Old Jack gave Xiao Yan a severe scolding for returning to Holy Soul Village without any prior notice.
But just how happy they were, it was obvious, without needing to be said.
Especially since Xiao Yan brought such a beautiful girl as Zhu Zhuqing home, Old Jack, as someone with experience, had already understood everything from their awkward expressions.
At the dinner table, the braised rice that Xiao Yan Xiao Yan had been longing for greatly satisfied his appetite.
Old Jack frequently recounted amusing anecdotes about Xiao Yan to Zhu Zhuqing.
However, Xiao Yan has always possessed a mature soul, so he has never done anything particularly shameful from childhood to adulthood.
The only thing worth laughing about is that I almost set the house on fire because I was curious about the existence of Soul Power.
As for the reason why Holy Soul Village has changed so much...
Old Jack also spoke to Xiao Yan and the others:
"Kid, you've really made something of yourself now!"
Old Jack, his face flushed, had drunk a couple of ounces of liquor and was now extremely excited.
"Back then, it was the Spirit Hall that personally came to inform you that you had won the championship."
That afternoon, the city lord of Suotuo City sent someone to visit our Holy Soul Village to offer his condolences. Following this, sweeping reforms were implemented, including widening the paths outside the village...
Old Jack held Xiao Yan's hand and recounted the series of changes that had taken place in Holy Soul Village.
And as Old Jack described, it was indeed just as Xiao Yan had imagined.
When he won the championship of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, Suotuo City was almost in an uproar. What's more, among the runners-up were Tang San and Xiao Wu, who also came from here.
The fact that three such brilliant geniuses emerged from the small Suotuo City prompted the Suotuo City lord to immediately launch a massive publicity campaign, almost without regard to cost.
The entire Suotuo City immediately gained fame, showing signs of becoming the leading city among the surrounding cities.
The city lord of Suotuo City was also very shrewd. He immediately arranged for the Soul Master in Suotuo City to "plan" for " Holy Soul Village," a small village that had nurtured several geniuses.
In addition to widening the roads, the entire village was almost completely renovated.
So what was once a very dilapidated place in Xiao Yan's memory has now been renovated.
Especially regarding Old Jack's place, the residence of Xiao Yan, the city lord of Suotuo City repeatedly suggested to Old Jack that it be renovated, with the intention of turning it into a spiritual totem of Suotuo City.
However, Old Jack firmly rejected them all.
As the village chief of Holy Soul Village, Old Jack's house was located in a place that could be seen as soon as one entered Holy Soul Village.
Therefore, news of Xiao Yan's return spread throughout Holy Soul Village in almost no time. As for those "fellow villagers" who wanted to show themselves before Xiao Yan...
Old Jack alone blocked them all from the outside.
Having lived in Holy Soul Village for so many years, his prestige as village chief still commands respect from the villagers. Coupled with Xiao Yan's current status, no one dares to act recklessly.
After closing the door, Xiao Yan and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged bewildered glances as they listened to Old Jack outside dismissing the crowd.
"I didn't realize you were a celebrity in the village now!"
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze fell on Xiao Yan's face, a hint of a teasing smile on her face.
Xiao Yan shrugged helplessly and said to Zhu Zhuqing:
"These people didn't have much interaction before, otherwise Grandpa Jack wouldn't have stopped them from coming in."
Xiao Yan was telling the truth. Xiao Yan was only vaguely familiar with the other people in Holy Soul Village; the only one he truly cared about was Old Jack in the village.
As for the rest of the villagers, they were not important to Xiao Yan.
After a while of activity, the crowd outside gradually dispersed, but with Xiao Yan and Zhu Zhuqing's current strength, they could still easily hear their gossip.
"I always said Xiao Yan was a promising kid, and sure enough, he became the champion of the Soul Master competition at such a young age..."
"Who can argue with that? This child has been polite since childhood, always speaking sweetly to everyone. He's clearly gifted!"
" Old Jack has been busy for so many years, now he can finally enjoy his retirement..."
"Hahaha, not at all, this kid's just naughty, hahaha..."
Such a conversation sounded somewhat amusing to Xiao Yan and Zhu Zhuqing, but to Old Jack, it was exactly what he wanted to hear.
The laughter outside was almost constant. His face was practically frozen with laughter as he listened to everyone's praise of Xiao Yan, waving his hand and saying "You flatter me," but his expression clearly betrayed his true feelings.
Please continue; I love to hear it.
Old Jack greeted everyone outside, while Xiao Yan, along with Zhu Zhuqing, quietly climbed out of the back window of the house, choosing to temporarily leave this chaotic place.
"That hill over there is where I used to practice my martial arts."
Xiao Yan led Zhu Zhuqing toward one side of Holy Soul Village, marveling at the changes within the village, and gradually arrived at a familiar place.
With their current stamina as Soul King, hills that were once difficult for Xiao Yan to climb have now become quite easy.
"It's rare that this place hasn't been polluted by those people from Suotuo City."
The hilltop still showed few signs of human activity. Xiao Yan spoke to Zhu Zhuqing:
"I was very curious about Martial Soul and Soul Power when I was a child, but I had to wait until I was six years old to Martial Soul Awakening, so before that, I had been honing my physical fitness."
"This is the place where I used to practice my martial arts."
With a smile on his lips, Xiao Yan skillfully sat down in front of a large rock, assumed a martial arts practice posture, and spoke to Zhu Zhuqing.
"This place is far from populated areas, and the scenery is quite nice."
Zhu Zhuqing took a deep breath, a satisfied look appearing on her face. Looking at Xiao Yan's comical expression, she couldn't help but chuckle.
Xiao Yan told Zhu Zhuqing about his past.
His gaze inevitably drifted to a hilltop on the other side, and he fell silent for a moment.
That was... the place where Tang San used to cultivate.
Xiao Yan pointed to that mountain peak and said:
"Back then, Tang San and I were only about five years old. It was by chance that I discovered he often appeared on the opposite mountain, and later we discovered each other."
I was also surprised to find that the other party had such perseverance.
Zhu Zhuqing listened to Xiao Yan's description and nodded gently. The two five-year-old children climbed to the top of what was a high mountain to them every morning without fail to cultivate. Their perseverance was commendable.
A five-year-old child should be active and energetic, yet every morning he walks this far from Holy Soul Village to climb to the top of the mountain for tedious cultivation.
Zhu Zhuqing seemed to understand why Xiao Yan had been able to achieve what he had.