---
When Huang Tian removed his hand from the crystal sphere, the dazzling light it emanated finally subsided, leaving a hum of energy in the air and a square plunged into shocked silence.
Su Yuntao gasped, his face red with excitement, his gaze fixed on Huang Tian as if he had found a mountain of gold. The boredom and arrogance had been incinerated, replaced by a fervent ambition.
"Incredible! Simply unbelievable!" Su Yuntao grabbed Huang Tian's shoulders, his voice a conspiratorial and urgent whisper.
"Boy, Huang Tian! With talent like yours, you shouldn't waste it in just any primary academy! Come with me! I will personally recommend you to the main Spirit Hall in Nuoding City! No, better yet, I will send a report to the provincial capital! You will receive the best resources, the best teachers! You will become a noble, and even have the chance to become a Spirit Douluo!"
The offer was tempting, a golden path laid out before him. For any other child, it would be a dream come true. Huang Tian, however, felt a chill.
Joining the Spirit Hall now meant becoming a pawn in their grand game, being molded by their doctrine, and eventually being forced to fight against Tang San. No way.
He needed a refusal that an adult Spirit Master couldn't dispute coming from a six-year-old child. He blinked his large amber eyes, forced a pout, and pointed at Su Yuntao's robe.
"I don't want to," he said in a whiny voice. "Your uniform is ugly. And bland. I don't like it."
Su Yuntao's jaw dropped. The flow of his excitement was cut off so abruptly that he stumbled backward, blinking. "...What?"
"It's all black and white. It looks boring," Huang Tian continued, crossing his arms with an air of childish petulance. "The clothes my mom makes are much prettier. I won't wear ugly clothes."
The entire square fell into dead silence.
A child had just refused the greatest opportunity of his life because of... fashion. It was so absurd, so childish, that no one knew how to react. Su Yuntao's face went from the red of excitement to the purple of bewilderment.
"Boy, this isn't... you don't understand..." he stammered, completely flustered. He turned to the village chief, desperate. "Old Jack! Help me! Talk to him! He can't throw away a future like this!"
Old Jack, equally shocked and not understanding Huang Tian's change in personality, opened his mouth to speak, but a calm, gentle voice interrupted him.
"Master, please forgive my son. He is still just a child."
Huang Shui approached, moving with a grace that seemed out of place on the dusty village ground. She placed a protective hand on Huang Tian's shoulder, and her gaze, though respectful, was unwavering as she met Su Yuntao's eyes.
"Huang Tian will attend a Spirit Master academy, of course. He needs to learn the basics and how to use his power," she continued, her voice melodious but firm. "However, the decision to join such an important organization as the Spirit Hall is something he must make for himself, when he is older and understands the weight of such a choice. I, as his mother, will not force him into a decision he is too young to understand, and others cannot do so either."
The logic was impeccable.
Pushing a six-year-old into a lifelong commitment against the will of his guardian would be, at the very least, misconduct. Su Yuntao looked from Huang Shui to Huang Tian, who was now hiding behind his mother's leg, looking at him with feigned suspicion. He sighed, frustration visible on his face. It was an excuse, he knew, but an airtight one.
"Very well," he conceded, through clenched teeth. Internally, however, a new decision formed.
'It doesn't matter. The talent was discovered by me. Two children with innate full spiritual power in the same remote village. When I report this, my superiors will be impressed. My performance review this year... hehe. This will certainly guarantee my promotion.'
Old Jack, seeing the situation resolved, smiled broadly. "Congratulations, little San! Congratulations, little Tian! You are the pride of our Holy Spirit Village!" He turned to Su Yuntao, took the two sets of proof papers, and handed Tang San's directly to the boy. Then, he paused, looked at Huang Tian, and then at Huang Shui.
He had always felt that this young mother and her exotic-looking son were not ordinary. The way she carried herself, the intelligence in her eyes, the boy's abnormal strength...
What happened today only solidified that belief. With a respectful nod, he handed Huang Tian's certificate directly into Huang Shui's hands. "Miss Huang, I believe this belongs to you."
Huang Tian was surprised by the gesture, but seeing the determined look on the old chief's face and his mother's calm acceptance, the suspicions in his heart deepened. He said nothing. He remained silent as his mother thanked everyone and, holding his hand firmly, guided him away from the crowd and back home.
______
The walk home was silent. Huang Tian could feel the tension in his mother's hand, the urgency in her steps. When the wooden door of their small, neat house closed behind them, the sound seemed to echo, isolating them from the rest of the world.
Huang Shui didn't start preparing dinner as usual. Instead, she sat at the small dining table and gestured to the chair opposite her. Her face was serious, the usual gentleness replaced by a gravity Huang Tian rarely saw.
"Tian'er," she began, her voice low. "Look at me."
He obeyed, meeting her dark eyes.
"Do you want to be a Spirit Master? Truly? Do you want to follow this path, with all its dangers and difficulties?"
The question caught him by surprise. "Of course I do! I want to be strong! To... to protect you!" he said, the last part coming out with fierce sincerity.
A glimmer of warmth returned to Huang Shui's eyes, but the seriousness remained. She nodded slowly. "Good. I won't stop you. You have a talent that cannot be ignored. You can choose an academy to attend. Nuoding, or any other primary academy you wish."
She paused, and her next sentence was uttered with a steely weight. "But. You cannot, under any circumstances, choose any academy or institution that is directly affiliated with or controlled by the Spirit Hall. And you don't need to ask why. This is an order, Tian'er. Do you understand me?"
