Brother, Kiss Me [Please Collect]

After verifying Zhang Yang's character, Sword Douluo left in satisfaction. Zhang Yang, meanwhile, returned to Shrek Academy, afraid that Master and the others would worry if he delayed too long.

Seeing Zhang Yang return safely, everyone visibly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped forward to ask with concern, "Zhang Yang, are you okay?"

Everyone's overlapping words of concern moved Zhang Yang deeply. He nodded and said in a deliberately relaxed tone, "Don't worry, everyone. I'm fine."

Seeing that Zhang Yang truly looked well, Master was relieved. "Zhang Yang, what was Sword Douluo's third test?"

At Master's question, everyone immediately pricked up their ears to listen.

Zhang Yang chuckled and used Sword Douluo's originally planned third test to fool them. "The third test was to endure his pressure for the time it takes to burn an incense stick. Teacher, don't worry. Sword Douluo had to consider Rongrong's feelings, so although the process was difficult, he still held back."

"Mm." Master nodded knowingly. "Just as I expected. Sword Douluo's three tests came from what he said before. The first tested talent, the second tested strength, and the third tested willpower. As for character, he left that for Rongrong to understand herself."

Everyone suddenly understood and admired Master's ability to see through everything.

Dai Mubai asked, "So, did you pass the third test?"

"Mm." Zhang Yang nodded. "I suppose I did."

"Then congratulations!!" Dai Mubai said happily.

Zhang Yang nodded, then looked around the crowd. When he did not see Xiao Wu or Tang San, he quickly asked, "Huh? Where are Xiao San and Xiao Wu?"

Dai Mubai explained, "After Sword Douluo took you away, everyone noticed Xiao Wu's face had gone pale and she was trembling all over, so Xiao San took her back to the Dormitory first."

Zhang Yang suddenly understood. "She was probably too worried about me. I'll go check on her and tell her what happened afterward so she can relax."

Everyone nodded. Master even patted Zhang Yang on the shoulder. "Go. Come to my place afterward, and I'll help you study those two tests."

"Yes, Teacher." Zhang Yang immediately nodded, more than happy to do so.

Tang San carried Xiao Wu back to the girls' Dormitory and gently placed her on the bed.

After setting Xiao Wu down, Tang San had just turned to pull the blanket over her when Xiao Wu wrapped her arms around him.

Xiao Wu caught Tang San completely off guard. He fell forward and landed directly on top of her.

"Xiao Wu—" Tang San, feeling that he had offended Xiao Wu, was just about to say something when Xiao Wu directly sealed his lips.

Then, both of them instinctively frowned.

Tang San had lived a total of forty-two years between his past and present lives, while Xiao Wu had lived for more than a hundred thousand years. Yet their first kiss had ended with their teeth knocking together. If word got out, wouldn't people laugh themselves to death?

Xiao Wu thought this was their final farewell, while Tang San was dazed enough to lose his usual composure. But as this beneficial activity for body and mind continued, the vague feelings between them gradually became clear.

After a while, their lips parted.

Xiao Wu nestled against Tang San's chest. Thinking of her future fate, tears welled up in her eyes.

Even if Tang San were foolish, he could tell that Xiao Wu had encountered some kind of problem. He gently asked, "What is it that you can't tell me?"

But the moment she heard Tang San's voice, Xiao Wu could not help bursting into loud sobs again, leaving Tang San utterly bewildered.

And as she cried, Xiao Wu choked out things like, "Brother, I'll never leave you."

Tang San did not know that Xiao Wu had already made up her mind. When Sword Douluo returned, she would sacrifice her Soul Ring to him.

Sacrifice—Xiao Wu would burn her life, burn her soul, and merge everything she had into a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring before voluntarily attaching it to Tang San's Martial Soul.

With a Soul Ring obtained this way, no matter how strong Tang San was or whether he had reached the level required to obtain a Soul Ring, the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring would absolutely fuse with him successfully. Once his level reached the corresponding stage, he could continue increasing it.

As a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Xiao Wu would generate an immensely powerful magnetic field during the sacrifice. Even a Titled Douluo would be unable to interrupt it.

Just as Xiao Wu had cried enough and was about to tell Tang San everything, someone suddenly knocked on the Dormitory door. Zhang Yang's voice came from outside. "Xiao San, can I come in?"

At the sound of Zhang Yang's voice, Xiao Wu's body jolted violently. Tang San did not understand why, but he still let Zhang Yang enter.

The first thing Zhang Yang saw upon entering was Tang San and Xiao Wu clinging to each other without letting go. This display of affection nearly choked Zhang Yang to death at the doorway.

Rolling his eyes, Zhang Yang said helplessly, "So you two finally aren't planning to hide it anymore? I was getting beaten up out there while you two were getting all lovey-dovey in the Dormitory? Oh, I'm so mad."

Tang San, teased like this, replied helplessly, "Enough. Tell us about yourself. Sword Douluo left?"

Zhang Yang nodded. "He left. He bullied me for a while, then stepped on his Martial Soul and flew away."

At those words, Xiao Wu, who had been buried against Tang San's chest, suddenly raised her head and stared at Zhang Yang in astonishment. "He really left?"

Zhang Yang spread his hands helplessly. "No, he didn't. He's right outside the door."

