Father's Breakthrough

Lu Qinghe opened his eyes before daybreak.

Or rather, he had barely slept at all.

For five days straight, he had slept less than four hours a day. He practiced the "whirlpool" breathing method his son had described as fast as he possibly could, so fast that his chest felt tight and his Soul Power raced through his meridians as though it would burst through his skin.

But that barrier had not budged.

He climbed quietly out of bed, went to the old locust tree in the corner of the courtyard, and sat down cross-legged. He closed his eyes and began to breathe.

Following the rhythm, his Soul Power accelerated along the path through his body that he knew better than anything. A sluggish stream became a rushing river, and finally a roaring torrent, slamming again and again into the invisible barrier deep in his dantian.

Thud. Thud.

His body shook with every impact. Sweat ran down his wrinkles and dripped onto the front of his clothes.

Still no good.

The barrier was as tough as cowhide. Each blow dented it slightly, only for it to spring back. His Soul Power was being drained rapidly, and that burning hollowness rose in his belly again.

He gritted his teeth and kept going.

Last night, his son had brought him another bowl of thick porridge, saying it was made from millet traded for the last of the "Energy Soup." He knew the family's rice jar was nearly empty.

He couldn't stop.

That bastard Zhao Shi might be lurking somewhere, watching. If the family had no one who could stand up to him, he really would dare come back.

His Soul Power slammed into the barrier again.

This time, something seemed different.

The barrier didn't spring back. Instead, it made a faint, almost inaudible crack. It was so soft it might have been an illusion.

Lu Qinghe's heart gave a sudden leap.

He didn't dare lose focus. Driving his Soul Power with everything he had, he concentrated all his strength on the spot where the sound had come from and struck again-

"Crack..."

The sound was clearer now.

It wasn't an illusion.

The barrier that had trapped him for fifteen years, as though cast from pig iron, was covered in a web of cracks.

Lu Qinghe was trembling all over.

Almost instinctively, he brought all the Soul Power remaining in his body down on it, together with the exhaustion, unwillingness, and pent-up frustration of the past five days.

Break-

Now!

"Boom-!"

There was no sound, but the rumble truly exploded in his mind. The barrier shattered completely, dissolving into specks of light. Immediately afterward, a fresh surge of Soul Power burst from the depths of his dantian and swept through every limb and bone in an instant.

His body began to tremble violently.

A faint, milky-white glow shone through his skin. It was barely visible in the growing daylight, but it was there.

At the same time, the ground beneath him trembled slightly. A hazy, almost transparent white ring of light slowly emerged beneath his feet, rose to his waist, and hung there quietly.

White. A Ten-Year Soul Ring.

Its quality was pitifully low. But to Lu Qinghe, that white ring weighed more than a thousand jin.

He opened his eyes and stared at the faint ring of light around his waist for a long time.

Then he raised his right hand.

At a thought, his rusty iron hoe Martial Soul quietly appeared. Unlike before, the dull rust on its surface seemed to have been washed away, revealing a hint of the metal's original gray-black sheen. It was still crude, but it now had a more substantial feel.

He had done it.

Level twenty, a Soul Grandmaster.

Even the lowest-ranking Soul Grandmaster, the very bottom of the heap, was still a Soul Grandmaster. The difference between one and a level nineteen Soul Master was as vast as heaven and earth.

Lu Qinghe opened his mouth, wanting to shout, but it felt as though a wad of cotton was stuck in his throat. His eyes were hot and swollen. He hurriedly raised a hand and scrubbed his face hard with its rough back.

He couldn't cry.

At his age, how embarrassing.

But when he lowered his hand, a small patch of his sleeve was wet.

A faint but distinct fluctuation of Soul Power startled Lu Yuan awake.

He immediately sat up and went to the window.

In the morning light, his father sat beneath the old locust tree with his back to the house, his shoulders moving slightly. Around his waist, a white ring of light, so faint it seemed ready to fade away, was slowly turning.

He had done it.

Several days sooner than Lu Yuan had expected.

He watched quietly for a while without going out immediately.

His father needed some time alone to absorb the moment. Fifteen years was too long.

He returned to the bed, sat down, and began to think quickly.

A white Ten-Year Soul Ring was within his expectations. This was a naturally condensed "Origin Soul Ring." It had no Soul Skill, but it could strengthen the foundation of a Martial Soul. It would help his father with his work in the future.

But its significance did not lie in combat strength.

It lay in "possibility."

A commoner Soul Master who had been stuck at a bottleneck for fifteen years had broken through. In Maple Leaf Town, the news was nothing short of an earthquake.

Keep it secret?

Lu Yuan shook his head gently. Although the fluctuation when the Soul Ring condensed had been faint, the other two registered Soul Masters in town-Zhao Shi and the old man who watched the warehouse at the eastern end of town-had most likely sensed it, unless they had been dead asleep.

There was no hiding it.

Light footsteps came from outside the door.

