The Soul Master Class

Even after leaving the gates of Red Mountain Academy, Tang Wulin still felt a little dazed.

But unlike ordinary children left groggy by the sun, his dizziness came neither from the blazing heat nor from the crowded grounds. It felt as though a pocket of heat lingered inside his body. That warmth spread from his chest through every limb and bone, bringing a faint swelling sensation, as if the power that had nearly burst him apart in the awakening room had never truly disappeared, but merely sunk out of sight for a time.

Especially in his right palm.

His martial soul had clearly returned to his body, yet that heavy sensation remained distinct, as though the little Xiao Hei hammer had never really left and now rested deep within his flesh.

Even so, Tang Wulin's spirits remained bright.

He had soul power.

Level-five innate soul power.

And he had been placed in the Soul Master Class.

These thoughts burned like a fire in his small chest, warming him so thoroughly that even his physical discomfort faded considerably. Before they had gone far from the academy, he could not help looking up at his father, his eyes sparkling.

"Dad, am I really going to be in the Soul Master Class?"

Tang Ziran glanced down at his son, a hint of a smile in his eyes.

"Of course. Anyone who awakens soul power gets placed in the Soul Master Class. As of today, you're officially a new student at Red Mountain Academy."

"Then is the Soul Master Class really amazing?" Tang Wulin immediately asked. "Will the teachers teach us how to cultivate soul power? Does that mean I can really start learning to be a soul master now?"

Listening to his son's rapid-fire questions, Tang Ziran felt both pleased and a complicated emotion he could not quite put into words.

"The Soul Master Class is certainly the academy's priority class." He tried to keep his tone light. "Now that you're in, you need to study hard. Haven't you always wanted to become a soul master? This counts as your first step."

"I knew it!" Tang Wulin could not help clenching his fists, his little face flushing with excitement. "I'll definitely work hard!"

After saying this, he seemed to remember something and quietly raised his right hand. A dark gleam flashed, and the little Xiao Hei hammer reappeared in his palm.

It still looked so ordinary.

Black all over, short, thick, and blunt, it had nothing dazzling about it. Had Tang Wulin not been holding it, anyone who saw it would probably have taken it for a perfectly ordinary little iron hammer.

Yet as Tang Wulin looked at it, there was not a trace of disdain in his eyes, only fascination and earnest attention.

"Dad, do you think it'll become really powerful someday?" he asked.

Tang Ziran took the little Xiao Hei hammer, and the moment it settled into his hand, his expression shifted slightly.

Heavy.

Even heavier than he had expected.

Its weight was completely at odds with its appearance. Even as an adult, he could clearly feel its unusual downward pull in his hand. But he did not let his surprise show, merely handing the hammer steadily back to his son.

"As long as you're willing to cultivate, your martial soul will naturally grow stronger and stronger," he said gently. "Don't forget, you already have soul power now."

Tang Wulin nodded vigorously and immediately withdrew the little Xiao Hei hammer again.

But the instant his martial soul vanished, his vision suddenly blurred a little, and he stumbled.

"What's wrong?" Tang Ziran immediately reached out to steady him.

Tang Wulin paused, only then realizing that a fine layer of sweat had appeared on his forehead without his noticing.

"N-nothing." He shook his head. "I'm just a little hot, and a little dizzy."

Tang Ziran's brows immediately furrowed.

"When did it start?"

"A little while after we left the academy," Tang Wulin answered honestly. "I think I'm hotter now. But I'm fine, really."

Despite insisting that he was fine, his voice was softer than before. His face was flushed too, as though he had just finished running a long lap.

Tang Ziran's heart tightened, and he quickly picked up his pace.

"Let's get home first."

Aolai City was not large to begin with. Getting from Red Mountain Academy to the commoners' district where they lived meant crossing only a few streets. Along the way, Tang Wulin still brought up the "Soul Master Class" and "level-five innate soul power" from time to time, but as he spoke, his voice kept unconsciously trailing off.

He really was happy.

But his body really was growing heavier.

That heaviness was more than mere fatigue. It felt as though something inside him was slowly heating up and swelling, leaving his limbs with an indescribable aching numbness.

By the time father and son pushed open the courtyard gate, Lang Yue was already waiting at the door.

The moment she saw them, she hurried forward.

"How did it go?"

The question had barely left her lips when she noticed Tang Wulin's flushed little face. Startled, she quickly crouched down and touched his forehead.

"Why are you so hot? Linlin, where do you feel unwell?"

Tang Wulin instinctively tried to shake his head, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he could not help smiling instead.

