First Meeting Huo Yuhao (Revised)

Just as Dai Yuhao charged forward without a care for his own safety, one of the burly men let out a vicious grin and swept his thick leg at him like a steel whip.

Bang!

How could a six-year-old child withstand such a kick? Dai Yuhao was sent flying like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily into the mud and curling into a ball from the pain.

"Yuhao!"

Huo Yun'er let out a heart-wrenching cry. She threw herself forward without hesitation, shielding her son tightly in her arms and using her frail back to block those ferocious gazes. Lowering her head, her voice trembled, yet still carried a mother's final shred of dignity.

"Gentlemen... the child is young and knows no better. He offended you all, so I am willing to apologize on his behalf..."

"Apologize?"

The thug leader sneered, looking down at the mother and son with mocking eyes. "Since it was the child who made the mistake, then you, his mother, should bear the consequences properly!"

Dai Yuhao clutched tightly at his mother's clothes as tears spilled from his eyes, tears of helplessness and unwillingness. "Mom..."

At that critical moment, a sudden change occurred!

A sharp whistle suddenly pierced the air overhead. Then, a nimble figure dropped from the sky like a meteor, slamming heavily into the ground before the mother and son.

Boom—!

The tremendous impact instantly kicked up a cloud of dust, completely obscuring the surrounding view. When the dust settled and everyone looked closely, they could not help but freeze.

The one standing in the center was not some tall Soul Master, but a child who looked to be only around six years old!

The thug leader narrowed his eyes, an ominous feeling rising in his heart. He shouted sharply, "Who are you?"

The child slowly straightened up, ignoring the thug's question. He merely brushed the dust from his clothes, then struck an iconic transformation pose. Though his voice was young, it carried an imposing sharpness far beyond his years.

"Who I am isn't important. I'm just a passing Kamen Rider."

The thugs were briefly stunned before bursting into laughter.

"Hahahaha! Kamen Rider? I don't care whether you're a real-faced rider or a Kamen Rider. You dare meddle in my business? Today, I'll make sure you regret it!"

The thug leader's face darkened as he roared, "Brothers, get him! Cripple him too!"

Several thugs immediately drew iron rods from their waists and charged in a fan-shaped formation, looking fierce and aggressive. Yet Yu Chen, standing at the center of the storm, remained calm, the corner of his mouth even curling into a disdainful smile.

"Such petty tricks, and you dare show off before an expert?"

Watching the men close in, Yu Chen's gaze sharpened as his right foot stomped down hard.

"Tremble—!"

That stomp seemed to strike the pulse of the earth itself. In an instant, an invisible wave spread wildly outward with him at its center. The ground suddenly shook, as though a small earthquake had struck.

"What's happening?!"

The charging thugs felt an enormous force surge up from beneath their feet. Losing their balance, they crashed to the ground in a sorry heap like dominoes, howling in pain.

The thug leader stared in horror at the unruffled child and stammered, "Th-this... how are you so strong? You look like you're only at the age of just awakening your martial soul!"

These thugs were merely ordinary people. How could they withstand a shock infused with Soul Power?

Not far away, Huo Yun'er and Dai Yuhao, who had been despairing moments ago, were already dumbfounded.

In Dai Yuhao's eyes, the big brother before him seemed surrounded by light, like a peerless hero descending on rainbow clouds. At their most desperate moment, he had torn through the darkness and appeared before them.

Ignoring the pain in his body, Dai Yuhao's eyes sparkled with worship as he pumped his tiny fist.

"Big Brother, go!"

Yet the only ones trembling in terror were those young men. By now, they understood clearly that none of them were a match for this child.

"Boss, what do we do?" one of them asked in a low voice.

"What else can we do? Run!" the boss growled through clenched teeth. "Looks like this child has just awakened his martial soul, and he's a genius born with Innate Soul Power."

"Who exactly is this child? Why has the Duke's Estate never heard of someone like him? If he truly had such potential, the Duke's Estate should have recruited him long ago..."

