The next day arrived.
As the morning sun rose and birds went off in search of food, the people of Balak City also woke up to start their daily work.
In the courtyard of the Shi household, Shi Hao was running—slowly—huffing like an old man climbing stairs.
With a steady rhythm, he circled the courtyard repeatedly.
After a while, feeling exhausted, he stopped his workout.
"I can't overdo this... After all, I don't have soul power. If I injure my body and bones by exercising too much, that would be tragic."
"It's enough to do some push-ups and running to keep my body energetic," Shi Hao mused as he plopped onto the courtyard floor.
Before awakening, he had exercised while carrying small weights, hoping it would improve his awakening results. But now that he had already awakened, what was the point of all this?
Other soul masters needed to train to slightly increase their soul ring absorption limit.
But Shi Hao? He didn't need to.
He continued his exercise purely to feel energetic throughout the day—no weightlifting, no unnecessary suffering.
"Next, I need to execute my brilliantly undeveloped plans, little by little," Shi Hao thought to himself.
"I've already considered every possibility I can think of. If I overlooked something, it's because I must have forgotten it. And if even with my improved memory I can't recall anything, then… I must be truly useless."
Growing up, Shi Hao had noticed that his learning ability was excellent, and his memory was sharp.
Maybe it was because an adult soul resided in his body, accelerating the development of his brain to keep up with his complicated thought processes. Or maybe it was some other reason. Either way, from a young age, he found learning easier compared to his past life.
So, while he had forgotten many things due to the passage of time, he could also remember plenty of insignificant details from his previous life.
But just because his memory improved didn't mean his reasoning skills did. He fully acknowledged that he wasn't a wise man.
"Although I was the former provincial chess champion on Earth and know how to strategize, that doesn't mean I can actually apply it in real life... I'm dumb. Just a bookworm. Very stupid," Shi Hao thought, his mind wandering back to his chess achievements.
"Sigh, I wish I were like Zhuge Liang or Sima Yi, but what can I do? I tried, but my unreliable intelligence didn't allow it," he lamented.
"Hmm... Anyway, I have a lot more free time now, so I might as well try again to become a strategist like them."
"Oh, wait. My mind wandered again… where was I? Ah, yes. Now that I've thought about all the possibilities, my best first option is to choose Tang Hao as my first binding target," Shi Hao mused.
"Not that I can cause his death, but it's better to bind someone than to just sit around doing nothing..."
"Since I can't steal important opportunities for myself, knowing the plot isn't that useful. Even if I turn this world upside down, Bibi Dong won't complete her godhood trials within 20 years anyway. She only recently ascended to the Pope's throne."
"Her Rakshasa Ninth Trial requires an enormous amount of evil and death energy… so war is her best option. But without full control over the Spirit Hall, she can't launch a continental war. Since Qian Daoliu is still alive, it'll take her just as long as in the original novel to take full control."
Shi Hao carefully thought through a series of important events based on his knowledge of the plot.
With Tang San still a child, Tang Chen still trapped in the Killing City, and Bibi Dong still far from her goal, the only uncertainty was Qian Renxue.
"If Qian Renxue becomes a god earlier because of my interference, it doesn't matter to me. As long as that crazy woman Bibi Dong doesn't become a god, that's enough."
"So, I'll just play a little game with these Titled Douluos over the next 20 years. If I can manage to kill even one in that time, well… that changes everything."
"Let's play this step by step," Shi Hao decided.
Of course, he had also considered not interfering with the general trend and allowing all three gods to appear.
That wasn't a bad plan either. After all, when Tang San became a God King, he killed both the Angel and Rakshasa Gods. If Shi Hao could bind one of those two women before that, wouldn't he become a god instantly upon their deaths?
Yeah, that was an amazing plan. But there was a problem—once someone became a god, their soul power turned into divine power.
Shi Hao's Devouring Seal couldn't absorb divine energy.
And if he foolishly tried, what if divine energy detected his seal?
Shi Hao instinctively knew that no one with soul power could detect his binding. His martial soul had no soul power fluctuations. Whether it was a Titled Douluo or a Limit Douluo, they wouldn't sense anything because the binding was silent. After all, Shi Hao himself had zero soul power.
But divine power… that was a whole different level.
"Before anything else, I must go near Tang Hao… In two years, he'll leave that little novice village. Once he's gone, I won't be able to track him down with my current strength or means. So I need to find a way to get there before that happens," Shi Hao concluded.
Anyway, he had nothing better to do. No cultivation, no school, no studies…
Might as well take a sightseeing trip. His only problem was convincing his parents.
Shi Hao's eyes lit up as he got up to head inside the house. "Do it while it's hot."
---
Inside the house, Shi Chen was getting ready to leave for the Soul Fighting Arena while Hu Rong prepared breakfast.
Yesterday, because of Shi Hao's awakening, they had taken the day off. But today, work awaited.
Both of them worked at the Soul Fighting Arena—Shi Chen as a guard, while Hu Rong worked in the betting management department.
They earned a decent income, and combined with Spirit Hall's subsidies, they had saved nearly 5,000 gold coins.
Seeing his father checking his little pouch for his identification card, Shi Hao called out:
"Father, I want to visit Holy Spirit Village."
Shi Chen turned his head to look at his son. "Why so suddenly?"
"Ah, it's like this. I heard from a street vendor that there's a palm print left behind by a powerful Soul Saint in Holy Spirit Village..." Shi Hao said, his expression as innocent as possible.
"Oh..."Shi Chen thought about it, but soon replied
"Okay, I'll take you tomorrow morning. I need to inform the manager in advance to take long-term leave," Shi Chen replied helplessly.
His son usually didn't bother them, but now that he had taken an interest in something, as a father, Shi Chen felt he had to fulfill it.
Besides, considering Shi Hao's low mood after his awakening, going out might help lift his spirits. This was exactly why Shi Hao asked now—his parents wouldn't reject him for fear of making him sad.
Anyway, Holy Spirit Village wasn't far. A week's trip would be enough, considering it was near Nuoding City, which bordered both Fasinuo Province and Balak Kingdom.
"Mm~ I'll prepare… Is Mother coming with us?" Shi Hao asked, even though he already knew the answer.
"Yeah, she will. She doesn't like being alone anyway," Shi Chen replied, possessiveness clear in his tone.
"Mm~ Excellent! We'll go on a family trip. Alright, I'll go wash up and eat breakfast," Shi Hao said, skipping toward the well like a happy rabbit.