Tang San's face turned an ashen green.
He began repeatedly trying to communicate with Jinx through his consciousness.
But the result only left him deeply disappointed. After assigning the trial, Jinx seemed to vanish, never making another sound.
The next day, during Yu Xiaogang's private lesson, he looked at his disciple's worried expression.
Yu Xiaogang assumed Tang San was still troubled by his disappearing Soul Power, and he felt helpless too.
There simply wasn't any such example in all the knowledge he possessed.
"Xiao San, there's no need to worry. If there's still no improvement after some time, I'll take you somewhere. I know a few Soul Sages, and they should be able to make some sense of it."
At that, Tang San was slightly taken aback.
Then he hurriedly stood up and waved his hands.
"No, Teacher, the problem with my Soul Power disappearing has already been resolved."
"Really?"
Yu Xiaogang rubbed his hands together in delight, then fell into confusion again.
"Then why are you still frowning during class?"
"Uh..."
"Teacher, if I become very strange one day, will you still accept me as your disciple?"
At that, Yu Xiaogang felt a weight lift from his heart.
"Hey, what's the big deal?"
"Geniuses always have a few quirks. Xiao San, you'll always be my disciple."
Tang San nodded happily. At least his teacher understood him.
By the time the private lesson ended, it was nearly noon.
Students were already coming and going at the cafeteria entrance.
Tang San's steps felt as heavy as if his feet were filled with lead.
Soon, his integrity would be nothing but a stranger to him.
When he reached the cafeteria entrance, he looked at the dozens of bustling dining tables and took a deep breath.
Then his gaze turned resolute, as if he were ready to face death.
There were Soul Masters among the upperclassmen, so Tang San wisely chose to avoid them.
Instead, he headed for the tables where the lower-grade students from Dorm Seven and Dorm Five sat.
"Tang San, hurry up and get your food, or there won't be any left!"
Since Tang San had spent the past few days cleaning the academy day and night, most of the students had a favorable impression of him.
After all, some of that work had originally belonged to them.
Several students nearby chimed in too, urging Tang San to hurry and get his food. A few students from Dorm Seven even kindly made room for him.
But Tang San acted as if he hadn't heard them and walked straight to the table.
"Tang San... what's wrong?"
As soon as his classmate finished speaking, Tang San silently cried, "I'm sorry," several times in his heart, then swept every plate off the table without hesitation!
The clatter of shattering plates rang out without end!
To keep his classmates from reacting in time, Tang San even used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
The students stared blankly at the empty places in front of them. When they turned to look, they could only make out streaks of afterimages.
By the time they came to their senses, the floor was covered in shattered plates, with still-warm food scattered everywhere.
"Tang San! What are you doing?"
"Bastard, I haven't even had a bite!"
"..."
The students' questions and curses didn't make Tang San stop.
He counted silently, filtering out their shouting and cursing.
Only when the two-hundredth plate hit the floor did Tang San stop.
He took a deep breath, then smiled at the furious students.
"Sorry, everyone. I think I saw bugs in the vegetables today. You'd better not eat any of it."
Tang San offered the excuse he'd already prepared.
But clearly, the hundreds of students who'd been caught in the crossfire weren't buying it.
"Pah! What's a bug matter?"
"My family's poor. If there's a bug, I'll count it as an extra serving!"
"Exactly! You're a Soul Master now, so you don't care, but the rest of us still haven't gotten our allowances!"
Seeing that he'd become the target of everyone's anger, just as expected, Tang San could only sigh helplessly.
"Don't worry. I'll pay for today's meal."
At that, the students' anger did ease a little, but they were still unhappy about the soup splashed all over the floor.
Tang San immediately set about cleaning up.
Half an hour later, he had cleaned the entire cafeteria until it was spotless.
Only after Wang Sheng brought over another round of food did the students' anger finally subside.
"Tang San, don't do that again."
"Yeah, yeah. We should cherish our food."
