Chapter 117 - 9

.Chapter 9: Tang San Begins to Realize the Reality of the SimulatorSaint Spirit Village, inside the blacksmith shop.Six-year-old Tang San briskly set the meal on the table.The wooden door to the inner room was pushed open, and Tang Hao walked out rubbing his bleary eyes, the smell of alcohol permeating the small room.Without even looking at Tang San, he sat down heavily on a chair, grabbed his bowl and chopsticks, and began to eat voraciously.Thin porridge dripped down his beard, but he seemed completely unaware, focused only on gulping down the food.Tang San sat quietly opposite him, his gaze lingering for a moment on his father's haggard face, hesitant to speak.Tang Hao seemed to sense his son's unusual behavior, lifting his clouded eyes to glance at him, his Adam's apple bobbing as if he wanted to say something.But in the end, he only let out a drunken burp, pushed away the empty bowl, and staggered back into the inner room.Tang San silently cleared the table.He did want to ask about his mother, and using a child's longing for their mother as an excuse would have been perfectly natural.However, he was not truly a six-year-old child.The twenty-odd years spent in the Tang Sect in his previous life had long ago etched the word 'caution' into his bones.Furthermore, that incredible 'life simulation' forced him to think things through even more carefully.The experiences in the simulation clearly told him that even by the age of twelve, his father had never breathed a single word about his mother.This was definitely unusual!He deliberated repeatedly and came to two possibilities:Either there was some unspeakable secret involved!Or his mother might already be... and there was likely a terrifying enemy hidden behind the scenes, leaving his father with no choice but to drown his sorrows in alcohol and bury the truth deep inside.This deduction provided an explanation for his father's current state of dejection.Moreover, Fu Shiyan's questioning from the simulation still rang in his ears:"Is an ordinary Blue Silver Grass qualified to form twin spirits with the Clear Sky Hammer, the World's Number One Tool Martial Soul?"The title "World's Number One Tool Martial Soul" made Tang San realize that his blacksmith father was definitely not simple.The fundamental reason he ultimately chose silence was that he could not explain the source of his information.He couldn't possibly ask his father out of thin air to confirm such an incredibly specific question as "Is my mother the Empress of the Blue Silver Grass Clan?"The "Life Simulator," along with his identity as a transmigrator and the Tang Sect Ultimate Techniques, were classified by Tang San as top secrets that must be buried deep in his heart.Although he didn't yet fully believe in the reality of the system and the simulation's content... what if?An existence that could preview the future was as valuable as it was dangerous.He had understood the principle of "an ordinary man is innocent, but carrying a treasure makes him guilty" in his previous life.Besides, the system claimed his transmigration was related to it, and the experience in the simulation was terrifyingly real, with every detail vivid in his mind, forcing him to be cautious."Let's wait a bit longer!"Tang San made up his mind. "Wait three more months. Everything will be revealed during the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony."If everything that happened at the ceremony was exactly the same as in the simulation, then the reality of the simulator would be confirmed.At that time, the various mysteries regarding his mother, the Blue Silver Grass, and Fu Shiyan would finally have a foundation to be pursued.Having thought this through, the anxiety caused by the mystery of his mother actually calmed down; the priority now was verification!Days passed steadily amidst expectation and hidden worry. Tang San practiced the Mysterious Heaven Skill and Purple Demon Eye as usual every day, took care of the housework, and went to the small hill outside the village to practice Tang Sect Ultimate Techniques. He suppressed all his doubts and expectations in his heart, focusing even more intensely during cultivation, as if this could make time pass faster.Three months passed in a flash.On this morning, the familiar figure of Village Chief Old Jack appeared at the entrance of the blacksmith shop.Inside the blacksmith shop, the rhythmic clanging of iron echoed.Tang Hao was shirtless, his bronze skin covered in sweat, as he focused on hammering a red-hot iron block.Amidst the flying sparks, not a trace of emotion could be seen on his weathered face."Tang Hao, are you busy?"A familiar voice came from outside the door, that aged but gentle tone exactly the same as what he had heard in the Life Simulator three months ago.Tang San, who was helping his father pull the bellows, suddenly snapped his head up, his gaze sharp as he looked towards the closed wooden door.At that moment, he felt as if he could see through the door panel to Old Jack's wrinkled but kind face.Tang Hao didn't even look up, the iron hammer in his hand still landing precisely on the iron block, only letting out a muffled "Mm" from his throat.Tang San took a deep breath, suppressed the shock in his heart, walked quickly to the door, and pulled open the wooden door with a creak.The afternoon sunlight spilled in, illuminating Old Jack's kind smile."Little San, come, let Grandpa have a look at you." Old Jack smiled and beckoned to Tang San.Tang San obediently walked to the old man and bowed slightly: "Grandpa Jack, hello."Only then did Tang Hao stop his movements, glancing over coldly: "Is there something, Village Chief?"Old Jack seemed long accustomed to this attitude and didn't mind, stating his purpose directly:"Tang Hao, Little San is almost six, right? He should participate in this year's awakening ceremony."Hearing this, Tang Hao's gaze lingered on Tang San for a moment, his eyes deep and unreadable, before turning back to the iron ingot in his hand and replying indifferently:"Then let him participate. Which day?""Three days from now."Old Jack smiled, "I'll come to pick him up then."If he hadn't experienced that life simulation, Tang San would certainly have curiously asked Grandpa Jack what the awakening ceremony was, just as he did in the simulation.But at this moment, he just stood quietly to the side, his hands at his sides unconsciously gripping the hem of his clothes.Exactly the same!!!From the timing of Old Jack's knock, to his father's cold response, to those few brief lines of dialogue just now, even the arc of his father's arm as he wiped his sweat was not a hair different from the scenes seen in the simulation!A chill quietly climbed up his spine, making his scalp tingle slightly.The trajectory of fate was actually reappearing before his eyes in such a precise manner.Because Tang San didn't ask any questions, Old Jack just affectionately patted his head, gave a few more instructions, and then took his leave with a smile.Watching Old Jack's figure disappear at the end of the village road, Tang San slowly closed the wooden door, leaning his back against the door panel to calm his surging emotions.The real-world confirmation came so swiftly that his belief in the "Life Simulator" increased by another thirty percent.He silently walked back to the furnace and started pulling the bellows again.The whooshing sound of the wind accompanied by the rhythmic hammering seemed to smooth out the waves in his heart.He stopped overthinking and put all his energy into the work before him.Relying on the stamina and control brought by the Mysterious Heaven Skill, he quickly completed the ten thousand hammer strikes task assigned by Tang Hao.When he handed the iron block, which had been hammered into a uniform and dense state, to his father, Tang Hao took it, weighed it casually, and rubbed his rough fingers over the surface of the iron block.Then, Tang Hao looked at it carefully and said to Tang San: "Do you understand what I said now?"Hearing these words that were more than familiar, Tang San almost subconsciously said the words he had spoken in the simulation.As expected, Tang Hao replied just as he did in the simulation, nodding with his face still showing that same expression like a deep, still well:"Then this afternoon, continue practicing forging. When you have forged it to the size of a fist, bring it to me again.""Yes, Father."Tang San replied in a low voice, took the iron ingot, and turned back to his own forging table.He gripped the heavy iron hammer, feeling that familiar weight, but his heart was far from as calm as he appeared on the surface.It matched again!!!Every word of that brief conversation just now, even the imperceptible degree of his father's nod, completely overlapped with his experience in the simulation.This precise, not-a-single-error "preview" made his trust in the "Life Simulator" grow even deeper.And three days passed in a flash."Little San, Grandpa has come to pick you up."