Lightning Gale Bird

"I never thought you'd actually get this Soul Skill!"

Hearing Tang Sanmei's answer, Tang Yin was finally genuinely delighted.

For other support Soul Masters, it would've been the worst luck imaginable. But for Tang Sanmei, it was the best possible outcome. Tang Yin could hardly tell whether Tang Sanmei's Protagonist Halo had brought her good luck or bad.

"Hmph! I told you from the start we shouldn't have let Third Sister absorb a Jade Evergreen Vine, a Soul Beast that, as far as the records show, has only ever given Soul Masters support skills."

Just as the siblings were getting excited over the Soul Skill, Yu Xiaogang emerged from the tent.

He'd been injured during the day, so he'd slept until now, only waking when the siblings' voices disturbed him.

"I know a little about Spring Sows a Grain of Millet. Judging by its effect alone, it's quite good." Yu Xiaogang walked over to Tang Yin with his hands behind his back. He looked at Third Sister as though she were a fine porcelain vase someone had covered in random scribbles.

"But for a support Soul Master, this is a useless Soul Skill. For a Battle Soul Master, it's the same as giving up an attack skill. Perhaps it'll be useful in the later stages, but cultivating as a Soul Master means taking things one step at a time. Without the early stages, how can there be later ones?"

The more Yu Xiaogang spoke, the angrier he became. The main reason was that the Elite Soul Master Academy Tournament had an age limit, so most competitors were between level thirty and level forty-something. Even a Soul King at level fifty was an extreme rarity.

Most Battle Soul Masters had only three or four Soul Skills, so Tang Sanmei's lack of an attack skill put her at a huge disadvantage.

Besides, team competitions like the tournament generally included support Soul Masters, who could provide the same effect as Spring Sows a Grain of Millet.

"Grandmaster, you're absolutely right. My sister and I really regret it now!" Tang Yin and Tang Sanmei exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.

Seeing how sincerely the siblings took his words, Yu Xiaogang's expression finally softened. After all, what was done was done. He couldn't actually give up on Tang Sanmei, whom he'd already chosen as his future disciple.

At least it was only her First Soul Skill, and she still had her Second Martial Soul.

Yu Xiaogang quickly adjusted his outlook. He thought that after this incident, Tang Sanmei should realize just how important the guidance of a theoretical master was. If she'd known the relevant facts about various Soul Beasts, she never would've made the blunder of a Battle Soul Master absorbing a Jade Evergreen Vine's Soul Ring.

He felt that Tang Sanmei was one step closer to becoming his true disciple. He comforted her, saying, "Of course, Third Sister, you don't need to feel too discouraged. Your First Soul Skill may be a little useless, but absorbing a five-hundred-year Soul Ring did raise your level straight to thirteen."

"The level a Soul Master reaches before the age of twenty determines their future potential. You reached level thirteen at six. If nothing unexpected happens, you'll most likely break through to level twenty and become a Soul Grandmaster before you turn ten."

"A ten-year-old Soul Grandmaster..." Yu Xiaogang had meant to comfort her, but the thought left him feeling even more depressed.

He was still only a level-twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster. Comparing people was enough to drive you mad.

"All right. We'll start looking for a suitable Soul Beast for Tang Yin. I'll say it again: the Soul Ring your Sharp-Tailed Swift absorbs must grant a skill that can interfere with the enemy."

Yu Xiaogang could already imagine the effect of a fighter who could fly through the air while constantly disrupting the enemy on a Soul Master tournament stage, where most competitors couldn't fly.

"Grandmaster, I think—"

"I don't care what you think. I care what I think. Which one of us is the Grandmaster here?"

Tang Yin hadn't finished speaking when Yu Xiaogang cut him off. He'd thought Tang Yin was an obedient, quiet, studious student, but after their trip to the Soul Hunting Forest, something about him had started to feel off.

Tang Yin's explanation earlier that day had made perfect sense, yet Yu Xiaogang still felt something was wrong.

