Pushing open the somewhat weathered security door, the family of four entered their apartment of a few dozen square meters in the commoners' district.
"You three sit down. I'll get started on dinner. I bought ribs today."
As soon as they entered, Lang Yue hurriedly tied on her apron and plunged into the tiny kitchen.
Before long, the sounds of rice being washed and pots, bowls, and utensils clattering came from inside.
The living room was not spacious; just one square dining table made it feel cramped.
The moment Tang Wulin sat down, he wilted, his large, clear black-and-white eyes full of grogginess.
The warm energy from the awakening room finally began running wild through his limbs and bones, making his head swell in throbbing waves and cold sweat pour from his body.
"Dad, Big Brother... I'm so sleepy. I want to lie down for a bit."
Rubbing his slightly feverish forehead, Tang Wulin could not even spare a thought for his usual favorite, braised ribs. He mumbled with his head drooping, then staggered into the little bedroom.
The instant he reached the bed, the little brother collapsed into a dead sleep without even pulling up the covers.
"Looks like Wulin really is tired."
In the living room, Tang Ziran helplessly withdrew his gaze and gave a habitual sigh. He had just sat down at the table when he looked up and found his eldest son, Tang Qingye, sitting calmly opposite him.
The food soon arrived: three meat dishes and a soup, a spread lavish enough to count as a New Year's feast for the Tang family.
Lang Yue took off her apron and sat down. Husband and wife absentmindedly served Tang Qingye food, both pondering how they should broach the subject and comfort the two children later.
Watching his parents' strange behavior, Tang Qingye's lips twitched. You're that certain neither of us awakened a good martial soul? Don't put so much faith in genetic inheritance. Genetic mutations are possible too, you know.
"Dad, Mom, Wulin's martial soul and mine..."
Once Tang Qingye finished explaining the brothers' martial souls, the atmosphere around the dining table came to an abrupt halt, as though someone had pressed pause.
Andy!
The little bedroom, less than ten square meters in size, was dimly lit.
On the neighboring bed, the deeply sleeping Tang Wulin's skin had turned scarlet all over, making him look exactly like a giant golden prawn tossed into a pot of boiling water.
His temperature was skyrocketing at an astonishing rate. The meridians beneath his skin flickered into view, and his blood circulation surged wildly to at least three times its normal speed!
Bro, you smell delicious. You look almost cooked.
Meanwhile, at the other bed, Tang Qingye reached back to shut the door tightly, then sat cross-legged.
After his martial soul awakening, he could finally peer into the secrets deep within his soul in the truest sense for the first time.
With a slight shift of his mind, the material world around him instantly lost its colors.
A boom rang in Tang Qingye's ears, and he found himself standing in a boundless, chaotic sea of consciousness.
This was his Sea of Consciousness.
At the center of this silent chaos stood an ancient, unadorned gourd roughly the size of a palm.
[Seven-Colored Heaven-Slaying Gourd].
Upon closer inspection.
The gourd shimmered all over with radiant red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet light. Countless intricate source patterns, ancient, profound, and desolate, were branded across its surface. Every line contained the power to cleave through the nine heavens, giving one the illusion of being the Heavenly Emperor himself.
At the gourd's mouth, seven terrifying vortices of law faintly intertwined and spun. Like seven sleeping ancient ferocious beasts, they breathed out heaven-slaying sword light powerful enough to make heaven, earth, and all creation tremble.
Tang Qingye's consciousness had only just tried to approach.
Instantly, a terrifying suction comparable to that of a sealed, narrow cave suddenly struck.
His consciousness became a streak of light, sinking through the gourd's mouth as it breathed out seven-colored halos.
White streams of light gushed forth, transforming into countless pieces of profound information that surged into his mind like a tsunami.
Ultimate life healing, the Soul-Devouring Streamlight that specifically erased souls, the Nine-Dragon Phenomenon, the indestructible Profound Sage Heavenly Might...
Inside the gourd lay a universe so vast it inspired despair.
Deep within this space constructed from pure sword qi, there were no so-called soul rings, nor any phantoms of soul beasts. There were only seven immense ancient swords of law, like seven mountains reaching into the heavens, firmly pinned in the void in the formation of the Big Dipper.
Each ancient sword was wreathed in a supreme aura that made the soul quiver.
The foremost ancient sword was azure-green throughout. Ancient markings resembling a tree's growth rings faintly pulsed along its blade, exuding immense, almost undying vitality;
The second ancient sword was pitch-black, an eerie, dim light flowing along its edges. A single glance made one's soul sting, as though it would be sucked inside and ruthlessly squeezed dry;
The third, the fourth... and even the gourd hidden at the very core, completely wrapped in endless seven-colored sword qi, were concealed within thick mist. The mere tip of the iceberg they revealed was enough to slay Tang and slaughter San.
As though sensing its master's arrival, the ancient sword bearing azure-green growth rings quivered slightly. A wisp of supremely pure azure law fed back out through the gourd's mouth and surged into Tang Qingye's limbs and bones.
"Taiyi Azure Wood Mark!"
Tang Qingye withdrew from his Sea of Consciousness, green light shining from his eyes. It was the breath of spring.
The colorless, odorless aura of life drifted with the wind, floating from the little apartment to every corner of Aolai City, reminding its residents that breeding season had arrived.
Shrek City, Sea God Island.
Ya Li, who was resting in a strappy nightgown, inexplicably trembled and abruptly opened her eyes. As her Wishing Angel martial soul resonated and rejoiced wildly, she looked toward Aolai City.
Meanwhile, in the dim living room next door.
Beneath a dusky soul-powered wall lamp, Tang Ziran and Lang Yue sat around the table, utterly unable to sleep.
"Both children have soul power, and our darling Qingye even has innate full soul power."
Never in their dreams had the couple imagined that two ordinary soul masters with mediocre talent like themselves would produce a prodigy with innate full soul power.
"Is this a genetic mutation? That's amazing," Lang Yue murmured.
"Honey, what are you muttering about?"
"Although Lin'er has soul power, his martial soul is still Blue Silver Grass. Without some extraordinary encounter, it'll be hard for him to achieve much on the path of a soul master. We can just let nature take its course." Tang Ziran paused.
"As for Qingye... that boy has his own ideas. He wants to join the Spirit Pagoda. With his talent, it would be perfectly normal for the Spirit Pagoda to recruit him."
"But he's only six. If some important figure takes a liking to him, I'll have to be separated from my baby."
Looking at his wife's slightly reddened eyes, Tang Ziran comforted her. "Don't let your imagination run wild, honey. What important figure would come to a little place like this? Today's a happy day."
"Qingye has been precocious since he was little. He has his own pace; as his parents, we just need to support him with everything we have. As for Wulin, I want him to learn a trade so he'll have a means of making a living in the future."
"Mm, I'll listen to you," Lang Yue said softly, still retaining her mature charm.
Few men could withstand that endearing look, enhanced by the allure of a married woman.
"Honey, do you feel anything? My body feels a little hot. How about we..."
"Are you trying to get yourself killed? So impatient."
"Back to the bedroom!"
"Bring one!"
Before you continue