That Grass Looks Ugly

Following the direction of Xiao Wu's finger, he looked over.

Aside from the small path leading to Notting City, there was nothing there but a patch of ordinary, barren land.

The wasteland was overgrown with the most common... foxtail grass.

"What's so special about foxtail grass?"

Li Hao looked puzzled.

He seriously suspected that this little one had just transformed and her brain hadn't fully developed yet, making everything she saw seem fresh and new.

"It's different."

Xiao Wu shook her head in his arms, her small face filled with seriousness.

"Daddy, I can feel it. The aura of that plant is very special. I've never seen it before."

Never seen it before?

Li Hao muttered to himself.

You're a hundred-thousand-year-old rabbit; you've never even seen foxtail grass?

With the Star Dou Forest being so vast, could it really be lacking this stuff?

Although he complained inwardly, looking at his daughter's big eyes filled with longing and curiosity, Li Hao couldn't bring himself to refuse.

"Fine, fine, my little ancestor."

"Daddy will take you to see it."

He sighed in resignation, holding the soft little person in his arms, and walked toward the wasteland.

The first step of his life as a stay-at-home dad: accompanying his daughter to look at grass.

Grass...

What kind of situation is this!

In the distance, the villagers had mostly dispersed, leaving only Tang San standing where he was.

His black eyes were fixed intently on Li Hao's back.

He had seen with his own eyes Li Hao carrying that girl toward the wasteland outside Holy Soul Village.

What exactly was that blood-colored halo that had flashed by just now?

And that girl...

Tang San's intuition told him that some earth-shattering change had occurred in Li Hao, and it definitely had something to do with her.

This slacker of Holy Soul Village was no longer the negligible person with low Innate Soul Power he once was.

"This world is far more dangerous than I imagined."

"My Tang Sect martial arts and my Innate Full Soul Power have not given me an absolute advantage!"

"Cultivate! I must become stronger at a faster pace!"

Tang San's gaze became incredibly sharp.

"Starting today, the cultivation time for the Mysterious Heaven Skill will be doubled!"

"No! As long as I am awake, I cannot stop for even a moment!"

He clenched his fists, turned around, and ran quickly toward his family's blacksmith shop.

On the wasteland by the river.

As the wind blew, patches of foxtail grass swayed back and forth.

Li Hao set Xiao Wu down.

The little one immediately acted like a small rabbit that had discovered a new world, moving her short legs and diving headfirst into the grass.

She leaned close to a stalk of foxtail grass, extended her fair, tender finger, and cautiously touched the furry spike.

"Daddy, it's smiling at me!"

Xiao Wu looked up and shouted to Li Hao in surprise.

Li Hao twitched the corner of his mouth.

Smiling? That was just the wind blowing.

However, the moment Xiao Wu's finger touched that stalk of foxtail grass, a cold, mechanical voice rang out in Li Hao's mind without warning!

[Detected that the host and the Soul Beast daughter are in contact with an unknown spiritual unit!]

[System function upgrading...]

[Congratulations to the host, new function unlocked: All-Things Illustrated Handbook!]

Li Hao was stunned.

All-Things Illustrated Handbook?

What kind of thing is this?

Before he could ask further, the system prompt sounded again.

[All-Things Illustrated Handbook has been activated. It can record and analyze creatures encountered by the soul beast girl, providing insight into their essence and potential value.]

[New entry unlocked: Green Bristlegrass (Common)]

[Analysis: A common grass species found everywhere. Possesses tenacious vitality, no soul power, and no special value.]

[However, in high-energy environments like the Star Dou Forest, it cannot grow due to energy exclusion effects, making it a rare species for high-level soul beasts.]

After reading the analysis, Li Hao suddenly realized.

So that was it!

It wasn't that the Green Bristlegrass was impressive, but for Xiao Wu, a homebody who had spent one hundred thousand years in the core area of the Star Dou Forest, this thing was a rarity!

So it was a case of a rich girl coming down to experience the hardships of the mortal world; no wonder she found even the roadside grass incredibly fresh.

At this moment, Xiao Wu had already happily plucked a stalk of Green Bristlegrass, holding it high like a treasure as she ran over to Li Hao.