Lu Yuan looked up and saw his father push the door open and enter. Traces of moisture still remained on Lu Qinghe's face where he hadn't wiped it clean, and his eyes were a little red, but his back was ramrod straight. The weary look that had left him slightly hunched for years seemed to have been washed away somewhat by something.

"Dad." Lu Qinghe stood in the doorway, his lips moving. After a long moment, he finally managed to get a sentence out: "...I did it."

His voice was hoarse, but firm and decisive.

Lu Yuan nodded. "I saw. A white Soul Ring, naturally condensed?"

"Mm." Lu Qinghe walked over and sat on the bed, opening his right hand. The iron hoe Martial Soul appeared, and the white ring of light slowly moved around its handle. "It doesn't have much power. I just feel like... the hoe's a little heavier, and it fits my hand a little better."

He tried swinging it, stirring a faint rush of air. His movements really were steadier.

"Most Origin Soul Rings are like that. They strengthen the foundation of the Martial Soul itself," Lu Yuan explained. "Although there's no Soul Skill, it'll help you with your work from now on. Tilling the fields will take less effort."

Lu Qinghe grunted in acknowledgment and looked down at his Martial Soul, a complicated expression in his eyes.

After a long while, he finally raised his head. "What do we do next?"

The question was direct.

Lu Yuan held up two fingers. "Two things. First, tell everyone you were stuck for fifteen years, figured things out on your own, and suddenly had a flash of insight. Somehow, you broke through. If anyone asks for details, say you don't know anything. Just say it was luck."

Lu Qinghe frowned. "Will they believe it?"

"That's up to them." Lu Yuan's tone was calm. "No cultivation technique, no resources, and an old Soul Master stuck for fifteen years suddenly breaks through. What other explanation could there be besides 'luck' or 'enlightenment'? Even if they're suspicious, they won't find any proof."

It was a bit shameless, but it would work.

"What's the second thing?"

"Second," Lu Yuan paused, "don't go out today. Stay home and get used to your new Soul Power. I'll talk to Mother."

"Why?"

"To buy time." Lu Yuan looked out the window. The sky had grown brighter, and the sound of a door opening came from the distance. "It'll take time for the news to spread. If Zhao Shi really sensed it, he'll have to confirm it first, then think it over, and only then act. We'll use the half day or day we gain to put the things at home that need tidying in order."

His gaze swept over the old books in the corner and the Blue Silver Grass on the windowsill.

Especially the Blue Silver Grass.

Some of the attention his father's breakthrough brought would inevitably shift to him, the "son with a Trash Martial Soul."

Lu Qinghe understood.

He was silent for a moment, then nodded firmly. "All right."

One word, decisive.

The porridge had just finished cooking when Lin Xiu learned the news.

She came out of the kitchen carrying bowls and saw her husband sitting at the table and her son standing beside him, both looking somewhat serious. Her heart skipped a beat. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Mother, Dad broke through," Lu Yuan said directly.

Lin Xiu's hand shook, sloshing some porridge out of the bowl. "B-broke through?" Her eyes widened as she looked at Lu Qinghe. "Really?"

Lu Qinghe said nothing. With a slight thought, his iron hoe Martial Soul appeared, and the pale white ring of light around his waist lit up.

The bowls in Lin Xiu's hands clattered onto the table.

She paid them no mind. She simply stood there, staring fixedly at the ring of white light. Then she suddenly raised a hand to cover her mouth, and her shoulders began to shake uncontrollably.

Great tears rolled silently down her cheeks.

Lu Qinghe panicked and stood up, wanting to say something, but Lu Yuan gave him a gentle tug.

Let her cry.

She needed to cry.

After quite a while, Lin Xiu lowered her hand and haphazardly wiped her face with her sleeve. Her voice was still choked with sobs. "Good... good... it's good that you broke through..." She spoke incoherently as she bent to clean up the spilled porridge. "Eat. Let's eat first..."

"Mother." Lu Yuan stopped her. "Dad isn't going out today, and you should try not to go out either. If anyone comes asking, tell them Dad isn't feeling well and is resting at home."

Lin Xiu paused and looked up. Tears still clung to her face, but her eyes quickly cleared. "Is someone going to make trouble?"

"Just taking precautions."

Lin Xiu understood.

She said no more. Nodding, she deftly cleaned up the table and served the porridge again.

Before they had finished eating, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate.

There was more than one person.

Lu Yuan set down his bowl and exchanged a glance with his father. They were here, sooner than expected.

Someone knocked, not loudly, but with a deliberately measured air.

"Brother Lu, are you home?" It was the somewhat familiar voice of a middle-aged man, full of laughter. "We heard your family had some happy news, so we neighbors came especially to offer our congratulations!"

Lu Qinghe took a deep breath and stood up.

Lu Yuan lowered his voice. "Remember: luck, enlightenment, don't know."

"Mm."

Lu Qinghe straightened his clothes, walked over, and pulled open the courtyard gate.

Three people stood outside. The one in front was a chubby carpenter who lived two streets away and usually had little to do with them. The other two were also local residents, their faces wreathed in smiles, though their eyes kept darting into the courtyard.

