"The... Emperor of the Blue Silver Grass clan?"
Tang San murmured, repeating those few words. His heart hammered wildly against his ribs, and his blood felt as though it had rushed to his head in a single, sudden instant.
His mother... an existence that was almost entirely a blank slate in his life, actually possessed such an astounding identity?
Countless questions surged up his throat like boiling bubbles, nearly tearing through his rationality:
His mother was the Emperor of the Blue Silver Grass?
What did that mean? Was she an incredibly powerful soul beast? Or some sort of special humanoid existence?
Where was she now? Was she alive or dead? If she was still alive, why had she never come to see him all these years?
If she was already... then who was the one who harmed her? Did it have something to do with his father's years of decadence?
He opened his mouth, desperately wanting to grab onto the mysterious senior before him who seemed to know everything, wishing to pour out all the questions about his mother that had accumulated over the past six years!
However, the very moment the first syllable was about to escape his lips--
[Warning: Intense emotional fluctuations detected from the host. Mental threshold approaching critical limit. Energy overload. To prevent damage to the sea of consciousness, this life simulation is being forcefully terminated.]
[3... 2... 1... Return!]
That cold, mechanical system notification exploded in his mind without any warning!
"No! Wait!!"
Tang San let out a heart-wrenching cry in his mind, his consciousness desperately fighting against that peeling force.
"I still have so many questions! Mother! My mother--!"
He reached out his hand, as if trying to grab onto the figure of Fu Shiyan in front of him, to catch that fast-fading illusion of the truth about his mother.
Yet, the power of the system was completely irresistible.
He felt his consciousness being violently yanked out of that "body" by an invisible giant hand, thrown into a bizarre, rapidly spinning vortex.
Fu Shiyan's figure, the scenery of the Star Dou Great Forest, and even the severe pain in his body rushed away into the distance, blurring, and finally dissolving into darkness.
...
Holy Spirit Village, atop the small hill.
The faint morning light remained gentle, the thin mist had not yet fully dispersed, and the dewdrops on the grass blades reflected a crystal-clear gleam.
The thin, small figure sitting cross-legged on the boulder shuddered violently, and his tightly closed eyes snapped open!
Deep within his black pupils, remnants of lingering shock, anxiety, and a bone-deep bewilderment remained.
He was back...
Subconsciously, he looked down at his tender hands. There was no blood, no wounds, and his Mysterious Heaven Skill inner energy remained steadily at the first rank.
The thrilling pursuit, the rescue from the brink of death, and the earth-shattering revelation of his background just now...
All of it felt like nothing more than an overly realistic, overly cruel dream.
But Tang San knew it was no dream!
The cold voice of the system, every detail experienced in the simulation, the oppressive pressure of Duke Long and Snake Grandma, Fu Shiyan's terrifying soul rings and domineering Blue Silver Wood Dragon, and especially that final sentence regarding the "Emperor of the Blue Silver Grass clan"...
Every single bit was branded clearly and unforgettably into the depths of his mind!
Mother... the Emperor of the Blue Silver Grass clan...
The massive influx of information and emotional shock made the six-year-old Tang San's heart clench, making even breathing difficult.
He jumped up from the boulder, even stumbling slightly because he moved too fast.
"System! System!"
He urgently and frantically called out in his mind, his voice carrying a trembling and eagerness he hadn't even noticed himself.
"Simulate again! Quick! Conduct another life simulation! I need to know the answers! I want to know everything about my mother!"
He remembered it with absolute clarity. The system had said that the initial complimentary simulation count was [2]! He still had one chance left!
However, the only response he received was that emotionless, mechanical voice:
[Prompt: Remaining life simulations: 1.]
[Warning: Insufficient energy buffer, mental state requires rest and recovery. The next life simulation will open only after the cooldown period ends.]
[Cooldown Period: Three months.]
"Three months?!" Tang San felt as though he had been struck by a heavy blow, his face instantly turning deathly pale.
Three months! To someone who had just caught a glimpse of a staggering secret and desperately wanted to know more of the truth, this was as agonizingly long as three centuries!
That feeling of just barely touching the edge of the truth only to be forcefully pulled back was like a hundred claws scratching at his heart. It made him restless and uneasy, driving him nearly to the brink of madness!
He stood at the top of the hill, the crisp morning wind blowing against his thin clothes, yet it could not disperse the heat and anxiety in his heart. He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deeply into his palms.
Scene after scene experienced in the simulation flashed rapidly through his mind:
Deacon Su Yuntao's dismissive evaluation of the "Blue Silver Grass" as a "trash martial soul."
His father Tang Hao's incredibly emotional, pain-tinged gaze when he saw the "Clear Sky Hammer," and his words: "Use the hammer in your left hand to protect the grass in your right hand."
That "Teacher Yu Xiaogang," whose theories sounded profound, but who felt quite powerless in actual combat.
And finally, that mysterious powerhouse who seemed to descend from the heavens, possessing unbelievable power (yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red, red soul rings!), a martial soul of the same origin (Blue Silver Tree), and who bluntly stated that his mother was the "Emperor of the Blue Silver Grass clan"--Fu Shiyan!
The collision and intertwining of this information left the six-year-old Tang San with a completely tangled mind.
"Twin martial souls... Clear Sky Hammer... Blue Silver Emperor..."
He whispered these keywords, his gaze involuntarily turning toward the dilapidated blacksmith shop at the foot of the hill, which was currently emitting cooking smoke.
Father... just how many things had he been hiding?
Mother... is she really still alive? That Fu Shiyan, was what he said true?
Although taking Yu Xiaogang as a master and spending time with him in the simulation was only an experience of the "future," the emotion of being won over by theories only to be disappointed in actual combat realistically remained.
Right now, in the reality where he had not yet met Yu Xiaogang, a seed of doubt had been planted ahead of time:
Is the theory of that person, who might become my teacher in the future... the theory that Blue Silver Grass is a trash martial soul and should develop toward poison and control, truly correct?
What if my Blue Silver Grass really possesses the so-called "Emperor" lineage?
The first life simulation had not only allowed him to glimpse fragments of a possible future ahead of time, but it had also dropped a massive boulder capable of upending everything into his seemingly peaceful childhood.
The immense mystery, the longing for the truth, and the torment of having to wait another three months caused the morning summit of Holy Spirit Village to be shrouded in a silence reminiscent of the eve of an invisible storm.
Meanwhile, the instigator of all this, Fu Shiyan, was in his distant, broken house. Originally, he had just been looking with a sliver of satisfaction at the interface of his [Turning Fiction into Reality System], where the number had just painstakingly ticked from [Conviction: 100] to [Conviction: 101].
This faint increase proved that his first step was a success; Tang San had formed an initial "cognition."
However, just as he was preparing to close his eyes and rest, patiently waiting for the next opportunity to simulate--
A sudden change erupted!
The number [Conviction: 101] was like ice dropped into boiling oil; it gave a sudden, violent jolt!
It was not a slow climb, but rather as if it had broken free from some sort of shackle, beginning a jaw-dropping, frantic soar!
[Conviction: 180! 190! 200!]
The numbers seemed to lose control, flashing and leaping wildly at a speed Fu Shiyan had never imagined, a speed he wouldn't have even dared to dream of!
[280! 290! 300! 380! 390!]
It broke past a thousand! [1000! 1300! 1500! 1800!]
[3000! 3500! 3800! 3900--!]