"Daddy! This is for you!"

Xiao Wu held the Green Bristlegrass in both hands, lifting it high as if presenting a peerless treasure.

She stood on her tiptoes, tilting her fair, delicate face upward, her watery eyes filled with anticipation.

Li Hao looked at the weed in her hands, muttering to himself.

Just this?

You call this a treasure?

But when his gaze met his daughter's pure and flawless eyes, all his complaints got stuck in his throat.

Forget it.

As long as his daughter is happy.

Far from showing disdain, he solemnly crouched down to look Xiao Wu in the eye.

"Of course Daddy likes the treasure our Xiao Wu found."

Li Hao took the Green Bristlegrass, his fingers nimbly weaving through the stalks.

Soon, a slightly rough but decent-looking grass crown took shape in his hands.

"Wow!"

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up instantly, her little mouth forming an O shape.

"Daddy, you're amazing!"

Li Hao suppressed his laughter, and with a serious expression, gently placed the Green Bristlegrass crown on Xiao Wu's head.

"This is the crown for our Princess Xiao Wu. Do you like it?"

"I love it! Thank you, Daddy!"

Xiao Wu carefully touched the crown on her head, squinting her eyes in happiness, and planted a big kiss on his cheek.

Feeling the soft, warm touch on his cheek, Li Hao's heart completely melted.

Raising a daughter... it didn't seem so bad after all?

Early the next morning, Li Hao was woken up by the little one snuggling into his arms.

He opened his eyes, and the first thing that came into view was a delicate, doll-like face.

Xiao Wu was sleeping soundly, her little mouth slightly pouting, a scorpion braid scattered across the pillow, with a few strands of hair playfully sticking to her fair cheeks.

Li Hao moved his body, feeling an unprecedented sense of fullness.

Level 10 soul power really is different.

This feeling was far more efficient than the two weeks he had spent lying flat and sunbathing.

"Daddy, morning."

Xiao Wu rubbed her eyes and sat up, naturally opening her arms to ask for a hug.

Li Hao skillfully pulled her into his arms, but his mind was calculating something else.

Counting the days, today seemed to be the day Tang San was supposed to report to the Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.

Should he go take a look?

Once this thought popped up, it couldn't be suppressed.

In his past life on Blue Star, he could only watch the novels and anime through a screen.

Now that he had the chance to watch the live broadcast—in ultra-clear, uncensored 3D—it would be a waste not to go.

He would just treat it as revisiting an old haunt and watching the show.

"Xiao Wu, do you want to go to the city with Daddy?"

"The city?"

Xiao Wu's large eyes lit up instantly.

"Is it a place with lots and lots of people, and lots and lots of grass?"

Li Hao thought about the greenery in Notting City.

"There are a lot of people, but the grass... probably not as much as at the entrance of our village."

"I'll go anyway! Wherever Daddy goes, I go!"

Xiao Wu wrapped her arms around his neck, rubbing her little head against him incessantly.

"Alright, then let's set off."

Li Hao carried Xiao Wu, locked the door, and headed in the direction of Notting City.

Day one of being a dad, taking the kid on a trip, destination: Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy, to spectate the protagonist.

The entrance to the Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy was already packed with a sea of people.

Carriages and ox carts blocked the road, and parents dressed in all sorts of clothing brought their six-year-old children, their faces filled with nervousness and anticipation.

"Make way, make way! Don't block my son's path, my son has 3 levels of soul power!"

"What's 3 levels? My daughter has a beast martial soul, a Nether Wolf! She's bound to be powerful in the future!"

The noisy discussions and bragging rose and fell in waves.

Li Hao held Xiao Wu and skillfully squeezed into a corner, finding a clean rock to sit on.

This spot had an excellent view; he could see the entire registration area clearly without being crushed by the crowd.

A professional spectator's spot.

"Daddy, they're so noisy."

Xiao Wu covered her ears, her small body shrinking into Li Hao's arms.

"Don't be afraid, just watch the show."

Li Hao pulled a bright red candied hawthorn skewer from his clothes as if by magic and handed it to Xiao Wu.

