After Su Yuntao left, Village Chief Old Jack finally exhaled, visibly relieved. He turned, looked at Xiao Tianyang, and opened his mouth as if to scold—but in the end, he only sighed.
"Tianyang, be more careful with your words in the future. Don't be so reckless, understand?"
"Understood, Grandpa Village Chief."
Xiao Tianyang smiled and nodded obediently.
With the awakening ceremony complete, the villagers dispersed. When they came, they needed Old Jack to guide them—but when they left, Tang San and Xiao Tianyang simply walked home side by side.
"By the way, Brother Tianyang," Tang San asked curiously, "what did you say to Master Su just now?"
"Oh, nothing serious," Xiao Tianyang replied absentmindedly. "Just asked him to fight me in three months."
"…Huh?"
Tang San stumbled a step. "You challenged a level 26 Soul Master?"
He blinked. "Brother Tianyang, are you sure you understand what a level 26 Soul Master means? Especially someone with a beast-type martial spirit that enhances their physical power?"
Xiao Tianyang tilted his head. "Yeah, so?"
Tang San was speechless. "Aren't you afraid of getting… well, crushed?"
"It's fine," Xiao Tianyang said nonchalantly. "Worst case, I get beat up. Not like I'll die from it."
Then he grinned. "Besides, isn't it more fun when it's challenging?"
Tang San looked at him again—this time with a strange expression.
Why does he sound so heroic all of a sudden?
Inwardly, he made a mental note:
I better start preparing ointment. He's going to need it…
If Xiao Tianyang knew what Tang San was thinking right now, he'd probably beat him on the spot.
Sure, he might lose today—but three months from now? That's a different story.
The two eventually went their separate ways.
Tang San had to return to his father, Tang Hao—no doubt to report the awakening of his twin spirits. Xiao Tianyang decided not to follow. Besides, he had his own plans.
Back in the quiet of his home, Xiao Tianyang immediately sat cross-legged on the bed and summoned his system interface.
[Host]: Xiao Tianyang
[Physique]: Pseudo–Pure Body
→ [Slaying without karmic consequence; harmony with all things]
[Soul Level]: Level 8 Soul Warrior
[Soul Skills]: None
[Soul Bones]: None
[Martial Spirits]:
• Scythe of Judgment
→ Symbol of life and death, destination of souls
• Red Lotus Karmic Fire
→ Burns karma, cleanses sins
• Flame of Life
→ Spiritual fire of creation, essence of vitality
[Draw Points]: 15
So this is me now, Xiao Tianyang thought.
The most drastic change? His martial spirits.
He raised his left hand. A sickle, elegant and haunting, hovered above his palm—white steel with golden trim and black veins etched across the blade. The Scythe of Judgment.
When he first saw it, he hadn't thought much. But now, he noticed something strange.
This is a weapon of death. It should feel cold, sinister. But… it doesn't.
Instead, the scythe felt warm, almost sacred. A strange contradiction.
Forget it. Better to leave it untouched for now.
No soul ring until I understand it fully.
He dismissed the scythe and raised his right hand.
A crimson flame danced into view—Red Lotus Karmic Fire—before shifting into a gentle emerald blaze: Flame of Life.
Xiao Tianyang smiled.
"Other people with twin spirits can only use one at a time. But me? I can use both simultaneously. Even Xiao San can't compare to that."
He had already realized this in the Wuhun Palace but chose to hide it.
As for why the flames seemed weak during the ceremony—it was simple. He hadn't channeled soul power into them. Without that energy, even divine flames looked ordinary.
Satisfied, Xiao Tianyang clasped his hands together.
"Alright. System, time to spin the draw!"
A massive roulette wheel appeared in his mind. Dozens—no, hundreds—of rewards flashed across it: weapons, beasts, artifacts, some too strange to describe.
He stared for a while, eyes aching.
"Whatever. Let's just spin already."
The wheel spun rapidly—and stopped on a glowing icon shaped like an egg.
Ding!
Congratulations! You've received the [Sky-Tearing Evil Dog] Pet Egg!
A second later, an egg the size of a washbasin plopped into his arms.
"Oof—hey, that's heavy!"
Xiao Tianyang barely caught it and scowled.
Couldn't the system give me a heads-up? What if it dropped on my face next time? Or shattered the bed?
He gently placed the egg on the mattress, laid out a quilt on the floor, and carefully moved the egg onto it like a doting father.
System rewards are getting better, he thought. But I'll need to move again soon. Can't level up stuck in one place forever.
Yawning, he stretched out on the bed and soon drifted into a deep sleep.
But what he didn't notice—
Was that his hair had started to lose color, strands turning faintly silver under the moonlight…
He didn't know how long he'd been asleep.
In his dream, he was pinned under a massive soul beast. Something wet and warm dripped on his face.
Gross! What is this?!
With a groan, Xiao Tianyang snapped awake—only to find himself face-to-face with a large, wagging tongue.
Instinct took over. Bam! He threw a left hook, sending the creature tumbling with a yelp.
"Ow!!"
A loud bark rang out.
Xiao Tianyang sat up, confused and alarmed. He looked around—and froze.
The egg he had placed so carefully in the corner?
Gone. Smashed.
And in its place—
A massive dog-like creature, nearly one and a half meters tall, lay sprawled across the floor, rubbing its face.
Its fur was sleek and glossy—white at the base, with black patches on its back and head. Its eyes were pure, sky-blue, wide and full of innocence.
It looked almost like a wolf… but Xiao Tianyang knew better.
He narrowed his eyes, heart sinking.
"…Is this… a husky?"
Yes.
It was.
The Sky-Tearing Evil Dog… was an Erha.
Xiao Tianyang slumped.
"What kind of evil dog is this? I want a refund."