Tang San gave an awkward laugh and left the cafeteria. As a disciple of the Tang Sect, he still wasn't used to being the center of attention.
He left with his head bowed. The meals for two hundred people had already used up his allowance for the month.
He'd have to work even harder at the blacksmith's after this; otherwise, he wouldn't have enough money for food this month.
In the upperclassmen's dormitory, Lu Xian listened to the notification that Tang San had completed the Second Trial, and he couldn't keep the corners of his mouth from lifting.
[Wish rank: F. Executor completion: 100%.] [Reward: 40 days of cultivation; Soul Ring age increased by 20 years.]
"Not bad, not bad. Looks like Tang San's completely taken the bait."
"Hand over the reward, then hurry up and release the next trial."
After taking the lion's share, Lu Xian handed part of the reward over to Tang San without the slightest reluctance.
"Second Trial: Lonely God of Labor—completed."
"Reward: 10 days of cultivation; Soul Ring age increased by 5 years."
The increase in his cultivation and Soul Ring age quickly made Tang San forget the unpleasantness of completing the trial at noon.
In the world of Soul Masters, strength always came first. That was what truly mattered.
Feeling his Soul Power rise by a small amount, Tang San reckoned that even if he didn't complete any more God Trials, he'd be back at rank 14 in less than a week.
He summoned his Martial Soul, and sure enough, the pale-yellow Soul Ring had darkened a little.
I'm going to be a jinx, whether I like it or not!
Perhaps Lu Xian had heard the cry in Tang San's heart, because the Third Trial he arranged soon arrived.
"Jinx's Third Trial: Tornado Destroys Latrine Cave."
"The latrines have fallen into disrepair. While your classmates are using them, destroy them all and rebuild them."
"Time limit: one week."
The joy Tang San had just felt at receiving his reward instantly stiffened on his face.
He got up and hurled his pillow to the floor.
If they'd fallen into disrepair, then fix them! Why wait until people were inside before destroying them?
He was truly sick and tired of doing such immoral things!
Soon, Tang San seemed to have all his strength drained away. He sank back onto the bed.
So what if the trial embarrassed him? Other than completing it, he didn't seem to have any choice.
Besides, judging by how the rewards were handed out, each one seemed better than the last.
Perhaps he could grit his teeth and give up the current reward, but what about the ninetieth trial?
Maybe by then, a single trial would raise his cultivation by an entire level or even more. His Soul Ring might even reach the hundred-thousand-year level. Would he still be able to give that up?
Besides, if he didn't complete the Third Trial, there'd be no ninetieth trial.
After spending the night talking himself into it, Tang San knocked on Yu Xiaogang's door the next day.
"Hm? Xiao San?"
"There's no lesson today. Go over the knowledge from the past few days and make sure you've fully absorbed it!"
At Yu Xiaogang's puzzled look, Tang San awkwardly scratched his head.
"Teacher, I'd like to borrow some money!"
His allowance for the month had vanished into yesterday's food. If he wanted to destroy and rebuild several latrine caves, he'd have to prepare some Gold Soul Coins in advance.
"Oh, that's all? No problem!"
"Is the food not filling enough?"
"Come to think of it, you are at the age when you're growing."
Yu Xiaogang's rambling made Tang San feel awkward, but since it meant he could get the Gold Soul Coins he needed to repair the toilets, he decided not to explain further.
In the upperclassmen's dormitory, Lu Xian finished meditating and revealed a sly smile.
With two wishes completed, he'd gained 45 days of Tang San's cultivation, along with 23 years added to his Soul Ring age.
That cultivation had helped him break through to rank 11 and make considerable progress toward rank 12.
Lu Xian couldn't help but marvel at how good the protagonist's talent was.
Now, he was looking forward to the benefits he'd receive after the third trial was completed.
He'd keep increasing Tang San's rewards a little each time. There was no way the other man could resist the temptation.
Before you continue