Don't I Have a Name?

If anyone else in Holy Soul Village had called Chu Chen by that nickname, he wouldn't have cared. But not a member of the Tang family!

Fuck, I've never eaten a single grain of rice from your family. Who the hell do you think you're mouthing off to?

What gives you the right to call me that?

If I could beat you right now, I'd slap you twice for that and teach you some manners!

Chu Chen ranted inwardly. Before long, the blacksmith shop's door slowly opened, and Tang San stepped out. He wore simple but clean clothes and had short black hair.

"Why is it you? Where's Grandpa Jack?"

"Grandpa Jack went to meet the Lord Soul Master from Spirit Hall. He asked me to come get you."

Chu Chen answered without expression, then turned away.

"Come on. Let's go to Spirit Hall."

Without waiting for Tang San's response, Chu Chen strode toward the center of the village.

Tang San stood stunned for a few seconds. By the time he snapped out of it, Chu Chen was already some distance away, and he hurried after him.

When Tang San caught up, he immediately asked,

"Dumb Chen, why did you—"

"Don't I have a name?"

Chu Chen cut him off coldly before he could finish.

"What name? I was going to ask you—"

"I said, don't, I, have, a, name?"

Chu Chen repeated his question, staring at Tang San without expression.

Tang San looked baffled.

"What's wrong with the name? Everyone calls you that..."

"They can. You can't!"

Chu Chen cut him off again.

"I'm alive today because their parents scraped food out of their own mouths to feed me. I owe them. They can say whatever they want. But your family is different. I don't owe you a thing!"

"In other words, they can call me anything they like. You're the one who doesn't have that right. Am I clear?"

Tang San frowned. After a long pause, he gave a disdainful snort.

"I see how it is. You're just like the other kids in the village. You all look down on me..."

"Heh. Think whatever you want."

Chu Chen gave a short laugh and turned away.

"I remember Niuniu from Uncle He's family bringing you wild fruit, and Er Pang from the east end of the village sharing his sweet potato with you. Everyone's been to your house to invite you to play. You're the one who never wanted to."

"Nobody looked down on you. We're all just kids, and people have feelings. There's only so many times you can reject someone's kindness. Would you keep reaching out to someone who always turned you away?"

With that, Chu Chen left the bewildered Tang San behind and strode toward Spirit Hall.

After a couple of steps, he stopped and glanced back at Tang San.

"Respect goes both ways. If I hear you use that nickname again, I'll fucking tear your mouth apart!"

Tang San watched Chu Chen hurry off, his expression shifting.

His bewilderment gave way to a face dark with anger.

Damn Chu Chen. What gives an idiot like him the right to lecture me?

Tang San gritted his teeth, but in the end, he didn't dare say it aloud.

For the past three months, Tang San had been troubled by his inability to break through the first bottleneck of the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

After learning that Martial Souls existed in this world, he had begun to suspect that the problem with his cultivation might have something to do with them!

That was why Tang San attached such importance to awakening his Martial Soul. He would not allow anything to go wrong!

Falling out with Chu Chen would be easy. In Tang San's eyes, even killing him would pose little difficulty. Chu Chen was only a child, after all.

Tang San had that much confidence in the Tang Sect's secret arts!

The problem was... Chu Chen had been raised by Old Jack, the village chief!

What if Old Jack used his position to interfere with Tang San's Martial Soul awakening?

Tang San didn't understand how Martial Soul awakening worked, nor did he know whether Old Jack could interfere. But as a staunch believer in feudalism, he couldn't shake his ingrained view of the privileges held by those in power.

Ordinary people couldn't fight officials. In Tang San's eyes, Chu Chen was the son of Holy Soul Village's top official, and it would be unwise to make an enemy of him.

At least not before I awaken my Martial Soul...

Tang San thought to himself. Forcing down his anger, he chased after Chu Chen.

Half a minute later, the two arrived at Holy Soul Village's Spirit Hall.

Spirit Hall stood in the center of the village, but Holy Soul Village was so poor that its so-called Spirit Hall was merely a larger wooden house.

At the door stood village chief Jack, the other eight children who had already arrived, and one outsider.

The man looked to be in his twenties. With strong brows, bright eyes, and handsome features, he cut a striking figure.

He wore a fitted white outfit with a black cape behind him. At the center of his chest was a fist-sized character for "soul."

Tang San certainly didn't recognize him, but Chu Chen knew exactly who he was.

The man responsible for awakening the Martial Souls of Holy Soul Village's children was, of course, Su Yuntao, nicknamed the Blind Douluo.

The day's finally here...

Chu Chen sighed inwardly as he listened to Old Jack introduce Su Yuntao to the children as a Battle Soul Master.

After the introduction, Old Jack went on to tell the children what he hoped for them. He finally stopped only when the Blind Douluo began to look impatient.

Then, under Chu Chen's gaze, Su Yuntao took out six round black stones and a gleaming blue crystal ball.

He arranged the six stones in a hexagon on the ground, then motioned for Er Pang, the first child on the right, to stand inside it.

He activated Martial Soul Possession and channeled Soul Power into the six stones on the ground.

A hazy golden glow rose from the stones, forming a pale gold dome around Er Pang.

"Hold out your right hand."

Su Yuntao gave the order casually. Er Pang instinctively held out his right hand, and all the specks of light surged forth.

A sickle appeared in his palm.

Next came the test of his Innate Soul Power. As expected, the crystal ball used to test Soul Power showed no reaction.

"No Soul Power. You can't become a Soul Master."

Su Yuntao delivered the verdict and moved on to the next child.

There were no surprises. The children of Holy Soul Village awakened Martial Souls such as hoes and sickles, while Niuniu awakened Blue Silver Grass. Every one of them had zero Innate Soul Power.

Old Jack was visibly disappointed. He could only pin his hopes on Chu Chen, who had yet to be tested.

Su Yuntao did the same.

Of the children present, only Tang San and Chu Chen remained untested.

Su Yuntao noticed with surprise that the looks in these two boys' eyes were different from those of the children before them.

"Not nervous at all... Interesting..."

Su Yuntao smiled, though there was a trace of weariness in it.

"You two are the only ones left, little fellows. Who wants to go first?"