Su Yuntao's Disappointment

Time slipped quietly by amid Jiang Chen's anticipation. In the blink of an eye, another morning had arrived. Tang San went up the mountain to cultivate as usual, like a human recording on repeat, while Jiang Chen excitedly leaped down from the roof.

Today would be a day full of hope.

After throwing together a little breakfast and eating it, Jiang Chen headed for the Spirit Hall in the center of the village. He didn't wait for Old Jack to come notify him, because he knew Old Jack had gone to fetch Tang San.

Though it was called the Spirit Hall, it was really just a slightly larger wooden house. In previous years, Jiang Chen had watched the Martial Soul Awakening ceremonies from a distance, and he'd been green with envy.

Now, at last, it was his turn. Perhaps this day would be remembered in the annals of the Douluo Continent.

This year, nine children in Holy Soul Village would awaken their martial souls. By the time Jiang Chen arrived at the Spirit Hall, seven children were already inside.

Outside the entrance, a crowd of adults had packed together so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through. Compared with the children inside, the adults outside were even more excited.

The children inside were the future of Holy Soul Village. If even one of them awakened the ability to cultivate as a Soul Master, their village would become famous.

Jiang Chen stood behind a crowd of adults, looking rather helpless.

"Excuse me, could you let me through?" he said.

A woman in her thirties standing in front of him turned around in confusion. The moment she saw Jiang Chen behind her, she let out a piercing scream—the loudest, sharpest sound of her life—and sprang aside, astonishingly leaping three meters away.

Jiang Chen was utterly speechless. Was there any need to react so dramatically? He only wanted to go inside.

The woman's scream was utterly anguished, as if she'd been subjected to some unspeakable cruelty. It immediately made many people whip around.

The moment they saw the little figure standing behind them, everyone reacted just like the woman, screaming and leaping away. In an instant, the entrance to the Spirit Hall was cleared.

"Jiang Chen, what are you doing here?" a middle-aged man asked with a frown, once he was sure he'd put enough distance between them.

Jiang Chen gave him an innocent smile. "Uncle, I'm six this year too. I came to take part in the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony."

Everyone looked enlightened, but someone still spoke up. "No way. You can't go in. The others are awakening inside. Won't you just cause trouble if you go in? What if you ruin our village's ceremony?"

"That's right, that's right! We absolutely can't let him in. My son is inside. I can't let him ruin my boy's awakening!"

"Exactly! What if he uses his sorcery again? Maybe none of the children will awaken a martial soul because of him."

"The fortune-teller said my son has the makings of a Titled Douluo. Even if it costs me my life, I won't let this kid ruin things for him."

"..."

Accusations rose one after another. A few bold villagers even worked up the courage to block the entrance. From their resolute expressions, they looked ready to die rather than let Jiang Chen inside.

They absolutely would not let Jiang Chen hurt their sons or daughters.

Everything happening outside the door had been in plain sight of Su Yuntao from beginning to end, and he was already growing impatient.

He'd just visited two villages, and not one child there had awakened the ability to cultivate. His mood was already poor.

On top of that, he had a heavy workload today. After finishing the ceremony in Holy Soul Village, he still had five more villages to visit.

Seeing that the children still hadn't all arrived—and that one was being held up outside—his anger flared.

"Let the child through!" he barked. "Let him in!"

Chapter 4: Su Yuntao's Disappointment

Su Yuntao's shout carried the Soul Power in his body. Like a furious lion's roar, it instantly cowed the villagers at the entrance.