"Come with me."
"I'm going to confront Tang Yuan right now."
"I'll ask him to his face just what he's plotting, carving an unpolished gem into worthless stone!"
However.
Before he could tighten his grip.
A gentle yet irresistible force surged from Tang San's arm.
Tang San merely flicked his arm.
Yu Xiaogang felt like a weightless scarecrow, stumbling several steps backward and nearly landing on his backside.
Tang San remained where he stood, without so much as disturbing a crease in his clothes.
His expression remained indifferent, and the faintest hint of a smile even lingered on his lips.
But that smile never reached his eyes.
The warmth in those eyes faded little by little, replaced by a darkness that sent chills down the spine.
"Yu Xiaogang."
Tang San spoke, dispensing even with the title of "Grandmaster."
"Watch your words."
Those simple words carried no trace of emotion.
Yet Yu Xiaogang, who had been about to erupt, inexplicably felt his throat tighten.
"My teacher's teachings are the supreme Way."
"How could a frog at the bottom of a well like you presume to judge them?"
Tang San casually brushed the cuff Yu Xiaogang had grabbed, as though something filthy had stained it.
Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.
Could the Tang San who had once obeyed his every word and respected his teacher truly say such things?
Could he actually dare treat him this way?
"You..."
"You really have been brainwashed!"
Yu Xiaogang trembled all over with fury.
"The life system has no offensive power. That's common knowledge in the Soul Master World!"
"If you don't believe me, you'll regret it when you enter the Soul Fighting Arena and get beaten without the slightest chance to fight back!"
Tang San watched the enraged Yu Xiaogang, the contempt in his eyes deepening.
Common knowledge?
His teacher had said that the weak followed common knowledge, while the strong shattered it.
"Since you keep insisting that the life system is useless."
Tang San slowly raised his right hand.
Soul power surged in his palm.
A strand of blue silver grass slowly grew from it.
This time, he used neither its metallic form nor that domineering black spear.
What appeared in his hand was merely an ordinary-looking, even somewhat frail, pale-green strand of blue silver grass.
Its leaves were tender, its green so lush it seemed ready to drip.
It looked as though the slightest squeeze would wring water from it.
It resembled any weed found by the roadside, without the slightest destructive power.
"Why don't you experience it yourself?"
"Let's see whether this supposedly 'worthless' attribute really crumbles at a touch, as you claim."
Seeing the martial soul in Tang San's hand only made Yu Xiaogang more certain of his judgment.
Forget attacking—in this form, the martial soul would probably struggle even to entangle a ten-year soul beast.
Too weak.
It had practically regressed!
"Fine!"
"Since you refuse to give up, I'll beat some sense into you!"
"I'll show you what real martial soul combat looks like!"
Yu Xiaogang's own soul power was low, at only rank twenty-nine.
But in his eyes, against a Tang San who had strayed down the wrong path and whose martial soul had regressed, his years of experience and Luo Sanpao were more than enough to teach him a lesson.
"Come out, Luo Sanpao!"
At Yu Xiaogang's loud shout.
Pfft!
A cloud of pale-yellow smoke spread out.
A creature resembling both a pig and a dog appeared.
Luo Sanpao was pale purple all over, with two drooping ears and large eyes that darted about.
"Luo, luo!"
Luo Sanpao called twice, seemingly answering his master's summons.
"Farts like thunder, Earth-Shattering Luo Sanpao!"
Without any hesitation, Yu Xiaogang unleashed his first soul skill.
If he wanted to beat some sense into Tang San, he could not hold back.
Luo Sanpao inhaled sharply, his belly instantly swelling like a ball filled with air.
Then.
He flipped through the air, aiming his rear at Tang San.
Boom!
A thunderous blast rang out.
A yellow dome of light swept toward Tang San, carrying a powerful shock wave.
Its force was tremendous, even whipping up the fallen leaves on the ground.
Faced with this attack, Tang San did not so much as lift his eyelids.
He merely waved his hand lightly.
The seemingly frail blue silver grass in his hand instantly swelled in the wind.
There were no flashy movements.
Like a green ribbon, it met Luo Sanpao's attack head-on.
Bang!
The yellow shock wave slammed into the blue silver grass.
Its tender leaves were instantly blasted apart, sap spraying everywhere.
A smug look appeared on Yu Xiaogang's face at the sight.
See?
I told him a martial soul with this life attribute would crumble at a touch.
It couldn't even withstand a single blow from Luo Sanpao.
"Xiao San, did you see that clearly?"
"This is..."
Before Yu Xiaogang could finish, his voice abruptly cut off.
It was as though an invisible hand had seized him by the throat.
The blue silver grass that had been shattered beyond recognition flickered with green light.
And began healing at an astonishing speed.
Severed leaves grew back, and broken veins reconnected in an instant.
In the space of a single breath.
The blue silver grass returned to its original state, even greener and more vibrant than before.
Completely unscathed!
"This..."
Yu Xiaogang rubbed his eyes, thinking they had deceived him.
"Again!"
He refused to believe it.
"Farts like mist, Luo Sanpao's hypnotic slumber!"
His second soul skill activated.
This time, it was a poisonous mist attack.
However.
The result did not change in the slightest.
No matter how Luo Sanpao attacked—biting, ramming, or releasing poison gas.
Tang San's blue silver grass seemed immortal.
However much was destroyed, that much grew back.
Life renewed itself endlessly, an unbroken, inexhaustible flow.
That tenacious vitality filled him with a profound sense of helplessness.
Watching Yu Xiaogang sweat profusely, Tang San spoke flatly:
"Is that all?"
"It seems the Grandmaster's theories amount to nothing more than this."
"Now, it's my turn."
Tang San took a step forward.
Countless tender green shoots suddenly sprouted from the leaf-covered ground beneath his feet.
Green light erupted from his body, instantly enveloping a ten-meter radius.
But this was no warm, comforting light of life.
It was a domineering, predatory vitality.
"What my teacher taught me wasn't merely recovery."
"It was also Undying Blue Silver, life renewing without end."
"And at the same time..."
Tang San's gaze instantly sharpened.
"All growing things are nourishment."
"Yu Xiaogang."
"You've insulted my master again and again. Today, I'll teach you a proper lesson on his behalf."
As his words fell.
The rich green light around them instantly took solid form.
The once-delicate blue silver grass suddenly turned ferocious, transforming into dozens of long green snakes that wrapped around Yu Xiaogang and Luo Sanpao with the speed of thunder striking before one could cover one's ears.
This time, it was no simple entanglement.
Yu Xiaogang felt his entire body constrict.
The leaves on the blue silver grass clung tightly to his skin like countless greedy little mouths.
An utterly terrifying sensation swept over him.
The soul power within him, his stamina, and even his life force.
Were draining away at a frantic rate!
Like floodwaters bursting through a dam, they streamed endlessly along the blue silver grass toward Tang San.
"This is..."
"Life Drain?!"
Yu Xiaogang cried out in terror.
Such a soul skill was simply unheard of!
This was a method only an Evil Soul Master would possess!
Luo Sanpao let out an even more agonized howl, his formerly plump body shriveling before their eyes.
Before you continue