Martial Soul Awakening

Three days flew by in the blink of an eye.

At dawn, Tang Sanmei opened her eyes as if she had an alarm clock inside her.

Feeling the steady breathing beside her, she turned her gaze to Tang Yin, who was still asleep, and her bright eyes narrowed into crescents.

"Brother."

Tang Sanmei was about to wake Tang Yin for their usual training, but stopped as soon as the words left her mouth.

Today was the day their Martial Souls would awaken. The two of them had planned to take the day off.

Thinking of that, she had meant to snuggle against her brother's warm embrace and go back to sleep. But from the blacksmith's shop came the clatter of objects colliding, followed shortly by the clang of hammering.

"Damn old man!"

Tang Sanmei's expression hardened. She got up and strode toward the blacksmith's shop, fury written across her face.

Tang Sanmei had barely left when the hammering woke Tang Yin, too. He sat up with an unhappy look, then rose unsteadily and headed toward the shop, puzzled.

His deadbeat father usually slept until noon before starting work at the forge. Once he finished, he spent everything on the cheapest malt liquor, then came home drunk that night. Tang Yin hadn't expected him to get up so early for once.

Meanwhile,

Bang!

Tang Sanmei shoved open the blacksmith's shop door. In her anger, she had even used a trace of her Mysterious Heaven Skill inner force, making the already dilapidated door worse than ever.

"You're here. Good. Help me work the bellows!"

Tang Hao remained unfazed by the door being violently flung open. He kept swinging the hammer, but out of the corner of his eye, he discreetly glanced at the door teetering on its hinges, getting his first clear sense of Tang Sanmei's strength.

How could he have failed to notice the siblings secretly practicing all these years?

He had once followed them to the back mountain in secret and watched them train. After making sure they weren't in any danger, he had let them be.

Tang Sanmei had already come in angry, and Tang Hao's casual words only stoked the resentment she had built up toward him over the years.

"Dad! Are my brother and I really your own children?"

"Hm?" Tang Hao's raised hammer paused briefly before he brought it down again, sending sparks flying. Then he shot her a cold glance.

"Why would you ask that?"

"Because all these years, you..."

Tang Sanmei stopped halfway through. When she felt the chill in Tang Hao's eyes, a sudden coldness gripped her heart, and she had to swallow the rest of her words.

After all these years of training, she considered herself strong among ordinary people. But facing Tang Hao now, she felt as if she stood before a ferocious beast ready to devour her.

Just as the two were locked in a standoff, a flippant voice came from the doorway.

"Old man, did the sun rise in the west today? You're actually sober for once, and hammering away this early!"

Tang Hao and Tang Sanmei both looked toward the door. Tang Yin stood there with his arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe, his face full of mockery.

"Brother!"

Tang Sanmei, who had been cowed by Tang Hao's gaze, seemed to have found her anchor. She immediately ran to Tang Yin's side and glared at Tang Hao.

Tang Hao paid her no mind. His icy gaze settled on Tang Yin, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Seems I've been too lax with you two all these years. You've forgotten your manners."

His voice was chilling, and an even more bone-piercing pressure than before surged toward Tang Yin.

Tang Sanmei's face turned deathly pale, but she still stood firmly beside Tang Yin.

Tang Yin, who was facing Tang Hao's pressure head-on, shuddered despite himself, his back breaking out in goosebumps.

Tang Yin knew that his deadbeat father was a Titled Douluo who had even entered Slaughter City and possessed the Slaughter Domain.

What he was showing now was only the tip of the iceberg, but even that was enough to make life miserable for the siblings.

The old bastard had no sense of fair play. What kind of father used killing intent to discipline his kids? The thought made Tang Yin's temper flare, too.

"Old man, you've spent half your life choking on your own misery, and today you finally find some backbone—by throwing your weight around with us siblings!"

Tang Yin's body felt awful, but his expression showed no fear. He didn't believe Tang Hao would actually do anything to the two of them. At worst, they'd get a beating.

As someone who knew the story inside out, he knew those words might mean little to anyone else, but every one of them struck Tang Hao right in the heart.

