Tang San: Why are you stealing my lines?

Luo Sanpao swallowed the radish, and his belly suddenly swelled a size.

He hopped on the spot and turned around, pointing his fat backside straight at the six Nether Wolves.

"Boom!!"

A dense cloud of yellowish, foul-smelling gas swallowed all six Nether Wolves in an instant.

The stench was like a latrine that had fermented for ten years being blasted straight into the sky, so overpowering that the surrounding leaves curled up.

Cai Kun had been ready. He held his breath and jumped five meters back ahead of time, pressing the shutter as he did so.

The Nether Wolves couldn't even let out a yelp. Their four legs kicked, foam poured from their mouths, and their eyes rolled back in unison as they passed out.

"Hmph, they couldn't withstand a single blow."

Yu Xiaogang recalled Luo Sanpao with satisfaction, drew a dagger from his waist, and was about to step forward and finish off the wolves.

Watching from behind, Tang San's gaze flickered.

These Nether Wolves only had ten years of cultivation. Killing them would be of no use to them.

If he spoke up now and urged his teacher not to wipe them all out, he could not only display the merciful and generous character of a gentleman, but also ease the tension between teacher and disciple from earlier!

Tang San took half a step forward, drew a deep breath, and opened his mouth:

"Tea-"

Before he could get the rest of the word out, Cai Kun shoved him behind him!

"Grandmaster! Spare the wolves beneath your blade!"

Cai Kun raised his voice, his words ringing out loud and clear, his face radiant with the sanctity of compassion for all living things:

"Heaven cherishes life! These little wolf pups only have a mere ten years of cultivation. If we kill them, we won't be able to use their Soul Rings, and their meat is too tough and sour to make soup!"

"Since they've already learned their lesson, why don't we show mercy where we can and give them a chance to live?"

Cai Kun pressed his palms together and stood before the wolves, his heart aching as he delivered a moving speech about protecting the environment and caring for animals.

Yu Xiaogang stopped in his tracks. Looking at Cai Kun's righteous expression, he couldn't help nodding, visibly moved:

"Well said! Though Soul Masters advance by hunting Soul Beasts, they must not commit pointless slaughter!"

"Cai Kun, you're so young, yet you have such a kind and benevolent heart. That is truly rare!"

Yu Xiaogang put away his dagger approvingly. His gaze grew ever more admiring as he looked at Cai Kun, and he unconsciously patted him on the shoulder. "If only you were my student... it's such a pity..."

Three steps away, Tang San was still frozen in the comical pose of raising a hand to speak.

His fists clenched tightly at his sides, veins bulging one by one on the backs of his hands.

Cai! Kun!

Tang San stared daggers at the back of the man exchanging shameless flattery with his teacher.

He stood there, his chest heaving twice before he forcibly swallowed the breath caught in his throat.

Fortunately, he had lived two lives, and the self-control he had cultivated in the Tang Sect in his previous life finally came into play.

I can't panic, and I especially can't lose my composure in front of Teacher. That would make me look immature.

The Nether Wolves, knocked out by the stench, struggled to their feet and slunk away with their tails between their legs.

The canopy overhead closed completely, swallowing the last trace of the setting sun's glow.

It was so dark all around that they couldn't see their own hands in front of their faces. Only the chirping of unknown night insects came from the grass.

An icy chill crept up Cai Kun's trouser legs and over his calves. He yawned and brushed the dew from his clothes.

"Grandmoist, it's already dark."

"It's pitch-black in this forest, and we can't even find our way. Why don't we find a clean spot, make a fire, and rest for the night? We can keep looking when it's light tomorrow."

As soon as he finished speaking, before Tang San could respond, Yu Xiaogang waved a hand up ahead.

The single fart that had instantly taken down six ten-year wild wolves, coupled with Cai Kun's flattery, had thoroughly stoked Yu Xiaogang's vanity to its peak.

At that moment, he felt every inch the grandmaster. How could he listen to a single word about backing down?

"Nonsense! How can one slack off halfway along the path of cultivation?"

"Night is precisely when many poison-attribute and resilient plant Soul Beasts in the forest are active!"

"Little San's Blue Silver Grass urgently needs its First Soul Ring to strengthen its foundation. The sooner he obtains it, the sooner he can enter the true halls of Soul Masters!"

"With me here to protect him, what is a mere journey at night? Even if I have to dig three feet into the ground today, I will find the most suitable Hundred-Year Soul Beast for Little San!"

His words rang with conviction, and Tang San, standing behind him, felt a sudden warmth in his heart.

