Unlike modern academic systems, Nuoding Primary Soul Master Academy ran on a yearly term basis, during which students were not allowed to return home.
Of course, this rule only applied to ordinary students.
During this one-year term, Xiao Yan attended regular classes in the mornings like every other student, diligently learning about this world's knowledge.
In the afternoons, after completing his duties at the academy, he would manage his "Five-Spice Spicy Rabbit Head Shop."
At night, he trained in martial arts in the back hills of Nuoding Soul Master Academy.
At dawn, he would return to Saint Soul Village using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to butcher rabbits.
It's no exaggeration to say that Xiao Yan's days were packed to the brim.
The Douluo Continent was far behind Deep Blue Star when it came to culinary arts.
The spicy and numbing Spicy Rabbit Heads and Shredded Rabbit Meat became an instant hit in Nuoding City once they launched.
In just one month, Xiao Yan had earned enough profit to purchase the shop he had initially rented, and he began raking in a decent daily income.
"Xiao Wu, tomorrow's the start of the break. Are you going home?" Xiao Yan asked as he packed some personal belongings, glancing at Xiao Wu who was lying on the bed.
Usually preoccupied with various things, he hadn't paid much attention to this peculiar little girl.
Now that a short break was approaching, Xiao Yan seized the opportunity to probe into her background.
To this day, Xiao Yan had never wavered from his two guesses—Xiao Wu was either from a noble family or a transformed soul beast.
Xiao Wu, leaning on the bed, looked a little melancholy, completely unlike her usual lively self. "I'm not going back home. Maybe… I'll just stay at the academy."
"Stay at the academy?" Xiao Yan felt more certain that Xiao Wu was not an ordinary girl. "The academy's teachers also go on break. Once the holiday begins, the dorms won't be open, and no one will be cooking in the cafeteria either."
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up suddenly: "Xiao Yan, doesn't your house lie near the academy? Why don't I go with you?"
Xiao Yan hesitated. He wasn't sure if that old dog Tang Hao was still at home. With his strength, if he saw Xiao Wu, he might pick up on something…
"So, is that a yes or no?" Xiao Wu crawled over to Xiao Yan, hands propped on the bed, kneeling and looking up at him.
Xiao Yan rubbed his nose. "Since you want to come that badly, fine. But let me warn you—my dad has a weird temper. Best if you keep quiet around him."
Xiao Wu didn't mind at all: "I'm so cute, your dad's definitely going to like me."
She even struck a gentle pose and winked at Xiao Yan.
Maybe…
Xiao Yan chuckled but said nothing, continuing to pack.
According to his deductions, Tang Hao had once fallen for a transformed soul beast—an anomaly in this world where soul beasts were hunted for power.
Unfortunately, Tang Hao's romance ended in heartbreak. If he saw another transformed soul beast again, his feelings would probably be complicated at best—not fondness.
That is, if Xiao Wu really is a transformed soul beast.
The Next Day
"Xiao Yan, how much farther is your house?" Xiao Wu looked around, asking casually.
"Almost there. See that hill? Our Saint Soul Village is right at the base." Xiao Yan pointed ahead, a bit conflicted.
After a year of training, his current black robe was woven purely from vines and weighed over 1,000 catties (about 500 kg).
A full year of weighted training had dramatically improved his strength compared to before.
While he hadn't made a revolutionary breakthrough in martial arts, his internal energy cultivation had noticeably accelerated.
In normal conditions, once he unlocked the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, Xuantian Skill allowed him to train twenty-four hours a day, making his internal energy develop four times faster than the average person.
Under this weighted state, his cultivation speed increased by another factor of two.
A year for him equaled eight years of training for others.
"I wonder how far I still am from that old dog Tang Hao?"
Pushing open the door, Xiao Yan immediately noticed that the house hadn't been lived in for a while—dust covered many surfaces.
Just then, the inner curtain lifted, and a familiar figure walked out.
"It's you, Xiao Yan. You're back."
Xiao Yan paused in surprise: "Grandpa Jack? Why are you here?"
Old Jack, emerging, smiled bitterly and handed a piece of paper to Xiao Yan.
"Take a look. Tang Hao left this behind. I came this morning to ask him to help me pick you up, but who knew—you'd already returned."
He's gone? Why does this feel like the plot of Ode to Gallantry?
Even Fang Gu left the protagonist Gou-ge for a while, and that's when his real journey began.
Xiao Yan took the note and read carefully:
"Xiao San:
When you read this letter, I will already be gone.
Don't try to find me—you won't succeed.
You're still young, but you can take care of yourself. A fledgling eagle must spread its wings on its own to soar higher.
Don't worry about me. You inherited much of your mother's sensitivity.
Your father is a useless man. You're growing up, and I need to retrieve something that should have belonged to me.
One day, we'll meet again.
I hope you grow strong—but I also hope you don't.
Choose your own path.
If you ever think the life of a soul master isn't for you, come back to Saint Soul Village and be a blacksmith, like me.
—Don't miss me,
Tang Hao."
Staring at the handwriting, Xiao Yan stood frozen.
Although the script was a bit sloppy, Xiao Yan could still feel the emotions behind the words.
Had he guessed wrong again?
Was Tang Hao... really his biological father?
If this information was true, then his origin resembled Zhang Wuji from Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.
His father was a righteous disciple, but he fell for a demon sect enchantress…
In Tang Hao's case: a soul master falling for a soul beast in human form—a being the entire world sought to exterminate.
Unlike Heaven Sword, the top power in Douluo, the Spirit Hall, found them not long after Tang Hao and the Blue Silver Emperor got together.
A great battle must've followed. The transformed soul beast Blue Silver Emperor became Tang Hao's spirit ring and power, helping him escape the Spirit Hall's pursuit.
His wife died, and his sect—Clear Sky Sect—was likely dragged into conflict with Spirit Hall because of his relationship with a soul beast. In the end, the sect suffered severe consequences, almost collapsing.
After this string of tragedies, Tang Hao completely gave up on life and became a self-destructive drunkard.
(End of Chapter)