"Stinky brat!"
"Bones are just a kind of soul bone. How could they possibly increase a soul ring's age?"
Tang San looked at Luo Mo and Xiao Wu. "He said his research had improved his soul ring."
Yu Xiaogang froze, then glanced at Tang San in disbelief. "You're my disciple. Why are you telling outsiders about this?"
"Even if his soul power has improved, that doesn't mean he can increase a soul ring's age."
His soul ring limit had never been something he could change.
Besides, he had calculated that the limit of the first soul ring a soul master could bear was 423 years. If the bone Luo Mo mentioned could really increase a soul ring's age, wouldn't that mean all his research had been wrong?
Luo Mo watched Yu Xiaogang's confident expression and couldn't help feeling disappointed.
He'd thought the academy's master would be someone who could endure a bit of criticism. Instead, he was just a nobody who couldn't even admit when his own theories were wrong.
He reminded him, "Master, you've confused the nature of soul bones with the age of soul rings."
"The nature of a soul bone is to improve the body. A soul ring's age, on the other hand, depends on the body's quality. Every time my soul power increases by ten ranks, the age of the soul rings I can absorb also increases. The reason is that my body has improved."
Luo Mo's explanation made Yu Xiaogang's eyes widen.
You really are all talk!
"Brilliant explanation!" Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but clap sarcastically.
"Look at your own level. You don't even need soul bones to improve your body. So why hasn't anyone's first soul ring increased to a thousand years, or even ten thousand?"
Yu Xiaogang's mouth twitched. "How much improvement could a child like you really have?"
Yu Xiaogang: "..."
Tang San had seen just how capable his master was. He couldn't bring himself to say anything, and the disappointment in him deepened.
Moreover, he felt Luo Mo had a point.
Without realizing it, the admiration he had once felt for his master began to fade.
"Enough, enough. Master, Big Bro, don't argue. The only way to learn the truth is to try it. I happen to have a soul bone. Let's see whether using it to improve my body can increase the age of my soul rings."
Luo Mo stepped forward and broke up the argument.
"Haha, you're really something. That claim—that the only way to learn the truth is to try it—sounds impressive. But theories don't come from empty words; they come from studying things one step at a time."
Yu Xiaogang laughed loudly. Yu Xiaogang's face darkened.
Are you making fun of me?
"No! Absorbing a soul ring that's far beyond your limit is extremely dangerous. It can cause a mental collapse, or even make your soul power explode and kill you."
Yu Xiaogang flatly refused.
It wasn't that he had any good intentions. He was worried that if Luo Mo succeeded, his own Martial Soul Theory would become a joke.
So it was best to make the other man back down.
But Luo Mo wasn't moved. "There's no need. I understand. It's getting late; let's head out first."
Yu Xiaogang was stunned. He'd been about to use Luo Mo's reaction to make himself look good, but then he remembered that he wasn't a teacher at the academy. He had no right to interfere.
He could only give up and make a mental note to visit the Sunset Forest later.
The five of them left the academy's main gate, but they didn't rush out of the city. Instead, they headed toward the market to buy the supplies they'd need for their soul-hunting trip.
Water and dry rations were the most important things.
They also needed antidotes, medicine to stop bleeding, insect repellent, and snake repellent...
Luo Mo stopped in front of a shop. A sign above its entrance read "Light-Speed Engraving." Thinking that he had something to do at the shop, he went inside, and Xiao Wu followed a few steps behind.
"Kid, what can I do for you?"
The shopkeeper was a chubby middle-aged man with a cheerful smile. Perhaps because he'd been young once himself, he didn't mind children's antics and greeted them with a grin.
"Please engrave these two coins for me."
"Sure! What would you like engraved?"
"Hmm..." Luo Mo thought for a moment. One engraving wouldn't cost much.
What should he have engraved?
His initials? SM? No, no!
"Engrave the character 'Mo' on one, and 'Wu' on the other."
In the end, he decided to use their names.
Xiao Wu let out a small giggle beside him. Like a ripe peach, she tucked her chin down shyly.
Luo Mo hadn't noticed her reaction. His attention was entirely on the shopkeeper.
He watched as the shopkeeper set a white soul ring beneath his legs. A sudden flash of light came from it, and the man began engraving the coins at an astonishing speed.
That was incredible!
So that was what "Light-Speed Engraving" meant.
It didn't take long for the shopkeeper to finish. He handed Luo Mo's coins back to him in a little box.
"Kid, let me give you a gold soul coin as a gift."
Luo Mo hurriedly thanked him, then quickly left the shop and caught up with Tang San and the others.
Xiao Wu glanced at the box in Luo Mo's hand. She wanted to say something, but in the end she just blushed and hurried after him.
Just then, Yu Xiaogang took a bite of a vegetable bun. Seeing the freshly baked white bun in his hand, he couldn't help slowing down.
He'd just swallowed a bite when he suddenly stopped again.
"Master, what's wrong?"
Yu Xiaogang's expression turned strange. "The soul ring on the third spirit ability is a defensive one, while white buns are supposed to help with digestion. So why does a bun improve your digestion so effectively? I originally wanted to ask a few questions, but then I realized it's already three o'clock..."
He'd considered asking, but with the others there, he hadn't wanted to bring it up. In the end, he only said, "Never mind the white buns. We don't need them."
Tang San: "..."
Master was overthinking it.
Xiao Wu, who had been following behind them, heard him say the two characters "white buns" and looked as though she'd been struck by something. She tugged at Luo Mo's clothes and revealed a cute smile.
Luo Mo understood immediately and gave Xiao Wu one of the white buns.
"Thank you, Big Bro!" Xiao Wu smiled brightly.
After the youngsters had all gone to bed, Yu Xiaogang took a large room at an inn.
The room was spacious enough for all five of them.
As dawn broke, more pedestrians appeared on the streets of Soto City. They climbed onto the carriage waiting at the south gate and rode out of the city.
The carriage was a little cramped, but since the only person on board besides the driver was the master, it didn't really matter.
"Master, about how long until we arrive?"
Tang San asked curiously.
"The soul-hunting forest near Notting City is north of the city. It's about four hundred miles away. We should arrive around noon tomorrow."
Yu Xiaogang explained, then took a napkin from somewhere and wiped his mouth.
"Xiao San, this is for you."
Tang San looked over curiously. The belt was jet black, with twenty-four white jade stones embedded in it, each about the size of a fingernail.
"Thank you, Master." Tang San thanked him and reached out to take it.
"This belt is a soul tool. It's a storage item. Each piece of jade can hold one cubic meter of space. You only need to channel your soul power into it to use it."
Tang San listened, his eyes gradually lighting up.
Twenty-four pieces of jade meant it could provide twenty-four cubic meters of storage space. It was a great place to store hidden weapons.
When he saw the belt Yu Xiaogang had given Tang San, Luo Mo quietly took out eight coins.
Under cover of his mental power, he secretly used his left-eye skill to cast a peach-blossom charm on Li, draining away Tang San's gratitude toward him and transferring the space inside the jade stones to the coins in his hand.
Fortunately, he was kind-hearted and didn't take everything.
Instead, he left Tang San with a little space.
Before you continue