(A beautiful picture of Zhu Zhuqing)
Pole Vault... Pole Dance...
Maybe... they really could work together?
First Pole Vault into the field, then use Pole Dance to lock down the whole crowd?
Tang San's eyes slowly brightened.
Seeing that he believed him, Yu Xiaogang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
That was close.
Tang San furrowed his brow, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind—
Wait!
In the Simulation, he had absorbed Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo for every Soul Ring. Only then had he been able to perform eighteen consecutive jumps and become a god!
Now his Second Soul Ring was fourteen years old, and it had turned into Pole Dance!
Then his Pole Vault...
Wouldn't it be missing a whole level?!
Tang San jerked his head up.
"Wait!"
That shout made Yu Xiaogang, who had just relaxed, jump. He nearly fell to the ground.
"W-what is it, Xiao San?"
Tang San stared hard at him, red light beginning to flicker in his eyes again.
"Simulation... No, I mean, I just remembered something!"
"My First Soul Skill is Pole Vault. My Second Soul Ring should have been the same, so I could combine them into Second-Order Pole Vault!"
"Now my Second Soul Skill is Pole Dance. Doesn't that mean my Pole Vault is missing a whole level?!"
Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth. "..."
Tang San glared at him. "..."
The two of them stared at each other.
Tang San's thoughts scrolled furiously: Yu Xiaogang! You have earned a death sentence!
Yu Xiaogang's mind raced so fast his CPU was about to burn out.
What should he do? What should he do? What should he do—
Got it!
"That's right!" He slapped his hands together. "The Clear Sky Hammer!"
Tang San froze. "What?"
Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up, and he spoke rapidly. "You can use the Clear Sky Hammer to absorb a Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo Soul Ring!"
"It's Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo either way. There's no need to wait until later! You can do it now!"
"Your First Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass, can follow the Pole Vault route, and your Second Martial Soul, the Clear Sky Hammer, can follow the Pole Vault route too. If the Clear Sky Hammer gets Pole Vault as well, you'll have Second-Order Pole Vault!"
Tang San was stunned.
He lowered his head and thought it over.
Use the Clear Sky Hammer now... to absorb a Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo Soul Ring?
It seemed... not impossible?
He would have to absorb a Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo Soul Ring sooner or later. There was no need to wait until later.
And if the Clear Sky Hammer could get a Soul Skill now, that would mean—
He could have Third-Order Pole Vault right away!
Tang San's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
He looked up at Yu Xiaogang, his gaze carrying three parts suspicion and seven parts anticipation.
"Find me a Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo."
He enunciated every word.
"If you get it wrong again—"
"You have earned a death sentence!"
Yu Xiaogang nodded repeatedly, thumping his chest as he promised, "Don't worry, Xiao San! This time, it'll definitely be fine!"
As he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, he had just one thought:
This young master was far too hard to please.
Outside Heaven Dou City, at the stone pavilion.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves and spilled onto the ground, casting dappled shadows.
Outside the stone pavilion stood two figures with their hands behind their backs, like a pair of door gods.
Porcupinefish Douluo yawned and muttered under his breath, "Why does the young mistress come to this stone pavilion every day? Just to make one move? What a waste of time..."
Snake Lance Douluo glanced at him and lowered his voice. "Say less. Perhaps the young mistress has her own reasons."
He paused and looked toward the figure in the pavilion.
"She used to come here to relax."
"Recently... it seems she's been playing chess with someone from afar."
Inside the stone pavilion.
Xue Qinghe—or rather, Qian Renxue—sat before the stone table, gazing at the chessboard in front of her.
A black stone sat in one spot: her opponent's move from the day before.
She picked up a white stone and held it above the board, but for a long time, she didn't place it.
This game...
She could tell that, like her, her opponent cared deeply for the people of the world.
Every move held a deeper meaning, and every stone concealed compassion.
This wasn't the false benevolence of a hypocrite, but a genuine concern, from the bottom of their heart, for this land and the people who lived upon it.
Qian Renxue gently placed her white stone.
Then she lifted her head and gazed at the distant mountains beyond the pavilion.
Who, exactly... was playing this game with her?
She imagined what her opponent might look like.
An old man who chopped wood in the mountains? After a day's work, he set up a chessboard in a mountain pavilion, waiting for a kindred spirit?
A refined scholar? A man full of learning but unable to put his talents to use, forced to pour his heart into the black and white stones?
A wealthy old gentleman? With every comfort at his disposal, he sought a pastime to while away the hours?
A soldier on patrol? Guarding the frontier, longing for home, and using chess to while away the long, endless nights?
Or... a wandering beggar?
Qian Renxue shook her head, though the corners of her mouth curled up ever so slightly.
Whoever it was, it didn't matter.
This person understood her heart.
She could feel that her opponent was looking forward to her move, wondering about her identity, and waiting for...
The day they would meet.
Qian Renxue lowered her gaze to the chessboard and gently rubbed the stone between her fingers.
Could it be you?
A few days later.
Soul Hunting Forest.
Yu Xiaogang led Tang San through winding paths before finally stopping in a secluded corner.
"We're here!"
He pointed at two emerald-green bamboo stalks in front of them, his face glowing with confidence.
"Take a look, Xiao San! These two are definitely Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo!"
Tang San eyed him suspiciously. "Are you sure there's no problem?"
Yu Xiaogang puffed out his chest.
"No problem! They're definitely ten years old!"
He reached out and ran his hand over the bamboo, muttering as he examined it.
"Look at the color: lush green. That's a ten-year-old's defining trait!"
"Look at the nodes: evenly spaced. That's the standard for ten-year-old bamboo!"
"Look at the sheath: smooth and delicate. That's the texture of ten-year-old bamboo!"
"Feel the surface: as warm as jade. That's the feel of ten-year-old bamboo!"
"Look at the branches: no branches or forks. That's a perfect ten-year-old specimen!"
Yu Xiaogang drew back his hand and stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze profound.
"Based on all of that, these two are definitely Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo! There's no mistake!"
Tang San stared at him for three seconds.
He had said the same thing last time.
But this time, he did sound pretty professional?
"Good!"
Tang San clenched his teeth.
"Then I'll use the Clear Sky Hammer to absorb this Soul Ring!"
He sat cross-legged, summoned the Clear Sky Hammer, and began absorbing the first stalk of Solitary Bamboo.
A white Soul Ring slowly rose.
A moment later—
Tang San opened his eyes and summoned the Clear Sky Hammer.
A white Soul Ring emerged from the hammer.
He focused his mind.
"First Soul Skill—Pole Vault!"
The Clear Sky Hammer instantly lengthened, turning into a Solitary Bamboo pole!
Tang San froze for a moment.
But the next second, his face broke into delighted smiles!
"That's right! It's Pole Vault!"
He jumped up excitedly, swinging the Clear Sky Hammer pole around.
"Hahaha! My Clear Sky Hammer can do Pole Vault too!"
Yu Xiaogang stood nearby, stroking his beard with a look of satisfaction.
"As expected, this master's judgment was right."
Tang San eagerly looked at the second stalk of Solitary Bamboo.
"Absorb the second one!"
He sat cross-legged again.
A moment later—
Tang San opened his eyes, his face full of anticipation.
"Now I've got three Pole Vaults!"
Blue Silver Emperor's First Soul Skill: Pole Vault.
Clear Sky Hammer's First Soul Skill: Pole Vault.
And now, the Clear Sky Hammer's Second Soul Skill—
Third-Order Pole Vault!
He took a deep breath and activated the Clear Sky Hammer's Second Soul Ring.
"Second Soul Skill—Lone Bamboo Basketball!"
"???"
Before you continue