Chapter 2: The Heart of the Gods?

Chapter 2: Heart of a God?

As soon as the door opened, Old Jack hurried toward Su Yuntao, his face full of anxious anticipation.

“Master, how did it go? Is there any chance a child from our village can become a soul master this year?”

“Yes, in fact, there are two, both innately full of soul power. Unfortunately, one has a useless martial soul—Blue Silver Grass. The other, however, is a promising talent. I hope he’ll join the Spirit Hall; they’ll give him the best treatment. You must do your best to persuade him.”

“Who are these two children?” Old Jack asked quickly.

Su Yuntao pointed to Zhong Yan and Tang San. “Those two. The blue-haired one has the Blue Silver Grass martial soul I mentioned, and the black-haired one is the genius I spoke of.”

With that, Su Yuntao hurried off. He still had to visit the next village; his schedule was always tight, too many villages and too few hands.

“You two, come here,” Old Jack called. “Little Yan, your talent is excellent, and Little San’s isn’t bad either. Who says Blue Silver Grass can’t be cultivated? Little Yan isn’t short of money. I’ve decided to give this year’s work-study spot to Little San. Little Yan, you can go to the Spirit Hall school. There’s no tuition, and you’ll receive a better education. Who knows, our village might produce two Soul Saints this year, or maybe even a Contra!”

“Grandpa Jack, let me think about it. I have my own plans. As for Little San, we should go ask Uncle Hao at his house first,” Zhong Yan replied.

“That’s fine,” Old Jack agreed, his eyes filled with determination. Though he truly disliked the slovenly Tang Hao, for the sake of having another soul master from the village, he was willing to endure.

...Tang San’s Home...

Morning was Tang Hao’s usual sleeping time, and the smithy was silent. Since Little San had left to awaken his martial soul that morning, the usual aroma of porridge was missing.

“Tang Hao! Tang Hao!” Old Jack didn’t care whether Tang Hao was sleeping or not. He had long resented this untidy blacksmith, who was neither a competent artisan nor a good father. If not for his cheap farming tools and Little San’s suffering, Old Jack would have kicked him out of the village years ago.

A voice, tinged with irritation, sounded from inside. “Who’s making all that noise?” Tang Hao emerged slowly, brushing aside the curtain.

He first looked at his son, then turned his gaze to Jack. “Old Jack, what do you want?”

Jack snorted. “Today is your son’s martial soul awakening. Do you have any idea how important that is? Other children’s parents accompany them, but you’re here lying in bed!”

Tang Hao seemed unmoved by the sarcasm, his eyes turning back to his son. “Little San, you’ve awakened your martial soul? What is it?”

“Dad, it’s Blue Silver Grass,” Tang San replied.

“Blue Silver Grass?” For reasons unknown, Tang Hao, usually indifferent to such things, trembled slightly at those words. A peculiar light flickered in his eyes.

Only Tang San noticed the change in his father’s expression; Old Jack, unconcerned, pressed on, “Yes, Blue Silver Grass, but Little San is innately full of soul power. I’ve decided to give this year’s work-study spot to him, so he can go study at Notting City’s Junior Soul Master Academy. The village will cover his travel expenses. As for Little Yan, he may be lazy, but he’s clever and has earned enough to pay his own way.”

“Blue Silver Grass, Blue Silver Grass…” Tang Hao muttered, then abruptly looked up, his tone harsh. “No.”

“What did you say? Did I hear that right?” Jack exclaimed, digging at his ear in disbelief. “Do you know how precious this opportunity is? Even in our Holy Soul Village, which produced a Soul Saint long ago, only one spot is available each year. In other villages, two or three have to share a single spot. Do you understand? This is a great opportunity. With luck, Little San might become a soul master.”

Tang Hao shot Jack a cold look. “What’s the use of being a soul master? All I know is, if he leaves, no one will cook for me. Blue Silver Grass—do you think it can amount to anything? It’s a useless martial soul.”

He continued, “That’s your real intention, isn’t it? I said no, and that’s final. You can leave now.”

“Tang—Hao—” Old Jack was furious, his anger boiling over.

Tang Hao remained languid. “No need to shout. I’m not deaf. I said you can go.”

“Uncle Hao, it’s not impossible to cultivate Blue Silver Grass,” Zhong Yan interjected. “Didn’t the Master always say there are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters?”

Tang Hao’s expression grew scornful. “You actually believe that?”

“Fine then.” Seeing Tang Hao’s disdain, Zhong Yan wisely fell silent. Why argue with Tang Hao? Besides, what did Master matter to him? There was no need to defend him.

As expected, Tang Hao cared little for the so-called Master. He merely wanted to use Master to pry the secret of twin martial souls from Bibi Dong, Master’s former lover. Tsk. Forget it. Once Little San tells Tang Hao about his twin martial souls, Tang Hao will agree to let him become a soul master. For now, I’d better head home—I have things to do.

With that thought, Zhong Yan tugged at Old Jack’s sleeve.

“Let it be, Grandpa Jack. Give Uncle Hao a couple of days—he’ll change his mind. Don’t be angry; let’s go home.”

Old Jack’s anger slowly faded. “Alright then. Hmph, let’s leave. No point wasting words on that mess of a man.”

...A line divides the scene...

Back home, Zhong Yan could barely contain his excitement as he shut himself in his room.

With a thought, the Rainbow-Piercing Lance materialized in his hand. He swung it a few times, and with each movement, it felt as if the air itself was sliced open.

The thrill quickly faded, and Zhong Yan put away the martial soul. He could sense that something else was hidden within his heart.

“Normally, things hidden in the heart can be seen through spiritual sight. But I can’t do that—unlike Tang San, I don’t come with a bundle of techniques. Looks like I’ll have to use soul power instead.”

Without hesitation, he sat cross-legged and guided his soul power toward his heart. He felt it thump powerfully a few times, and could vaguely sense a surging force. The moment his soul power touched his heart, a burst of golden light erupted. This was not the blinding luster of ordinary gold, but a radiant glow embodying gravity and all-encompassing warmth.

As the light flashed, his consciousness was instantly drawn into a golden world, reminiscent of the backdrop for a Geo character.

Before him floated a golden object, shaped like a chess piece. Zhong Yan recognized it at once.

“The Heart of a God—Zhongli’s Heart!”

Instinctively, he reached out and grasped the Heart of a God, which immediately flared with light. The brilliance was so intense that he shut his eyes. When he opened them again, he was back in his room.

At the same time, memories flooded his mind—an entire spear technique called Rain of Stone. What Zhong Yan didn’t notice was that the Heart of a God’s glow quietly dimmed a little.

“Rain of Stone was just Zhongli’s basic attack in the game, but in my mind, it’s become a complete spear art. I’ll prepare today, and starting tomorrow, I’ll begin honing my body and refining my martial skills. I can’t sully the title of Martial God Emperor in this world.”

“But I should go find Little San and ask him to train with me starting tomorrow morning. Having someone to accompany, supervise, and encourage each other is the best way!”

(End of Chapter)