The young men helped one another to their feet. The leader put on a flattering expression and cupped his hands. "Little brother, you seem to have just awakened your martial soul, and you were born with Soul Power too, right? I think it's better to keep the peace. We'll never trouble this kid again. Please be merciful and let us go, alright?"

Yu Chen considered it for a moment, then nodded faintly. "Fine."

The young men looked as though they had been granted a pardon. They straightened up miserably and limped toward the entrance, wanting only to escape this troublesome place as quickly as possible.

But was this matter really going to end just like that?

Just as they were about to walk out the gate, Yu Chen casually snapped his fingers. In that instant, several faint golden streaks silently entered the bodies of the young men.

After they had gone far away, the only thing awaiting them was an irreversible fate of self-destruction.

Huo Yun'er finally came back to her senses and said, "Little friend, thank you."

"No need, no need. It was nothing." Yu Chen answered casually, cool and composed.

Dai Yuhao also came running over excitedly, his eyes shining like lightbulbs. "Big Brother, you're amazing!"

Not really, not really. Yu Chen blushed slightly from the praise, unexpectedly feeling a little embarrassed.

Huo Yun'er stood up and warmly invited him, "Little friend, why don't you come inside and sit for a while?"

"Alright, then thank you, Auntie."

"No need to thank me. You saved us. It's only right."

Even so, the instant she stood, her weak body swayed, and she nearly fell. Yu Chen reacted quickly, stepping forward to support her steadily.

"Auntie, are you alright? I'll help you walk."

"Thank you."

Once the two entered the house, Yu Chen understood the whole story after only a few exchanges.

So that was it. Yu Chen knew everything perfectly well, since he had long memorized the original story, but he still had to pretend to be clueless.

"If you're bullied every day, have you never considered moving away?" Yu Chen asked.

Huo Yun'er shook her head. "No. I'm waiting. I believe he will definitely return."

Yu Chen was momentarily speechless and could only complain inwardly. As expected of a top-tier love-struck fool. This world trapped by obsession with love truly lives up to its reputation.

Just as he was thinking that, a sound like fireworks suddenly came from outside—Bang!

Yu Chen raised an eyebrow. Those ungrateful bastards probably exploded, huh? As for why they exploded? Let's just say they were so happy that they blew up.

"What was that sound?" The mother and son looked confused.

Yu Chen laughed awkwardly and spouted nonsense with a straight face. "Uh... probably fireworks."

"Oh, alright." The innocent mother and son actually believed him.

While chatting, Yu Chen seemed to bring up the topic casually. "By the way, could you let me see your martial soul sometime?"

"Of course, Big Brother."

With a thought from Dai Yuhao, faint light swirled between his brows as he released his martial soul—a pair of crystal-clear Spirit Eyes.

"Big Brother, this is my martial soul, Spirit Eyes."

"Not bad. It's a good martial soul."

Yu Chen nodded slightly, his tone becoming a little more serious, like a patient teacher. "Do you know? This is called a 'Body Martial Soul.' As the name suggests, it is a martial soul formed from a certain organ of the body."

Seeing Dai Yuhao's half-understanding expression, Yu Chen continued guiding him. "Body Martial Souls follow a rule: the more important the organ, the higher the grade of the martial soul usually is. Yuhao, do you think eyes are important?"

"Very important! Without eyes, you can't see anything." The child answered innocently and loudly.

"That's right."

Yu Chen revealed a confident smile and pointed at Dai Yuhao's eyes. "Since eyes are so important to the human body, your Spirit Eyes are destined to be a top-tier Body Martial Soul."

Hearing this, Huo Yun'er suddenly realized something and asked anxiously, "Little friend, is what you said true?"

"Of course. Absolutely true." Yu Chen raised his brows confidently. "Since the quality of his martial soul is top-tier, why is his Innate Soul Power rating so low?"

Without waiting for them to answer, Yu Chen gave them the answer himself, his gaze carrying a trace of sympathy. "My guess is that he did not get enough nutrition when he was young, leaving his body weakened and dragging down the assessment of his Innate Soul Power."