After bidding farewell to Meng Yiran, who had been reluctant to part, Gu Tian and Gu Yue returned to the familiar Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.
As he pushed open the door, a faint scent of lilies mingled with the fresh air and washed over him. That feeling of home instantly loosened the tension in Gu Tian's nerves after a week of trekking through the forest.
Xiao Wu was sitting on the wide fabric sofa, pulling Na'er close beside her. An exquisite picture book lay open in front of them. At the sound of the door opening, both girls looked up almost in unison, their eyes instantly lighting up with delight.
"Brother Gu Tian, you're back!" Na'er cried, flitting into his arms like a light-footed fledgling. Her silver hair traced an elegant arc through the air, and a faint fragrance drifted into Gu Tian's nose.
Xiao Wu came over too. Though her movements weren't as exuberant as Na'er's, she naturally took hold of Gu Tian's other arm. Her soft pink rabbit ears bobbed playfully as her ruby-red eyes darted about. "Was the Soul Hunting Forest fun? I heard a gorgeous girl named Meng Yiran got all clingy with you!"
Gu Tian awkwardly rubbed his nose, then slipped an arm around Xiao Wu's slender waist. "We were delayed a little and had to deal with some unexpected trouble. But we still managed to help Meng Yiran hunt that 422-year-old Mandala Snake and give her the opportunity she was meant to have. It wasn't as dramatic as you think."
Gu Yue followed behind them and casually shut the door. Her beautiful, aloof face remained expressionless, but when her gaze passed over Xiao Wu and Na'er, it softened in a way rarely seen.
Xiao Wu watched Gu Tian's eyes. There was no guilt or deception in those clear eyes, which put her in a great mood. She had no intention of telling Gu Tian that Tang San had come over that afternoon like a stray dog, trying to drive a wedge between them with some lousy excuse about Gu Tian flirting with Meng Yiran.
In Xiao Wu's eyes, Tang San's antics were beneath even polishing Gu Tian's shoes. Bringing it up would only spoil the warmth of their reunion. Better to let it pass like a fart than annoy Gu Tian with it.
"It's good you're back. Sister Gu Yue, you've worked hard too. I'll get you all some water." Xiao Wu smiled sweetly at Gu Yue.
They gathered together and shared what they'd been up to over the past few days. Na'er was still complaining that the cafeteria food had been awful these past two days, while Gu Tian laughed and promised to take them into the city for a feast tomorrow. Laughter filled the apartment, shutting out all the turmoil beyond its walls.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Nuoding City, the streets had grown quiet, with few pedestrians left.
Tang San was walking alone along the flagstone road to the Martial Soul Branch Hall. Feeling the heavy, solid power in his left palm, he couldn't help feeling pleased.
"A 400-year-old Man Faced Demon Spider... my First Soul Ring." Tang San swore silently to himself. "Once I collect my allowance and buy some refined iron, my Hidden Weapons will finally take shape. By then, even if your Soul Ring is older than mine, Gu Tian, you'll still die by my Hidden Weapons!"
Nuoding City's Martial Soul Branch Hall was a grand domed building. Its white stone looked solemn beneath the moonlight, and the enormous Spirit Hall emblem carved at its center radiated an oppressive sense of authority. Tang San took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy oak doors.
It was already close to midnight. The hall was deserted, and his footsteps echoed through the vast space.
Behind the reception desk at the far end, a young man in the standard white uniform of Spirit Hall, with a two-sword badge pinned to his chest, was listlessly sorting through files. He looked tired, with faint purplish shadows beneath his eyes.
"Hello. I'd like to register as a certified Soul Master." Tang San stepped forward, his voice steady and cool in a way that belied his age.
The young man looked up, revealing a weary but extremely familiar face.
It was Su Yuntao, the deacon who had awakened Tang San's Martial Soul in Holy Soul Village.
Su Yuntao glanced at the child before him. The boy was only six, with dark skin and even the smoky smell of a blacksmith's workshop clinging to him. For a moment, he didn't recognize him. He had spent so long at this remote branch hall, seeing so many children fail their awakenings, that he had grown numb to it all.
"Kid, what did you say? You want to register as a Soul Master?" Su Yuntao pushed a stray lock of hair off his forehead, amused. "You only went through Martial Soul Awakening recently, didn't you? Don't joke around. You can't register without Soul Power."
"I've already obtained my First Soul Ring." Tang San got straight to the point and activated the Soul Power within him.
Tang San kept his right hand hidden behind his back. A small black hammer had quietly appeared in his left palm: the Clear Sky Hammer. Even as a mere phantom, it radiated an overwhelming sense of weight.
A solid, deep yellow Soul Ring, shimmering with a faint purple-gold glow, slowly rose from beneath Tang San's feet. It wasn't as shocking as Gu Tian's purple one, but beneath the dim lights of this low-level branch hall, it still stood out brilliantly.
"A Hundred-Year Soul Ring?! Your First Soul Ring is a hundred years old?!" Su Yuntao sprang straight out of his chair, his drowsy eyes wide as saucers and his mouth hanging open. In all his years in Nuoding City, aside from the few monsters he'd seen recently, he had never seen anyone with a First Soul Ring of this caliber.
