It's been two months since I left the Clear Sky Sect and came to the Breaking Clan to continue my training—and let me tell you, I finally understand where my mom's military-style discipline comes from. Grandpa Wudi is brutal. So much so that you'd think he was torturing a war prisoner. I didn't leave purgatory—I jumped straight into the Inferno.
God, I don't know what I did to you in my past life, but please have mercy on my poor reincarnated soul.
As I silently prayed for divine intervention, I suddenly felt a slap upside the head, instantly revealing the culprit—my mother.
"Why are you spacing out?" she asked, eyes narrowing with suspicion.
"Sorry, Mom. I was just thinking about the herbs Grandpa taught me about."
"Xiao Long, I'm your mother. Don't lie to me. Now focus."
I quickly nodded and forced myself back into study mode. Every night for the past couple of months, Mom had been teaching me the Breaking Clan's medicinal techniques.
When we first arrived and explained everything to Grandpa, he practically went into a frenzy, drawing up a training plan that would "turn his grandson into a proper warrior," as he put it.
He divided my day into three parts.
The first part was physical training. Grandpa would wake me up at dawn and make me run laps around the main hall for three hours. After that, I'd have breakfast—a special meal packed with soul beast meat, which supposedly boosts physical strength just a bit. Then it was straight back to the training grounds, where my sweet mother graciously assisted me by beating me half to death—I mean, helping me better comprehend the techniques I'd learned.
The second part of the day came after lunch—thankfully involving no physical torment. The clan elders, including Grandpa's brother, would teach me the fundamentals of being a spirit master: how to estimate a soul beast's age, how to properly select spirit rings based on one's martial spirit, and the differences between various spirits.
At the end of the day, I'd soak in a medicinal bath to rest my aching body before diving into another study session with Mom—this time focused on medicinal knowledge. Honestly, I never knew herbs and weeds had so many uses beyond just chewing one to look like a rugged country man.
It's been difficult, demanding, and exhausting—and more times than I can count, I've wished for the sweet release of death—but…
I'm happy.
I feel alive.
I get to spend time with Mom, Grandpa, and the elders—who, outside of training, are all incredibly kind to me.
I've loved and appreciated every second of it, despite the hardships, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
I miss Dad and Uncle Hao sometimes, but I know they're busy in their own right. I'm sure we'll see each other more often after I awaken my martial spirit—when the time comes for Dad to finally fulfill his promise to train me.
As I drifted off into thought again, I heard my mother sigh.
"Let's stop for tonight. It seems your thoughts keep wandering."
I looked at her apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, Mom."
"It's fine, Xiao Long. You must be tired. Let's end it here and continue the lesson tomorrow," she said with a gentle smile, patting my head.
"Thank you, Mom. Good night. Love you."
"I love you too, my little dragon. Sleep well," she replied as she walked out of the room.
Another day gone, just like that. Enough reminiscing—I need to rest, or I'll find myself buried in the dirt come morning.
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Today, something different happened.
As I was getting ready for my usual morning run, Grandpa stopped me and told me to change into something more presentable. Then he instructed me to follow him to the waiting room where he usually received guests.
I was confused at first, but after a moment of thought, I figured it was probably Dad or Uncle Hao coming to visit.
With that idea in mind, I changed my clothes in an instant and sprinted down the halls of the manor—much to Grandpa's chagrin—eager to see a familiar face.
But when I arrived, instead of the steely expression and scruffy hair I was expecting, I saw a woman with delicate features and beautiful, fluorescent blue hair.
She wore a sky-blue dress that gave her an air of nobility, and her expression was kind and warm—like the neighborhood aunt who always gave snacks to the kids.
I froze at the doorway, stunned by the sight before me, until I felt someone push me forward.
"Brat, I told you not to run in the halls. Where did all your etiquette lessons go?" Grandpa grumbled as he followed my stumbling form into the room.
His reprimand snapped me out of it. I quickly tried to compose myself and fix my clothes—though judging by the amused smile on the woman's face, I didn't do a very good job.
Shaking his head slightly, Grandpa introduced the mysterious guest, who had just stood up.
"Xiao Long, this is your father's sister and your aunt—Tang Yuehua. Introduce yourself properly."
"Hello, Auntie Yuehua. It's nice to meet you," I said with a bow.
She smiled softly and replied, "It's nice to meet you too, Xiao Long. I've heard a lot about you from Brother Xiao. You're just as outstanding as he said you were."
"Thank you, Auntie."
"Come closer, Xiao Long. Don't be shy—sit down."
I followed her words and sat in front of her while Grandpa took the seat beside me. After pouring tea for all of us, she sat back down and said, "Xiao Long, I came today not only to finally meet my little nephew but also to help you study noble etiquette. At the moment, you seem more familiar with the manners required of a spirit master, but as the most likely candidate to become sect master among the younger generation, you should also be skilled in dealing with nobles. That's why I'll be staying here for one week every month to help you learn."
I tilted my head and asked, "Why would I need to do that, Auntie?"
I found the notion strange. Why would the leader of one of the top three sects need to be friendly with random nobles? I understood the business side of it, but even without the nobles, we still received funds from the commoners.
"Xiao Long, even if we are part of the Clear Sky Clan, we still need to interact with nobles. If we antagonize the empires, we won't be able to acquire essential resources. Even if you hate it, nobles are the ones who buy our products and provide us with the gold coins we need to purchase herbs, ingredients, and other necessities."
"What about the commoners?"
"The commoners?" she responded, looking at me quizzically.
"Don't commoners buy our products too?"
Understanding seemed to dawn upon her as she answered, "That's impossible. Although we do sell some of our products to commoners, they barely provide 25% of the funds we need. Nobles are essential—one noble family is equivalent to more than a hundred common families in terms of financial support. So yes, we must show them a certain degree of respect. Understand?"
Her words left a bitter taste in my mouth. In my previous life, I was an immigrant who had come to Montreal because my home country of Lebanon was in the middle of an economic crisis. I knew what it felt like to struggle for money, to barely be able to pay rent. I watched as my dad worked himself to the bone to provide for the both of us. So hearing Aunt Yuehua say that… it hurt.
Even so, I still answered, "I understand. Thank you in advance for your help, Auntie."
From that day forward, a new member of my family became a permanent presence in my life.
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Author's Note:
Alright, so a small chapter to put an end to the peaceful part of the childhood arc.
The point of this chapter was to show the growing relationship between the Breaking Clan and the MC and to establish the MC's mom as an important figure in his life, which is why he's happy despite the harsh training. I also used this chapter to introduce Tang Yuehua, who's going to play a pretty big part in the story going forward.
The most important part of this chapter is Zhenlong's thoughts about commoners and nobles, and how he feels after learning about the disparity between them. I want my MC to be more human compared to other fics, where the protagonist just forgets about ordinary people after becoming strong. I feel like anyone who has truly lived through hard times would naturally be more sympathetic to the struggles of the common people—but that's just me. This also sets up the MC's personality for the future.
For those who think that the MC is showing too much understanding and that he shouldn't care about business and stuff like that and that it seems weird for a child, I'll say this. It's Soul Land. People grow faster here and he's been learning and training for like a year and half, 2 years at this point so I think it makes sense.
In any case, this is the final chapter of the first mass release. The next chapter will pick up the pace a bit, as the main Soul Land story begins and the calm atmosphere fades. The chapter after that will be the end of Volume 1: The Beginning.
I hope you enjoyed it, and have a good day.