[The previous chapter got flagged for review. I don't understand what went wrong.]
Whatever. Even if Tang Hao came back, what could he do? He still wouldn't be able to stop Lin Ye from doing his righteous duty and screwing over Little Scumbag.
Just thinking about getting to screw him over again put Lin Ye in a wonderful mood. He bent down and continued with what he was doing, happily humming a tune.
"I'm so pleased with myself, so pleased with myself..."
In front of Lin Ye was a wooden tub filled with warm water.
At that moment, Lin Qiu'er was soaking in it.
Her chin rested on the edge of the tub, and a mound of soap bubbles sat atop her head. Her eyes were narrowed to slits, and she looked quite comfortable.
"Come on, stand up."
Lin Ye told Lin Qiu'er to stand, then took a bar of soap and helped scrub her belly...
Lin Qiu'er obediently stood there, letting the human child in front of her wash her. There wasn't a trace of the Emperor Auspicious Beast's dignity left.
The next day, Tang San met Yu Xiaogang at the entrance to Notting Academy.
A middle-aged man around Yu Xiaogang's age was with him.
The man wore a long robe. He was somewhat more handsome than Yu Xiaogang, with a slightly protruding chin and a gentle smile on his face.
Tang San knew him. He was the dean of Notting Academy.
The dean was a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor and the strongest person at Notting Academy.
"Good morning, Dean," Tang San said politely.
The dean nodded with a smile. "You're Tang San, right? To already be a Soul Grandmaster at such a young age—you have a bright future ahead of you."
Tang San quickly replied modestly, "You flatter me, Dean."
The dean laughed. "You're not arrogant or impatient. You're a fine prospect. I'll be going with you this time, so just tell me what kind of Soul Ring you want."
Tang San was delighted.
He'd been worried about where he'd get his Soul Ring. His teacher was too useless to offer much help.
He'd planned to hire other Soul Masters to help him hunt a Soul Ring.
But now things were different. With the dean's help, things couldn't be better.
At that moment, Yu Xiaogang spoke up. "All right, let's not waste time. We'll go buy some supplies first."
With that, he set off.
Tang San's eyelid twitched. Yu Xiaogang's actions reminded him of what had happened last time—and that Mutated Martial Soul that could only fart.
Sure enough, what Yu Xiaogang bought next was exactly what Tang San had expected.
White radishes—the kind that could make you fart.
That afternoon, a carriage rolled slowly out of Notting City.
Inside the carriage, Lin Ye helplessly rubbed Lin Qiu'er's head.
"Honestly, couldn't you have stayed home? Why did you have to come along?"
Lin Qiu'er snorted. "No way. I have to see Little Scumbag get what's coming to him with my own eyes."
"Fine. Whatever makes you happy." Lin Ye grinned and gave her another pat.
Maybe she didn't want him petting her anymore, because Lin Qiu'er wriggled free of his Evil Claw and burrowed straight into Snow Empress's arms.
She'd thrown herself in with such force that Snow Empress's generous assets were squashed out of shape.
Snow Empress said nothing, but her eyes were full of affection.
Seeing this, Lin Ye felt envious. I want to try Snow Empress's chest pillows too.
He couldn't help thinking that it was great to be an Auspicious Beast. Wherever you went, everyone doted on you. Why couldn't he get the same treatment?
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
After what had happened last time, Yu Xiaogang no longer dared let Tang San absorb an animal Soul Ring.
He had once suspected that his theory might not have been wrong, and that some other factor had caused the Soul Ring's age to drop after Tang San absorbed it.
But he had no proof, and he didn't dare use Tang San as an experiment again.
If something went wrong this time, Tang Hao really wouldn't let him off.
The group returned to the Soul Hunting Forest. Just like last time, the soldiers on guard checked their token and let them pass without hesitation.
But finding a Soul Ring proved far less straightforward than they'd imagined.
For several days in a row, they found nothing suitable. The Soul Beasts they encountered were either the wrong fit or had Soul Rings that were too old or too young.
Yu Xiaogang also had high standards. He wanted to find a better Soul Ring to make up as much as possible for the impact of the first ten-year Soul Ring.
That made finding a suitable one even harder.
The group ate and slept outdoors, and at night they had to guard against attacks from Soul Beasts. They could barely get any sleep.
After several days of this, all three were growing more and more exhausted.
It wasn't until the sixth day that they finally found a Soul Beast that satisfied both Tang San and Yu Xiaogang.
"Xiao San, come quickly! We've found your Soul Ring!" Yu Xiaogang's excited voice rang through the forest.
Hearing him call, Tang San hurried over to take a look.
A vine about as thick as a thumb wound tightly around a tree trunk, like a natural green rope.
It looked ordinary. Unless you paid close attention, it would be easy to overlook.
Yu Xiaogang smiled confidently. It's time for this master to make his entrance again.
"Xiao San, this is the Ghost Vine I told you about, an extremely rare Plant-type Soul Beast. It has a potent neurotoxin. Once its thorns prick someone, the toxin spreads immediately, and the victim eventually melts into pus, becoming fertilizer for the Ghost Vine.
"Even more terrifying to Soul Masters is the Ghost Vine's ability to Parasite. When it attacks, it releases countless tiny seeds that latch directly onto its enemies. As long as the Ghost Vine provides enough energy, or the seeds absorb enough nutrients, they'll grow on their host. Once the neurotoxin spreads, the effect is the same.
"According to my years of research, the maximum age of a Soul Ring a Soul Master can generally absorb as their second Soul Ring is 764 years. This Ghost Vine is 600 years old, making it a perfect Second Soul Ring for you."
As he spoke, Yu Xiaogang gestured animatedly, explaining the details to Tang San with great enthusiasm.
He was clearly excited.
Tang San was just as excited. "Teacher, I'll do whatever you say."
Yu Xiaogang nodded in satisfaction and looked toward the dean of Notting Academy beside them.
The dean smiled and nodded. "Stand back. Leave this to me."
Then four Soul Rings appeared in a flash.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After a barrage of attacks, the Ghost Vine was on its last legs.
Only then did the dean of Notting Academy stop, leaving the final blow for Tang San.
Neither Tang San, Yu Xiaogang, nor the dean of Notting Academy noticed that someone else had appeared.
That person was Lin Ye.
Three Soul Rings stirred gently beneath Lin Ye's feet. His Second Soul Ring shone with brilliant purple light, clearly already in use.
It was the Nightmare Soul Skill that had created the illusion, preventing the three men from noticing Lin Ye's arrival.
As far as they could see, Lin Ye wasn't there at all.
Lin Ye also had a Ghost Vine in his hand, but this one was a pitiful ten years old.
Seeing Tang San about to act, Lin Ye stepped forward, pulled the 600-year-old Ghost Vine off the tree, and replaced it with the ten-year-old one in his hand.
Once he was done, he stepped aside to enjoy the show.
Just like that, right under Tang San's nose, Lin Ye openly swapped out Tang San's Soul Ring.
The three men hadn't noticed a thing.
From where they stood, the Ghost Vine was still the same Ghost Vine. How could they have guessed it had been swapped?
"Xiao San, hurry up!" Yu Xiaogang urged.
Tang San immediately stepped forward. He brushed a hand over his belt, and a small knife appeared in his grip.
Whoosh!
His hand flashed down, and the Ghost Vine was cut in two. It wriggled weakly like a snake.
Tang San raised his hand again and swung several more times in quick succession.
The Ghost Vine was cut into several pieces and lost all signs of life.
A moment later, yellow specks of light appeared. They gathered together, forming a yellow Soul Ring.
Before you continue