Undead Attribute and Skull

Upon arriving at the Academy Back Mountain and climbing the slope to the summit, Xia Liang had planned to study his strengthened Undead Attribute. To his surprise, the summit he often visited had been occupied.

Twenty Senior Students stood in the middle of the summit.

The Work-Study Students from Dorm 7 were there as well.

Led by Lin Xiao, Wang Sheng, Tang San, and Xiao Wu, more than ten Work-Study Students faced off against the twenty Senior Students. The atmosphere between the two sides was tense and hostile.

Xiao Chenyu was the leader among the twenty Senior Students.

Xia Liang immediately guessed that Xiao Wu, the boss of Dorm 7, had brought Wang Sheng and the others to the Academy Back Mountain for a Duel with Xiao Chenyu and the other Noble Students. This scene had happened in the original story as well.

The Duel was currently between a Noble Student and Tang San.

A yellow Soul Ring flickered around Tang San, making it obvious that he was already a One-Ring Soul Master.

Following the original plot, Yu Xiaogang should have taken Tang San to the Soul Hunting Forest to obtain a Soul Ring.

Through a series of coincidences, master and disciple had encountered a four-hundred-year-old Mandala Snake. Yu Xiaogang could not defeat it, so he fled with Tang San.

In the end, Tang San had unleashed the Tang Sect's secret arts and Hidden Weapons to defeat the Mandala Snake.

Judging by Tang San's fighting style against that Noble Student, his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul was the same as in the original story. He had likely absorbed the Mandala Snake's Soul Ring, which was why he possessed the First Soul Skill, Entangling.

This left Xia Liang puzzled. He had previously traded his made-up theories for Yu Xiaogang's Soul Beast Compendium.

Among those fabricated theories, he had mentioned that the Poison Attribute could turn Blue Silver Grass into an extremely offensive combat Martial Soul. Its tendency to snap easily could also help it become poisonous fragments for attacking.

Logically, after obtaining that fabricated knowledge, Yu Xiaogang should have had Tang San test whether the theory was feasible.

So Tang San's Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul's First Soul Ring should have enhanced its Poison Attribute and tendency to break. How could it still be the Mandala Snake's Entangling?

Could Yu Xiaogang have already realized those theories were nonsense? Xia Liang immediately rejected that possibility. He had always believed that his fabricated theories had moved Yu Xiaogang.

Tang San had not added Deadly Poison and breakability to his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul. Most likely, they had happened to encounter the four-hundred-year Mandala Snake Soul Ring, so Yu Xiaogang had him absorb it first.

Xia Liang did not care much about this outcome. He was not obsessed with screwing over Tang San, nor did he care whether Yu Xiaogang believed those fabricated theories.

His main purpose back then had been to trade for Soul Beast Knowledge. Now that he had Yu Xiaogang's Soul Beast Compendium, his goal had been achieved.

"A Liang?" Wang Sheng's voice suddenly rang out. "Are you A Liang?"

The Work-Study Students led by Xiao Wu all turned toward him with surprised looks.

Xia Liang's face was pale and gaunt, and his appearance and temperament had changed drastically from before. He had also grown much taller and become more solidly built, so it was easy to mistake him for someone else.

Tang San and the Noble Student suddenly stopped fighting and looked in Xia Liang's direction as well.

Faced with everyone's puzzled gazes, Xia Liang smiled.

"It really is you?" Wang Sheng ran over to Xia Liang, his eyes full of disbelief. "A Liang, weren't you quite handsome before? How did you suddenly turn into such a ghostly mess?"

"Oh, right. Didn't you go with Teacher Mo to obtain a Soul Ring? Are you already a Soul Master?"

"Yeah. I got lucky and obtained a Hundred-Year Soul Ring." As he spoke, Xia Liang glanced at Xiao Chenyu's group, then looked toward Xiao Wu's side and feigned ignorance. "Are you having a Duel?"

"Of course. Sister Xiao Wu said she'd lead us in beating up those Noble Students who bully us all day." Wang Sheng excitedly raised his fist. "A Liang, join us too. With Tang San, Sister Xiao Wu, and you, we'll have three Soul Masters on our side. We'll definitely beat Xiao Chenyu and the others until they piss themselves!"

