His origins

"Clang, clang, clang!"

Tang San was immersed in the rhythm of forging.

His body swayed with the rise and fall of the hammer, his feet planted firmly on the ground and his back straight. His arm drove the hammerhead through one arc after another.

Each blow was heavier than the last, each strike more precise.

In his hands, the hammer was no longer a tool. It seemed to have become one with his body.

"So this is the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer?"

Yu Chen leaned against the doorframe, studying Tang San's movements closely.

With his hands behind his back, he secretly practiced a couple of motions, his fingertips copying the angle at which Tang San turned his wrist.

Tang San's hammer technique was pretty good.

Now it was his!

Principal Ming's special training class had long since ended.

After extensive combat practice, Yu Chen had finally learned Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.

He had only demonstrated a move or two in front of Tang San, but even that had left Tang San dumbstruck.

The Tang Sect Secret Arts could not be taught to outsiders.

But what could anyone do when Yu Chen could learn them just by watching?

As for Purple Demon Eye and Mysterious Jade Hand, Yu Chen had stopped coveting them. These secret arts required the internal energy of Mysterious Heaven Skill to support them; merely watching was not enough to learn them.

Yu Chen had reached level twenty and planned to hunt a Soul Beast first, then head straight for Heaven Dou City.

But he suddenly remembered that Tang San also knew the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer.

So he sought Tang San out and offered a hefty sum to have an iron pot forged.

Zonghun Village.

Dozens of tables stood in the square, covered in red cloth. The place was as lively as a festival.

The smell of stewed meat mingled with the mellow fragrance of rice wine.

Children darted between the tables, shrieking as they chased and played with one another. The adults held wine cups, laughing and chatting loudly as they offered auspicious wishes.

Yu Chen was about to become a Soul Grandmaster. This was a truly joyous occasion.

With a grand wave of his hand, Old Tom treated the entire village to a feast.

At the table in the very center.

Old Tom sat in the seat of honor. He had drunk quite a bit today, and his face was flushed, his voice louder than usual.

"Dashan, it's a long journey ahead. Make sure you look after Yu Chen along the way."

Old Tom spoke.

Ming Dashan raised his cup and drained it in one gulp, then wiped the corner of his mouth. "Don't worry, village chief. Leave it to me."

Back when he had left to study in Heaven Dou City, the whole village had seen him off too.

Seeing such a scene again stirred deep feelings in Ming Dashan, and he kept drinking, cup after cup.

Old Tom turned to Yu Chen, tears glistening in his cloudy eyes. "Good boy, keep working hard on your cultivation when you reach the big city. Your village chief is proud of you."

"I will!"

Yu Chen nodded firmly, raised the cup before him, and took a long gulp.

The village had supported him every step of the way.

Now, what rested on his shoulders was not just his own future, but the hopes of the entire village.

At that moment, that weight, heavy yet warm, was etched vividly into his heart.

The feast lasted from noon until nightfall. Only when the moon hung above the treetops did the clamor gradually fade.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Yu Chen had returned to his room and was just about to lie down when a knock sounded at the door.

"Creeeak-"

Old Tom pushed the door open and entered, his face glowing red and a small cloth bundle in his hand.

"Village chief, why aren't you resting at this hour?"

Yu Chen helped Old Tom sit down.

Old Tom looked at Yu Chen, his eyes filled with both pride and a deep reluctance to part.

"Yu Chen, there's something I've never told you."

Old Tom untied the cloth bundle and took out a Jade Pendant.

Yu Chen looked down. The Jade Pendant had a warm, lustrous finish and was made of fine white jade, with the character "Chen" engraved on its front.

"Village chief, what's this?"

Yu Chen asked in confusion.

He guessed it was Old Tom's family heirloom, which he intended to leave to him.

Old Tom smiled. "Yu Chen, have you ever wondered why Dashan, whom I also found and took in, shares my surname, Ming, while yours is Yu?"

Yu Chen scratched his head. He had wondered about that before, but had never asked.

Still, the name "Yu Chen" had followed him through three lifetimes. He had long since grown used to it.

