Traveling Together—Was Master Actually Hiding His True Abilities?

"Director Lei, you're going to the Soul Hunting Forest tomorrow too?"

In the dining hall, Yu Xiaogang, who had been eating a steamed bun, could not help feeling surprised when he heard Lei Hong's question. A surge of delight rose in his heart.

Although he could take Tang San into the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt Soul Beasts, his strength was too weak, and he truly had no confidence in helping Tang San obtain the best possible Soul Ring.

But if Lei Hong came along, the chances of helping Tang San acquire a suitable Soul Ring would undoubtedly increase greatly!

After all, he was only level twenty-nine, and his martial soul was barely any better than a useless martial soul.

Lei Hong, on the other hand, was a sixth-year homeroom teacher at Notting Academy. He was a level thirty-three Soul Elder, and his martial soul was quite good as well—the Beast Martial Soul, Rockhide Boar. His combat ability was rather formidable.

"That's right! From the sound of it, are you taking your disciple there tomorrow as well? If so, how about we go together?"

Lei Hong nodded and asked in his gruff voice.

"Of course!"

At Lei Hong's invitation, Yu Xiaogang naturally agreed with delight. After arranging a time and place to meet the next day, they went their separate ways.

After finishing his meal and returning to the Seventh Dormitory,

Tang San told the other work-study students in the Seventh Dormitory that he would be going to the Soul Hunting Forest the next day. He also asked who could help clean the area he was responsible for while he was away.

As a work-study student, Tang San still had to handle the academy's daily cleaning duties. Since he would be leaving Notting Academy for the Soul Hunting Forest tomorrow, he needed to find someone to clean the area under his care.

After Tang San mentioned that he was going to the Soul Hunting Forest, Wang Sheng burst into laughter and said that what a coincidence—it just so happened that he would be going to the Soul Hunting Forest tomorrow as well.

Tang San froze in surprise.

Could Wang Sheng be the person Director Lei was taking to the Soul Hunting Forest?

In fact, that was indeed the case.

And so, after Wang Sheng arranged for someone to take over the two of their cleaning duties while they were away from Notting Academy and headed to the Soul Hunting Forest,

the next day quickly arrived.

At the time Yu Xiaogang and Lei Hong had agreed upon the day before,

Wang Sheng and Tang San both got up early. After washing up, they came down from the dormitory building and found Yu Xiaogang and Lei Hong, who had already been waiting for some time, in the dining hall.

After eating breakfast in the dining hall,

the group of four left Notting Academy and headed for the market in Notting City.

Then, they split into two groups.

Lei Hong was responsible for finding a carriage.

Yu Xiaogang, meanwhile, took Wang Sheng and Tang San to prepare the things they would need for the journey to the Soul Hunting Forest.

These included tents for lodging, dry rations, water skins, realgar powder to ward off snakes and insects, and so on.

However, while shopping in the market,

Wang Sheng was baffled when he saw Yu Xiaogang enter a vegetable shop and buy a whole small cartload of white radishes. He could not help asking,

"Master, why are you buying so many white radishes?"

Wang Sheng genuinely had no idea why Yu Xiaogang was buying white radishes.

Although Yu Xiaogang had long become a laughingstock at Notting Academy,

that was mainly because he aimed high but lacked ability, acted arrogantly, yet never showed any real skill. He only knew how to freeload at Notting Academy, so people looked down on him and mocked him as a clown.

But because Yu Xiaogang knew his martial soul and Soul Skills were especially humiliating, he had always considered them shameful and never displayed his Soul Skills. Thus, no one yet knew that Yu Xiaogang's Soul Skill was actually farting.

Faced with Wang Sheng's question, Yu Xiaogang naturally could not answer. After a moment of silence, his expression stiffened as he put on an air of mystery and said,

"I naturally have my reasons for buying these white radishes. If necessary, you'll find out once we reach the Soul Hunting Forest..."

Yet as he spoke, Yu Xiaogang secretly thought to himself, It'd be best if there's no need for them!

After all, if he were only taking Tang San to the Soul Hunting Forest, he would naturally need to use these white radishes.

But now that he was going with Lei Hong, a Soul Elder, it would be best for him not to act unless absolutely necessary.

His Soul Skill was simply too humiliating!

The reason he had still bought so many white radishes was just in case!

"Oh..."

Wang Sheng blanked at Yu Xiaogang's answer and scratched his head in confusion, unable to understand what Yu Xiaogang meant.

Could these white radishes help them hunt Soul Beasts too?

Although Wang Sheng was deeply puzzled, Tang San was so powerful and clever, yet he had chosen Yu Xiaogang as his master. Perhaps Master was not as useless as the rumors claimed.

Maybe Master was hiding his true abilities...?

However, Bai Luo, who was secretly monitoring Tang San through a Spy Satellite, could not help sneering.

This Yu Xiaogang really knew how to put on an act!

Wasn't the reason he bought so many white radishes simply because his martial soul, Luo Sanpao, had to eat white radishes before it could use its farting Soul Skill?!

On this trip to the Soul Hunting Forest, there was a ninety-percent chance he would not be able to hide his farting Soul Skill. Yet he still insisted on pretending. When someone discovered the truth, would he still have the nerve to keep up that act?!

Rather than being exposed later and losing face, he might as well be direct and admit part of the truth—say that buying white radishes had something to do with his Soul Skill.

In any case, Bai Luo found Yu Xiaogang's habit of clinging to the identity of a master, aiming too high while lacking ability, and putting on airs utterly disgusting.

Because if you wanted to earn other people's respect and admiration, you had to prove yourself through action!

If Yu Xiaogang had done anything worthy of his self-proclaimed status as a master of martial soul theory at Notting Academy—teaching the students advanced and useful Soul Master knowledge, and producing a group of outstanding students—

then he absolutely would not have ended up like this, ridiculed by nearly everyone in Notting Academy aside from the headmaster as a clown and a freeloader.

All he knew was to seek out geniuses like Tang San as disciples, hoping to prove himself by teaching such geniuses into success. Wasn't he treating everyone else like idiots?!

If someone had a genius Soul Master like that as a disciple, who could not teach them into success?

In all of Douluo Continent, the person Bai Luo hated most was Yu Xiaogang.

As for this Soul Hunting trip by Tang San and Yu Xiaogang, Bai Luo had already prepared a script. When the time came, he would send a clone to cause some real trouble!

In Notting City,

after Yu Xiaogang finished purchasing the supplies needed for the journey to the Soul Hunting Forest with Tang San and Wang Sheng, Lei Hong also found a carriage bound for the Soul Hunting Forest.

The four of them then boarded the carriage and set off straight for the Soul Hunting Forest.

As the carriage traveled through the streets of Notting City,

on the way out of the city, Wang Sheng watched the scenery outside the window slide past. When they passed a familiar courtyard, he could not help feeling a little regretful.

That courtyard was where his teacher, Ke Zhen'e, lived.

If Ke Zhen'e's injuries had not yet fully healed,

Wang Sheng truly would have wanted to invite Ke Zhen'e to go to the Soul Hunting Forest with him.