Xia Yan then went to find the Dean of Notting.
The strongest person in all of Notting Academy, he possessed a terrifying four Soul Rings. With a mere gesture, he could obliterate great roads and dim the sun and moon.
Naturally, the dean did not refuse Xia Yan's request and confirmed the type of Soul Ring he intended to absorb.
An hour later, the two set off.
Four hundred li was neither far nor near. By noon the next day, they had entered the Soul Hunting Forest.
The canopy overhead blocked out the sky, while trees more than ten years old surrounded them. The air carried the forest's unique scent of stillness and decay.
As they continued deeper,
Xia Yan saw quite a few soul beasts: Lone Bamboo, Variegated Cat, Spiked Thorn... Their ages gradually rose from ten years to fifty, and even hundred-year and two-hundred-year soul beasts began to appear.
But beneath the dean's longsword, they were all driven back one by one.
As night fell, the two pitched a tent and waited for daylight to continue their search.
The Soul Hunting Forest was simply too vast. They still found nothing on the second day.
Both of them remained patient. After all, obtaining a Soul Ring was no trivial matter.
Not until the evening of the third day.
Within the dense forest, the gray-robed dean had been searching normally when he suddenly sensed a disturbance.
A black sword immediately condensed in his hand, and a purple Soul Ring flashed into existence. "Careful, something's wrong!"
As he spoke,
The dense canopy began to tremble. A dark green serpent moved stealthily through the branches, and its ruby-like eyes could faintly be seen, gleaming with chilling malice.
"It's a Datura Snake."
The dean shielded Xia Yan behind him. "This Datura Snake is at most a little over four hundred years old. There's no need to worry."
A four-hundred-year Datura Snake might easily crush some level-twenty-nine Soul Masters, but in the eyes of a four-ring Soul Ancestor, it was far from threatening.
Xia Yan's eyes lit up. I finally found you!
"Dean, I can feel it. It suits me perfectly."
The dean froze for a moment, then shook his head. "No. Its age is too high. I'll find you a more suitable one. Don't worry."
But Xia Yan did not hesitate in the slightest.
Without the slightest hesitation, Soul Power surged through his body. The Demon Suppressing Pagoda condensed in his palm and flew straight above the Datura Snake. At the same time, the tower began to expand, its intricate inscriptions writhing as though they had come alive.
"Hiss!"
Seeing the attack approaching,
The Datura Snake immediately accelerated, trying to evade it.
But it had never expected that, as the Black Tower hovered in the sky, a vast force of suction would suddenly surge from its base.
The Datura Snake only felt its body grow light. Before it could react, it had already been lifted into the air.
It was sucked directly into the Demon Suppressing Pagoda.
At the same instant,
The barrier within Xia Yan's body that had restricted him for the past three months was instantly shattered. Level eleven, level twelve...
Level thirteen!
His Soul Power instantly reached level thirteen!
His physique also improved along with it. His meridians became tougher, able to contain more violent releases of Soul Power.
Inside the Demon Suppressing Pagoda, the previously empty space on its first floor was opened up in an instant.
A rich shade of green.
A flourishing woodland spread out before him, with a clear stream slowly flowing through the trees.
The Datura Snake lazily slithered through the forest, crawled onto a patch of grass, and basked indolently in the sun.
The moment the contract was formed, it understood what had happened.
"Phew..."
Xia Yan withdrew the Demon Suppressing Pagoda and slowly let out a breath of stale air.
The worries and pressure that had plagued him for years all vanished at this moment.
With an independent space he could enter instantly, he could now contract soul beasts on his own and no longer had to worry about encountering danger!
Unless someone could kill him in an instant,
Otherwise, he was invincible!
"All done, Dean."
Meanwhile, the dean standing beside him was left utterly stunned and bewildered.
Where had the Datura Snake gone?
How had his Soul Power increased?
Xia Yan had long anticipated this reaction.
"Dean, this is a special trait of my martial soul. It's hard to explain."
After the brief shock,
The dean came back to his senses and immediately nodded. "All right. I won't tell anyone."
