No Martial Soul Is Useless, Only Soul Masters Are

No Martial Soul Is Useless, Only Soul Masters Are

Amid cries of pain, Tang San struggled to help Yu Xiaogang onto the bed.

Yu Xiaogang lay on his stomach as Tang San carefully took off his pants, which were still soaked with blood.

A foul stench immediately hit him.

Tang San's face twisted into a Pain Mask. Good heavens, how long had it been since this man last bathed?

"Teacher, bear with it. There's still a little splinter in the wound. I'll pull it out for you," Tang San said.

Yu Xiaogang replied, "All right. Go ahead."

After saying that, Yu Xiaogang silently bit down on the pillow so he wouldn't cry out from the pain. He was a man, after all.

That was what he told himself, but when Tang San actually started, Yu Xiaogang didn't exactly live up to his expectations.

"Ugh... ngh... ah... Xiao San, take it easy... It hurts..."

Tang San: "..."

The Tang Sect was famous for its poisons. And since medicine and poison had been inseparable since ancient times, Tang San naturally knew a little about pharmacology. Treating a minor wound like Yu Xiaogang's was a piece of cake for him. He was done in no time.

"Teacher, I've bandaged the wound. Just make sure you don't get it wet for the next couple of days."

As he spoke, Tang San had already moved away from Yu Xiaogang. That foul stench was just too much.

Yu Xiaogang grunted and said, "Tomorrow is the opening ceremony, and classes officially begin the day after. But for you, that would just be a waste of time. Right now, the most important thing is to get your Martial Soul growing again.

"How about this: leave the academy with me first thing tomorrow morning. I'll take you to find a suitable Soul Ring and help you advance to Soul Master rank."

Tang San was delighted. He couldn't be sure whether his Mysterious Heaven Skill was being held back by the lack of a Soul Ring until he obtained one. Yu Xiaogang's plan suited him perfectly.

"Teacher, get some rest. I'll head back."

Only when he left the room and breathed in the fresh air outside did Tang San feel alive again.

His teacher smelled so bad. How could anyone smell that awful? How long had it been since he'd bathed—or changed his underwear?

Just then, a crow flew overhead. It was an ill-mannered crow, for it did its business wherever it pleased.

A dollop of bird droppings fell straight toward Tang San's head.

Fortunately, Tang San spotted it just in time and darted aside, narrowly avoiding the mess.

Even so, he was in a foul mood. What was going on these past couple of days? What had happened to him?

First, his teacher got hit by bird droppings, and he got caught up in it too. Then his teacher had his backside jabbed by a broken chair leg, and now a crow had tried to gift him its droppings...

What was happening? Why did one bizarre thing after another keep occurring?

Why did it feel like his bad luck had started coming one thing after another ever since he met his teacher?

Tang San couldn't make heads or tails of it. He racked his brains, but still couldn't figure it out...

The next day, Lin Ye headed out with a group of people. Xiao Wu was among them.

"Hey, go buy me some carrots," Xiao Wu said matter-of-factly.

Lin Ye glanced at the vegetable seller nearby and couldn't help grumbling, "You really don't treat yourself like an outsider, do you? Go buy them yourself."

Xiao Wu said, "I don't care. If you won't buy them for me, I won't eat. If I starve to death, you won't have a Soul Ring to use."

Lin Ye was speechless. He'd brought home a little ancestor.

Threatening to starve herself to death at the drop of a hat was pretty ridiculous.

Oh, well. Even a condemned prisoner got a last meal before execution.

This was only a small request from Xiao Wu. He might as well humor her.

A little while later, Xiao Wu held a carrot and nibbled on it, a satisfied smile on her face.

After walking for a while, she realized they weren't heading back and asked, "Where are we going?"

"Soul Hunting Forest," Lin Ye replied. He wore a faint smile and seemed to be in a pretty good mood.

At the same time, Tang San and Yu Xiaogang met early that morning and left Notting Academy.

Tang San was undeniably excited. He'd soon become a true Soul Master. His Mysterious Heaven Skill would probably break through too, and he wondered what his Soul Skill would be like.

While he was imagining all this, he noticed that Yu Xiaogang wasn't in a hurry to leave the city. Instead, he was leading him farther into town.

"Teacher, weren't we going outside the city?"

Yu Xiaogang said, "We'll need to prepare a few things before hunting Soul Beasts. And we can't go on foot, either. The journey's four hundred li. It's not all that far, but we might as well save time."

The two arrived at the market, and Yu Xiaogang began shopping. First, he bought two waterskins, then cured meat, flatbread, fruit, and other supplies, packing them into two large bags.

All of that was normal. What Yu Xiaogang did next left Tang San baffled.

Yu Xiaogang bought a whole twenty jin of white radishes.

Holding the radishes, Tang San stared at them, dumbfounded.

"Teacher, do you... like white radishes that much?"

Yu Xiaogang's face visibly stiffened. "I don't eat them. They're useful, though. You'll find out later."

With that, he strode off briskly.

That was all the shopping they needed. Yu Xiaogang spent five Silver Soul Coins to hire a carriage.

The carriage left the city at an easy pace and headed for Soul Hunting Forest.

Along the way, Yu Xiaogang didn't forget to teach Tang San about Soul Masters.

"Martial Souls can generally be divided into two categories: Beast Martial Souls and Tool Martial Souls. Plant-type Martial Souls fall under Tool Martial Souls, and both of your Martial Souls are Tool Martial Souls.

"The biggest difference between Beast Martial Souls and Tool Martial Souls lies in how they manifest.

"When a Beast Martial Soul is used, its power is applied to the Soul Master's body. In other words, the Soul Master is possessed by the Martial Soul, allowing the two to combine and attack as one.

"Tool Martial Souls are different. They work outside the body. Your Martial Soul is a Tool Martial Soul, so this should be easy for you to understand.

"Next, let's talk about the different paths Martial Souls can develop along. Think it over, too. Then we'll look for a Soul Ring that suits the path you choose."

"Teacher, what do you mean by a development path?" Since it concerned him personally, Tang San was interested.

Yu Xiaogang said, "Every Soul Master has a path of development, such as the Combat System, Food System, Healing System, or Control System.

"Now we need to decide what path you'll follow in the future. Your Martial Soul's development must be focused in one direction.

"Once you've chosen a path, you should look for Soul Rings with similar abilities whenever you obtain one in the future.

"They don't have to match exactly, but they shouldn't stray too far from your chosen path. Otherwise, your Soul Rings might conflict with each other, and instead of strengthening your abilities, they could hold you back."

At this point, Yu Xiaogang sneered. "Most people in the world are fools. They think Blue Silver Grass is a Trash Martial Soul, but they don't understand that no Martial Soul is useless—only Soul Masters are."

Tang San's eyes lit up as he listened, as if he'd just heard a profound truth. His teacher truly was learned, with insights into Martial Soul Theory that were all his own.