Unreliable

"It's no trouble, Third Brother." Within the consciousness space, a gentle, delicate female voice replied. Her voice carried three parts coyness, three parts liveliness, and four parts nonchalance, like a dewdrop rolling along the tip of a Blue Silver Grass leaf swaying in the spring breeze—clear and crisp, yet touched with a hint of languor.

It was the response of that Blue Silver Grass which had already grown for more than nine thousand years and was nearing ten thousand.

Tang San could clearly sense the Blue Silver Grass swaying gently in his sea of consciousness. Every blade glowed with a faint blue-gold light, as though it were acting coquettishly toward him.

This Blue Silver Grass had already developed a complete self-awareness. From her voice, she sounded like a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl, carrying a trace of childishness while also revealing a measure of maturity.

"Little Silver, what kind of partner do you think I should choose next?"

The setting sun dyed the dormitories on the back mountain of Spirit Academy gold. Tang San sat cross-legged atop the soft bedding he had laid out, his brows slightly furrowed.

The Blue Silver Grass swayed faintly, but she could not offer any more useful answer.

Tang San casually took out a copy of the "Soul Beast Pokemon Cultivation Guide" from the Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlight Night. It was a popular reference book newly published by Spirit Hall, detailing the habits and cultivation methods of various common Soul Beasts.

Tang San had not expected the Blue Silver Grass to give him an answer in the first place. He began seriously considering what species he should choose for his second Soul Beast Pokemon.

His gaze lingered for a long time on the chapter titled "Poison-attribute Soul Beasts." The pages depicted poisonous snakes, poisonous spiders, and poisonous toads in all sorts of forms.

"Perhaps I should follow Teacher's idea and obtain a poison-attribute Soul Beast as my second Soul Beast Pokemon?" Tang San muttered. He recalled Yu Xiao Gang once saying that control-type Soul Masters would gain a greater advantage in battle if paired with a poison attribute.

That suggestion did make sense. It was just that Poison-attribute Soul Beasts were slightly more expensive, and he would probably need to work for a while longer before he had enough money to form a contract.

And besides...

He thought of Yu Xiao Gang again. However, he had not met Yu Xiao Gang for quite some time.

Thinking of Yu Xiao Gang, Tang San immediately frowned. He had not felt this way before, but now he increasingly felt that his teacher did not seem as reliable as he had imagined.

The moment that thought arose, he immediately felt guilty. Yet reason told him that it was indeed the truth.

It was one thing that Yu Xiao Gang could not help with his future in life, but his cultivation had also remained stagnant until now. Tang San clearly remembered that when he had first taken Yu Xiao Gang as his teacher three years ago, Yu Xiao Gang had already been a Rank 29 Soul Grandmaster. And now—

"I'm about to become a three-ringed Soul Elder." Tang San clenched his fist and felt the surging inner power of the Mysterious Heaven Skill within him. After this period of hard cultivation, he felt that he was only one step away from Rank 30.

Yet Yu Xiao Gang was still stuck at Rank 29. That fact left a bitter taste in his heart.

"If only Teacher cultivated a little more..." Tang San sighed. "Even if that really doesn't work, he could find a Soul Beast and work hard to raise its Favorability. If the Soul Beast happened to sacrifice itself willingly, wouldn't that still let him break through Rank 30?"

All of this knowledge was written clearly in the library. Ever since Spirit Hall promoted the "Soul Beast Pokemon" system, the relationship between Soul Masters and Soul Beasts had undergone earth-shaking changes.

Now, as long as one gained a Soul Beast's recognition, one could obtain a Soul Ring through the Soul Beast's sacrifice even if one's Soul Power was insufficient. Yet laughably, that useless teacher was still stuck at Rank 29. Not even Soul Beasts were willing to get close to him.

A scene from the forest last time surfaced in Tang San's mind.

A few months ago, Yu Xiao Gang had insisted on researching Soul Beast Pokemon and dragged him into the Soul Beast Forest.

Out of respect for his teacher, Tang San had reluctantly agreed.

