here. Just in time to work the bellows for me!"

Tang Hao didn't react to the violent entry, his hammer continuing its steady rhythm. However, the corner of his eye flicked toward the teetering door, silently gauging the strength Tang Sanmei had just displayed.

How could he have been unaware of the two siblings practicing in secret all these years?

He had once followed them to the back mountain, secretly observing their training sessions. Once he confirmed they were in no danger, he had simply let them be.

Tang Sanmei had arrived fuming, and Tang Hao's indifferent words only stoked the resentment she had harbored for years.

"Father! Are my brother and I even your biological children?"

"Hmm?" Tang Hao's hand, mid-swing, paused for a fraction of a second before he brought the hammer down again. Sparks flew, and he shot her a cold, sidelong glance.

"Why would you ask that?"

"Because all these years, you..."

Tang Sanmei stopped halfway. Feeling the chill in Tang Hao's eyes, a sudden coldness gripped her heart, forcing her to swallow the rest of her words.

Despite her years of cultivation—which she believed made her a powerhouse among ordinary people—facing Tang Hao now felt like standing before a beast ready to devour her.

Just as the tension between them reached a breaking point, a flippant voice drifted in from the doorway.

"Old man, is the sun rising from the west today? It's a rare day to see you sober, let alone hammering away at the crack of dawn!"

Tang Hao and Tang Sanmei both turned toward the entrance to see Tang Yin leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, a mocking expression on his face.

"Brother!"

Tang Sanmei, previously cowed by Tang Hao's gaze, seemed to find her backbone again. She immediately ran to Tang Yin's side and glared at Tang Hao.

Tang Hao didn't mind; his icy gaze narrowed as it settled on Tang Yin.

"It seems I've been too lenient with your upbringing these years, allowing you to be so disrespectful."

His voice was grim, and he unleashed an aura even more bone-chilling than the one he had directed at Tang Sanmei.

Beside him, Tang Sanmei turned pale, yet she stood firmly by Tang Yin's side.

Tang Yin, bearing the brunt of Tang Hao's pressure, couldn't help but shiver, goosebumps rising on his back.

Tang Yin knew full well that this cheapskate father of his was a Titled Douluo who had even entered Slaughter City and possessed a Slaughter Domain.

What he was showing now was merely the tip of the iceberg, but even that was enough to make the siblings suffer.

The old man has no sense of sportsmanship. What kind of father uses killing intent to discipline his kids? Tang Yin's own temper flared.

"Old man, I think you've been stifled for half a lifetime and decided to show off your might against your own children today!"

Though his body was struggling under the pressure, Tang Yin's face showed no fear. He didn't believe Tang Hao would actually do anything to them—at worst, it would just be a sound beating.

Knowing the plot, he understood that while these words meant nothing to others, they struck at the very heart of Tang Hao.

"You..." Tang Hao's aura vanished instantly like a receding tide. He slumped like a deflated balloon, his back hunching even further.

Tang Sanmei witnessed this, bewildered. She didn't understand the subtext of Tang Yin's words; she only knew that a single sentence from her brother had turned the once-arrogant old man into a defeated rooster.

In her eyes, Tang Yin was like a god!

"Tang Hao! Is Tang Hao here?"

Old Jack's familiar, booming voice echoed from outside the courtyard, snapping Tang Hao out of his stupor. He walked out like a hollow shell of a man.

"Looks like Old Jack is here to take us to the Spirit Awakening. Let's go!"

Tang Yin said, pulling Tang Sanmei along as they headed out.

"If it weren't for the sake of the two children, do you think I'd ever step foot in this pigsty of yours!"

Old Jack's exasperated voice could be heard from a distance. By the time the siblings reached the courtyard, they saw Old Jack lecturing Tang Hao, while Tang Hao sat on a stone stool, staring blankly into space as if he hadn't heard a word, radiating an aura of utter desolation.

Old Jack glared fiercely at Tang Hao upon seeing the siblings, then turned to Tang Yin and his sister and said, "You two must never grow up to be like your old man; he's a lost cause for the rest of his life!"

Led by Old Jack, the siblings arrived at the Martial Soul Hall in the center of the village. Of course, it was only called the Martial Soul Hall by name; in reality, it was nothing more than a slightly larger wooden house.

Just like in the original story, aside from the addition of Tang Yin, there were still eight children present for the martial soul awakening, and the siblings were the last to arrive.

The moment they appeared, the gazes of the other seven children shifted toward Tang Yin, their eyes filled with defiance and a desire to challenge him.

In this life, because of Tang Yin's existence, the children in the village did not look down on Tang Sanmei as they had in the original story.

This was because, over the years, Tang Yin had always been the "child of someone else" that their parents constantly praised.

Ignoring the expressions of these extras, Tang Yin turned his gaze toward the handsome young man standing at the front of the Martial Soul Hall—a man mocked by netizens in his past life as the "Blind Douluo."

Sayings like "Brother Tao's one word of 'trash' creates another God King" were still talked about with great relish.

Once everyone had arrived, Su Yuntao gave a brief self-introduction and began awakening the martial souls of the children present. After several rounds of awakening failed to produce a single child with soul power, his expression grew increasingly impatient.

"Blue Silver Grass? A trash martial soul. As expected, no soul power. Next."

In the blink of an eye, only the two siblings remained. Tang Sanmei glanced at Tang Yin, and after he nodded, she stepped forward to Su Yuntao.

As six streams of soul power were injected, a pale golden light brighter than the sum of all previous attempts lit up. Su Yuntao's previously impatient expression suddenly brightened, but his face fell just as quickly.

"How is it still the trash martial soul, Blue Silver Grass!"

Su Yuntao, having had his hopes dashed, couldn't help but complain before waving his hand. "Next!"

"Lord Soul Master, you haven't tested my sister's soul power yet."

Tang Yin glanced at Tang Sanmei, who was lost in disappointment, and spoke up to remind him.

"Oh, almost forgot!"

Su Yuntao looked at Tang Yin with some surprise. He had an impression of this child, mainly because the way the boy had looked at him earlier was very strange.

Because of this, the comments he had intended to make about the Blue Silver Grass died on his lips. It was just a soul power test, after all; it wouldn't take much time.

"Hiss, Innate Full Soul Power! By the grace of the Pope, Blue Silver Grass with Innate Full Soul Power!"

Su Yuntao's eyes widened as he looked at Tang Sanmei, his gaze filled with deep regret.

"What a pity that a trash martial soul is still a trash martial soul!"

Su Yuntao couldn't help but offer his critique after all, then looked toward Tang Yin. "You, the kid who reminded me just now, hurry up and get over here. Don't waste my time."

"Understood, Lord Soul Master!"

Tang Yin suppressed the corners of his mouth to keep from laughing out loud and walked into the center of the six black stones. As the six streams of soul power were injected, he felt the Mysterious Heaven Skill energy within him split into two: one surged through his entire body, while the other rushed toward his back.

This is...

Tang Yin's heart stirred. Familiar with the various settings of the original story, he had a few guesses. Suppressing his excitement, he turned his gaze toward his back.

"Wings?"

Tang Yin was stunned, his mind going blank.

Did Tang Hao take the fall, or did Ah Yin cheat?