Xiao Wu shot Zhang Yang a glare. "Swear it."

"Fine, I swear. If I'm lying to you, I'm a carrot." Zhang Yang helplessly raised three fingers.

Seeing Zhang Yang like this, Xiao Wu finally believed him. She immediately sat up from the bed, completely unlike how she had looked moments ago, as though she wanted to die.

Leaning against the doorframe, Zhang Yang said with some emotion, "You know, their Martial Soul can actually carry a Soul Master through the air. Then look at my Martial Soul—it looks so lazy and unserious, just like some useless employee at a big company who gets paid to do nothing."

Tang San said, "That comparison..."

Xiao Wu said, "It's... actually pretty fitting."

Zhang Yang did not stay long. Seeing that Xiao Wu was lively again, he left to find Master, thoughtfully leaving the room to the couple.

After Zhang Yang left, Tang San, whose curiosity had been overflowing, finally asked, "What was wrong with you just now?"

"Uh..." Xiao Wu's thoughts turned, and she looked at Tang San with great seriousness. "Wasn't it because I saw Rongrong's family come to break them apart? It scared me a little."

After saying that, afraid Tang San would think too much, Xiao Wu hurriedly spoke again to distract him. "Brother, I like you. I want to be with you forever."

"Mm." Tang San did not press further. Instead, he reached out and pulled Xiao Wu into his arms again, saying seriously, "I want to be with you forever too."

"Brother..."

"Mm?"

"Kiss me!"

In Master's room.

Master spoke at length. "Reaching Soul King Level fifty-one before the age of twenty may seem like an impossible task, but it is not without a chance of success."

"In the world of Soul Masters, there is an evil method that trades one's life force for faster growth in strength. Of course, I would never agree to you doing something so foolish. You are smart, so I trust you understand this principle."

"And right now, the most suitable thing for you is the third stage of training I prepared for you—the Mimicry Training Environment."

"Mimicry Training Environment?" Zhang Yang repeated the unfamiliar term.

"Zhang Yang, let me ask you something. Is a tiger better off raised in an enclosure, or living in the mountains and forests?"

After thinking seriously, Zhang Yang answered, "Although it would never lack food or drink in an enclosure, I think a tiger should live in the mountains and forests. The ever-present danger, hunger, and cold there would make it stronger."

"Correct. Martial Soul cultivation works on the same principle. So, a Sausage Martial Soul trains in a kitchen, a rabbit Martial Soul trains in shrubbery, and so on. That is a Mimicry Training Environment."

"Choosing a Mimicry Training Environment suited to one's Martial Soul can accelerate Soul Power cultivation. The more compatible the environment is with the Martial Soul, the faster the cultivation speed."

"Then Teacher, where should I cultivate?" Zhang Yang asked curiously.

Master sighed helplessly. "That is what troubles me the most. Your Borsalino Martial Soul looks no different from a real person. No matter how I think about it, cultivating in a place where humans gather should be best, but..."

"If cultivating where humans gather is best for me, then that means I have always been in a Mimicry Training Environment and always been cultivating at an accelerated rate. In that case, this method is useless to me."

"Correct." Master nodded. "So our most urgent task now is to determine whether you are currently in a Mimicry Training Environment. If you are not, then we need to figure out what kind of Mimicry Training Environment suits you."

"I understand, Teacher." Zhang Yang nodded, deciding that he would organize all his fragmented memories about Borsalino later and try to find the most suitable cultivation environment.

Master nodded. "Mm. Now let us discuss the second test."

"It is still too early to talk about independently killing a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, so we will set that aside for now and discuss Soul Bones first."

"After what happened with Xiao San, you already know what Soul Bones are. So what I will mainly explain now is how to obtain Soul Bones."

"Soul Bones come from Soul Beasts. Generally, only Soul Beasts of extreme strength that meet certain special conditions upon death have a high chance of producing a Soul Bone."

"The so-called special conditions can roughly be divided into two types. One is when a Soul Beast is filled with extreme resentment. Under such circumstances, the chance of a Soul Bone dropping greatly increases."

"The other is when a Soul Beast willingly allows itself to be killed and willingly becomes a Soul Master's Soul Ring. Under such circumstances, a Soul Bone will drop almost one hundred percent of the time."

Zhang Yang thought about it. "The second type seems basically impossible, so I should consider the first type instead."

"As for how to make a Soul Beast full of resentment, I have several ideas."

"First, killing above one's level. A powerful Soul Beast dying at the hands of a Soul Master far weaker than itself will naturally be filled with resentment. With your Soul Skills, doing this would not be difficult, but the Soul Ring's age would basically exceed the limit and could only be wasted."

"Second, torture to death. You could easily kill a Soul Beast, yet deliberately torment it instead. For example, slowly crushing every bone in its body, or capturing its young and killing them in front of it."

"Although torture to death is cruel, its success rate is indeed high. However, the Soul Ring of a tortured Soul Beast is harder to absorb, just like Xiao San's Third Soul Ring. It was not only because it exceeded the age limit—the Man Faced Demon Spider's immense resentment was also one of the reasons."

As Master calmly explained methods of obtaining Soul Bones from Soul Beasts, Zhang Yang carefully took notes.

"Then, there are other methods of obtaining Soul Bones."