Sorry only 2 chapters today, because I lost track of time reading this masterpiece
https://www.webnovel.com/book/is-it-reasonable-for-me-to-start-a-sect-at-12_30533031700550305
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"Uncle, are there any orders?"
After devouring his meal like a whirlwind, Tang San wiped his mouth and asked.
"Just one. You can use it for practice." Tie Niu glanced at the messy table, shook his head helplessly, and sighed. Originally, there was a portion for him as well, but it didn't matter—this child was obviously starving.
Besides, he had already decided to treat Tang San as his own son and train him...
"Only one? Business is that bad?" Tang San frowned. How could he sustain himself on just this?
Before long, he planned to enroll in Shrek Academy.
"This is already considered good. We can barely make one or two gold soul coins a month—just enough to scrape by," Tie Niu said with a sigh.
"Don't worry, I have a way!" Tang San said confidently. "Uncle, have you heard of the Zhuge Godly Crossbow from ten thousand years ago? It was said to be developed by my ancestor, Tang San. It could inflict great damage without requiring soul power."
As he had observed earlier in the streets, no one seemed to carry such a weapon—not even the city guards. It seemed that over the past ten thousand years, the technique for making them had been lost. If he could showcase even a weakened version of the Zhuge Crossbow, he would make a name for himself once more!
Just like in the past, when the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect sought cooperation with him, he could use it to accumulate his initial capital, join Shrek Academy, and climb to the pinnacle of life!
Tie Niu shot Tang San a strange look and gestured towards the stool he was sitting on.
Tang San was puzzled. He followed Tie Niu's gaze downward and saw that the stool he was sitting on was covered with a tattered blueprint. Though aged and somewhat faded, he could still vaguely recognize the diagram—it was none other than the Zhuge Godly Crossbow.
Tang San: "…"
He immediately stood up and studied the blueprint carefully.
The more he looked, the more shocked he became.
Not only was this blueprint far superior to his weakened version, but it was even on par with the peak version he had once developed!
Over six thousand years of development, human intelligence had continuously improved upon it. The Zhuge Crossbow used in the war against the Sun-Moon Empire back then had been the strongest version to date.
Yet, even that had been utterly crushed by soul tools.
"Stop daydreaming about those useless things," Tie Niu sighed.
Tang San took a long time to process this revelation.
Though a bit disappointed that his plan to get rich quick had failed, he was Tang San, the God King—his tricks were endless!
"Alright, since you've eaten, go get to work," Tie Niu waved him off.
He wasn't a charity worker. Taking in this child, of course, had its purposes—such as having someone to take care of him and his wife in their old age.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Tang San's body had grown noticeably stronger.
By contrast, Tie Niu had grown thinner—after all, seventy percent of the household's food went into Tang San's stomach. At eleven years old, Tang San was in his prime growth stage. Though Tie Niu's wife often complained, he would always pacify her by saying, "He's still growing. In a few years, it'll be easier."
In reality, it wasn't just about feeding another mouth. Tang San frequently bought refined iron, and when asked what it was for, he'd vaguely brush it off, claiming it was for practice. Of course, all of these expenses were covered by the blacksmith shop.
Tie Niu turned a blind eye, even dipping into his family's savings—after all, investing in this boy was meant to ensure a stable old age.
One morning.
In a deserted, abandoned temple in a corner of Heaven Dou City.
Tang San slowly exhaled a white mist.
When he opened his eyes, a trace of purple light flickered in his pupils.
This was none other than Purple Demon Eye, one of the techniques from the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record.
A hint of delight surfaced on Tang San's face as he felt his internal Mysterious Heaven Skill circulating, refining and tempering his meridians. He muttered,
"Unbelievable… in just one month, I've already broken through to the second level of the Mysterious Heaven Skill! In my first life, it took me five whole years just to reach this stage. This is an incredible speed!"
"But… maybe it's because of that remaining bit of divine power…" Tang San sighed. "Even though I've stripped almost all of my divine power to avoid being detected by Evil and Kindness, it's still divine power. For an ordinary mortal body, it's a massive boost."
"It's time to leave for Shrek Academy. Over the past month, using the blacksmith shop, I've crafted a weaker version of the Sleeve Sword, Flying God Claw, and a few small hidden weapons. Unfortunately, that Tie Niu is too poor and could only afford regular refined iron. Otherwise, I could've tried making some of the higher-ranked Tang Sect hidden weapons."
Tang San shook his head. "But this is enough. With the second layer of Mysterious Heaven Skill, my innate soul power should be at level ten. I should find a place to awaken my martial soul…"
Back at the Blacksmith Shop.
"Tie Niu Uncle, is there a place around here where I can awaken my martial soul?" Tang San asked casually.
"Awaken your martial soul? Xiao San, we commoners shouldn't dream about such things. Just focus on blacksmithing—it's more reliable," Tie Niu said earnestly.
Tang San frowned. "Wasn't there an organization called Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago? They used to provide free martial soul awakenings. What happened to them?"
"You said it yourself—that was ten thousand years ago," Tie Niu sighed. "Ever since that bastard Tang San destroyed Spirit Hall, the entire continent has been ruled by noble families and the imperial aristocracy. The noble lords already allow us to live—do you think they'd let us awaken martial souls for free?"
"Do you know how much it costs to awaken a martial soul these days? One hundred gold soul coins! That's ten years' worth of savings if we don't eat or drink!"
As he spoke, Tie Niu spat into the furnace with a look of utter disgust. His face was full of resentment.
"That damn bastard Tang San," he cursed. "I swear, that motherf—— was just a thankless, treacherous mutt. Spirit Hall even helped him awaken his martial soul, and what did he do? He bit the hand that fed him! Ungrateful trash!"
Tang San's face grew colder as he listened.
This man… was asking to die!
He had just been thinking about repaying them if he ever became powerful. But now? No need!
Of course, this was just his self-justification. If Tang San were truly a grateful person, then why, in his first life, did he never visit Old Jack, the man who helped him awaken his martial soul and secured him a scholarship?
As for Haotian Village, apart from changing its name, what else had he ever done for it?
Now that the idea of exploiting Spirit Hall for free awakening and starting capital had failed, he had to find another way.
How about… Tang Sect?
Tang San's eyes lit up.
Even if it had declined, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse.
Surely they could still afford to awaken his martial soul?
"Tie Niu… Uncle, I heard that Tang Sect is also in Heaven Dou City. How come I haven't seen it even once this past month?"
Tang San asked indifferently.
"Oh, oh. Just turn left outside and keep going straight to the end," Tie Niu replied offhandedly.
Half a minute later.
Tang San stood in front of a building covered in seal papers, its nameplate shattered.
Barely visible on the tattered remains of the sign, two characters could still be made out—
[Tang Sect]
???
(End of Chapter)