Departing to Hunt for a Soul Ring

"Because Luo Sanpao is too weak, and you are too weak."

Lin Ming was still outputting.

"What do you know!"

Yu Xiaogang's eyes flickered with panic as he growled anxiously.

But realizing they were in a library, he quickly lowered his voice.

"I specialize in theoretical research; combat isn't my forte!"

"Then how can you help me hunt a hundred-year Soul Beast?"

Lin Ming retorted.

"With your mouth?"

Yu Xiaogang was choked by the question but quickly regained his composure.

"I have Tang San, and he has hidden weapons. He can definitely hunt a hundred-year Soul Ring for you!"

Yu Xiaogang said this with absolute certainty, his eyes reigniting with confidence.

Although he had been poisoned and fainted during the hunt for the Mandala Snake, Tang San had already absorbed the Soul Ring by the time he woke up.

His strange footwork, mysterious hidden weapons, and his second Martial Soul, the Clear Sky Hammer.

Yu Xiaogang understood that Tang San definitely had the strength to hunt a hundred-year Soul Ring alone.

Lin Ming, however, laughed, his smile filled with sarcasm.

"Master, are you joking with me, or are you deceiving yourself?"

"We are not related by blood, and Tang San and I aren't even friends."

Lin Ming looked directly into Yu Xiaogang's eyes.

"Why would he risk his life to help a stranger hunt a hundred-year Soul Beast?"

"Because..."

Yu Xiaogang eagerly tried to say something, but his words caught in his throat.

"Because it's your request?"

Lin Ming finished for him.

"Because he took you as his master, so he has to obey you?"

"Master, you only took him as a disciple a few days ago, and you're already making life-or-death decisions for him?"

"I..." Yu Xiaogang was speechless.

"Furthermore..." Lin Ming's voice grew colder.

"Do you really think someone with Tang San's personality would risk his life for the future of a stranger?"

Yu Xiaogang froze.

He recalled his interactions with Tang San over the past few days.

That child was indeed mature beyond his years, with meticulous thinking, cautious actions, and even a certain coldness.

Besides showing respect to himself as his teacher, he didn't seem to have any superfluous emotions towards others.

Would such a person really risk danger to help a classmate?

"He... he will listen to me... he said a day as a teacher is like a father for a lifetime..."

Yu Xiaogang's voice weakened.

"So you took him at his word?"

Lin Ming shook his head.

"Moreover, listening to you doesn't mean he'll genuinely help me. If he encounters danger during the hunt, he won't care about me."

Yu Xiaogang couldn't answer.

Because he knew the answer.

Given Tang San's personality, everything Lin Ming said was correct.

"So what is your proposal?" Lin Ming summarized.

"To have a six-year-old child, with his hidden weapons, hunt a hundred-year Soul Beast that he might not even be able to handle."

"If it succeeds, it's one thing, but if it fails, Tang San could be injured or even die, and I wouldn't even be able to protect myself."

He paused, his tone filled with mockery.

"Master, I could hear your calculations even from Holy Soul Village."

Yu Xiaogang's face turned completely pale.

Lin Ming's words left him speechless, all his schemes and pretenses peeled away layer by layer, revealing the cold truth beneath.

"I... I didn't mean it like that... I just wanted to help you..."

Yu Xiaogang explained with difficulty.

"Help me?" Lin Ming chuckled.

He turned to leave but stopped.

"Also, regarding your detached Martial Soul, you really should reconsider."

"What do you mean?"

"Luo Sanpao isn't weak because it's a detached Martial Soul, nor because of a malignant mutation."

Lin Ming turned back and said for the last time.

"A Martial Soul is part of a Soul Master. If it's weak, it's because of you."

With that, Lin Ming didn't linger any longer, carrying his books and walking out of the library.

Sunlight streamed in from outside, casting his shadow long.

Yu Xiaogang stood alone among the bookshelves, staring blankly at the receding figure.

"It's weak... because I'm weak?"

He muttered the words repeatedly, then lowered his head to look at his trembling hands.

Decades.

He had studied Martial Souls for decades.

He had always thought he was exploring the truth.

But now a child told him.

The fundamental reason Luo Sanpao was weak was him.

"Impossible... absolutely impossible..."

"Luo Luo..."

Luo Sanpao appeared at some point.

This time, instead of rubbing against his leg as usual, it stood a few steps away, looking at him with its round, glistening eyes.

Yu Xiaogang looked at it.

At the Martial Soul that had accompanied him for decades.

For the first time, he didn't immediately feel disgusted.

"You..." Yu Xiaogang's voice was hoarse, "Is this really all you can do?"

Luo Sanpao sensed the fluctuation in its master's emotions. It hesitated, then slowly walked over and gently nudged Yu Xiaogang's hand with its nose.

Warm, with a hint of moisture.

Yu Xiaogang's hand trembled.

He didn't pull away immediately like he usually did.

At this moment, the library was so quiet he could hear his own heartbeat.

After a long while, Yu Xiaogang closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, only coldness remained in his eyes.

"No, it can't be my problem."

He said in a low voice.

"I am a direct descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the Sect Master's son."

"It's Luo Sanpao that's weak."

He retracted Luo Sanpao into his body.

As he left, his steps were firm, as if the momentary wavering had never happened.

Some obsessions, once rooted, could never be pulled out.

After the conversation in the library, Yu Xiaogang indeed stopped appearing before Lin Ming.

Lin Ming enjoyed the peace, dedicating all his energy to cultivation and learning about Soul Beasts.

Wang Sheng returned, and as expected, he now had a white ten-year Soul Ring.

His Martial Soul was a battle tiger, and after adding the ten-year Soul Ring, his strength and defense had improved slightly.

But in Lin Ming's opinion, the effect of this improvement was negligible.

Wang Sheng, however, was very satisfied and smiled at Lin Ming.

It seemed like self-mockery, or perhaps a submission to fate.

"With this Soul Ring, I'm a true Soul Master now. I'll get one Gold Soul Coin every month, and it'll lighten the burden at home a bit."

Lin Ming's heart stirred slightly, but he didn't say much more.

Time flew by during his cultivation.

Nuoding Academy's holiday arrived once more.

This time, Lin Ming did not stay at the academy, nor did he go to the Soul Hunting Forest with others from the academy to obtain a Soul Ring.

His Soul Power had long since recovered to level ten.

He needed a Soul Ring, a hundred-year Soul Ring that could match Lei Yi.

The best outcome in Nuoding City would be to spend money to hire a Soul Master of level twenty or thirty to hunt a weak hundred-year Soul Beast.

And absorb a barely adequate Soul Ring.

This was not what he wanted.

"Star Dou Great Forest..."

Lin Ming looked at the map borrowed from the library, which was marked with dangerous areas.

His finger landed on that vast, boundless, and mysterious forest region.

Only there would there be enough, and strong enough, lightning-attribute Soul Beasts.

Risk and opportunity coexisted.