Meanwhile, at Dorm Seven of Nuoding Academy.
When Tang San pushed open the dormitory door, he was greeted by a pair of eyes filled with astonishment and admiration. He deliberately didn't suppress the Soul Power fluctuations from his recent advancement to level twelve. Although his bones still ached faintly all over, his back was straighter than ever.
This was what it meant for the peasant to turn his fortunes around and sing out loud!
"Tang San! You're finally back!" Wang Sheng was the first to leap over. His eyes landed on the small, pitch-black hammer in Tang San's left hand, which radiated a chill. The bright yellow Soul Ring around it made Wang Sheng suck in a sharp breath.
"Good heavens! Your First Soul Ring is a hundred-year one?" Wang Sheng's eyes nearly turned red with envy. "Third Brother, you've really turned your life around this time! Oh, right, did you know that if your First Soul Ring is yellow, you can officially register as a Soul Master at the Spirit Hall in town? After that, you'll get a monthly reward of one Gold Soul Coin from the empire!"
"The Spirit Hall? How can there be a Spirit Hall in town?" Tang San asked, confused. On Douluo Continent, humanity was mainly divided among three powers: the Heaven Dou Empire in the north, the Star Luo Empire in the south, and the Spirit Hall wedged between them.
"Spirit Hall is a general term. Spirit Halls are stationed in all the major cities across Douluo Continent, and the one I mentioned is specifically the branch hall in Nuoding City. Spirit Hall has five ranks, from lowest to highest: the Martial Soul Branch Hall, Martial Soul Sub-Hall, Spirit Hall Main Hall, Spirit Hall Holy Hall, and the Papal Palace in Spirit City. Above those is the legendary Worship Hall. They say only powerful Titled Douluos are qualified to enter." Wang Sheng explained in an orderly manner. He had learned all this in class, and it was normal for Tang San to be unaware of it at his age.
"I see. But they really give you one Gold Soul Coin?" Tang San's eyelid twitched, and his grip on the hammer tightened.
One Gold Soul Coin was worth a thousand Copper Soul Coins. For work-study students who received only twenty Copper Soul Coins a day, it would take fifty whole days of going without food or drink to save that much. To him, it wasn't just money—it was the cornerstone of the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons' rise.
"That's right!" Wang Sheng said excitedly. "With that money, we work-study students can eat a lot better. Third Brother, you'll be our god of wealth from now on!"
Tang San nodded slightly, appearing calm, but his thoughts were already racing: after deducting food expenses, one Gold Soul Coin would be enough to buy some top-quality iron and materials for high-tension springs at the blacksmith's. If he saved for a few more months, he might even be able to build the Godly Zhuge Crossbow, which he'd had to put aside for lack of materials.
More importantly... he could save whatever was left. When he went back to the village for the holidays, he could bring a few jars of the finest liquor in town to his father, who spent every day drinking himself into a stupor.
"Gu Tian... did you think your connections meant you could lord it over me?" Tang San looked at the apartment building outside the window and smirked. "Once my Hidden Weapons are ready, once my Clear Sky Hammer gains another Soul Ring, you'll learn what true despair feels like."
After leaving Dorm Seven, Tang San learned that Gu Tian and Gu Yue hadn't returned yet, and a plan immediately came to mind. He thought it was the perfect opportunity. Since he'd suffered a setback in a direct confrontation, he'd completely shatter Xiao Wu's defenses through emotional manipulation instead.
Just imagine how Xiao Wu would react if she learned that Gu Tian had been seeing someone behind her back. She'd probably come running to him in tears to apologize, clinging to him as she said things like, "Third Brother, I never thought Gu Ran would be that kind of person! I was so blind. Can I come back to you? I'll do anything you ask."
He quietly slipped over to the high-end apartment building where Gu Tian lived, climbed the stairs to his door, and, after taking a moment to plan what he'd say, knocked.
Na'er opened the door. She wore a pink dress, her silver hair falling to her waist. When she saw that the visitor was Tang San, her pale violet eyes instantly darkened. She stared at him as if he were a loathsome fly.
"Uh, it's Junior Sister Na'er." Tang San scratched his head. "Could you let me see Xiao Wu? I just want to talk to her for a moment. Just a few words!"
