"Fine, Chu Qingyun! If you can defeat Yishui and the others in one month, I'll admit I was wrong. I'll kowtow and apologize to your family."
With that, he turned and left without a backward glance.
'A piece of trash without even a Martial Soul wants to defeat Zhao Yishui? He's dreaming!'
After Chu Qian and his group left, the rest of the crowd slowly dispersed.
They shook their heads in resignation as they went.
It was a case of "when it rains, it pours." Having no Martial Soul was already a tragedy, but to then run into a snob like Chu Qian on top of it all...
"Qingyun, I have to say, you were reckless this time," Chu Hua said, his brow furrowed slightly. "The ones coming for the bride escort will definitely be Martial Artists from the younger generation, but you..."
Chu Qingyun smiled and said, "Don't worry, Hua. I have my own plans."
"Sigh... So be it. Xuan, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave."
Chu Hua said his goodbyes to Chu Xuan and left.
After everyone had gone, Chu Xuan finally couldn't hold it together anymore. The tall, burly man collapsed onto the ground in despair, tears streaming from his eyes.
"Qingyun, it's all my fault. Your father is useless... I must have been blind to let this happen. I've brought this shame upon you..."
Chu Qingyun's heart ached, and he almost told him about the Devouring Martial Soul.
But he forced himself to hold it back, comforting him instead. "Father, don't worry. In one month, I will make Chu Xiaocui kowtow and apologize to you both!"
At that moment, Chu Qingyun silently swore an oath.
'For my parents, and for myself, I will defeat the people from the Zhao Family Castle in one month! I will defeat Zhao Yishui!'
He anxiously waited for another day.
The next evening, in the dead of night, the Devouring Martial Soul's progress finally reached 99%.
Chu Qingyun stayed up deep into the night, not sleeping. He was waiting.
'Come on, hurry up and finish devouring...'
Chu Qingyun was on pins and needles, so restless he couldn't sit still.
He had never felt time pass so slowly.
But that last one percent paid him no mind, continuing to tick by silently at its own steady pace.
Finally, Chu Qingyun seemed to hear a soft CLICK from within his body.
The progress reached 100%!
Devouring complete!
A new stream of information instantly flooded Chu Qingyun's mind.
He now had two choices.
First, he could choose to preserve the Three-star Vine Martial Soul. This would give him two Martial Souls: his original Devouring Martial Soul and the newly devoured Three-star Vine Martial Soul.
Second, he could choose to use the power of the Three-star Vine Martial Soul to strengthen another Martial Soul. Since he currently only had the Devouring Martial Soul, it could only be used to strengthen that.
Chu Qingyun made his choice in an instant.
'Preserve the Martial Soul!'
The Devouring Martial Soul was too bizarre. Chu Qingyun had already decided he would never tell anyone about it.
Besides, the Devouring Martial Soul was intangible; other than devouring other Martial Souls, Chu Qingyun hadn't discovered any other use for it.
And what he desperately needed right now was a usable Martial Soul!
After he made his choice, an ethereal Three-leaf Vine Grass slowly materialized before him.
The Tier One Martial Soul, the Three-Star Vine!
By the dim moonlight, Chu Qingyun could see its three long vines swaying, as if dancing in a nonexistent wind.
At that moment, Chu Qingyun's nose tingled, and he could no longer hold back the two streams of tears that flowed down his cheeks.
A Martial Soul.
He finally had a Martial Soul of his own!
Over the past few days, how much hardship had he endured, how much humiliation had he suffered, all because he lacked one!
'Now that I have a Martial Soul, I will grow stronger. No one will ever bully my family again!'
Beneath the dim moonlight, the young man resolved to walk the path of the strong.
The hardships of the past few days had shown Chu Qingyun people's true colors and the fickleness of the world.
He would naturally remember those who had been good to him.
And as for those who had bullied him, Chu Qingyun had no intention of letting them go.
Those who humiliate others will, in turn, be humiliated.
This was the way of things, the natural law!
'Chu Qian, Chu Xiaocui... In one month, I will make you regret this!'
Having finally seen his Martial Soul with his own eyes, a wave of relief washed over Chu Qingyun. As if his strength had been instantly drained, he could no longer stay awake and fell into a deep sleep.
That night, he had a dream. He dreamt that his Three-Star Vine grew to a colossal size, a single vine so massive it blotted out the sky, and it effortlessly smashed a giant city to pieces...
Chu Qingyun woke up early the next morning.
He eagerly stretched out his hand and tried again.
Sure enough, the Three-Star Vine appeared once more!
'It wasn't a dream!'
Chu Qingyun leaped out of bed and stopped his parents, who were about to go out. "Father! Mother! I have a Martial Soul! I have a Martial Soul!" he exclaimed with delight.
Seeing Chu Qingyun's ecstatic expression, Chu Xuan and Liu Lanfang didn't look happy at all. Instead, their faces filled with deep concern.
"Qingyun, don't be so anxious. It's really okay if you don't have a Martial Soul."
"That's right. In a month, they can have their wedding, and we just won't go. Out of sight, out of mind. There's no shame in it."
Chu Qingyun was exasperated. It seemed they thought he had gone mad with anxiety and were trying to console him.
Chu Qingyun stretched out his hand, and in an instant, an ethereal Three-Star Vine appeared above his palm.
Since he wasn't yet a one-star Martial Artist and had no Primordial Power in his body, all Chu Qingyun could do was make the Three-Star Vine manifest.
"This... This is a Martial Soul! It's really a Martial Soul!"
"Qingyun, you really have a Martial Soul! A Tier One Martial Soul, the Three-Star Vine! Am I dreaming!?"
Both Chu Xuan and Liu Lanfang were ecstatic.
With a Martial Soul, their son was no longer trash!
"I don't know either. I just woke up today and discovered it..."
Chu Qingyun had no choice but to make up a casual excuse.
He had a faint feeling that the Devouring Martial Soul was anything but simple.
The ability to create a Martial Soul for someone out of thin air was simply unheard of!
If word of this got out, it would be a disaster not only for his family, but for the entire Chu Family Village!
"Qingyun, wait a moment!"
Chu Xuan suddenly ran back to his room, then returned with a bundle and handed it to Chu Qingyun.
"Qingyun, there are more than a dozen Primordial Stones in here. Your mother and I have been saving them up over the years."
"We were going to save them for you to get married, but since you have a Martial Soul now, take them and use them for your cultivation."
"Oh, right, there's one more thing!"
Chu Xuan thrust the bundle into Chu Qingyun's arms and ran back into the room, rummaging through their things.
Seeing how happy his parents were, Chu Qingyun's heart felt warm and joyful.
Soon, Chu Xuan ran back out and handed Chu Qingyun another bundle.
"Qingyun, this is a Secret Manual your grandfather left behind, the *Gale Seven Swords*."
"It's said that even the village chief praised this Secret Manual!"
Chu Xuan's eyes were filled with excitement and delight.
All this time, he had felt guilty for not having a Martial Soul and being unable to inherit his own father's legacy.
Now, everything was fine.
His son had a Martial Soul and could inherit it all!
For Chu Xuan, his joy was no less than Chu Qingyun's!
"This is wonderful! Our family is finally going to have a Martial Artist! Lanfang, go get some money. We're going to make a great meal today to celebrate!"
Chu Xuan and Liu Lanfang left the house, beaming with joy.