"Gurgle~" Tang Hao couldn't help but swallow hard, his face betraying his shock.
He knew how heavy that stone mill was — a whopping eight hundred jin (about 400 kg)! And yet, that kid Jiang Chen was carrying it and running with it?
Was this some kind of monster?
Tang Hao's astonishment was hard to calm. Their Haotian Sect was famous for strength, but even at six years old, having the strength to lift a hundred jin was considered exceptional. No one had ever seen a six-year-old running around carrying something weighing eight hundred jin.
He knew his own son, Tang San, was born with tremendous strength, but compared to Jiang Chen, it seemed insignificant.
Thinking back to yesterday, when Jiang Chen awakened his martial soul and the strange phenomenon of heavenly punishment descended, Tang Hao's conviction only grew stronger.
Their Haotian Sect's Haotian Hammer Martial Soul was one of the best on the Douluo Continent, but the spectacle at its awakening didn't even compare to a fraction of Jiang Chen's.
"A god-level martial soul… it absolutely must be a god-level martial soul! Only a god-level martial soul could have such immense potential."
Tang Hao knew some secrets about god-level martial souls. Those who possessed them had terrifying innate potential.
The known god-level martial souls were mainly from the Martial Soul Hall's Angel family, and legend said some of their talented descendants could awaken with innate spirit power at level twenty right from the start.
And now, standing before him, was a god-level martial soul. How could he not be excited?
He had been listless for so many years — all because of his wife's death and the hopelessness of revenge.
Tang Hao deeply understood the Martial Soul Hall's power. Although he once grievously wounded Qian Xunji — the mastermind who killed A Yin — he himself was left with an incurable injury.
With the Martial Soul Hall growing ever stronger, he could only barely survive. The hope of destroying the Martial Soul Hall seemed distant.
"A Yin's revenge is settled, but the Martial Soul Hall slaughtered countless people from our Haotian Sect and forced our sect into hiding for years. This debt cannot be left unpaid!"
Not long after Qian Xunji returned severely injured, he died. Tang Hao's anger subsided somewhat, but the damage to the sect remained, and that debt had to be repaid by the Martial Soul Hall.
Jiang Chen's appearance gave him new hope. As long as Jiang Chen grew stronger, there was a real chance to overthrow the Martial Soul Hall.
That was why he wanted to get closer to Jiang Chen.
Sigh, "If Xiao San wants to go to school, let him go. It's perfect if he can be with that kid," Tang Hao thought to himself.
While Tang Hao was lost in thought, Jiang Chen had already run a lap around the village carrying the stone mill.
Sweat drenched Jiang Chen's brow, but excitement lit his face because he finally felt his body growing tired.
That small figure, with the massive stone mill, flashed past the village entrance, and Tang Hao finally understood what Jiang Chen was up to.
"That kid… he's training his body," Tang Hao said with a mix of laughter and disbelief.
The frightened villagers had now come out, and the sharp-eyed among them immediately noticed the missing stone mill.
"Hey, where did the stone mill go?"
"Yeah, I was just sitting on it not long ago. How did it disappear so quickly?"
"Look! The stone mill is over there—it has legs now, and it's running!"
Everyone turned to the direction the man was pointing. To their shock, beneath the stone mill were indeed two legs, and it was running swiftly toward the village entrance.
Could the stone mill have come to life?
Everyone rubbed their eyes, doubting what they saw.
As Jiang Chen approached, they finally saw the figure behind the stone mill and their jaws dropped in terror, stumbling backward.
"How… how is this possible?" someone gasped in shock.
That stone mill weighed eight hundred jin! Even four or five strong adults would find it difficult to lift, yet here it was, carried by a six-year-old child running with it.
"He's a freak!" someone cried out in horror.
"What kind of madness is this? Running around with a stone mill?"
"The stone mill's been carried by him… I don't dare to use it anymore…"
Unknowingly, Jiang Chen's terrifying reputation in the villagers' minds rose several levels.
Jiang Chen didn't care what others thought. He was fully engrossed in his training.
"Hey, Xiao San," passing the village entrance again, Jiang Chen saw Tang San returning from training and called out cheerfully.
Tang San held a struggling rabbit in his hands. Seeing Jiang Chen rushing past with the enormous stone mill, he was stunned.
It was as if ten thousand wild horses were galloping in his mind. After a long pause, he blurted out, "Weirdo!"
Jiang Chen didn't stop. He was enjoying the run.
After two more laps, he finally stopped and placed the stone mill back in its original spot.
Panting heavily, drenched in sweat, he felt an exhilarating satisfaction.
Just now, during his training, Jiang Chen hadn't used any of the spirit power inside him. He relied purely on his physical strength, carrying that heavy stone mill as he ran ten laps around the village.
After finally stopping, he activated his spirit power, and an incredible sensation of comfort washed over him. His entire body tingled, as if his physique was slowly growing stronger.
Inside his dantian, the corpse pill slowly rotated, absorbing the spirit power flowing back from his meridians, then erupting forth to nourish Jiang Chen's body.
Staring at the half-black, half-golden orb, Jiang Chen felt a bit puzzled. He wondered if this orb—fused with heavenly thunder—could still be called a corpse pill.
He had tried before but couldn't activate the orb himself; it only passively purified the spirit power he cultivated.
Thinking of that zombie's earth-shattering cultivation, Jiang Chen understood that this orb must be an extraordinary treasure. Too bad he couldn't make use of it.
Lost in thought, he suddenly caught sight of Tang San's clumsy actions.
Tang San was standing in his courtyard, holding a struggling rabbit in his left hand and a kitchen knife in his right, unsure how to proceed.
Seeing Jiang Chen's daily feast of fish and meat, Tang San had recently realized just how severely he lacked nutrition. Though not exactly emaciated, he was close.
Moreover, he had been helping his father with blacksmith work, which was physically demanding. Eating only plain porridge and simple meals, he felt his body was nearly drained.
With his martial arts skills, catching small animals was no problem, and the gray rabbit in his hands was his latest catch.
Tang Hao stood nearby, arms crossed, watching without offering help.
He was a rough man who knew how to kill people, but slaughtering a small rabbit? He had no experience.
Tang San hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to press the rabbit's head down on the ground, preparing to strike with the knife.
"Tang San, what are you doing?" Jiang Chen asked curiously as he walked over.
Tang San stopped and, feeling embarrassed, said, "I'm killing the rabbit."
Jiang Chen was speechless. Thankfully, Tang San hadn't met Xiao Wu yet, or he'd surely get beaten up for this.
"Look at you, your hands are like feet. Let me do it," Jiang Chen said.
Tang San's eyes lit up, quickly handing over the rabbit and the knife. He had witnessed Jiang Chen's impressive knife skills and cooking yesterday.
Thinking of the delicious meal coming up today, Tang San swallowed hard.
"What are you waiting for? Hold its four legs tight!" Jiang Chen commanded.
"Got it!" Tang San eagerly helped out.
Tang Hao watched the two busy little figures with some satisfaction.
"Xiao Chen, you should stay here for lunch," Tang Hao said.
"I'd like to, but I still have to go back and cook for grandpa," Jiang Chen said with a helpless blink.
Tang Hao was speechless and reluctantly said, "Then bring that old guy… cough, I mean, bring your grandpa along."
If it meant tasting Jiang Chen's cooking, he didn't mind letting that old fellow take advantage a bit.