At that moment, more than half the resentment and suspicion he had harbored over the Lone Bamboo and the Soul Ring vanished.

Look! This is what a true teacher and friend should be!

For the sake of my future, Teacher won't retreat even half a step, despite the dangers of entering the forest at night!

"Thank you for helping me, Teacher!"

Tang San's eyes grew warm. He bowed respectfully, and the tottering statue of the Grandmaster in his heart was finally set a little straighter again.

Cai Kun curled his lip at the side, silently cursing him for suffering just to save face. I hope you're still this confident later.

The three lit two pine-resin torches and continued feeling their way deeper into the dense forest, stumbling along the uneven ground.

In a thick canopy less than fifty zhang ahead of them,

Tang Hao held a dark green snake in one hand. It was over three meters long and as thick as a bucket.

It was a Mandala Snake with four hundred years of cultivation!

To find this perfect Soul Ring for his son, Tang Hao had specifically picked out an excellent specimen.

Fearing that Yu Xiaogang, a mere Soul Grandmaster, would struggle to handle it, Tang Hao had even used his Soul Power to disperse twenty percent of the creature's vital blood and Qi, enraging it to the brink of losing its mind.

"A rank twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster shouldn't drop the ball again against a frightened four-hundred-year Soul Beast, should he?"

Tang Hao snorted. Having calculated the route of the three below, he flung out his great hand!

"Whoosh!"

"Boom!"

The surrounding bushes were smashed to pieces, and humus and soil flew everywhere.

The moment the Mandala Snake hit the ground, having been brutalized by a Titled Douluo all the way here, it finally erupted!

It didn't care who stood before it. Its tail lashed against the ground, and it opened its enormous, bloody maw and lunged straight at Yu Xiaogang, who was at the front!

"Hiss!!"

Yu Xiaogang was startled at first, but when he saw the emerald-green fleshy crest on the snake's head, his eyes lit up.

"A Mandala Snake! Judging by its length, it's a prime specimen with at least close to four hundred years of cultivation!"

"Little San, this is a top-tier Soul Beast with both poison and resilience. It's practically tailor-ma-"

Before he could finish speaking in his excitement, Gangzi's head buzzed and his scalp prickled!

Four hundred years?!

His Luo Sanpao could only fart three times in total, and at most could handle a docile Soul Beast of one or two hundred years. This was a damned four-hundred-year Mandala Snake that had gone mad!

One bite, and he would fall!

"Run! Run back, quickly!!"

He instinctively reached behind him to the left, hoping to grab someone to block the snake or retreat together, but his hand closed on cold air.

He turned to look. Cai Kun, who had been standing behind him, had greased his soles and run the instant he shouted the words "Mandala Snake"!

"That little bastard!"

Yu Xiaogang was so angry his liver hurt. He grabbed Tang San by the back of his collar and rapidly retreated, all the while shouting as he struggled to save face:

"Good for Cai Kun for running! He's fast, and with him gone, I won't have to split my attention looking after two people!"

His words sounded good, but in his heart Yu Xiaogang had already cursed Cai Kun's ancestors back eighteen generations.

You ran so damned fast. Couldn't you have carried me off with you while you were fleeing for your life?!

"Luo Luo!"

Luo Sanpao was summoned again, taking position in front of the teacher and disciple.

"First Soul Skill! Fart Like Thunder!"

Yu Xiaogang frantically stuffed a radish into Luo Sanpao's mouth.

"Boom!"

Yellow-green, foul-smelling poisonous gas exploded outward.

However, the Mandala Snake was in a state of extreme agitation.

Not only did the stinking fart fail to knock it out, it thoroughly roused its ferocity!

The Mandala Snake shut its airways tightly and charged straight through the stench. With a flick of its tail and a sharp smack, it sent Luo Sanpao flying!

"Pfft!"

His Martial Soul injured, Yu Xiaogang went pale. His foot caught on a tree root, and he sprawled into a mud pit in utter disarray, scrambling backward on hands and knees.

"Third... no, Second Soul Skill! Hypnotic Slumber Luo Sanpao!"

He bellowed again, but the hypnotic fart failed to so much as touch the snake's skin in the fierce wind.

"Little San, run! This beast has gone mad! It's a natural counter to my Martial Soul. I can't beat it!"

Yu Xiaogang clutched a handful of mud, his trouser legs torn open in several places by branches. What remained of the expert who had held forth on great affairs in broad daylight?

Tang San raced along beside him, flinging two stones at the snake's eyes. Looking at his deathly pale teacher scrambling along beside him, he was dumbfounded.

Wait... aren't you a rank twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster?!