He turned to Old Jack and said, "These two children aren't bad. It's a real pity that their Martial Souls aren't top-grade, but both have full Soul Power, so they can become Soul Masters in the future. All right, it's time for me to leave."
At that moment, Su Yuntao felt that the little bit of talent he had always taken pride in had been ruthlessly shattered.
After seeing Su Yuntao off, Old Jack returned to Spirit Hall. His gaze fell on Han Qiu and Tang San, and he exclaimed, "Good, good, good!"
His kindly old face was full of joy he could hardly conceal. One of the boys had grown up by his side since early childhood, and the other was a child he had watched grow up bit by bit.
Their backgrounds might have limited the quality of their Martial Souls, but they still had Innate Full Soul Power!
If nothing else, they would certainly have no trouble becoming Soul Masters.
At the thought that Holy Soul Village had produced two future Soul Masters today, Old Jack grinned from ear to ear.
"I never imagined you'd have Innate Full Soul Power too, Little Qiu!" Old Jack stared at Han Qiu in disbelief, looking as though he had seen a sow climb a tree with his own eyes.
"..."
Han Qiu looked at Grandpa Jack's expression, as though he had seen a ghost, and felt a wave of helplessness.
On second thought, it was only natural. According to the original course of events, he had been just another one of these ordinary children.
In the original story, Tang San was the only person in Holy Soul Village who had Soul Power. The original owner of this body had been an unremarkable minor character, whose original fate was entirely different from Tang San's. No wonder Old Jack was so shocked.
"There are still three months before enrollment at Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy. Our village only has one admission quota, but there's no need to worry about that." Old Jack looked at the two children, the smile never leaving his face. "We'll set Little Qiu's situation aside for now. Little San, come with me. I'll go talk to your father."
"All right, Grandpa Village Chief." Tang San nodded.
With that, Old Jack led Tang San outside and headed straight for Tang Hao's smithy.
Han Qiu did not follow them.
Han Qiu knew that Old Jack would probably get into an argument with Tang Hao shortly, and he had no intention of joining the fun.
Back home, Han Qiu shut the door, took a deep breath, and gently opened his right hand. With a stir of his consciousness, a speck of light quietly appeared in his palm.
The speck was clear and pure. Han Qiu slowly channeled a little less than half the energy in his body-his Soul Power-into the Martial Soul of Light, and the speck suddenly burst into an unusual radiance!
The light flowed and gathered, slowly stretching out behind him and taking shape, gradually forming a human silhouette of light.
The figure was pure, translucent white from head to toe. Its outline was indistinct, with no clear face or specific clothing, yet it possessed a holy presence that rose above the mortal world.
"It looks a little like a giant of light from an anime." Han Qiu thoughtfully touched his chin.
Once the luminous figure appeared, Han Qiu felt the Soul Power inside him begin to drain away at a frantic rate. He could well imagine how powerful this Martial Soul was.
Immediately afterward, the abilities of the Martial Soul of Light and how to use them naturally surfaced in Han Qiu's mind.
The Martial Soul of Light had two innate abilities: purification and healing. In theory, as long as he had enough Soul Power, any negative condition could be purified, and any injury could be healed as long as the person wasn't dead.
What was more, this Martial Soul was extremely special. It seemed to unlock a new Martial Soul form every ten levels.
"It feels really powerful, but I wonder how well it actually works?" Han Qiu slapped his forehead, a wicked smile appearing on his face. "How could I forget? Didn't Uncle Zhang next door happen to break his leg while gathering herbs in the mountains a few days ago? We're neighbors, so wouldn't it be great to help heal him and test the healing effect at the same time?"
As he thought this, Han Qiu pushed open the door and went out. Before long, he arrived outside Uncle Zhang's courtyard and gently knocked on the wooden door.
"Uncle Zhang, are you home?"
A slightly weary, raspy voice soon came from inside. "It's Little Qiu. Come in."
Han Qiu pushed the door open and entered. A faint scent of medicinal herbs greeted him.
Uncle Zhang was propped up against the head of the bed, his right leg raised high and wrapped in layers of coarse cloth bandages. His face was pale, and an inescapable weariness showed between his brows. Clearly, the pain had been tormenting him.
Seeing that it was Han Qiu, Uncle Zhang managed a smile. "Little Qiu, is today's Martial Soul Awakening over? What Martial Soul did you awaken? What brings you over to see me?"
Word that the village children were all awakening their Martial Souls today had long since spread throughout Holy Soul Village. Even confined to bed, he had heard about it.
Han Qiu smiled. "I awakened a healing-type Martial Soul. I remembered you hurt your leg a few days ago, Uncle Zhang, so I came especially to heal it for you."
"Really?" Uncle Zhang's face lit up with joy, and his eyes instantly brightened. Then, as though remembering something, his expression dimmed again. He waved a hand with a bitter smile. "Silly child, I know you mean well, but it's not that easy. I broke a bone. The village's old physician has already examined it, and he said I'd need at least two or three months in bed before I could gradually start walking again. Even an ordinary Soul Master's healing Martial Soul might not be able to mend a broken bone quickly, much less when you've only just awakened yours."
He held out no hope at all.
Healing-type Martial Souls were extremely rare to begin with, and their effects varied from person to person. A newly awakened Martial Soul generally couldn't be very powerful. At most, it might ease a little soreness; mending a broken bone was simply impossible.
Han Qiu didn't explain much, however, and merely smiled calmly. "Uncle Zhang, there's no harm in trying. It might work, you know? I also happen to want to get familiar with my Martial Soul's abilities."
Seeing how determined he was, Uncle Zhang couldn't bear to turn down the child's kind offer and could only nod. "All right, then. Sorry to trouble you, Little Qiu."
Han Qiu walked slowly to the bedside, his gaze settling on the man's right leg, wrapped in layer upon layer of bandages.
With a stir of his consciousness, an illusory figure of light appeared behind him. A speck of light then quietly emerged in his palm, its gentle white radiance flowing slowly.
He didn't use his full strength right away, drawing on only about thirty percent of his Soul Power. The speck of light turned into strands of soft radiance that slowly settled over the bandages.
Wisps of pure white light penetrated the coarse cloth bandages and seeped through the skin into the flesh and bone beneath.
The next instant, Uncle Zhang's whole body jolted on the bed!
An incomparably warm, gentle power surged into the injured area in an instant.
His right leg, which had been sending out stabbing pains from time to time, felt as though it had suddenly been enveloped in a hot spring. The pain vanished without a trace.
"Th-this is Soul Power? How amazing!" Uncle Zhang's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief, and even his breathing grew a little hurried.
He could clearly feel his broken bones being nourished and joined by the gentle power. The break was rapidly mending, and his right leg, which had felt unbearably heavy and numb, was gradually regaining sensation.
Han Qiu's gaze remained calm as he silently continued channeling Soul Power.
The healing power of the Martial Soul of Light was heaven-defying. In just a few breaths, the pallor vanished from Uncle Zhang's face, the weariness between his brows was swept away, and his complexion visibly regained its color.
"It doesn't hurt anymore! It really doesn't hurt at all! Little Qiu, your healing works incredibly well!"
Excited, Uncle Zhang tried moving his right leg slightly. The leg that had been stiff and powerless could now move, and aside from a faint lingering soreness and weakness, it had completely returned to normal!
Han Qiu withdrew his Soul Power at the right moment, and the speck of light in his palm faded away.