As the Child of Destiny, Tang San naturally would not be defeated by a mere Two-Thousand-Year Soul Ring. Not only did he successfully absorb it, but he also obtained the incomparably precious External Soul Bone, the Eight Spider Lances.
Seeing Xiao Wu return safely, Tang San rushed forward and pulled her into his arms, his eyes brimming with tears.
Once Tang San's emotions gradually settled, everyone curiously asked how he had killed the Man Faced Demon Spider.
Tang San then demonstrated the "Godly Zhuge Crossbow" for everyone and explained the Hidden Weapon techniques he had used to defeat Meng Yiran.
The tyrannical power of the Godly Zhuge Crossbow, its strange Hidden Weapon techniques, and the novel concept of Hidden Weapons—all of it left a deep impression on everyone encountering Hidden Weapons for the first time.
Faced with such a powerful weapon, Oscar was the first to swallow his pride. As a Food System Soul Master with no combat ability of his own, he craved the devastating Godly Zhuge Crossbow more than anyone.
Fortunately, since Tang San had decided to show the Godly Zhuge Crossbow to everyone, he naturally would not refuse their desire for it. He agreed to provide each of them with a set at cost.
After returning to the academy, everyone finally relaxed their taut nerves, and exhaustion swiftly washed over them.
Just as everyone was preparing to return and get some proper rest, Ning Rongrong stopped Tang San, wanting to speak with him alone.
After witnessing the Godly Zhuge Crossbow's power, Ning Rongrong had suddenly thought of ordering a batch of Godly Zhuge Crossbows for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's clan members to protect themselves.
With the Godly Zhuge Crossbow, the clan members would have another means of self-defense. After all, even with affiliated disciples protecting them, it was still better to hold strength in their own hands. The sect had once suffered from the vile incident of disciples betraying them and abducting direct-line descendants.
A Hidden Weapon was hidden for a reason. The Godly Zhuge Crossbow's immense power lay in the word "hidden." If word spread and their enemies became wary, then even if every sect disciple was equipped with a Godly Zhuge Crossbow, it would be useless.
This concerned the safety of the sect's direct-line descendants, which was why Ning Rongrong discussed it with Tang San alone. Even Zhang Yang and Xiao Wu could not listen in.
Since the Godly Zhuge Crossbow was extremely difficult to make, Tang San felt somewhat troubled. However, he did not refuse outright. He decided to go back and think it over carefully before giving Ning Rongrong an answer.
Receiving such a response, Ning Rongrong visibly relaxed. With a faint smile, she began teasing Tang San. "Oh dear, I need to figure out how to explain this to Xiao Wu. I can't let her get jealous of me."
Tang San smiled upon hearing that. "Not just Xiao Wu. You should also think about how to explain it to Zhang Yang."
Ning Rongrong's pretty face flushed. "Zhang Yang and I have nothing to do with each other. Why would I need to explain anything to him?"
Tang San laughed. "I wouldn't know. Even if Zhang Yang trusts me, he must be brooding over it right now. Maybe he's sulking in the dormitory as we speak."
"If he wants to sulk, let him sulk. I'm leaving first." Ning Rongrong ran off without waiting for Tang San's reply.
Tang San smiled when he saw that she was not heading toward the girls' dormitory, but he said nothing.
On the way back, Tang San had heard Zhang Yang muttering more than once about the ten Gold Soul Coin reward for winning a match at the Great Soul Arena. Tang San was certain that Ning Rongrong's trip to find Zhang Yang would end in vain.
However, Tang San did not tell Ning Rongrong the truth and instead let her make the trip for nothing. Who told her to tease him and Xiao Wu?
Sure enough, after getting no response from knocking, Ning Rongrong asked Oscar and learned that Zhang Yang had not even returned to the dormitory after arriving at the academy. After eating a Recovery Sausage, he had rushed off to Suotuo City.
After Ning Rongrong revealed her true nature, Oscar had once given up on her completely. Although her personality had improved greatly in recent days, Zhang Yang had already made the first move.
Though Oscar felt regretful, he understood that it was time to turn the page.
Zhang Yang arrived in Suotuo City early, so he first went to Spirit Hall to register his new rank and collect the one hundred Gold Soul Coin subsidy for Soul Elders.
Since it was his first time undergoing a Soul Power test and collecting the subsidy in Suotuo City, Zhang Yang was once again recruited by Spirit Hall.
Zhang Yang felt that Spirit Hall's Soul Masters seemed to have something like performance quotas. They all loved recruiting talented Soul Masters into Spirit Hall.
After shaking off Spirit Hall's recruitment attempt, the suddenly wealthier Zhang Yang found a restaurant and ate his fill. Then he leisurely drank two cups of tea before entering Suotuo City's Great Soul Arena when the time was right.
At the registration counter, Zhang Yang followed the procedure, handed over his Iron Soul Fighting Badge, had his Soul Power tested, and entered the match arrangement stage.
Having just absorbed his Soul Ring, Zhang Yang's Soul Power was now rank 31. He needed to compete in Soul Elder-level matches. The registrar even tried to persuade him otherwise, since his opponent would undoubtedly be a rank 38 or 39 Battle Soul Elder.
A rank 31 Soul Elder against a rank 38 or 39 Soul Elder—the odds were obvious.
Zhang Yang naturally was not worried about losing. At the moment, he only wanted to shed a tear for the gamblers who were about to bet on his defeat.
What a pity. If Dai Mubai had been here, he could have made another fortune.
