Zhou Qing brought Tang San back home. Once they reached the second floor, he immediately urged Tang San to draw out the soul-guiding inscriptions he had observed within the Awakening Stones.
"I got it, stop rushing me. I need to concentrate."
Tang San picked up a charcoal pencil and began sketching the twisted patterns on the paper. He even replicated the different inscriptions he had seen from various angles of the Awakening Stones.
In just half an hour, Tang San had copied down all the soul-guiding inscriptions from inside the Awakening Stones.
"Is this everything?"
When Tang San finally put down the pencil, he had already filled six A4-sized sheets of paper. Zhou Qing eagerly picked them up and flipped through each one while asking.
"Yeah, that's everything from those six Awakening Stones." Tang San wiped the sweat off his forehead. For a child his age, reproducing those patterns had been mentally exhausting.
"Inject soul power, the Awakening Stones light up, then golden light dots emerge and enter the body to awaken a martial soul."
After looking over the diagrams, Zhou Qing began describing the martial soul awakening process. "It's obvious that the Awakening Stones themselves aren't the key what truly matters are those golden light dots produced under the influence of soul power. Those are the true key to unlocking a person's martial soul."
"And the source of those golden light dots is the soul-guiding inscriptions within the Awakening Stones."
"Also, judging from the six stones you drew, the internal inscriptions are almost identical. That is, when the stones activate, the inscriptions inside match exactly. It's just the outer inscriptions that differ. Why do you think that is?"
Tang San thought for a moment and tentatively guessed, "Maybe to maximize the functionality of all six stones together?"
"Exactly!"
Zhou Qing pulled out a box of building blocks from a nearby shelf and began assembling them into a simple house. "Just like these blocks—each one has the same purpose, but when combined, they form a structure."
"The Awakening Stones are just like building blocks. Based on what we've seen, six stones together amplify the effect."
Tang San blinked, then asked, "You mean...?"
"I believe that a single Awakening Stone could also help someone awaken their martial soul, but it would consume far more soul power. With six stones, the variations in their inscriptions can connect under the influence of soul power, reducing energy consumption and increasing efficiency when helping someone awaken."
Zhou Qing's eyes lit up. "In other words, the set of soul-guiding inscriptions on the Awakening Stones essentially form a complete soul-guiding core formation."
"A soul-guiding core formation?"
Tang San was familiar with formations, but the term "core formation" was new to him. He didn't recall seeing it in any of the books on soul devices.
"This is the very heart of soul devices."
Zhou Qing patiently explained, "The soul-guiding inscriptions on that soul-guided fan we saw earlier were just standalone marks. But a core formation connects different kinds of inscriptions to form a cohesive system. Once that's done, you just need to design the external structure and switches, and you can activate multiple abilities at once."
"You won't find this kind of knowledge in books. I only know because one of the village uncles told me about it."
At this point, Tang San grew more vigilant about the world of cultivation. His eyes grew serious.
Establish my own forge!
Research soul devices!
Surpass the Tang Sect's hidden weapons!
These goals could no longer wait. If he delayed until he turned six and officially entered the soul master world, what if he got crushed by others? He had to prepare ahead of time!
Zhou Qing fully supported Tang San's idea of building a forge near his home. After all, their family had some spare money. And once Tang San started crafting more advanced soul-guided hidden weapons, Zhou Qing would surely benefit as well—especially if he didn't awaken with innate soul power. This early investment would give him a means to protect himself.
Even if Tang San eventually strayed off course, Zhou Qing believed he treated his own people well. With Tang San's help, Zhou Qing could enjoy a peaceful old age and maybe even pass on his ideas to future generations, gradually changing the entire Douluo Continent.
The spirit of the Foolish Old Man Generations upon generations, without end!
"San'er, your plan is great, but we need to think carefully about how to actually pull it off we're only four years old," Zhou Qing reminded.
"Yeah, this could get tricky," Tang San said, frowning.
But Zhou Qing had an idea. "To build a forge, we'll need to talk to Grandpa Jack. But we can't say it's our own idea."
"Then what excuse do we use?" For the first time, Tang San realized how inconvenient it was to be a child.
"For your dad."
Zhou Qing gave a straightforward answer.
"My dad? What does this have to do with him?" Tang San was puzzled.
"You were born with divine strength—you can handle a forging hammer, maybe even swing it a few times. Wait, how many times can you swing it?" Zhou Qing wasn't sure how far Tang San's Xuantian Skill had progressed. He might not be at level ten yet, but he was definitely stronger than the version in the original story. Unlike the scrawny Tang San described in the novel, this one looked like a healthy kid over a meter tall.
Zhou Qing himself was about 1.2 meters tall.
"A hundred times, no problem," Tang San replied casually.
Although he hadn't learned the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique yet, his ability to forge the Buddha Fury Tang Lotus in his past life showed that his skills were no less than Lou Gao's.
"Then it's settled."
Zhou Qing let out a sigh of relief. "Just show Grandpa Jack your strength. He'll probably call on the able-bodied villagers to help build the forge. Then you tell him you're fixing farming tools and kitchenware to inspire your dad."
"Once there's no more money coming in, your dad will have to get back on his feet. People need to eat. Eating needs money. And money comes from working. While working, he might bond with the blacksmiths in Notting City and start improving again. Even if he doesn't improve much, just getting him to open up more would be great."
Tang San suddenly understood and was even a bit excited.
Sure, this might make his father treat him even colder. But with the way things were going, how much worse could it get?
Self-reliance what's wrong with that?
Now that he'd learned about martial souls, soul rings, soul beasts, and soul devices, Tang San's interest in this world had deepened significantly.
Family love...
He longed for it—but not as much as he longed for his inner Tang Sect.
Especially now, with Zhou Qing as his companion (who he actually saw more as a younger brother), Tang Hao's importance in his heart had plummeted.
And the more time he spent with Zhou Qing, the more Tang San agreed with his ideas. For example: "It's a child's duty to support their elders—but elders shouldn't burden the next generation."
Take his father, Tang Hao. If he started working more while he was still young and built up some savings, then Tang San wouldn't have to worry about him in the future. He could dedicate himself to his passions. When he achieved success, he could bring Tang Hao to enjoy retirement in peace.
Absolutely perfect!
So, Dad, don't blame me just work hard!
If I'm going to support you, at least wait until I'm twenty!
And so, even though Zhou Qing's words were full of scheming, Tang San didn't feel anything was wrong. In fact, he planned to carry out this scheme right alongside Zhou Qing!