Chapter 1: Xuan Mo, the Four-Year-Old Figure.
The Barak Kingdom, located on the southern border of the Heaven Dou Empire, borders the Province of Fasno. Though called a kingdom, its area is only three-quarters the size of Fasno. It is subordinate to the Heaven Dou Empire and one of the four kingdoms within it.
Because Barak Kingdom directly borders the Xingluo Empire to the south, it possesses the most formidable military force among the four kingdoms within the Heaven Dou Empire, and can be considered the gateway to the Heaven Dou Empire.
The Barak Kingdom boasts two most important cities. One is the capital, Barak City, home to King Kundra of Barak, serving as the political and economic center of the entire kingdom.
The other is Soto City, situated in the heart of the Lima Plain, the most fertile region within the Kingdom and known as the Barak granary.
At noon, the bustling streets of Soto City are bustling with a constant stream of people, the cries of hawkers filling the air.
However, inside an ordinary restaurant in Soto City, a different scene unfolds.
Normally, this time of day is bustling with customers, and most restaurants would have already opened their doors.
This particular restaurant, however, was unusual. Instead of increasing their customer base, they hurriedly sent their guests out and immediately closed.
The reason for this was that the proprietress was about to give birth at noon.
Upon hearing the news, the restaurant owner, a father himself, paced back and forth in front of the second-floor doorway. Until…
"Waaaa!"
A resounding cry broke the tense atmosphere.
"It's out! It's out!" The midwife's delighted voice echoed throughout the room, bringing a sigh of relief to the owner standing outside.
After a while, the door slowly opened, and a midwife emerged, holding a crying baby.
"Boss Xuan, congratulations! Both the child and the parents are safe, and it's a big, fat boy!"
Boss Xuan's face lit up with joy. After taking the baby, he had the waiter behind him hand the midwife a gold soul coin. "Thank you, Mrs. Mei! This is a gold soul coin, a thank you gift, a small token of respect." He then hurriedly carried his child into the room, joining his wife. Seeing his wife's pale face, he felt a pang of heartache.
"Let me see the child..."
A weak female voice rang out. When she looked at her child, she found him fast asleep.
Looking at his tender face, she said, "Let's give him a name first."
"Let's call him Xuan Mo."
...
It was early morning, about an hour before sunrise.
At this moment, the Barak Kingdom, Soto City, was in a state of tranquility. Within Soto City, a small, almost deserted shop, had opened its doors.
In the darkness of the night, the chilly moonlight, accompanied by a howling wind, streamed through the window, piercing the room. The already cool and dimly lit shop was filled with an eerie chill.
Inside, a middle-aged man lay on a recliner, his gaze fixed on the bill in his hand under the dim kerosene lamp.
After a while, he slowly set it down. One hand rubbed his forehead, aching, while the other, wearily lifted his eye sockets above his nose, before letting out a soft sigh.
"It's so hard..."
"Let's not even talk about the financial difficulties right now."
"The people of the Barak Kingdom have been putting obstacles in our way just because we disagreed with their terms. Now they're making matters worse at this critical moment! Funds are dwindling, and making money is becoming increasingly difficult!"
"Alas! What should we do now?"
The middle-aged man's brows were practically furrowed into a "川" shape, as if twisted.
A troubled middle-aged man slowly rose from his recliner, tucked the bill under a book, and strolled to the shop window. He gazed out at the small restaurant that had just opened this year, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.
"Oh! If only I had their way of making money, that would solve my cash flow problem."
"Huh..."
The middle-aged man's eyes flickered, as if he had witnessed something that surprised him.
The restaurant, which was not scheduled to open for another two hours, had already slightly opened its doors.
A boy, about four years old, sauntered out and ran towards the outskirts of Soto City.
This immediately piqued the middle-aged man's interest. He knew the boy; he was the son of the restaurant owner, whose name seemed to be Xuan Mo.
He had heard from others that Xuan Mo was very intelligent and that the restaurant's success was entirely due to him.
"Interesting kid," the middle-aged man muttered to himself, then decided to follow Xuan Mo to see what he was up to so early. He'd just take it as a break...
Not long after, the middle-aged man followed Xuan Mo to the outskirts.
He saw Xuan Mo trotting around Soto City.
He continued to perform some unusual movements.
The middle-aged man, hiding nearby, took in the entire scene.
With his eyes, it was easy to tell that Xuan Mo wasn't just running. Combined with his incomprehensible movements, it was clear he was training his physique.
An hour later, the sky had already turned pale.
Xuan Mo was already exhausted. After a short rest, the four-year-old child headed towards Soto City.
It wasn't until a long while later that the middle-aged man slowly emerged from his hiding place. After a deep look in Xuan Mo's direction, he headed towards the suburbs.
However, the middle-aged man was stunned by Xuan Mo. He was not only astounded by the child's hard work, but also by his physical talent.
After all, the child was only four years old. He could actually train for an hour and still walk home.
This clearly showed his extraordinary physique and strength.
The middle-aged man couldn't help but mutter, "If he could awaken a good martial soul and decent soul power, I'm afraid if he doesn't die young, he might become a Soul Sage on the continent."
As he thought about this, the middle-aged man gradually walked into a rather dilapidated village.
At the same time, an unusually burly man walked towards the middle-aged man.
Upon seeing the middle-aged man, the man immediately waved and called out, "Boss Fu, you're back so late..."
(End of this chapter)