"Child, what's your name?" Su Yuntao stared fixedly at the yellow halo. A flash of lightning suddenly streaked through his mind, and fragments of memory snapped together.
"I'm Tang San. I live in Holy Soul Village. You came to our village a while ago and helped us awaken our Martial Souls. I wonder if you remember?"
"Wait... you're Tang San? The Tang San from Holy Soul Village, the one with Innate Full Soul Power?!" Su Yuntao cried out. He finally remembered. This was the child whose Martial Soul he had awakened himself—the little brat he'd mocked after seeing that it was Blue Silver Grass, and in whom he'd been sorely disappointed.
"That's right. It's me." Tang San put away his Soul Ring, his tone as cold as ice.
"But I remember your Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass. How did it turn into a hammer?" Su Yuntao couldn't understand. He was sure he hadn't made a mistake back then. If Tang San had had a hammer Martial Soul, he would have recommended the genius to Spirit Hall no matter what.
"I actually have Twin Martial Souls. The one in my hand is my Second Martial Soul—the Clear Sky Hammer."
"The Clear Sky Hammer... Twin Martial Souls..."
Su Yuntao broke into a cold sweat. His hands trembling, he took the identity documents Tang San handed him and began processing the tedious registration paperwork, all the while sneaking desperate glances at the small black hammer that had vanished.
"Th-this is a 400-year Man Faced Demon Spider Soul Ring?" Su Yuntao stared at the Soul Power reading on the testing instrument, his heart pounding wildly. A First Soul Ring of this age was the stuff of impossible legends for ordinary Soul Masters. "Child, do you have some powerful helper with you? It's very difficult for an ordinary person to hunt a Hundred-Year Soul Ring alone without someone's help!"
"My teacher is Yu Xiaogang. My father is just an ordinary blacksmith in Holy Soul Village." Su Yuntao's voice was full of shock, but also a trace of awe. Tang San thoroughly enjoyed the feeling.
"Yu Xiaogang? That guy actually came to Nuoding Academy." Su Yuntao murmured before hurriedly finishing Tang San's registration. He pulled a heavy cloth pouch from beneath the counter and handed it to Tang San.
"This is your Soul Master allowance for the month: ten Silver Soul Coins, worth one Gold Soul Coin in total." Su Yuntao's voice still sounded a little unsteady.
"Thank you." Tang San took the pouch, feeling its weight. Without any unnecessary pleasantries, he turned and walked out. His small figure soon disappeared into the deep night.
Long after Tang San had left, Su Yuntao remained seated, stunned. As a deacon who had spent years traveling and had even once come into contact with Spirit Hall's confidential archives, his mind began racing almost instinctively once the initial shock subsided.
"Clear Sky Hammer... six years old... Innate Full Soul Power... his father is... a blacksmith."
"The surname Tang... why does it sound so familiar?"
Su Yuntao's breathing suddenly grew ragged. He slammed his hand onto the desk with such force that several files flew into the air. The color drained from his face, and his eyes grew bloodshot with fear.
"I remember now! Six years ago... wasn't that when the former Pope, Lord Qian Xunji, was gravely wounded and killed while leading people in pursuit of that God of Death, Tang Hao? That battle shook the entire continent. The rumors said Tang Hao had a newborn baby with him at the time!"
Su Yuntao's pupils contracted violently.
The Clear Sky Sect had long since withdrawn from the world, and people who possessed the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul were exceedingly rare. Tang San's age matched, and his Martial Soul matched! More importantly, he had appeared in a remote place like Holy Soul Village!
When so many coincidences converged, it could only mean one thing: this was the truth!
"If he's the son of that remnant... this is a heaven-sent achievement! If I report him to the Papal Palace, I could be promoted three ranks at once!"
Su Yuntao didn't dare waste a moment. His trembling hand reached deep into a drawer and pulled out a sheet of classified stationery. He took a deep breath and began writing a secret message to the Papal Palace in Spirit Hall's most advanced cipher.
[Urgent report: A Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul wielder has been discovered in Nuoding City. His name is Tang San, age six, and he has Twin Martial Souls; his other Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass. His Clear Sky Hammer's First Soul Ring is 400 years old. His whereabouts may be closely connected to the attack on the Pope six years ago. Suspected to be the son of the criminal Tang Hao, hiding in the vicinity of Holy Soul Village! Requesting the Papal Palace make an immediate decision and send experts to investigate!]
He sealed the envelope tightly with hot red wax and stamped it with his only seal. Su Yuntao immediately summoned Spirit Hall's specially trained messenger Soul Beast: a Thunder Falcon. This Soul Beast was incredibly fast and could cross thousands of mountains and rivers in a very short time.
As he watched the Thunder Falcon turn into a streak of silver-blue lightning and shoot into the sky, Su Yuntao collapsed into his chair, utterly drained. He knew that from this moment on, peaceful Nuoding City was about to be swept into a storm capable of destroying heaven and earth.