At those words, the twenty people led by Xiao Chenyu huddled together in fright. Tang San alone had already beaten them into retreat after retreat. If there were another Soul Master with a Hundred-Year Soul Ring, would that not spell the end for the Noble Students? "We Work-Study Students can't keep getting bullied," Tang San said as he looked at Xia Liang. "They bullied you too, didn't they? If you join, I can give you my place."

"No. Although I've obtained my First Soul Ring, my Martial Soul is still useless apart from defense. Rather than have me go up there and get beaten, it's better to leave it to you."

As he spoke, Xia Liang probed, "Tang San, how does your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul have such powerful combat ability? I saw it just now. Your opponent had no room to fight back at all. Isn't Blue Silver Grass supposed to be a Waste Martial Soul?"

"There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters. Nothing in this world is impossible. If you have a famous teacher to guide your cultivation, even a Skeleton Martial Soul won't be limited to Rib Defense."

After hearing this, Xia Liang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed this Tang San had just transmigrated from the Tang Sect, rather than being the reincarnation of Tang San, the God King from Dou Five.

After all, God King Tang San could not possibly regard Yu Xiaogang as a famous teacher, much less have Blue Silver Grass absorb the Poison Attribute Soul Ring of a Mandala Snake again.

"Xia Liang, if you're not joining the Duel, then go back," Xiao Wu said, standing among the Work-Study Students with her hands on her hips. A proud smile appeared on her delicate face. "We've claimed this place. We'll beat Xiao Chenyu and the others up for you."

"Alright. Thanks." With that response, Xia Liang turned and walked down the slope.

He did not join the Duel because he did not want to reveal the Skeleton Martial Soul's abilities.

Both Xiao Wu and Tang San were here. Who knew whether Tang Hao was watching from somewhere nearby?

The original story had said that Tang Hao had a grudge against Spirit Hall. If he discovered that Xia Liang was a Living Dead like Ghost Douluo, an Elder of Spirit Hall, it would definitely bring unnecessary trouble.

He had better stay out of these meaningless conflicts.

In a few days, once his application for Early Graduation was approved, he could leave Nuoding Academy and escape Tang Hao's surveillance. After that, he would no longer need to hide the Undead Attribute of his Skeleton Martial Soul while cultivating.

At that thought, Xia Liang instantly felt much more at ease.

The next day, nine o'clock at night.

Nuoding Academy, Academy Back Mountain.

Ever since Xiao Wu had led the Dorm 7 Work-Study Students in their Duel against Xiao Chenyu and the others at the summit, Xia Liang had given up that cultivation spot.

He found a secluded place on the back mountain and used meditation to conduct a certain experiment.

He had maintained an intensely focused state for an hour. Xia Liang sat cross-legged on the ground, and though he was meditating, he looked as if he were under tremendous pressure. Beads of sweat kept sliding down his pale, thin face.

Three minutes later.

Xia Liang suddenly opened his eyes as if waking from a dream, gasping for breath.

Before him, a mass of Black-Purple Ghost Fire abruptly scattered and vanished.

After resting for a moment and steadying his mental state, Xia Liang shook his head with difficulty. Just now, he had been trying to combine the Black-Purple Ghost Fire, Spiritual Power, and Soul Power into the form of a Skull.

The Undead Attribute attached to his Skeleton Martial Soul had grown stronger. It could now give the summoned Black-Purple Ghost Fire a humanoid form and a certain degree of sentience.

If he could transform the Black-Purple Ghost Fire into the shape of a Skull, it could not only be used to search for Soul Beasts, but also to attack or interfere with enemies.

Unfortunately, turning the Black-Purple Ghost Fire into a Skull was simply as difficult as ascending to heaven.

That was because the structures of Black-Purple Ghost Fire and a Skull were worlds apart.

Black-Purple Ghost Fire was like a small flame, simple in form. It could be created without the support of immense Spiritual Power and Soul Power.

A Skull, by comparison, was as complex as the structure of a human brain. To shape a complete Skull, he would not only need a sufficiently powerful Undead Attribute to assist him, but would also have to consume far more Soul Power and Spiritual Power.