Chapter 2

The realm levels of a Soul Warrior are roughly divided into five tiers.

1. Soul Recruit, 2. Soul Scholar, 3. Soul Lieutenant, 4. Soul Commander, 5. Soul General.

Each realm is further divided into four stages: early, middle, late, and peak.

Notably, the "Soul Commander" tier of the 4th realm has even more detailed divisions. The requirements for promotion are so strict that they are almost unbearable, and the difficulty is terrifying.

One can imagine how terrifying a "Soul General" must be.

In short, Xu Fenghua, known as the "First Soul General Beyond the Pass," is almost the pinnacle of human Soul Warriors.

She truly lives up to her name.

Fenghua is the epitome of extraordinary beauty and talent.

Having such a mother, one can only wonder if it is a blessing or a curse for Rong Taotao.

"Xu Fenghua's son."

These words have accompanied Rong Taotao throughout his growth.

The illustrious mother has always been like a mountain pressing down on Rong Taotao, never allowing him a moment's rest, never letting him tarnish her reputation, and always making him meet the standards of being "Xu Fenghua's son."

No matter how well Rong Taotao performs, it is taken for granted.

And when Rong Taotao does poorly, that is when the real nightmare begins.

Whispers, cold glances, and ridicule—only Rong Taotao knows the taste of it.

However, less than a year after giving birth to Rong Taotao, his mother left him.

From as far back as he can remember, Rong Taotao has never seen his mother in person, only in family photo albums and textbooks.

For 15 years, if it weren't for multiple confirmations that Xu Fenghua was still alive and guarding the Long River frontier, Rong Taotao would have thought his mother was already dead...

"Not bad, you seem a bit confident." Rong Hai looked at his son with affection and spoke softly.

Rong Taotao said somewhat helplessly, "What can I do if I'm not confident? I have to strive! Anyway, I don't know what to say, so let me thank the sponsor first~ Are you planning to hold a competition or something?"

Rong Yuanshan laughed and rubbed Rong Taotao's curly head, "You'll know when the time comes."

Rong Taotao turned his head in disgust and walked towards the sofa, asking, "Alright. By the way, where's my master? Didn't she come with you?"

Rong Yuanshan: "She has a mission, she's busy."

Rong Taotao almost laughed in frustration, "One is busy, another is busy?"

"Am I the only one with nothing to do?"

Seeing his son lounging lazily on the sofa, Rong Yuanshan suddenly remembered something and his expression became a bit strange, "I heard that a year ago, on the day you two parted, she once called you 'Dad'?"

Rong Taotao: "Uh..."

Rong Yuanshan: "She teased me a lot after she returned to the team."

Rong Taotao's face turned bitter, remembering the time he "recognized his master as his father," and he muttered, "I didn't want to call her that..."

Rong Yuanshan raised an eyebrow, "Hmm?"

Rong Taotao pouted and whispered, "But... but she hit me so hard..."

Rong Yuanshan: ???

Rong Taotao seemed to recall his master's devilish face and shuddered, rubbing his bottom subconsciously.

It was clear that Rong Yuanshan wasn't really angry, but rather teasing, "Child, you've grown up, you're already 15 years old, you need to know self-respect."

Rong Taotao immediately became unhappy, "You... you're talking nonsense! You're talking nonsense!"

"Who could bear those sticks hitting my bottom one after another?"

Hearing this, Rong Yuanshan's face showed a half-smile.

Although the topic they were discussing was a bit strange, the atmosphere of their conversation was much better than the previous awkwardness.

After all, he hadn't seen his son for three years.

Seeing his son's mischievous and stubborn appearance, Rong Yuanshan seemed to be transported back to three years ago, to the familiar and intimate times with his son.

Clearly, Rong Yuanshan didn't care what they were talking about, but rather enjoyed the harmonious atmosphere. He smiled and said, "Compared to me, you seem to respect your master more. I haven't seen you for three years, maybe I didn't hit you enough?"

