Yu Xiaogang, Beset by Misfortune! Utterly Useless (Two-in-One)

After losing consciousness, Yu Xiaogang had been teleported to Shrek and thrown onto the ground like garbage, his whole body sprawled out like a puddle of mud.

Flender rushed over in three strides that seemed to take only two.

"Gangzi!"

"How are you? Say something!"

Yu Xiaogang struggled to open his eyes and tried to speak, but his vocal cords were damaged. Every breath felt like swallowing knives, stabbing painfully at his throat.

A healing-type Soul Master arranged by the Star Luo Empire enveloped Yu Xiaogang's body with his Martial Soul.

A long time passed.

The healing Soul Master rose to his feet. The external injuries on Yu Xiaogang's body had faded, but the incomparably ugly Luo Sanpao lying beside him could never recover.

"How is he?"

"It's not looking good. I can feel that some things inside his body have melted like butter. It's possible he'll never be able to have children."

The healing Soul Master shook his head inwardly.

Not far away,

Liu Erlong heard the devastating news and felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She stood frozen, unable to recover her senses for a long time.

Flender drew a sharp breath. He couldn't imagine how Yu Xiaogang would react when he learned the news.

"Besides that, because his Martial Soul underwent a malignant mutation, he'll never be able to use Soul Skills again. In other words, at best, he can only be an angry ordinary person."

At those words,

the faces of everyone from Shrek instantly froze.

Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang, who lay on the ground like a cripple, with a complicated expression. No one knew what he was thinking.

"At least he only can't use Soul Skills anymore. Our Golden Iron Triangle still has its combination skill, and he's still the Horn of Wisdom!"

"What!?"

"What did you say!?" The enormous shock roused Yu Xiaogang from his stupor, his voice hoarse and low.

Hearing Flender's words, he nearly passed out.

One of the few things he took pride in was that he was at least still a Soul Master. Now that he couldn't use Soul Power, how was he any different from a cripple?

The overwhelming shock made Yu Xiaogang faint from sheer anger.

This time,

a single healing Soul Master wasn't enough. Fortunately, Shrek's growing reputation had attracted quite a few highly skilled doctors.

After a thorough treatment and examination, a retired imperial physician from the Heaven Dou Empire shook his head repeatedly.

His Martial Soul was called Silver Needle, and it could penetrate the body to examine a patient's condition.

"How is he, Doctor?"

Flender asked cautiously. He had noticed that the man's expression was far from good.

The imperial physician's face was grave. He glanced at Liu Erlong and Flender and said in a low voice:

"The Grandmaster could use a Martial Soul combination skill before because he still had the Golden Sacred Dragon bloodline in his body. But when I probed deep into his body just now, I found..."

"The Radiant Sacred Dragon bloodline that should have been there has now been completely tainted. There's not the slightest trace of light left in it."

"Although the Grandmaster's Martial Soul was a pig before, it at least had a Sacred Dragon bloodline. Now... it's just an ordinary fat pig. And the worst part is, after the radiation, it looks like some unclassifiable creature, neither one thing nor another. Sigh..."

"To put it bluntly, it's just like a monster."

Hearing this,

Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened, and he pointed a trembling finger at the doctor.

My... my Sacred Dragon bloodline is gone?

Sanpao has become an ordinary fat pig?

So ugly he looks like some creature that's neither one thing nor another?

Misery!

Misery with a capital M!

At the thought, Yu Xiaogang's face turned deathly pale. He had lost the will to live, and simply gave up and fainted.

Seeing this, the doctor shook his head inwardly. "His willpower isn't even as good as some three-year-olds in Star Luo. He couldn't take it already."

Worship Hall.

"How is it? What was Xiao Xue's reply?"

Qian Daoliu looked at Demon Subduing Douluo, who waited below him.

"The young miss said she was willing to undergo the baptism of radiation. As she sensed it, the radiation was a gift from heaven, containing the power of the sun!"

Jiang Mo cupped his hands as he spoke.

"Hahaha!" Qian Daoliu laughed. "Good! Excellent!"

"As expected of my granddaughter, the Angel God's inheritor."

In the Sky Screen,

Qian Renxue stood proudly atop a mountain, a sacred look on her face and exquisite golden wings spread behind her, a golden holy sword in her hand.

One step!

Two steps!

Three steps!

In three strides, Qian Renxue went straight into the core zone. The radiation there was more than a hundred times stronger than at the outskirts. If an ordinary person stayed there for a short while, their DNA would melt like butter.

"Hah!" Qian Renxue let out a suppressed growl, her Martial Soul twisting constantly under the baptism of radiation.

One minute!

Two minutes!

Three minutes!

Qian Renxue spent a full three minutes in the core zone. Her willpower was equivalent to that of thirty Yu Xiaogangs.

[The baptism is complete.]

