"I can't believe it, Wei passed the examination!" His mother's voice, soft and melodic, carried through the room like music. "the Deacon Lu Shen said that he can finally go with him to spirit city after few hours!"
Fang Yuan's father chuckled, his voice deep, proud. "He inherited my strength, no doubt. When I awakened, I only had one and a half innate spirit power, but Wei was born with four. A Desert Lion Martial Spirit, it suits him."
with a dreamy voice she said, "can he become a priest of the Soul Palace?"
"Why not?" the father replied, placing a calloused hand on her shoulder. "He's strong, obedient, will be loyal to the Hall. He has everything they want. And he's ours."
He walked over to a chest beneath the window and quietly pulled out a small, worn pouch from beneath layers of cloth. Opening it, he revealed two faintly glowing blue crystals, each about the size of a thumb, smooth and cool with a soft inner radiance.
Liu Mei watched silently as he inspected them.
"Still intact," Fang Mu murmured. "Low-tier soul jades. I've kept them hidden since I found them in the western gorge three years ago."
Liu Mei nodded. "We agreed to save them for the boys. You're giving one to Wei?"
"Before he leaves," Fang Mu said. "He'll need every edge he can get out there. One for him now… one for Yuan, later."
She placed a hand on his arm. "It's time, then."
Fang Mu closed the pouch tightly. "I just hope it's enough."
Fang noticed the high, dense energy in the Soul jades his father had found, his energy seeing ability, seeing the soul jade showing intense green light.
They sat together in the warmth of their pride, smiles heavy on their faces. Then the mother's gaze drifted to the cradle.
"…And what about this one?" she said softly. "Little Yuan… he hasn't even cried once since birth. Isn't that strange?"
Fang Yuan's father scratched his beard, thoughtful. "Strange, yes. But strange isn't always bad. I've heard soul masters born with special talents, maybe silence is his gift. I have a good feeling about him. His soul is deep, like a well with no bottom."
The mother leaned over and gently stroked the baby's forehead. "Yuan'er, you'll be just like your brother. No… you'll be greater. I can feel it."
Fang Yuan blinked, looked at her and smiled.
"Look, he's smiling again... such a calm little one."
She leaned closer, brushing a gentle finger across his cheek.
"You really are different, my little Yuan."
'Spirit Hall, a sect that trains soul masters, hailed as the holy land for soul cultivation. Its structure mimicked that of a church, Deacons, priest, Bishops, Cardinals, even a Pope. How curious...'
Fang Yuan's gaze grew distant as the thought took shape in his mind.
'Do they worship some deity? It's not uncommon for powerful entities to gain followers. In my previous life, across the Five Continents, there were mortals who revered Venerables, some even treated them as gods.
But what are these so-called deities? Are they natural manifestations born of this world's laws? Or are they just ascended cultivators, raised to divine heights by power and fear? Or perhaps... both?'
He closed his eyes slightly, his infant body still, but his mind as sharp and dark as ever
'I think this is too much to think about right now,' Fang muttered, lifting his head toward the window. He peered outside at the street of the village, his eyes naturally drawn to the distant ridge rising far beyond the edge of the settlement.
Across the way, miners bustled in and out of the rocky hills, carrying sacks of metals and stones. The ridge loomed, jagged and towering, a silent monument to a battle long past.
'My mother said that ridge was created during a clash between two powerful Soul Masters,' Fang thought, eyes narrowing slightly. 'One of them reshaped the land itself during their fight... No one expected that disaster to become a blessing.'
The village had since flourished, with people excavating rich veins of rare metals hidden within the mountain. Occasionally, they even unearthed resources valuable to Soul Masters treasures that could strengthen one's path of cultivation called soul jades.
He looked back toward his father, who was speaking softly with his mother. Fang's gaze lingered for a moment, then his thoughts drifted once more.
'In this village,' he mused silently, 'even those without soul power can live comfortably if they possess a mining-type Martial Soul, like a pickaxe or shovel. My father is one of them. With his Bronze Pickaxe Martial Soul, he's considered an important figure among the miners'
'I have also further developed my ability to see energy, gradually formalizing it into an almost complete technique. Though it still needs refinement and occasionally fails to work as intended, I shall name it, Soul Net Vision.'
'I've tried to manipulate the energy around me, believing I had a high affinity for it. At most, I could stir a faint breeze before losing control. It's extremely exhausting. Worse still, I don't see much energy within myself either because I'm still too young, or because… I truly have no innate soul power.'
Few hours later.
The sun hung low as families gathered at Sky Ridge Village's gate. At the center stood Fang Yuan's family.
Deacon Lu Shen arrived in white-gold robes, calm and composed. Beside him was a quiet boy from another village Lin Yu, his eyes full of nervous curiosity.
Lu Shen nodded. "Fang Mu, Lady Liu Mei. I'll ensure Fang Wei reaches the Intermediate Training Hall safely."
Fang Mu crossed his arms. "He's our blood. Don't let him be used and discarded."
Lu Shen replied, "He will be trained, protected, and respected. Spirit Hall honors its word."
Liu Mei hugged Fang Wei tightly. "Take care of yourself… and write to us. Don't make us worry about you, okay?"
"Okay," Wei whispered, eyes misty.
Fang Yuan watched silently,
activating Soul Net Vision.
'The deacon is stronger than Father and anyone else in the village... but not overwhelming. And no one notices I'm using it. Is he too weak, or is it truly undetectable? Probably the former, Fang Yuan thought.'
Lu Shen placed a hand on Wei's shoulder. "Time to go."
Fang Mu called out, "Wei, never forget where you come from."
"I won't," Wei bowed. "And I'll never forget you either." He kissed his little brother. "Take care of yourself, Little Yuan," he said softly, and turned away.
Then, he left shoulder to shoulder with Lin Yu, toward city spirit.