Tang Yuan Teaches Tang San How to Conduct Himself!

Tang Yuan walked up to Tang San and fixed him with a burning gaze.

"I want you to raise your Soul Power in the shortest time possible."

"The next time you see Yu Xiaogang, I want you to tell him with absolute strength that his theories are nothing but a joke."

"Work hard. Do not disappoint me."

"That would be the greatest repayment you could give me."

Hearing this, Tang San abruptly raised his head and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.

At that moment, the gratitude in his heart transformed into boundless motivation.

He looked at Tang Yuan, his gaze terrifyingly resolute.

"Yes, Master!"

"Tang San swears that I will never betray your expectations!"

"If I fail, I will bring you my head!"

Tang San clenched his fists tightly, his nails piercing his palms, but he could not feel the pain.

He only knew that, from this day onward, his life belonged to Tang Yuan.

He had to seize every moment to cultivate.

He had to become stronger.

Not merely to prove himself.

But to become the most capable arm of the man before him and clear away every obstacle in his path!

Within the Spirit Gathering Array in the western courtyard, the dense aura of life had nearly condensed into tangible mist.

Tang San sat cross-legged at the center of the cultivation platform, his eyes shut tight as fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead.

Around his body, blades of Blue Silver Grass grew and swayed wildly.

Yet these Blue Silver Grasses were no longer the pale blue they had once been. Instead, they had taken on an eerie dark green hue, while faint dark-red bloodlines appeared along the edges of their leaves.

Those were the traits of a Thousand-year Soul Beast—the Life Demon Vine.

This type of Soul Beast was extremely difficult to find in the depths of the Soul Hunting Forest. It possessed immense toughness and a terrifying ability to drain life force.

Even Soul Beasts that were two or three thousand years old would be drained of their blood essence in a short time if ensnared by it.

And now, the thousand-year Soul Ring produced by this Life Demon Vine pulsed above Tang San's head.

Its purple glow was dazzling and eye-catching.

As the final trace of Soul Power was absorbed into his body, Tang San suddenly opened his eyes.

A powerful aura erupted from within him.

The purple Soul Ring slowly descended, circling beneath his feet.

His first Soul Ring—thousand-year!

This was something absolutely impossible under the ironclad rules universally acknowledged by the Soul Master World. The limit for a first Soul Ring was Four Hundred Twenty-Three Years, a truth Yu Xiaogang regarded as sacred canon.

Yet at this moment, Tang San personally trampled that truth to pieces.

"How does it feel?"

Tang Yuan sat in a grand master's chair nearby, idly rolling two smooth jade walnuts in his hand, his voice calm.

Tang San immediately reined in his aura and hurriedly rose to his feet. Without even bothering to wipe the sweat from his face, he stood respectfully with his hands at his sides.

"Reporting to Master, this disciple has never felt better."

"The Mysterious Heaven Skill within my body... no, the circulation speed of my Soul Power is several times faster than before, and my meridians have widened considerably as well."

Tang San looked at his hands, his eyes filled with shock and excitement.

This was the benefit of absorbing a Soul Ring beyond one's level.

Tang Yuan nodded slightly, unsurprised.

With the Myriad Mother Qi Cauldron purifying his bloodline, the Spring of Life protecting his heart meridian, and the foundation Tang San had built through cultivating internal arts since childhood, it would have been surprising if he had failed to absorb a thousand-year Soul Ring.

"An increase in strength is only the foundation."

Tang Yuan stopped moving his hands and scrutinized the somewhat overexcited youth before him.

"Tang San, remember this: a Soul Master's cultivation is not only about cultivating the body, but also the heart."

"Your talent is decent, and with the resources I provide, your future achievements will be limitless."

"But there is one thing I must remind you of."

Tang Yuan's voice grew heavier.

Tang San's heart tightened, and he hurriedly bowed. "Please enlighten me, Master."

Tang Yuan rose to his feet and walked to the window, looking out at the courtyard blooming with flowers.

"Since ancient times, countless brilliant geniuses have ultimately faded into obscurity, or even died before reaching their potential. Do you know why?"

Tang San pondered for a moment before cautiously answering, "Because... they didn't work hard enough?"

Tang Yuan gave a soft laugh and turned around.

"Hard work is merely the entry ticket to becoming strong."

"What truly ruins them is often a single word: 'love.'"

"Especially love between men and women."

Tang Yuan walked up to Tang San, raised a finger, and gently tapped his chest.

"Beauty is a Bone-Carving Steel Blade."

"It will wear away your will, scatter your focus, and leave you unable to advance on the path of cultivation."

"That so-called teacher of yours, Yu Xiaogang, is the finest negative example."

At the mention of Yu Xiaogang, Tang San's gaze turned somewhat colder.

Tang Yuan continued:

"When he was young, he too came from a prestigious family. Though his mutated martial soul was somewhat useless, had he devoted himself to theoretical research, he might truly have achieved something."

"Unfortunately, he became obsessed with affairs between men and women, entangling himself with two women. Not only did he waste his years, but he also thoroughly ruined his own reputation. Expelled from his clan, he could only hide away in a backwater like Nuoding City, deceiving children to satisfy his pitiful vanity."

"If he had severed those ties of affection back then and devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation, then even with such a useless martial soul, he would not still be a level twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster at fifty, given the resources of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."

Level twenty-nine.

It was Yu Xiaogang's lifelong shame, and irrefutable proof of his incompetence.

Tang Yuan looked at Tang San, his tone turning stern.

"Do you want to become like him too? To throw away your entire life over so-called romantic attachments?"

A figure suddenly flashed through Tang San's mind.

That little girl in pink with a scorpion braid—Xiao Wu.

In the Nuoding Academy dormitory, she was always chattering away and loved pestering him to spar.

He did seem to feel something special toward her. He found her cute and wanted to take care of her.

But...

Tang San looked at the mountain-like authority of Tang Yuan before him, at the thousand-year purple soul ring beneath his feet, then thought of Yu Xiaogang's wretched and despondent appearance.

If he became absorbed in playing and fooling around with Xiao Wu, spending every day braiding a girl's hair and buying carrots, then when would he ever cultivate to become a Titled Douluo?

When would he ever revive the Tang Sect?

Those soft, tender emotions would only slow the speed at which he drew his blade.

Tang San violently shook his head, completely flinging that pink figure from his mind.

His gaze became clear once more, carrying an unprecedented firmness.

"This disciple does not!"

"This disciple wants to become a strong man like Master, to stand at the pinnacle of the Soul Master World!"

"I will never destroy my own future for mere beauty!"

Tang Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

"Very good."

"Since you possess such awareness, let us test your current combat ability."

Tang Yuan clapped his hands.

"Bing'er."

The courtyard gate opened, and Shui Bing'er, dressed in a blue gown, stepped inside.

Her expression was cool and aloof, a faint chill radiating from her body. Only upon seeing Tang Yuan did she slightly lower her head in salute.

"Teacher."

"Practice with your junior brother."

Tang Yuan casually pointed toward the open ground in the center of the courtyard. "No need to hold back. Let him understand what true control is."