After waking up and catching up a little, Yu Xiaogang asked Tang San about his cultivation progress.
When he learned that Tang San could break through from level twenty-six to level twenty-seven at any moment, he smiled with satisfaction.
"By the way, I brought you something good this time. It'll help you cultivate your Soul Power."
He channeled his Soul Power into the Storage Soul Tool on his left wrist.
"Hm? Where's my Storage Soul Tool?"
Yu Xiaogang froze for a moment, then realized his Storage Soul Tool was gone!
"Xiao San, have you seen my Storage Soul Tool?"
Tang San quickly shook his head and turned aside. He put both hands in his pockets, then took them out again.
"I don't know. I'm not sure. I didn't see it."
Yu Xiaogang sighed again.
"All my savings were in there!"
"Xiao San, are you sure you didn't see it?"
Tang San flatly denied it.
"No, no."
Yu Xiaogang gave Tang San a strange look.
"Xiao San, why are you acting so awkward?"
Tang San shook his head for the third time.
"No, I'm fine."
"I really don't know where your Soul Tool Bracelet went, foster father."
"Ah," Yu Xiaogang sighed. "Forget it. Let's not talk about it."
He asked Tang San again,
"Then, Xiao San, do you know who attacked me?"
Tang San answered at once.
"No. How would I know?"
"I'd just stepped out when I saw you lying unconscious on the ground, foster father, so I hurried and carried you here."
Yu Xiaogang racked his brain, but no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't figure out who had attacked him. As far as he knew, he had never offended anyone.
"Forget it. Let's return to Shrek Academy."
"Come to think of it, we haven't had breakfast yet. I'm starving."
At Shrek Academy,
Ye Lin was having breakfast in the dining hall with several others, though one person was conspicuously absent.
That person was Tang San.
She muttered to herself, Talk about the devil. Speak of him and he appears.
Two figures, one tall and one short, appeared at the entrance to the dining hall. They were Yu Xiaogang and Tang San.
"Foster father, you're injured and have only just recovered. You're still weak, so I'll get you something to eat. Wait here."
"Good."
Yu Xiaogang nodded in satisfaction, glanced at the others, then sat beside Ye Lin and began trying to talk her into becoming his disciple.
"Ye Lin, I heard from your dean that your cultivation is progressing slowly. Have you decided whether you'll take me as your master?"
"If you do, you'll make much greater progress. I can also have Flender take you to hunt for your third Spirit Ring."
"Getting your second Spirit Ring this time was just a fluke. Your third Spirit Ring will require a thousand-year Soul Beast. You're no match for one."
One reason Ye Lin hadn't obtained her second Spirit Ring while at Notting Academy was that nobody had ever taken her to the Soul Hunting Forest.
In fact, one teacher had suggested it, but Yu Xiaogang had used his connections with the dean of Notting Academy to block the plan.
His goal was to make Ye Lin take him as her master. Once she did, he could take her to obtain her second Spirit Ring.
Ye Lin refused without a second thought.
Did he think she would cave in under Yu Xiaogang's pressure?
Bow her head to Yu Xiaogang?
Take him as her master?
Absolutely not!
Besides, she wasn't in a hurry. She had originally planned to take Tang San's third Spirit Ring, the Man Faced Demon Spider.
If someone offered to take her to get her second Spirit Ring, she wouldn't have a good excuse to refuse. In a way, Yu Xiaogang had actually done her a favor.
"Ye Lin? What do you think?"
"I could even make you my foster daughter, just like Tang San."
With a steamed bun in her mouth, pickled vegetables in her left hand, and a bowl of porridge in her right, Ye Lin moved to another seat.
Yu Xiaogang froze, clenched his one remaining arm, then shifted to the left and sat beside Xiao Wu.
Before he could say anything, Xiao Wu moved seats along with Ye Lin.
What an annoying man!
Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong set down their bowls and chopsticks one after the other, then left.
Dai Mubai followed Zhu Zhuqing out.
That left only Ma Hongjun, who wasn't familiar with the others.
"Little fatty, I'm Grandmaster. Would you be willing to take me as your master?"
Ma Hongjun quickly swallowed the last few bites of his bun.
"Grandmaster, I'm the dean's personal disciple. If the dean agrees, then I'll agree."
"Also, I'm not called 'little fatty.' My name is Ma Hongjun."
"I'll let it slide this time since you're disabled and an old man, but if there's a next time, I won't mind picking on a disabled person."
Yu Xiaogang had been beaten up that day, lost his Storage Soul Tool and his manhood, and been rebuffed by the others. His temper flared.
He glared furiously at Ma Hongjun.
"What did you say?"
"Is that how you speak to a teacher at your academy?"
"Don't you know the slightest thing about respecting your elders and teachers?"
"Xiao San, teach this little fatty a lesson!"
Tang San, who had just gotten a bowl of plain congee and pickled vegetables, froze and pointed at himself.
"Me?"
Yu Xiaogang continued,
"Xiao San, are you really going to stand by and watch him bully your father?"
Tang San had no choice. He really didn't want to fight, but he couldn't disobey his father. With a sigh, he set down his congee and pickled vegetables.
"Ma Hongjun, come outside for a moment."
"Sure, San Gui! This'll be a good chance to loosen up!"
Ma Hongjun had barely stepped out of the dining hall when Tang San, who had already gone outside, unleashed his first Soul Skill before Ma Hongjun even had time to summon his Martial Soul.
A secret Tang Sect technique never recorded in its manuals: a sneak attack!
"First Soul Skill, Blue Silver Entanglement!"
Yu Xiaogang didn't bother to look. He simply waited calmly inside the dining hall.
Tang San's Blue Silver Vines had already wrapped around the little fatty. There was no way he could lose.
In Yu Xiaogang's estimation, anyone caught by Blue Silver Entanglement would need the strength of a Soul Ancestor to break free.
"I only wanted to spar with you and stop before anyone got hurt!"
"San Gui, how dare you sneak attack me!"
"Second Soul Skill, Desire Fire Phoenix!"
As Ma Hongjun summoned his Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul, he used his second Soul Skill. Phoenix Flames burst into life around him, instantly burning Tang San's Blue Silver Vines to ash.
"Second Soul Skill, Parasite!"
Tang San quickly activated his second Spirit Ring.
It was useless!
The Blue Silver Grass seeds that had landed on Ma Hongjun burned up too.
Ma Hongjun quickly closed in and swung a flaming fist at Tang San's head.
Tang San used Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon to deflect Ma Hongjun's right fist, then swiftly circled behind him with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
"First Soul Skill, Phoenix Fire Line!"
Ma Hongjun opened his mouth and blasted Tang San in the face with a Phoenix Fire Line at close range.
"The fight should be over now!"
Yu Xiaogang was brimming with confidence.
The next second,
Tang San slammed heavily into the ground beside him with a crash.
Before you continue