"When I found you by the roadside, this Jade Pendant was in your bundle."

Old Tom spoke, recalling the past.

"Your birth parents probably left this Jade Pendant, so I named you Yu Chen. Yu came from the word for jade, and Chen from the character engraved on it."

Yu Chen fell silent for a moment, then took the Jade Pendant.

It felt cool and smooth in his hand and looked like a piece of exceptional quality.

"This Jade Pendant is worth quite a bit. Once you reach Heaven Dou City, you can ask around. You might find a clue about your parents."

Old Tom said with a smile.

"Oh."

Yu Chen gave a casual reply.

As a transmigrator, he had little affection for his birth parents.

Besides, the kindness of raising a child was greater than the heavens.

Old Tom had raised him from infancy, cleaning up after him through every mess. That kindness far outweighed the blood ties behind this Jade Pendant.

What's more, judging by the usual transmigrator pattern, his parents were most likely already dead.

And what if his parents were some notorious villains or Evil Soul Masters? If he went around waving the Jade Pendant and loudly seeking his family, only to provoke enemies from the older generation, wouldn't he be courting death?

He tucked the Jade Pendant into his clothes and smiled without betraying his thoughts. "Village chief, I'll remember. I'll keep an eye out when I get to Heaven Dou City."

Old Tom nodded in relief, offered a few more reminders, then rose and returned to his own room.

Early morning.

Before the sky had fully brightened, with only a sliver of fish-belly white showing in the east, Yu Chen stepped outside.

Morning exercise had long been a habit of his.

"Flap, flap, flap-"

Xiao Bai Dragon circled in midair.

After two and a half years of growth, Xiao Bai Dragon had more than doubled in size. Her body was well proportioned, her silver scales fine and smooth, and her spread wings now spanned over a meter.

Yu Xiaogang had told Yu Chen that keeping a Detached Martial Soul outside the body consumed far more energy than an ordinary Martial Soul.

Therefore, he should avoid letting his Martial Soul out whenever possible.

Yu Chen did the exact opposite.

Viewed from another angle, the consumption of a Detached Martial Soul amounted to training his Soul Power at every moment.

He expended Soul Power, then recovered it through meditation.

The cycle continued endlessly.

After maintaining this practice over a long period, Yu Chen's cultivation speed had surpassed that of Tang San and Xiao Wu, who also possessed innate full Soul Power.

He had broken through to level twenty a month ago, while those two had only just reached level eighteen.

"Awooo-"

Xiao Bai Dragon circled twice overhead and let out a long, excited howl.

Then she shot skyward and soon vanished from Yu Chen's sight.

"Xiao Bai, don't go too far!"

Yu Chen called loudly.

Like Ash's Pikachu, Xiao Bai Dragon disliked staying in enclosed spaces and often ran off to play.

Having worked at Professor Oak's Laboratory for over a decade, Yu Chen knew this was how Pokémon expressed their feelings.

Intelligent beings each had their own personalities.

Only by tailoring their training to their individual natures could one raise powerful Pokémon.

Though also a Detached Martial Soul, Luo Sanpao could travel no farther than a thousand meters before the connection with Yu Xiaogang broke. He would then automatically dissipate and return to the martial soul space.

Xiao Bai was different.

Yu Chen had already tested it. Xiao Bai could remain connected to him even several kilometers away.

As his Soul Power grew, that distance could increase further.

Yu Chen was considering whether, in future fights, he could have Xiao Bai do the battling while he hid and meditated to restore his Soul Power.

"Yiya! Yiya!"

Just then, Xiao Bai Dragon appeared on the horizon, crying out nonstop, her purple slit-pupiled eyes shining with excitement.

In the blink of an eye, she swooped down and landed before Yu Chen.

Yu Chen stroked Xiao Bai Dragon's head. "Xiao Bai, what's wrong?"

"Yiya!"

"What, a strange waterfall?"

Xiao Bai Dragon nodded vigorously, then took flight, circled twice, and landed again, signaling for Yu Chen to follow her.