"Did he actually turn into a crane?"
Seeing Ling Yun transform into a Flame Crane, Tang San and Xiao Wu both widened their eyes. This Flame Crane seemed even stronger than the Divine Wood Ape had been.
"This is bad. Cranes can fly, and they're incredibly fast. We can't let Ling Yun get airborne, or it'll be even harder to beat him. Looks like I'll have to use my Second Soul Skill."
With that, Tang San immediately gathered his Soul Power. The Second Soul Ring at his feet lit up, and thin strands of Blue Silver Grass appeared all around Ling Yun, twisting toward him like vines.
"Second Soul Skill: Parasite!"
When he'd controlled the Blue Silver Grass to entangle Ling Yun earlier, Tang San had scattered its seeds across the surrounding ground.
At a critical moment, those seeds would sprout into strand after strand of Blue Silver Grass and bind Ling Yun tightly. Even Tang San hadn't expected to need them so soon.
Seeing dozens of strands of Blue Silver Grass rushing toward him, Ling Yun smiled disdainfully. "They're just a bunch of weeds. Behold my Fire Spirit Power!"
In the blink of an eye, Ling Yun opened his beak and spat out a scorching blast of flame, setting all the incoming Blue Silver Grass alight and burning it to ash. Then he beat his wings and shot into the sky.
At the same time, flames blazed across Ling Yun's body, starting from his snow-white wings. Now he looked just like the legendary Fire Phoenix.
Then Ling Yun beat his wings and plunged straight down, swooping toward Tang San and Xiao Wu.
"Flame Crane's ultimate move: Fire Crane Sky Fall!"
Feeling the wave of heat rushing toward them, Tang San's face turned deathly pale and terror filled his heart. Beside him, Xiao Wu felt the breath of death and closed her eyes in despair.
But in the end, considering that Tang Hao might be nearby, Ling Yun didn't hurt them. He merely flew over their heads.
Then he ended his transformation and grinned. "Heh heh, I've won this spar again. Hand over the money, you two."
"I didn't realize you were so strong. Even Xiao Wu and I together weren't your match..."
After losing, Tang San didn't try to wriggle out of paying. He took ten Gold Soul Coins from Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges at his waist and handed them to Ling Yun, then continued.
"But don't get too proud. One day, we'll meet again. I'll challenge you then, and I'll be the one who wins."
"Then you'd better work hard. But I'll say it again: I never consider an enemy I've defeated my rival. I'll give you time to surpass me—until you can no longer even see me on the horizon!"
With that, Ling Yun left the grove and walked out of Notting Academy.
After Ling Yun left, Tang San sat on the ground, dejected, and stared at his Blue Silver Grass with a furrowed brow.
"Not only am I weaker, but even my Soul Power Level is lower than Ling Yun's? And his Soul Rings—he can absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring beyond the usual limit. Could I really be inferior to him?"
"Don't lose heart, Xiao San!"
Just then, Yu Xiaogang came up behind Tang San and gently patted his shoulder, offering comfort. "Ling Yun isn't as powerful as you think. He only beat you because he's relying on two Soul Skills that are practically as strong as a Martial Soul Avatar.
"Didn't you notice? When Ling Yun sparred with you, he used his Soul Skills right away each time. What does that tell you? It means that without his Soul Skills, he isn't your match at all. He doesn't even dare face you head-on."
Yu Xiaogang's comfort didn't make Tang San feel any better. If anything, it only troubled him more.
"But, Teacher, aren't Soul Skills part of a Soul Master's strength? You could even say that most of a Soul Master's strength comes from their Soul Skills. Ling Yun's first two Soul Skills are so powerful that he's already won from the starting line."
"You're right, but no matter how good his first two Soul Skills are, they're only hundred-year and thousand-year skills. Don't forget—you have Twin Martial Souls!"
Yu Xiaogang's eyes shone as he looked at his disciple, excitement filling his heart. He explained, "If you become a Titled Douluo, you'll be able to add Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings or even Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings to that Hammer. By then, could the Hammer's first and second Soul Skills really be weaker than Ling Yun's? Would you still be afraid you couldn't beat him?"
At those words, Tang San immediately perked up. That's right! I still have that Hammer! No matter how strong Ling Yun is, he only has one Martial Soul. I have two. As long as I add Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings to that Hammer, I'll be able to beat him.
Seeing Tang San's expression, Yu Xiaogang knew he'd recovered his spirits. He smiled in relief and continued.
"That's not all. I've also noticed a huge weakness of Ling Yun's."
"A weakness?" Tang San paused, then hurriedly asked, "What weakness?"
"His Soul Ring combination is obviously flawed!" Yu Xiaogang pointed out.
"Though he can absorb Soul Rings beyond the usual limit, his choices are practically a haphazard jumble.
"His Martial Soul is a Metal Bracelet, but instead of adding metal-type Soul Rings to it, he added wood- and fire-type Soul Rings.
"His second Soul Ring, in particular, is fire-type. Fire counters metal, and conflicting attributes will cause irreversible damage to a Martial Soul, possibly even harming its Martial Soul Origin.
"In other words, the older that second Soul Ring is, the more damage it'll do to his Martial Soul, and the more his potential will decline."
As he spoke, Yu Xiaogang's lips curled into the crooked grin of a standard Dragon King, and he declared with complete confidence,
"That kid doesn't have a renowned master like me to guide him, so he'll surely keep adding Soul Rings at random. His potential will inevitably continue to decline. Who knows? By then, you might be able to beat him with nothing but Blue Silver Grass."
At those words, Tang San's spirits soared, and he recovered completely.
Teacher is right. Ling Yun doesn't have a teacher, so he can only do whatever comes into his head. But I'm different. I have a teacher as famous as Grandmaster to guide me. How could Ling Yun possibly beat me?
If Ling Yun could read minds, he probably would've laughed himself silly at Tang San's thoughts.
Yu Xiaogang—did he really deserve the title "Grandmaster"?
After leaving Notting Academy, Ling Yun walked down the street alone, pondering what to do next.
"I've graduated from Notting Academy. Where should I go now? Spirit Hall is definitely out, and a third-rate, no-name academy like Shrek is out too..."
"Heaven Dou Royal Academy seems like a good choice."
Ling Yun thought that after he went to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he might get a chance to meet Dugu Yan and, through her, obtain an Immortal Herb from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
With an Immortal Herb, he might surpass Tang San from the original story and become the youngest Titled Douluo in history.
Ling Yun daydreamed happily, but then he shook his head and muttered, "But Heaven Dou Royal Academy only accepts nobles. I'm a commoner. I probably won't even get through the academy gates, will I?"
In the original story, if Qin Ming hadn't become a teacher at the academy, the Shrek Seven Devils probably wouldn't have been able to get through the gates of Heaven Dou Royal Academy either.
Even after they eventually got in, they were still driven out by a group of pampered young nobles led by Prince Xue Beng.
If joining Heaven Dou Royal Academy weren't a chance to meet Dugu Yan, Ling Yun wouldn't have spared an academy like that a second glance.
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