Soul Elder-level fights clearly drew far more spectators than Soul Grandmaster-level ones. The audience was naturally willing to spend a little extra on tickets for more exciting matches.
Before long, it was Zhang Yang's turn to take the stage.
Zhang Yang's opponent was a rank 38 Battle Soul Elder with the Leopard Martial Soul. Based on its characteristics, he should have been an Agility Attack System Battle Soul Master with considerable strength.
Although Assault Type Soul Masters countered Agility Attack System Soul Masters, a rank 38 Soul Power against rank 31 Soul Power held an absolute advantage. If it were not Zhang Yang, a rank 31 Soul Elder would have had no chance of winning.
"Ha!" His opponent had already possessed the Leopard Martial Soul. His claws were sharp as blades, yellowish-brown short fur covered his body, and three Soul Rings—two yellow and one purple—rose and fell around him.
He was incredibly fast. In the span of a breath, he reached Zhang Yang and fiercely swung his right claw, intending to test Zhang Yang's abilities first.
Zhang Yang had already activated his first and second Soul Ring skills, so there was no need for him to dodge the attack at all. But to conceal his strength, he still activated Paper Art.
With Paper Art activated, Zhang Yang was like a sheet of white paper drifting weightlessly through the air, swaying along with the gusts created by his opponent's attacks. After more than ten consecutive strikes from the Leopard Soul Elder, he had not even touched the corner of Zhang Yang's clothes.
"Ha."
Seeing Zhang Yang effortlessly evade his entire combo, the Leopard Soul Elder knew this fight would not end so easily.
"Pounce."
The Leopard Soul Elder's third Soul Ring lit up. Yellow light instantly spread across his body as he leaped into the air and viciously pounced down at Zhang Yang.
The Leopard Soul Elder's claws gleamed sharply beneath the yellow glow. Had another Soul Master been struck by that pounce, they would surely have suffered several bone-deep wounds. A weaker Soul Master might even have had their bones shattered and tendons torn.
But Zhang Yang naturally would not be hit by such a straightforward attack.
"Soru." Zhang Yang stamped his feet against the ground and instantly shifted more than ten meters away.
"Bang!" The Leopard Soul Elder's Soul Power-infused strike blasted a small crater into the specially made Soul Fighting Stage.
For a Soul Master who was not an Assault Type strength specialist to smash a crater into the Soul Fighting Stage, his strength was clearly exceptional among Agility Attack System Soul Masters.
After missing his Pounce, the Leopard Soul Elder immediately turned back toward Zhang Yang. His first and second Soul Rings lit up simultaneously.
Whoosh. The Leopard Soul Elder's speed suddenly more than doubled. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Zhang Yang and unleashed another Leopard Claw Combo.
The first and second Soul Ring skills of the Leopard Soul Elder did not merely increase his movement speed. His attack speed and striking power also rose, and Zhang Yang could clearly feel an improvement of nearly thirty percent compared to before.
Yet Zhang Yang still evaded with ease using Paper Art.
After failing to land a strike for so long, the Leopard Soul Master grew anxious. Leopards did not have great endurance to begin with, and as someone with the Leopard Martial Soul, he had inherited that weakness. His attacks were swift as lightning, but he could not sustain them for long.
I need to think of something.
The Leopard Soul Master quickly retreated, panting heavily as he sneered, "Kid, do you only know how to dodge? Did you get all three of your Soul Rings by exhausting Soul Beasts to death?"
The spectators in the surrounding stands also voiced their dissatisfaction.
Zhang Yang smiled. "You want me to attack? Sure."
He had already figured out his opponent's Soul Skills and understood his attack patterns. There was no point in dragging out the fight any longer.
So it was time to end this Soul Fight.
With that thought, all three of Zhang Yang's Soul Rings lit up at once. His entire body instantly turned into a streak of yellow light, and the next moment, he appeared right in front of the Leopard Soul Master.
Before his eyes could even catch Zhang Yang's movement, Zhang Yang had already flashed before him. Alarm bells rang wildly in the Leopard Soul Master's mind.
Having appeared right before the Leopard Soul Master, Zhang Yang smiled faintly and said, "Speed is weight. Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
Seeing Zhang Yang still daring to talk nonsense in front of him, the Leopard Soul Master—still enhanced by his first and second Soul Ring skills—swung both claws viciously toward Zhang Yang.
The ferocious strike caught nothing but air.
Then a long leg glowing with yellow light swept into the Leopard Soul Elder's waist at light speed.
"Bang!"
The Leopard Soul Elder flew sideways off the Soul Fighting Stage and crashed heavily into the wall.
Having kicked his opponent out of the arena, Zhang Yang naturally won the match. Below the stage, the Leopard Soul Elder was immediately treated by a Recovery System Soul Master.
Since this was a gambling match, Zhang Yang had controlled his strength. Although the Leopard Soul Elder had flown far, the damage was not severe. With treatment from a Recovery System Soul Master, he would recover in three to five days.
After registering his points and collecting his reward, Zhang Yang headed straight back to the academy.
Zhang Yang did not plan to cultivate today. He decided to get a good night's sleep. After traveling hundreds of li during the day, even with Oscar's Recovery Sausage, he was mentally exhausted.
Remaining tense all the time would hinder cultivation. Necessary rest could instead improve the effects of regular training. This was the balance between work and rest that Master had taught Zhang Yang and Tang San.
After returning to the academy, Zhang Yang pushed open his door and saw a thin figure sitting at his desk, reading intently.
Hearing the door open, the thin figure turned around. It was Master.
Zhang Yang looked delighted. "Teacher? When did you get here?"
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