The image in his memory remained vivid: Yu Xiao Gang wore that gray robe which never fit him, stumbling along the muddy forest path with his brows tightly knitted. He kept muttering that this contract system was fundamentally unreasonable...

Before he could even finish speaking, they encountered a high-level Soul Beast.

The instant that beast appeared, Yu Xiao Gang collapsed onto the ground in fright. He hurriedly summoned his Martial Soul, Luo Sanpao, and released several stinking farts, nearly knocking Tang San unconscious from the smell...

If Tang San had not used Hidden Weapons in the end, they both would probably have been finished.

This teacher truly could not be relied upon.

Thinking of that, Tang San unconsciously developed a bit of disdain. He shook his head, trying to drive those disrespectful thoughts from his mind.

After all, no matter what, Yu Xiao Gang was his first teacher. He could not forget that debt of gratitude.

And even if Yu Xiao Gang was incompetent in every other way, he was still a master of Martial Soul theory research.

It should not be wrong to ask him for some guidance. Although his practical combat ability was worrying, his theoretical knowledge was indeed extensive. Tang San had to admit that.

After making up his mind, Tang San rested for a while, then decided to go find Yu Xiao Gang and discuss it with him.

In the heavens.

Seeing this scene, Ye Su could not help but chuckle.

He reclined against the clouds, his long fingers lightly tapping against his knee as brilliant divine light flowed around him. As God, he could observe everything happening across Douluo Continent at the same time.

"Does this Little Scumbag Tang San still fail to see Yu Xiao Gang's true face even now?" Ye Su shook his head, a hint of mockery appearing on his handsome face.

With a casual wave of his hand, an image of Yu Xiao Gang's current situation appeared before him. That slovenly middle-aged man was hiding in a corner of the library, scratching his head over a tattered book.

"Forget it. This protagonist will sooner or later be ruined by Yu Xiao Gang." Ye Su snapped his fingers, and the image immediately switched to Tang San walking along an academy path. The young Soul Master had his brows tightly furrowed, clearly still troubled over choosing his second Soul Beast.

"But this is good too." Calculation flashed through Ye Su's eyes. "Once Tang San is nearly ruined, I'll send out an avatar and harvest a wave of Tang San's Favorability."

He had planned it long ago. When the time came, he would send his avatar over and casually feed Tang San a bunch of nonsense. Wouldn't the Favorability be his then?

As the child of destiny, the rewards Tang San's Favorability could bring would only be good, never bad. Ye Su could already imagine the wonderful sound of the system notification: "Protagonist Favorability obtained: +50."

"Anyway, it's just something I can do in passing." Ye Su lazily stretched. The perfect figure faintly visible beneath his divine robes was enough to drive any man or woman in the world mad.

But those mundane matters were not what concerned him now.

As for whether he should interfere with Tang San becoming useless, the answer was naturally no.

A playful smile curled across Ye Su's lips. He casually summoned a cup of divine brew and took a light sip.

"What does Tang San becoming useless have to do with me, Ye Su?" he muttered to himself. "Besides, everything is waiting to be rebuilt now. Douluo Continent still needs reforming, the Spirit Hall Empire has only just been established, and a new empire needs a new look... I have so many things to do. Where would I find the time to worry about him?"

At that thought, Ye Su's expression turned serious. The time had come. Perhaps it was time for him to publish the Bible as well.

However, before that, Ye Su turned his gaze toward another continent on Douluo Star. His sight pierced through the clouds, crossed the vast ocean, and fell upon the distant west.

That was the Sun Moon Continent.

Unlike Douluo Continent, the terrain of the Sun Moon Continent was more rugged, and its cities had a greater technological feel. Ye Su could clearly see Soul Guidance Vehicles traveling through the streets, as well as Soul Masters wearing all kinds of Soul Tools.

Naturally, there were Soul Masters on the Sun Moon Continent as well. However, Martial Soul aptitude there was generally poor, and Soul Beasts were fewer in number. The technological focus there was placed more heavily on researching Soul Tools.