The Blind Douluo's Blessing

To be fair, Su Yuntao had meant well.

As the saying went, the higher your hopes, the harder the fall.

If Chu Chen struggled with cultivation later on but remained caught up in the glory of having Innate Full Soul Power, he might waste his entire life. Su Yuntao had only offered a gentle warning to temper his expectations.

After all, a boy that polite had to be a good kid. It would be a shame to see him ruined by a Martial Soul with an uncertain future.

Yet after hearing Su Yuntao's warning, Chu Chen looked not disappointed but even happier.

Here it comes! The Blind Douluo's blessing, at last!

As the saying goes, one "useless" from Brother Tao, and another God King is born. With luck this overwhelming, ascending to the Divine Realm should be a breeze, right?

Thrilled, Chu Chen grinned and bowed deeply to Su Yuntao, thanking him again and again.

Old Jack, meanwhile, was so angry his beard bristled.

Judging by that glare, Su Yuntao felt that if he weren't a Soul Grandmaster, the old man would have beaten him out of the village with his cane!

"Ahem. That wraps up my work in your village!"

Knowing Old Jack was only upset out of love for his grandson, Su Yuntao rose quickly and cleared his throat in embarrassment. He knew his words had been harsh.

"Little guy, is there anything else you want to ask? If not, I should be going..."

"Nothing else, Uncle Su. You've worked hard visiting so many villages today, so I won't trouble you. Would you like to stop by my house? You could at least have some water!"

Chu Chen answered the moment Su Yuntao finished speaking.

Beside him, Tang San swallowed the words he had been about to say.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at Chu Chen's back, muttering silently to himself.

Chu Chen had no idea Tang San had already marked him as someone courting death. He simply kept inviting Su Yuntao over.

And Chu Chen could say with certainty that there was no ulterior motive behind his invitation.

Su Yuntao was only a Deacon of Spirit Hall and a Soul Grandmaster. He might not even know as much about Douluo Continent and its Soul Masters as Chu Chen, who had read the original story and its sequels.

Chu Chen's warmth came entirely from respect for Su Yuntao himself—reverence, even.

Traveling through several villages in a single day to awaken children's Martial Souls reminded Chu Chen of the poverty-relief workers back home.

Judge people by their deeds, not their hearts; judge hearts, and no one is without fault.

Even if it was his job, even if Spirit Hall had ordered it, Su Yuntao had still done the work. Chu Chen couldn't ignore that.

Su Yuntao merely waved off the invitation.

"Never mind the water. Just focus on cultivating, kid. Whatever the future holds, your Innate Full Soul Power has already put you halfway to becoming a Soul Master. All you need is a Soul Ring."

"Once you're officially a Soul Master, you can collect an allowance from Spirit Hall. One Gold Soul Coin a month should help your family live a little better. As for me..."

Su Yuntao smiled, though he couldn't hide the exhaustion on his face.

"I still have several villages to visit, so I can't stay."

"Oh, and your village has a Work-Study Student Spot, doesn't it? Don't waste it. If you want to be a Soul Master, you'll need what they teach at the academy. Maybe I'll see you in Notting City someday!"

With that, Su Yuntao set off toward the edge of the village, Old Jack accompanying him.

The children remained where they stood.

"Big Dummy Chen... is going to be a Lord Soul Master?"

The murmur broke the silence, and the children burst into excited chatter.

"Not just Big Dummy Chen! Xiao San's going to be a Lord Soul Master too!"

"What are you talking about? That uncle said his Martial Soul was useless, just like ours..."

"That uncle said Big Dummy Chen's Martial Soul was useless too!"

"Are you deaf? Uncle said Big Dummy Chen's had mutated!"

"Whoa, that sounds scary. Is Big Dummy Chen going to grow four arms?"

"No! Going by the stories Big Dummy Chen told us, he should be able to climb walls and swing around on webs!"

"I want to swing around too!"

"Me too! Me too!"

"Big Dummy Chen, can you take me swinging?"

The children chattered nonstop, leaving Chu Chen at a loss for words.

It's my Martial Soul that mutated, damn it, not me!

I never should've told you kids the Spider-Man story...

Chu Chen grumbled inwardly. It took him a while to settle the children and their wild imaginations.

Just then, Tang San, who had stayed silent with a dark expression the whole time, spoke up.

"Big Dummy Chen, do you dare fight me?"

"What did you call me?"

The smile Chu Chen had worn while humoring the children vanished. He turned to Tang San, his face cold.

"I... Do you dare fight me or not?"

Tang San flinched at Chu Chen's stare and didn't dare repeat the nickname. He only stiffened his neck and repeated his challenge.

At that, Chu Chen laughed.

He turned to face Tang San and rolled his neck from side to side.

"Little Scumbag, Little Scumbag. That eager to get beaten up?"

"What did you call me?"

Tang San's eyes turned cold at the nickname.

"What, you can call me Big Dummy Chen, but I can't call you Little Scumbag?"

"Honestly, you scumbag... you're a hypocrite too!"

Chu Chen spoke with a casual smile, watching Tang San's eyes redden and his breathing grow heavy.

The more Tang San looked like he was having another bout of Tang-family syndrome, the harder Chu Chen found it to contain his grin.

The children of Holy Soul Village loved a spectacle. Seeing the two face off, they backed away and formed a ring to watch.

They kept up a running commentary, too.

"Does this count as a Soul Master duel?"

"Yes! I want to see a Soul Master duel!"

"Ahem. Leave the commentary to me..."

"Why you? Do you know anything about Soul Master duels?"

"Of course I do! Isn't this what Big Dummy Chen called the... pre-fight trash talk?"

"Go, Big Dummy Chen! Beat Little Scumbag!"

"Yeah! Go, Big Dummy Chen! I've never liked him. He's acted so full of himself since we were little, and for what?"

The children shouted over one another, but every last one was on Chu Chen's side.

Unlike the unsociable Tang San, Chu Chen had never kept his distance from the children, despite having an adult's soul himself.

He didn't have to join their childish games of peeing in the mud and making mud pies. He could still tell them stories, couldn't he?

The truth was, fitting into a group wasn't about whether you could. It was about whether you wanted to.

If you'd never tried to fit in, you couldn't complain about being excluded!

Hearing the children cheer for Chu Chen only made Tang San angrier. He felt utterly alone.

He stopped holding back. Pushing off with his right foot, he lunged toward Chu Chen and raised his fist.

"I've put up with you long enough!"