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As the saying goes, the deeper the love, the fiercer the hatred.
Ah Yu, who had once been willing to sacrifice her life for her family, now harbored an intense hatred for the unknown god responsible for her suffering.
Ye Wen placed a hand on Ah Yu's shoulder in an attempt to calm her.
"Calm down."
"How can I calm down! My child is dead! Dead!" Ah Yu screamed hysterically, completely disregarding Ye Wen's divine status.
Ye Wen couldn't help but recall a phrase from his past life: "Women are inherently weak, but as mothers, they become strong." A child was often the last line a mother would fiercely defend.
"Sigh~ I know you're filled with resentment, but what's done is done. There's no way to change it now.
I'm not asking you to let go of your hatred, but you must understand—your enemy is a god, and your current strength…"
Though Ye Wen didn't finish his sentence, Ah Yu understood the implication. She was too weak to even think about revenge.
Powerless, she collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
"Asura God, you've truly committed a grave sin!"
Ye Wen knew that Ah Yu had fallen into a deep pit of despair. No matter what he said, it would be difficult for her to overcome her grief.
"Go take another look at your husband."
Without waiting for Ah Yu's response, Ye Wen directed her attention to Tang Hao, who was just waking up lazily from bed. His scruffy beard covered his face, and he drank half a pot of porridge in one go.
Seeing Tang Hao's degenerate, unmotivated demeanor, Ah Yu struggled to reconcile this man with the once proud and domineering Tang Hao she had known.
"Keep watching, and you'll see I'm not lying to you."
Soon after, Tang San returned home as usual. The sight of a young child running around early in the morning was undeniably strange. Children his age should have been sleeping in or playing around.
Though they weren't in Holy Soul Village anymore, Tang Hao continued to scold and beat Tang San, ordering him to do household chores.
Perhaps this was the influence of his upbringing. In his past life, Tang San had been an orphan, deprived of familial affection, so he cherished such emotions deeply and was prone to emotional outbursts.
In that era, the concept of strict hierarchical relationships between ruler and subject, father and son was prevalent. Children raised in families within the Tang Sect likely grew up in environments where they were either beaten or scolded. To Tang San, Tang Hao's behavior seemed normal—it was simply a reflection of the moral standards of that time. What Ye Wen saw as despicable behavior, Tang San viewed as the actions of a hardworking father providing for the family. It was bizarre.
Ah Yu, however, stared coldly at the scene before her.
Even though Tang San's soul had been replaced, his physical body was still the child she had carried for ten months and given birth to through great hardship. Tang Hao's actions left her utterly disappointed.
By coincidence, today was the day of martial soul awakening.
Under the guidance of the village chief, Tang San began his true journey of cultivation in this world.
The person conducting the ceremony was a steward from Notting City. He meticulously followed the procedures for awakening civilian soul masters, showing no disdain for their poverty. His demeanor was impeccable.
Ye Wen watched the scene with satisfaction. It seemed that Bibi Dong's reforms in the Spirit Hall were proceeding smoothly. The overall quality of the Spirit Hall's affiliated soul masters had improved significantly, which also helped foster goodwill among lower-tier soul masters.
This village was similar to the former Holy Soul Village, relying primarily on farming and thus living in relative poverty. Most of the children undergoing awakening possessed mundane martial souls like hoes and sickles, with blue silver grass being a common sight.
One little girl awakened without any innate soul power, which was unfortunate.
Due to Tang San's aloofness, he was the last to undergo the martial soul awakening.
The steward showed no impatience despite the lack of soul power in the previous children. With refined grace, he said to Tang San,
"Come forward, child."
He then activated the formation on the ground, channeling his soul power into it.
Tang San felt a warm current flowing into his body, and his right hand began to feel slightly warm.
Golden light erupted from the formation, much brighter than it had been for the other children, indicating that this child was highly likely to awaken a powerful martial soul and possess soul power.
A flicker of joy passed through the steward's eyes. It seemed he would receive a bonus for this discovery.
A green vine suddenly materialized in the air.
"A vine-type martial soul? But the soul imprint seems unusual," the steward muttered.
Instead of immediately testing Tang San's innate soul power, he pulled out a Soul Imprint Encyclopedia and began consulting it. After confirming the information he sought, he said,
"Child, although this vine appears ordinary, your soul imprint indicates that it is not a common green vine martial soul. It is likely a variant martial soul.
Later, you can check the soul beast encyclopedia at the academy to find more information about your martial soul's origins.
Now, let's proceed to the final step. Let's see how much innate soul power you possess. Good luck, child. Place your right hand on the crystal ball."
Tang San, still ignorant about martial souls, obediently placed his right hand on the crystal ball.
Instantly, a brilliant golden light filled the small Spirit Hall, dazzling everyone present.
The steward was stunned, muttering to himself, "Full innate soul power!?"
Unfamiliar with the term, Tang San, driven by curiosity, asked the steward to explain.
The steward, already patient by nature, became even more so upon confirming that Tang San was a genius with full innate soul power. As he explained, Tang San learned that he was a one-in-a-million prodigy. However, Tang San had always believed himself to be extraordinary, so he didn't think much of it.
Seizing the opportunity, the steward extended an invitation for Tang San to join the Spirit Hall.
Once again, Tang San demonstrated his "filial piety."
"Honorable Steward, I need to return home and discuss this with my father. If he agrees, I will join."
Though the steward was somewhat disappointed that Tang San hadn't immediately accepted the invitation, he knew he had to report this information. After all, Tang San had awakened not the blue silver grass from the original story, but a top-tier vine-like martial soul.
Despite Tang San and Tang Hao being outsiders, the village chief was delighted that their village had produced a soul master and immediately offered Tang San a work-study position.
"I need to go home and ask my father's opinion."
This exchange left Ye Wen, watching from the shadows, somewhat speechless. Reading about it in novels hadn't struck him, but seeing it now, Tang San seemed a bit like a spineless "daddy's boy."
As expected, Tang Hao flatly rejected Tang San's request to become a soul master.
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