Yu Xiaogang Gets Slapped in the Face

"Another century-old spirit ring." The onlookers gasped in shock.

Everyone present, including Tang San, watched Lan Si and Xiao Wu intently, waiting for them to clash. Their eyes were filled with excitement; after all, battles between spirit masters were a rare sight.

Tang San looked at Lan Si's spirit ring, a flicker of gravity crossing his eyes.

He had relied on his Silent Sleeve Arrow and Tang Sect techniques to kill the Black Mamba Snake, so how had Lan Si obtained this century-old spirit ring?

"Make your move." Lan Si's expression remained calm and composed as he beckoned to Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu bit her red lip with her rabbit-like teeth, stomped her right foot against the ground, and leaped high into the air, lunging fiercely at Lan Si.

Lan Si knew she wanted to employ her specialty, close-quarters combat. While he didn't fear it, he certainly wouldn't let her have her way.

He threw his right-hand Cyan Lotus directly at Xiao Wu's face.

Taking advantage of the moment the Cyan Lotus obstructed her vision, Lan Si vanished from his spot.

Xiao Wu hadn't expected Lan Si's martial soul to be used like Tang San's hidden weapons. If she were struck by the Cyan Lotus, it wouldn't cause a fatal injury, but her pretty face would definitely suffer.

She leaned back, performed two backflips in the air, and landed back on the ground. When she looked forward again, Lan Si was nowhere to be seen.

"Xiao Wu, watch out behind you!" Tang San, who had been watching quietly from the side, suddenly called out.

Hearing this, Xiao Wu hurriedly tilted her head to dodge.

The next moment, a fist grazed her ear, the sharp wind of the strike making her eardrum ache.

"Bastard."

"First spirit skill, Waist Bow."

Having been ambushed again, Xiao Wu could no longer hold back. As she whipped her scorpion braid around, she leaped up once more, her yellow spirit ring instantly lighting up.

A smug smirk curled the corner of Lan Si's mouth; this was exactly what he had been waiting for.

As he stepped back to avoid the scorpion braid, his own yellow spirit ring lit up almost simultaneously.

"First spirit skill, Cyan Lotus Assault."

The Cyan Lotus martial soul that Lan Si had thrown into the air earlier split into eight, transforming into eight sharp blades that lunged toward Xiao Wu.

"Ah!" Xiao Wu shrieked. Having just activated her first spirit skill, she was suspended in mid-air and had no leverage to dodge. Facing the eight blades thrusting toward her, she could only squeeze her eyes shut in terror.

The mouths of the watching students hung open in an 'O' shape. If those hit her, wouldn't she be turned into a sieve?

Could she even survive that?

Tang San's expression was equally grave. Activating his Purple Demon Eye, he reached his hands toward his waist.

Although he hadn't yet formed a sibling bond with Xiao Wu or sworn the oath, "If you want to hurt her, you must step over my corpse," her liveliness and cuteness had already touched his heart over the past few days. He could not stand by and watch her die.

Just as Tang San's right hand reached into his waist, intending to pull a hidden weapon from the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges to deflect the trajectory of Lan Si's blades, his Purple Demon Eye caught the blades suddenly shifting their course.

Thwip, thwip.

A series of piercing sounds rang out, and Xiao Wu was pinned to the grass in a spread-eagle position. Her braid and the cuffs of her sleeves had been struck by the Cyan Lotus blades and nailed to the ground, while the remaining three blades hovered right at her throat and eyes.

Seeing this, the entire playground fell into a deathly silence.

After a long moment, Lan Si broke the silence. "Well, little rabbit, do you concede?"

Xiao Wu was pale with fright. Realizing the pain she had imagined hadn't come and hearing Lan Si's words, she slowly opened her eyes. Seeing the blades hovering just inches from her eyes and throat, she was too terrified to move and hurriedly replied, "I concede! I concede! Take these things away!"

Lan Si beckoned with his hand, and the eight blades flew back to his palm, merging back into the Cyan Lotus martial soul.

He took a deep look at Xiao Wu on the ground and the grave-faced Tang San nearby, but said nothing more. He retracted his martial soul and turned to walk quickly toward the cafeteria; he hadn't eaten all day and was starving.

Watching Lan Si's retreating back, the students remained silent for a moment until Xiao Chenyu couldn't help but exclaim, "Amazing! Who is this new student? He's even stronger than Xiao Wu! Quick, let's follow him—from now on, he's our boss!"

Since Lan Si had easily defeated Xiao Wu, Xiao Chenyu stopped calling her "Big Sister Xiao Wu" and led the group of senior students trailing eagerly after him.

Only the work-study students were left behind, still trying to process what had happened.

As for Tang San, he walked over to Xiao Wu, confirmed she wasn't injured, offered a few words of comfort, and then turned to run toward the dormitory building.

He needed to ask his teacher, Yu Xiaogang.

Why was it that even though Lan Si was an auxiliary-type spirit master, he could possess such a powerful skill?

This had piqued Tang San's intense curiosity.

Tang San even felt that Lan Si's spirit ring skill seemed tailor-made for a Tang Sect disciple.

If combined with Tang Sect hidden weapon techniques, even he—a genius disciple who prided himself on having mastered the sect's ultimate arts—would have no confidence in being able to defend against it.

The academy playground wasn't far from the cafeteria. After finishing his lunch and dismissing Xiao Chenyu's group, Lan Si headed to the academy library.

He already had a plan for the next few years.

At night, he would cultivate the Supreme Universe Art and the Five Thunders Heart Art to temper his spirit power.

During the day, he would focus on physical conditioning, practicing the martial arts techniques associated with the Supreme Universe Art and the Five Thunders Heart Art, studying spirit master theory, and working at the blacksmith shop.

His second martial soul was a hammer, so he had to master the corresponding hammer techniques, and Tang San's Storm Cloak was undoubtedly his best option.

He would observe Tang San practicing the Storm Cloak at the forge and steal the technique for himself.

However, all of this would have to wait until Tang San started working at the blacksmith shop.

On the other side, Tang San had already returned to Yu Xiaogang's residence.

Because he had been poisoned by a Black Mamba Snake while helping Tang San hunt for a soul ring, Yu Xiaogang's body had yet to recover its mobility, and he remained bedridden.

Seeing Tang San return so soon, Yu Xiaogang asked with a smile, "What is it, Little San? Did you finish your Soul Master registration so quickly?"

Tang San walked to the table to pour a cup of hot tea for Yu Xiaogang and asked respectfully, "Teacher, I just saw Lan Si's first soul skill."

Yu Xiaogang let out an "oh," took the hot tea and blew on it lightly, saying with full confidence, "Well? Is it a soul power boost or a healing skill?"

Tang San shook his head, "Neither. It is a very powerful attack-type soul skill that can transform a Cyan Lotus into eight flying blades to strike the enemy. The speed is extremely fast; unless it is the defense-type you mentioned, it would be very difficult for an ordinary one-ring Soul Master to block."

"What color was his soul ring?" Yu Xiaogang's expression stiffened as he hurriedly pressed for an answer.

"A yellow century-old soul ring," Tang San replied.

Yu Xiaogang's mouth twitched. Recalling how he had confidently insisted that Lan Si absorb a ninety-year Soul Power Holy Wood right in front of Tang San, his cheeks began to burn, and he felt as if he had been slapped in the face.

Damn it, if I had known this, I wouldn't have taken him to the Soul Hunting Forest.