"Oh, Brother Lu, you really are home!" the carpenter boomed. "Wang Mazi passed by here this morning and said he saw a white light coming from your courtyard, like a Soul Ring! We didn't believe him, so here we are, hurrying over to have a look. Did you really break through?"

Lu Qinghe stood in the gateway without moving aside and merely nodded. "Mm, just happened to."

"Just happened to? This isn't happenstance, it's wonderful news!" The carpenter slapped his thigh. "You were stuck for fifteen years, weren't you? Goodness, this really is... an old tree bursting into new blossom! Tell us, how did you break through? Was there some trick to it?"

At that question, the eyes of the two behind him lit up.

Lu Qinghe shook his head. "No trick. I was practicing this morning, and suddenly it felt like the way had opened. My Soul Power rushed through on its own. I can't explain it either."

"Enlightenment?" The carpenter was doubtful.

"Maybe." Lu Qinghe's tone was flat. "Good luck."

The three exchanged looks, unsure how to respond for a moment.

After a few more pleasantries, nothing more than polite remarks such as "please look after us in the future," the three finally left, disappointed.

Lu Qinghe closed the gate and walked back into the house, his brow tightly furrowed. "This is only the beginning."

Lu Yuan said nothing.

He knew those three were only the first flies to catch the scent. The real trouble had yet to show itself.

Sure enough, within two hours, two more groups came. Some had come purely to watch the excitement, while others beat around the bush, asking whether he had "gotten hold of some treasure." Lu Qinghe sent them all away with "luck, enlightenment, don't know."

The news spread like the wind, sweeping through half of Maple Leaf Town in half a day.

"Have you heard? That Lu Qinghe from the Lu family broke through!"

"Really? Wasn't he stuck for more than ten years?"

"It's absolutely true! A white Soul Ring!"

"White... that's not much, though."

"No matter how little it is, he's still a Soul Grandmaster! How many of those does our town have?"

"How do you think he broke through? Could it be..."

"Who knows? Anyway, things are probably going to be different for the Lu family now."

The talk flowed through the streets and alleys. Countless eyes, openly and in secret, began to focus on the ordinary little mud-brick courtyard at the western end of town.

In the center of town, in the Soul Master Hall deacon's office.

Zhao Shi sat in a chair, his fingers unconsciously tapping the tabletop. A small, thin man stood before him, reporting in a low voice.

"...It really is a white Soul Ring. Quite a few people saw it. Lu Qinghe himself admitted he broke through. He said he suddenly had an enlightenment this morning and got lucky."

"Enlightenment?" Zhao Shi sneered. "Who does he think he's fooling?"

He remembered the setback he had suffered at that boy's hands half a month ago. The boy had held a book and quoted the classics, line after line, leaving him at a loss for words.

Now Lu Qinghe had broken through.

A coincidence?

Zhao Shi didn't believe it.

An old Soul Master who had been stuck for fifteen years and was almost universally considered to have no future had suddenly had an "enlightenment" and broken through, just after his son had "happened" to discover something in an old book and the family had "happened" to start cooking something called "Energy Soup"?

There couldn't be that many coincidences in the world.

His fingers stopped tapping the table, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"Keep watching them," he ordered. "Especially the little one. Write down what he does every day and who he meets. Even if he goes out and picks up a stone, record it."

"Yes."

The small, thin man withdrew.

Zhao Shi sat alone in his room, his gaze fixed on the rudimentary file on the Lu family lying on the table. He reached out and gouged a deep line with his fingernail through the entry that read "Lu Qinghe-Soul Master (level nineteen)."

Then, in the blank space beside it, he slowly wrote a new number.

Twenty.

When he finished, he stared at the number for a long time.

The corners of his mouth slowly spread into a smile devoid of warmth.

Interesting.

Now this was interesting.

That evening, Lu Yuan sat by the window, looking at the Blue Silver Grass.

The brief turmoil brought on by his father's breakthrough had passed, and the household had returned to a semblance of peace. But the invisible pressure in the air had only grown heavier.

He knew Zhao Shi would not give up.

A commoner Soul Master breaking through a bottleneck that had held him back for fifteen years might still be brushed aside as "luck." But what if there really was some method behind that breakthrough?

Some method that could give even people with Trash Martial Souls and low Soul Power a glimpse of hope.

Then it would no longer be "luck."

It would be a key.

A key that could unlock the shackles binding countless people.

And a key was always bound to draw covetous eyes.

Lu Yuan reached out a finger and gently touched a leaf of the Blue Silver Grass. The blade trembled slightly, glimmering with an extremely faint, almost invisible fluorescence in the last rays of the setting sun.

He narrowed his eyes.

His father's breakthrough was both confirmation and a warning.

Once he set foot on this path, there would be no turning back. Either he fought his way out, or he would be torn to pieces at the starting line by the hyenas who had caught the scent.

Outside the window, the sky had gone completely dark.

In the distance, a single light shone through the darkness in the direction of the Soul Master Hall, like a lone eye.