Nuoding City, Spirit Hall.
The dining hall brimmed with an air of excitement.
Exquisite dishes and fine wine covered the long table. Soft light streamed through the tall glass windows, illuminating the room brightly.
Yu Cheng sat calmly in the first seat at the left-hand table.
He wore simple casual clothes, yet he stood out all the more amid the splendid hall.
Master Ma Xiunuo's face was flushed with delight, and he could not stop smiling.
He raised his glass and called out in a booming voice, "Everyone! Let us raise our glasses together and celebrate the complete success of this Soul Hunting operation!"
His gaze settled on Yu Cheng, his admiration undisguised.
"Yu Cheng successfully absorbed a Six Hundred Year Ghost Vine as his First Soul Ring!"
"This has opened an entirely new door for us! Let us celebrate Spirit Hall's historic breakthrough in Soul Ring theory research!"
"Cheers!"
Everyone raised their glasses, their faces full of excited smiles.
Yu Cheng's success was not merely the birth of a genius, but an achievement for their entire team.
This was going to be recorded in the history books!
To put it realistically, every member of Nuoding City's Spirit Hall was almost certain to receive a promotion.
The atmosphere grew even livelier.
Everyone toasted one another and chatted merrily.
The Red-haired Soul King carried a glass over and sat beside Yu Cheng.
The wildness on his face had faded by then, making him look more like a humble merchant.
"Yu Cheng, once we return, we will organize the report and submit it to the main hall."
He paused, then continued, "As the most crucial person involved, you will need to travel with us to Fasnuo City. Once the theoretical summary is complete, we will also report it to Spirit City."
"Spirit City..."
Yu Cheng pondered for a moment before slowly shaking his head.
"Elder, I suggest we do not report it directly just yet."
"Why?"
The Red-haired Soul King was somewhat surprised.
Once Yu Cheng's name was reported, he would immediately become a famous figure across the entire continent.
Did he intend to hide his achievements and fame?
Yu Cheng said, "At present, I am the only successful case. Although the age limit for the First Soul Ring has been broken, that does not prove the importance of Whale Rubber."
He set down his cup and took several sheets of paper from his clothes.
The Red-haired Soul King focused his gaze and saw that the pages were densely covered in numbers, along with special symbols he could not understand.
Yu Cheng explained, "These are some data points I have compiled."
"One hundred years, one thousand years, ten thousand years—the increase provided by different Whale Rubber is different."
"For the first ring, second ring, and third ring, the requirements for Whale Rubber are different if each Soul Ring is to break its limit."
"The same piece of Whale Rubber also has differing effects on Soul Masters with different Martial Souls."
Yu Cheng said calmly, "This data is based on my deductions and still requires verification. Rather than broadly proposing a theory, I suggest we thoroughly research all this data before making it public."
"I want to do something for Douluo Continent, not gain the title of some theoretical master."
Yu Cheng folded his arms, the corner of his mouth lifting in a faint smile.
He had spent sleepless nights coming up with this document.
Most of the data came from records in the original Douluo II novel. Some of it was deduced from his experience this time.
The Red-haired Soul King stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning.
He suddenly looked up, his gaze at Yu Cheng filled with shock.
"You came up with all this?"
For a child to possess such insight and ability to summarize information, he was a genius among geniuses!
More importantly, Yu Cheng possessed such awareness and conviction!
Some so-called masters became carried away after achieving the slightest success, then eagerly published their theories. They truly sought fame and reputation.
But Yu Cheng...
The Red-haired Soul King clenched those few pages tightly, as though he were holding an invaluable treasure.
This data was far too important!
If Spirit Hall wished to further research Whale Rubber, it would inevitably require a great number of experiments.
That meant involving many Soul Masters with decent talent who were willing—or forced—to take risks.
Every failure meant the loss of a life.
The data Yu Cheng had proposed would greatly increase the success rate of the experiments and reduce needless sacrifices.
"I will report this data exactly as it is!"
The Red-Haired Soul Master said solemnly.
Clear respect entered his voice. "Yu Cheng, I invite you to join Fasnuo Spirit Hall and conduct research with us. Rest assured, Spirit Hall will certainly not treat you unfairly!"
This time, Yu Cheng did not refuse.
Born into poverty, if he wanted to survive on Douluo Continent, joining some faction was inevitable.
Spirit Hall was undoubtedly the strongest backing available to him at present.
Two days later, a convoy slowly departed through Nuoding City's gates and headed toward Fasnuo City.
Soul Hunting Forest, within a perilous valley.
The air was thick with a heavy stench and the pungent odor released by evaporating toxins.
The corpse of a massive spider with a ghostly face pattern on its abdomen lay collapsed among the rocks. Jet-black bodily fluids and organs had spilled everywhere, dyeing the surrounding soil dark.
The Ghost Face Spider, famed for its Vicious Poison, was one of the three greatest nightmares of small Soul Beasts.
Tang San sat cross-legged beside the corpse, a deep yellow Soul Ring floating above his head.
Nearby, the Soul Power fluctuations around Lin Dashan had yet to settle, and some venom stained his robe. Clearly, killing this Soul Beast had cost him considerable effort.
Yu Xiaogang stood some distance away, staring at that Soul Ring with almost ecstatic delight on his face.
