Chapter 23: Little Princess Yang Tianyue
Through continuous meditation, Yang Potian gradually realized that he did, indeed, have a second spirit. However, this second spirit seemed elusive—it couldn't fully materialize. During each meditation session, aside from his Soulbreaker Spear, he sensed peculiar shifts within his body, as though his very form could function as a spirit in itself.
Recalling the original story, Yang Potian began to understand: his second spirit was likely his own body—what later generations would refer to as a Body Spirit. In the Douluo Continent at this time, Body Spirits were exceedingly rare, with hardly any research on them within the spirit master community. Many even considered them useless spirits. After all, no method for a secondary awakening of Body Spirits existed yet, and cultivating a Body Spirit was an arduous task in itself.
To have one's entire body as a spirit was an exceptional gift among Body Spirits, comparable to any powerful spirit in existence. But a second awakening for a Body Spirit was an immense challenge. It would take the Body Sect, thousands of years later, countless trials to create the Deep Sea Pressure Awakening technique, where spirit masters were submerged in the ocean to endure crushing water pressure and lack of oxygen, facing repeated brushes with death to achieve that second awakening.
Once awakened, however, the spirit and the body experienced a transformative leap in quality, one of the reasons the Body Sect could later boast multiple 100,000-year spirit rings.
Realizing this, Yang Potian understood that to become stronger, he would need to temper his body through grueling, even life-threatening trials to reach the potential of his Body Spirit. Consequently, he threw himself into relentless, exhausting training each day, often pushing himself to the brink of collapse or fainting.
Meanwhile, his mother grew increasingly anxious. Not only did she worry about his intense training, but her approaching due date for the baby heightened her stress. During mealtimes or any chance she got, she would fuss over Yang Potian, talking to him endlessly.
Yang Potian found it a bit much. Was this some form of prenatal anxiety?
Two months later, the day of his mother's delivery finally arrived. Outside the birthing room, his grandfather and father paced back and forth, visibly nervous, while even Yang Potian couldn't help feeling a bit on edge.
Then, at last, a newborn's cry rang out, followed by cheers from within the room. "She's here! She's finally here!" came the jubilant announcement.
One of the midwives emerged, carrying the baby in her arms, and handed her over to his grandfather. "Congratulations to the clan leader and young master! It's a girl."
Both his father and grandfather eagerly reached out to hold the little girl, their faces alight with emotion. His father was so excited that he was barely able to speak coherently.
Yang Potian took a closer look at his new little sister. Her skin was fair as snow, her brows arched delicately, and her big, round eyes and small, rosy mouth made her look irresistibly cute.
Soon, all the clan elders arrived to dote on the Po Clan's new little princess. His great-uncle Yang Wushuang was especially taken with her and joked, "Brother, I have no children of my own. I'm all alone, but I adore this little granddaughter. Why not let me raise her?"
Before he could finish, his grandfather chased him off with a scowl, refusing to let anyone take his granddaughter away even as a joke.
Someone piped up, "Clan leader, this little girl is so beautiful. Have you thought of a name for her?"
Yang Wushuang and Yang Zhentian exchanged embarrassed glances. Both were over the moon about this new daughter and granddaughter, but neither had thought of a name yet. Naming her felt as daunting as going to war.
"She was just born; there's no rush," they mumbled, a bit flustered.
That evening, after the guests had departed, Yang Wudi, Yang Zhentian, and Yang Potian gathered to discuss names. Both his father and grandfather mulled it over, coming up with an array of aggressive-sounding names that sounded more fitting for a warrior than a little princess.
"Son," said Yang Wudi at last, "as the clan leader, I'm experienced with fighting and alchemy, but this naming business... perhaps you, as her father, should handle it."
Yang Zhentian looked equally uncomfortable. "Dad, you know I never liked studying, and I'm no good at naming either."
At the mention of studying, the two turned and looked at Yang Potian.
"Son, you're so young, and you already love to read. Why don't you come up with a name for your sister?"
"Good idea," agreed his grandfather. "We've both thought and thought, but nothing seems quite right. Why don't you give it a try?"
Yang Potian stared at his father and grandfather in disbelief. How did these two barely-literate guys end up as the clan leader and heir? They can't even name a child. The Po Clan's future seems dim under their leadership.
But as he thought about it, Yang Potian felt a surge of warmth. This was his first experience of having a sister to care for. After a moment of consideration, he wrote three characters on a piece of paper: Yang Tianyue.
"Tianyue, like a bright star bestowed by the heavens. That's a wonderful name, son. It's perfect for our little princess," his father praised.
"Yes, this name suits our little girl perfectly. It's decided—her name will be Yang Tianyue."
And so, the Po Clan's little princess, Yang Tianyue, was officially named, and Yang Potian now had a baby sister.
In the following days, both his father and mother could hardly bear to put Tianyue down. His father, in particular, seemed completely smitten, practically neglecting his duties just to spend time with her. His devotion was so apparent that Yang Potian couldn't help but think, They say daughters are a father's former-life lover. My dad's taking this to a whole new level.
Meanwhile, his mother remained concerned about his training. She'd check in with him often, giving pointers on technique. Seeing him exhausted after his daily weighted runs, she would often fuss over him, filled with concern.
Another month passed, and Yang Potian's relentless training paid off. On this night, he felt the flow of spirit power within him surge, filling his body with a wonderful sense of freedom and lightness.
"I've broken through! I've finally reached level 10!" he exclaimed.
After three months of hard work, Yang Potian had achieved level 10. However, he now sensed an invisible barrier—his spirit power couldn't advance further without a spirit ring.
At the same time, he could feel the presence of his second spirit, his entire body—the ultimate Body Spirit. Yet, he told no one, not even his parents or grandfather. Just as his father had concealed his true spirit power level, keeping this second spirit hidden seemed wise. Besides, a Body Spirit had the advantage of being undetectable unless actively used, at least in this era.
Now the next step was to obtain his first spirit ring, a key decision that would shape his future cultivation path.
(End of Chapter)
Friends, if you want to read chapters in advance, subscribe to my patreon.