"No!" Na'er pouted and released a spatial fluctuation, hoping to drive Tang San away.
Tang San was jolted back a step by the sudden spatial fluctuation, and his heart skipped. But he quickly steadied himself and shouted through the doorway into the apartment:
"Xiao Wu! Xiao Wu, are you there? I have something important to tell you!"
His voice carried a hint of feigned sympathy and anger. "Xiao Wu! Gu Tian has been deceiving you! When we were in the Soul Hunting Forest, he got involved with a girl named Meng Yiran, the granddaughter of Peerless Dragon and Snake. To curry favor with her, Gu Tian even had the teacher and me leave first. They're alone together, fooling around deep in the forest right now! You need to wake up!"
In his mind, any girl in the throes of love would break down the moment she heard news like that.
"Are you done?" Na'er furrowed her brow and waved a small hand. "You're so noisy. Spatial Repulsion."
Before Tang San could see Xiao Wu's reaction, he felt the space around him begin to ripple. His vision warped, and the next second he found himself standing in the flower bed outside the apartment building, landing hard on his backside in the dirt.
"Bastard!" Tang San got up awkwardly and brushed the dust from his clothes. He glared at the building above. "Xiao Wu, I've told you the truth. You can decide what to do with it!"
After Tang San left, Na'er looked worriedly at Xiao Wu, who was sitting by the window in a daze. She should never have opened the door—or she should have teleported him away the moment she saw him.
A weasel bringing New Year's greetings to a chicken—he had nothing but bad intentions!
"Big Sister Xiao Wu, don't listen to that bad guy's nonsense. Big Brother Gu Tian isn't that kind of person." Na'er walked over and gently took Xiao Wu's hand.
Xiao Wu turned around. There were no tear tracks on her face, as Na'er had expected. Instead, she wore an odd smile.
"Na'er, do you think I'm fragile?" Xiao Wu flicked her long rabbit ears, her tone surprisingly light. "Actually, I was just wondering what kind of welcome gift we should prepare if Big Brother Gu Tian really brings home an outstanding girl."
"Huh?" Na'er's eyes widened. She couldn't quite wrap her head around it. "Big Sister Xiao Wu, aren't you angry? That bastard Tang San said Big Brother Gu Tian was... keeping a harem!"
"What's there to be angry about?" Xiao Wu jumped down from the windowsill, her eyes revealing the frank acceptance of a Soul Beast. "Na'er, you might not understand the laws of the forest. In the world of Soul Beasts, true strong ones are never satisfied with just one mate. Look at the lion kings on the grasslands or the tiger kings in the forests. Don't they rule over their whole groups and have many partners?"
Xiao Wu walked up to Na'er and said earnestly, "Big Brother Gu Tian is the Dragon God's successor. He's destined to stand at the pinnacle of this world. For a strong male, this kind of thing is perfectly normal. In fact, I think if he had only the few of us by his side, it would mean he wasn't charming enough."
Na'er listened, stunned. She shared a Soul Beast lineage, but this was the first time she'd heard Xiao Wu lay it all out so frankly and thoroughly.
"But... wouldn't that mean Big Brother Gu Tian would have less time for us?" Na'er muttered.
"That's why we need to become stronger." Xiao Wu patted Na'er's shoulder, her ruby-like eyes sparkling with intelligence. "As long as we're good enough, there'll always be a place for us in Big Brother Gu Tian's heart. Besides, with one more sister, we'll have more people to deal with annoying fellows like Tang San, won't we?"
At that, Xiao Wu even winked mischievously. "We have to trust Big Brother Gu Tian's judgment. If he really brings back that Meng Yiran, we'll get along with her. We can't make things difficult for him. After all, we're the ones who've been with him the longest—we're his proper wives."
Na'er nodded, only half understanding. She still felt a little sour inside, but seeing how open-minded Xiao Wu was made most of her hurt fade away.
The two girls smiled at each other and huddled together again to discuss their plans for the weekend.
Meanwhile, Tang San, covered in dirt in the flower bed, had no idea that all the effort he'd put into sowing discord had been completely wasted on Xiao Wu, who had been born a Soul Beast.