Eastern Sovereign Taiyi, Golden Crow Shines Upon the World!

A faint smile appeared on Tang San's face, carrying a hint of superiority.

"I have an older brother too."

"I came back to see him while I had the chance."

"Huh?"

Xiao Wu's eyes widened in surprise.

"Third Brother, you have an older brother? How come I've never heard you mention him?"

In her memory, Third Brother had always been alone.

"What... is he like?"

Xiao Wu asked curiously.

Tang San's steps paused.

Only after a moment did he slowly speak.

"Just an ordinary person."

"Oh."

Xiao Wu nodded as if she understood.

Tang San added another sentence.

"His martial soul was a bronze mirror that was already damaged when it awakened."

"His Soul Power was zero too."

"I don't know whether he's improved over the years. When I left, he spent all day in the village without striving to make progress."

There was a trace of pity in Tang San's voice.

Xiao Wu nodded thoughtfully.

She remembered something Master Yu Xiaogang had once said.

There were no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters.

But someone with a useless martial soul and no Soul Power, no matter how hard he worked, would probably still just be a useless soul master.

"Let's go take a look at where we used to live first."

Tang San led Xiao Wu deeper into the village.

When they pushed open the wooden door, the house was empty. A thin layer of dust covered the tables and chairs.

Tang Shuo was not there.

A passing villager spotted Tang San and hurriedly stopped.

"Little San! You're back from Nuoding City?"

"Yes, Uncle Wang."

Tang San nodded.

"Uncle Wang, where is my brother Tang Shuo? Doesn't he live here anymore?"

Hearing this, the villager pointed toward the entrance of the village.

"Oh, you mean Little Shuo? He lives with Village Chief Old Jack now! The village chief is kind and took him in."

Tang San turned and headed toward Village Chief Old Jack's home with Xiao Wu.

Before they even reached the door, they saw Old Jack sitting on a stone stool in the courtyard, puffing on a pipe.

The moment he saw Tang San, Old Jack tapped his pipe against the sole of his shoe and came forward.

"Little San! You're finally back!"

Old Jack's gaze fell on Xiao Wu.

"Oh my, and this pretty little girl is..."

"Grandpa Jack," Tang San interrupted him, "where is my brother? Is he still in the village?"

Before he had finished speaking.

A figure walked out from Old Jack's house.

He wore a faded old garment of rough cloth, yet stood tall and straight.

With just one glance, Xiao Wu felt that the man before her possessed a temperament that surpassed even Third Brother beside her.

Tang Shuo walked out of the house, his calm gaze falling on Tang San and Xiao Wu.

It was as though he were looking at two strangers.

"What did you come back for?"

His voice was flat, without any discernible joy or anger.

Tang San froze for a moment.

"Brother, I came back this time specifically to see you."

He paused.

"After cultivating at Nuoding Academy for more than a year, I realized that the path of a soul master is truly difficult."

"It's not bad for you to live like this now."

"Follow Grandpa Jack and quietly farm in the village. At least you can live a peaceful life."

Tang Shuo said nothing.

"Little San, he's your brother?"

Xiao Wu finally could not help speaking.

"At his age, he doesn't even have a Spirit Ring? There isn't the slightest fluctuation of Soul Power from him either."

"Let me tell you, even the work-study students who sweep the floors at Nuoding Academy are level ten Soul Scholars!"

Xiao Wu stepped closer.

"Looking like this, don't the people in the village... laugh at you?"

"Miss Xiao Wu, you misunderstand!"

Seeing this, Old Jack hurried forward to smooth things over, his face full of anxiety.

"Little Shuo... he cultivates diligently every day! He goes to the back mountain before dawn!"

"Diligently?"

Xiao Wu let out a snort of laughter.

Tang San shook his head, the pity on his face deepening.

"A useless martial soul and zero Soul Power. What use is working hard?"

He slowly took several glittering Gold Soul Coins from Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Moonlit Night at his waist.

With a casual flick, he tossed them out as if dismissing a beggar.

"Brother."

Tang San's voice was indifferent.

"Take this money and spend it."

"Stop troubling Grandpa Jack all the time."

Seeing Tang Shuo make no move to pick up the Gold Soul Coins on the ground, Tang San shook his head.

"Consider this a small token from us. Just accept it."

"And consider it... something I'm giving you on Father's behalf."

There was a trace of charity in his tone.

"I think you need it."

Tang San turned around, his back facing Tang Shuo.

"I won't come back to see you again."

"A place like Holy Soul Village suits you just fine."

"We are ultimately not people of the same world."

As his words fell, the courtyard went deathly silent.

Old Jack opened his mouth, wanting to say something, yet not a single word came out.

Tang Shuo's expression gradually darkened.

"How can a sparrow understand the ambition of a swan?"

That single sentence halted Tang San and Xiao Wu just as they were about to turn and leave.

They abruptly looked back, somewhat stunned.

It was as if they were meeting this "useless" older brother for the first time.

Tang Shuo's gaze calmly swept over the two of them.

"I will only become the strongest soul master on this continent."

"And you..."

He paused.

"Will never be able to reach my level."

Tang San and Xiao Wu stood rooted to the spot, stunned by his grand declaration.

The next moment.

"Pfft—"

Xiao Wu could no longer hold it in and burst into laughter, doubling over.

"Hahahaha! Third Brother, did I hear that right? He said he wants to become the strongest soul master?"

"A piece of trash whose martial soul is shattered—was he dreaming?"

Tang San laughed as well.

He felt that making this special trip back today had been completely unnecessary.

What was there to say to a madman living in his own fantasy?

"Let's go."

Tang San pulled away Xiao Wu, who was still laughing, and left the courtyard.

He did not look back even once.

It was as though the person in the courtyard, along with those Gold Soul Coins scattered across the ground, were nothing more than unnoticed dust by the roadside.

Only after the two of them had completely disappeared from the village entrance did Old Jack let out a long sigh and walk over to Tang Shuo.

"Little Shuo, why put yourself through this?"

Tang Shuo did not answer.

He merely bent down in silence and picked up the dirt-covered Gold Soul Coins one by one.

Then, he solemnly placed the money into Old Jack's hand.

"Grandpa Jack, please take this."

Old Jack hurriedly refused.

"This... this is from Little San for you. How could I take it?"

Tang Shuo shook his head.

Of course he remembered.

Back then, his father Tang Hao had taken the family's only money and sent Tang San to Nuoding Academy.

As for him, he had been abandoned like baggage in that dilapidated house, all alone and helpless.

If not for Grandpa Jack's kindness in taking him in, he likely would not even have survived.

Now, Grandpa Jack was old, and his health worsened by the day.

He would treat this money as a small compensation to Grandpa Jack in place of that irresponsible father.