Urashima Taro

"First, the Soul Beast's body can't be left here. Otherwise, Notting Academy would definitely reclaim the corpse of a Hundred-Year Soul Beast. It can just happen to serve as Ryotaro's nutritional meal."

"Second, we need to create traces of a battle!"

As a professional in this field, Soaga could easily forge battle traces—not just between a person and a turtle, but even between two turtles or two people.

"Then there's our appearance. Ryotaro's and my clothes can't look too clean."

Soaga smeared bits of grass and dirt from the ground over himself and Ryotaro, naturally making sure they matched the battle traces he had created.

"This should be about enough. All that's left is Ryotaro."

Having quickly handled everything as a professional, Soaga naturally turned to look at Ryotaro.

Ryotaro was not slow either and soon woke up.

However, unlike his usual self, the timid Ryotaro now wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses, and an extra lock of blue hair had appeared among the bangs on his forehead.

"Urashima Taro, reporting!"

"Will you take my bait?"

Blue Ryotaro gave a wicked smile.

"Alright, Urashima Taro, stop fooling around for now. I'll leave it to you another time."

Ryotaro instantly regained control of his body.

"Alright, Senior Soaga, everything here has been arranged. Let's go."

"Mm."

And so, while Tang San was still lost in Soul Hunting Forest, searching for traces of Soaga and Ryotaro, the two had long since left. One wondered what Tang San would do if he learned the news.

"Sigh, why is this child so fixated on that Ryotaro?"

Tang Hao could not help sighing as he watched Tang San continue searching for Ryotaro and Soaga.

"Since I'm already here, I might as well help him out."

Tang Hao had recognized at first glance that Xiao Wu was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, so his original thought of making her Tang San's Soul Ring was quickly dismissed based on his own experience.

As everyone knew, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring could generally only be absorbed as the ninth Soul Ring. So even if Xiao Wu were killed now, Tang San would not be able to absorb the Soul Ring immediately. By the time Tang San became a Titled Douluo, based on Tang Hao's own experience, he would be at least nearly forty years old.

Thus, Tang Hao feared that Tang San would repeat his own mistakes and that Xiao Wu might be exposed during that time. The best option was to bring the two together and let them develop feelings for each other.

If Xiao Wu were discovered before Tang San became a Titled Douluo, Tang Hao believed that, given Xiao Wu's feelings for Tang San, she could easily sacrifice herself, allowing Tang San to obtain a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone that the entire continent would envy even while his soul power was still very low.

This was all experience Tang Hao had personally learned through his own life.

Therefore, when Xiao Wu began showing interest in Ryotaro, Tang Hao sensed that something was wrong. So when Tang San had prepared to get rid of Ryotaro, Tang Hao did not mind even if that meant there would be two people, including a Soul Master Academy teacher.

But who would have thought that something Tang Hao had considered certain would end with Tang San losing track of them? Fearing that Tang San might be attacked by Soul Beasts here, he had kept following Tang San, only to find that Tang San himself was wandering around like a headless fly without finding anything.

So Tang Hao could only make another move with his old bones.

Using the overwhelming soul power of a Titled Douluo, Tang Hao searched the area and its surroundings for traces of battle and movement.

Sure enough, a Titled Douluo's efforts were not wasted. Tang Hao finally found figures that seemed to belong to the two of them, as well as the battlefield they had passed through.

Tang Hao then understood that the two had simply come to Soul Hunting Forest, found a Soul Beast, killed it to obtain a Soul Ring, and left.

Tang Hao had also learned a little about Ryotaro. This child, who possessed level-six Innate Soul Power, had a Martial Soul consisting of several clumps of talking sand.

But based on Tang Hao's scan, that sand Martial Soul had absorbed a water-element Water Turtle as its Soul Ring.

While a hundred-year Soul Ring was indeed rare in a small place like Notting City, in Tang Hao's eyes, Ryotaro's future was basically finished.

Tang Hao could only sigh. Tang San, you need to do your best and win Xiao Wu over.

Thus, Tang Hao used his soul power to guide Tang San toward the place where the two had fought.

Tang San somehow did not grow suspicious either, slowly following the traces Tang Hao had left behind.

"This, this is..."

Tang San touched the footprints on the ground.

"There's a water source nearby, and these are turtle tracks. Judging by their size, it should have been a hundred-year Water Turtle."

"I remember that the teacher who took Ryotaro out seemed to have a sword Martial Soul and was in his twenties. So the sword marks here and the signs of collision with the Water Turtle match up as well."

"I was wondering why I couldn't find the two of them. I thought he had some grand ambition, but in the end, he merely picked a Hundred-Year Soul Beast from the outskirts and casually absorbed it as his Soul Ring."

"Haha, only in a little place like this."

Although Tang San was overjoyed inside, he could barely suppress the smugness on his face.

Forcing down his delight, Tang San left Soul Hunting Forest at a leisurely pace, his steps light with joy.

"Ryotaro, your first Soul Ring is a hundred-year one?"

Wang Sheng looked at Ryotaro with envy.

"Not really. Teacher and I had only just entered Soul Hunting Forest when we happened to encounter that hundred-year Water Turtle. Luckily, Teacher was strong enough to defeat it, and I absorbed it."

Ryotaro spoke with a shy expression.

"How many hundreds of years is it, exactly? Can you show us?"

Wang Sheng asked enviously.

"I'm not too sure, but mine is only the third Hundred Year Soul Ring in our dorm. Tang San's was the first Hundred Year one."

Ryotaro casually steered the conversation toward Tang San.

Tang San merely left the dorm without paying them any attention.

After Tang San left, Ryotaro watched his departing figure and smiled faintly. A breeze swept past, lifting that lock of azure hair in the wind.

As Tang San went downstairs, he spotted Xiao Wu playing by herself and walked over.

"Third Brother, where did you go all day? Ryotaro went hunting soul beasts, and you disappeared too."

Xiao Wu pouted, wearing an expression that clearly said she was upset and needed comforting.

"Sorry, Xiao Wu. I went to the Blacksmith Shop today to make some things. I happened to have something for you."

Tang San knew that Xiao Wu liked gifts, so he deliberately gave her something he had prepared in advance.

"Ah, thank you, Third Brother!"

Xiao Wu accepted it without even caring what Tang San had given her.

Then Xiao Wu followed Tang San and continued chatting about all sorts of things.

"Third Brother, we haven't sparred in a long time. How about it? Want to have a match?"

"But let's agree first—the loser has to treat the winner to a meal!"

Xiao Wu said with a mischievous grin.

"Alright!"

Thus, unsurprisingly, Xiao Wu won the match. Tang San naturally bought her food with a "heartbroken" expression.

Xiao Wu's fondness for Tang San rose to first place in her heart once again.

Where neither of them could see, at an upstairs window, Ryotaro—no, it should have been Urashima Taro—watched Tang San and Xiao Wu.

"Although stealing something caught on someone else's hook isn't my principle, this Xiao Wu has been caught by far too many hooks, hasn't she?"

Urashima Taro narrowed his eyes as he looked at the hooks on Xiao Wu.

Some came from Tang San, some from the unknown powerful figure who had followed Tang San that day, some from the distant forest, and there were even... some from the sky!

Yet there were none from himself—or rather, none from Ryotaro!

"Interesting!"

It was also the first time Urashima Taro had seen such a situation.