Yu Xiaogang's Temptation

The night deepened, and the atmosphere in Dormitory Seven was heavy.

Lin Ming sat cross-legged on his bed but wasn't truly cultivating.

His consciousness remained alert, using Little Lei Yi to sense the subtle changes in the air's electrical currents.

As long as someone approached, Little Lei Yi could detect the static electricity fluctuations.

This was a warning method they had developed over the past six months.

Tang Hao really came...

Lin Ming thought to himself.

Wang Sheng and the others believed Liu Yun had merely offended a student from a higher academy, leading to this misfortune. But Lin Ming knew the method was too clean and swift.

To incapacitate a student in the Nuoding Academy restroom so silently that not even a cry for help could escape.

This was something no mere student could accomplish.

And the only person Liu Yun had offended today was Tang San.

A path to self-destruction. Lin Ming sneered, thinking of Tang San from the original story.

So it wasn't just Tang San, but his father, Tang Hao, was also like this.

For a single slip of the tongue, he crippled a child and ruined a family.

Lei...

Little Lei Yi, perched on his shoulder, its small body tense, stared in Tang San's direction.

As an embodiment of lightning, Little Lei Yi was exceptionally sensitive to emotions.

It sensed hidden malice from Tang San.

"It's okay."

Lin Ming gently stroked Little Lei Yi's head and said in a low voice, "As long as we don't provoke him."

At least, until they had the ability to leave Nuoding Academy, this was the only way.

Deep in the night.

In a grove outside Nuoding Academy, a tall figure sat beneath a tree, holding a wine gourd.

Tang Hao took a large swig of wine, his drunken eyes gazing hazily at the night sky.

"Ah Yin... someone insulted Little San's mother today..."

He mumbled in a hoarse voice.

"I taught him a lesson... I taught him a lesson..."

He recalled what he had overheard outside Dormitory Seven earlier that day.

That child named Liu Yun had publicly said Tang San had no mother.

At that moment, Tang Hao's rage nearly erupted.

So he finally found Liu Yun alone in the restroom and followed him in silently.

He wouldn't kill Liu Yun; that would attract unnecessary attention.

He would simply cripple Liu Yun, and whether he could wake up was another question.

"Time to go..."

Tang Hao staggered to his feet.

"If I stay any longer, I'll be discovered..."

He glanced back in the direction of Nuoding Academy, his expression complex.

Every time he saw Tang San, he was reminded of Tang San's other Martial Soul.

That was the Martial Soul representing the Clear Sky Sect, the hope for his future return to the sect.

"Little San, you must grow up quickly..."

He was counting on Tang San to acknowledge his ancestors and, by extension, bring him back too.

Tang Hao's figure slowly vanished into the night.

The next day, the atmosphere at Nuoding Academy was noticeably different.

The incident with Liu Yun had spread throughout the entire academy, and the teachers had increased patrols.

This time it was a work-study student; who knew if the next target would be those young masters of high officials.

Lin Ming continued his cultivation and work as usual.

In six months, his Soul Power had recovered to level nine.

Even more surprisingly, Little Lei Yi had independently developed several practical skills during this time.

1. Thunder Sacrifice: Paralyzes the opponent, briefly restricting their actions.

2. Swift as Lightning: Greatly increases movement speed using lightning attributes.

3. Raikiri: Lightning attributes are concentrated at a single point, making it incredibly sharp and easily capable of dealing piercing damage.

This is a Soul Skill that Lin Ming and Little Lei Yi are researching simultaneously.

Lightning Battle Qi.

It's the thin film on Lin Ming's body, which can attract metal objects and offers a certain degree of defense.

These are not Soul Skills in the traditional sense, but rather abilities developed by Lei Yi and Lin Ming based on their own characteristics.

"If I encounter Xiao Chenyu again, I can win without needing to ambush him."

Lin Ming estimated his strength internally.

That afternoon, Lin Ming was in the library, looking up books about Soul Beasts.

He was already considering his choice for his first Soul Ring.

At his current cultivation speed, he would reach level ten in at most another month.

"Thunderbird... Thunderstorm Bear..."

Lin Ming flipped through the pages, searching for a suitable lightning-attribute Soul Beast.

"You're close to absorbing a Soul Ring, aren't you?"

A voice came from behind him.

Lin Ming turned around and saw Yu Xiaogang standing by the bookshelf, a stiff smile on his rigid face.

"Master." Lin Ming nodded, acknowledging him.

After their conversation half a year ago, Yu Xiaogang had stopped bothering him, and they occasionally passed each other in the academy as if they hadn't seen each other.

"Are you looking for a lightning-attribute Soul Beast?"

Yu Xiaogang walked closer, looking at the open atlas in front of Lin Ming.

"Yes, just getting some information in advance."

"Haven't you noticed? Most of the Soul Rings of the students in the academy... are ten-year ones."

Yu Xiaogang's eyes flickered.

"What are you trying to say, Master?"

Lin Ming paused his finger on the atlas upon hearing Yu Xiaogang's words.

Yu Xiaogang walked to the chair beside Lin Ming and sat down, lowering his voice. "Do you know why?"

Lin Ming knew the reason, of course. Ordinary academy students came from average families and couldn't afford powerful Soul Masters to help them hunt hundred-year Soul Beasts, so they had to settle for ten-year Soul Rings.

Besides, Soul Masters who absorbed ten-year Soul Rings were still Soul Masters, and they received a substantial amount of Gold Soul Coins every month.

But he remained silent, waiting for Yu Xiaogang to continue.

"Because hundred-year Soul Rings require Soul Masters of at least level twenty or above to hunt them safely."

Yu Xiaogang's eyes flickered.

"And the price for such Soul Masters to take action is not cheap; ordinary families cannot afford it."

He paused, observing Lin Ming's expression.

"But you are different."

"How am I different?"

Lin Ming closed the booklet.

"I'm also a work-study student; I can't afford those Soul Masters."

"You have me!" Yu Xiaogang's breathing quickened slightly.

"I can help you hunt a hundred-year Soul Beast and obtain your first Soul Ring, a true hundred-year Soul Ring, not some trash ring to make up the numbers."

Lin Ming smiled.

Ever since he learned that Tang Hao was lurking in the shadows, this was the first time he had smiled so happily.

He knew exactly why Yu Xiaogang wanted to hunt a hundred-year Soul Ring for him.

The condition would undoubtedly be to research his Martial Soul.

Lin Ming looked into Yu Xiaogang's eyes.

There was fervor and desire, but more than anything, there was obsession.

Lin Ming recalled the scene in the original work where Yu Xiaogang had Tang San absorb the Mandala Snake's Soul Ring.

To verify his theories, he was willing to risk Tang San's life.

What if the research subject was just Lei Yi, a Martial Soul?

"Master, have you ever hunted a hundred-year Soul Beast?" Lin Ming suddenly asked.

"What?"

"I asked, have you personally hunted a hundred-year Soul Beast?"

Lin Ming repeated.

"Not by relying on others, but by yourself, using your Luo Sanpao, have you hunted a hundred-year Soul Beast?"

Yu Xiaogang's expression turned ugly.

"A Soul Master at level twenty-nine can theoretically deal with most hundred-year Soul Beasts."

"But you can't, right."