As the director of academic affairs, Director Su had wanted to advise Tang San to absorb the whale rubber first, but considering the Grandmaster's attitude toward it and Tang San's trust in him, he decided against it.
"Little San, begin," Yu Xiaogang said excitedly.
Tang San nodded, raised his right hand, and summoned his Blue Silver Grass. Drawn by his soul power, the Mandala Snake's soul ring slowly drifted toward him.
"Sit cross-legged and focus your mind on your martial soul."
Watching the approaching soul ring, Yu Xiaogang offered quiet guidance.
Tang San followed his instructions. Before long, the yellow soul ring reached the top of his head, abruptly shrank to the size of a bracelet, and slipped over the Blue Silver Grass.
Seeing Tang San begin absorbing the soul ring, Su Mo quietly activated Return a Peach for a Plum, drawing three hundred years' worth of energy from the Mandala Snake's soul ring.
He then transferred that energy into the Frog House's soul ring.
As the energy gradually transferred, the Mandala Snake's soul ring dropped from four hundred years to one hundred, while Su Mo's Frog House soul ring steadily rose from four hundred years to seven hundred.
At the same time, the space inside the Frog House grew larger.
It expanded from four hundred square meters to seven hundred.
Its height increased from four meters to seven.
Su Mo vaguely sensed that the Frog House's interior space was linked to its soul ring's age.
Its floor area in square meters matched the soul ring's age in years, and every hundred years added another meter to its height.
Naturally, he had left Tang San a hundred-year soul ring because he did not want to go too far and arouse suspicion.
At least it's yellow, right?
Tsk, tsk. I'm still too kindhearted!
Any other transmigrator would probably have knocked Tang San's first ring straight down into the single digits.
The only pity was that after drawing three hundred years of energy from the Mandala Snake's soul ring, he had also used up all the gratitude Tang San owed him.
He would have to find a way to earn more later.
"Hm?"
Su Mo suddenly noticed that his vision had become slightly blurry, as though it had dropped from ultra-high definition to high definition.
"My eyesight is already deteriorating?"
Su Mo could not help frowning. Using the eye technique Peaches and Plums Across the World consumed not only soul power, but ocular power as well.
He quietly tried healing himself with the Blue Silver Emperor's soul bone skill, Unending Life.
It had no effect whatsoever.
His vision remained blurry, especially in his left eye.
Remembering that the Mangekyo's declining ocular power in Naruto was a form of curse-induced blindness, Su Mo could do nothing about it for now. That was simply how the Sharingan worked.
Still, it was not impossible to resolve.
Once he improved his physical constitution, unlocked more spiritual power, and attained the Eternal eyes, the ocular power problem would naturally unravel like bamboo splitting beneath a blade.
Besides increasing his spiritual power, replenishing his vitality should also work.
Naruto had Hashirama cells.
The Douluo Continent apparently had gold of life, too.
Just then, Tian Meng's voice sounded in Su Mo's mind.
"This is damage at the ultimate spiritual level. You need an ability at the same ultimate attribute level to repair it, and even then, the recovery won't be permanent."
Su Mo nodded at his words.
He understood that. It was much like Ma Xiaotao's evil fire.
"In that case, finding a suitable wood-type soul beast is even more important." Su Mo suddenly thought of the Wood Gem set into the Infinity Gauntlet.
If he could harness ultimate wood, perhaps he could slow the decline of his ocular power.
Fortunately, with Spiritual Detection, nearsightedness did not stop him from gathering information about his surroundings.
Truly a godlike scouting skill!
About half an hour later, Tang San finally finished absorbing the soul ring.
"Little San, did you succeed?"
Yu Xiaogang's face brimmed with excitement, though a trace of apprehension lingered in his eyes. To him, his research mattered even more than his life.
Tang San nodded, then raised his right hand. His Blue Silver Grass was half a finger wider than before, and its blades were slightly thicker.
Then a pale yellow ring of light rose from beneath his feet.
"That color is so faint. Why does it look like a hundred-year soul ring?" Noticing the soul ring beneath Tang San's feet, Yu Xiaogang was puzzled.
The difference from before its absorption was far too obvious.
Setting aside the soul ring's color for now, Yu Xiaogang asked Tang San, "How tough is it?"
At his words, Tang San tried tugging on a blade of Blue Silver Grass.
Crack!
With only a light tug, the blade snapped apart.
Yu Xiaogang said, "Uh, well..."
"Check whether it carries any poison."
So Tang San put the broken piece of Blue Silver Grass into his mouth.
After a while, he shook his head. "No poison."
He was beginning to regret listening to his teacher.
Yu Xiaogang: "..."
That shouldn't be possible. My martial soul mimicry theory can't be wrong!
"What's your soul skill?" Unwilling to give up, he continued questioning him.
Su Mo was equally curious.
After a martial soul acquired a soul ring, its soul skill only emerged following a process of mutation.
Different martial souls would produce entirely different skills from the same soul ring, and vice versa. Even a difference in soul ring age would alter the skill.
"My first soul skill is Blue Silver Whip. Its effect is to create a whip."
As he spoke, Tang San activated his soul skill. Soul power gathered in his palm and formed a blue whip roughly two meters long.
Everyone: "..."
This soul skill seems a little useless.
Yu Xiaogang looked incredulous. "Is that all it does?"
"There seems to be some sort of poison on the whip, but I'm not sure what kind." Having only just absorbed the soul ring, Tang San's understanding of his soul skill was still vague.
"Then try whipping me!" Yu Xiaogang spread his arms, volunteering as a test subject.
Tang San's mouth twitched. Hit my teacher?
That would be rather disrespectful.
But since he's asking me himself, wouldn't refusing also be disrespectful?
I, Tang San, honor my teacher and respect his teachings. Disrespect is respect. Nothing wrong with that!
"Teacher, forgive me!"
Snap!
The lash carried such force that it actually produced a sonic boom.
There was definitely a little personal resentment behind it.
"Ooh, ooh~ That feels good~~" Yu Xiaogang could not hold back his cries of pleasure.
Everyone: "???"
What's wrong with him?
Hiss! Has the Grandmaster awakened some special proclivity?
Coming to his senses, Yu Xiaogang recalled what had just happened, and his face flushed bright red.
He said awkwardly, "It wasn't me... It's the whip's effect!"
Director Su sounded skeptical. "Really?"
"Try it yourself if you don't believe me!" Yu Xiaogang's face darkened.
Director Su hastily waved his hands. "Then I'll pass."
Su Mo was also rather speechless at Tang San's bizarre soul skill.
What the hell kind of skill is that?
Whipping people makes them feel good?
I really want to try... Pfft, no... How perverted!
It certainly lives up to the name Blue Silver Whip!
Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang resentfully. "Teacher, this skill is a little too... you know."
"Uh..." Yu Xiaogang also felt that this soul skill was rather indecent, but could he say so outright? If he did, would this disciple still stick around?
"Ahem. Little San, this soul skill is actually quite good."
Yu Xiaogang switched into smooth-talking mode. "It can both attack and control, and most importantly, it carries a neurotoxin that disrupts your opponent. It's a very well-rounded, practical skill."
Tang San reluctantly accepted his teacher's explanation.
As for the others, aside from Xiao Wu, who looked utterly bewildered, Su Mo lowered his head to study the patterns on his shoes while Director Su looked up and counted the stars.
That makes so much fucking sense!