"Hey! That's not right!" Rong Taotao waved his hand and said righteously, "Think about it, she hit me, so I called her 'Dad,' that's coerced confession!"

"You don't hit me, and I call you 'Dad,' that's voluntary! Can these two be the same?"

"She might have made a huge profit, but you definitely didn't lose!"

Rong Yuanshan: ???

Rong Taotao, seeing his father's speechless expression, said, "Hey, once a master, always a father, let alone she taught me for two whole years, calling her once is fine..."

As he spoke, Rong Taotao recalled the painful training days.

His devilish master was quite considerate, never hitting his face during training, only aiming for his bottom...

After all, strict teachers produce excellent students!

Being hit, Rong Taotao could endure!

No other reason, just thick skin!

It was precisely this strict and severe training that made Rong Taotao's combat movements terrifyingly precise, laying a solid foundation for his combat career.

Nonsense! It couldn't be imprecise, any mistake, even a slight error in force application, would result in a stick...

Until that night a year ago, Rong Taotao bid farewell to his devilish master and began to train his combat skills alone.

Of course, it wasn't that Rong Taotao betrayed his master, but that his master was recalled by the team and had no time to teach him.

Two years of training and learning in junior high school made Rong Taotao deeply attached to his master, but... his master left without looking back.

That night, Rong Taotao ordered takeout and ate skewers with tears in his eyes.

Yes, they were delicious.

It was truly a heart-wrenching scene of "master's kindness and disciple's filial piety"...

Thinking about it, Rong Taotao rubbed his bottom again, and just thinking of her made his bottom ache.

While Rong Taotao was lost in thought, Rong Yuanshan...

Seeing his son sitting silently on the sofa, Rong Yuanshan looked at his watch and said, "I should go back. You should go to bed early, rest well, and perform well tomorrow."

Hearing this, Rong Taotao came to his senses and looked at his father walking towards the door. He opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.

Leaving already?

This farewell is as clean and decisive as his master's style~

Not seeing each other for three years, and only staying for ten minutes?

What does that mean?

Just showing up symbolically at an important moment in my life?

Hmm, that's not right, at least he confirmed my future path as a Soul Warrior and promised to give me a chance to fuse with a Cloud Peak Soul Beast.

Alright.

Rong Taotao, looking uncomfortable, watched his father wave goodbye at the door, feeling a bit suffocated.

Sigh, pitying myself.

Rong Taotao wasn't quite sure what his father did, something in the military, but doing bodyguard work.

Moreover, Rong Taotao didn't know who his father's team was protecting, but according to his master, it was a very powerful Soul Warrior.

The question is, does a powerful Soul Warrior need protection?

Is it someone with high status and power?

After coming back, his father immediately offered to provide a Cloud Peak Soul Beast, which are extremely rare!

Produced only in the sky vortex within the Arctic Circle!

Not to mention the difficulty of capturing them, the danger of the Cloud Peak planet is terrifying, and human Soul Warriors are easily lost in the Cloud Peak, with no guarantee of survival.

Moreover, the Arctic Circle is filled with forces from various countries and all kinds of criminals, making the area a synonym for chaos.

"Thud."

The door closed gently, and Rong Yuanshan left decisively, leaving Rong Taotao alone again.

Rong Taotao, troubled, scratched his head and quickly took out his phone, opening the "Meibao" food delivery app.

Traditional skills must not be lost!

After "master's kindness and disciple's filial piety," it's time for "father's kindness and son's filial piety."

Barbecue!

Lamb skewers! Order! Order like crazy! Go all out!

To celebrate the farewell, today's goal: eat thirty skewers with tears!

Stir-fried clams, baked cod, honey-glazed chicken wings, pork ribs... Wow! So delicious!

Farewell?

Ha ha!

If every farewell is lamb-flavored, who would hate farewells?

Maybe, hmm... sheep would hate it?