"Got it, got it." Huang Fei picked up his bowl and shoveled in a mouthful. "Little San, what Martial Soul do you think you'll awaken?"
Tang San thought for a moment, then answered seriously, "Probably some kind of farm tool. Dad said the Martial Souls in our family aren't much to speak of."
Huang Fei nearly lost it.
When your dad said they weren't much to speak of, he meant the Clear Sky Hammer.
The greatest weapon-type Martial Soul under heaven.
But now wasn't the time to expose him.
Huang Fei grinned, polished off his last mouthful, and set down his bowl. "Let's go."
A dozen or so children had already gathered at the village entrance, all of them six years old.
Old Jack stood at the front. Beside him was a young man in a white robe, the emblem on his chest marking him as a member of Spirit Hall.
Su Yuntao.
Huang Fei recognized him at a glance.
In the original story, this guy was just a supporting character, whose only job was to awaken the protagonist's Martial Soul.
When Huang Fei and Tang San arrived, the awakenings hadn't started yet.
"Stay behind me." Out of habit, Tang San pulled him back and stepped in front of him.
Huang Fei opened his mouth, wanting to say that he was actually much stronger than Tang San, but thought better of it and stayed quiet, taking his place behind him.
The protagonist always made a late entrance.
Su Yuntao first went through the formalities with great ceremony, introducing himself.
Then he organized the children into a line, calling them forward one by one to awaken their Martial Souls.
The first few children awakened ordinary farm tools, poultry, and the like. Most had only half a level or one level of Soul Power, and Old Jack could only sigh again and again from the sidelines.
When it was Tang San's turn, Su Yuntao told him to place his hand on the Awakening Stone.
Blue light flared.
A strand of Blue Silver Grass appeared in Tang San's palm, slender and delicate, swaying lightly in the breeze.
Su Yuntao furrowed his brow. "Blue Silver Grass, a Trash Martial Soul. What a pity."
But the next moment, his eyes flew wide open.
"Wait! This is Innate Full Soul Power?!"
Tang San was stunned too. He looked down at the Blue Silver Grass in his palm, his face full of disbelief.
Old Jack was so excited that his beard trembled. "Innate Full Soul Power? Our Holy Soul Village has produced someone with Innate Full Soul Power?!"
All the children crowded around, chattering over one another.
Surrounded by them, Tang San's expression shifted from shock to delight, then from delight to a quiet resolve.
Huang Fei stayed outside the crowd and didn't push his way in.
"Ding! Target's current cultivation: Level 10. Host's current cultivation: Level 20. Difference remains unchanged."
At the system's prompt, Huang Fei felt no change in the Soul Power inside him.
Level 20.
Still Level 20.
He didn't feel disappointed. Instead, he smiled.
Because this meant the system's rules were stable.
He only leveled up when Tang San did, and if Tang San didn't move, neither did he.
Although the awakening hadn't brought him any additional improvement,
as long as Tang San worked hard at cultivating in the future,
he could always stay ten levels above Tang San.
Wasn't that the most reliable long-term meal ticket there was?
Huang Fei leaned against a nearby tree and watched Tang San surrounded by the children, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Little San, keep working hard at your cultivation.
By the time it was Huang Fei's turn, the children had only just dispersed.
Su Yuntao was already a little tired, but still dutifully told him to place his hand on the Awakening Stone.
Huang Fei's Martial Soul had awakened long ago, but he'd come along to join in anyway.
After all, he was six now. If he skipped the awakening, it would be hard to explain later.
He could simply control his Martial Soul and summon it from within.
Pale blue light began to glow.
A strand of Blue Silver Grass appeared in Huang Fei's palm.
Su Yuntao glanced at it, instinctively about to deliver the standard line, "Blue Silver Grass, a Trash Martial Soul," but stopped short just as the words reached his lips.
This Blue Silver Grass... seemed a little different?
It was sturdier than ordinary Blue Silver Grass, with broader, thicker leaves and a straighter stalk. Its whole body shimmered with a healthy, vibrant green.
If Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was a weed plucked from the roadside, this one looked like... a carefully cultivated variety.
But that was all.
It was still Blue Silver Grass. It showed none of the signs of a mutated Martial Soul—no golden light, no flames, nothing out of the ordinary.
"Blue Silver Grass."
Su Yuntao still said the words, though his tone was uncertain. "But it's a rare specimen. Quite... sturdy."
He paused, then added, "Just don't know how much Soul Power you have."
The Awakening Stone lit up again, this time to test his Soul Power.
The light began to shine.
Brilliantly.
Su Yuntao's eyes widened a little.
The brightness was almost the same as that of the child named Tang San.
Two children with Innate Full Soul Power in a place as small as Holy Soul Village, all in one day?
He looked at the brightness, compared it against his experience, and came to a conclusion.
"Holy crap! Another Blue Silver Grass with Innate Full Soul Power?!"
Su Yuntao was dumbfounded.
What kind of good luck—and what kind of bad luck—was this?
The good news was that there were two children with Innate Full Soul Power. The bad news was that they both had the Trash Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass...
Was heaven playing a cruel joke on him?!
The Spirit Hall deacon clearly didn't realize
that the light from Innate Level 10 and Innate Level 20 Soul Power
actually looked about the same to him.
After all, he'd never seen anyone with Innate Level 20 Soul Power, and there were no records telling him how it differed from the other.
In everyone's understanding, Innate Full Soul Power meant Level 10.
That was common knowledge.
So once the light reached the level of Innate Full Soul Power, Su Yuntao's thoughts stopped there. It never occurred to him that there might be anything higher.
Huang Fei quietly let out a breath of relief.
Keep a low profile.
Definitely keep a low profile.
"Y-you mean there's another child with Innate Full Soul Power?"
Old Jack didn't know what to say anymore. Even the wrinkles on his face trembled. "Our Holy Soul Village has produced two children with Innate Full Soul Power in one day?"
The children erupted into chatter again.
"Blue Silver Grass again?"
"Why is his grass so much thicker than Tang San's?"
"It's so sturdy..."
"Why does his Blue Silver Grass have Soul Power when mine doesn't?"
"Yeah, why is the difference so huge?"
Tang San pushed his way back through the crowd and stared at the Blue Silver Grass in Huang Fei's palm for a long time before sincerely saying, "Huang Fei, your grass looks better than mine."
Huang Fei: "..."
Why did that sound so strange?
Tang San added, "And your Soul Power is full too. We're the same."
The same?
Huang Fei silently shook his head.
Not the same.
You're Level 10; I'm Level 20.
Yours is Blue Silver Grass. One day, mine will be the Blue Silver Saint Emperor.
Your hammer is the Clear Sky Hammer; mine is the Sky-Shattering Hammer.
You've only made a little progress with the Mysterious Heaven Skill; I've already mastered it.
Looking at Tang San, who was beaming beside him, Huang Fei suddenly felt a little guilty.
Little San would have to work his tail off for decades to push that "always ten levels ahead" ceiling higher, bit by bit.
And all he had to do was eat, drink, and enjoy himself while reaping the benefits.
This script really wasn't fair to Tang San.
But that was what he got for being a transmigrator.
Huang Fei patted Tang San's shoulder, his smile especially sincere. "Little San, let's work hard together from now on."
You work hard at cultivating, and I'll work hard at enjoying myself.
Tang San nodded firmly, his eyes shining. "Yeah! Together!"
Huang Fei turned to look at the distant sky, unable to suppress the curve of his lips.
This was the life.
Before you continue