The setting sun stretched the shadows of the Nuoding City Spirit Hall long and thin. Tang San stepped out of the hall, the blinding sunlight making him squint slightly, yet his heart was filled with a burning, radiant light.
Twin Martial Souls, Innate Full Soul Power! This massive surprise crashed into his mind, instantly drowning out the instinctive repulsion he felt toward the ugly image of the Man Faced Demon Spider Martial Soul.
He suppressed his excitement and walked quickly toward his simple home in the west of the city. He wanted to be the first to tell his mother, the woman who had raised him through all sorts of hardships—Tang Miao—this incredible piece of news.
Pushing open the creaking wooden door, a faint scent of medicinal herbs wafted over. Tang Miao was sitting by the window, mending an old piece of clothing in the last of the daylight.
She looked to be only in her early twenties, her features delicate, though her eyes held a trace of lingering melancholy.
Seeing her son return, she immediately set down her work, a gentle smile appearing on her face: "Little San, you're back? Did the awakening go smoothly?"
"Mother!" Tang San rushed to his mother's side, his voice trembling with excitement, "I awakened my Martial Soul! It's... it's a Man Faced Demon Spider!" He paused, carefully observing his mother's expression, as this Martial Soul did not have a good reputation.
Hearing this, Tang Miao was stunned at first, a flash of indescribable complexity crossing her eyes, but upon seeing her son's expectant and nervous expression, that complexity was quickly replaced by joy.
She gently hugged her son, her voice choked with emotion: "Man Faced Demon Spider... good, that's good! As long as it is the Martial Soul Little San awakened, it is the best Martial Soul! My son will surely become a powerful Soul Master in the future and will never have to live this bitter life again!"
"Mother, there is even better news!" Tang San lowered his voice, leaning into his mother's ear, so excited he was almost incoherent, "I... I don't just have one Martial Soul! I have a second one! It's... it's a dragon! A crimson gold dragon! And my Innate Soul Power is at the full level!"
"What?!" Tang Miao was struck as if by lightning; she pushed her son away abruptly, her hands gripping his shoulders tightly, her beautiful eyes wide, her voice trembling uncontrollably, "Twin... Twin Martial Souls? Innate Full Soul Power? Little San, you... are you telling the truth?!"
"It's absolutely true!" Tang San nodded heavily, his eyes flashing with confident light, "When the second Martial Soul awakened, it seemed like some power was protecting it, so no one else noticed! Mother, look!" He moved his thoughts slightly, carefully guiding that hidden power.
Suddenly, above the palm of his right hand, a miniature crimson gold dragon silhouette, radiating a noble and domineering aura, flashed and vanished! That pure Dragon Might made Tang Miao, who only had the cultivation level of a Soul Grand Master, tremble to her very soul!
"A dragon... it really is a dragon! A crimson gold dragon!" Tang Miao collapsed to the floor, tears instantly breaking through, but these were tears of wild joy! She came from an ordinary family, her Martial Soul being a weak Poison Spider, and it was only by a stroke of fate that she had a one-night encounter with that great figure, leading to the birth of Tang San.
She had always felt that she was a burden to her son, making him born inferior to others. But now, her son was a one-in-a-million Twin Martial Soul genius with Innate Full Soul Power! This was simply a gift from the heavens!
"It... it must be! It must be your father's bloodline... the White Armored Earth Dragon... has sublimated!" Tang Miao was so excited she was incoherent; she took it for granted that it was Tuoba Xi's powerful bloodline, combined with the unknown potential of her own lineage (she imagined her ordinary Poison Spider Martial Soul to be some kind of latent potential), that had created her son's miracle together.
"Little San! This matter is of great importance; you must never let a fourth person know! Especially... especially that poisonous woman from the Huyan Family!" Tang Miao quickly calmed down, her expression becoming incomparably serious.
Although her cultivation level was not high, even a fool knew what Twin Martial Souls meant, and even more so, how much covetousness and lethal danger would follow if this news were to spread.
But on the other hand, she felt she had to tell the child's father! Such a genius deserved the attention and protection of the family! Perhaps... this was their chance as mother and son to escape their current situation, and perhaps... she might even gain a formal status?
