Old Jack's Past

Jiang Lin immediately clenched his hand in the air, about to summon the King's Power Sword and teach these people a harsh lesson.

Before he could act, Old Jack behind him struggled to his feet and stepped in front of Jiang Lin.

"Cough, cough, Xiao Lin—"

"Grandpa Jack?"

"Xiao Lin, don't worry. With Grandpa here, these people won't be able to hurt you. Even if Grandpa dies today, I absolutely won't let them lay a finger on you!"

Old Jack's face was pale to the extreme, but his eyes were filled with resolve.

Then, he gripped his cane and slammed it heavily against the ground. A terrifying presence instantly spread from his body.

Before everyone's stunned eyes, three Soul Rings slowly rose around Old Jack. One was white and two were yellow. Though they were only the most ordinary Soul Rings, they represented Old Jack's formidable cultivation as a Soul Venerable!

"Grandpa Jack is actually a Soul Master? And a Soul Venerable?"

Jiang Lin's eyes were filled with shock. In the original story, Old Jack had merely been an ordinary person. Whether facing the Great Soul Master Su Yuntao or the gatekeeper of Notting Academy, he had always been extremely respectful.

How could someone like that possibly be a noble Soul Master?

It was not just Jiang Lin. The villagers present were also filled with disbelief.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! Village Chief, how could you possibly be a Soul Master? This must be an illusion!"

"Oh no, this old bastard is actually a Soul Master! He hid it so deeply!"

"Run, quickly! He definitely heard what we just said!"

Ao Gang and his wife, along with the villagers who had harbored dark thoughts earlier, turned deathly pale and immediately fled without daring to linger.

Old Jack only revealed deep helplessness at this. He wanted to chase after them, but his current physical condition simply would not allow it.

Before long, all of them had disappeared without a trace.

"Run? Can you really get away?"

Jiang Lin sneered inwardly. He had memorized all of their faces. Once night came, hmph!

Naturally, Old Jack knew nothing of Jiang Lin's strength or thoughts.

Seeing everyone leave, he let out a soft sigh of relief. Then, the three Soul Rings withdrew, and the terrifying aura instantly vanished. Old Jack once again became that plain, ordinary old man.

Not only that, but Old Jack's aura had become even weaker than before.

"Grandpa Jack, are you all right?"

"Xiao Lin, Grandpa is fine. It's just an old problem."

Jiang Lin hesitated, wanting to ask about Old Jack's cultivation. But before he could speak, Old Jack began explaining on his own.

"When Grandpa was young, I traveled the world. I even became a Soul Venerable in my thirties. That was the most glorious period of my life."

"But later, when Grandpa was about to break through to Soul Ancestor and went to Soul Hunting Forest to obtain a Soul Ring, the young master of a powerful faction took a fancy to the soul beast I had hunted and snatched it away by force."

"Not only that, the young master ordered his men to seriously injure me. If Grandpa hadn't run fast enough, I might have died there long ago."

"Although I escaped, ever since then, every time I used soul power, it consumed a great deal of my life force. I tried going to many places to find a solution, but each attempt only left me more disappointed."

"Eventually, I completely gave up. I returned to Holy Soul Village under a false name, then took over the position of village chief at the previous village chief's request."

"Sigh, I have been village chief for over thirty years. I originally thought that through my efforts, the villagers would change their old bad habits and become kind-hearted. But I never expected it to have no effect at all."

Old Jack let out a heavy sigh, his face filled with disappointment and helplessness.

"Then, Grandpa Jack, do you know the name of the faction that injured you?"

Jiang Lin instantly seized on the key point and asked.

Old Jack hesitated. His lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing.

"Xiao Lin, Grandpa's life is already like this. Some things are better left until you have the strength to hear them."

Seeing Old Jack's firm expression, Jiang Lin could only nod helplessly.

"Let's go. Today is the day you awaken your Martial Soul, Xiao Lin. Don't delay it."

"Don't worry, Grandpa Jack. I definitely won't let you down!"

Since the Pure Yang Flame and the King's Power Sword Martial Soul had already awakened within Jiang Lin's body, he was not worried in the slightest.

The only reason he still needed to go through the process was to find a reasonable explanation for his Martial Soul.

Moreover, if he wanted to change the plot later on, it would still be necessary to follow behind Tang San step by step.

Before long, Jiang Lin and the other two arrived at the center of the village. Ahead stood a somewhat crude stone hall, the branch hall of Martial Soul Hall in Holy Soul Village.

Unlike the usual lively scene packed with people, most villagers did not dare come today because Old Jack had revealed his identity as a Soul Master.

By the time Jiang Lin and the others arrived, there were only eleven or twelve people scattered around the stone hall.

Of them, only five children were participating in the awakening ceremony.

When the villagers who knew nothing saw the village chief arrive, they immediately gathered around him.

"Village Chief, isn't today the day of Martial Soul Awakening? Why are there only a few of us? Did the lord from Martial Soul Hall change the date?"

Like the villagers, Tang San, who stood alone in a distant corner, was also confused and could not help edging closer to Old Jack.

"The lord from Martial Soul Hall did not change the date. Have the children line up first. That lord will arrive shortly."

"As for the others? Their children do not deserve to participate in today's awakening!"

Old Jack's voice was somewhat stern. Clearly, he hated those people deeply.

Although the other villagers were puzzled, they did not ask anything further.

Suddenly, a streak of blue light flashed in the distance. A young man dressed in the uniform of Martial Soul Hall landed on the stone hall's raised platform. It was Martial Soul Hall deacon Su Yuntao.

After sweeping his gaze below, his eyes paused on Little Dragon Girl, and a flicker of astonishment appeared on his face.

However, compared to those villagers earlier, his moral standards were clearly much higher. His gaze lingered for only an instant before moving to Old Jack.

"Village Chief Jack, are these the only children awakening this year?"

"Greetings, Lord Deacon. Yes, these are the only children awakening this year."

Su Yuntao frowned slightly but did not ask further. He was in a hurry to head to the next village, so he did not intend to waste more time.

He then opened the hall doors and led the six children, including Jiang Lin, inside.

After placing the Awakening Stones and the soul power testing crystal ball, he directly revealed his Lone Wolf Martial Soul.

"You, come forward."

A little girl stood first in line. Her face was filled with fear, and tears swirled in her eyes. Clearly, she was terrified of Su Yuntao's Lone Wolf Martial Soul.

Su Yuntao frowned and directly brought her to the center of the awakening formation.

The next moment, as a faint light flashed, a white dagger appeared in the little girl's hand.

"Not bad. At least it has combat potential. Continue with the soul power test."

As the little girl placed both hands on the crystal ball, a faint blue light rose from its bottom. Disappointment appeared in Su Yuntao's eyes.

"Martial Soul: dagger. Soul power: 3. Next."