"Trash spirit, blue silver grass!"
The evaluator, standing behind the table with a crystal ball on its top, announced with a disappointed tone.
It was already the fifth trash spirit out of ten kids he had evaluated.
The crystal ball was shining brightly with blue silver radiance and manifestation of a mature blue silver grass.
One without knowledge could easily be mistaken by its appearance, assuming that it was a beautiful plant-type spirit.
The evaluator was a man in his early thirties with a spirit rank of 21, a teacher from Newton Academy, and a recruiter.
Crystal ball chimed under his unchanging gaze.
A number appeared in the crystal ball after the blue silver grass disappeared
"0"
"No way!"
"That's worse. Doesn't that mean he doesn't even have one year of spirit energy?"
"He is already 10 years old though."
"He is the older brother of Tang San who also has blue silver grass but a full innate spirit. Ten years of spirit energy."
"What was his name?"
"Tang Zen. He got such a heavenly name yet he is so disappointing."
The hall of Village Hall was filled with adult villagers and kids. It was 10 meters wide and long.
The evaluator was sitting in his chair. His table was facing the main door of the hall, which was closed.
Two kids with shabby black hair were standing in front of his table, behind them were the audience.
The boy with tanned skin was looking at his shameful talent with his eyes that were burning hot because he had been holding back his tears with all of his might.
On his right side was, his handsome little brother, Tang San.
He was sad for his older brother.
Since he was a transmigrator and had gone through hardships for three decades in his previous life, he knew that Tang Zen would not like to hear comforting words from his little brother when his heart had been hurt so badly in front of so many people.
"Let's go, " Tang Zen said before turning back on his heels, "We have chores to do at home."
Tang San followed his big brother who was tearing the crowd like a bull.
If someone wasn't giving him space to pass by, then he was shoving them to the sides, ignoring their cursing.
...
On the way to their god-forsaken home, the village head accompanied them.
"Don't be down, little Zen. I have quite a reputation at Newton Academy. My ancestor was the man who dropped an apple by mistake, on the head of Newton who discovered gravity, " The village chief was a talkative old man past sixties, with his face covered in white beards and moustache.
He used to be a farmer, so he had tanned skin.
"I will make sure that both of you can attend the best education at Newton Academy. Otherwise, I am not the best village chief in the region, " he added, stretching out his chest like a man.
"How much do we have to pay?" Tang San asked, walking side by side with him.
Tang Zen was walking some steps ahead of them.
"Ahem!" The village chief cleared his throat, narrowing his eyes at the back of Tang Zen, he said in a low voice, "One gold coin per student."
"Eek!" Tang San couldn't help but yelp in shock.
That was enough to feed his family for four months.
It was just tuition fees for the first year. Studying spirit energy couldn't be cheap because it wasn't meant to be shared with everyone.
The world of spirit masters was no different jungle where you were either prey or predator.
Tang San thought, 'Father is a skilled blacksmith. He may be drunk and sleeping most of the time, but he always managed to earn enough money to put food on our table.'
'I have been saving silver and bronze coins in my piggy bank to buy potions. But that can wait. I don't wanna leave my brother behind.'
...
Crack!
"Argh—! Where is my booze?" Tang Hao roared while looking around in his workplace-cum-home.
He was over six feet with broad shoulders. Despite his beggar-like hairstyle and beard, he was a good-looking middle-aged man.
"Are you even listening to me? Tang San has been recruited by Newton Academy because of his full innate spirit. Your kids need education, proper education!" The village chief yelled at Tang Hao at the top of his lungs.
Turning back, Tang Hao looked at the trio.
The village chief was a little shorter than five feet tall. They were standing in a row near his bed.
Locking his eyes with Tang San's, Tang Hao demanded, "Little San, where are you hiding my booze?"
Tang San sighed sadly, "I have stopped doing that since you are more willing to buy booze than food. You are probably out of it."
With sympathy in his eyes, he told him, "Dad, you should stop drinking. Seeing you like this, people think our (his and Tang Zen's) mother is dead. She is married to your big brother for the sake of us."
[A/N: Wait a minute! Ah Yin did what...?]
