Tang San: Are You Stealing My Chance to Show Off?

Tang Wulin worked incredibly hard to earn money. Every day, he went to the forging room to forge, then took the metals to the Blacksmith Association to submit missions. He was so exhausted each day that he would collapse onto his bed the moment he returned to the dormitory, completely unconscious.

Was it love?

Was it responsibility?

Perhaps it was both, but Tang Wulin felt that the core reason was—he was poor!

"Poverty drives people to improve. What Teacher said in class today really made a lot of sense."

As he walked toward the Blacksmith Association, Tang Wulin muttered to himself when he noticed an incoming call on his Soul Tool Communicator. It was from his parents, and he happily answered it.

"Hello, Dad, Mom, are you coming to East Sea?"

On the other end, Tang Ziran and his wife exchanged a glance and chuckled. Tang Ziran said with a smile, "Wulin, we have a home in East Sea now. It's only rented for now, but our family finally has a place to stay in East Sea."

"Really?" Tang Wulin was overjoyed. "Where is it? I'll come find you."

Tang Ziran said, "It's at..."

After hearing the location Tang Ziran gave him, Tang Wulin realized it was somewhere he had been before.

It was near the Snack Street he had visited with Xie Xie!

His parents must have chosen to settle there because a Four Rings Soul Ancestor was stationed nearby, making them feel safe, right?

With that thought, Tang Wulin said he would be right there, put away his Soul Tool Communicator, and ran excitedly toward Snack Street.

He had a home in East Sea now too!

"That child is always so impatient."

Looking at the disconnected Soul Tool Communicator, Tang Ziran glanced at his wife and smiled helplessly.

"He must miss us a lot too."

Lang Yue smiled.

—Ding dong!

The doorbell suddenly rang, making them both freeze as they looked toward the door in confusion.

Who was it? Could Wulin have arrived so quickly?

Tang Ziran frowned and stood, walking toward the door. He peered outside through the peephole.

A tall, burly man in a Black Cloak stood outside. The hood concealed his face, revealing only a pair of deep, shadowy eyes.

The moment Tang Ziran saw him, a chill ran through his entire body, as though he had fallen into an ice cellar. Even the room seemed to turn gloomy with him.

Tang Ziran's pupils contracted. He hurried back to Lang Yue's side. "Run. They're here."

A flash of panic crossed Lang Yue's eyes, but when she thought of Tang Wulin, she barely managed to calm herself. "If we leave, what will happen to Wulin? What if they go after him..."

Tang Ziran paused, his expression becoming equally conflicted.

That was right. If they simply left, what would happen to Wulin?

The doorbell continued ringing in his ears like a death knell, throwing Tang Ziran's thoughts into chaos.

In the end, he took a deep breath and gave up on leaving. He turned around and opened the door.

"We'll go with you."

A faint smile appeared on the Black Robe man's lips. He turned, about to lead the two away, when his gaze suddenly sharpened. He looked toward the shadows in the corner, and a staff appeared in his hand as four Soul Rings gradually emerged around him.

Two yellow and two purple. A faint green mist wreathed the outer edges of the Soul Rings.

"Come out!"

Seeing that he could no longer remain hidden, Guang Long stepped out from the corner. Gray scales covered his entire body, and four Soul Rings in the optimal configuration circled around him as well. At the same time, a lizard and a Giant Python Soul Spirit appeared, transforming into yellow and purple Light Clusters that floated beside him.

"Are you sewer rats idiots? You're wandering around in Black Robes in broad daylight. The nearby residents have all reported you."

Guang Long mocked the Black Robe man, but his eyes were grave.

That cold, sinister aura undoubtedly did not belong to an ordinary Soul Master. This was an Evil Soul Master!

Evil Soul Masters had bizarre methods. Even though they were both Four Rings, he could not guarantee victory, so he could only summon his Soul Spirits to assist him.

This approach was not generally encouraged. Under a Soul Spirit Contract, if a Soul Spirit died in battle, it needed to be nurtured within the Soul Master's body for a long time before it could revive. This would weaken the power of Soul Skills and also transfer injuries back to the Soul Master. The stronger the Soul Master, the less likely they were to use this method—especially Mecha Masters and Battle Armor Masters.

