Different Choices (II)
"Congratulations," Lin Chen said mildly. "Shrek suits you."
"What about you two?"
"Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
Tang San paused, then nodded. Heaven Dou Royal Academy was an orthodox, top-tier institution, which suited Lin Chen's talent.
He fell silent for a few seconds, then said seriously, "We'll meet again someday. When we do, I'll definitely beat you."
"I'll be waiting." Lin Chen held out his hand.
Their hands clasped, neither holding back on his grip. There was no hostility, only rivalry and mutual recognition between the two boys. From Holy Soul Village to Nuoding Academy, they had been each other's only rival and the person who understood each other best.
They let go, and Tang San turned and left, his retreating figure upright and resolute.
The carriage Teacher Sun had sent was parked at the academy gates. The Heaven Dou Empire's emblem was emblazoned on its magnificent cabin, drawing glances from passersby.
Lin Chen politely declined the escort from Heaven Dou Royal Academy and said that he would report to the academy on time. Then he took Xiao Wu's hand and drove the carriage in the opposite direction.
"Brother Lin Chen, will we see Tang San again?" Xiao Wu looked back at Nuoding Academy as it grew smaller in the distance and asked softly.
"Yes," Lin Chen said calmly. "We'll meet him in the arena at the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."
When that time came, one would represent Shrek, the other Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
The former twin prodigies of Nuoding would eventually stand on the continent's greatest stage and compete to see who was stronger.
The carriage traveled slowly along the main road, its wheels creaking as they rolled over the gravel. Wheat fields on either side rippled in golden waves in the late-summer breeze, and the distant outline of the green mountains remained as familiar as it had been five years ago.
Lin Chen sat on the carriage shaft, holding the reins as he gazed at the familiar outline of the village at the end of the road.
Holy Soul Village.
Five years had passed.
When he had left five years ago, he had been a frail six-year-old child, carrying a simple bundle on his back and ten Silver Soul Coins Old Jack had tucked into his pocket. Now he had returned as a Soul Grandmaster at the peak of level thirty, with a girl wearing a scorpion braid at his side.
"Brother Lin Chen, is that the Holy Soul Village you told me about?" Xiao Wu leaned out of the carriage and gazed curiously at the village ahead.
"Mm." A faint smile appeared on Lin Chen's lips. "It's where I grew up."
As the carriage entered the village, a few children playing by the roadside were the first to spot them. They gathered around the carriage, circling it curiously. One slightly older boy stared at the Heaven Dou Empire's emblem on the cabin, his eyes wide. "Wow, what a beautiful carriage! Did it come from a big city?"
Lin Chen jumped down from the carriage shaft and ruffled the boy's hair with a smile. "Xiao Ming, you've grown so tall! Don't you recognize me?"
The boy stared blankly for two seconds, then suddenly shrieked, "B-Brother Lin Chen?! Brother Lin Chen is back!"
That shout brought half the village out.
The villagers put down whatever they were doing and poked their heads out from their courtyards. Some recognized Lin Chen and called out in delighted surprise; others were still staring blankly, unable to believe that the frail orphan from those years ago had grown into a spirited young man.
"Is that boy Lin Chen back?!"
An aged but booming voice came from behind the crowd. The people parted of their own accord, and Old Jack hurried forward with his cane. His steps were far more unsteady than they had been five years ago, and his graying hair had grown thinner, but his eyes still shone brightly.
He stopped in front of Lin Chen and looked the young man up and down. Lin Chen was almost a head taller than him now. His lips trembled several times, and only after a long while did he manage to say, "You've grown taller, stronger. You look like a man now."
"Grandpa Village Chief." Lin Chen's voice was a little hoarse. He bent over and bowed solemnly to the old man. "I'm back."
Old Jack grabbed his shoulders and patted them hard, his eyes reddening. "Good, good! It's good that you're back!"
Xiao Wu also jumped down from the carriage and stood obediently beside Lin Chen. "Hello, Grandpa Village Chief!" she called sweetly.
Only then did Old Jack notice the little girl, who looked as though she had been carved from pink jade. He paused, then burst out laughing. "You must be Xiao Wu, right? Old Jack may be old, but his memory is still sharp! Miss Xiao Wu from Nuoding Academy-I've heard people mention you!"
A little embarrassed by the praise, Xiao Wu hid behind Lin Chen and smiled with her lips pressed together.
Word spread quickly. In less than half an hour, everyone in Holy Soul Village knew Lin Chen had returned.
The villagers gathered at the threshing ground by the village entrance, all talking at once as they asked questions. Some asked what level he was now, some asked how he had been doing at Nuoding Academy, and others curiously eyed the pretty little girl beside him.
Lin Chen answered them one by one, speaking warmly and putting on no airs.
"Lin Chen, show everyone your Soul Rings!" a middle-aged man called out. "I heard you beat everyone your age at Nuoding Academy, and even the older students were no match for you!"
"Yes, yes, let us see for ourselves!"
Lin Chen smiled and, without hesitation, held out his right hand.
The Chaos Pearl appeared, and two Soul Rings rose at the same time-two dazzling purple rings, gleaming with a deep luster in the sunlight as they slowly revolved around his body.
The threshing ground fell silent in an instant.
The villagers stared with eyes wide and mouths open wide enough to fit eggs inside.
Though they did not understand the finer points of Soul Master cultivation, they did know the colors of Soul Rings. Hundred-Year Soul Rings were yellow, and Thousand-Year Soul Rings were purple-everyone in Holy Soul Village, young and old, knew that much.
But Lin Chen had only just turned twelve!
His First Soul Ring was a Thousand-Year Soul Ring?
In all of Holy Soul Village's history, no one had ever seen such a thing, much less heard of it!
"Heavens..." Old Jack's hands shook so badly that he nearly lost his grip on his cane. "T-two purple Soul Rings? Thousand-Year Soul Rings?"
"Mm." Lin Chen withdrew his Martial Soul and said evenly, "My First Soul Ring came from a thousand-year-old Jade Phosphor Python. My Second Soul Ring came from a four-thousand-year-old Illusory Heart Demon Spider."
The threshing ground erupted.
"Thousand-Year Soul Rings! And two of them!"
"Two Thousand-Year Soul Rings at twelve-what will he be like when he's grown up?"
"Our Holy Soul Village is going to produce a great figure!"
Old Jack was so overcome that tears streamed down his aged face. He wiped the corners of his eyes, his voice choking up. "Good lad, what a good lad! With a talent like you coming from Holy Soul Village, even if this old man died, I'd have the face to meet our ancestors!"
Xiao Wu covered her mouth and giggled to herself. She quietly tugged Lin Chen's sleeve and whispered, "Brother Lin Chen, you're so popular in the village."
That evening, Old Jack laid out a meal at his home, saying he wanted to welcome Lin Chen back. Though the dishes were simple, they were the best the old man could offer-a stewed chicken, a plate of cured meat, a few dishes of homegrown greens, and a pot of aged wine he had treasured for years.