"Tang Hao!"
Old Jack's finger trembled with rage. "Just because Little San didn't listen to you, you want to sever your father-son relationship with him? What kind of father are you?"
"He started doing chores when he was two years old, gradually learning—from unfamiliar to proficient—how to care for your daily life. At three, he began picking up firewood. At four, he was helping you carry small pieces of raw iron. I saw it all, and so did the people in the village. Is your conscience made of iron and stone? Don't you feel any pain?"
Tang Hao ignored Old Jack's earnest scolding and turned to Tang San. "Just this one thing. If you agree, you can go. Otherwise, don't."
"You… you're simply unworthy of being a father!" Old Jack was furious. He never imagined a father could be so heartless. Could Tang San not be Tang Hao's biological son? Was he the child of an enemy, and Tang Hao came to Holy Spirit Village just to torment him?
If it's revenge, go find the one who wronged you!
What does Little San have to do with it?
Old Jack figured it out—Tang Hao wasn't just tormenting Little San, he was also torturing himself.
"You think about it." Tang Hao finished and returned to the blacksmith shop.
Helpless, Tang San could only escort Old Jack home.
Why did things turn out this way?
Forget it. Maybe this is better—at least on the surface, Tang Hao and I no longer have any ties.
"Good boy, go back and talk to Tang Hao. I think he's just talking nonsense," Old Jack said after calming down with a bowl of water. "If he truly doesn't want you, just come to Grandpa's house. It's big enough."
"Okay, I'll listen to Grandpa Jack. I like the kind Grandpa Jack." Tang San's words weren't hypocritical—he meant them.
On one side was a drunken father who had relied on him for food and care since he was two, who barely spoke a word. On the other was a kind, caring grandfather who had looked after him for five years and always made life easier.
Was there even a choice?
When Tang San returned to the blacksmith shop, Tang Hao had just walked in from outside. He was holding a lead box, and his expression was dark and terrifying, like he wanted to devour someone.
"What happened?" Tang San couldn't help asking.
Tang Hao tried to calm his breathing.
Three minutes later, he composed himself, placed the lead box on the table, opened it, and revealed a glowing blue-golden soul bone.
It was the 100,000-year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone!
Tang San's pupils shrank.
Why now?
"You don't know? The Spirit Hall's book mentioned it." Tang Hao suppressed his anger. "This is a soul bone. Absorb it. Now!"
Absorb it now?
What had happened?
Could it be…
Tang San thought of a possibility.
The Blue Silver Emperor was in trouble.
In the original story, the Blue Silver Emperor had been hidden by Tang Hao in a cave behind a waterfall. The soul bone was supposed to be there too. That location lacked sunlight but was rich in moisture—clearly chosen so no one would mistakenly pick the Blue Silver Emperor as common blue silver grass.
From years of observation, Tang San knew the villagers—especially the farmers—liked to pluck blue silver grass and chew on it during rest. The grass's juice was sweet.
If the Blue Silver Emperor was in danger now, it must've happened recently.
Could it be… other transmigrators?
Tang San considered the possibility.
"What are you spacing out for? You're usually smart. Why so slow now?" Tang Hao snapped. "Hurry and absorb it. Don't waste time. It won't hurt. Just place it on your right leg and circulate your soul power."
Tang San snapped back to focus, picked up the soul bone, placed it on his right leg, and ran his soul power. He found it flowed naturally into the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone.
Gradually, the blue-golden bone sank into his right leg.
Within thirty minutes, Tang San had fully absorbed it. He ran Mysterious Heaven Skill and discovered that while his soul power didn't rise visibly—he was clearly at level ten—the overflow was likely being suppressed due to the lack of a soul ring.
Even though this soul bone matched his Blue Silver Grass martial soul, it didn't evolve the martial soul into the Blue Silver Emperor. It remained spirited blue silver grass.
Why?
Tang San recalled from the original book that soul bones and martial souls were separate. The martial soul gained abilities through soul rings, which were extensions of the soul's own traits. Soul bones, on the other hand, provided the original skills of the soul beast itself.
So, it made sense that even the 100,000-year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone wouldn't cause a martial soul evolution.
Still, Tang San sensed that the soul power he expended during absorption was being slowly restored. That must be the soul bone's ability: Spring Breeze Blows Again.