A bold and risky thought sprouted in her heart. She pulled Tang San into the house, locked the door, found paper and pen, and with trembling hands, wrote down the news of her son's Twin Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power, begging Tuoba Xi to consider their flesh-and-blood bond and provide protection.
She believed that no father, upon learning of his son's such talent, could remain indifferent!
"Little San, stay at home and don't go anywhere! Mother is going to mail this letter and will be back soon!" Tang Miao tucked the letter close to her body, and after repeatedly instructing Tang San, she hurried out of the house.
However, she underestimated the influence of the Huyan Family within the Tuoba Family, and she underestimated the extent to which Huyan Lian monitored her husband's affairs.
This letter, addressed to the Tuoba Family ancestral grounds, had its source discovered and reported by Huyan Lian's informants in the city shortly after it was sent.
In Nuoding City, within a separate courtyard of the Huyan Family.
"Hmph! West of Nuoding City, the slums? Tuoba Xi, you really are still entangled with that bitch surnamed Tang!" A middle-aged woman with an exceptionally tall and sturdy build, her face carrying a hint of mean-spirited ferocity, looked at the intelligence in her hand, a flash of cruelty in her eyes.
She was Huyan Lian, the legal wife of Tuoba Xi, the sister of the current head of the Diamond Mammoth family, Huyan Zhen, and a Soul Emperor.
She had long known of Tang Miao's existence, but previously felt that a mere Soul Grand Master with low talent would likely produce a useless child, so she couldn't be bothered to deal with them personally, waiting for Tuoba Xi to lose interest and abandon them. But now, this bitch dared to take the initiative to write a letter? It seemed she had been living too comfortably!
"Go, take a few men, and let's go 'invite' that bitch and her little bastard over." Huyan Lian ordered a Soul King-level guard behind her in a cold voice, her eyes filled with murderous intent.
To her, dealing with her husband's mistress and illegitimate child was as trivial as crushing ants. Tuoba Xi might be dissatisfied, but he would never dare to completely turn against her and the Huyan Family for the sake of a few dead people.
However, not long after her subordinates set off, the letter was also delivered by fast horse to Tuoba Xi, who was handling family affairs in a nearby city.
When Tuoba Xi carelessly tore open the letter and saw the words "Twin Martial Souls," "Man Faced Demon Spider," "crimson gold dragon," and "Innate Full Soul Power," he sprang up from his seat, all color instantly draining from his face, followed by a surge of wild joy.
"Twin Martial Souls! A crimson gold dragon?! Innate Full Soul Power! This... this is simply the hope for the rise of my Tuoba Family!" Tuoba Xi's heart pounded; he knew better than Tang Miao what this meant.
The Man Faced Demon Spider was already a top-tier Martial Soul, and that crimson gold dragon Martial Soul was clearly not ordinary either, at the very least no weaker than the White Armored Earth Dragon. Such a genius, and he was his own blood.
But the next moment, his informant placed beside his legal wife, Huyan Lian, also sent an urgent report: the wife had learned of the specific location of Tang Miao and her son, and had left the family with several elite experts, full of murderous intent!
"Fool! A stupid woman who ruins everything she touches!" Tuoba Xi slammed his palm hard onto the expensive rosewood desk, leaving a clear palm print.
He was not angry that Huyan Lian had discovered his mistress, but rather at Tang Miao's foolish actions for alerting the enemy, and even more so at Huyan Lian's cruelty and shortsightedness!
He was indeed a philanderer with countless lovers, and Tang Miao was just one of many fleeting romances he had long since put out of his mind.
Under normal circumstances, if Huyan Lian wanted to dispose of such an insignificant woman and child, he would at most frown, but he would never tear his face with a legal wife who came from the Huyan Family and had a powerful maternal clan for their sake.
Lovers could be replaced, and it wasn't worth affecting the family's overall situation for them.
But this time was different! The letter stated it clearly: Twin Martial Souls! Man Faced Demon Spider and crimson gold dragon! Innate Full Soul Power! What kind of heaven-defying talent was this?!