"You..." Tang Hao's imposing aura instantly drained away like a receding tide. He sagged like a punctured ball, his back stooping even further.

Tang Sanmei saw it all. She didn't understand what Tang Yin's words had meant, but she knew her brother had brought the all-powerful old man to heel with a single sentence, like a defeated rooster.

At that moment, Tang Yin looked like a god to her!

"Is Tang Hao there? Tang Hao!"

Old Jack's familiar booming voice came from outside the courtyard, rousing Tang Hao from his stupor. He walked out like a living corpse.

"Looks like Jack's here to take us to the Martial Soul Awakening. Let's go, too!"

As he spoke, Tang Yin led Tang Sanmei outside.

"If it weren't for you two siblings, you think I'd ever want to come to this dog kennel?"

Old Jack's furious voice could be heard from far away. When the siblings reached the courtyard, they saw him berating Tang Hao, who sat on a stone stool, lost in his own thoughts as if he couldn't hear a word. A despondent air hung over him.

Old Jack gave Tang Hao a fierce glare when he saw the siblings, then turned to them. "Whatever you do, don't follow your dad's example. He's never going to amount to anything!"

Under Old Jack's lead, the siblings arrived at the Martial Soul Hall in the center of the village. It was called a Martial Soul Hall, of course, but it was really just a slightly larger wooden house.

Just like in the original story, there were still eight children coming to awaken their Martial Souls, even with Tang Yin among them. The siblings were the last to arrive.

As soon as they appeared, the other seven children all looked toward Tang Yin, their eyes full of defiance and eagerness to test themselves against him.

In this life, with Tang Yin around, the village children didn't look down on Tang Sanmei as they had in the original story.

That was because, all these years, Tang Yin had been the "other people's kid" in the village parents' mouths.

Ignoring the looks from those nobodies, Tang Yin shifted his gaze to the handsome young man at the front of the Martial Soul Hall: the man mocked by netizens in his previous life as Blind Douluo.

Lines like "Brother Tao, one word and it's trash" and "One more god king in the family" had become famous jokes.

Once everyone had gathered, Su Yuntao gave a brief introduction and began awakening the children's Martial Souls. After several rounds without a single child possessing Soul Power, he grew increasingly impatient.

"Blue Silver Grass? A Trash Martial Soul. Just as expected, no Soul Power. Next."

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

As six streams of Soul Power flowed into the stones, a pale golden light brighter than all the earlier ones combined blazed to life. Su Yuntao's impatient expression immediately brightened, only for his face to fall again a moment later.

"Why is it still a Trash Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass?!"

Su Yuntao complained, disappointed after getting his hopes up for nothing, then waved his hand. "Next!"

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

Tang Yin glanced at Tang Sanmei, who looked dejected, and reminded him.

"Oh, I almost forgot!"

Su Yuntao looked at Tang Yin in surprise. He remembered this child, mainly because Tang Yin had given him a very strange look not long ago.

Because of that, he swallowed the comment he had been about to make about Blue Silver Grass. It would only take a moment to test the child's Soul Power, after all.

"Gasp! Innate Full Soul Power! Your Holiness, an Innate Full Soul Power Blue Silver Grass!"

Su Yuntao's eyes went wide. He looked at Tang Sanmei with deep regret in his eyes.

"But a Trash Martial Soul is still a Trash Martial Soul!"

In the end, Su Yuntao couldn't resist making a comment. Then he turned to Tang Yin. "You, the kid who reminded me just now. Hurry over here. Don't waste my time."

"Of course, Lord Soul Master!"

Tang Yin struggled to keep the corners of his mouth from rising, forcing himself not to laugh as he stepped into the center of the six black stones. Once again, six streams of Soul Power flowed into him. He felt the inner force of his Mysterious Heaven Skill divide into two streams: one spread throughout his body, while the other surged toward his back.

This was...

Tang Yin's heart stirred. Familiar with all the details of the original story, he had a few guesses. Suppressing his excitement, he turned his attention to his back.

"Wings?"

Tang Yin froze, then stared in bewilderment.

Had Tang Hao been cuckolded, or had Ah Yin cheated on him?