But that name was too long—and sounded like overblown poetic fluff—so he renamed it: Endless Life.
"Finished absorbing? Then promise me something else." Tang Hao's voice grew solemn. "Don't let anyone know you have a soul bone. If you can't keep walking the soul master's path, return to Holy Spirit Village. Be a blacksmith. When you're old and about to die, find a place where no one is around, dig a hole, and bury yourself."
Tang San was speechless.
Dig a hole and bury yourself?
Truly Tang Er Hammer—his logic was beyond comprehension.
Without waiting for a reply, Tang Hao left, disappearing into the moonlit hills where Tang San used to gather firewood.
He really left?
The next day, Tang San cleaned up the kitchenware, utensils, and bedding, then went to Old Jack's house.
"Tang Hao… really left?" Old Jack helped pack his luggage and sighed. "What a man with no sense of responsibility. A pity. The village lost a blacksmith. Now everyone will have to go to Nuoding City to repair their tools."
"Grandpa, don't worry. I've learned forging. I can help the villagers with their tools."
After a year of Mysterious Heaven Skill cultivation, Tang San's strength had grown. He could now lift a forging hammer. After absorbing the 100,000-year soul bone, he had improved even further.
He wasn't a master craftsman, but repairing simple tools was well within his ability.
"You? Haha!" Old Jack chuckled. "You're still small—not much taller than the forging hammer itself. Are you sure?"
"As the saying goes: don't judge a book by its cover; the sea can't be measured."
"Oh? That's a cultured saying—I learned something!" Old Jack smiled.
Still doubtful, he followed Tang San to the blacksmith shop. There, Tang San lit the fire, pushed the bellows, and began forging.
That thin frame, wielding a massive hammer with graceful force—like a dancer in a storm.
Soon, a piece of fine iron was shaped.
"Xiao San, you really have such strength?" Old Jack was amazed.
"Forging—barely passable." Tang San smiled shyly, then thought: My strength suddenly increased. I need time to adjust. Luckily, school doesn't start for three months. I have plenty of time to practice and refine control over my new power.
So, Tang San trained daily in the Chaos Cloak Hammer Method, using leftover iron from Tang Hao. At night, he stayed with Old Jack. He spent his time cultivating Mysterious Heaven Skill, Mysterious Jade Hand, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon, and other top-tier skills from the Xuantian Record. In his spare moments, he gathered firewood for Old Jack.
As for the Purple Demon Eye, it could only be practiced at specific times and didn't require much effort.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
Tang San had gained some muscle definition and was physically much stronger. He packed his bedding and clothes, preparing to report to Nuoding City.
Originally, Tang San intended to go alone, but Old Jack insisted on accompanying him. "You're only six," he said, "it's unsafe to travel alone…" Even though Tang San had traveled to Nuoding's Spirit Hall alone with Su Yuntao before, and returned by himself.
"We're in Nuoding City."
Half a day later, Old Jack turned to see Tang San meditating in the back of the cart and smiled kindly. "Nuoding City isn't far. By ox cart, it's only half a day."
Tang San opened his eyes and looked up. Before him rose the thick, ten-meter-high city walls with the words Nuoding City inscribed on the gate.
Familiar city, your king is back! he thought childishly. From this moment, I'll be the master of this world!
Shaking off the daydream, Tang San said, "Grandpa Jack, let's go find Tao-ge first. He said the city folks look down on us villagers. Nuoding Academy is a soul master school—they might not even let us in if they see our plain clothes."
"Alright. Master Su is a good man," Old Jack agreed. He knew country folk needed someone familiar to guide them in the city.
At the city gate, the ox cart stopped at the nearby post station—only nobles were allowed to ride carriages or ox carts within city limits.
Tang San and Old Jack walked to the Spirit Hall.
The guard at the door recognized Tang San and smiled. "Little Tang, been a while. If Su Yuntao hadn't said you awakened a martial soul with soul power, we'd have thought traffickers got you."
"I was just working hard to awaken my martial soul," Tang San laughed. He introduced Old Jack. "This is my grandfather—the head of Holy Spirit Village. Can we come in and take a look?"
"Normally, no. But for you, we'll make an exception. Go ahead," the guard replied with a grin.