The Rich Second-Gen's Sixteenth Day

"That doesn't sound like the noise made by a clash of spirit skills. The one leading Spirit Hall's group is only a Soul Emperor," Flender said.

"A Soul Emperor hunting a spirit ring for the Holy Son? Is the Holy Son's status really that low?" Ma Hongjun asked in confusion, unable to stop himself from interrupting.

"It's not that the Holy Son's status is low. Spirit Hall has a rule: only Soul Sages may apply for a Titled Douluo to participate in hunting spirit rings," Master explained. "Should we go take a look?"

Flender looked at the children.

"Go. Of course we're going," Dai Mubai stepped forward. "Without courage, what kind of spirit master would you be?"

The others nodded as well, and the group retraced their path.

Too tragic. That was everyone's first reaction upon seeing the scene.

This had still been their campsite that morning, yet in a single day it had become like this. The ground was littered with scattered human limbs and chunks of flesh, along with fragmented remains of spirit beasts. Traces left by blood and flames intertwined, while a pungent smoky smell filled the air.

"This structure looks rather like that of the Bloodthirsty Demonic Flame Spider. Cousin, what do you think?" Ming Sui pointed it out to Tang San. After all, Tang San had only recently completed a dissection assignment.

"It is indeed a Bloodthirsty Demonic Flame Spider." Tang San frowned. Why had it exploded?

After examining the scene, everyone fell silent.

"Besides its demonic flame attribute, the Bloodthirsty Demonic Flame Spider has another specialty: its Spiritual Power is especially formidable," Xiao Wu added. "It looks like a ten-thousand-year Bloodthirsty Demonic Flame Spider blew itself up."

By then, Ma Hongjun and Oscar had finished gathering the identity tokens. "Teacher, we found one Soul Emperor token, three Soul King tokens, nine Soul Elder tokens, and eighteen ordinary tokens. And this should be the Holy Son Token you mentioned."

Master examined them one by one and sighed. "All of their identity tokens are indeed here. If Xiao Wu is right, then this ten-thousand-year Bloodthirsty Demonic Flame Spider used its powerful Spiritual Power to self-destruct. None of these people escaped." His expression turned grave. Tang San had just absorbed a Bloodthirsty Demonic Flame Spider's spirit ring as well—and it had been absorbed after they tortured the beast to death.

Everyone turned to look at Tang San. Fear rising in her heart, Ming Sui immediately took out a communication Soul Tool to contact her parents. He had to be checked at once; if there were any aftereffects, they could quickly find a solution. At that moment, Flender, Zhao Wuji, and Master all supported Ming Sui's decision to call for help.

Ming Zhen and Tang Yunhua, who were already on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest and had noticed the strange sound of an explosion, received the message. At first, they sighed in relief. The children could still send messages, so they seemed to be fine. But when they saw that something had happened to Tang San, they went numb.

Tang Yunhua and Ming Zhen nearly burst into tears. Her second brother's family had been destroyed, and this was all that remained of his bloodline.

Seeing that there was nothing left at the site, the Shrek group cleaned up a little before heading back to set up camp and wait for Ming Zhen and Tang Yunhua. An explosion had just occurred here, and the powerful Soul Power fluctuations meant no spirit beasts dared approach. Everyone hurried their pace, unwilling to remain in this living hell any longer.

Master had already come to a conclusion.

"Your Excellencies." Everyone greeted Ming Zhen and Tang Yunhua. The couple nodded at them. "What happened? What do you mean, there's a bit of trouble?"

"We went to investigate that explosion. Spirit Hall's people were hunting a ten-thousand-year Bloodthirsty Demonic Flame Spider, but unexpectedly, it blew itself up. None of the thirty-one people escaped. They were all blown to pieces, including Spirit Hall's Holy Son and a Soul Emperor."

"Holy Son Moro?" Ming Zhen was puzzled. His intelligence indicated that Moro had already been abandoned.

"It was him. He was the one who needed to hunt a spirit ring. Coincidentally, we encountered a Bloodthirsty Demonic Flame Spider yesterday afternoon." Flender told Ming Zhen and Tang Yunhua about what had happened that afternoon.

Ming Sui frowned and placed her hand against Tang San's back. "Relax. Don't resist my Soul Power."

Tang San only felt a warm current enter through his back, and his entire body relaxed. The current flowed through his meridians, with part of it reaching his ribs and entering the newly formed thing attached there.

Everyone watched Ming Zhen nervously. Tang San found it a little amusing, yet his heart felt warm.

A quarter of an hour later, Ming Zhen's expression relaxed. He ruffled Tang San's hair. "Good kid. You really do have some luck."

Everyone understood that it was not a bad thing and sighed in relief.

Ming Zhen secretly transmitted his voice to Tang San. "This is a great opportunity. Do you mind if I explain it in front of everyone? Think carefully. It may affect your life and safety."

Tang San nodded. After all this time, he had come to accept these teachers and classmates.

"There is a rule when hunting spirit rings. Two states before a spirit beast dies can give a spirit master a certain chance of gaining an extraordinary harvest. One is an extremely tragic death, where the spirit beast is filled with resentment before it dies. The other is a willing death," Ming Zhen explained.

"A spirit bone," Master blurted out.