He couldn't put his finger on it, but one thing was certain: Tang Yin wasn't being honest.

"Uh..." Tang Yin's mouth twitched. He'd wanted to share his opinion, since there was no way he could follow Yu Xiaogang's plan.

Tang Sanmei's accident had been just barely explainable. If the same thing happened to him, it would look too deliberate.

Well, cross that bridge when he came to it. If he couldn't keep up the act, he'd drop it. Yu Xiaogang wouldn't give up on Tang Sanmei, his chosen tool. At worst, he'd give up on Tang Yin as a student. He could always have Tang Sanmei bring Yu Xiaogang's books out to him later.

With that thought, Tang Yin relaxed.

During the rest of their journey, they encountered quite a few Soul Beasts, but none matched the targets Yu Xiaogang or Tang Yin had in mind. The occasional foolish Soul Beast that attacked them was quickly dealt with by the three of them, especially now that Tang Sanmei's strength had increased so much.

Yu Xiaogang was surprised by this, but he also began to feel that he was rather unnecessary as their teacher.

He was clearly the highest-level one among the three, yet when they actually fought, he was the one holding them back.

"Those two children definitely aren't ordinary commoners!" Yu Xiaogang concluded.

During the battle not long ago, he'd been wrapped up in vines and hadn't noticed Tang Sanmei use the Clear Sky Hammer.

And unlike in the original story, Tang Sanmei hadn't told him about her Second Martial Soul, the Clear Sky Hammer. Yu Xiaogang had wisely refrained from asking; after all, they weren't master and disciple.

A piercing cry, like a bird's call, suddenly rang out in the distance. The three of them perked up and looked toward the sound.

"It's a Lightning Gale Bird!"

Yu Xiaogang truly was a walking encyclopedia. While Tang Yin and Tang Sanmei were still thinking it over, he identified the flying Soul Beast at a glance.

"Oh? Grandmaster, it sounds impressive just from the name. What can it do, how old is it, and would it be suitable for my Soul Ring?" Tang Yin asked calmly.

Yu Xiaogang had collected plenty of books. Even with his strong natural mental power and photographic memory from living two lives, he'd only read about half of them over the past few days. He really didn't know much about the Lightning Gale Bird.

"Hmph!" Yu Xiaogang gave a smug little snort and, out of habit, clasped his hands behind his back.

Tang Yin and Third Sister knew he was about to show off again. They stopped and let him begin his performance.

"The Lightning Gale Bird, as its name suggests, is a Soul Beast with incredible speed. It's said that someone once saw a fifty-thousand-year-old Lightning Gale Bird in the Star Dou Great Forest. It moved as fast as lightning, making it nearly impossible for ordinary Soul Masters to follow with their eyes. That's how it got its name."

"Not only is it fast in flight, but most importantly, it also has an electric Soul Skill. It doesn't do much damage, but it can leave someone's whole body numb for a short time. That makes it an excellent fit for the agility-and-control path I've planned for you."

"Judging by its size, this Lightning Gale Bird is about three hundred years old, which is a suitable age." Yu Xiaogang's expression turned regretful.

"Unfortunately... we didn't come prepared, so we can't hunt this kind of flying Soul Beast."

"The Lightning Gale Bird?" As Tang Yin listened to Yu Xiaogang's explanation, his eyes flickered. Its appearance made him abandon the kind of Soul Beast he'd originally planned to seek. For once, he and Yu Xiaogang had come to the same conclusion.

Of course, although he and Yu Xiaogang had chosen the same Soul Beast, they cared about different things. Yu Xiaogang valued its electric Soul Skill, while Tang Yin cared about its flying speed.

Even if he didn't gain a Soul Skill related to flight speed, absorbing its Soul Ring would greatly increase his Sharp-Tailed Swift's flying speed.

"Grandmaster, I've decided. I want it as my First Soul Ring!"