After leaving Dong'er's world, Ye Tian's consciousness felt as though it had been tossed into a washing machine spinning at high speed for hundreds of revolutions. When he finally came to, he found himself lying in a somewhat familiar room.
After sorting through the jumbled thoughts in his head, Ye Tian remembered that this was a hotel room where he had stayed in the real world.
Just as his thoughts returned to normal, the system's voice rang out.
"Congratulations, host. You have completed your first dream visit, and the dreamer's future has undergone significant changes."
"After settlement, the host will receive ten years of cultivation experience, 2,500 Fate Points, and a one-cubic-meter Storage Ring."
"Would you like to claim your rewards now?"
"Claim them!"
As Ye Tian gave his affirmative answer, a string of voices rang in his ears.
[Year One: You exchange for a bottle of Foundation Strengthening Pills and cultivate diligently, breaking through to level thirty-eight in Soul Power.]
[Year Three: You feel that your strength is still too weak, so you continue cultivating. Your Soul Power breaks through to level forty, and you obtain an eight-thousand-year Soul Ring.]
[Year Five: You feel that your Soul Power cultivation is progressing too slowly, so you decide to train your skills instead. You observe Tang San's cultivation, create three Soul Skills of your own, and master them by the tenth year.]
As ten years' worth of cultivation experience poured into his body, Soul Power began surging around Ye Tian. His bottleneck broke smoothly, and his Soul Power climbed all the way to level forty before stopping.
Ye Tian knew this was only because he had not yet obtained his fourth Soul Ring. With nowhere for the Soul Power in his body to be released, it could only be stored inside him for now. Once he obtained a Soul Ring, his strength would surge again.
Ye Tian picked up the Storage Ring and examined it for a while, a satisfied look on his face.
The Storage Ring rewarded by the system kept anything placed inside it in exactly the same state as when it had been put in. It was basically a refrigerator with an infinite shelf life.
After browsing the Mall for a while, Ye Tian bought the item that suited him best.
A Soul Beast Detector.
The detector could locate the Soul Beast most suited to Ye Tian within a hundred-mile radius.
Ye Tian left the hotel and activated the detector. To his surprise, a golden dot was blinking just two miles away. A golden dot meant a Soul Beast that was more than ten thousand years old.
Ye Tian quickly realized what was going on.
This was Nuoding City, where the protagonist group's legendary journey began. Could it be that the timeline was at the very moment the respectful and dutiful God King Tang had left Holy Soul Village?
After all, Nuoding City could hardly contain a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast—but a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast that had taken human form was another matter.
Ye Tian changed direction and hurried toward Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy. Before long, he spotted a disheveled, dispirited middle-aged man standing at the academy gate, trying to hoodwink a six-year-old boy.
Ye Tian chuckled.
He never expected to stumble upon the most classic scene of all.
Yu Xiaogang held Tang San's hand, a trace of excitement in his eyes.
After all these years, he, Yu Xiaogang, had finally found his dream disciple!
After a long bout of grandiose persuasion, he delivered his most classic line of all: "There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters."
As soon as those words were spoken, the disheveled middle-aged man in Tang San's eyes suddenly seemed much more imposing. Excited, he looked at the man who called himself Grandmaster and bowed low.
"Your disciple, Tang San, pays his respects!"
Before Tang San could finish speaking, a shout from behind cut him off.
"Wait!"
Tang San and Grandmaster turned around at the same time, displeasure in both their eyes.
Tang San: How dare he delay my initiation! This man deserves to die!
Grandmaster: I finally found my dream disciple. Who's calling for a time-out at this crucial moment?!
The two of them saw a handsome young man approaching at an unhurried pace. He carried an approachable air that unknowingly dispelled much of the anger in Tang San's heart.
He seemed like a good person.
Grandmaster, however, was in no mood to be pleasant toward the young man who had interrupted his big moment. He raised his head, nostrils turned skyward, wearing a haughty expression that said, "I'll give you a chance to introduce yourself." "Who are you?"
"I just don't want to see a promising Soul Master ruined by a fraud like you."
"What did you say?!"
The word "fraud" struck Grandmaster right in his sore spot. His anger flared, and an oppressive force surged toward Ye Tian without the slightest restraint.
Feeling Grandmaster's oppressive force, Ye Tian's expression turned cold as he met it without hesitation.
"Allow me to introduce myself. Ye Tian, a level-forty Power Attack System Soul Elder!"
Crushed beneath Ye Tian's oppressive force, Grandmaster's face turned beet red. His body was completely restrained, and he couldn't move at all. He could only watch helplessly as Ye Tian tried to sway his precious disciple.
"Tang San, did you just say that your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul gives you Innate Full Soul Power?"
"Yes, Senior Ye." The instant Ye Tian's oppressive force had flared, Tang San had realized he was no match for him. His manner was extremely respectful.
"I just heard this Grandmaster say, 'There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters.' Do you know what this Grandmaster's strength is?"
Tang San shook his head.
Grandmaster had already realized what Ye Tian was trying to do. He strained with all his might, managing to force a muffled sound from his mouth as he tried to interrupt their conversation.
If Ye Tian said any more, all his secrets would be exposed, and the disciple he had finally secured would fly away. That absolutely could not happen!
Without his dream disciple, who could prove his theories?!
"This Grandmaster is a Soul Grandmaster who will never break through level twenty-nine."
"By his own theory, he's the most useless one of all."
Tang San looked at Grandmaster, confused, as if trying to ask him for the truth. Just then, Ye Tian kindly withdrew his oppressive force. Faced with those clear, pure eyes, Grandmaster couldn't bring himself to voice the excuses on the tip of his tongue.
He nodded dejectedly and turned away, unwilling to watch what happened next.
Little did he know, Tang San's response would leave him utterly stunned.
Ye Tian continued to remind Tang San, hoping to save him before he stepped into the abyss.
"Even without this Grandmaster, by the time you graduate from the Junior Soul Master Academy, your Soul Power won't be any lower than his."
A trace of hesitation showed in Tang San's eyes.
He could sense Ye Tian's sincerity, and Grandmaster had just admitted his own strength.
A level-twenty-nine Grandmaster— even if he really had done research, his theories probably only applied up to level thirty-something.
Tang San looked at the hand Ye Tian had extended. Just as he was about to take it, another voice rose in his mind.
Tang San, have you forgotten the teachings of the Tang Sect?
Have you thrown respect for your teacher out the window?
You just knelt down and accepted him as your master. Once your teacher, your father for life. Do you want to abandon your father?!
Ye Tian noticed the struggle in Tang San's eyes and sighed inwardly. He didn't know whether the original story's plot had such a powerful hold, or whether Tang San's mind had been broken from childhood.
He had made things so clear, yet Tang San was still hesitating. Sure enough, this future God King Tang had been all wrong in the head since childhood.
Before long, Tang San looked up. Only determination remained in his eyes.
"Senior, once your teacher, your father for life. I won't abandon Grandmaster!"
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