"Nonsense!" Yu Xiaogang snapped.
"Whale rubber is an aphrodisiac supplement. How could it possibly increase the age of the soul ring someone can absorb?"
Tang San glanced at Su Mo and Xiao Wu. "But their physiques really have improved."
Yu Xiaogang choked on his words and shot Tang San a displeased glance. Are you my disciple or not? Why are you siding with outsiders?
"Even if their physiques have improved, that doesn't mean they can absorb older soul rings."
His theory on soul ring limits couldn't possibly be wrong.
Besides, he had calculated the maximum age one could withstand for a first soul ring to be 423 years. If their so-called whale rubber body-tempering theory was true, wouldn't that mean his research was all wrong?
Seeing how stubborn Yu Xiaogang was, Director Su couldn't help feeling disappointed.
He had thought the academy's Grandmaster actually had some ability. As it turned out, he was merely fishing for fame, unable even to face his own mistakes.
He reminded him, "Grandmaster, you've misunderstood the key point of the whale rubber body-tempering theory."
"Whale rubber essentially improves one's physique, while the age of the soul ring one can absorb depends on physical fitness. With every ten levels we soul masters gain, the age of the soul rings we can absorb increases. That may well be due to improvements in our physiques."
At this, Su Mo secretly gave Director Su a thumbs-up.
You're saying exactly what I wanted to say, sir!
"Utter rubbish!" Yu Xiaogang still refused to accept the theory.
"By your reasoning, there's no need to take whale rubber. Exercise can improve physical fitness too. Why haven't we seen anyone increase the age of their first soul ring to five hundred or even a thousand years before?"
Director Su's mouth twitched. "How much exercise do you expect a child just a few years old to do?"
Yu Xiaogang: "..."
Seeing his teacher rendered speechless, Tang San felt deeply disappointed.
Besides, he thought Director Su's argument made more sense.
Once again, he couldn't help regretting his decision to take Yu Xiaogang as his teacher.
"All right, all right, Director Su, Great Dampmaster, there's no need to argue. Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. I happen to have taken whale rubber, so I can personally test whether an improved physique lets me absorb an older soul ring."
Su Mo stepped forward to smooth things over.
"Haha, exactly! That line, 'Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth,' is very well said. A theory isn't established through talk, but through practice, one step at a time."
Director Su stroked his beard and laughed heartily, making Yu Xiaogang's face darken further.
Are you taking a jab at me?
"Absolutely not! Absorbing a soul ring beyond your limit is extremely dangerous. At best, you'll suffer a mental breakdown. At worst, your body will explode and you'll die."
Yu Xiaogang rejected the suggestion sternly.
It wasn't that he was truly so kindhearted. He was worried that if Su Mo succeeded in proving it, his theory on martial soul limits would become a laughingstock.
So it would be best to scare him out of it.
But Su Mo remained unmoved. "Don't bother trying to persuade me. My mind is made up. It's getting late, so let's set off first."
Seeing this, Yu Xiaogang wanted to assert his authority as a teacher. But just as he opened his mouth, he remembered that he wasn't a teacher at Nuoding Academy. He had no right to interfere at all.
Now that was awkward.
He could only drop the matter for now and plan to find another way once they reached the Soul Hunting Forest.
The five of them walked out through the academy gates, but they didn't rush to leave the city. Instead, they headed to the marketplace to buy supplies for hunting soul beasts.
Water and dry rations were the top priorities.
Then there were medicinal powders for countering poison, stopping bleeding, repelling insects and snakes...
Su Mo stopped outside an accessory shop. A sign by the entrance read "Light-speed engraving." Thinking of what he would be doing later, he immediately went inside, with Xiao Wu following close on his heels.
"What can I get you, little bro?"
The shopkeeper was a slightly plump middle-aged man whose smile made him look like the Laughing Buddha. He didn't dismiss Su Mo because of his age and greeted him with the same cheerful smile.
"Give me two sturdy copper rings."
"Coming right up! Want anything engraved on them?"
"Hmm..." Su Mo considered it. An engraving wouldn't be bad.
But what should he have engraved?
Initials? SM? No, no!
"Engrave 'Mo' on one and 'Wu' on the other."
In the end, he chose their names. Simple was best.
At his side, Xiao Wu's pretty face instantly turned as red as a ripe apple, and she ducked her head deeply.
Su Mo didn't notice any of this. His attention was entirely on the shopkeeper.
A white soul ring flashed beneath the shopkeeper's feet, and two beams suddenly shot from his eyes, aimed at the copper rings as he began engraving them.
Well, damn!
So this is "light-speed engraving"?
Before long, the shopkeeper finished, packed the copper rings in a box, and handed it to Su Mo.
"That'll be one Gold Soul Coin, little bro."
Su Mo paid without hesitation, then left the accessory shop and hurried to catch up with Tang San and the others.
Xiao Wu gazed eagerly at the box of copper rings in Su Mo's hand. She wanted to speak, stopped herself, then wanted to speak again. Finally, she stamped her foot and hurried after him.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang passed a vegetable stall. Seeing the pile of fresh white radishes on display, he couldn't help stopping.
He was just about to ask for several dozen jin when he suddenly paused.
"Teacher, what's wrong?"
Yu Xiaogang looked wistful. "Sanpao's soul skill involves farting, and white radishes are wonderfully effective at bringing on gas. I originally wanted to buy some to keep on hand, but then I remembered that Sanpao had already..."
Considering that others were present, he didn't spell it out. In the end, he sighed. "Naturally, there's no need for these white radishes anymore."
Tang San: "..."
That cut deep, Teacher.
Xiao Wu, who had just caught up, heard the word "radish." As though it had triggered her underlying programming, her eyes instantly lit up. She tugged at the hem of Su Mo's clothes and launched an offensive of cuteness.
Unable to resist, Su Mo bought Xiao Wu two jin of carrots.
"Thanks, big brother!" A radiant smile blossomed on Xiao Wu's face.
Once everyone had finished shopping, Director Su hired a large carriage.
Its interior was spacious enough to accommodate all five of them.
As the first light of dawn appeared, the streets of Nuoding City gradually grew busier. A carriage rolled slowly through the city gates toward the rising sun.
The carriage was a little bumpy, but everyone aboard was either a soul master or the coachman, so no one felt particularly uncomfortable.
"Teacher, roughly how long will it take to get there?" Tang San asked curiously.
"The Soul Hunting Forest we're heading to lies northeast of Nuoding City, about four hundred li away. I estimate we'll arrive around noon tomorrow."
After explaining, Yu Xiaogang produced a belt from somewhere.
"Little San, this is for you."
Tang San looked over curiously. The belt was jet-black, inlaid with twenty-four round pieces of white jade, each about the size of a fingernail.
"Thank you, Teacher." Tang San thanked him and reached out to take it.
"This belt is a soul tool used for storage. Each piece of jade provides one cubic meter of storage space. You only need to channel soul power into it to use it."
Hearing this, Tang San's gaze grew heated.
Twenty-four pieces of jade meant twenty-four cubic meters of storage space. This was perfect for storing hidden weapons!
Seeing the belt Yu Xiaogang had brought out, Su Mo secretly took out the two copper rings.
Then, concealed by his mental simulation, he covertly used his left-eye ocular technique, Return a Peach with a Plum, consuming the debt of gratitude Tang San owed him to transfer the spaces within the jade into the copper rings in his hand.
Still, he was kindhearted and didn't take things all the way.
He left Tang San a little.