Looking across the entire Douluo Continent, those with such talent were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns! This was no illegitimate child? This was clearly a prodigy sent by the heavens to give his Tuoba Family a chance to rise again! A prodigy to take the Tuoba Family to the next level!
However, he was still one step too late.
When Tuoba Xi rode his flying soul beast and smashed into the familiar small courtyard in the west of Nuoding City like a meteorite, what met his eyes was a scene that made his eyes split with rage!
The courtyard was a mess, the walls collapsed. Tang Miao lay in a pool of blood, a terrifying piercing wound in her chest, already dead.
Her eyes were wide open, looking toward the courtyard gate, as if she had died with deep regret. And behind her, a small, thin figure was curled up in the corner, covered in blood, his breath as weak as a thread; it was Tang San.
In front of him, the phantom of the Man Faced Demon Spider Martial Soul was vaguely visible, its spider legs broken; it was clear they had gone through a desperate struggle, but the gap in strength was simply too great.
Several Huyan Family guards were sneering as they closed in, while Huyan Lian stood not far away, looking on with cruel satisfaction.
"Stop!" Tuoba Xi's eyes were bloodshot, the terrifying pressure of a Soul Douluo erupting like a tsunami, instantly blasting the several Soul King-level guards away, causing them to spray blood from their mouths!
"Tuoba Xi?!" Huyan Lian's expression changed, not expecting him to arrive so quickly, but she immediately sneered: "What? Heartbroken for your little mistress and the bastard? This bitch dared to contact you in private, and this little bastard even dared to attack me; they deserve to die!"
"You... you poisonous woman!" Tuoba Xi looked at the corpse of Tang Miao, then at the dying Tang San. His heart was filled with raging fire, yet he forcibly suppressed it.
Now was not the time to burn bridges; saving Tang San was the priority! He suppressed his murderous intent and said sternly, "Huyan Lian! Tang San is my bloodline, no matter what! How dare you commit such a vicious act? According to family rules, you have no right to handle the disposal of an illegitimate child. You have overstepped!"
"Rules?" Huyan Lian sneered, pointing at the slowly dissipating phantom of the Man Faced Demon Spider behind Tang San. "A Man Faced Demon Spider martial soul with Innate Full Soul Power! Tuoba Xi, tell me, if we keep this kid, will he be a blessing or a curse in the future? He has the blood of my mother on his hands; would he ever be loyal to the family? It is better to eradicate him early to prevent future trouble! I am doing this to remove a pest for the family!"
She truly had murderous intent. Originally, she only wanted to cripple Tang Miao and humiliate her. She never expected that to protect his mother, Tang San would erupt with a Man Faced Demon Spider martial soul, and one with Innate Full Soul Power at that! If such talent were allowed to grow and he discovered what happened today, he would surely become a major threat! She might as well finish the job while she was at it!
Under normal circumstances, Tuoba Xi might have endured it. But today, looking at his son on the ground—who possessed heaven-defying talent yet was on the verge of death—and thinking of Huyan Lian's usual arrogance, his pent-up rage completely exploded. "Burn bridges? Huyan Lian, do you really think I, Tuoba Xi, am afraid of your Huyan Family? Get out!"
The final "Get out" contained the terrifying soul power of a Soul Douluo, sounding like a thunderclap! The few subordinates Huyan Lian brought were shaken so hard their eardrums perforated; they vomited blood and flew backward, looking utterly wretched.
Huyan Lian was both shocked and furious. She never expected Tuoba Xi to dare treat her like this for the sake of an illegitimate child! She stared fixedly at Tang San, who was being shielded behind Tuoba Xi, her murderous intent growing even stronger.
This child must not be left alive! A genius with Innate Full Soul Power—now that a deadly feud had been formed, if he were allowed to grow, the consequences would be unimaginable! But with Tuoba Xi here, she had no chance.
"Fine! Very well, Tuoba Xi! For a bastard, you dare to do this! We shall see!" Huyan Lian glared at Tuoba Xi with resentment and left with her subordinates in a huff, her mind already calculating how to use her maiden family's power to ensure this threat was eliminated as soon as possible.
