The night deepened, and the atmosphere in Dorm Seven grew oppressive.
Lin Ming sat cross-legged on his bed, but he wasn't truly cultivating.
His consciousness remained alert as he sensed the subtle changes in the electric currents in the air through Little Lei Yi.
If anyone came close, Little Lei Yi could detect the changes in the static in the air.
It was a warning system they had developed over the past six months.
"Tang Hao really did come..."
Lin Ming thought to himself.
Wang Sheng and the others all assumed Liu Yun had offended some student from an advanced academy and suffered for it. But Lin Ming knew the truth: the attack had been far too clean and swift.
Someone had managed to knock a student unconscious in the toilets at Nuoding Academy without a sound, not even letting him cry for help.
There was no way a student could have done that.
And the only person Liu Yun had offended that day was Tang San.
You're asking for death. Lin Ming thought of Tang San from the original story and sneered inwardly.
So it wasn't just Tang San. His father, Tang Hao, was the same kind of person.
Over one bluntly spoken truth, he had crippled a child and destroyed a family.
"Yi..."
Little Lei Yi perched on his shoulder, its small body tense, its eyes fixed on Tang San.
As an embodiment of lightning, Little Lei Yi was exceptionally sensitive to emotions.
It sensed hidden malice coming from Tang San.
"It's fine."
Lin Ming gently stroked Little Lei Yi's head and said quietly, "We just have to avoid provoking him."
At least until he was strong enough to leave Nuoding Academy, that was all he could do.
Late at night.
In a grove outside Nuoding Academy, a tall figure sat beneath a tree, a wine flask in his hand.
Tang Hao took a long swig and gazed at the night sky with bleary eyes.
"Ah Yin... someone called Xiao San motherless today..."
He muttered under his breath, his voice hoarse.
"I taught him a lesson... I taught him a lesson..."
He remembered the words he'd heard outside Dorm Seven that day.
That boy named Liu Yun had said in front of everyone that Tang San had no mother.
In that moment, Tang Hao's anger had nearly erupted.
So he had finally found a moment when Liu Yun went to the toilet alone and silently followed him inside.
He wouldn't kill Liu Yun. That would draw unnecessary attention.
He had simply crippled him. Whether he would wake up was another matter.
"I should go..."
Tang Hao swayed as he stood.
"If I stay any longer, someone will find me..."
He looked back toward Nuoding Academy, his expression complicated.
Whenever he saw Tang San, he thought of Tang San's other Martial Soul.
It was the Martial Soul that represented the Clear Sky Sect—and the hope that Tang Hao might one day return to the sect.
"Xiao San, you need to grow up quickly..."
He was counting on Tang San to return to his ancestral sect and take him back with him.
Tang Hao's figure slowly disappeared into the night.
The next day, the atmosphere at Nuoding Academy was noticeably different.
News of Liu Yun's situation spread throughout the academy, and the teachers stepped up their patrols.
This time it was a Work-Study Student. No one knew whether the next victim might be one of those high-ranking officials' young masters.
Lin Ming continued cultivating and working as usual.
Over the past six months, his Soul Power had recovered to level nine.
Even more surprising to him, Little Lei Yi had figured out several useful skills on its own during that time.
1. Thunder Sacrifice: Paralyzes an opponent and briefly restricts their movements. 2. Swift as Lightning: Greatly increases movement speed by drawing on lightning attributes. 3. Thunderclap: Concentrates lightning attributes at a single point, making it incredibly sharp and capable of inflicting piercing damage with ease.
There was also a Soul Skill that Lin Ming and Little Lei Yi had developed together.
Lightning Battle Qi.
It was the thin film covering Lin Ming's body. It could attract metal objects and offered a degree of protection.
These weren't Soul Skills in the traditional sense, but abilities Lei Yi and Lin Ming had developed by making use of their own unique traits.
If I ran into Xiao Chenyu again, I could beat him without needing to ambush him.
Lin Ming gauged his strength.
That afternoon, Lin Ming was in the library looking up books about Soul Beasts.
He had already started considering his First Soul Ring.
At his current cultivation speed, it would take him no more than a month to reach level ten.
"Thunderbird... Thunderstorm Bear..."
Lin Ming flipped through the illustrated book, searching for suitable lightning-attribute Soul Beasts.
"You're about to absorb a Soul Ring, aren't you?"
A voice came from behind him.
Lin Ming turned and saw Yu Xiaogang standing beside the bookshelf, a stiff smile tugging at his rigid face.
"Grandmaster." Lin Ming nodded in greeting.
After their conversation six months ago, Yu Xiaogang had never bothered him again. When they occasionally crossed paths at the academy, they acted as if they hadn't seen each other.
"Are you looking for lightning-attribute Soul Beasts?"
Yu Xiaogang stepped closer and looked at the illustrated book open in front of Lin Ming.
"Yeah. I'm doing some research in advance."
"Have you noticed? Most students at the academy have... Ten-Year Soul Rings."
Yu Xiaogang's eyes flickered.
"What are you getting at, Grandmaster?"
At Yu Xiaogang's words, Lin Ming's finger paused on the page.
Yu Xiaogang walked over and sat in a chair beside Lin Ming. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Do you know why?"
Lin Ming knew the reason, of course. Most students came from ordinary families, who couldn't afford to hire powerful Soul Masters to hunt Hundred-Year Soul Beasts. They had no choice but to settle for Ten-Year Soul Rings.
Besides, a Soul Master with a Ten-Year Soul Ring was still a Soul Master, and the Gold Soul Coins they received each month were real enough.
But Lin Ming said nothing, waiting for Yu Xiaogang to continue.
"Because it takes a Soul Master of at least level twenty to hunt a Hundred-Year Soul Beast safely."
Yu Xiaogang's eyes flickered.
"And hiring a Soul Master of that level costs a fortune. Ordinary families can't afford it."
He paused, watching Lin Ming's expression.
"But you're different."
"How am I different?"
Lin Ming closed the book.
"I'm a Work-Study Student too. I can't afford to hire those Soul Masters."
"You have me!" Yu Xiaogang's breathing grew more labored.
"I can help you hunt a Hundred-Year Soul Beast and obtain your First Soul Ring—a real Hundred-Year Soul Ring, not one of those worthless filler rings."
Lin Ming smiled.
Since learning that Tang Hao was lurking in the shadows, this was the first time he'd smiled so happily.
He knew exactly why Yu Xiaogang wanted to hunt a Hundred-Year Soul Ring for him.
The condition would definitely be that Yu Xiaogang got to study his Martial Soul.
Lin Ming looked into Yu Xiaogang's eyes.
They held fervor and longing, but above all, obsession.
Lin Ming remembered the scene in the original story when Yu Xiaogang had Tang San absorb the Mandala Snake's Soul Ring.
To test his theory, Yu Xiaogang had been willing to risk Tang San's life.
What if the subject of his research was just a Lei Yi that was someone's Martial Soul?
"Grandmaster, have you ever hunted a Hundred-Year Soul Beast?" Lin Ming asked suddenly.
"What?"
"I said, have you ever personally hunted a Hundred-Year Soul Beast?"
Lin Ming repeated himself.
"Not by relying on someone else. You, with your Luo Sanpao—have you ever hunted a Hundred-Year Soul Beast?"
Yu Xiaogang's expression darkened.
"A level twenty-nine Soul Master can, in theory, deal with most Hundred-Year Soul Beasts."
"But you can't do it, can you?"
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