If anyone was the most mysterious person in Tang San's mind, it was undoubtedly Jiang Chen.
Though more than a year had passed, Tang San still couldn't shake the lingering fear of Jiang Chen's cold aura — that sharp, penetrating chill was etched deeply in his memory. If even a trace of that cold poison hadn't seeped into his body back then, he might have been seriously harmed.
As a disciple of the Tang Sect in his previous life, Tang San was very familiar with poisons, but he couldn't identify what kind of poison Jiang Chen's breath carried. It was overwhelming—just a tiny bit almost drained his Xuantian Kungfu's internal energy.
He suspected it might be corpse poison, but quickly dismissed the idea. Corpse poison was a legendary affliction in his past life, and he had never encountered it personally. Also, corpse poison was supposedly found only in zombies — but Jiang Chen, from Tang San's observation, was nothing like those undead creatures.
Jiang Chen's mystery made Tang San regard him as an equal—or even more dangerous—than himself.
He was extremely curious about what kind of martial spirit Jiang Chen would awaken. Would it be a waste martial soul like his own?
Without waiting for Su Yuntao's orders, Jiang Chen had already stepped into the awakening circle.
Seeing Jiang Chen's serious attitude, even the somewhat impatient Su Yuntao became serious. It was his duty to awaken every child.
"Close your eyes and focus carefully."
Jiang Chen obediently closed his eyes and began to sense inwardly.
Su Yuntao activated the magic circle, and immediately, a flood of golden light spots poured out, dense and almost filling the entire room.
"This…" Su Yuntao was startled, his eyes suddenly gleaming with a faint green light.
He had never seen anyone awaken so many golden light spots before — this was extremely unusual.
The golden lights multiplied quickly, far faster than Jiang Chen could absorb them. In the blink of an eye, the entire wooden house was bathed in dazzling golden light.
Everyone else didn't close their eyes; they endured the discomfort and stared at Jiang Chen within the magic circle.
Old Jack and Su Yuntao's eyes were especially bright, excitement barely concealed on their faces. This might be the birth of an unprecedentedly powerful martial spirit.
"Don't stop! Feel it with your heart!" Su Yuntao shouted.
More and more light spots emerged, and the time passed far beyond that of any other child's awakening. Yet, no martial soul appeared on Jiang Chen's body.
Su Yuntao's expression grew anxious and restless.
He had never heard of such a phenomenon. Among all the disciples in the Wuhun Temple in Notting City, none had encountered this.
Furthermore, no records of this strange case existed in the entire Wuhundian archives.
"Could it be that a brand-new, powerful martial spirit is about to manifest?" Su Yuntao's face flushed with excitement, barely able to contain himself.
If he could awaken such a spirit and bring Jiang Chen into the Spirit Hall, his promotion—and a raise to win Bai Fumei's favor—would be all but guaranteed.
But as time dragged on, Jiang Chen's martial soul still hadn't appeared, increasing Su Yuntao's anxiety.
Click… click…
Su Yuntao's face changed drastically when he noticed cracks forming on the six black stones. Suddenly, a surge of golden light poured out from the stones and entered Jiang Chen's body.
At that moment, Jiang Chen finally changed.
Behind him, a boundless black mist began to emerge. Thick as ink, the mist carried a sinister and cold aura that sent shivers down everyone's spines.
Su Yuntao's heart pounded wildly. A deadly crisis engulfed him. What kind of martial soul was this? Just awakening, and yet it made a level 26 great soul master like himself feel threatened.
"Get out!" he shouted violently.
The children and Old Jack, terrified by the aura radiating from Jiang Chen, trembled uncontrollably. They didn't dare linger and fled immediately as if running for their lives.
Tang San, however, remained rooted in place, staring solemnly at Jiang Chen's back.
That aura was so cold, as if it came straight from the Nine Serenity Hell. It carried a powerful, overbearing poison that gave Tang San, a Tang Sect disciple, a splitting headache.
At that moment, he finally understood — Jiang Chen's poison came from his martial soul.
Tang San didn't want to leave. He wanted to see what Jiang Chen's martial soul looked like. Perhaps through it, he could uncover the secret of that terrifying poison.
"Little San, come out quickly!" Old Jack shouted anxiously outside the door.
But the black mist behind Jiang Chen shifted again.
The billowing black mist churned and slowly formed into a humanoid figure.
Everyone could barely make out the figure's strange, ancient clothing through the thick black fog. Its face was obscured, shrouded in the swirling mist.
Suddenly, the mist around the figure's face thinned. Two blood-red lights shot out from its eyes, and two terrifying fangs loomed.
As the mist swirled, Tang San finally saw clearly — the mysterious figure was a zombie with a blue face and sharp fangs!
The blue-faced, fang-toothed zombie raised its head and let out a silent scream. A crushing pressure swept through the room, causing everyone's hearts to race in panic.
Tang San only then fled quickly.
Only Su Yuntao stood frozen, stunned by the overwhelming power of the martial soul. As a great soul master, he felt immense pressure and a heavy weight on his heart.
At that exact moment, far away in his home, Tang Hao suddenly raised his head. His cloudy eyes flashed with a terrifying light as he stared toward the village center.
"So strong resentment, such an evil breath… What exactly is this?"
His voice echoed through the room, but when Tang San turned, Tang Hao had already disappeared.
In an instant, he appeared outside the Wuhun Hall, standing behind the others with his eyes locked tightly on Jiang Chen inside.