"My fortunes have turned! Heaven truly favors me, Yu Xiaogang!"
He muttered under his breath, his body trembling faintly with excitement.
Originally, he had planned for Tang San to obtain that Six Hundred Year Ghost Vine, only for Yu Cheng to take it first.
Yet they had unexpectedly encountered this even rarer Ghost Face Spider, whose attributes perfectly matched the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul!
Seven hundred and fifty years!
This was already close to the theoretical limit the Second Soul Ring could endure!
The energy it contained, as well as the Soul Skill it would provide, would absolutely surpass that of the Six Hundred Year Ghost Vine by far!
This was simply heaven's blessing!
Yu Xiaogang turned to Tang San, his eyes full of anticipation and a nearly obsessive conviction.
He had to cultivate Tang San into a powerful figure who would shock the continent!
When that day came, those who had once mocked him would all pay for their shortsightedness and stupidity!
He would let everyone know that Yu Xiaogang was not trash!
He was a true master of theory!
Time passed bit by bit.
Absorbing this Soul Ring was no easy task. Tang San's body trembled faintly, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead.
Yu Xiaogang watched anxiously.
Lin Dashan carefully kept watch over the surroundings, not daring to relax in the slightest.
After a long while, the deep yellow Soul Ring finally merged into Tang San's body. The chaotic Soul Power fluctuations around him gradually stabilized and faintly grew much stronger.
Tang San slowly opened his eyes.
He let out a long breath. His face showed a trace of exhaustion, but even more excitement.
"Teacher, Dean, I succeeded!"
Tang San rose to his feet, sensing the surging Soul Power within him as he spoke excitedly.
"Good! Good! Excellent!"
Yu Xiaogang said "good" three times in a row, then eagerly asked, "Xiao San, what is your Second Soul Skill?"
Tang San nodded. With a thought, two yellow Soul Rings rose beneath his feet.
He shouted, "Second Soul Skill, Spider Web Restraint!"
Blue Silver Grass erupted wildly from his palms, intertwining and expanding in midair in an instant to form a dark-blue net more than three meters across!
Looking closely, every strand of Blue Silver Grass bore tiny barbs that gleamed with a dim luster.
With a faint whistling sound, the net shot through the air and covered a Soft Bone Rabbit not far away.
"Squeak!"
The Soft Bone Rabbit was tightly trapped in the Blue Silver spiderweb and struggled desperately.
But the spiderweb was exceptionally tough. The Soft Bone Rabbit's Soul Power gradually dissipated, its struggles rapidly weakening until it soon went limp and still.
"With my current Soul Power, I can fire Spider Web Restraint three times in a row at most."
Tang San explained with a confident smile.
"The spiderweb is not only tough, but it also carries weak venom that can weaken the enemy's Soul Power. It is a very powerful single-target control skill!"
"Single-target control, weakening Soul Power..." Yu Xiaogang's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and he was so excited he nearly began dancing.
"Perfect! Absolutely perfect!"
"This is exactly the most perfect Soul Skill for a Blue Silver Grass Control System Soul Master in my theory!"
"Sure enough, Blue Silver Grass should have Soul Rings with poison attributes added to it!"
"Xiao San, you did wonderfully!"
Yu Xiaogang seemed to have already seen Tang San using his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul to defeat every powerful opponent in the future.
"Mm!"
Tang San nodded, his heart filled with joy as well.
He could not help recalling his battle with Yu Cheng not long ago.
"Once I return, I must fight Yu Cheng again."
Tang San silently made up his mind.
Dorm Seven.
The moment Tang San reached the doorway, he caught sight of Yu Cheng's empty bed.
In an instant, an inexplicable sense of emptiness welled up in his heart.
"Xiao San, you're back! How did it go?"
Xiao Wu walked over and asked.
Tang San nodded, but his thoughts remained on that empty bed. "Not bad. Xiao Wu, where is Yu Cheng? Why isn't he here? Did he go cultivate?"
The smile on Xiao Wu's face faltered. She blinked her large eyes, and her tone became somewhat subdued.
"Yu Cheng? He left."
"He left? Where did he go?" Tang San's heart tightened as he pressed for an answer.
"I heard from the teacher that he successfully obtained his First Soul Ring, then people from Fasnuo Spirit Hall took him away and transferred him directly to another school."
Xiao Wu flicked her scorpion braid, her tone somewhat gloomy.
She had gotten along well with Yu Cheng.
They had fought when they first enrolled, and it was a case of no friendship without a fight.
Later, Yu Cheng had even lent her money to buy a blanket.
He had suddenly left just like that, without even a proper farewell.
"I see."
Tang San stood where he was, staring at that empty bed in a daze.
He had left?
Just like that, so suddenly?
Yu Cheng was from Holy Spirit Village, the first friend Tang San had met in this world with whom he could truly speak.
Although they had argued in Soul Hunting Forest, Tang San considered it nothing more than fair competition.
He had still intended to fight Yu Cheng again and prove that he was Nuoding Academy's strongest Blue Silver Grass Soul Master.
He had never expected Yu Cheng to leave so suddenly.
When would they meet again?
A year later?
Two years later?
Or...
Perhaps even Tang San himself had not realized that deep in his heart, he had already regarded Yu Cheng, with his Innate Level Two Soul Power, as an opponent on the same level as himself.
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