"Everything's fine."
"No need to worry about me."
Tang San's reply was short and firm, killing the conversation outright.
The smile on Yu Xiaogang's face stiffened.
But he didn't lose heart.
The boy must have his reasons, or perhaps he was sulking.
"That's good, that's good."
Yu Xiaogang gave two dry chuckles, then changed tack and got to the point.
"Daily life is one thing, but cultivation is what matters most."
"Xiao San, let me see how your cultivation is progressing."
"Even though you're no longer by my side, I've been working on a cultivation plan suited to you."
Tang San remained where he stood. He neither moved nor answered.
Seeing Tang San fall silent, Yu Xiaogang's spirits lifted.
That reaction...
Had he hit a bottleneck?
Or had something gone wrong with his cultivation?
Of course.
What did that young Tang Yuan know about cultivation? He must have taught the boy all sorts of nonsense.
Tang San must be stuck at some level now and too embarrassed to admit it.
Here was his chance!
Yu Xiaogang felt his blood begin to boil.
He stepped forward and looked at Tang San eagerly.
"Xiao San, have you hit a bottleneck?"
"Does your Soul Power seem to be rising slowly, no matter how hard you work?"
"It's all right. There's no need to be embarrassed."
"I'm the Grandmaster. There isn't a cultivation problem on this continent I can't solve."
The more Yu Xiaogang spoke, the more confident he became, as though he could already see Tang San returning to his side in grateful tears.
"All you have to do is study under me again."
"Cultivate according to my methods."
"I guarantee you'll break through to level thirty in no time!"
"You might even reach Soul Ancestor before you turn twenty!"
Yu Xiaogang held out a hand in invitation.
In his eyes, level thirty must have been a formidable hurdle for Tang San at his age.
Tang San quietly listened to Yu Xiaogang's endless chatter.
A trace of pity flickered in his eyes.
It was the pity a dragon felt for an ant.
Was this the frog at the bottom of the well Master had told me about?
Level thirty?
"No need."
Tang San finally spoke.
"You said you could help me break through to level thirty?"
Yu Xiaogang nodded confidently. "Without a doubt!"
"But..."
The corner of Tang San's mouth lifted slightly. It was not a smile, merely the expression of someone stating a fact.
"I passed that stage long ago."
The moment the words left his mouth, Tang San stamped his right foot against the ground.
Boom!
A violent aura erupted from his body.
Under its impact, the surrounding bamboo swayed wildly, and countless leaves rustled to the ground.
Then his Soul Rings lit up.
His First Soul Ring was purple.
In the deep violet glow, Yu Xiaogang's pupils contracted sharply.
How was that possible?
His First Soul Ring was a Thousand-Year Soul Ring?
But it wasn't over.
His second Soul Ring was purple.
His third Soul Ring was purple too!
Yu Xiaogang nearly stopped breathing.
Three Thousand-Year Soul Rings?
This defied everything the Martial Soul world knew! In that instant, his theory about the limits of the First Soul Ring was shattered.
Yet when the fourth Soul Ring slowly rose, a hum filled Yu Xiaogang's head, as though a thunderbolt had struck him.
That Soul Ring was black as ink.
It radiated a pressure that drove him to despair.
Black.
A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring!
His fourth Soul Ring was actually a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring!
Yu Xiaogang's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. His mouth hung wide enough to fit two eggs.
He stood rigidly in place, as though a spell had frozen him.
He was dumbstruck.
How... How was this possible?
According to his theory, the limit for a fourth Soul Ring was only around five thousand years.
How could it be a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring?
And after absorbing rings beyond the limits for his first, second, and third Soul Rings!
How could his body withstand it?
"Th-this is..."
Yu Xiaogang's voice trembled. He pointed at Tang San, unable to form a complete sentence.
A genius.
No.
He was a monster!
A genius the likes of which had never been seen!
He unquestionably had the potential to become a god!
Once the shock passed, Yu Xiaogang's greed burned fiercer than ever.
Such a perfect test subject, such a child destined to stand at the pinnacle of the continent...
He could never let anyone else have him!
The boy had to be his disciple!
Only then would the name Yu Xiaogang be remembered for generations!
Yu Xiaogang forced down the storm raging in his heart.
He refused to give up.
Even with his face battered and swollen, he would push himself forward.
"Xiao San... you..."
"What path are you cultivating now?"
"Without proper theoretical guidance, a Soul Ring Configuration like this could easily make your cultivation go berserk!"
Yu Xiaogang tried to find one last opening.
He refused to believe Tang Yuan had any profound theoretical framework.
Tang San watched Yu Xiaogang, who looked devastated but still refused to let go of his scheme.
He slowly withdrew his Soul Rings.
Every trace of his aura vanished in an instant.
It was as though everything that had just happened had been an illusion.
"Since you want to know."
Tang San straightened his cuffs, his voice filled with boundless reverence for Tang Yuan.
"Thanks to my master's guidance and training."
"What I currently cultivate is neither the Control System nor the Assault System you speak of."
"It's..."
Tang San raised his eyes and looked straight at Yu Xiaogang.
"The Life and Destruction System."
"The Life System?"
Yu Xiaogang's voice rose sharply. His shock-numbed expression gave way to the pained look of a man who could not bear to see talent wasted.
He took a sharp step forward, his cloudy eyes fixed on Tang San as his chest heaved.
"Foolish!"
"Utterly foolish!"
Yu Xiaogang flung his hands through the air, spittle flying.
"Xiao San, your Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass!"
"Even if it has mutated, even if it has a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, it's still a plant at its core."
"Plant Martial Souls are weak by nature. Their lack of attack power is an iron rule."
"The only proper paths are the Control System, using Entanglement and parasitism to restrain your opponents, or the poison attribute, using toxins to make up for the lack of killing power!"
By this point, Yu Xiaogang's face had gone pale with anger. He pointed toward the King's Mansion, his finger trembling.
"The Life System? What is that supposed to be?"
"That's something support-type Soul Masters study! It's for healing!"
"You're a genius with Twin Martial Souls, and you've wasted precious Soul Ring slots on the life attribute, which has no attack power at all?"
"If you wanted to protect yourself, you could choose defensive attributes when you add Soul Rings to your Second Martial Soul, the Clear Sky Hammer. Why ruin your Blue Silver Grass now?"
The more Yu Xiaogang spoke, the more agitated he became. To him, this was a terrible waste of a precious gift.
That young brat Tang Yuan was leading his student astray.
Did he think he could be a teacher just because he knew a little about cultivation and had used his family's resources to pile up his strength?
He was ruining Tang San's promising future.
"No."
"Absolutely not."
Yu Xiaogang seized Tang San's arm with startling force.
Before you continue