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The moment the master and disciple stepped out of the Soul Hunting Forest's gates, Tang San seemed to remember something. He halted abruptly and whipped his head around.
He clenched his teeth, his voice heavy with suppressed resentment.
"Teacher, there's something I have to tell you.
"Actually... your arm might have been saved!"
Boom!
Those words were like a bolt from the blue, striking Yu Xiaogang squarely on the head.
After mentally preparing himself all the way back, he had only just barely accepted the cruel reality of becoming a "one-armed master." And now Tang San was saying this?
Gangzi's eyes instantly turned bloodshot. Breathing like a bull, he sprang up like a feral cat whose tail had been stepped on and roared hysterically:
"Xiao San! What do you mean by that?!"
"Teacher, calm down first."
Tang San hurriedly supported the swaying Yu Xiaogang. Taking a deep breath, he embellished what he had seen and heard. "When you were swallowed by the Datura Snake, I clearly saw Lin Nuo and those Spirit Hall people nearby! They had obviously already finished hunting their Soul Rings, and they definitely heard my cries for help. But that Lin Nuo couldn't even be bothered to look over. He saw us in danger and refused to help!"
Yu Xiaogang: ???
After a brief moment of stunned disbelief, a surging fury followed.
Xiao Gang did not understand. Xiao Gang was enraged!
He felt that his supreme authority as a master had been gravely challenged!
By his twisted logic, since Bibi Dong had entrusted Lin Nuo to him, he was unquestionably Lin Nuo's elder. Given enough time, it would not even be impossible for him to lower himself and become Lin Nuo's adoptive father!
Yet this brat—
Not only had he treated his Invincible Theory like it was nothing,
He had casually found some lowly ants from a Spirit Hall branch to help him hunt a Soul Ring,
And now he even dared to watch his master and disciple die without lifting a finger?!
"How dare this brat insult me!"
Yu Xiaogang's remaining right hand clenched tightly into a fist, and his entire body flushed red with rage!
"Once we return to Nuoding Academy, this master will make that arrogant brat learn a lesson he'll never forget for the rest of his life!"
They said nothing for the rest of the journey.
The master and disciple, each harboring their own schemes, returned to Nuoding City.
Tang San immediately rushed to the Spirit Hall branch to complete his Soul Master advancement assessment and happily received the first great fortune of his life:
A monthly subsidy of one Gold Soul Coin.
What he did not know was that Lin Nuo, who had returned to the branch before them, had likewise completed his Soul Master registration with Spirit Hall.
When the testing crystal lit up with the dazzling glow representing level 13 Soul Power, Master Ma Xiunuo, who was in charge of the assessment, sucked in a sharp breath and exclaimed that it was terrifying beyond belief!
However, as someone capable of firmly holding the position of branch bishop, Ma Xiunuo naturally handled matters far more shrewdly.
After probing Lin Nuo and learning that he had no intention of directly joining Spirit Hall for now, he did not press the matter.
After all, Lin Nuo was still on good terms with Su Yuntao and the others. That connection remained.
Stroking his chin, Ma Xiunuo swiftly devised a more long-term plan.
Once this boy graduated from Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy, he would send his file directly to the Platinum Holy Temple in Heaven Dou City.
Then, even if Lin Nuo still did not wish to formally join Spirit Hall, he could use the recommendations of those important figures above to place him in Heaven Dou Royal Academy for further study.
That way, sooner or later, this boy would become irrevocably bound to Spirit Hall's web of interests without even realizing it!
The scene returned to Nuoding City.
Below Lin Nuo's dormitory building at Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.
"Lin Nuo! Get your ass out here at once!
"Today, this master will properly discipline you, you arrogant brat who doesn't know his place!"
"You actually dared do such a thing to a theory master who has devoted half his life to the Soul Master world. You are simply unforgivable!"
Yu Xiaogang's shout was powerful and resonant, drawing all the nearby students who had come to watch the commotion.
Not only did he have no intention of stopping, he rather enjoyed the feeling of being watched.
Today, before everyone's eyes, he would ruthlessly crush Lin Nuo's arrogance.
And while he was at it, he would broaden the horizons of these ignorant country bumpkins, letting them see just what kind of peerless genius Tang San, the disciple personally trained by Yu Xiaogang, truly was!
Only then could he vent the resentment from being humiliated in the Soul Hunting Forest.
Of course, the calculations in Gangzi's heart went far beyond merely saving face.
A legend had long circulated through the Soul Master world: high-quality Spirit Bones were known as the Treasure of the Blood River. Not only could they help Soul Masters break through the shackles of their Martial Souls and undergo a complete transformation, but certain exceptional special Spirit Bones could even regenerate severed limbs!
Even if the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan possessed such heaven-defying treasures, those ignorant clansmen would never take them out for him to use.
But the wealthy Spirit Hall was different!
As long as he put Lin Nuo in his place today and made him submit wholeheartedly, perhaps he could use Lin Nuo's connection in the future to obtain an exceptional Spirit Bone from Spirit Hall.
Then, not only would his severed arm regenerate, but the level-thirty bottleneck that had plagued him for half his life might also be broken through in one stroke!
This was practically a complete victory!
At that moment, Lin Nuo was resting with his eyes closed in his dormitory when the mad-dog-like challenge from downstairs made nameless fury shoot straight to his head.
So I gave you an inch, and now you think you can shove your face over for me to stomp on?
This ridiculous master-disciple pair were like walking stink bombs. No matter where they went, they disgusted people!
Lin Nuo pushed open the door with a cold expression.
The moment he descended the stairs, Tang San stepped forward, pointing at his nose with a face full of righteous indignation.
"Lin Nuo! Back in the Soul Hunting Forest, you clearly heard my cries for help. Why did you refuse to save us?!"
"It was because of your cold-blooded selfishness that my teacher lost an arm forever!"
"And to think my teacher cared for you so much back at the academy!
"Someone as ungrateful as you has already chosen the Way of Seeking Death!"
"Today, I, Tang San, challenge you!
"If you lose, you must kneel before everyone and kowtow to my teacher in apology!"
After delivering those harsh words, the corners of Tang San's lips unconsciously curled into a confident smile belonging to a victor.
In his view, he had now obtained a first Soul Ring that was perfectly compatible with him. He possessed the divine skill Blue Silver Entangle, which could alter the form of his Martial Soul, and he also carried the exquisite self-created techniques of the Tang Sect from his previous life.
Wouldn't dealing with a native little brat like Lin Nuo be effortless?
Listening to this series of absurd moral accusations, an enormous question mark slowly appeared above Lin Nuo's head.
He felt as disgusted as if he had swallowed a green-headed fly.
This was beyond ridiculous!
He had clearly gone out of his way to take a detour and avoid this absurd master-disciple pair as much as possible,
Yet the label of "Way of Seeking Death" had still locked onto him with precision guidance and been welded firmly onto his forehead?!
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