Their father, Tang Ziran, had once been a fourth-rank Mecha Designer and a capable pharmacist. But before Tang Li was born, a Mecha blueprint had forced him to hide his identity and take refuge here, where he changed careers and became a Mecha Repairer.
His repair skills were only so-so, though, and his wages barely kept the family afloat.
Once, when the whole family went out together, Tang Li used the little stash he and Tang Wulin had saved to buy a lottery ticket. He won the jackpot.
He handed the prize money to Tang Ziran, who used it to open a workshop for custom civilian Mecha. Over the years, the workshop had made plenty of money, and he had even opened a branch in Eastsea City.
If the main workshop here had not needed Tang Ziran, a fourth-rank Mecha Designer, to run it, the family would have moved to Eastsea City.
As their finances improved, so did their standard of living.
Their mother, Lang Yue, had always been a full-time homemaker. She mainly looked after Tang Li and Tang Wulin, though both had been sensible since childhood and had hardly ever given her trouble.
Just yesterday, their parents had told Tang Wulin and Tang Li that if their awakened Martial Souls had Innate Soul Power, they would each receive a Century-old Spirit upon reaching level ten!
That was why Tang Li had not immediately accepted the Spirit Master's offer. A Century-old Spirit was wonderful, but he still needed to discuss it with his parents. Otherwise, they would call him a mischievous monkey again...
At the front door, Tang Wulin took out her key and unlocked it. Hearing the door open, Lang Yue poked her head out of the kitchen. When she saw her two children home, she hurriedly called them to lunch.
"Xiao Li, Wulin, come eat! Mom made your favorite ribs!"
"Coming, Mom!" Tang Wulin caught the tempting aroma in the air and ran over to hug Lang Yue.
"Mom, Xiao Li and I both have Innate Soul Power! And Xiao Li has Innate Full Soul Power!"
Tang Wulin excitedly reported how their awakenings had gone. Hearing that her own son had Innate Full Soul Power, Lang Yue was startled. Clearly, she had not expected it.
"Wulin has level-seven Innate Soul Power too, and her Martial Soul is the renowned Clear Sky Hammer."
At Tang Li's words, Lang Yue gave little Wulin another big kiss. She was about to give Tang Li some motherly love too when she noticed her younger son had already gone to carry the dishes. All she could do was remind him, "Slow down, Xiao Li. Be careful, they're hot!"
"I know. Wulin, move aside. You're in my way."
"You little brat, Xiao Li! How many times have I told you to call me your big sister?"
"..."
Watching her children bicker, Lang Yue smiled from the bottom of her heart.
After lunch, Lang Yue picked up the insulated food container she had prepared and went to bring Tang Ziran his meal. Before leaving, she thoughtfully reminded them:
"Wulin, keep an eye on your brother. Don't let him run off again. I'll be back soon."
"Okay! Don't worry, Mom!"
Seeing Tang Wulin look so confident, Lang Yue could only trust her again. She just hoped Wulin would not let her little brother talk circles around her until she could not tell north from south.
With that thought, Lang Yue locked the door. The anti-theft, anti-escape device Tang Ziran had designed himself offered her a little comfort.
Tang Li had finished eating early and returned to his room. He could hardly wait to investigate the Demon-Sealing Pot's wonders for himself!
He sat cross-legged on his bed and summoned his Martial Soul. As he watched the Demon-Sealing Pot hover above his hand, the inscriptions seemed to leap straight into his mind.
Blurry scenes flashed before his eyes, one after another. The harder he tried to see them clearly, the farther away they seemed to drift!
While he was lost in them, Tang Wulin burst through the door. The sight of Tang Li sitting there with a deathly pale face frightened her so badly that she rushed over, grabbed him, and shook him, shouting all the while:
"Xiao Li! Xiao Li, what's wrong? Don't scare me!"
"Stop... stop shaking me. I'm going to throw up."
Tang Li came back to his senses, his head spinning. Thank goodness Tang Wulin had woken him. Otherwise, he suspected he would have remained trapped in those scenes until his Spiritual Power ran dry.
"Xiao Li, you look awful. Should I call Mom back to take you to the hospital?"
"No, no. I'm fine. It was an accident."
Faced with Tang Wulin's concern, Tang Li hurriedly waved his hands to show her he was all right.
"I was studying my Martial Soul and used up a bit too much Spiritual Power. I'll be fine after I meditate and rest for a while."
"Meditate? Xiao Li, when did you learn a Meditation Method? Weren't they going to teach us that after we started at Red Mountain Academy?"
"There's one on Dad's bookshelf. I read it before. It's on the top shelf. Go find it yourself. I'm going to meditate."
As soon as Tang Li finished speaking, he closed his eyes and entered his spiritual world with the Demon-Sealing Pot, ready to begin meditating and cultivating.
Seeing Tang Li close his eyes, Tang Wulin went to look for the Meditation Method herself. She had dreamed of becoming a powerful Soul Master since childhood and was eager to cultivate!
When Tang Li entered the Spirit Sea that the Demon-Sealing Pot had expanded, he could clearly feel that his Spiritual Power had grown a little.
The weakness of having almost no Spiritual Power left still lingered, but he was certain that viewing the scenes contained in the Demon-Sealing Pot's inscriptions had trained it!
It looks like I can improve my Spiritual Power by contemplating the Demon-Sealing Pot from now on.
Tang Li knew that in this age of Soul Spirits, the strength of a Soul Master's Spiritual Power determined whether they could obtain a powerful Soul Spirit.
Any way to improve Spiritual Power was bound to be immensely precious, enough to become the foundation of a great power.
With that in mind, Tang Li decided to meditate for a while, then continue contemplating the Demon-Sealing Pot once his Spiritual Power recovered.
He tried to circulate his Soul Power according to the Meditation Method he had learned in secret, guiding the power that had just awakened within him through the prescribed paths in his meridians.
Here, the benefits of strong Spiritual Power became clear. Under Tang Li's precise guidance, his Soul Power slowly flowed into the meridians marked out in his memory...
While Tang Li threw himself into cultivating, Tang Wulin studied the Meditation Method for ages. She found that without anyone to guide her, she could not meditate at all. Instead, she only grew sleepier.
Returning to the room, she saw that Tang Li's complexion had recovered considerably. Blue-gold Soul Power hung in a haze around him, making him look like an ethereal immortal child untouched by the mortal world.
Tang Wulin wondered if she was too stupid to understand the Meditation Method, but her muddled mind would not let her think any further. She lay down on her little bed and fell fast asleep.
Once Tang Wulin was asleep and her breathing had gradually evened out, a trident-shaped mark between her brows lit up alongside golden markings like dragon scales.
At the same time, a scrutinizing gaze shot from the Golden Trident, passed through the blue-gold Soul Power, and settled on Tang Li.
"Huh—"
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