"Spirit Hall? Soul Hall?" Another burst of eerie, cackling laughter echoed through Xiao Yan's mind. Countless thoughts flooded in, leaving him in unbearable pain.
Seeing Xiao Yan's face twist, Su Yuntao asked in confusion, "Child, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, I'm just a little dizzy. It's nothing." Xiao Yan waved a hand, looking utterly bewildered, and replied quietly, "Uncle, once I join Spirit Hall, will you take me away from here?"
Xiao Yan asked this entirely because he had suffered under Tang Hao for far too long. In these six years, he had scarcely had a single day when he could eat his fill. He had long wanted to leave this miserable place.
Su Yuntao said, "Of course. Once you join Spirit Hall, you'll be assigned to one of its academies to train as a Soul Master. Naturally, you'll leave this village and live in a big city."
"And once you become a Soul Master, Spirit Hall will give you a regular allowance. You'll certainly have no trouble living comfortably. With your innate full soul power, you might even become someone who commands the winds and clouds of the Douluo Continent, with beauties and riches beyond counting."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan's heart stirred. Never mind wasting his days cooped up in Holy Soul Village-the real problem was that he could not even eat his fill here, and he had to spend every day with that perpetually drunken father of his.
This was not the life Xiao Yan wanted.
If joining Spirit Hall could change his life and let him seek a wider world, why not?
Xiao Yan had already made up his mind to leave, even though he had never seen a decent map in the village and knew nothing of this world's waterways or geography.
He knew only that its mountains towered majestically and its rivers stretched vast and boundless. He knew countless dangers awaited him out there, but there was always a great, wonderful world waiting for him to explore.
"Lord Deacon, I'm willing to join Spirit Hall. When will you take me away from here?" Xiao Yan bowed to Su Yuntao.
At his words, Su Yuntao was overjoyed. His face broke into a smile. "There's no rush. I still need to awaken martial souls in other villages. I'll give you three days to say goodbye to your family. Three days from now, I'll come to Holy Soul Village to pick you up."
With that, Su Yuntao picked up his bag and walked toward the door, his face beaming.
The moment the door opened, Old Jack came forward with an anxious expression.
"Lord Deacon, how did it go? Are there any children in our village who can become Soul Masters this year?"
Su Yuntao smiled at once. "Old Jack, of the nine children in your village this year, two possess soul power, and both have innate full soul power. Unfortunately, one of them..."
At this point, Su Yuntao looked regretfully at Tang San. "Although this child has innate full soul power, his martial soul is Blue Silver Grass."
"What? Blue Silver Grass, with innate full soul power? Heavens!" Old Jack's gaze also shifted to Tang San, and the regret on his face was even deeper than Su Yuntao's.
Having served as village chief for so many years, he naturally knew that Blue Silver Grass was universally acknowledged as a trash martial soul across the continent. Even someone who cultivated it and became a Soul Master would still be a useless Soul Master.
"Lord Deacon, can Blue Silver Grass truly not be cultivated?" Old Jack asked with a frown.
"It's not completely impossible to cultivate." Su Yuntao patted Old Jack's shoulder and said evenly, "It's just that with a trash martial soul like Blue Silver Grass, even if he eventually becomes a Soul Master, he'll only be a useless one. After all, Blue Silver Grass has neither offensive nor defensive power, and it can't provide support either."
"Still, congratulations are in order. That child named Xiao Yan also has innate full soul power. His martial soul is a strange flame with some offensive power, and he's already agreed to join Spirit Hall." Su Yuntao glanced back at Xiao Yan as he added this.
"What? You mean little Yan can become a Soul Master?" Hearing this, Old Jack's face instantly filled with joy. Then he grew somewhat downcast again and looked at Tang San with regret.
"Lord Deacon, you've helped awaken a Soul Master in our village. I truly don't know how to thank you. Why not come to my house for a simple meal?" Old Jack offered sincerely.
"No, I still have to hurry to the next village. I'll return in three days to pick up Xiao Yan. Remember to have him tell his family."
With that, Su Yuntao strode out of Holy Soul Village.
Once they learned that Xiao Yan would soon join Spirit Hall and could become a Soul Master in the future, everyone around him, children and parents alike, greeted him warmly and offered their congratulations. Some parents even wanted to invite him home for a meal.
Tang San, meanwhile, was left standing to one side, ignored by everyone.
They're nothing but a bunch of people with eyes who cannot see. Soul Masters? Could they be stronger than my Mysterious Heaven Skill? Watching the scene before him, Tang San curled his lip in disdain, jealousy rising in his heart. He sighed inwardly. No matter where you go, there are always people who despise the poor and fawn over the rich.
It was not actually that the others were unwilling to greet Tang San. At first, everyone had been quite happy to talk to him. But Tang San, relying on the fact that he had lived two lives, considered himself superior to others. He treated everyone with indifference and had no desire to interact with the children,
which led the others to think Tang San had trouble socializing.
Over time, everyone grew distant from Tang San and gradually became closer to Xiao Yan.
Having just sneered that Soul Masters were inferior to his Mysterious Heaven Skill, Tang San, with his blatant double standards, hurried over to Old Jack. Since Su Yuntao had already left, he could only ask Old Jack:
"Grandpa Jack, what exactly is a soul ring? How can I get one?"
When his martial soul had awakened earlier, Tang San had vaguely sensed the Mysterious Heaven Skill within him being stirred into action. Then he had heard Su Yuntao mention soul rings, and now he desperately wanted to understand what was going on.
"I don't know what a soul ring is either. To get one, I think you have to hunt soul beasts. Little San, don't worry. Although the people from Spirit Hall didn't take an interest in you, Grandpa will send you to an academy. You'll still be able to become a Soul Master then." Old Jack affectionately stroked Tang San's head, then turned to Xiao Yan. "Little Yan, come along. Grandpa will take you brothers home and tell your father the good news that you can become Soul Masters."
"All right, Grandpa Jack." Xiao Yan nodded.
"Going to an academy to study? I'll have to ask my father first." Tang San gave Old Jack no definite answer, speaking indifferently.
Soon, Old Jack brought Xiao Yan and Tang San back to the smithy.
It was morning, and Tang Hao was still asleep. The entire smithy was silent, without the slightest sound.
"Tang Hao! Blacksmith Tang! I have good news for you!" Old Jack did not care whether Tang Hao was asleep. He raised his voice and shouted straight into the house.
He utterly detested this lazy, slovenly blacksmith.
If not for Tang Hao's two children, he would have kicked Tang Hao out of the village long ago.
P.S. The contract status has been updated. Starting today, there will be two chapters every day, at 12:00 and 18:00.
Dear readers, please send over your monthly tickets and recommendation votes. Thank you!
Before you continue