Inside Brightleaf Village, dusk had settled quietly. At the chief's wooden house, faint lamplight swayed upon the old man's wrinkled face."San boy, come here and sit," said Old Luo, his voice calm yet heavy. "Grandpa has something to tell you."
Sanhartha obeyed, sitting obediently on the bamboo bench. "What is it, Grandpa?"
Old Luo's cloudy eyes softened. "You have always asked about your parents. Today, I shall tell you what I know."
Sanhartha's heart trembled. Since his earliest memories, this was the one question that always met silence. Now, at last, the veil would be lifted."Yes, Grandpa… you always refused before." He smiled faintly, trying to ease the air's weight.
The old man sighed. "Your parents were both soul masters. Your father reached the realm of a Grand Soul Master; your mother, a one-ring Soul Master. I know little of their fate. You were brought to me by a soul master named Mo Fan, leader of the Starlight Hunters. He left a pouch in my care, saying it was to be handed to you only after you awakened your martial soul and possessed soul power. Now that day has come."
The old man drew out a small pouch, its surface faintly glowing with intricate lines. He placed it in the boy's hands."Do not brood too deeply. In three months I will send you to Notting Junior Soul Master Academy. When you grow stronger, you may seek your answers yourself. For now, eat and rest."
Sanhartha nodded silently. That night, beneath the dim oil lamp, he finished his meal in thought and returned to his small hut. He sat upon his simple bed, the pouch resting on his knees.
My father… my mother… both soul masters. Then the blood of cultivation truly flows within me.He stared at the pouch. Old Luo said a soul master left it behind. Could it be a storage-type soul guidance device?
To test it, he summoned his martial soul. Behind him unfurled a faint crimson shadow, feathers of flame spreading softly—the Desire Heart Phoenix. A wave of warmth surged through his body, neither burning nor scorching, but steady and reassuring. Though he knew little of its properties, he sensed its extraordinary nature.
He began trying to channel his meagre soul power, guiding it through his meridians as he remembered from the legends of cultivation. Without a teacher, progress was painfully slow. Yet, through six days of repeated trial, failure, and persistence, he finally managed to move his soul power at will—though clumsily.
Exhausted but elated, he returned to the pouch and infused a thread of soul power into it. At once, the runes along its edge shimmered faintly. Within his mind, an empty space opened—roughly two cubic meters in volume. Inside lay neatly stacked coins of shining gold.
"One hundred gold soul coins…" He muttered in disbelief. To a common family, a single gold coin could sustain two months of life. This fortune was unimaginable for a boy of six.
As his heartbeat calmed, he noticed a folded letter among the coins. The script upon it was complex and unfamiliar.It seems I must wait until I can read before I know what it says.He replaced the letter carefully and tied the pouch to his waist.
With that, he began to plan.Having money means freedom, but wealth draws eyes. At Notting Academy, I should still apply as a work-study student. Better to hide light under shadow until the right time comes.He looked through the window. The stars shone faintly, their light scattering like fragments of destiny.
That night, while the village slept, a faint crimson glow flickered beneath the boy's closed eyes.Thus began the first step of Sanhartha's path as a soul master.