Hydrogen Element in the Periodic Table

Periodic Table of Elements: Hydrogen

In a secluded little courtyard.

"Mom!"

Huo Yuhao, like a nestling desperately in need of comfort, threw herself into the arms of a beautiful woman with a graceful figure and breathtaking features, her heart full of grievance. She clung tightly to her, rubbing her head against her chest.

Choking back sobs, she said apologetically, "I... I failed to awaken that man's White Tiger Martial Soul. I let down all the expectations you've had for me."

"I awakened your Spiritual Eye Martial Soul instead. But it feels like there's something different about it... Mine are red, while yours are pure, flawless white."

As she spoke, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but activate her Martial Soul. In an instant, a pair of scarlet eyes bearing black Tomoe appeared in her pupils. Combined with her nearly perfect oval face, they created a breathtakingly strange beauty.

Huo Yun'er listened to her daughter, her eyes filled with tenderness and affection. She gently stroked Huo Yuhao's hair and said softly, "Silly child, no matter what form your Martial Soul takes, Mom will love you just the same. A Martial Soul is merely an aid on your journey through life. It can't determine everything about you."

"What matters is that you have a strong and courageous heart to face the storms of the future."

Her words were like the warm sunlight of spring. Their radiance gradually dispelled the gloom in Huo Yuhao's heart.

Standing nearby, Lin You silently witnessed this scene. A strange feeling welled up inside him, yet his mind involuntarily sank into his own Martial Soul.

Earlier, because he had been focused on Huo Yuhao's situation, he hadn't had time to study his own Martial Soul in detail.

Everyone had joked that he'd awakened an Air Martial Soul, but in truth, they hadn't been wrong. His Martial Soul was indeed air—or more precisely, one of the components of air.

Hydrogen Element!

More precisely, his Martial Soul was: Periodic Table Element!

Hydrogen atoms were extremely small. They were one of the composite particles that made up the basic particles of matter: electrons and protons.

Seeing them was extremely difficult.

It required highly sophisticated equipment.

Moreover, even in his previous life, only a few of the most advanced transmission electron microscopes could reveal the distribution of atoms. On top of that, one needed a suitable solid hydrogen-containing crystal sample, as well as high-end equipment such as an aberration-corrected electron microscope and an iDPC probe. Ordinary people simply didn't have access to such conditions.

Under normal atmospheric standards, hydrogen gas made up an extremely tiny portion of the air—only about 0.5 ppm, or one two-millionth—and most of it was concentrated in the upper atmosphere. Yet, perhaps because the structure of this world was different, some invisible, unquantifiable specks of light seemed to neutralize something in the air here. As a result, the density of hydrogen gas was clearly different, and its content was substantial—enough for him to drive it.

Lin You stretched out his palm and sensed the hydrogen atoms in the surrounding air. He gradually drew them out, but immediately dispersed them again, slightly furrowing his brow.

His Soul Power Level was simply too low. Although doing this didn't consume much Soul Power, it did waste time.

Ultimately, the problem still came down to his Innate Soul Power.

If his guess was correct, then this idiotic Martial Soul evaluation system had determined that a single hydrogen atom had become his Martial Soul.

After all, this was something so tiny that it couldn't even be seen with the naked eye. The fact that it could be evaluated as having Soul Power was already incredible.

Compared with a hydrogen atom, a Martial Soul like Blue Silver Grass was a colossal object. It wasn't even certain whether it would possess Soul Power.

Otherwise, with potential practically on the level of a creator, it absolutely shouldn't have been rated at only half a level.

If they were holding an evaluation for the weakest and smallest Martial Soul right now, he estimated that he would unquestionably be the champion for ten thousand years running. Even Blue Silver Grass was dozens or hundreds of times stronger than him.

And now that Huo Yuhao had awakened those eyes, relying solely on this genuinely useless Martial Soul, he probably wouldn't even be able to beat her in the future!

"Brother You, why are you standing there in a daze?"

Suddenly, accompanied by a voice as clear as a tiny bell, Huo Yuhao reached out with her smooth little hand and pinched Lin You's cheek, looking at him curiously.

"It's nothing. I was just studying my Martial Soul."

Lin You shook his head and put away the scattered inspirations in his mind. Looking at the little girl, he smiled helplessly. "What about you? Your 'Spiritual Eye' probably isn't as simple as it appears on the surface either, right?"

Huo Yuhao immediately wore a troubled expression. Her pupils changed color, and Tomoe appeared. After sweeping her gaze across the surroundings and experiencing the sensation for a while, she finally answered gloomily, "There's nothing special. I just feel that my physical abilities are a little stronger than before, and my eyesight is slightly better. Other than that, there doesn't seem to be anything."

Lin You rubbed her head of silky black hair and smiled. "Hehe, you only have one level of Soul Power. It's too early to say anything based on this. Once you reach ten levels of Soul Power, perhaps both your vision and physical abilities will improve tremendously. By then, I won't be able to beat you, and I'll have to rely on you to protect me."

"Huh? Really? Can I protect you?" Upon hearing that she could actually gain the ability to protect Lin You, Huo Yuhao widened her eyes and became excited.

"Then you'll have to train hard. Oh, right. Before I left, Butler Dai said that he would give every child with Soul Power a Meditation Cultivation Method. They'll deliver it later. Don't worry. Things will get better."

As soon as Lin You finished speaking, a rapid knocking sounded from outside the door.