But Guang Long was not a powerful Soul Master, much less a Mecha Master or Battle Armor Master. The combat power provided by Soul Spirits was considerable and could significantly improve his chances of winning. There was no reason for him not to use them.

"Captain Guang Long?!" Tang Ziran was briefly delighted upon seeing Guang Long. But when he looked at the Evil Soul Master, who remained utterly unmoved, he opened his mouth yet did not dare say anything. He merely pulled Lang Yue back as far as possible, trying to stay away from the battlefield.

The Evil Soul Master did not care about their little movements. He merely sneered at Guang Long. "An Iron Armored Dragon Martial Soul? I'd be somewhat wary if it were your brother, but what the hell are you?"

Guang Long said, "Heh. Judging by the fact that you don't have a Soul Spirit, you couldn't resist using your Martial Soul's abilities before the assessment and became an Evil Soul Master, right? You don't have even a shred of self-control. Trash!"

The Evil Soul Master's eyes suddenly widened as he stared fixedly at Guang Long, his gaze incomparably gloomy.

Just as Guang Long had said, he had failed to restrain himself.

Before obtaining his First Soul Spirit, he had already used the abilities of an Evil Soul Master. From then on, he could not stop, immersing himself in the thrill of rapidly increasing his cultivation. By the time he came to his senses, it was already too late to turn back. He did not dare go to the Spirit Pagoda, naturally losing his chance to receive sponsorship as well.

From then on, he had lived as a drifter until he joined the Holy Spirit Cult...

Realizing that he seemed to have struck a sore spot, Guang Long did not stop talking, continuously attacking his opponent's state of mind. "Now that the ocean is the only Soul Beast habitat where you can run wild, it can't feel good hunting Soul Beasts for Soul Rings in the open sea, can it? You're already this old and only have Four Rings. That must have taken you quite a while, huh?"

"Heh, what would you know? The Holy Cult has its own methods."

The Evil Soul Master took a deep breath and said sinisterly, "You're trying to stall for time until the Mecha Brigade arrives, aren't you? Too bad you've miscalculated."

The instant he finished speaking, an intense burst of green light erupted from his body.

The green light was like smoke. It rapidly expanded, enveloping the surroundings.

"My Martial Soul can control Plague. How long have you been staying with me?"

Guang Long and Tang Ziran's couple instantly changed expressions.

When Tang Wulin happily returned home, he found his parents lying on the ground with pained expressions, while Guang Long was held in the Evil Soul Master's hand. His excited expression vanished, replaced by bewilderment.

What was going on?

"What a pity. The one you were waiting for was only a little brat." The Evil Soul Master glanced at Tang Wulin and sneered coldly. He threw Guang Long, whose face had turned green, onto the ground before turning toward Tang Ziran and Lang Yue.

If he had not controlled the intensity, these two ordinary people would have died long ago.

"Let go of my dad and mom!" Tang Wulin glared furiously at the Evil Soul Master. A yellow Soul Ring appeared beside him as he charged forward, but the moment he entered the area around his opponent, he collapsed to the ground, utterly weak.

"Heh." The Evil Soul Master looked at Tang Ziran and Lang Yue. "So you have a child. How unexpected."

"Please... let Wulin go. We... will go with you." Watching Tang Wulin struggle to crawl toward them, Lang Yue felt her heart ache as she spoke in a broken voice.

"That won't do. With him around, you'll be more devoted to working for the Holy Cult." A wicked smile appeared on the Evil Soul Master's face as he reached for Tang Wulin.

Tang San's Divine Sense sensed that Tang Wulin was in danger and abruptly awoke. After probing the situation outside, delight appeared on his face.

Good, Evil Soul Master, you've done well! But you have already earned your death. Now, use your life to help me gain Wulin's trust!

Boom!

A tremendous explosion erupted from nowhere. A black Mecha suddenly descended from the sky, kicking up a cloud of dust. The smiles on both Tang San's Divine Sense and the Evil Soul Master froze on their faces.

Damn it!