The Washed-Up Titled Douluo

With his plan settled, Chu Chen got up and dashed home. He sat on his bed and began meditating.

He did not crawl under the covers until late that night, and soon fell asleep.

Perhaps cultivation was simply exhausting for both mind and body. In any case, Chu Chen had not suffered a sleepless night since he started.

He fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow, and woke at almost exactly the same time each day.

Sure enough, Chu Chen woke before dawn the next morning.

He got up, folded his quilt, and tiptoed out to the river for his daily morning practice.

The morning was the best part of the day. When it came to cultivation, every minute counted.

What Chu Chen did not know was that Old Jack had opened his eyes on the bed opposite as soon as he left.

The old man stared at the closed door in silence for a long while, then let out a deep sigh.

He got out of bed and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

All the while, he muttered things like, "Out making a fuss at dawn every day," "It's all that Xiao San from the Tang family's fault, setting a bad example," and "A child that young ought to get more sleep."

Clearly, Old Jack thought Chu Chen's morning practice was just a child fooling around.

There was another child in Holy Soul Village who fooled around like that: Tang San, who went to the Back Mountain every morning to cultivate his Purple Demon Eyes.

Of course, to the adults in the village, both Chu Chen and Tang San were wasting their time.

Since Tang San had started doing it first, Old Jack naturally blamed him for leading Chu Chen astray.

After all, when Tang San began cultivating, Chu Chen had still been a foolish child who had not awakened his memories of his past life.

"Little Chen, come home for breakfast!"

After what felt like an age, Old Jack's voice carried over from the distance, pulling Chu Chen out of his cultivation.

Chu Chen opened his eyes at once and looked toward the voice. Old Jack stood at the village entrance, waving to him.

Old Jack had made a rare effort with his appearance today. The patched linen clothes he usually wore were gone, replaced by a long robe faded from many washings.

Even his unruly gray hair had been combed neatly into place. He looked much more spirited.

"Coming, Grandpa!"

Chu Chen smiled, ran up to Old Jack, and made a show of looking him up and down in puzzlement.

"Grandpa, what's the occasion? Got a date with an old lady from another village?"

"You little brat. Can't you be serious for once?"

Old Jack gave Chu Chen a light kick.

"Today's a big day for our village. A Lord Soul Master from Spirit Hall is coming to awaken the children's Martial Souls. As village chief... heh, of course I had to tidy myself up!"

Old Jack took Chu Chen by the hand as he spoke and led him home.

Even after they got home, Old Jack kept talking. While Chu Chen ate his porridge, the old man went on and on about Holy Soul Village's glorious history.

It was the same story about a Soul Sage supposedly hailing from the village. Chu Chen had heard it hundreds of times growing up, if not a thousand, but the old man never tired of telling it.

What could Chu Chen do?

If the old man liked telling it, Chu Chen would listen.

Once Old Jack finished, Chu Chen declared that he would become even stronger than a Soul Sage someday. The old man flicked him lightly on the forehead, then beamed and said, "Don't set your sights too high. Staying safe comes first."

After breakfast, Old Jack left to greet the Lord Soul Master from Spirit Hall at the village entrance.

He had given Chu Chen a task too.

Chu Chen was to go to the blacksmith's shop at the west end of the village and bring the blacksmith's son to the village's Spirit Hall.

Yes, that meant Tang San!

Tang San was the same age as Chu Chen. In fact, going by the birthday assigned to Chu Chen when Old Jack found him, Tang San was two months older. He was also six this year, the age to awaken his Martial Soul.

Ordinarily, warmhearted Old Jack would have fetched Tang San himself.

But now Old Jack had a grandson of his own.

Of course making breakfast for Chu Chen mattered more to him than fetching someone else's child!

As for going to call someone over...

Well, he had a handy little errand boy right there, didn't he?

Ugh. I really don't want anything to do with that family...

Chu Chen sighed inwardly. But Old Jack had asked him to go, so he could hardly refuse.

In the end, he headed toward the west end of the village, dragging his feet.

Tang San and his father lived by the western entrance to Holy Soul Village.

When Chu Chen saw the three shabbiest mud-brick rooms in the village, especially the wooden sign bearing a crude drawing of a hammer above the central room, he knew he had reached his destination.

He walked up to the blacksmith's shop and knocked on the door.

"Uncle Tang? Tang San? Are you up?"

After a long pause, the door flew open, revealing a tall, powerfully built middle-aged man.

It was none other than Tang Hao, the Clear Sky Douluo living here in seclusion!

But Tang Hao looked dreadful. His eyes were heavy with sleep, his hair was a tangled bird's nest, and his beard looked as though it had not been trimmed in ages.

Even knowing the story of Douluo Continent, Chu Chen found it hard to connect this bedraggled middle-aged man with the youngest Titled Douluo on the continent.

"Uncle Tang, today's the Martial Soul awakening. My grandpa sent me to bring Tang San to Spirit Hall..."

Despite his private thoughts, Chu Chen did not forget to explain why he had come.

His tone was hardly deferential, but he remained properly polite.

At his words, Tang Hao's pupils contracted. In the next instant, an aura burst from him that left Chu Chen struggling to breathe.

An unseen force shook dust from the eaves and flattened even the weeds by the door.

It was the pressure of a Titled Douluo!

Fortunately, the aura flared for only an instant before Tang Hao drew it back into himself.

His eyelids still drooped, as though everything Chu Chen had just felt were an illusion. But deep in those clouded eyes, a flash of sharp, icy light passed, like a Ferocious Beast startled awake.

"Hmph!"

Tang Hao gave a cold snort. Chu Chen could not tell whether he was angry, but the sound carried an indescribable weight.

Without another word to Chu Chen, Tang Hao turned away.

Bang! The blacksmith's door slammed shut with enough force to make its wooden frame tremble, sending a cloud of dust into Chu Chen's face.

Chu Chen stood outside the closed door and took a deep breath. Only then did his racing heart begin to settle.

He knew Tang Hao's momentary outburst had probably been triggered by his mention of Spirit Hall.

Then Tang Hao's voice came from inside.

"Xiao San, that fool from Old Jack's house is here for you. Go and come back early. Don't be late making lunch!"

Chu Chen's face darkened at once.

Fuck you, you washed-up old bastard. Who the hell are you calling a fool?