"Mom, I have soul power." His eyes still shone as he said it. "Level-five innate soul power, and I got into the Soul Master Class too."

Lang Yue froze.

In the next instant, delighted surprise flooded her eyes.

"Level five?" She quickly looked up at her husband.

Tang Ziran nodded and said quietly, "It's true."

Lang Yue's eyes immediately reddened, and her arms tightened around her son. For an ordinary family, awakening soul power during martial soul awakening was already a major cause for celebration, let alone level-five innate soul power.

But that delight lasted only a moment before she noticed something was wrong again.

The child in her arms was hot all over, his breathing a little heavier than usual, as though he were forcing himself to stay alert enough to talk to her.

"Don't stand here. Come inside," she said hurriedly.

Led inside by his mother, Tang Wulin had barely reached the living room when drowsiness surged over him like a tide. His head felt swollen, his eyelids heavy, and the warm current inside his body grew ever more distinct, as though an invisible layer of warm mist had enveloped him.

"Mom," he whispered, rubbing his eyes, "I'm so sleepy."

Lang Yue had wanted to hear him say a little more, but now she could no longer worry about that. "Then go sleep for a while," she said quickly. "I'll save your food. You can eat when you wake up."

Tang Wulin actually wanted to say a little more too.

He still wanted to tell his mother that the spirit transmitter had said he could cultivate. He wanted to tell her that although the little Xiao Hei hammer looked ordinary, it was actually very heavy. He also wanted to ask what exactly they would learn in the Soul Master Class. But the sleepiness came too quickly, so quickly that even standing straight felt like a struggle.

"Okay." He obediently answered and turned toward his little bedroom.

The door closed softly, and the living room immediately grew much quieter.

Only then did Lang Yue turn to her husband, her voice carrying both irrepressible joy and undisguised worry.

"Was it really level five?"

"It really was level five." Tang Ziran sat down beside the small square table and let out a long breath, as though only now could he finally release all the emotions he had carried home. "And the academy has already placed him in the Soul Master Class."

For a moment, Lang Yue could not find any words.

Of course she was happy, so happy that she almost felt dazed. But after that happiness, the fine, tangled threads of worry in her heart slowly began to surface.

"This child has wanted to become a soul master ever since he was little," she said softly. "Today, that wish finally came true, at least a little."

Tang Ziran nodded. After a moment of silence, he said, "Yes."

Lunch was already laid out on the table: stir-fried greens, a cold vegetable dish, a bowl of soup, and a plate of ribs stewed until tender. Three dishes and a soup made for quite a lavish meal by the Tang family's standards.

Yet neither husband nor wife picked up their chopsticks right away.

Their son had awakened soul power, and innate level five at that. It should have been an occasion for boundless joy. But once the words "Soul Master Class" had fallen, other, more practical matters had quietly settled into their hearts as well.

It meant a longer road ahead.

It also meant more pressures they did not yet dare consider in detail.

Lang Yue glanced at her husband and asked softly, "Are you worrying about the future?"

Tang Ziran gave a bitter smile and did not deny it.

Lang Yue fell silent.

She understood what her husband meant.

It was not that he did not want Tang Wulin to take that path. He feared that their child, having finally glimpsed a road ahead, would find walking it far too hard.

The wind outside slipped through the gap in the window, carrying the salty dampness peculiar to the seaside. The room remained quiet for a long while before Lang Yue sighed softly.

"Let's not look too far ahead just yet," she said quietly. "At least today, we should be happy for him."

Tang Ziran nodded.

"Yes."

Only then did the couple pick up their bowls and slowly begin eating lunch. But as they ate, both kept glancing toward Tang Wulin's little room. Clearly, neither had truly set their worries aside.

And at that very moment, Tang Wulin was already fast asleep on his little bed.

He slept exceptionally deeply, more deeply than during any afternoon nap before. His small body curled beneath the covers, his forehead still carrying a lingering warmth, but his breathing gradually steadied.

In his last sliver of awareness before sleep claimed him completely, a few phrases still echoed over and over in his mind—

Level-five innate soul power.

The Soul Master Class.

And his father's words: "You've already taken your first step."

At the thought, even though he was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open, the corners of his mouth still curved faintly upward.

He felt neither inferior nor disappointed.

He was simply too tired.

But precisely because of that, he did not know that after he fell deeply asleep, the scorching heat and heaviness he had carried all the way home from the awakening room had not truly subsided.

It merely lay dormant somewhere deeper, as though waiting for something.

And on this day, for the Tang family, the real changes had only just begun.