"That's right. Yesterday, these children vented their anger, causing the first Bloodthirsty Demonic Flame Spider to die filled with resentment. Yet its Spiritual Power was inferior to Tang San's, leaving it unable to retaliate. In its grief and fury, it produced a spirit bone." Ming Zhen looked at the children. "You all know about spirit bones. As for what kind of spirit bone Tang San has obtained and what it does, you can discover that yourselves."

"Then did those people from Spirit Hall torture spirit beasts to death in order to increase the chance of spirit bones appearing?" Ming Sui asked.

"That is certainly the case." The smile on Ming Zhen's face was cold. "Spirit Hall was the one that published this research."

Xiao Wu's expression worsened.

Tang San quietly said to Ming Zhen, "Uncle, before the Emerald Angel dispersed yesterday, there was a streak of golden light—"

Before he could finish, Ming Zhen interrupted him. "Good child, Sui Sui is fine. Don't worry." Smiling faintly, he looked toward Ming Sui. The girl was talking to Xiao Wu, whose face had gone pale. "Thank you for caring about Sui Sui. Her martial soul is unusual, so I'll have to trouble you to keep an eye on her in the future."

Tang San froze. "I will."

The greatest crisis had become an opportunity, and everyone's mood improved somewhat. Spirit Hall's group had been arrogant and overbearing, yet they had met such an end. It also sounded an alarm for the Shrek Seven Devils.

Seeing that the atmosphere was no longer as tense as before, Ma Hongjun ran over to Oscar. "Little Ao, Little Ao, let's treat the two Your Excellencies to a meal."

Oscar looked toward Dai Mubai, who had already heard him. Dai Mubai nodded with feigned composure. He was a devoted fan of Ming Zhen, after all.

The clever little Ma Hongjun ran over to Tang Yunhua, who was petting Nian Nian. "Your Excellency, we would like to invite you and Saint Light Your Excellency to a meal. Oscar is a very good cook. We hope the two of you will honor us with your presence." His voice was eight degrees sweeter than when he spoke to Flender.

"What a fake sweet-talker," Ning Rongrong complained. Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu also looked utterly unable to bear it.

Ming Sui suppressed the discomfort in her stomach. "Mom?"

"Then thank you, everyone. You can just call me Auntie. You're all Sui Sui's good friends." Tang Yunhua smiled.

Ma Hongjun winked at Oscar, then continued chatting and joking with Tang Yunhua, making her burst into laughter. Ming Zhen, who had been speaking with Tang San, looked toward his wife with an unreadable expression. It felt as though someone was stealing his wife away. Flender remained expressionless. This was not his disciple; whoever wanted him could have him.

After a carefully prepared lunch by Oscar, the children, who had endured repeated beatings, began cultivating. The teachers watched from the side. Ming Zhen thanked Flender. This trip had made the children much more sensible. As a city lord, he was pleased by the growth of the forces under his command; as a father and uncle, he was proud of his own children's progress.

Tang Yunhua, meanwhile, called Xiao Wu aside to speak with her.

"You've been through a lot recently. Are you all right?" She looked at Xiao Wu with pity.

"Thank you, Aunt Tang." Xiao Wu had barely managed to hold herself together, but under Tang Yunhua's gentleness, she could no longer endure it. "I'm just a little scared." Her voice choked with sobs.

Tang Yunhua stroked Xiao Wu's head. "Anything can happen in this world. Human spirit masters may torture spirit beasts to death, or they may only hunt evil spirit beasts. Spirit beasts may also kill human spirit masters in return. Xiao Wu, you must remember your position."

Even Xiao Wu's rabbit ears drooped. "I-I know, b-but I'm still... still scared."

Tang Yunhua silently sighed. The Emerald Angel mother and daughter had reminded Xiao Wu of herself and her mother.

"Before we came out this time, A'tu asked me to bring you something." Tang Yunhua wiped Xiao Wu's tears and handed her a box.

"Th-thank you, Aunt Tang." Xiao Wu accepted it and opened it. Inside was her mother's comb.

She wanted to cry even more.

"All fear comes from insufficient strength." Tang Yunhua looked at Xiao Wu, who was holding the comb. "Would you still be worried if you were a Titled Douluo now?"

The words struck like thunder.

Become stronger. Protect Mother!

Xiao Wu slowly stopped crying. "Aunt Tang, I understand." She bit her lip. "My Soul Power is actually sufficient. I want to condense my spirit ring directly."

"Can you do it now? If not, I can wait another two days." Tang Yunhua asked thoughtfully.

Xiao Wu wanted to cry again. How could there be such a wonderful Aunt Tang? "I can do it now. I'll trouble you, Aunt Tang."

She released her martial soul and began cultivating, no longer suppressing her Soul Power. Her Soul Power rose from level seventeen to eighteen, then nineteen, then twenty. Pink Soul Power radiance blazed brightly and gradually condensed into a ring-shaped object, continuously compressing and solidifying until it resembled a spirit ring. Its color began to change from pink to yellow, and Xiao Wu's Second Spirit Ring formed.

Tang Yunhua stood guard for Xiao Wu, happy to see her successfully complete the process. Once Xiao Wu finished, she smiled and asked, "How do you plan to explain this to everyone?"

That truly stumped Xiao Wu. She was not sure whether everyone could accept that she was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who had rebuilt herself into human form.

"If you do not wish to tell them yet, you can say that my guidance helped you break through." Seeing the conflicted look on Xiao Wu's face, Tang Yunhua could not bear to make her struggle. "But if they have already earned your trust, I think it would be best to find an appropriate chance to tell them."