"How is this possible?!" Tang Hao's eyes widened in disbelief. How could a Soul Master fuse eighteen Soul Rings?
"Ah! Twin Martial Souls!" In his desperation, the Soul Master knowledge he had nearly buried burst forth, giving Tang Hao a glimmer of hope just as despair had nearly consumed him.
Tang Hao furrowed his brow, utterly astonished. "Could Tang San have Twin Martial Souls?"
It was truly shocking. Even he, the Clear Sky Douluo, was no exception.
In the nearly century-long history of the Douluo Continent, Twin Martial Souls had appeared only twice.
After eagerly reading the introduction, Tang Hao immediately turned to the main text.
According to what the book said earlier, the father and son would definitely be able to bring his wife—their mother—back to life.
The entire process of her resurrection became a mystery that haunted Tang Hao. He desperately wanted to know the details!
[Chapter 1: Father and Son, Tang Hao]
[In a humble house, Tang San called out with practiced ease, "Dad, dinner's ready."
After a while, the curtain over the inner room lifted, and a tall figure walked out with an unsteady gait.]
Seeing familiar everyday life put into words gave Tang Hao a strange feeling.
But he wasn't reading for entertainment. He wanted to know the details of how his wife would be brought back to life.
He quickly finished his meal, instructed Tang San to take on any work that came in and do it that afternoon, then went back to sleep. Tang Hao kept reading until he suddenly stopped.
"What's this little brat doing?" Tang Hao wondered, deeply perplexed. He really didn't want to hear those two loathsome words. In his heart, he wanted only to be Ah Yin's husband!
[Tang San pointed to a piece of raw iron in the corner, its surface glimmering with a faint black light. "Dad, can I have this piece of iron?"
"Oh? There's iron essence inside?" Tang Hao glanced at the raw iron, somewhat surprised.]
Tang Hao suddenly remembered something. Around ten days earlier, Tang San really had asked him for it. That filled him with excitement.
The book described the past with perfect accuracy. Surely, then, its account of the future would be just as true.
["Do you want to become a blacksmith when you grow up?" Tang Hao turned to look at Tang San.
Tang San nodded. "Dad, you're getting old. In a few years, when I'm bigger, teach me how to make kitchen utensils. I'll take over your work."]
Tang Hao stared at the page, somewhat dazed. Things were just as the book described.
Still, he wasn't the sort of person who granted every request.
After instilling in Tang San the central idea that only someone who could forge an artifact from ordinary iron deserved to be called a master smith, Tang Hao picked out a huge lump of iron and ordered Tang San to hammer it ten thousand times.
Only after completing the task would he be qualified to learn the craft.
The book's description left Tang Hao even more shaken than the surprises he had already experienced.
As he saw it, even if Tang San had been born with divine strength, there was no way he could last more than three days.
The hammer's handle was so rough to prevent slipping. Swinging it again and again, with the handle scraping against his palm, would inevitably cause severe injury.
And yet, without him even realizing it, Tang San had already kept at it for eleven days!
[One afternoon, as Tang Hao was making farm tools as usual, an old voice called from outside.
"Tang Hao, busy?" Old Jack, the village chief of Holy Soul Village, walked in and greeted him casually.
Tang Hao gave a grunt and paid him no mind. His heart was dead, and he felt nothing toward anything.]
"Without Ah Yin, what was the point of living?" Tang Hao took a miserable swig of wine.
As the alcohol numbed his nerves, sometimes, in the dead of night, he would dream of her in the cycle of midnight and waking. It was the only comfort he had.
[Ignoring the spineless Tang Hao, who wouldn't say a word even if you kicked him three times, Old Jack waved to Tang San. "Little San, come here and let Grandpa have a look at you."]
Tang Hao was furious as he read. The old geezer sure had nerve!
Still, for Ah Yin's sake, he forced down his anger. He had no time to curse the man out, so he kept reading.
["Grandpa Jack, hello." Tang San bowed respectfully. When his family had been at its poorest, the old man had brought them plenty of food.
Tang Hao said coldly, "What is it, Village Chief?" Old Jack was only ten years older than him, but insisted on acting as though he were a generation above him. It had always irritated Tang Hao.]
Tang Hao nodded in approval. Calling him "Uncle" would have been generous enough. How dare he make Tang San call him Grandpa?
Xiao Wuji smiled. From the way Tang Hao was reacting, it was clear he had gotten inside the man's head.
[Old Jack was already used to Tang Hao's attitude. Putting on the air of a venerable elder, he said,
"Tang Hao, Little San is six now, isn't he? He can take part in this year's Spirit Awakening Ceremony."
Tang Hao glanced at Tang San and said flatly, "Then let him. What day is it?"
"Three days from now. I'll come get him then."
Looking at Tang Hao, Old Jack rolled his eyes. The meaning was clear: if he expected Tang Hao to take the boy, the ceremony would probably be missed.
Tang Hao nodded, then paid the village chief no further attention.]
[Tang San, however, asked curiously, "Grandpa Jack, what's the Spirit Awakening Ceremony?"
Old Jack said solemnly, "..."]
Tang Hao quickly skimmed the familiar information, eager to get to the results of Tang San's Martial Soul Awakening, then paused midway.
[After Old Jack left, Tang San suddenly called out, "Dad."
"Hm?" Tang Hao shot him a cold glance.]
"Had he been too nice to him?" Tang Hao frowned. Tang San had done well with the hammering, but he couldn't just call him those two words whenever he pleased.
[The icy chill made Tang San swallow the words he had been about to say. He lowered his head and went back to hammering away at the ten thousand strikes.
Night fell. After dinner, Tang Hao went out for his usual drink.
"Dad, wait." Tang San had no time to clear the dishes and called out to him first.
"What?" Tang Hao glared at him impatiently. That was the second time today! His patience had limits!
"I've finished the ten thousand strikes," Tang San said.]
"Finished?" Tang Hao was startled. His reaction at that moment was exactly the same as the one described in the book.
He strode out of the inner room and found the piece of iron Tang San had been hammering.
After Tang San's repeated hammering, the lump had shrunk by a quarter. It was black all over, and though its shape was irregular, every surface looked extremely smooth.
Tang Hao quickly did the math, a sharp glint flashing in his cloudy eyes.
"Judging by the look of that iron, Tang San will finish the ten thousand strikes today. That means Old Jack will come by this afternoon to talk about the Spirit Awakening Ceremony."
If even these little details could be confirmed one by one, then the book's later account of Ah Yin's resurrection had to be true as well, Tang Hao thought excitedly.
After briefly glancing at the following passage, which told Tang San to forge the iron into a fist-sized lump, Tang Hao turned to the next chapter.
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