Glancing up at the sky, Qin Yun saw that it was about time and that they could leave the Soul Hunting Forest before nightfall. He immediately waved a hand.
"Mission complete. We should head back to Nuoding City."
Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Wang Sheng packed their things, all wearing delighted smiles at their fruitful trip.
Not only had everyone obtained a suitable Soul Ring, but Wang Sheng had also enjoyed astonishing luck. He had gained a Soul Bone and even evolved his Martial Soul.
There was no way he wasn't happy.
The four retraced their steps, making their way along a narrow path through the woods.
While Tang San and the others walked ahead, chatting and paying no attention to him, Qin Yun quietly focused his mind on the system interface.
[ Ding! The host has an unfused Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear right palm. Would you like to fuse it now? ]
"Fuse."
Qin Yun gave the command without hesitation.
A sharp, dark-golden stream of light shot straight into the palm of his right hand, fusing perfectly with his bones and meridians.
The process caused no pain. Instead, an incomparably keen sense of power surged through him.
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear possessed some of the Behemoth's bloodline and was born with the ultimate metal attribute. Its defense and attack power were both among the best of its rank.
Generally speaking, with just ten thousand years of cultivation, it could battle a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!
Among the Ferocious Beasts of the Star Dou Forest, only Xiong Jun dared bare his teeth at Di Tian. Sure, he had been beaten back then, but he had also managed to injure Di Tian.
But...
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was perfect in every way—except that it seemed to carry some kind of curse.
People said Soul Bones were rare, and External Soul Bones rarer still.
But whenever a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear appeared, it was sure to drop a right palm bone!
"Luckily, for me, this curse is a blessing!"
Fusing the External Soul Bone would not only vastly increase the strength of his right arm, but also let his claws tear through metal and stone, with armor-piercing, tearing, and shattering effects.
More importantly, the External Soul Bone would grow along with his cultivation!
After all, hadn't the Sea God Eight Wings also grown step by step from the Eight Spider Lances?
By that logic, the earlier he obtained an External Soul Bone, the better!
In the blink of an eye, the fusion was complete. Qin Yun gave nothing away, concealing all traces of his aura as he hurried to catch up with the others.
They walked in silence. By evening, the four finally left the Soul Hunting Forest and reached an outlying post station.
After spending the night resting at an inn on the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest, Qin Yun led everyone straight back to Nuoding City early the next morning.
But...
They had just returned the carriage at the post station and hadn't even made it to the academy to report their return.
As soon as the four approached the gates of Nuoding Academy, a slightly stooped figure strode forward in a fury and blocked their way.
The familiar black robe, the familiar crew cut—if this wasn't Gangzi, then who was it?
Ever since meeting Tang Hao that day, receiving the Pope Token from him, and getting Tang Hao's approval, Yu Xiaogang had completely taken to calling himself "Tang San's personal teacher." He spent every day at the academy, waiting to teach Tang San.
He was determined to follow his own theories and raise Tang San into a top-tier control-type Soul Master.
But he had waited and waited. Not only had Tang San never come to see him, he had now run into him returning from outside with Qin Yun.
Taking a closer look, he saw Soul Power clearly rippling around Tang San. He had probably already absorbed a Soul Ring and become an official Soul Master!
"My masterpiece! I was going to prove my masterpiece to the world! Qin Yun, how dare you!"
At the sight, Yu Xiaogang flared with rage, his face turning livid.
He stepped forward and pointed at Tang San, scolding him harshly.
"Xiao San! You've got some nerve!
"As your teacher, I hadn't even planned your Soul Ring or arranged a hunt for you, yet you went out and absorbed one on your own! Who gave you permission?
"Or did someone put you up to it?"
At the end, Gangzi shot Qin Yun a pointed look.
Who the hell are you?
Tang San's brows drew together, his gaze cold. He almost shoved a path to certain death right into Gangzi's mouth.
If he hadn't remembered Qin Yun's teachings, Tang San's old self would probably already have stuck a Silent Sleeve Arrow into Gangzi.
