On the other side, in Balak City, Shi Hao was walking alone down the road. In his hand, he carried a black flute as long as his arm.
Noticing that he had reached his destination, Shi Hao stopped walking.
In front of him was a kids' shop. He was here to buy clothes for his future sibling—whose gender was still a mystery—currently residing in his mother's belly.
That's right. Two days ago, Hu Rong was confirmed to be pregnant. After two months of "dedicated farming," Shi Chen finally succeeded in planting a seed in the field.
And so, here he was… preparing to buy things for his unborn sibling.
"I want to fulfill my duty as an elder brother." With a determined look, Shi Hao stepped inside the shop.
The store was filled with an overwhelming variety of kids' items. From shoes to caps, everything was available in dazzling colors.
There were only a few customers inside—so few that they could be counted on one hand.
Shi Hao carefully browsed through the clothes and dresses. Seeing the vast selection, he simply picked whatever looked nice.
Anyway, he had 1,000 gold coins—earned from sending the letter.
Although he had truthfully informed his parents about the "event," in the end, Shi Chen allowed him to keep the card.
Under the incredulous gazes of the shopkeepers, Shi Hao haggled fiercely with his childish voice. The shopkeeper, unable to endure the intense bargaining session, finally caved in—allowing Shi Hao to buy 10 gold coins' worth of clothes and accessories for just 5 gold coins.
"Hmph! I am the king of bargaining! Who can challenge me?" Shi Hao grinned triumphantly in his heart and turned around with a smug look.
On his shoulder, he carried a bag as tall as himself—packed with clothes for his unborn sibling.
Since he was only six years old and not as strong as other children his age who had soul power, carrying it required a tremendous effort.
As for a storage soul tool? His parents didn't have one. And even if by some miracle he got one, he wouldn't be able to use it. After all, it required soul power, and he didn't have even a drop of that in his body.
"For the foreseeable future, I can already see myself carrying everything with my fragile body..." Shi Hao lamented.
Soon, he boarded a carriage and headed home.
His parents had already left for work and wouldn't be back for a while.
After placing the clothes on his bed, he opened them again to meticulously examine his purchases.
He was a little excited about having a younger sibling. In his past life, he had always wanted one.
Although he had heard horror stories about how annoying they could be—and had even witnessed it firsthand—he still longed for a sibling of his own.
He had a particularly lonely childhood in his last life. And he knew that, in the end, only blood relatives could be considered truly your own people.
"In this world, where billions of people live, you don't have to care about anyone... but parents and siblings are different." Shi Hao muttered under his breath. Arriving in this unfamiliar world, with no one he could truly call his own, Shi Hao deeply realized the importance his parents. He would cherish them.
But at the same time… Shi Hao had a condition in his heart.
They had to love him first.
Otherwise, he wouldn't care if they were his father or mother.
"I hope my little sibling won't rebel against me like those Zhu siblings and Dai siblings…" Shi Hao's lips curled into a smirk, amused by the thought.
"But my parents won't let that happen… They value familial bonds the most. They'll raise my sibling with proper morals."
"And I will too. After all, it's my responsibility to guide them on the right path. As the elder brother, I must be the one to love them first. Only then will they love me back."
Shi Hao felt full of responsibility. Maybe a little too full—otherwise, why would he buy all these things before the baby was even born?
"Hmm… I should start planning their future too," Shi Hao decided.
After fiddling with the baby clothes for a while and carefully repacking them, he headed toward Aunt Hua's house.
His lessons for the day awaited.
After more than two months of practice, he could now play simple tunes with soft and loud variations.
For a normal person, it would take around a year to reach this level, but Shi Hao had mastered it in just two months.
.....
One Week Later
Today, the peaceful "novice village," which had been hiding a secret boss, welcomed a few other bosses.
The moment Golden Crocodile Douluo and the others arrived near Holy Spirit Village, they silently spread out and surrounded it from all directions.
Tang Hao, who had been dreaming of Ah Yin, his wife, suddenly woke up. There was no drunken stupor in his eyes—only sharp alertness and unease.
His mental power instantly spread out, scanning every nook and cranny of Holy Spirit Village.
His expression changed instantly. Like an unsheathed sword ready to cut down the world, his aura erupted, and his Killing God Domain spread out.
At the same moment, the six hunters felt his spiritual sense touch them. Incredulous, they also released their auras and stepped forward openly.
But inside their minds, a question still lingered: How did Tang Hao notice our arrival?
The moment Tang Hao unleashed his Killing God Domain, they became certain—the letter was true. Tang Hao was hiding in Holy Spirit Village.
They immediately summoned their martial souls.
Six sets of nine spirit rings appeared.
Among them, Golden Crocodile Douluo stood out the most.
His last soul ring was blood-red—a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, the most sought-after treasure in the world.
The pressure emanating from him was almost comparable to the combined presence of the other five.
Although they reacted quickly, Tang Hao was even faster.
His martial soul had already been summoned. His Martial Soul Avatar was already active.
Holy Spirit Village and its surrounding area—within a hundred li—was instantly plunged into misery.
Every villager woke up, only to lose consciousness under the overwhelming pressure. Many even died from the sheer force of the air pressure alone.
Only Tang San, the little Buddha, remained awake—safe under his father's protection.
But his expression? Pure bewilderment.
Having just arrived in this world and not yet understanding the power structure, he felt utterly clueless.
"What is this insurmountable pressure?" His mind churned. "Is this what a soul master can do? The thing Grandpa Jack talked about?"
Suddenly, the blacksmith's house was blown open, bricks and debris flying everywhere.
A hammer over a hundred meters tall appeared. Lightning flashed across it, warping the very air with its overwhelming force.
Tang Hao, upon seeing Golden Crocodile Douluo's hundred-thousand-year soul ring, made a decisive move.
Without hesitation, he shattered his first four soul rings.
"Break!"
A resolute and formidable voice resounded.
With the breaking of four soul rings, Tang Hao's soul power surged—reaching close to level 96, still showing signs of further breakthrough.
But the pressure he emitted had reached a standstill against the six opponents outside—held at bay by his Killing God Domain.
Golden Crocodile Douluo outside spoke, his voice dripping with disdain, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to talk before attacking.
"Tang Hao, you've been hiding—"
But before he could finish his sentence, Tang Hao's hammer came crashing down toward Devil Bear Douluo.