After the notification appeared on the Sky Screen, Qian Renxue reappeared atop the mountain.

[Qian Daoliu]: "Xiao Xue, how did it go? It looks like the mutation succeeded. As expected of my Xiao Xue."

[Bibi Dong]: "Hehe..."

[Yu Xiaogang, who had woken up]: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How many years has this girl even cultivated? How could her willpower and endurance possibly be stronger than mine?"

[Golden Crocodile Douluo]: "That's how a good-for-nothing thinks: everyone else must be inferior to him. You piece of trash, go home, wash up and go to bed."

[Demon Subduing Douluo]: "Exactly. The young miss had level-twenty Innate Full Soul Power and is the Angel God's inheritor. How could you compare to her?"

[Yu Xiaogang]: "Aaargh! Qian Daoliu, Golden Crocodile, just you wait! I'll destroy Spirit Hall no matter the cost!"

Boom!!

The Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul burst into brilliant light atop the mountain. Unlike before,

the Six-Winged Angel now gave off an air of grandeur and light throughout. Stranger still, it could absorb sunlight to replenish its power.

"Grandpa, my Martial Soul evolved! It's called the Solar Six-Winged Angel now. It has the divine power of the sun, and its attacks are stronger!"

Qian Renxue said with a smile.

Qian Daoliu: "Hahaha! Heaven intends for my Spirit Hall to prosper!"

Shrek Academy.

Sitting in a wheelchair, Yu Xiaogang looked at Qian Renxue on the Sky Screen with jealousy and resentment, then said disdainfully:

"So what if she has an Angel God? I have several gods on my side."

"Xiao San!" he called to Tang San.

"Teacher, you called for me?"

"Xiao San." Yu Xiaogang's tone became much gentler.

"You're sure to become a god in the future, so this radiation should be a piece of cake for you. If your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul can evolve, it'll be like giving a tiger wings in the future!"

"From what I've just studied and learned, radiation is the power of the sun. The sun and plants are like fish and water. If you undergo the baptism, you're sure to gain a great deal."

Tang San nodded. "All right."

I've lived two lives. My willpower was already tempered as firm as a rock when I trained with Hidden Weapons in my previous life.

A little radiation like this certainly won't stop me.

Having made up his mind, Tang San didn't hesitate. He immediately communicated with the Sky Screen.

"I want to undergo the baptism of radiation."

In the Sky Screen's radiation-filled core zone,

Tang San walked through it on foot. Compared to Qian Renxue, he went farther in, nearly as far as Chen Xin had gone for his baptism.

[Yu Xiaogang]: "Do you see that? That's my disciple Tang San, a future god! Open your dog eyes wide and watch!"

"Xiaogang, Xiaogang, look at Xiao San. Something doesn't seem right with him!" Flender warned him anxiously.

In the core zone,

Tang San clenched his teeth, his face contorted like an evil spirit's. Blood kept seeping from his body, and his bones gradually grew brittle until they could no longer support his weight and simply broke.

"This..."

"Why does it hurt so much? It feels like knives are cutting viciously into every part of my body."

"Could my willpower really be this weak?"

In less than a minute,

the severe injuries and overwhelming sense of danger caused Tang San to faint.

[Tang San's baptism has failed.]

[Qian Daoliu]: "One minute? That's your fine disciple, the future god?"

[Golden Crocodile Douluo]: "The future isn't set in stone. Perhaps your disciple won't become a god after all."

[Bibi Dong]: "If you're just like that good-for-nothing teacher of yours, don't come out and make a fool of yourself."

"..."

Across the continent, nearly all the comments were mocking. With Qian Renxue and Chen Xin's shining examples before them, Yu Xiaogang and Tang San's failures made them look like clowns.

Sea God Island.

Poseidon looked at Tang San on the Sky Screen, her brows slightly furrowed. "This isn't right. How could the inheritor Lord Sea God personally chose have such weak willpower? Something must have gone wrong."

"Could it be... that he isn't the inheritor Lord Sea God chose?"

At that thought,

Poseidon decided to keep watching. After all, if the future could be seen, that meant it could be changed.

Meanwhile,

inside Shrek Academy,

a flash of white light appeared, and the unconscious Tang San emerged.

"Xiao San."

Liu Erlong dashed forward and pulled him into her arms, carefully sensing his condition.

"This... his meridians are damaged, and his breathing is unsteady. What happened?"

Before long,

Tang San woke after receiving treatment, feeling weak all over and light-headed.

"Xiao San, how do you feel? Quickly, summon your Martial Soul and let us see."

Yu Xiaogang spoke urgently.

He was already ruined, so naturally he didn't want his disciple ruined too. Wouldn't that leave him with nothing to rely on?

Hearing this,

Tang San forced himself to endure the pain in his body and raised his right hand.

Whoosh!