12 years ago, Clear Sky Clan banished Tang Hao because of his relationship with a spirit beast named Ah Yin.
Making him and his wife an easy target of Spirit Hall.
The couple got chased by spirit beast hunters day and night, making a long trail of blood and death.
In the end, Ah Yin had to marry Clear Sky Clan's patriarch who was also the elder brother of Tang Hao, to stop the pursuit of the Spirit Hall.
But how could the Spirit Hall ignore the damage Tang Hao gave it, especially to its reputation?
The Spirit Hall promised not hunt Ah Yin as long as she was the wife of Clear Sky Clan's patriarch and Tang Hao was banished from the sect.
The Spirit Hall wasn't aware that Ah Yin was already pregnant thanks to Tang Hao when she married the patriarch.
Since then, Tang Hao had been lying low with his sons in a remote village.
Then who was Tang Zen? He was also the son of Ah Yin, but only hers.
He was born from the divine power of Ah Yin when she transformed into a human from a 100,000 years old spirit beast.
Initially, he was just a blue silver grass, born from the blue silver grass Empress. Nothing was special about him.
But miracles happen out of nowhere. He transformed into a human baby at his birthplace, two months before Tang San's birth.
He was being fed with nutrients from earth and sun by the fellow blue silver grasses when Tang Hao found him, carrying Tang San in his arms and looking for a place to hide.
If Tang San was abandoned by his mother for his own safety then Tang Zen's fate was even worse. His existence wasn't present in his mother's memory.
Born from nature like any other plant. But became a human by mistake, a small part of divinity that separated from Ah Yin during her metamorphosis.
All of these thoughts railed through Tang Hao's mind, giving him dizziness and headache, forcing him to grab his forehead with a grunt, "Ugh—(panting)... Fuck! Why you little shit... Don't ever mention your mother."
"I told her that I am willing to fight the whole world for her. But she left us. Does she think I will be grateful for her sacrifice?"
"I wanted to live and die with her. But no—... She always has to put her survival instinct at the top. Is living that important? What's the point of living if I can't be with her? Why didn't she understand?"
Tang San pitied his father, 'No, father. She knows. Otherwise, she wouldn't have made that choice. She can truly be happy if we are living happily too. Maybe I am partly responsible too. She loves me that's why she compromised.'
Tang Hao sat on a stool, in front of his workbench beside the cold furnace, placing his elbows on the workbench to hide his pathetic expression behind his big hands.
"I am not going to the academy, " Tang Zen said before jumping on the bed to lie on it.
The window near the bed kept their dark home full of fresh air and light.
"Little Zen, don't talk nonsense. I will make your father pay for both of your kids, " the village head had made up his mind.
But Tang Hao's shout silenced him, "Enough!"
Cooling his tone, he turned his head towards the village chief, "Please, stop meddling in our family affairs. Tang San can go but not Tang Zen. I will teach him at home."
*******
Author's Notes: Don't skip.
1. This gonna be a harem without stealing others' women. How? You need to keep reading for that. It doesn't really matter if smut chapters are hot.
So harem-loving readers, enjoy it.
2. A wanton version of this fanfiction is under construction. You will be notified when and where it will be published. With heavy NTR for hentai readers.
3. Readers have been complaining that there are only smuts in my fanfictions. So I am increasing the non-smut chapters. Now, don't complain where the smut is in this fanfiction. You are not seeing until Tang Zen turns 18. 😂
4. I am not gonna follow the timelines and storylines of the original Soul Land franchise in this fanfiction. So don't be surprised if you see characters from other novels and manhua of Soul Land.
5. I can't develop the images of all characters from this manhua for reference. So if you are not seeing one, I advise you to use the internet.
6. Suggestions needed: I think, this book will be interesting if you readers suggest some interesting characters (male/female) from other manhua or maybe from manhwa too.
But only the characters and their persona, not their whole family and world.
7. Disclaimer: I don't own any Original Characters from the Soul Land franchise. This fanfiction has no bad motive to hurt the original work or any individual or community. This is made for fans who love this kind of story.
Thank you!