Immediately afterward, the courtyard gate opened, and two frantic figures rushed inside. The moment they entered, they shouted, "Brother Lin! Brother Lin! Something terrible has happened!"

After seeing Lin You and Huo Yun'er, whose face was full of astonishment, one of them immediately bent over, panting with his hands on his knees, while the other waved his arms and said, "Something terrible has happened! I just heard some news. It seems that bad news came from the servants' quarters. It seems to be saying... saying..."

His eyes darted about, as if he didn't dare speak.

"Jin Longsheng, go ahead. There's no one else here," Lin You said calmly.

"They said Aunt Huo has contracted a contagious disease and needs to be isolated in the woodshed immediately. No one is allowed near her, and no one is allowed to bring her food or water! They're sending people over to drive her out right now." Luo Zhong seized the opportunity to speak, answering at lightning speed.

Those words exploded in the hearts of the three like a thunderclap!

Clang—

Huo Yun'er lost her grip on the empty basin in her hand. The iron basin struck the ground with a crisp clang.

She bit her lower lip tightly, the color draining from her face. Although she knew that as Dai Hao's personal bed servant and the mother of his child, she had always been targeted by that jealous Duchess, she hadn't expected the woman to act so quickly. And the moment she made her move, she had done so with overwhelming force.

It wasn't as if nothing like this had happened before. After all, she was a personal servant who could approach the Duke at close range. Her status in the estate wasn't low, and she had her own wages. During her pregnancy, she had even had two or three servants attending to her.

But as time passed, she had first been driven to this remote courtyard. Then her servants had been dismissed, her wages cut off, and the old matrons nearby bribed to insult her all day long. Occasionally, a few children who appeared to have high status would come looking for trouble. Once, they had even maliciously shoved Huo Yuhao to the ground—when she had only been two or three years old!

Later, she had relied on doing handicrafts to earn a little hard-earned money. She hadn't expected to be constantly targeted even then. Her goods were smashed to pieces, the things she painstakingly wove were trampled underfoot, and her fingers were covered in wounds. They had even tried to forcibly seize those few copper Soul Coins. If Lin You hadn't appeared, and if those retired military patrol officers hadn't supported him and stood up for her, her body would have collapsed long ago.

And now, the other side was still unsatisfied. They had escalated their persecution and actually intended to cut off every aspect of their food, clothing, housing, and transportation. They truly meant to force the mother and daughter to their deaths!

Lin You frowned slightly and ordered, "Who spread the rumor? Go and give them two slaps to teach them a lesson."

There were quite a few people in the estate who wanted to curry favor with that jealous woman. Fortunately, his own backing was solid as well. He could practically walk sideways like a crab, so he wasn't afraid of offending anyone. He had someone supporting him, which gave him confidence. Otherwise, an ordinary person truly couldn't act with such dominance.

Jin Longsheng immediately looked troubled. He glanced left and right before lowering his voice. "I saw it myself. It was Xu Kai, a household servant from the Duchess's family."

That was enough for Lin You to understand.

That jealous woman had personally made her move.

He wasn't surprised by this news. Although his backing was strong, it ultimately wasn't Huo Yun'er's backing. They couldn't make things difficult for him, but they could still make things difficult for these two helpless orphans.

His previous protection could only go so far. Children didn't have much say in matters. If the other side truly ignored his backing and bullied the weak as an adult, tearing off all pretense and striking viciously, he might even die without knowing when he had fallen into a trap.

"Big Brother... why don't we stop opposing her?" Luo Zhong suggested cautiously.

Jin Longsheng scratched his cheek and said quietly, "We've been helping them for so long, and there's already been some talk at home."

After saying this, he didn't even dare look at the faces of Huo Yun'er and Huo Yuhao. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that he was afraid of dying. After all, with the Duke absent, that woman practically had absolute power, and no one knew how long this situation would last. If they resisted to the end, they were definitely going to die.

Huo Yuhao's eyes visibly dimmed. The lively expression on her face now seemed several shades grayer.

Only the Single Ring Sharingan in her undiminished scarlet eyes began to rotate slightly faster.

She didn't dare look at Lin You's face or meet Brother You's eyes. She lowered her head slightly. She knew that these two were Brother You's loyal friends and absolutely had no intention of harming him. Since they had gone this far, was Brother You about to say to her, It seems there's nothing I can do either?

"I'm sorry."

Lin You's voice rang out, so clear that it echoed endlessly in Huo Yuhao's heart like a silver needle dropping to the ground.

At that moment, she lowered her head tightly, pressing her lips together as her mind went blank.

Suddenly, from beneath her lowered head, Huo Yuhao saw a clean palm grasping her hand, warm and strong.

"There's no such thing as abandoning a good deed halfway. Besides, what kind of ability is it to bully a mother and daughter? If you have the guts, come and kill me."

"Huh?"

The little girl raised her head in astonishment and stared blankly at the not-so-tall figure before her.

From the original Douluo Continent text—Gengxin City was known as Metal City or Steel City. The city was filled with mechanisms, gears, and similar things, giving it the feel of a Steampunk Era.

In the anime, one could clearly see many balloons and airships floating above Gengxin City. These airships provided considerable help to the people of the Soul Master world when traveling and also added to the city's unique character.

In theory, since San Shui borrowed the laws of real-world physics, the Periodic Table had a definite basis for existing. So my Martial Soul should perhaps, possibly, maybe not be complete nonsense after all.