Crippling Yu Xiaogang

Yu Xiaogang fell straight to the ground, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Behind him, Zhang Lang's body twisted before transforming into Luo Ling's appearance.

Under the control of the Darkness Thread, the Raven Shadow Puppet moved as naturally as if it were controlling its own body. It was unbelievable; not a single flaw had been exposed before Yu Xiaogang.

The office door opened, and the real Luo Ling walked in. He approached Yu Xiaogang step by step, then crouched beside him.

"Yu Xiaogang, did you ever think I was still alive?"

"I never expected that merely hearing you talk about plagiarizing Spirit Hall would make you want to murder someone to keep them quiet. Just how pathetic is your self-esteem?"

Luo Ling spoke softly, but Yu Xiaogang lay motionless on the floor, still unconscious.

Looking at the unconscious Yu Xiaogang, Luo Ling forcibly suppressed the urge to kill him outright.

Sometimes, death was also a release. He wanted Yu Xiaogang to suffer a fate worse than death!

Getting to his feet, Luo Ling returned outside, dragged Zhang Lang's corpse in through the doorway, and placed it beside Yu Xiaogang.

What Yu Xiaogang cared about most was his reputation. That much was obvious from how he had claimed Spirit Hall's materials as his own.

A useless man who had achieved nothing in Martial Souls could only publish plagiarized theories to preserve his pathetic self-esteem.

A terrifying smile appeared on Luo Ling's face. He swiftly stripped Zhang Lang and Yu Xiaogang of their clothes, then arranged them together into an indecent scene.

But that still wasn't enough!

His gaze turned sinister as he looked at the tiny thing between Yu Xiaogang's legs.

Lifting his foot, he stomped down viciously on Yu Xiaogang's groin. In an instant, that tiny thing became a puddle of mangled flesh.

Yu Xiaogang awoke from his coma with a miserable scream, but before he could react, the Raven Shadow Puppet struck him heavily again and knocked him unconscious.

"Consider that interest!" Luo Ling sneered coldly at Yu Xiaogang, who had fallen unconscious once more, before ransacking the office for anything valuable.

Sounds came from above the office. Yu Xiaogang's scream seemed to have drawn others over. Seeing this, Luo Ling did not linger and turned to leave.

"This is only the beginning, Yu Xiaogang..."

"Judging by the time, Tang San should be arriving at Notting Academy soon. Don't you want to teach a genius disciple and prove yourself? Then I'll destroy Tang San!"

Luo Ling's whisper echoed through the darkness.

The target was not just the culprit, but everyone connected to him.

Even though Tang San had yet to become Yu Xiaogang's disciple, Luo Ling had already set his sights on him!

Ten minutes later, shouts came from outside the office.

"Grandmaster, did something happen?"

The door was slowly pushed open. When the female teacher who entered saw the scene before her, she let out an ear-splitting scream.

The sky gradually brightened as the night passed.

The next day, as Luo Ling walked through the streets of Notting City, he occasionally heard rumors about Grandmaster.

In just one night, Grandmaster's name had spread throughout Notting City.

Grandmaster had been famous before, but now he was even more famous.

"Did you hear? Yesterday, Notting Academy's Grandmaster and a man were found naked in his office!"

"Of course I heard! My distant nephew is at Notting Academy, and lots of people saw it! I heard Grandmaster was crippled too!"

"What's so special about that? I heard Grandmaster was cultivating an Evil Skill through men. The naked man found in Grandmaster's office was drained of his Life Force and died!"

Listening to the discussions around him, Luo Ling, the one responsible for it all, did not care in the slightest. He casually headed toward the city gates.

The reason he had stripped Zhang Lang's corpse and placed it beside Yu Xiaogang was to ruin Grandmaster's reputation.

For a theoretical Grandmaster who had been unable to break through for years, wasn't it perfectly reasonable for him to turn to cultivating an Evil Skill?

This would lay the groundwork for Grandmaster to become an Evil Soul Master.

A wicked smile appeared on Luo Ling's face. He then boarded a carriage bound for Emperor Soul Village.

Sitting in the carriage and looking at the scenery outside, Luo Ling contemplated his plans for the future.

Destroying Yu Xiaogang was not something that could be done overnight. Notting City was merely a small place, not enough to completely ruin Grandmaster's reputation.

"It would be best if I could make my move during the future All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament..."

"I'll make Tang San and Yu Xiaogang be recognized as Evil Soul Masters during the tournament!"

"Tang San's External Soul Bone Eight Spider Lances can devour Life Force and Soul Power. I can start from that angle!"

