Although Kai Rivers was only six years old, behind his delicate and innocent features hid a mind far beyond his years.
At that moment, while Su Yuntao stood silently calculating in his head, Kai had already figured him out.
The bag in Kai's hand wasn't exactly light—it held nearly a hundred copper soul coins. Converted, that was the equivalent of five gold coins. For most people, that wasn't a small amount.
And Kai? Naturally, he wasn't going to let such a good opportunity to earn a bit of cash slip away. After all, in this world, how could you live happily without money?
"Uncle, don't forget your promise. Grandpa Jack won this round," Kai said casually.
"Relax. I'm not the type to go back on a bet." Su Yuntao tapped his storage soul guide, and with a flick of his fingers, five gold coins flew over to Kai. "That enough for you?"
"Plenty. So… interested in another round?" Kai asked with a sly smile.
"You still want to gamble?" Su Yuntao raised an eyebrow.
Kai nodded confidently.
Su Yuntao glanced between Kai and the coins in his hand, clearly tempted.
"What's the bet this time?" he asked.
"To keep it simple—let's see if the next child has soul power. If he does, I win. If he doesn't, you win. This time we're playing for ten gold soul coins."
Kai wasn't about to let Su Yuntao back out. With all the kids watching, he made sure to throw a bit of pressure his way.
"…Alright then. I'll play along." Su Yuntao smirked, his tone still dismissive.
He had already checked seven villages on this trip and hadn't found a single child with soul power. Holy Soul Village was just a backwater place—two kids with soul power was already shocking. There was no way a third one existed.
"Next!" Su Yuntao called.
A timid child stepped forward.
"Nine-Toothed Rake. Weapon-type martial soul. Let's see if you've got soul power."
Su Yuntao didn't bother hiding his confidence this time. He even gave Kai a quick glance, as if to say nice try, kid.
But when the child placed his hand on the crystal ball, Su Yuntao froze.
The ball flared brilliantly.
"Innate… full soul power?!"
Su Yuntao stood there in shock, staring at the child as if he'd just sprouted wings.
"Uncle… does that mean I can be a soul master?" the boy asked, eyes wide.
"Of course you can! If someone with full soul power couldn't become a soul master, then no one could!"
Still stunned, Su Yuntao turned back to Kai. He had hoped to earn back what he lost—but instead, he was down another ten gold soul coins.
"…You win again. Here!" Su Yuntao tossed the coins to Kai with a sigh.
"Uncle, want to go for round three?" Kai asked cheekily, flipping the coins in his palm with flair.
"…You're not done yet?"
"Not even close. Let's up the stakes: I say the next three children will all have soul power. If even one of them doesn't, I lose. If I win, you owe me twenty gold soul coins. Sounds fun, right?"
Su Yuntao hesitated. But in the end, he agreed.
"…Fine. Let's see how long your luck lasts."
There was no way six soul masters could come out of this one little village, right?
"Next!"
The tests began.
"Scythe. Weapon-type martial soul. Soul power—level five!"
"Dung fork. Weapon-type martial soul. Soul power—level five!"
"Hoe. Weapon-type martial soul. Soul power—level three!"
Su Yuntao could only stare in disbelief. The crystal ball glowed brightly again and again.
This… this couldn't be real.
He rushed over to the first child who had already been tested and made him do it again—just in case the crystal was malfunctioning.
When the child placed his hand on the orb, it glowed faintly—just as it should.
"There's nothing wrong with the crystal ball… So what's going on with these kids?"
What Su Yuntao didn't know was that these children had been secretly meditating and training under Kai's encouragement for years. Unlike the typical village child, they'd been working hard to prepare for this moment—completely changing their fates.
"Uncle, looks like you lost again," Kai said with a grin.
"A bet's a bet." Su Yuntao sighed and pulled out another twenty gold coins. "Here, take it."
"Uncle, care for another round?"
Su Yuntao shook his head.
"That's enough. A few gold coins for fun is fine, but I'm not trying to bankrupt myself. Let's just say… I was playing along."
In truth, Su Yuntao wasn't hurting for money. As a Great Soul Master and an official of the Spirit Hall, he earned a decent stipend—ten gold coins a month, not including bonuses.
But his instincts were screaming at him. The next few kids might have soul power too. He'd already lost thirty-five gold coins in one morning—he wasn't going to risk more.
"Blue Silver Grass. Useless martial soul. Soul power—level two."
"Blue Silver Grass again. Soul power—innate full!"
One after another, the children finished their tests. Before long, only Tang San and Kai were left.
By this point, Su Yuntao had stopped reacting altogether—even full soul power didn't shock him anymore.
"Alright. Next."
Before Tang San could move away from the crystal, Kai suddenly called out—
"Hey, Little San! What's that in your left hand?"
[Ding!]
[Congratulations! The host has exposed Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer! Gained 100 protagonist luck points. The Tyrannical Protagonist System has been activated!]
Kai's heart skipped a beat.
Finally!
For six long years, he thought he might never get a system. But the moment he exposed Tang San's second martial soul—everything changed.
So it was the anti-Tang San system!