A stalk of Blue Silver Grass appeared in his hand. Unlike before, nearly half of it was now a decayed black, giving off a strong stench of rot.

"This... Xiao San, is this a benign or malignant mutation?"

Flender cried out.

"Xiao San's Soul Power has fallen by three levels. By rights, his Martial Soul should have regressed, but looking at it now, I can't say for certain either." Yu Xiaogang shook his head.

In fact,

Blue Silver Grass was a plant. Under normal circumstances, plants struggled to survive in places covered by high concentrations of radiation. The two were not like fish and water at all, but like wood and fire.

If Tang San hadn't possessed the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline, his Martial Soul would likely have grown into a deformity.

"I'll try my first Soul Skill and see."

Tang San did his best to sit upright.

"Entanglement!"

Pfft!

The Blue Silver Grass vines, once smooth and reliant on their strangling force, now had numerous spikes growing over their surfaces, like writhing cacti.

"Ahahaha!"

"It worked! It worked! I really am a Grandmaster of Martial Soul Theory."

"Just as I said, if Qian Renxue could succeed, there was no reason my disciple couldn't."

Yu Xiaogang spoke, overjoyed. Judging by its attack power, Tang San's Martial Soul had mutated successfully.

Although he hadn't lasted very long, it was a benefit nonetheless.

But when Tang San closed his eyes and carefully sensed the Blue Silver Grass around him as he usually did, all he met with was rejection.

"This... my Blue Silver Grass still looks like Blue Silver Grass on the surface, but has its essence actually become another kind of plant?"

Tang San was inwardly shocked.

It was also then that he discovered his Martial Soul had gained the ability to actively release radiation.

His Martial Soul had mutated, but not all that successfully.

The price was the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline within it. Ordinary plants would have long since died out under such high concentrations of radiation; it was thanks to the Blue Silver Emperor's abundant vitality that Tang San had lasted so long.

Otherwise,

his Martial Soul would have been ruined long ago.

Tang San did not yet know that his Blue Silver Grass would be unable to advance into the Blue Silver Emperor in the future.

But seeing the smile on Yu Xiaogang's face, he was happy too.

"Thanks to your teaching, Master, my Trash Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass, is finally no longer a Trash Martial Soul."

Yu Xiaogang burst out laughing and patted Tang San on the shoulder. "Listen to me, and you can't go wrong!"

Within the Sky Screen.

At Shrek Academy, in the aftermath of the great battle, a thousand things awaited rebuilding.

The academy had suffered considerable losses, but it had collected a great number of Soul Rings from the battlefield. After being stored in specialized Soul Tools, they could be absorbed and used by students as Soul Rings in the future.

Inside a private meditation chamber for spiritual cultivation.

Xiang Bei sat cross-legged, holding a black wooden card. Gentle Spiritual Origin slowly flowed out of the surrounding walls, steadily merging into his brain.

His spiritual power increased slowly but steadily.

"Master, the Soul Beast energy from those killed on the battlefield has all been collected, but the virtual world in its current size still can't contain so much dispersed energy."

Xiao Yu's holographic image said.

"This feels wonderful!" Tian Meng swam about contentedly in the Sea of Consciousness, exclaiming:

"I never imagined there would be such a wonderful place here. If I'm not mistaken, what this place consumes should be the origin power of this Golden Tree."

"Yes, Master, I feel like I could eat three extra bowls of rice in here."

Xiao Yu snapped his fingers and conjured up red-braised pork, menzi, and three heaping bowls of rice.

Xiang Bei opened his eyes.

"Eat a little less, or you'll end up like Liangzi."

"Who's Liangzi? I just searched all the population records of Shrek, the Star Luo Empire, Heaven Dou, Sky Soul, and Sun Moon, and didn't find anyone named Liangzi," Xiao Yu replied as he ate.

After absorbing more and more of the Snow Empress's origin, and with the nourishment of the spiritual power here, Xiao Yu's intelligence had improved further.

"How long can that dispersed energy be stored at most?"

"Three days. After three days, the wills of those Soul Beasts will dissipate, and then they won't be usable for Spirit Ascension."

"I see." Xiang Bei nodded, stood up, and went to the entrance of the spiritual cultivation chamber, where he swiped the black wooden card in his hand.

It was a black card custom-made for him by the inner court, fashioned from the ancient tree's shed remains. It was the only one of its kind.

Stored on it were his more than ten million points, enough for him to sweep most of the treasures out of the inner court's treasury.

The instructor who had originally established the point reward system had never imagined that a Soul King could rack up points on such a scale.

Under normal circumstances,

only powerhouses at the Super Douluo level or above could possibly earn that many points.

But people like Xuan Zi and Mu En were either instructors or the academy head, and had no use for points.

"I'll exchange some points for raw materials and replenish the shells that were used up. And also..."

With that,

Xiang Bei looked at the sky outside. "It's time the virtual world got on the right track too."