The little one's attention was immediately captured; she stuck out her tongue and gave it a cautious lick, her eyes squinting in delight at the sweetness.

Li Hao, meanwhile, took his time observing the registration area.

Several long tables were set up at the academy entrance, where teachers in academy uniforms were handling the reception.

At the head was an elderly man who looked very kind, with gray hair and crystal glasses—none other than the Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy's martial soul appraisal master, Ma Xiunuo.

Just then, a small commotion rippled through the crowd.

An old man leaning on a cane, dressed simply but looking spirited, was leading a black-haired little boy as they struggled to push through the crowd.

They were here.

Li Hao focused his attention.

It was Old Jack, the village chief of Holy Soul Village, and Tang San by his side.

Tang San wore a set of old, washed-out clothes, but his back was held straight.

His young face lacked any superfluous expression, making him stand out from the other children his age who were either excited or nervous.

His deep eyes, which did not belong to a six-year-old child, were calmly surveying everything before him.

"Grandpa Jack, this is the place."

Tang San spoke, reminding the panting Old Jack.

"Good! Let Teacher Ma test you."

Old Jack wiped away his sweat and rubbed his hands nervously, more excited than he had been when he took his own wife years ago.

Li Hao watched this scene with great interest.

"Child, extend your right hand."

Ma Xiunuo said kindly.

Tang San complied, calmly extending his right hand.

Hum.

A cluster of soft blue light appeared in his palm, and immediately after, a seemingly ordinary, even somewhat frail, little blue grass lay quietly there.

"Blue Silver Grass?"

A trace of undisguised disappointment flashed across Ma Xiunuo's face.

He shook his head, feeling a bit regretful, but still followed the procedure and signaled for Tang San to test his soul power.

"Put your hand on it."

Tang San placed his hand on the blue crystal ball.

The next second.

Hum!

The entire crystal ball erupted with a dazzling blue light, so intense that everyone nearby instinctively squinted their eyes.

"Th-this is..."

The cup in Ma Xiunuo's hand clattered to the floor.

He sprang from his chair, grabbed Tang San's hand, and stared fixedly at the crystal ball that seemed ready to explode with light.

Trembling, he used every ounce of his strength to roar out the result that shocked the entire room.

"In-Innate Full Soul Power!"

"Good heavens! It's Innate Full Soul Power!"

Boom!

The entire registration area erupted into chaos.

"Did I hear that right? Innate Full Soul Power?"

"Blue Silver Grass, and it's actually Innate Full Soul Power? How is that possible!"

"What a pity, such a real pity! Why did it have to be Blue Silver Grass! If it were a tool spirit, even a sickle, the future would be limitless!"

Envy, jealousy, regret, disbelief...

The clamor of everyone's discussions merged into a massive wave of sound, enveloping Tang San and Old Jack.

Tang San remained calm, but his slightly pursed lips betrayed the turmoil within.

Watching this classic scene, Li Hao felt no ripples in his heart; in fact, he almost wanted to laugh.

Here it comes, the recreation of a legendary scene.

Ma Xiunuo's expression and lines were exactly the same as in the original work; his acting was truly on point.

Li Hao leaned leisurely against the stone, casually wiping a smudge of sugar from Xiao Wu's mouth, not forgetting to pinch her little cheek.

If you're going to watch the show, you have to look the part.

You have to be professional.

And just as the entire room was immersed in shock and regret over the Blue Silver Grass genius.

A soft, crisp child's voice rang out without warning.

It wasn't loud, yet it carried clearly to every corner of the now-quiet room.

"Daddy, that grass looks so ugly."

Xiao Wu took a bite of her candied hawthorn, her cheeks bulging.

She tilted her little head, pointed at the Blue Silver Grass in Tang San's hand, and loudly voiced her opinion.

"It's not even as pretty as the foxtail grass in front of our house!"

Swish!

The world went silent in an instant.

The noisy discussions came to an abrupt halt.

Everyone froze in place.

Hundreds of gazes shifted in unison from the genius Tang San to the little girl in the corner holding a candied hawthorn, and to the laid-back, lazy father beside her.

The air seemed to solidify at that moment.

Tang San's face, which had remained calm throughout, visibly darkened.