No!!!

Tang San had seen Yu Xiaogang look this unfamiliar for the second time.

The last time had been over two years ago, and the cause of Yu Xiaogang becoming unfamiliar was still that bizarre useless Martial Soul.

He found it hard to judge.

But it was fine. Tang San would find Yu Xiaogang a way to save face himself. After all, he was a good disciple who regarded his teacher as a father for life. How could he possibly doubt his teacher?

It was all Chen Yumo's fault. Why couldn't he just obediently remain a useless Martial Soul and peacefully accept his fate as trash?

He had already embarked on the Way of Death!

Of course, that was a joke.

Tang San was indeed even more dissatisfied with Chen Yumo because of this, but not to the point of directly labeling him as having embarked on the Way of Death. If anything, he was rather curious about how Chen Yumo had done it.

His teacher had clearly concluded that Chen Yumo could never achieve anything. How could his teacher possibly have been wrong?

"Teacher, the news should be true. When I returned to the dormitory, I also heard Wang Sheng and the others discussing Chen Yumo's Martial Soul," Tang San said honestly in a low voice.

"From how certain they sounded, they most likely saw it with their own eyes. It doesn't seem like a groundless rumor, and there would be no reason to..."

"Wait, saw it with their own eyes!" Yu Xiaogang suddenly raised his head, his eyes wide as he shouted, "Right, saw it with their own eyes! I have to see for myself whether his Martial Soul really evolved!"

"I can't believe it unless I see it myself!"

After saying that, Yu Xiaogang staggered to his feet and struggled toward the door.

Tang San hurried forward and supported Yu Xiaogang by the arm as they headed out together.

The master and disciple then began searching all over Nuoding Academy for Chen Yumo. They looked through the classrooms, library, cafeteria, and other places, before finally finding Chen Yumo practicing his soul skill on the back mountain—the ancient battlefield where the Louse Swarm battle had once taken place.

From a great distance away, Tang San's sharp eyesight spotted the Ice Mist spreading deep within the forest, along with a vaguely visible figure inside it.

Only after approaching did they confirm that the figure was indeed Chen Yumo, whom they had been searching for.

He stood in an open clearing, a beautiful ice-blue butterfly fluttering around him. Every beat of its wings scattered a hazy cloud of mist, and a thin layer of frost formed over the surrounding grass and shrubs within the fog.

Tang San's attention, however, was fixed on the butterfly circling Chen Yumo.

Because a pale yellow Spirit Ring was shining brightly around it.

"It really did evolve successfully. It grew from an Ice Silkworm into a butterfly form, which conforms to the normal evolutionary path of a silkworm-like creature. It isn't large—its wingspan is only about the size of a palm. It seemingly lacks direct combat abilities. The Ice Mist it releases is most likely an auxiliary or control-type ability."

Tang San swiftly began analyzing Chen Yumo's Martial Soul.

Over the past few years, he had read quite a few texts Yu Xiaogang had obtained from Spirit Hall. He could be considered half a theory expert, so he instinctively compared the knowledge in his mind with Chen Yumo's Martial Soul.

"A pale yellow Spirit Ring. Its color is much lighter than my first Spirit Ring. Though it's a hundred-year ring, it most likely isn't over two hundred years old."

In the end, Tang San concluded that although Chen Yumo's Martial Soul had evolved, its strength remained limited. A Spirit Ring that had only just passed the hundred-year mark could not possibly grant any powerful soul skill, and that Ice Mist ability looked more like an auxiliary soul skill.

Still a complete weakling—just a tiny bit stronger than he had been in his maggot form.

That was what he thought.

But Gangzi did not see it that way.

As he watched the gracefully fluttering ice-blue butterfly finally settle on Chen Yumo's outstretched palm, Gangzi's eyes reddened even further.

Envy, jealousy, resentment, unwillingness, shame, fury...

Gangzi's state of mind was like a pie chart at that moment, colorful and varied.

First came tearful envy. If his Martial Soul could have evolved even once, he would not have been stuck at rank twenty-nine.

Then came jealousy and resentment.

Even a worm like Chen Yumo could Break Cocoon and become a butterfly. He clearly possessed dragon bloodline too, so why hadn't he defied fate and transformed into a dragon when obtaining his Spirit Rings?

Why could a poor country brat accomplish something that even I, the young master of a sect, couldn't?

Then came anger and shame, because he recalled the words he had once declared with such certainty. This was a boomerang coming back to strike him, and dead memories were fiercely assaulting his Demon Pill.

Forever nothing but a worm?

Forever unable to become a Spirit Master?

Then what was Chen Yumo now?

Before seeing it, he could persuade himself with the excuse that he had to witness it firsthand. But now that he had seen it with his own eyes, how could he continue deceiving himself?

"No!!!"

(Snowflakes drifted~ the north wind howled--)

Tang San was still analyzing Chen Yumo's evolved Martial Soul when Gangzi's two halves of his brain began fighting each other. With snot and tears streaming down his face, he ran wildly north like a madman, startling Tang San badly.

Even Chen Yumo, who had already noticed their arrival but was still acting in place, was startled by Gangzi's sudden ape-like cry.

He had imagined all sorts of reactions Gangzi might have upon seeing his evolved Martial Soul, but he had not expected to shatter Gangzi's martial heart yet again.

No, wait. What martial heart did Gangzi even have?

Then it was fine. He deserved it.

Still, Chen Yumo acted the part to the end. After giving Tang San a highly "wary" glance, he immediately recalled his Martial Soul and ran off.

Tang San raised a hand, intending to call Chen Yumo back and ask how he had evolved his Martial Soul, but Chen Yumo left him only a rapidly retreating back, while Yu Xiaogang's meaningless monkey cries echoed behind him.

After only a brief hesitation, he turned and chased after Yu Xiaogang.

As long as Chen Yumo remained a student at Nuoding Academy, there would be plenty of chances to ask him.

His teacher's condition was more important right now.

After finally catching up to Yu Xiaogang, Tang San felt exhausted. Yu Xiaogang no longer had that Master's "calm demeanor." He looked like a Soft Bone Rabbit that had been captured by a Titan Giant Ape and used to wipe its butt—utterly miserable and pathetic.

"Teacher, are you all right?" Tang San asked cautiously.

"L-Little San..." Yu Xiaogang raised his head and looked at Tang San helplessly, tears rolling down his face. "Your teacher's life... is truly so bitter..."

No matter how unwilling he was to admit it, all the knowledge in his mind told him that Chen Yumo was no longer a worm.

Even if his evolved Butterfly Martial Soul might still be weak, it absolutely possessed the potential to break through to Soul Elder.

That hundred-year Spirit Ring was enough to explain everything.

There were countless people who could break through to Soul Elder even with a mere ten-year Spirit Ring as their first ring. Chen Yumo's successful Martial Soul Evolution meant that his path was not wrong. Becoming a Soul Elder in the future was only a matter of time.

Only him!

Both his Spirit Rings were hundred-year rings, close to the optimal ratios of four hundred and seven hundred years, yet he still could not even break through to Soul Elder.

He was not even as good as a worm!