The intensity in her voice was chilling. It was an absolute, non-negotiable command. Curiosity burned within him. Who was she? What was her history with the Spirit Hall? But he saw the thinly veiled pain and fear in her eyes and knew that pressing her would be cruel. Besides, his plans were already aligned with hers.
"I understand, Mom. I wasn't going to choose them anyway," he replied firmly.
The tension in Huang Shui's body dissipated like smoke. A trembling sigh escaped her lips, and the gentle smile he loved so much finally returned to her face. She stood up, walked around the table, and wrapped him in a tight hug, burying her face in his gray hair.
"Thank you," she whispered.
After a moment, she released him and patted his head. "Now go. You smell of sweat from your training. Go take a bath while I prepare dinner. We have much to celebrate."
Huang Tian nodded, a genuine smile on his face. He went to the small bathroom in the back, his heart lighter. As he washed, he thought about his Martial Soul.
He didn't try to summon the Black Dragon. His mother's warning about the Spirit Hall echoed in his mind, and he instinctively felt that there was more to these events than met the eye.
Instead, he closed his eyes and visualized the armor. The golden lines, the imposing blade, the violet diamond. It was more than enough for now.
'Nuoding City...' he decided. 'It's close, it's discreet. And the Grandmaster is there. His theories might be useful. Besides, little San will go too. Keeping the protagonist close is always a good strategy.'
---____
The following days were a whirlwind. News spread like wildfire. Huang Tian, the handsome and strong boy, was now a genius with innate full spiritual power. To his and Huang Shui's amusement, their house became a pilgrimage destination.
"Madam Huang Shui, my granddaughter Lihua is a good girl, very hardworking!"
"My daughter Mei is Tian's age, they would be a perfect couple!"
"My son said your niece is the prettiest in the neighboring village!"
The procession of parents and grandparents trying to arrange marriages was relentless.
They saw in Huang Tian a winning lottery ticket, a chance to tie themselves to a noble future and escape poverty. The climax was when one of the village elders shamelessly tried to push his two beautiful twin granddaughters onto Huang Tian, suggesting that a future Lord might need more than one wife.
Huang Shui refused everyone with a grace and politeness that left no room for argument.
After the third day, Huang Tian barely stayed home. He spent the entire day in the forest, channeling his frustration and new energy into even more brutal training. And it paid off.
For the next three months, his spiritual power showed no advancement, as expected. But on the other hand, his body became incredibly stronger. The time he could maintain the armor also smoothly increased to over an hour.
His skills, attack, agility, and defense were on another level. He was like a small spirit beast in human form. Perhaps, the moment he obtained his first spirit ring, his spiritual power would advance like a river breaking through barriers.
Finally, the day of departure arrived. That morning, Huang Shui called him. She took a simple silver bracelet from her own wrist. It had no jewels or engravings, looking almost plain.
"Hold out your hand," she said softly.
He obeyed, and she fastened the bracelet on his wrist. It was cold to the touch.
"This is a spirit storage tool," she explained, anticipating his question. "It has ten internal spaces, each approximately two cubic meters. Use your spiritual power to put things in or take them out. It's not for living things or objects that are too large, but it should be enough for your needs."
Huang Tian looked at the bracelet, then at his mother. A storage tool. An item worth a fortune, casually used as an accessory by a seamstress in a remote village. The questions threatened to overflow, but he swallowed them. He just nodded, his heart full of an emotion he couldn't name. "Thank you, Mom."
Soon after, knocks sounded at the door. It was Old Jack, accompanied by Tang San, who carried a small cloth bundle on his back. It was time.
Huang Tian turned to his mother. Without thinking, he hugged her tightly. "Wait for me," he said, his voice muffled against her shoulder. "In a year, during the academy holidays, I'll be back. And when I return, I'll take you to see the city. I promise."
Huang Shui hugged him back, her eyes teary. "I'll wait," she whispered. "Take care of yourself. And take care of your friend."
With a final wave, Huang Tian joined Tang San and Old Jack, and the three began their journey down the dirt road leading out of Holy Spirit Village.
Huang Shui stood at the door, watching until they were just small specks on the horizon. When they disappeared completely, she calmed herself for a few minutes and then stepped outside...
In the next instant, she was no longer there.
The breeze rustled the leaves at the top of the tallest tree at the village entrance. There, on a thick branch, Huang Shui stood, her simple dress waving in the wind, her gaze fixed on the road where her son slowly disappeared.
Beside her, leaning against the tree trunk, was a tall, disheveled figure, exuding an aura of depression and terrifying power. Messy hair, unshaven beard, worn clothes, and smelling of drink.
Tang Hao.
He did not seem surprised to see her.
"So," Huang Shui's voice was cold, devoid of any warmth. "You finally decided to come out of your alcoholic stupor and stop preventing the boy from following the path that is rightfully his too?"
Tang Hao remained silent, his gaze lost in the same direction his son had taken.
His silence seemed to break something within her. The mocking smile that played on her lips vanished, replaced by a mask of icy fury.
"Listen well, you useless man," she hissed, taking a step toward him, her dark eyes glinting dangerously. "If you don't take care of Tang San, if you let the Spirit Hall or anyone else hurt him because of your cowardice and self-pity, I swear on my soul, I will come after you. And I don't care if you are a Titled Douluo."
She paused, her voice heavy with ancient pain. "He is also Ah Yin's son. If you continue to dishonor her memory by acting like a coward, I will not hesitate to use all the remaining strength of the Battle Clan to hunt you to the ends of the continent."
The name "Battle Clan" hung in the air, laden with a weight and a history the world had almost forgotten.
For the first time, something shifted in Tang Hao's eyes.