Choosing either option one or option two would be courting death.
Tang San was no saint. To protect his own secret, he would definitely kill Han Qiu.
Besides, Qi-State Origin-Flow was exactly what he needed most right now. Zhang Chulan, the Shameless One, had relied on Qi-State Origin-Flow to defeat stronger opponents time and again.
Qi-State Origin-Flow was known as the end of all techniques. Not only could it greatly increase the rate at which he absorbed the primordial Qi of heaven and earth, it also possessed extraordinary self-healing power. And as he grew stronger, he could surely develop even more abilities over time!
His Martial Soul Awakening was coming soon, and Qi-State Origin-Flow ought to be the best thing for him right now.
"I choose three."
"What's this, Little San? You look down on Blue Silver Grass?"
Han Qiu chewed on the Blue Silver Grass a few more times.
"At the end of the day, it's just the most ordinary wild grass. Never mind anywhere else, I don't even know how much of it grows in our village alone." Tang San spoke slowly, his expression serious. "But ordinary as it is, its vitality is remarkably tenacious. I've never looked down on it in the slightest."
Hearing Tang San's words, Han Qiu couldn't help nodding. This Blue Silver Grass was just like the wild grass he had seen in his previous life: wildfire could not burn it all away; the spring breeze brought it back to life.
As expected of the protagonist, his insights were different from those of ordinary people.
"Since you like it so much, I've decided your Martial Soul will be Blue Silver Grass from now on!" Han Qiu said calmly.
At the same time, a system notification sounded in Han Qiu's mind.
[Congratulations on completing your choice. You have obtained Qi-State Origin-Flow as your reward.]
Immediately afterward, Han Qiu felt a warm current flow out of his dantian and travel through his limbs and bones.
Every inch of flesh and every meridian in his body seemed to be slowly soaked and washed by this power. He felt his body quietly undergoing a transformation.
Invisible Qi currents circulated through his flesh and blood, and a faint ring of ripples spread through the air around him. The Blue Silver Grass growing thickly at his feet seemed to answer a summons, swaying gently.
Wave upon wave of profound insights flooded into his sea of consciousness, and countless methods of circulating Qi were deeply imprinted on his mind.
What Qi was, what the origin was, and the truth that all things shared the same root and heaven and earth the same source became clear in his heart in an instant.
Han Qiu's body trembled slightly. He unconsciously clenched his fist and felt an unprecedented sense of power well up inside him.
He marveled inwardly. So this is Qi-State Origin-Flow, one of the Eight Extraordinary Skills?
It really is incredible.
Tang San, standing beside him, noticed the subtle change in his presence. He turned and looked in puzzlement at Han Qiu on the reclining chair. "Han Qiu, why do I feel like you suddenly seem different?"
Han Qiu quickly suppressed the emotions surging in his heart and restrained the presence leaking from his body. Putting on an unconcerned expression, he waved a hand. "It's nothing. I just suddenly figured a few things out."
Yet he was wild with joy inside. He had been worried about awakening a Trash Martial Soul like a hoe or a sickle and having no Soul Power to cultivate, but he hadn't expected Mother Blue Star to come through for him so spectacularly, sending him a Choice System outright.
With Qi-State Origin-Flow in hand, no matter how poor his Martial Soul turned out to be, he finally had the means to establish himself in the Douluo World.
Tang San seemed to recall something, and his expression darkened again. "Han Qiu, you actually cursed me!"
Blue Silver Grass was the most ordinary of plants. Tang San still wanted to awaken a fairly powerful Martial Soul, though he thought the chances were slim.
As the saying went, dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and the son of a mouse knows how to dig holes. As he saw it, his father was just an ordinary blacksmith and couldn't pass a good Martial Soul on to him.
"How did I curse you? Didn't you say Blue Silver Grass had tenacious vitality?"
"I said its vitality was tenacious, but I never said I wanted to awaken a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul!" Tang San slapped his forehead. "You almost got me tangled up in your words. A Martial Soul only appears after it's awakened, Han Qiu. You don't get to decide!"
Tang San left, but not before looking back to say, "Oh, right, Han Qiu. When I went out of the village this morning, I saw Grandpa Village Chief. He told me to tell you not to forget to come back and eat."
Han Qiu's mother had died in childbirth. His father, unable to bear the grief, had spent his days in gloom. Overwork had taken its toll as well, and within a single year, he too had passed away. From then on, the village chief had taken Han Qiu in and raised him. Though the old village chief was not Han Qiu's own grandfather, he was closer to him than one.
"All right, all right."
"With Qi-State Origin-Flow, I can train to my limits and make my body incredibly strong, so I can absorb older Soul Rings!"
With hope of growing stronger, Han Qiu felt full of strength from head to toe. His future was bright.
Now that his golden finger had arrived, he couldn't just be a salted fish anymore.
Time to start grinding right away!
Han Qiu considered how he should train, grateful that he had watched all kinds of videos back on Blue Star.
Special forces training methods, muscleman workout routines, all sorts of methods for practicing body-tempering martial arts.
Back then, he had often watched and pondered them, imagining that he might one day become a martial arts master. But actually getting him to train was out of the question. Those methods looked impressive, but practicing them was murder!
Without several years, never mind making any progress, he might even end up training himself into some kind of ailment.
Now that he had Qi-State Origin-Flow, things were completely different. Not only would the time required be greatly reduced and his efficiency multiplied, but most importantly, it was steady and reliable, and would never harm his foundation or exhaust his potential.
Qi-State Origin-Flow was itself the source of all techniques, with an inherent, endless capacity for recovery.
The muscle strain and physical exhaustion brought on by any high-intensity workout would be slowly healed and nourished by the origin Qi power constantly generated within him. During the healing process, it would even temper his sinews, bones, flesh and blood in turn, allowing his physique to undergo transformation after transformation, shedding its old body and bones.
"But going by what Grandpa Jack said, the Douluo World's number one tool man, 'Blind Douluo' Su Yuntao, should come to Holy Soul Village in two months to help everyone awaken their Martial Souls."
"Sigh, this is tough. Little San has already been cultivating for years, and only then did he awaken with Innate Full Soul Power at the ceremony."
"I wonder if I can cultivate to Innate Full Soul Power in these two months."
Han Qiu hastily ate breakfast at the old village chief's house, then hurried to the mountain trail where Tang San usually did his morning training.
The mountain path was far rougher and harder to traverse than the village's dirt roads, and every running step drained extra strength. With his slight six-year-old body, he had only run at high intensity for a little over ten minutes before his breathing grew rapid and ragged. His chest felt tight in waves, and he could barely catch his breath.
"My foundation is still too poor."
Han Qiu kept his feet moving, but in his mind, it was as though two voices were constantly arguing.
One said, Stop. If you keep forcing yourself, your body won't be able to take it. There's no need to push yourself; there's no point in persisting.
The other said, Now that you have a chance in this life, you absolutely can't be like you were in your last.
"You want me to give up? Never!"
Han Qiu shouted fiercely in his heart, I have to get stronger! I'm the man who will one day stand at the very top of this world. I'm going to make something of my life in this world! Don't think that little temptation can shake me!
"Since I've transmigrated and even received a golden finger, if I can't endure this little bit of hardship, wouldn't I, Han Qiu, be a true piece of trash?"
He repeated a sentence silently, and a ruthless determination surged within him.
As long as training doesn't kill me, I'll train like hell!
He gritted his teeth and urged himself on, racing forward with all his might, as though he meant to vent all the resentment and regret that had built up in his previous life through this run.
Before, he had had no choice. Now, at last, he could see hope on the road ahead.