Tuoba Xi ignored the departing Huyan Lian. He quickly fed Tang San a Life-Saving Pill and used his pure soul power to stabilize the boy's heart pulse.
Looking at the pale little face in his arms, which bore a slight resemblance to Tang Miao, and those eyes filled with hatred and a trace of confusion, countless thoughts flashed through Tuoba Xi's mind.
He crouched down, looked at Tang San, and forced an expression of intertwined grief and anger onto his face, his voice hoarse. "Child... I am your father, Tuoba Xi. I'm sorry, Dad came too late... and let your mother..." He choked up at the perfect moment.
Tang San looked at this powerful, strange man who had suddenly appeared. Hearing the word "father" and then looking at his mother's cold corpse nearby, the memories and ethical norms of his past and present lives clashed, leaving his heart in turmoil.
Hatred, sorrow, a fragile sense of having found a pillar of support, and the complex emotions toward this "father" were all intertwined.
Tuoba Xi gently picked up Tang San and said sorrowfully, "San, don't worry, Dad will definitely avenge your mother! It's just... that poisonous woman comes from the Huyan Family, which has immense power. Although I am the head of the family, there are many elders in the family who have close ties with her family, and for a moment, I am also... sigh!"
He let out a long sigh, perfectly portraying the image of a family head who was helpless and forced to endure humiliation.
Upon hearing this, the fire of hatred in Tang San's eyes burned even brighter. He gritted his teeth, his voice weak but firm. "Father... I understand! It is those elders who are holding you back, and the Huyan Family is too powerful. One day, I will surely kill the enemy with my own hands to avenge my mother! I will help Father purge the family and regain full power!"
In his mind, images of the power struggles within the Tang Sect from his past life surfaced, and he automatically projected his current situation into that framework.
Tuoba Xi was secretly delighted; this son was actually so naive. He continued to deceive him, attributing Huyan Lian's viciousness to internal family struggles and external pressure, painting himself as a tragic hero who loved their mother and son deeply but was powerless to change their fate.
He even hinted that Tang Miao was the true love of his life (pure deception), and that his marriage to Huyan Lian was merely a political alliance with no affection involved (this part was true; one only had to look at Huyan Lian's square-like physique to know).
This performance successfully won the trust and sympathy of Tang San, who was inexperienced in the world and deeply influenced by the feudal patriarchal ideology of his "past life."
Tang San even felt that his father's position was so difficult, and he must strive to become stronger so that in the future, he could help his father escape his predicament and avenge his mother.
However, Tuoba Xi's "protection" plan was not to take Tang San back to the crisis-ridden family. He knew well that Huyan Lian would never let this go. The Huyan Family had grown powerful in recent years, and some within his own family had already been infiltrated by them; it might not be safe, and the secret of the Twin Martial Souls must not be exposed easily.
A gleam of light flashed in his eyes as he thought of a "hiding in plain sight" strategy.
A few days later, some people in Nuoding City vaguely saw the head of the Tuoba Family hurriedly leaving with a child wrapped tightly in a bundle.
In reality, the true Tang San, under Tuoba Xi's clever arrangement, had changed his appearance and moved into an inconspicuous small courtyard in Nuoding City.
Tuoba Xi gave him an exquisite Human Skin Mask Soul Tool (Level 4), enough to deceive everyone in a small place like Nuoding City, and left him enough money to live and cultivate for several years.
He also forged an orphan identity for him named "Tang Chi" and arranged for him to enter Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy as a Work-Study Student.
Before leaving, Tuoba Xi personally "visited" the dean of Nuoding Academy, an old soul master in his sixties whose cultivation was stuck at the Soul King realm. Facing the "kind instructions" of a Soul Douluo, the old dean trembled and readily agreed to "take good care" of this Work-Study Student named "Tang Chi."
And so, Tang San, under the identity of "Tang Chi," carried the pain of losing his mother and a blood feud as he stepped into Nuoding Academy.
On the first day of school, in the Work-Study Student dormitory.
