Was Tang San About to Wise Up?

"Ping'an, you little rascal, get out here! The Martial Soul master from Spirit Hall is coming."

"Coming, Grandpa Jack!"

A little boy with delicate features and plain clothes trotted to the door and opened it.

Gu Ping'an had been a man from Blue Star in his previous life, until a beautiful girl fell from the sky and sent him to the Douluo Continent with a smack.

Just thinking about it made Gu Ping'an angry.

He had walked out of his office building after work, wondering where to treat himself to a good meal, when he heard something cutting through the air overhead.

He looked up to see a beautiful girl falling from the sky, her arms spread wide as she hurtled toward him for a hug.

Smack!

Everything went black!

When he opened his eyes again, he was an orphan in Holy Soul Village, adopted by Old Jack.

"Ping'an, go to Spirit Hall first. I'll go get Little San."

"Okay, Grandpa Jack."

After saying goodbye to Old Jack, Gu Ping'an ran straight toward the village's Spirit Hall.

Ever since becoming an orphan in Holy Soul Village, he had avoided contact with Tang San and Tang Hao.

Especially after discovering at the age of three that this body was far from ordinary.

His hands—or rather, his whole body—could slip into space itself, just like Spatial Power in novels.

To keep Tang San and Tang Hao from discovering anything unusual about him, he avoided them whenever possible.

Before long, Gu Ping'an reached the village's Spirit Hall.

Despite its name, it was really just a dilapidated house with a Spirit Hall sign hanging on it.

A line had already formed outside. Several children stood in order, and Gu Ping'an quietly joined the back.

My Martial Soul! It should be a top-tier Martial Soul related to the Spacetime Type, right?

Gu Ping'an stared at his right hand, his heart full of unease.

He was afraid Tang Hao would discover his talent and pound him into meat paste with one swing of his hammer.

Being a Titled Douluo certainly didn't mean someone was above bullying the weak.

On the Douluo Continent, bullying the weak was all the rage, and so was snuffing out geniuses.

As he fretted, the line grew longer. At some point, Tang San had joined the back.

Su Yuntao, the Blind Douluo whose awakenings had produced countless God Kings, walked past everyone and entered the house.

Old Jack tried to say something, but Su Yuntao cut him off.

"Martial Soul Possession!"

Su Yuntao gave a low shout. A wolf-shaped phantom enveloped him, and his body gradually took on the appearance of a werewolf.

The orderly line immediately fell into a panic.

"Stay in line. One at a time," Su Yuntao barked.

"Embroidery needle! Zero soul power!"

"Hoe! Zero soul power!"

"Wooden stick! Zero soul power!"

Soon, it was Gu Ping'an's turn.

Gu Ping'an took a deep breath and slowly stepped into the Awakening Formation.

At worst, I'll leave Holy Soul Village as soon as my Martial Soul awakens.

As Su Yuntao poured in his soul power, dense motes of light gathered.

This is a good Martial Soul!

It was visibly different from the previous children's awakenings. The radiance was so intense that it enveloped his entire body.

Su Yuntao fixed his eerie green eyes on Gu Ping'an.

At such close range, Gu Ping'an could see the anticipation that refused to fade from his eyes.

Awakening a genius, marrying Sisi, and reaching the pinnacle of life—those days were just around the corner.

"Hold out your right hand." Su Yuntao's voice sounded slightly dry.

Gu Ping'an obediently held out his right hand, and a small, silvery-white blade of grass appeared in his palm.

Blue silver grass!

Its color had changed!

But it was still blue silver grass!

The anticipation in Su Yuntao's eyes froze instantly, as though he had fallen from the clouds into the dust.

"Mutated Blue Silver Grass... a trash Martial Soul."

"Here, let's test your soul power!"

Su Yuntao held out the crystal ball used to test soul power.

A dazzling light filled Su Yuntao's vision.

Su Yuntao stared at the crystal ball in silence for a long time. Innate full soul power. But Mutated Blue Silver Grass was still blue silver grass—a trash Martial Soul.