A martial soul was a Soul Master's foundation and their greatest secret.
Almost no one wanted outsiders to know their secrets.
"Then what soul skill did you obtain?"
Xia Yan raised his right hand, and the Demon Suppressing Pagoda immediately condensed in his palm. A yellow Century Soul Ring also rose from beneath his feet.
With a thought,
Countless shadowy serpent chains emerged from the shadows between the trees, spreading like a Snake Swarm. They packed together densely, as though they possessed life.
If someone with weak nerves had been present,
Their legs would probably have gone limp on the spot.
Xia Yan waved his hand, and the serpent shadows, Soul Ring, and Demon Suppressing Pagoda vanished together. "This soul skill is called Snake Shadow Binding. These shadow-like serpent chains can emerge from any corner and coil around enemies, binding them."
"Unfortunately, they are not true shadows. They are semi-shadows, so they can still be attacked."
This was the first time the dean had heard the term semi-shadow.
But he could more or less understand what it meant.
He sighed. "What a powerful soul skill."
With their goal achieved, the two prepared to leave the Soul Hunting Forest and return to Notting Academy.
The next day.
Notting Academy, Academic Affairs Office.
Inside the office, Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back like a reclusive master, his voice hoarse as he said, "Are you willing to take me as your master?"
Before him, the black-haired, wheat-skinned youth immediately dropped to his knees.
"Teacher, I am willing!"
An awkward smile appeared on Yu Xiaogang's face, and he nodded in satisfaction. "Good child, get up quickly."
"Don't worry. I will definitely teach you to become the continent's number one genius!"
Tang San did not doubt him in the slightest. Someone who could tell at a glance that he possessed Twin Martial Souls could not possibly be a fraud!
Only someone like this was worthy of being his teacher!
Yu Xiaogang helped Tang San to his feet.
The smile on his face grew broader, and uglier. After all, it had been many years since he had smiled.
Yu Xiaogang had never imagined that, after failing to encounter anyone with Innate Full Soul Power for twenty years, he would meet two of them in just a few days!
Tang San was even more perfect than Xia Yan, even more suitable as a disciple!
Tang San also possessed Innate Full Soul Power and Twin Martial Souls. Blue Silver Grass alone perfectly matched his theory that weak Soul Masters should use Deadly Poison, not to mention that Tang San had a second martial soul.
And most importantly,
He was more sensible and obedient than Xia Yan. He was not arrogant and would not play those self-righteous little tricks.
This was wonderful!
Hmph, Xia Yan, you would never have imagined that the theory you showed off to me would perfectly suit my disciple Tang San.
He will definitely defeat you,
And become the continent's number one genius!
This is the disciple I want!
Tang Hao, who had been observing from the shadows, had heard about Yu Xiaogang's exploits long ago.
He had learned that Yu Xiaogang's martial soul could fart, that he possessed only half a level of Innate Soul Power, that he would never break through level thirty in his lifetime, and that he was a loner...
However,
He also knew that Yu Xiaogang had immersed himself in martial soul research for many years.
Although the theories he published were neither here nor there, he knew Bibi Dong and had once been very close to her.
Although Bibi Dong deserved death, she had solved the conflict between Twin Martial Souls.
His son's Clear Sky Hammer differed too greatly from Blue Silver Grass in both attribute and type.
There was a risk of his body exploding and dying.
Perhaps Yu Xiaogang could solve this fatal problem.
Tang Hao pondered that Yu Xiaogang should be a qualified teacher. Even if he was not, Tang Hao would still be watching in secret.
Nothing would go wrong.
After registering at Spirit Hall and receiving his subsidy,
The first thing Xia Yan did was buy a set of bedding.
After all, his bed was still completely bare.
When he returned to the dormitory, he saw the bruised and battered Wang Sheng and a group of other students gathered around a pink-clad girl with her hands on her hips.
The girl wore a long scorpion-tail braid. Her skin was as soft and tender as a peach, while her large watery eyes were as clear and spirited as gemstones.
She stood out distinctly among the crowd.
Other than Xiao Wu, she could not possibly have been anyone else.
Before you continue