Back home, Mu Xi was just bringing out a small basin of sauced beef. Seeing her son's small figure, a brilliant smile lit up her face.
"You're back? Hurry and wash your hands for dinner."
Three years ago, Chu Shanhe and the others had a successful soul hunt at sea, bringing back plenty of whale glue and expanding the Body Sect's treasury. To not miss any hunting opportunities, two and a half years ago, Chen Zhen and other sect experts, along with the Second Elder, began stationing long-term in Vast Sea City.
Because of the Body Sect's rampage at sea these years, each trip brought back not just whale glue but many other good things. Over time, Chen Yi had eaten his fill of seafood.
To ensure Chen Yi was in good condition for tomorrow morning, Mu Xi had gone all out for tonight's dinner, putting out all the usually rationed items for a feast.
Grabbing a dark red steamed bun, Chen Yi took a big bite, then used his chopsticks to stuff a piece of fish into his mouth.
When the Body Sect's powerhouses were bored at sea, they dove into the deep sea and discovered that the intense pressure exercised the body, so if they didn't find a whale pod that day, they'd dive deep.
In the extreme depths, they found a peculiar fish species, brought some up to try, and discovered its flesh was comparable to some heavenly treasures. They then hunted them en masse to bring back for the sect members to nourish their bodies.
Chen Yi suspected this was related to what the Shrek Pavilion elders ate twenty thousand years later—not identical, but strikingly similar.
Watching her son devour the food, Mu Xi's eyes were full of affection. Though she always complained that Chen Yi didn't treat home like home, her son was her pride, never causing her a day's worry.
Thinking about tomorrow's Martial Soul awakening, a trace of worry flashed in Mu Xi's eyes. After all, on the Douluo Continent, awakening a powerful Martial Soul was the biggest watershed in life. Chen Yi was smart and clever, but Martial Souls were unpredictable.
Over forty years ago, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family had a similar joke—Thunder Douluo Yu Yuanzhen's highly anticipated youngest son not only failed to awaken the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul but awakened a pig instead, becoming the laughingstock of the soul master world.
Moreover, children's Martial Souls usually inherited from parents. Her Martial Soul was Frost Thorn, a high-level one. But in both cultivation and Martial Soul quality, she was inferior to Chen Zhen's torso Martial Soul. However, Body Martial Soul inheritance wasn't stable, so everything was uncertain.
If it were before, she would have hoped more for her son to awaken Frost Thorn, as the cost of second awakening was too high. But with whale glue and other heavenly treasures flowing into the Body Sect, she now hoped Chen Yi could awaken an Body Martial Soul, as his talent would only go further with a powerful Martial Soul.
"Hmm? Mom, why are you just watching me and not eating?" Seeing Mu Xi staring at him blankly, Chen Yi tilted his head and smiled.
"Eat? Of course I'm eating. I was just watching you eat so heartily, worried you'd get protective!" Snapping back, Mu Xi picked up her chopsticks and teased.
At this, Chen Yi looked aggrieved and weakly protested: "I'm not protective."
Chen Yi quickly guessed the reason for Mu Xi's distraction— in the Douluo era, awakening a powerful Martial Soul was like being born into a good family in his previous life.
But Chen Yi believed his awakened Martial Soul wouldn't be too bad. He hadn't lacked whale glue these years, and oceanic rarities came every three days small, five days large. Under such nourishment, his body was already comparable to ordinary top beast Martial Soul soul masters.
Though Martial Souls affected a soul master's future cultivation limit, a powerful Martial Soul could also be limited by the holder's physical strength. So theoretically, Chen Yi's awakened Martial Soul wouldn't be poor.
Moreover, even if he awakened an unsatisfactory Martial Soul, with the Body Sect's unity, Chen Yi could ask sect powerhouses to seize immortal herbs for him.
Thus, whether Chen Yi's Martial Soul was powerful or not wouldn't affect his plans—it would just be more troublesome in the latter case.
But Chen Yi couldn't say this! Seeing the worry in Mu Xi's eyes, he could only comfort her:
"Relax! It's just a little Martial Soul awakening. When has your son ever disappointed you? I'm going to be a world-shaking powerhouse who suppresses the 'Two Peaks' with one hand and levels the Douluo with two palms."
Hearing Chen Yi's comfort, Mu Xi smiled slightly. But as his words grew more outrageous, black lines crawled across her forehead, and she scolded with a laugh:
"You sure dare to dream. The 'Two Peaks' are such existences—the entire soul master world has chased their shadows hopelessly for two hundred years, and you want to suppress them single-handedly? Truly presumptuous."
"Tch, if people don't dare to dream, what's the difference from salted fish?" Chen Yi scoffed, quoting line from his previous life:
"How do you know today's nobodies won't shake the world tomorrow?"
Hearing Chen Yi's words, Mu Xi was stunned, then showed a gratified smile. Yes! Today's nobodies might shake the world tomorrow. When Tang Chen rose, wasn't the Clear Sky Sect just an obscure small sect?
Since Tang Chen could do it, her son might not be inferior.
"Well said! Then Mom will wait to be the mother of the world's number one powerhouse."
Chen Yi nodded heavily. In his previous life, he was ordinary; since heaven gave him a second chance, this life, he would leave an eternal legend.
"Now that our world's number one powerhouse has finished eating, go to bed!"
"Ah? Oh." Checking the time, it was indeed bedtime. He looked at Mu Xi: "Then I'll go sleep first. Good night, Mom!"
"Good night!"
...
The next day, at the Body Sect's training ground.
Mu Xi and Chen Yi arrived before dawn to wait.
"Little Xi, you're here! Hmm, little Chen Yi, did you miss Second Aunt?"
Not long after, a charming young woman also arrived at the square, looking young but speaking maturely, leading a boy about Chen Yi's age by the hand. It was Second Uncle Jiang Wu's wife, Hua Zixiu, and the child was their son, Jiang Hongfei.
"Yes, last night I was thinking about Second Aunt's Dragon Bone Eight Treasures Soup!"
"Then Second Aunt will make it for you later."
The beautiful young woman fondly pinched Chen Yi's collagen-filled cheeks.
Chen Yi was quite helpless—being young had this downside: easy to be taken advantage of.
"Brother Yi!"
Jiang Hongfei beside him greeted Chen Yi.
As the Body Sect's ultimate other people's child, Chen Yi was often mentioned when elders scolded their kids. Plus, he was always in the library or secret grounds reading, with little interaction with peers.
Normally, with this start, he'd be isolated.
But who was Chen Yi? How could he let himself become an outcast among peers?
Simple: if he couldn't fit in, he'd be their boss. Bosses don't need to hang out all the time.
How did the unsociable Chen Yi become boss? Even simpler. Kids are curious about everything and love causing trouble.
Chen Yi just shared odd stories from books, distributed toys and food his dad brought back; and when they got in trouble, he'd step up to take the blame.
Of course, stepping up didn't always work.
Faced with someone who shared benefits and bore consequences alone, which kid wouldn't submit willingly?
By now, even if Chen Yi didn't want to be boss, someone would offer the role.
PS: Bonus chapter at 200 Power Stone