After asking around and walking for a while, the family of three finally arrived outside the village chief's house.
After knocking on the door, Shi Hao finally laid eyes on one of the legendary figures of Douluo Dalu's Novice Village—its esteemed village chief, Old Jack.
Old Jack was an elderly man with white hair and wrinkles. There was nothing particularly noteworthy about him. But Shi Hao knew that this ordinary old man was one of the best when it came to kindness.
He was incredibly caring toward his villagers. If not for him, Tang San's life would have been even more miserable than it already was—which was saying something.
Before Shi Chen could even open his mouth, Old Jack humbly bowed.
"Respected Soul Master, what can this old man do for you?"
"Nothing much. My son wants to see the palm print left behind by the Soul Saint. Come, show us around."
"And also, arrange a comfortable place for us to stay. We'll be here for a day or two," Su Chen added domineeringly before retracting the soul power he had been radiating.
In the absence of the strong, the weak prey upon those weaker still… Such was one of this world's cruel truths.
Shi Hao couldn't help but admire his father's overbearing attitude.
"Father looks quite handsome when he acts like this… Pity he can only showcase this attitude in front of old men and weaklings," Shi Hao mused silently.
Anyway, after living in Douluo Continent for six years, he had long since abandoned the whole "respect the elderly, love the young" concept.
On Earth, elderly people rarely bowed to anyone. They were automatically granted respect wherever they went, even if they were uneducated. But here? Nope. No such thing.
"Esteemed Soul Master, please follow me. I'll take you there and arrange your accommodations shortly after," Old Jack said respectfully, leading the way.
The three of them followed as Old Jack promptly walked toward the so-called historical landmark of the village.
Soon, they arrived at the legendary palm print left behind by a Soul Saint-level expert.
It was… just a broken pillar with a small dent in it.
Old Jack proudly explained how a mighty Soul Saint had left this mark a hundred years ago, his expression that of an overexcited child.
Shi Hao listened patiently while touching the pillar with curiosity.
"Hmm… Nothing special."
And there really wasn't. There was no hidden sword intent, no mystical aura that would shred people to pieces if they got too close—nothing like in martial arts novels. Just a palm-shaped dent.
"Anyway, my real goal isn't this…" Shi Hao giggled outwardly while thinking calmly to himself.
Shi Chen and Hu Rong watched their son giggle happily. They could only sigh helplessly. They knew they couldn't do anything for him. Their son would never be able to cultivate—that was an undeniable fact. They only hoped that Shi Hao would come to terms with it and live a peaceful, worry-free life.
How could they possibly know that their son had a heaven-defying cheat?
If cultivation was the issue, Shi Hao could simply start today if he wanted. All he had to do was ask his parents to kill a Great Soul Master. Once he received his pre-planted seal, he could inherit the dead Soul Master's talent and gain 20+ levels of soul power instantly.
And if the chosen Soul Master had decent innate soul power talent? Even better.
But was Shi Hao willing to do that? No.
He wanted to make the most of his one-time seal and not waste it recklessly.
There were four things Shi Hao needed to consider before finalizing his target.
First was innate soul power talent. Even if he killed a 20+ Soul Master, if their innate soul power was too low, his future potential would be capped. Only those with innate level 9 or 10 talent had the chance to reach Title Douluo—usually by age 50 or later.
But considering the rapid power creep this world would experience in the next 20 years, that wouldn't be enough.
The other three factors were Martial Soul quality, maximum soul power level, and the most important one—availability.
Each of these had its own limitations, but availability was the real deal-breaker.
"Without availability, nothing else matters… I might seem ambitious and very capable choosing Tang Hao as my target, but let's be real—even planning the death of a mere Soul King is nearly impossible for me right now."
Thinking about this again, Shi Hao felt a little depressed. But he quickly shook it off. He just had to do what he believed was the best option.
After staring at the so-called historical pillar with fake curiosity for a few more minutes, Shi Hao asked Old Jack in his most innocent, childish voice:
"Village Head, can you show me around the village? I want to see if there's anything different."
Hearing this, Old Jack nodded.
"Of course. There's nothing much to see in this poor village, but since you wish to look around, this old man will gladly show you."
Shi Chen also agreed. Since their lodging arrangements would take some time, they might as well take a walk.
And so, they started strolling through the village. Villagers curiously glanced at them, but after noticing Old Jack's respectful attitude, they instinctively shrank back.
Eventually, they arrived at a house with a hammer sign hanging outside.
Shi Hao immediately pointed at it. "Village Head, what's this?"
Old Jack hesitated before replying, "Young Master, this is the blacksmith's house… Well, calling it a shop would be a bit of a stretch."
Shi Hao nodded. The place really did look more like a run-down shed than a proper smithy.
"The blacksmith here is a stubborn drunkard," Old Jack continued with a helpless expression. "He works and lives here. He doesn't let anyone in unless they're ordering something."
He looked genuinely worried that this man—who had no idea he was dealing with an esteemed Soul Master—would end up offending them and courting death with his temper.
Little did he know that the "stubborn drunkard" he was worried about was none other than Haotian Douluo himself.
Hearing this, Shi Chen sneered arrogantly.
Since his son wanted to see the place, how could a mere commoner dare to stop them?
Still, he wasn't completely unreasonable. Since it was also the blacksmith's home, barging in uninvited would be rude. So, he simply waited for Shi Hao's decision.