Tang San (Tang Chi) silently organized his bed in the worst spot by the door, his expression cold. The noise of the other Work-Study Students seemed to have nothing to do with him. Having experienced a great change, his temperament was more mature and gloomy; he only wanted to cultivate in a low-profile manner and possess the power for revenge as soon as possible.
Just then, the dormitory door was pushed open, and a crisp, slightly overbearing voice rang out: "Hey! I'm new here. I know the rules. Which one of you is the boss of Dormitory Seven? Come out and spar!"
Tang San looked up and saw a pretty little girl standing at the door. She looked to be six or seven years old, wearing the simple clothes of a Work-Study Student, yet she could not hide her spirit and beauty.
Her delicate, pinkish face was white with a rosy glow, and her large eyes darted around, full of cunning and vitality. Most eye-catching was the scorpion braid behind her head, which swayed gently with her movements.
This girl was none other than the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Soft Bone Rabbit—Xiao Wu—who had snuck out of the Star Dou Great Forest and transformed to infiltrate the human world for fun.
Xiao Wu put her hands on her hips, her gaze sweeping over the Work-Study Students in the dormitory, finally landing on Tang San, who was in the corner with an ordinary face (wearing the Human Skin Mask) and a somewhat chilling aura.
She wrinkled her small nose, instinctively feeling a bit uncomfortable. It wasn't that she saw through Tang San's disguise, but her keen soul beast intuition sensed a faint... aura of a natural predator from him.
It was like some kind of soul beast that specialized in preying on insects and small animals, which made this rabbit spirit very unhappy.
"You, yes, you!" Xiao Wu pointed at Tang San, lifting her chin. "You look like a fool. Come over here, let's have a fight. Whoever wins is the boss!"
If it were before his mother's death, Tang San might have thought this girl was lively and cute. But at this moment, his heart was filled with hatred and caution; he only felt that this girl was noisy and troublesome.
Especially since his Man Faced Demon Spider martial soul seemed to have a faint agitation toward this "food" in front of him.
Tang San glanced at Xiao Wu coldly, too lazy to pay attention, and continued to lower his head to organize his bed.
"Hey! How dare you ignore me?!" Seeing this, Xiao Wu's almond eyes widened. She was a little tyrant in the Great Forest; when had she ever been ignored like this? She kicked her little legs, turning into a pink whirlwind as she rushed directly toward Tang San, raising her foot to kick!
Tang San's eyes turned cold. Although his soul power was not high, the foundation of his Tang Sect martial arts from his past life remained. He slid his feet without a sound, skillfully dodging Xiao Wu's kick, while his right hand shot out like lightning, precisely hooking toward Xiao Wu's ankle, using the exact grappling techniques of the Tang Sect.
Xiao Wu let out an "Eh," not expecting this seemingly ordinary guy to react so quickly. She twisted her waist, and her other leg swept toward Tang San's face like a whip, her movements so flexible they didn't seem human.
The two of them fought back and forth in the cramped Work-Study Student dormitory, exchanging several moves in an instant. Tang San relied on exquisite techniques to defend steadily, while Xiao Wu relied on the agility and strength of a soul beast to attack forcefully. For a moment, they were evenly matched.
The surrounding Work-Study Students were stunned.
In the end, Tang San used a clever force from the Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon to push Xiao Wu back a few steps and said coldly, "I have no interest in being any boss. Don't bother me."
Xiao Wu stood firm, huffing with anger. Looking at Tang San's cold expression and the aura on him that made her increasingly uncomfortable, she snorted. "Hmph! What are you acting so arrogant for! You smell like a spider, it's disgusting! I'm not fighting anymore!"
After saying this, she walked over to the best spot in the dormitory, chased away the Work-Study Student who had originally occupied it, and announced, "From now on, I am the boss of Dormitory Seven! If any of you are unconvinced, feel free to challenge me!"
Tang San looked at Xiao Wu's back, his brows slightly furrowed. The smell of a spider? She could actually vaguely perceive his martial soul? This girl was not simple. However, as long as she didn't provoke him, he didn't want to cause extra trouble. His goal was to become stronger and take revenge.
Life at Nuoding Academy began in this strange atmosphere.
───────────────
Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan