He caught the flying slipper with his foot, then brought Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing to the training grounds.
"All right, toss the arm and thigh on the ground."
"Yes, Master."
Lan Minghua faced the right arm and left leg on the ground and struck them with a palm.
In an instant, the flesh and skin vanished, and two crystal-clear Soul Bones floated in the air.
"Those are... Soul Bones!"
Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing's pupils suddenly contracted. They hadn't expected Soul Bones to be hidden inside the severed leg and arm.
Lan Minghua was a little disappointed. He hadn't expected the Soul Bones the Clear Sky Sect had given Tang Hao to be anything less than hundred-thousand-year ones.
Then again, the Clear Sky Sect had long since fallen into decline.
Even if they were hundred-thousand-year Soul Bones, he wasn't particularly interested.
He turned to Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing. "Once you obtain your Third Soul Rings, these two Soul Bones will be your reward. For now, I'll hold on to them for you."
Lan Minghua had no interest in Tang Hao's Soul Bones. They were more useful as an incentive for Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing to cultivate.
"Thank you, Master!" Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing exclaimed excitedly. Those were high-quality Soul Bones!
It wasn't just them—even Soul Saints, Soul Douluo, and Titled Douluo would be tempted.
After all, these two Soul Bones were at least fifty thousand years old.
Lan Minghua stored the Soul Bones in the System Space, then said to Zhu Zhuqing, "I was going to give you your apprenticeship gifts tomorrow, but since you're here now, I'll give them to you first."
As he spoke, he held out a Gravity Sensing Bracelet, a Gluttonous Pouch (ring version), and a copy of the Nine Yin Manual.
(Note: In the anime, Lan Minghua brought out two sets of manuals. One contained Trendy Hairstyle Collection, Indestructible Vajra Body, Chrysanthemum Acupoint Hand, Blood Demon Saber Technique, and Kamehameha. The other set's titles weren't specified. To give myself more options, I'll have Lan Minghua carry manuals from Jin Yong and Gu Long's works.)
Zhu Zhuqing accepted them respectfully with both hands, then examined them curiously.
Seeing her puzzled expression, Oscar proudly showed off his own Gravity Sensing Bracelet and Gluttonous Pouch.
"Zhuqing, these are both Soul Tools. The bracelet is for training, and the ring is even more impressive—it's a spatial Soul Tool."
As a noble, Zhu Zhuqing knew how rare Soul Tools were.
She just hadn't expected Lan Minghua to give her such valuable gifts for becoming his disciple.
She immediately knelt and kowtowed to Lan Minghua several times.
Lan Minghua helped her up and said calmly, "Just cultivate hard and don't let me down. This Nine Yin Manual will make the road ahead much smoother for you."
"Thank you, Master!" Zhu Zhuqing felt a warmth in her heart. Lan Minghua made her feel the warmth of home.
"Start cultivating. After everything that happened tonight, neither of you will be able to sleep anyway."
Under Lan Minghua's guidance, Zhu Zhuqing began cultivating the Nine Yin Manual.
Oscar watched, green with envy. He wanted to cultivate Indestructible Vajra Body too.
Lan Minghua smacked Oscar on the head, exasperated.
"You're not strong enough yet. Get back to training. At this rate, Zhuqing will surpass you before long."
Oscar wore a mournful expression. He should've chosen a different Self-Created Soul Skill—or manual.
But he'd chosen this path himself, so no matter how difficult it was, he had to keep going.
Lan Minghua watched Oscar run and felt helpless.
"Oscar's physique is far too weak. I'll have to move the Immortal Herb matter up the agenda."
Immortal Herbs were extremely important for Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing. The manuals would take time to show results.
Under Lan Minghua's guidance, Zhu Zhuqing began learning the Nine Yin Manual.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't disappoint Lan Minghua. In just one night, she had actually reached the introductory level.
Though she had only just begun, her Soul Power surged by two levels in a short time.
Zhu Zhuqing had been only Level 27, but now she was Level 29.
At the same time, the system's voice sounded in Lan Minghua's mind.
[ Ding! Your second disciple, Zhu Zhuqing, has learned the Nine Yin Manual to the introductory level. Reward: 200 Master Teacher Points.]
"Only 200 for reaching the introductory level? This system's really stingy."
Lan Minghua pursed his lips and grumbled.
Still, it wasn't bad.
Taking Zhu Zhuqing as a disciple and guiding her until she reached the introductory level in the Nine Yin Manual had earned him a total of 1,000 Master Teacher Points—enough for a ten-pull.
Just then, the system's voice sounded again.
[ Ding! Your first disciple has learned Indestructible Vajra Body to the introductory level. Reward: 200 Master Teacher Points.]
Lan Minghua was wondering what had happened when Oscar came sprinting over, shouting as he ran.
"Master! Master! I've reached the introductory level in Indestructible Vajra Body!"
Oscar strode up to Lan Minghua proudly and immediately showed off his newly acquired Indestructible Vajra Body.
A thin layer of golden light covered his body. It did look pretty good.
"Master, how about it? Am I a genius or what?"
Zhu Zhuqing stared curiously at the golden light around Oscar. It looked quite strong.
Lan Minghua was so exasperated he nearly laughed. Oscar had only just reached the introductory level in Indestructible Vajra Body, and he was already getting cocky.
Seeing that Zhu Zhuqing was interested in Oscar's Indestructible Vajra Body, he instructed, "Zhuqing, use your Second Soul Skill with all your strength and see if you can break through his golden light."
"Yes, Master!"
Zhu Zhuqing immediately activated her Martial Soul Possession, and her Second Soul Ring suddenly lit up.
Second Soul Skill: Nether Hundred Claws!
Oscar had complete confidence in himself. He urged Indestructible Vajra Body to its limit and called out, "Zhuqing, bring it on!"
Zhu Zhuqing attacked with all her strength. A series of explosive cracks rang out against Oscar's body.
But she couldn't break through Oscar's golden light. It blocked every strike.
Oscar leaned toward Zhu Zhuqing and said smugly, "Junior Sister, you've still got a lot of training to do!"
Lan Minghua's mouth twitched. That brat was begging for a beating.
However, the Nine Yin Manual was divided into two volumes: the first taught internal cultivation, and the second taught external techniques.
Zhu Zhuqing had reached the introductory level, so she had naturally learned a little from both volumes.
Lan Minghua turned to Zhu Zhuqing, who looked unconvinced, and said, "Zhuqing, use the techniques from the second volume and teach your senior brother a lesson."
"Yes, Master!"
Zhu Zhuqing became a blur and suddenly appeared in front of Oscar.
She curled her fingers into claws. The five fingers, empowered by the Nine Yin Manual's inner technique, turned black and radiated an astonishingly sharp aura.
Oscar was startled, but he still believed the golden light would protect him from Zhu Zhuqing's attack.
She struck with a claw, and golden light scattered everywhere.
With a sharp crack, a dazzling fissure suddenly appeared in the thin golden light.
Seeing this, Lan Minghua immediately separated the two of them. He now had a clearer idea of their abilities.
Then he smacked Oscar on the head, exasperated.
"Are you an idiot? When someone attacks you, why don't you dodge?!"
If Oscar mastered Indestructible Vajra Body and turned into one of those Marines obsessed with "Iron Body"...
Lan Minghua would be embarrassed to even call him his disciple.
Still, overall, Oscar's defense was quite good. He really lived up to his System Talent Score of 95.
Then Lan Minghua grew serious. "I have to leave for a few days. While I'm gone, train with Flender. Understood?"
"Yes, Master." Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing didn't ask any questions. They just had to obey their master.
Lan Minghua nodded in satisfaction. Good disciples really did make life easier.
He immediately took off into the air, heading for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well in Sunset Forest.
At that moment, the emerald-green figure beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye shivered and quickly opened his eyes to scan the surroundings.
"Brr, why do I have a bad feeling about this?!"
The next day, Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing gathered as usual, waiting for Flender's lesson.
Dai Mubai was delighted at first, but soon anger clouded his mind.
He'd seen that Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing were wearing identical rings on their fingers.
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