But even in the face of Tang San's undisguised killing intent, Gangzi remained completely oblivious.
He mistook Tang San's composure for a disciple's obedience to his teacher.
Fixing his gaze on Tang San, Gangzi calmed down a little and pressed him urgently.
"Xiao San, tell me—did you absorb a Mandala Snake Soul Ring?
"Did you follow my advice and take the poison-based control route?!"
In his mind, the Mandala Snake was the ideal First Soul Ring for Tang San.
Once absorbed, it could give Blue Silver Grass a poison attribute and grant him an Entanglement-type Soul Skill.
That would be perfect proof of his theories!
Anything else was just an unorthodox path.
Tang San hadn't wanted to indulge him, but the man was still an academy teacher. They would be living here for a while, seeing each other every day, and it wouldn't be good to let things get too ugly.
So he replied coldly,
"No. I absorbed a Solitary Bamboo Soul Ring."
"Solitary Bamboo?!"
Yu Xiaogang froze for a moment.
After all, according to his theories, Solitary Bamboo wasn't a bad choice.
It just couldn't compare to the Mandala Snake!
Sure enough, he still preferred the Mandala Snake.
"Absurd! Utterly absurd!
"Blue Silver Grass should absorb a Mandala Snake, not some broken bamboo! You're wasting your talent and ruining your future!"
"Xiao San, do you know that the Mandala Snake can give you a poison attribute and an Entanglement control skill? It makes you invincible in a one-on-one fight against anyone at the same rank!
"What can Solitary Bamboo give you? A useless bit of strength! Qin Yun is harming you, ruining your life!"
"But it doesn't matter. It's only one Soul Ring. As long as you follow my theories from now on and absorb a few more poisonous snake Soul Rings, you can erase the negative effects of Solitary Bamboo!"
Gangzi grew more and more agitated. To get back at Qin Yun for what he had done before, he practically dismissed everything Qin Yun had arranged as worthless.
Tang San had never wanted to waste words on Gangzi. He had only been humoring him.
But when he heard Gangzi insult his sect master, the anger Tang San had barely managed to suppress surged up in an instant.
"You clown. You really think you're somebody!"
Before Yu Xiaogang could curse again, Tang San's gaze turned cold, and his fingertips twitched.
He didn't activate a Soul Skill. With only a thought, Blue Silver Grass burst from the ground, coiling up like a spirit snake and binding Yu Xiaogang's arms and legs tightly. It hoisted him into the air, leaving him unable to move.
Tang San spoke indifferently, leaving Yu Xiaogang red-faced and speechless.
"It's just Entanglement. Why waste a skill slot on it?"
Yu Xiaogang froze, his face burning with shame and fury.
Faced with Blue Silver Grass's natural ability to entangle, his theories had become a joke!
Humiliated and thoroughly enraged, Yu Xiaogang turned to glare at Qin Yun and cursed at the top of his lungs.
"Qin Yun! You ignorant brat! You know nothing about Martial Soul Theory, yet you insist on leading others astray! You'll ruin Tang San!"
After cursing him out, he turned to Tang San and shouted in a panic,
"Xiao San, you don't know this, but your father once came to me and entrusted you to my tutelage!
"I'm your legitimate teacher! How dare you attack me!"
He had wanted to invoke Tang Hao's name to intimidate him and make Tang San obey.
Unfortunately...
Gangzi would have been better off not mentioning Tang Hao. The moment he did, Tang San's gaze grew even colder.
His father had never cared about him all those years, but the moment he realized Tang San might be useful, he couldn't wait to play the role of a father!
"That's disgusting."
Tang San shifted his feet, and Blue Silver Pole Vault sprang into action.
Blue Silver Grass transformed into a rigid pole. Tang San vaulted into the air, showing no mercy as he swung it hard into Yu Xiaogang.
"Thud!"
This time, he didn't bring it down in a smash. He used a clever upward flick to send Yu Xiaogang flying.
With a muffled thump, Yu Xiaogang flew away like a broken kite.
"Ah! Just you wait! I'll be back!"
"Sanpao, catch me~"
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