Under everyone's gaze, countless streaks of purple lightning erupted from Yu Tianyuan's body.
With a piercing dragon's roar, a purple dragon phantom appeared behind him.
The dragon phantom had silver scales, with purple-gold lightning flashing all over its body. Its slit pupils seemed capable of seizing a person's soul; a single glance into them would leave one crushed beneath Dragon Might.
The young woman frowned, doing her utmost to identify Yu Tianyuan's martial soul.
Judging by its appearance alone, it was unquestionably a true dragon martial soul. Coupled with the formidable power of lightning it displayed from the moment of awakening, every sign pointed to one martial soul-the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
But she had seen a genuine Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon before. Powerful as that martial soul was, its command of lightning could never reach Yu Tianyuan's level. That left only two possibilities: either this was an entirely new martial soul, or the Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul had mutated. She leaned toward the latter.
Feeling the surging power of lightning within him, Yu Tianyuan had already begun imagining becoming a soul master and giving his mother a good life.
The young woman crouched down and, for the first time, took a careful look at this thinly dressed child.
Although the child before her was scrawny, his features were delicate, and his dark eyes held a maturity beyond his years. Perhaps it was because children from poor families learned to shoulder responsibilities early.
She asked softly, "Little brother, what is your martial soul called?"
Yu Tianyuan came back to his senses, thought for a moment, and replied, "Purple Lightning Tyrant Dragon."
"Purple Lightning Tyrant Dragon?" the young woman murmured before handing him the crystal ball used to test soul power.
"A very powerful martial soul. Let's test your innate soul power."
Yu Tianyuan murmured his assent, then placed his right hand on the crystal ball. The instant his palm touched it, a dazzling white light burst forth. Yet the light did not rise all the way to the top and fill the ball, leaving a tiny sliver of empty space.
"Innate full soul power!"
The ordinary onlookers, whose knowledge was limited, stared in stunned disbelief. The same thought filled all their minds.
Yu Tianyuan was startled too. He had never imagined his talent would be so extraordinary. For some reason, he immediately pictured himself becoming a Titled Douluo, with those people from the Heavenly Dragon Sect begging him to return as their sect master, only for him to kick them away.
The young woman, however, frowned. "Rank nine point nine? Is it because his physical condition is too poor?"
While she was pondering this, Yu Tianyuan bowed to her. "Thank you for helping me awaken my martial soul, big sister, but I still have things to do at home. I need to go back."
With that, Yu Tianyuan turned and walked toward the well. The adults watching stepped aside, clearing a path for him.
Carrying half a bucket of water, Yu Tianyuan ran home in excitement. He could hardly wait to share this joy with his mother. He had been an orphan in his previous life, so he naturally treasured the hard-won familial love he had in this one.
Watching his small, thin figure recede, the young woman turned to Grandma Zhang and asked, "Granny, do you know this child?"
Grandma Zhang sighed. "He's such a sensible child, but sadly, he's had a bitter life..."
The journey usually took over ten minutes, but Yu Tianyuan ran back to his doorstep in less than ten. He pushed open the old courtyard gate with a creak, then hurried into the kitchen with the bucket and began lighting a fire to boil water.
He did not boil much, only about a liter, so it would come to a boil sooner.
Scooping out the boiling water with a wooden ladle, he carefully carried it into the bedroom.
The firewood in the room had already burned out, leaving only a trace of warmth. Seeing this, Yu Tianyuan added more wood and lit the fire again.
His mother seemed to be asleep. He was about to return to the courtyard to chop more wood when he noticed one of her hands outside the quilt. It was a thin, withered yet swollen hand. Years of washing clothes had left her with chilblains that flared up every winter.
Yu Tianyuan reached to tuck it back beneath the quilt, but the instant he touched her hand, the joy on his face froze.
Her hand felt cold and stiff beneath his touch, and a terrifying thought surfaced in his mind.
He carefully climbed onto the bed and held his right index finger beneath the woman's nose.
Only empty coldness answered him.
The woman's snow-pale face and rigid body utterly shattered his last shred of hope.
Tears spilled uncontrollably from his eyes, and he even felt sick to his stomach.
Yu Tianyuan could not speak. It was as though every ounce of strength had been drained from him, leaving only the sound of burning wood in the room.
After hearing Grandma Zhang's account, the young woman felt a pang of sorrow. Truly, a hemp rope always snapped at its thinnest point, and misfortune always sought out those whose lives were already bitter.
After helping the other children who arrived awaken their martial souls, the young woman packed up her things and headed to Yu Tianyuan's home, following the address Grandma Zhang had given her.
Although she was a Soul Emperor, there was only so much she could do. She could only offer this suffering family some financial help.
The young woman stopped outside an old courtyard dwelling, then raised her hand and knocked on the gate a few times.
There was still no sound from within. After knocking three or four times in succession, she realized something was wrong. She pushed hard, and the courtyard gate toppled straight over.
The gate struck the ground with a crash.
The young woman hurried inside and saw a small, thin figure kneeling on a crude bed, sobbing silently.
Her gaze swept across the room, and she saw the woman lying motionless on the bed, no longer breathing.
At the sight, the young woman's eyes reddened slightly. She wanted to say something, but could not bring herself to speak.
The silence in the room lingered for an unknown length of time, until Grandma Zhang arrived and finally broke it.
Only when Grandma Zhang gathered Yu Tianyuan into her arms did he finally cry aloud like a true child. He sobbed hysterically, struggling even to breathe, until he eventually fell asleep.
By the time Yu Tianyuan woke, night had fallen. He lay on a soft bed beneath a thick cotton quilt, and the warmth made him want to linger there.
But as something came back to him, he immediately got up.
Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, Yu Tianyuan did not know what to do.
The door opened, and Grandma Zhang walked in. With pity in her voice, she said, "Now that you're awake, child, come and eat."
Yu Tianyuan left the room and saw the young woman from earlier that day. To his surprise, she still had not left.
Having eaten nothing all day, Yu Tianyuan was naturally ravenous, but the sight of the earthen-yellow coffin in the courtyard robbed him of his appetite.
In the world of the Douluo Continent, there was no custom of keeping the deceased laid out or burning paper offerings. Once someone died, they were simply laid to rest in the earth. The burial had only been delayed because they were waiting for Yu Tianyuan's decision.
After a few bites, Yu Tianyuan left the table and sat on the threshold, staring blankly at the coffin.
The young woman sat beside him and gently patted his back. "I'm sorry for your loss. The dead have passed on, but the living must carry on. Your mother would want you to be strong too."
Anger surged in Yu Tianyuan's heart as he silently planted a seed of revenge. Sooner or later, he would settle accounts with the Heavenly Dragon Sect for everything his mother had suffered.
"I'll put an end to the Heavenly Dragon Sect's entire lineage!"