"Sui Sui."
Tang Hao walked closer, his feet crunching on the muddy ground. Tang Sui slowed down and looked at him.
The drizzling rain blurred her vision, but Tang Hao's voice remained clear:
"This is where we stop. Thirty-six hammers so far, that's your limit."
Tang Hao's words snapped the taut string in Tang Sui's mind. Her vision went black, and she pitched forward. Tang Hao, prepared, caught her steadily. She lost consciousness.
When she woke again, it was to the familiar sight of a bonfire.
This time, however, it wasn't outdoors. It was a bonfire built on a kang in the temporary wooden hut Tang Hao had constructed.
More than four months had passed. Strangely, despite the sun and wind, Tang Sui's skin remained as fair and snow-like as before, showing no signs of tanning and no muscle growth.
It was hard to believe such a delicate, small body could hold such immense explosive power.
"Crackles,"
The firewood in the fire exploded, startling Tang Sui, who lay asleep not far from the kang.
She suddenly opened her eyes. Her blue irises reflected a cold indifference, sharp as a drawn sword. A sharpness tinged her delicate features.
However, upon seeing the furnishings within the hut and the figure adding wood to the fire, Tang Sui blinked, her breathing steadying, her gaze returning to its usual calm.
"Dad."
She called out to Tang Hao with a hint of annoyance.
The annoyance wasn't directed at Tang Hao, but at herself.
How many times had she fainted again?
The thirty-sixth hammer had been a sticking point for five full days. Each time she swung to the thirty-sixth hammer, her spirit power and physical strength would be depleted, rendering her unable to swing further.
"You're awake." Tang Hao glanced at his youngest daughter, her face etched with annoyance. He immediately saw through her thoughts and sighed, "Still dwelling on that thirty-sixth hammer?"
Tang Sui said, a little dejectedly, "Mmm... these past few days, no matter how I cultivated or practiced, I couldn't hold on until the thirty-sixth hammer..." As she spoke, Tang Sui looked up at Tang Hao:
"Dad, I..."
"It's not because you haven't practiced enough," Tang Hao interrupted his daughter. A look of bewilderment crossed Tang Sui's delicate, fair face.
"What?"
Tang Hao clapped the dust from his hands, his expression nonchalant. "It's your physique and spirit power level that aren't enough yet. You'll probably need to continue leveling up and getting stronger to swing more hammers."
Tang Sui was stunned. She had never considered it from this angle.
She had reflected on whether she was practicing enough these days, but she hadn't considered the possibility that her current self simply couldn't break through her limits.
They say diligence can compensate for lack of talent, but for Tang Sui, no amount of effort seemed to make a difference. The solution had to come from a different perspective and direction.
The explanation, though seemingly absurd, was the most logical.
Tang Sui pursed her lips, her small face set in a stubborn silence.
Tang Hao looked at the defiant Tang Sui, his gaze darkening slightly. "Sui Sui, you've been out for almost half a year. It's time to go back."
Tang Sui looked sharply at Tang Hao. He averted her gaze, the warm firelight casting an orange glow on his weathered face. Tang Sui saw the streaks of white appearing at his temples and thought of the other Titled Douluo. Her nose inexplicably stung.
"Dad, if I leave, what about you?"
During these past five months, although Tang Hao hadn't said much and Tang Sui had spent most of her time cultivating, she had still felt the warmth and joy of growing up with her parents by her side.
Tang Hao turned his head and looked out at the stormy, wind-swept exterior.
It was in the direction of the valley.
"I'll stay here and continue to accompany your mother."
His deep, resonant voice made Tang Sui feel an urge to cry again. But she suppressed her tears, not wanting to cry in front of her father, and said in a muffled voice, "Then... then I'll stay here for a few more days to accompany Mom and you."
Hearing this, Tang Hao turned and looked helplessly at his youngest daughter, whose eyes were reddening. "Although I'd also like to keep you for a few more days, if I remember correctly, the All-Continent Soul Master Elite Tournament is about to begin. If you start traveling tomorrow, you should make it just in time."
"Tom... Tomorrow?!"
Tang Sui was stunned. She hadn't expected the separation to come so soon.
Tang Hao gazed gently at his daughter's delicate features, especially her blue eyes that so closely resembled her mother's. He said softly, "Tonight is your last night here. If you can't sleep, you can talk to me... about your life with your brother at Shrek Academy."
It was a part of her growth experience that he hadn't been a part of.
As soon as this topic was brought up, Tang Sui was no longer sleepy.
She sat up straight and earnestly recounted her and Tang San's experiences at the academy to Tang Hao.
Outside the small wooden hut, the wind and rain gradually subsided.
When the east showed a sliver of dawn, Tang Hao, having listened to his children's growth anecdotes, interrupted Tang Sui's continuous chatter. He reached into his soul tool and pulled out a cold, oil-paper packet, handing it to Tang Sui.
It was a beef patty he had specially bought and packaged in town yesterday while Tang Sui was practicing.
Although it had cooled down, it was fortunate that these beef patties could still be eaten cold, even if the texture was a bit off.
"Eat this. The stall that sold these beef patties is quite famous in that town. After you finish it, you should set off on your journey."
Tang Sui let out a soft "Oh," took the beef patty, and began to eat it ravenously.
"Drip,"
Transparent water droplets fell from the void, wetting the floor.
Tang Sui finished the beef patty without a word. When she looked up again, she took one last look back at Tang Hao. She walked to the door, stood there, bowed ninety degrees to Tang Hao, then turned, summoned two masks, stepped on them, and soared away on the wind.
Tang Hao was left alone in the hut. He closed his eyes, and tears streamed down his rough face, though no one knew when they had started to fall.