Gu Ping'an withdrew his hand and looked at Su Yuntao, whose entire spirit seemed to have wilted, then innocently rubbed his nose.

One awakening with innate full soul power, and you already can't take it?

There's still Tang San coming up.

Still, since he had awakened blue silver grass, he didn't have to worry about that illiterate Tang Hao snuffing out a genius for the time being.

Tang Hao looked down on blue silver grass from the bottom of his heart.

In the original story, when he learned that Tang San had awakened blue silver grass, he hadn't even bothered to look him in the eye.

The moment he saw the Clear Sky Hammer, though, it was all "my wonderful son."

With his Martial Soul awakened, Gu Ping'an went off to the side on his own and stood with the other children who had already finished.

"Another blue silver grass with innate full soul power?"

Su Yuntao's voice rang out, filled with disbelief and a hint of despair.

His Sisi, his future, his pinnacle of life—they had drifted right past him, then drifted past him again.

"A trash Martial Soul, blue silver grass, with full soul power?"

Tang San stared at the emerald-green blade of grass in his palm and murmured to himself, then turned to look at Gu Ping'an.

If he remembered correctly, Gu Ping'an had just awakened the same thing he had: the trash Martial Soul, blue silver grass, also with innate full soul power.

Only the color was different.

Perhaps because Gu Wushuang's Mutated Blue Silver Grass had set a precedent, Su Yuntao hadn't raised any objection to testing Tang San's soul power.

But by now, Su Yuntao was utterly dejected.

He looked as though he had missed two chances to receive a million Gold Soul Coins.

"Lord Soul Master, how did this year's Martial Soul Awakening go?"

The moment Su Yuntao walked out of Spirit Hall, Old Jack went up to greet him.

Su Yuntao stared at Old Jack and opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.

His heart simply hurt too much for him to speak.

Two children with innate full soul power. If their Martial Souls hadn't been trash, he couldn't even imagine how great the reward for reporting them would have been.

"Grandpa Jack, Tang San and I both have innate full soul power."

Hoping to cheer the old man up a little, Gu Ping'an stepped forward and told him part of the story about himself and Tang San, while waving the Soul Master Handbook in his hand.

"Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!"

Old Jack laughed heartily.

Trash Martial Souls? Holy Soul Village was full of trash Martial Souls with no soul power at all.

As long as they had innate power and could cultivate, that was enough.

"Uncle Su Yuntao, can outsiders read the books in Nuoding City's Spirit Hall?

I'd like to learn more about Martial Souls."

Standing beside Old Jack, Gu Ping'an put the question to Su Yuntao.

My Martial Soul may be trash, but I have innate full soul power. Surely I can read some basic texts!

Gu Ping'an looked at Su Yuntao expectantly, doing his best to act like a child. Children were always more endearing.

He had little hope that Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy would teach him much.

If he wanted to read the books in Yu Xiaogang's possession, he would surely have to endure plenty of revolting behavior from the man.

After considering his options, the books in Nuoding City's Spirit Hall seemed the best choice.

"Yes. Just come find me at Spirit Hall when the time comes," Su Yuntao said, pulling a smile out of his dejection.

They did have innate full soul power, after all. Reading a few basic books wasn't a problem.

"Uncle Su Yuntao, can I go read them too?"

Tang San suddenly spoke up from the side.

He had been about to leave, but stopped when he heard that Gu Ping'an wanted to read books at Nuoding City's Spirit Hall.

He had spent six years in this world, trapped in Holy Soul Village with little knowledge of the outside. This was a perfect chance to take a look.

I'm screwed!

Gu Ping'an's heart lurched.

Why would Little Scumbag want to read books at Spirit Hall?

What if he wises up and Yu Xiaogang can't fool him?

Tang San with Yu Xiaogang and Tang San without Yu Xiaogang were two entirely different prospects.

Without Yu Xiaogang, Tang San had all the makings of a Titled Douluo, even if he cultivated only blue silver grass.

With Yu Xiaogang, if Tang San cultivated only blue silver grass and had no fortuitous encounters to boost him, Soul King would pretty much be his limit.

"Of course. Whenever you want to read, just come find me at Spirit Hall."