Refusal!

After the Martial Soul Awakening ended, the atmosphere in Holy Soul Village felt a little different.

Two people with Innate Full Soul Power in a single day—that was a first in Old Jack's more than seventy years as village chief.

The old man was so excited that evening that he went door to door to spread the good news, wishing he could let the whole world know that Holy Soul Village had produced two geniuses.

Huang Fei's reaction was:

He rolled over and went back to sleep.

Early the next morning, Su Yuntao came knocking.

"You two little brothers, I've given it some serious thought."

Su Yuntao sat on the rickety wooden stool in Huang Fei's home, wearing an unusually solemn expression.

"You both have Innate Full Soul Power. Although the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul is a little weak in the early stages, with your talent, as long as you train steadily, you'll become at least Soul Ancestors, perhaps even Soul Kings. Spirit Hall can provide you with the best resources."

"Not going."

Huang Fei blurted out those two words almost reflexively.

Su Yuntao froze, and even Tang San beside him was stunned.

"Y-you're not even going to think about it?"

The corner of Su Yuntao's mouth twitched.

"Spirit Hall is the biggest Soul Master force on the continent. If you join, you won't have to worry about cultivation resources, expert guidance, Soul Ring Configuration—anything. Do you know how many children dream of joining Spirit Hall?"

Huang Fei leaned against the doorframe and yawned.

He knew Su Yuntao was telling the truth.

Spirit Hall really did have abundant resources. For ordinary Soul Masters, it was the best path forward.

But that was true for other people.

As far as Huang Fei was concerned, cultivation resources?

He didn't need them. Expert guidance?

He didn't need that either. Soul Ring Configuration? Even less.

All he had to do was stick with Tang San.

Wherever Tang San went, he would go. Whatever Soul Ring Tang San absorbed, he would get at the same time—and his would always be ten levels higher than Tang San's.

Why would he go suffer in a place as rigidly rule-bound as Spirit Hall?

"Brother Su Yuntao, I know you mean well."

Huang Fei spoke sincerely, but his attitude was firm. "But I'm a free spirit. I can't stand being tied down. Spirit Hall may be great, but it has too many rules. What time to get up, what time to cultivate, what time to eat, what time to sleep—they'd schedule every last thing for you. My greatest ambition in life is to wake up naturally. Do you think Spirit Hall would go along with that?"

Su Yuntao opened his mouth, wanting to say they could work something out, but when he thought of Spirit Hall's rules, he swallowed the words.

They couldn't.

Spirit Hall really wouldn't allow it.

He turned to Tang San, a final glimmer of hope in his eyes. "What about you, Tang San? Your father must want you to have a bright future, too, right?"

Tang San hesitated.

Honestly, joining Spirit Hall really was a path to a bright future.

But on the night of his Martial Soul Awakening, he had already secretly asked his father about it.

Tang Hao had just kept his head down and drunk. In the end, he'd said, "It's your life. You decide."

Deep down, Tang San also felt that something about Spirit Hall wasn't quite right.

He couldn't say what was wrong. It was just a gut feeling.

"I won't go either." Tang San shook his head. "I want to cultivate in the village for a while first. I'll decide after I've built a solid foundation."

Looking at the two children—one leaning lazily against the doorframe and yawning, the other calm-faced but resolute—Su Yuntao felt utterly helpless.

When other villages produced someone with Innate Full Soul Power, they couldn't wait to weep and beg to join Spirit Hall.

But in Holy Soul Village, two had appeared at once, and both turned him down.

"All right." Su Yuntao stood up and sighed. "Everyone has their own aspirations. I won't force you. But keep these Spirit Hall tokens. If you change your minds, you can come find me anytime."

He took two small copper tokens from his robe and handed one to each of them.

Huang Fei took his token and casually stuffed it into his pocket.

Tang San, on the other hand, carefully put his away and politely thanked him.

Su Yuntao walked to the doorway, then glanced back at the two children. A strange thought suddenly crossed his mind.

No matter how he looked at that boy Huang Fei, he didn't seem like the type to cultivate properly.

Tang San, though, was steady and diligent. Given time, he would surely amount to something.

What a shame neither would come.

He shook his head and strode away.

Watching Su Yuntao's figure disappear at the village entrance, Huang Fei stretched with a great yawn, feeling the bones throughout his body crack and pop.

"Huang Fei, you really don't plan to join Spirit Hall?" Tang San still couldn't quite understand. "It's Spirit Hall, after all."

"Xiao San, let me ask you something." Huang Fei turned around and looked at Tang San seriously. "What do you think cultivation is for?"

Tang San thought for a moment. "To become stronger. To protect the people I want to protect."

Huang Fei nodded, then shook his head. "You're not wrong, but that's what it means to you. For me, cultivation is so I won't have to cultivate."

Tang San: "..."

"You don't understand." Huang Fei patted him on the shoulder, speaking like a man with years of wisdom. "You'll get it someday."

Tang San really didn't get it.

But he knew Huang Fei had been different from the other children since childhood.

For example, while the other children were running around outside, Huang Fei could lie on the roof and watch the clouds all day.

And while the village children were competing to see who could run fastest, Huang Fei was figuring out the least tiring way to walk.

Lazy.

But in a very unique way.

That day, after Tang San returned home, the events from the original story really did unfold.

At first, Tang Hao barely paid him any attention.

Only after he saw Tang San summon the Clear Sky Hammer did he embrace him and say, "My son. My good son."

It felt as though he hadn't treated Tang San as his son at all before that.

In the days that followed, Huang Fei did not disappoint Tang San.

His daily routine was simple to the point of being outrageous.

He slept until he woke naturally, ate the meals Tang San brought him, went to the big tree at the village entrance to enjoy the shade, took an afternoon nap, woke up for dinner, and then went right back to sleep.

Sometimes Tang San returned from the mountain after gathering herbs and passed that tree. He would always find Huang Fei sprawled beneath its shade, a large lotus leaf covering his face, sleeping as though the world could end around him.

"Don't you cultivate?" Tang San finally couldn't resist asking one day.

Huang Fei lifted the lotus leaf from his face and squinted at him. "I did."

"What did you cultivate?"

"My heart."

Tang San fell silent for a moment and decided not to ask again.

He was afraid that if he kept asking, he'd lose the urge to hold back and give his neighbor a beating.

Still, Tang San didn't have much time to worry about what Huang Fei was doing.

His days were packed.

In the morning, he cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Skill. During the day, he went to the woods behind the village to practice Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon. In the evening, he continued meditating.

He vaguely felt that his Mysterious Heaven Skill was progressing much faster than his father had described for Tang Sect disciples, but he didn't think much of it. He simply assumed he was exceptionally talented.

What he didn't know was that whenever his Mysterious Heaven Skill made progress, the skill inside the body of someone sleeping beneath the big tree next door, lotus leaf over his face, flowed in sync—and at twice his speed.

One evening, after Tang San finished cultivating and returned home, he passed Huang Fei's doorway and discovered, to his surprise, that the fellow wasn't sleeping for once.

Huang Fei sat on the doorstep, a blade of foxtail grass in his hand, swaying it back and forth as if he were waiting for someone.

"Xiao San, come sit." Huang Fei patted the doorstep beside him.

Tang San walked over and sat down beside him.