"Got it!"
After some thought.
Yao Chuan's eyes lit up, and he slapped the table.
Na'er, who had been quietly eating snacks beside him, jumped in fright and stared at him blankly.
"It's nothing, Na'er. Go to sleep. I just thought of something."
Yao Chuan explained as he headed toward the study.
As he walked, he started plotting things out in his mind again.
"God King Tang loves hiding in the shadows, pretending to be some mysterious old grandpa who points the way and hoodwinks little kids."
"Fine, then. Before he can 'show himself,' I'll completely ruin that image of his! I'll write him as the remnant soul of an evil, scheming Evil Soul Master."
"Let's see him put on an act then!"
The more Yao Chuan thought about it, the more he felt this was a solid plan.
He rushed to the desk, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
He spread out some manuscript paper and picked up a pen.
He took a deep breath and, in a flourish, wrote four large characters at the very top of the page—Soul Breaking the Firmament!
That's right, the famous other half of the Double Dou.
Of course, he wasn't going to copy it wholesale. He just planned to borrow the framework and immense appeal of Battle Through the Heavens, a top-tier wish-fulfillment novel.
Then he'd make a few "creative alterations" to the most crucial character in the story: Yao Lao, the "old grandpa."
He'd turn Yao Lao, originally a mentor and friend, into a supervillain who seemed righteous on the surface but concealed wicked intentions, scheming against the protagonist from beginning to end!
As for his name, he'd call him "Old Tang." A little play on the sound of the name.
He'd also change the entire core plot.
It would be about a genius young man named Xiao Yan who, after suffering a setback, unexpectedly became entangled with a remnant soul calling himself "Old Tang."
Old Tang would act like a kind, kindly elder, constantly guiding Xiao Yan and helping him grow stronger. He'd also claim that Xiao Yan had an "Ancient Divine Beast Seal" inside him, and that breaking it would grant him power capable of destroying heaven and earth.
With Old Tang's "help," Xiao Yan really would grow stronger, step by step.
But in the end, Xiao Yan would rely on his own wits and resilience to see through Old Tang's shocking conspiracy.
As it turned out, the so-called "Divine Beast Seal" wasn't a gift at all. It was a shackle sealing the true essence of Old Tang's soul!
With each layer of the seal undone, Old Tang's evil will would eat away at a part of Xiao Yan's soul. Once every seal had been broken, Xiao Yan would become the perfect vessel for Old Tang's resurrection!
His soul would be completely devoured and erased!
At the end, Xiao Yan would awaken just as Old Tang was about to complete his possession. Relying on his powerful will, the protagonist's plot armor, and his own wisdom and courage, he'd turn the tables when all seemed lost.
He'd foil Old Tang's plot and completely destroy the remnant soul of this evil Evil Soul Master!
When Yao Chuan had written this far, he set down his pen, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips.
This was exactly the effect he wanted.
He'd use the huge appeal of Battle Through the Heavens and the familiar wish-fulfillment formula to ensure the story spread far and wide and drew readers in.
He was even willing to pay for it himself and find a way to publish this "heavily altered" story.
He had only one goal.
While Tang Wulin was still an innocent little kid, he'd fill his ears with the story and imprint it on his mind.
Deep in his heart, he'd plant a seed.
A seed of deep wariness and suspicion toward "old grandpas in rings" and "mysterious voices inside the body"!
Then, one day in the future—
When God King Tang really projected that wisp of his divine consciousness, ready to patiently coax Tang Wulin and play the role of his "dear old dad,"
the first thing to pop into Tang Wulin's mind definitely wouldn't be gratitude and filial affection.
It would be—"What the hell?! Old Tang? Old Tang? Aren't those basically the same? Could this Old Tang also be the remnant soul of an Evil Soul Master, trying to possess me?"
Once that first impression took root,
it would be harder than climbing to heaven for God King Tang to build any kind of foundation of trust based on "deep father-son affection."
Without trust, the foundation would crumble.
That would give Tang Yao Chuan a lot more room to make his next move.
Even if he couldn't get the Golden Dragon King to work for him,
at least he'd tie up God King Tang's hands early on...
buying Yao Chuan precious time to grow.
That was enough.
After all, his Martial Soul meant he was destined to be unable to coexist peacefully with Buddha Tang.
There could only be one God King, damn it!
As Yao Chuan thought it over, he felt the plan had an excellent chance of success, especially since it wouldn't cost him anything.
So he immediately bent over his desk and started writing furiously.
But he'd barely finished two pages when he felt his brain starting to give out.
He stood up and stretched.
That was when he realized writing a novel wasn't something you could do just by winging it.
It took too much out of you.
Yao Chuan left the study to stretch his limbs.
At a glance, he spotted Mu Xi sitting on the living room sofa.
The girl's head drooped. She looked down in the dumps, limp as a frostbitten eggplant.
Yao Chuan walked over and asked with concern, "Mu Xi, what's wrong? Who upset you?"
Mu Xi looked up at him, her expression complicated.
Her lips moved as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, she stayed silent.
Seeing her like that, Yao Chuan could more or less guess what was going on.
He'd been a little too close to Na'er during the day, and the girl had probably worked herself into a knot over it.
He shook his head helplessly.
Mu Xi usually seemed quite mature, but at the end of the day, she was still only a girl of ten or so.
She was sensitive and easily troubled by things.
Yao Chuan began to puzzle over it.
He definitely couldn't tell Mu Xi that Na'er was the Silver Dragon King.
And explaining that he'd gotten close to Na'er to "build up goodwill" and leave himself a way out?
That was even worse. It was too complicated, and it sounded weird.
He needed to find a way to distract her.
Just then, his gaze swept over the stack of manuscript pages on the desk, with their story only just begun.
Yao Chuan's eyes lit up.
Got it!
He moved closer to Mu Xi, plastering on an ingratiating smile. "Mu Xi, there's actually something I need your help with."
Mu Xi looked at him in confusion. "Help with what?"
Yao Chuan nodded repeatedly and pointed toward the study. "Yeah. I just wrote the opening to a story, but it's too slow going on my own, and I'm stuck on what comes next. How about this? I'll tell you the story, and you write it down. We can finish it together."
The moment Mu Xi heard that, her eyes went wide. "W-write a book?"
She looked utterly astonished, as if she'd heard something out of a fairy tale.
She simply couldn't connect the extraordinarily talented Yao Chuan before her—who might one day become a top Soul Master, or even a divine craftsman—with something like "writing novels."
Wouldn't that be a waste of his frightening talent for forging and his potential in cultivation?
Almost by instinct, she was about to dissuade him. "Xiao Chuan, you..."
The words had just reached her lips.
Then she met Yao Chuan's bright, dark eyes.
There was a hint of pleading in them, along with a little hope. They glittered like the eyes of a puppy waiting to be fed.
Mu Xi's heart softened at once, and she swallowed the advice that had been on the tip of her tongue.
Looking at how hopeful he seemed, she just couldn't bring herself to refuse.
She sighed softly and finally nodded. "All right."
Her voice was quiet, but she'd agreed.
Mu Xi herself had no idea that with that one little nod,
over the next few years, a strange legend would emerge on the Douluo Continent: the "evil Soul Master old grandpa," a tale that would make people turn pale at the mere mention of it.
Before you continue