Weak Blue Silver Grass

Tang San decided to keep up the act of taking Yu Xiaogang as his teacher and first get his hands on Twenty-Four Bridge Moonlit Night and Yu Xiaogang's collection of books.

He wasn't calling him "teacher" for nothing.

On second thought, Tang San felt he was being a little shameless himself.

But what else could he do? Shameless it was!

He could only go a little easier on Yu Xiaogang when he tormented him later.

Tang San took a deep breath, raised his head and composed his expression. He suppressed every trace of resistance and reluctance on his face, replacing it with an innocent, obedient look.

Yu Xiaogang lived in a room in the corner of the dormitory building's top floor.

Tang San climbed the stairs and came to Yu Xiaogang's door.

He raised a hand and knocked, calling out in a clear voice, "Teacher, I'm here."

The door was already slightly ajar, and a gentle push opened it. Tang San stepped inside and quickly glanced around.

The room was small, no more than thirty square meters by his estimate.

The furnishings were extremely simple: a single bed, a desk, two chairs and two large bookcases. The bookcases took up two whole walls and were filled with all kinds of books.

Tang San's heart stirred slightly. These were the books Yu Xiaogang had collected over several decades. The man himself might not amount to much, but the books were good things.

"You're here. Have a seat."

Yu Xiaogang was sitting at the desk with a pen in his hand and an open book spread out before him. He seemed to be writing something.

Tang San sat down in the empty chair and noticed that, unlike in the original story, there were no wrapped-up steamed buns or chicken legs on the desk.

Then again, Tang San had just taken a group of work-study students to eat on the second floor of the cafeteria, where they had eaten until their mouths were greasy. Yu Xiaogang had presumably seen it too.

Yu Xiaogang put down his pen, fixed his gaze on Tang San's face and got straight to the point. "You're six years old, with Innate Full Soul Power and Twin Martial Souls. Release your other Martial Soul and let me see it."

Tang San had been prepared for this. He shook his head helplessly, his tone somewhat troubled. "Sorry, Teacher. I promised my father I wouldn't reveal my Second Martial Soul unless my life was in danger. I can only tell you that it's a hammer."

Tang San knew perfectly well that he couldn't casually show the Clear Sky Hammer to others. Whether Yu Xiaogang could guess what it was was another matter.

Although Yu Xiaogang had never leaked the matter in the original story, Tang San still needed to make a habit of this.

"A hammer? Tang San, surname Tang..."

Yu Xiaogang frowned slightly and muttered to himself, his gaze growing thoughtful.

Suddenly, Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened slightly, as if he had guessed something. A trace of surprise entered his voice. "I understand. No wonder you're so strong and can lift a Diamond Hammer that heavy."

Although Yu Xiaogang's strength was lacking, he had a fairly clear understanding of the powers on the continent. Linking the surname Tang with the use of a hammer, he could quickly make a rough guess.

Tang San didn't respond and simply sat there quietly.

Yu Xiaogang composed his expression and said solemnly, "You did the right thing. In the future, never add a Soul Ring to that Martial Soul either."

"I know." Tang San nodded.

Tang San was naturally well aware of this. The correct way to cultivate Twin Martial Souls was to add Soul Rings to one Martial Soul first, then return to add high-level Soul Rings to the second after cultivation reached a bottleneck.

That was what Bibi Dong had done in the original story, so Tang San naturally knew to do the same. Moreover, for the body to withstand the impact of the energy of eighteen Soul Rings, he also needed to temper it continuously and increase its strength.

"Very good." Yu Xiaogang nodded in satisfaction, then changed the subject. "The most pressing matter now is to take you to find a suitable Soul Ring so you can advance to the Soul Master level. Once my foot injury heals in a few days, I'll take you to the Soul Hunting Forest."

Tang San felt a quiet thrill at that, but on the surface he nodded obediently. "All right."

"From now on, spend one shichen here with me every day. I'll teach you about Martial Souls. You may also take any of my books and read them as you please. Arrange your own meditation and cultivation for the rest of the time. I'll speak to the academy for you, so you don't need to worry."

When Yu Xiaogang finished, he looked at Tang San and suddenly asked, "What do you think of the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul?"

"I don't know. Please instruct me, Teacher," Tang San answered, feigning confusion.

The corners of Yu Xiaogang's mouth rose slightly. He was clearly pleased with the answer; it gave him a chance to show what he knew. He cleared his throat and launched into a lengthy discourse. "First, let me tell you about the characteristics of Martial Souls..."

For the next while, Yu Xiaogang prattled on about Martial Souls, from their classifications to the corresponding ages of Soul Rings, and then to the paths Soul Masters could pursue.

Tang San forced himself to stay alert, keeping his eyes fixed on Yu Xiaogang and putting on the appearance of listening attentively. He even nodded along from time to time. But his thoughts had long since drifted beyond the academy. Where should I buy a quilt later?

"...Every Soul Master has a path of development, such as combat, healing, control and so on. Now, before obtaining a Soul Ring, you must first decide the future direction of your Martial Soul's development. A Soul Master must cultivate their Martial Soul in one direction."

Yu Xiaogang's voice suddenly rose, pulling Tang San away from his thoughts of buying a quilt.

Tang San steadied himself and brought his thoughts back. Putting on a look of sudden understanding, he said respectfully, "Teacher, since you've studied Martial Souls so thoroughly, please guide me."

Seeing how sensible Tang San was, Yu Xiaogang grew visibly excited and nodded slowly. "Based on my ideas and a comprehensive analysis of my research into Blue Silver Grass, I suggest you develop in the direction of the control system. A control-system Soul Master can be called a Battle Soul Master or a Weapon Soul Master; they exist somewhere between the two."

Tang San stared blankly at Yu Xiaogang, while his head buzzed... It was just like the torment of wanting to sleep in class in his previous life but being unable to.

Seeing Tang San staring blankly at him, Yu Xiaogang assumed he hadn't understood and explained even more patiently, "A control-system Soul Master restricts opponents with their own Martial Soul to provide support or attack. Take your Blue Silver Grass, for example. Though Blue Silver Grass is inherently weak, it isn't without its strengths."

"What strengths does Blue Silver Grass have?" Hearing Yu Xiaogang call his Blue Silver Grass weak, Tang San finally brought a little of his attention back and asked the question.

"Although Blue Silver Grass itself is weak, that's precisely why it won't reject Soul Rings of any attribute." Yu Xiaogang was visibly excited, and his hands began gesturing involuntarily. "After my careful research, developing the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul in the direction of the control system is the most advantageous. Grass is flexible and can be freely controlled into all kinds of shapes. At its simplest, it can be used as a rope to bind enemies."

Yu Xiaogang continued, "So your choice of Soul Rings should focus on two aspects. The first is toughness. The other is poison. If Blue Silver Grass becomes tough and gains an Entanglement Soul Skill, trapping enemies won't be difficult. And if Blue Silver Grass has a poisonous effect, it can naturally be used to attack as well."

Yu Xiaogang paused, then went on, "If a poison Soul Ring were forcibly added to a Beast Martial Soul, the Soul Master would probably be poisoned first. But Blue Silver Grass is a very weak Martial Soul and won't reject it, so absorbing something like poison isn't difficult at all..."

Tang San couldn't bear to listen any longer. He interrupted Yu Xiaogang and said, "Teacher, I have a question."