Suspicion

Under such a gaze, Ye Xinyu could not help feeling uncomfortable. She turned her face slightly aside, avoiding Tang San's sharp eyes that seemed capable of seeing through everything, and said with a hint of panic.

"Hello, my name is Ye Xinyu. I'm a Support-type Soul Master, and I just enrolled today."

At that, Tang San's brows furrowed slightly. He could not help feeling surprised. Was this another Innate Full Soul Power?

Hadn't the teacher said Innate Full Soul Power was extremely rare? Why were there so many in this small border town?

Including Xiao Wu and himself, that made three people with Innate Full Soul Power. If this were a big city, there were probably even more, weren't there?

Before Ye Xinyu could answer, Xiao Wu eagerly cut in. She waved her hands, her face full of excitement.

"Xiao San, forget that. I arranged a fight with someone tomorrow. I was worried that Xiaoyu was a support-type and wouldn't be much use in a fight, so our chances of winning weren't high. I didn't expect you to come back just after getting your soul ring."

Though the difference in combat power between low-level Soul Masters was not especially obvious, Support-type Soul Masters were an exception. Although this newcomer, Ye Xinyu, had already obtained a soul ring—

She had avoided fighting in the dormitory and kept backing down at the cafeteria. Even now, she had never released her martial soul. There was no need to think about it: her soul ring's age definitely was not very high, and its support effects probably were not very strong. That was why she had kept making excuses.

Otherwise, if she had a high-level soul ring, any normal person would show it off every day. Why would they hide it?

Just like Xiao Chenyu and those people—so arrogant. If she did not go up there and beat them up, how could Sister Xiao Wu remain the boss of Dormitory Seven?

Besides, considering how Xiao Chenyu had been fawning over Ye Xinyu, if she did not display her strength, even her position as the boss might be taken away someday. She absolutely could not tolerate that.

"Soul rings..." Thinking of the white soul rings on his two martial souls, bitterness surfaced on Tang San's face. His lips pressed tightly together, and his brows knitted deeply. Everything had been fine when he left. Why had things turned out like this?

They said one did not use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken, but the people from Spirit Hall were simply too absurd.

He only had level ten Soul Power, yet Spirit Hall had sent Titled Douluo in their nineties to deal with him. It was as ridiculous as the Tang Sect's leader personally assassinating a cripple.

"Xiao San, stop dragging your feet. Are you in or not?"

Xiao Wu stamped her foot, her eyes wide as she urged him anxiously.

After taking a deep breath, Tang San finally spoke slowly.

"Fine. But how many of them are there? Roughly how strong are they, and what are their martial souls?"

Although bullying children would be easy enough with martial arts alone, after facing Xiao Wu, he had realized that the power of martial souls could not be underestimated either.

Hearing that, Xiao Wu froze for a moment, then sheepishly shrank her neck and said awkwardly.

"Well... I was too busy being angry at the time. I didn't think to ask."

Tang San shook his head helplessly.

"Xiao Wu, if you want to fight, you should at least learn about your opponent first. You don't know anything, yet you want to fight them. That puts you at a huge disadvantage, understand?"

Xiao Wu pouted, folded her arms over her chest, and said defiantly.

"What's there to be afraid of? Even if they've cultivated a few more years than I have, they're only in their teens at most. At the same level, I definitely won't lose."

Tang San frowned, feeling rather helpless. Then he stared intently at Xiao Wu, his eyes full of surprise.

"At the same level? Does that mean you've already obtained a soul ring too?"

Xiao Wu blinked her lively eyes and said playfully.

"Of course. Your Sister Xiao Wu is now a level-twelve Assault-type Battle Soul Master."

As she spoke, Xiao Wu could not help asking.

"Xiao San, you must have obtained a suitable soul ring too, right? How many years is it, and what level are you now?"

Tang San's face darkened. Those two soul rings that were not even ten years old felt like thorns lodged in his heart.

He took a deep breath and tried hard to calm his restless emotions before speaking slowly.

"Level ten."

"Level ten? Xiao San, how is that possible?" Xiao Wu's face was full of disbelief, her mouth hanging wide open.

Ye Xinyu, standing beside them, also gave Tang San a suspicious look, her face filled with confusion.

"That's right. When a soul ring is absorbed, the energy within it is converted into Soul Power, and it usually lets a Soul Master advance several levels. It's impossible not to improve at all unless the absorbed soul ring is too low-aged."

Tang San's expression changed slightly. He spoke calmly, though a trace of unwillingness flashed through his eyes.

"That's right. Just as you said, the soul ring my martial soul absorbed was too low-aged, so the Soul Power it provided wasn't enough for me to level up."

As soon as he said that, Ye Xinyu froze as well. Her eyes widened, her face full of disbelief. Tang San was not some weakling like her—he was someone with real combat experience. If she remembered correctly, Tang San seemed to have solo-killed a Mandala Snake more than four hundred years old.

"W-why? I heard Grandmaster was with you, wasn't he? Grandmaster should know very well about the absorption limits for Soul Masters. How could he let you absorb a low-level soul ring?"

Tang San shook his head. When he spoke, there was a suppressed anger in his voice.

"The teacher had indeed planned for me to absorb a Mandala Snake over four hundred years old. But two people from Spirit Hall came and forced me to absorb a ten-year soul ring. There was nothing I could do."

Xiao Wu said indignantly, her little face red with anger. "Spirit Hall? They're too awful! You had no grudge against them, yet they actually made you absorb a ten-year soul ring!"

Tang San shook his head slightly, his expression grave. "Enough, Xiao Wu. The more you say, the more likely you are to slip up. Don't mention this again."

Holy crap, who was bold enough to force God King Tang to absorb a ten-year soul ring?

"Um, how are you sure they were from Spirit Hall? Do you know them?"

Tang San said blandly.

"My teacher personally said that one of them was Spirit Hall's Elder Ju, while the other seemed to be Elder Gui."

"Ah, them?"

Ye Xinyu was startled as well, then quickly came to a realization.

Could I have been wrong? Were the people from Spirit Hall actually hunting Tang Hao all along?

Then should I find time to report this to Spirit Hall?

No, that isn't right. If it really were a hunt, Tang San, a level-ten Soul Master, wouldn't have been able to return alive against Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo, even with Grandmaster at level twenty-nine.

Not even Tang Hao could have done it.

She knew that Tang Hao's injuries at this point were so severe that he was practically on the verge of death. He was relying entirely on Soul Power to suppress his internal injuries. Once he fought, the best possible outcome would be mutual destruction.

But without Ring Detonation, a heavily injured Tang Hao simply could not defeat Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo.

Yet if he used Ring Detonation, Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo could directly restrain him with their domain. Three seconds later, if the energy from Ring Detonation was not released in time, Tang Hao would blow himself up.

Although the energy from Ring Detonation faintly approached god-level, it had ultimately not reached that level—let alone when Tang Hao was seriously injured.

Against a domain that could imprison anyone below god-level, he was completely countered.

What exactly is going on? My head is such a mess.

"You know them?" Tang San's eyes locked tightly onto Ye Xinyu.