Tang Hao Slaps Tang San in Anger

"Logically, a village is only allotted one work-study student spot, but since spirit master seedlings are rare, you can borrow the spot from the neighboring Soul-less Village."

Su Yuntao said this and immediately began writing out the certificates for Lin Chen and the other boy.

"Thank you, Master!"

Old Jack was overjoyed; the tuition for a spirit master academy was not cheap.

This really solved a huge problem for their village.

Su Yuntao handed the completed certificates to Old Jack, then turned his gaze toward Lin Chen.

"If you have made up your mind, remember to come find me at the Spirit Hall in Nuoding City."

Lin Chen nodded. "Understood, Master Su Yuntao."

Old Jack's eyes lit up upon hearing this; he hadn't expected Lin Chen to be one of the two spirit master seedlings. The hard days for this child were finally coming to an end.

"Alright, I still have to visit other villages, so I'll be heading off."

Su Yuntao turned and left.

Lin Chen wanted to say something but hesitated, ultimately suppressing the impulse in his heart.

Awakening spirits for commoners might just be Su Yuntao's job, but that didn't mean his contribution should be diminished; it was better to let Tang San suffer a bit more.

"Little San, the other one should be you, right?"

Old Jack only had to glance at the expressions of those present to make his judgment.

Tang San nodded. "It is me, Grandpa Jack."

"Sigh!"

Whenever Old Jack thought of that unreliable father of his, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Little Chen, you head back first; I'm going to pay a visit to Little San's home."

"Alright!"

Although Lin Chen really wanted to witness the iconic scene, it was destined not to play out in front of him.

"Tang San, please stay a moment!"

Just as Tang San turned to leave, Lin Chen's voice suddenly exploded in his ears.

He turned around with a dark expression.

"What is it?"

The three simple words were practically squeezed out from between his teeth.

[Successfully inflicted disaster upon Tang San, obtained 100 Gold Spirit Coins.]

Lin Chen watched the black mist drill into the center of Tang San's brow before pointing to his own mouth. "Wipe that off; your father will worry."

Tang San was stunned for a moment. Remembering something, he hurriedly wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, clearing away the bloodstain that was already so faint it was nearly invisible.

"Thank you!"

See, he even has to thank us.

Lin Chen smiled faintly and turned to walk toward his home.

Back home.

Lin Chen stood in the courtyard, unable to wait to release his spirit.

As the Sky Thunder Whip appeared in his hand, a shocking aura surged outward.

Lin Chen flicked his arm, and the long whip lashed violently through the air; the purple lightning coiling around the whip suddenly detonated at the point of impact.

"Crack!"

It was impossible to tell if it was the sound of the whip or the thunder, but it was crisp and resounding.

Lin Chen's gaze landed on a peach tree in the upper left corner of the courtyard, about fifteen or sixteen meters away, and he gave the whip a flick.

The long whip shot out like a swimming dragon, its length rapidly increasing.

"Swish, swish, swish..."

The Sky Thunder Whip extended to over ten meters, wrapping tightly around the trunk of the peach tree.

Lin Chen gave a forceful tug.

"Boom!"

The purple lightning on the whip exploded, actually snapping the peach tree in half.

Lin Chen flicked his wrist, and the Sky Thunder Whip rapidly retracted.

In the blink of an eye, the ten-meter-long whip shrank back to just over a meter, no longer limp, but taut and straight as a sharp sword.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Lin Chen used the whip as a sword, the purple lightning trailing afterimages in the air and creating a series of sharp, whistling sounds as it cut through the wind.

"Not bad, truly worthy of being a god-level spirit."

Lin Chen retracted his whip and stood tall, a faint smile brimming on his face.

On the other side.

After Tang Hao sent Old Jack away in a huff, he was just about to head back to the inner room to sleep.

"Dad, but I have another martial soul."

Tang San's voice drifted into his ears, and Tang Hao's figure came to a sudden, jarring halt.

He spun around abruptly.

"What did you say?"

Tang San slowly raised his left hand, and a hammer, pitch-black all over and covered in cracks, appearing as light and flimsy as a wooden mallet, manifested in his palm.

"This... this is..."

Tang Hao lunged forward in a single stride, but when his gaze fell upon the hammer, he froze.

It was indeed the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul, but why was the hammer head covered in cracks?

"Dad..."

Tang San lowered his head, feeling somewhat guilty, his face full of grievance as he spoke.

"I originally wanted to keep a low profile, but I didn't expect that while suppressing it from emerging, I ended up crushing it like this. Is my martial soul ruined?"

Tang Hao: "???"

So it wasn't like this at the beginning, but rather he had done this to it himself?

A perfectly good twin martial soul, and he had gone and ruined one of them through his own sheer incompetence?

That was a twin martial soul! That was only the third twin martial soul in history, and he had managed to ruin one before he had even begun to cultivate it?

Thinking of this, Tang Hao instantly hit his boiling point.

"Smack!"

Tang Hao lashed out, slapping Tang San across the face and sending him sprawling to the ground.

He roared hysterically.

"Idiot!"

"Useless trash!"

"Do you have any idea how much you've cost yourself because of your stupidity?"

"Do you know?"

Tang San lay half-propped on the ground, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

He looked at his father in utter disbelief.

Although his father was not always reliable, he had never laid a hand on him from the time he was small until now.

This was the first time.

However, Tang San did not feel angry after receiving the slap.

Instead, he felt deeply remorseful.

His father, who had never struck him before, had used such force this time; this showed just how foolish his actions truly were.

"Dad..."

Tang San wanted to explain, but he didn't know where to begin.

"Don't call me Dad. I don't have a son as stupid as you."

Tang Hao was absolutely livid.

That was a twin martial soul.

If a twin martial soul were to reach maturity, it might have had a chance to destroy Spirit Hall.

Yet now, it had been ruined by his own hand.

He, Tang Hao, had been brilliant his entire life; how could he have sired such a stupid, useless son?

Looking at the look of utter disappointment in his father's eyes, Tang San was filled with self-reproach.

"Dad, I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"I didn't expect it to turn out like this, and that deacon didn't tell me either."

Thinking of this, Tang San couldn't help but clench his fists.

"Damn Su Yuntao, why didn't you tell me about something so important?"

Seeing Tang San's miserable state, the anger in Tang Hao's heart dissipated slightly.

At the same time, a sliver of self-blame emerged.

If he had been able to go along, perhaps this tragedy would not have occurred.

As for the Spirit Hall deacon not informing him...

Throughout history, there have only been two recorded cases of twin martial souls.

How was he supposed to inform anyone?

Let alone a mere deacon, even Bibi Dong herself likely didn't know that concealing a second martial soul would cause it to fracture.

This tragedy was purely the result of his own negligence.

Tang Hao looked up, his eyes slightly reddened, his heart a complex mix of emotions.

"Ah Yin, I'm sorry. I failed to take good care of our son."

Tang San raised his head, his eyes filled with unwillingness; he could not accept the fact that his own stupidity had reduced him to a waste.

"Dad, is it really beyond saving?"