His fingers tapped against the edge of the carriage window as thoughts raced through Luo Ling's mind.

"I can seize the Immortal Herbs first. Without them, Tang San might choose to rely on the Eight Spider Lances to increase his strength."

"Right! There's also the Blue Silver Emperor Seed and Soul Bone near Holy Soul Village. I need to find a chance to take those too!"

"Tang San, don't blame me for being ruthless. If you want to blame someone, blame Yu Xiaogang..." Luo Ling muttered, turning to look in another direction beyond Notting City, where Holy Soul Village was located.

An hour later, the carriage arrived at Emperor Soul Village.

Luo Ling had returned to the place where he had grown up.

He had been adopted by the village chief, but the village chief had died a month ago, just when Luo Ling obtained his first Soul Ring and became a Soul Master.

The Old Village Chief's health had never been good. Perhaps it was his obsession with nurturing a Soul Master for the village that had kept him alive until Luo Ling became one.

Standing at the village entrance, Luo Ling looked in the direction of the Old Village Chief's grave. After seeing him one last time, he planned to leave Notting City for Heaven Dou City to seek out the Immortal Herbs.

Just as Luo Ling was about to head deeper into the village, a shout came from ahead.

"Catch the thief! Someone stole something!"

A figure dressed entirely in black burst out of a house ahead, clutching a bundle.

Luo Ling's expression tightened slightly. Though he had not interacted much with the other villagers while living in Emperor Soul Village, this was still the place where he had grown up.

He was about to act when a black crow appeared on his shoulder.

But at that moment, a breeze suddenly swept past Luo Ling, and a girl rushed forward.

"You thief, stop right there!"

The girl let out a sharp cry and leaped out like a rabbit. Her long legs wrapped around the thief's body, and she kicked him flying.

The villagers ahead were all stunned. They seemed unable to imagine that such a delicate, doll-like little girl could be so violent.

Luo Ling also looked at the girl who had taken down the thief, surprise appearing on his face.

The girl ahead was extremely cute. She wore a long scorpion-tail braid, and her cherry-red eyes were especially distinctive.

Almost instantly, Luo Ling recognized her identity—Xiao Wu!

To think he would meet Xiao Wu here... Luo Ling's eyes flickered slightly.

Xiao Wu was Tang San's future Asura Sword sheath. Since he planned to destroy Tang San, he naturally could not hand Xiao Wu over to him again!

Though Tang San might not even live long enough to become a god...

Smiling indifferently, Luo Ling stepped forward and struck up a conversation with Xiao Wu as though they were already familiar. "Was that move you used just now some kind of technique?"

Xiao Wu turned around, and a hint of surprise appeared in her eyes when she saw Luo Ling.

It had to be said that Luo Ling's appearance after his second awakening was flawless. His silver hair gave him an otherworldly air.

"This is called Supple Skill. It's a skill that uses the body's softness and toughness," Xiao Wu said after hesitating for a moment.

"Supple Skill? It sounds pretty impressive. Mm, my name is Luo Ling. Can we be friends?" Luo Ling nodded, maintaining his smile.

"My name is Xiao Wu, Wu as in dancing!" Xiao Wu instinctively gave her name, her cheeks flushing faintly.

For some reason, she felt inexplicably close to the boy before her.

"Little girl! Thank you for helping us catch the thief. Are you a Soul Master?" At that moment, the Emperor Soul Village chief and a group of villagers finally gathered around them.

"I... I'm not a Soul Master yet." Xiao Wu cautiously glanced at Luo Ling before turning to answer the village chief.

"Then are you one of the new students heading to Notting City's Notting Academy this year?" the village chief asked again.

"Notting Academy?" Xiao Wu frowned, clearly not understanding what the village chief was talking about.

She had only recently left the Star Dou Great Forest and knew little about the human world.

"It's Notting Academy in Notting City. Every year, children from nearby who awaken Soul Power go there to study."

Luo Ling stepped forward and explained, "You can enroll there with certification from Spirit Hall, though it usually costs money!"

"Costs money?" Xiao Wu's brows furrowed even tighter.

"Yes." Luo Ling chuckled and stepped extremely close to Xiao Wu. Suddenly bending down, he whispered, "Didn't you come to human society to cultivate quickly? It's a good choice."

Luo Ling's words carried another meaning in Xiao Wu's ears. The words "human society" made the hairs on her body stand on end.

"What are you talking about?" Xiao Wu involuntarily backed away several steps, asking in a panic.

"What do you think I'm talking about, Little Rabbit?" Luo Ling remained where he was, smiling, yet making Xiao Wu feel a chill run through her entire body.