His gaze finally shifted away from Tang San and fell on Flender and Yu Xiaogang. He couldn't help giving a quiet snort.
Clearly, he was unhappy with what Flender had said earlier.
Clearly, he was unhappy with what Flender had said earlier.
Blue Silver Grass had little potential?
Hmph.
A trace of coldness flashed in his eyes.
How could the eyes of these short-sighted fools recognize the potential of Xiao San's Blue Silver Grass?
If Yu Xiaogang's senses had been a little sharper, a glance over his shoulder would have let him recognize that the black-robed figure was none other than Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao, who had visited him during the holiday and tossed him a Pope Token.
Tang Hao leaned against a tree trunk, a wine gourd in his hand.
Most of the time, he had followed behind Tang San. He simply had never made a move.
Tang Hao withdrew his gaze and vanished into the shadows beneath the canopy, as though he had never been there at all.
Not long afterward, once Tang San and Lin Mo had left, Flender patted Yu Xiaogang on the shoulder again and warned him solemnly,
"Xiaogang, you need to keep up your cultivation over the next while. The Thunder Flood Dragon's flesh should be enough to sustain a year of training for your Luo Sanpao Martial Soul.
If you run out, remember to come find me at Shrek Academy."
"I look forward to seeing you break through to level thirty, Xiaogang!"
As he spoke, Flender glanced in the direction Lin Mo and Tang San had gone.
"A year from now, I'll come here to see Lin Mo and take him to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt the most suitable thousand-year Second Soul Ring for him!"
"With me handling it, you can rest easy!"
Flender thumped his chest, his tone bold and hearty.
"Mm."
Yu Xiaogang nodded and said no more.
With Flender's Soul Saint-level strength, taking Lin Mo to hunt a Thousand-Year Soul Ring would indeed be a piece of cake.
Then, Flender released his Martial Soul. With the Cat Eagle possessing him, he turned into a streak of light and disappeared into the sky.
Watching the direction Flender had gone, Yu Xiaogang fell silent for a moment before heading back to the dormitory as well.
As Yu Xiaogang walked along the path back, Flender's words continued to echo in his ears.
He wasn't worried about Flender taking Lin Mo Soul Hunting. What occupied his thoughts now was something else: Tang San's studies.
He didn't intend to let Tang San graduate from Notting Academy too soon.
Two years simply weren't enough for him to pass on all the knowledge he had accumulated.
Yu Xiaogang had too much in his head to teach it all in a day or two.
Every bit of that knowledge required time to learn and absorb.
There was so much he wanted to teach this gifted disciple.
Even though Tang San was exceptionally clever and learned far faster than ordinary people, acquiring and absorbing knowledge still took time.
Two years was simply too short.
Twelve years old.
By the time Tang San turned twelve, he should have learned almost everything Yu Xiaogang had taught him.
Then it would be time for Tang San to set off for Shrek Academy.
Six years would be enough for him to teach Tang San everything he needed to know.
Time flew by, and a year passed in the blink of an eye.
Spring gave way to autumn, cold to heat. The Blue Silver Grass on the back hill of Notting Academy turned green, then yellow, then green again.
Just as Lin Mo had expected, before the school year ended, his cultivation smoothly reached level twenty, making him a quasi–Soul Grandmaster.
Level twenty meant that he only needed one more Soul Ring to officially become a Soul Grandmaster.
An eight-year-old quasi–Soul Grandmaster—across the entire Heaven Dou Empire, that was enough to leave countless people dumbfounded.
He naturally went to the dean to apply for early graduation.
Though the dean of Notting Academy, a friend of Yu Xiaogang's, was reluctant to see him go, he still approved Lin Mo's graduation application.
As the dean put it, with Lin Mo's talent as an eight-year-old quasi–Soul Grandmaster, even without showing off his astonishing combat prowess, he was more than qualified to graduate early.
That alone—his Soul Power Level and age—would be enough to earn him special admission to any advanced Soul Master Academy in the Heaven Dou Empire.
As the dean said this, his tone carried both pride and regret.
He was proud that Notting Academy had produced such a genius, but regretted that this genius was about to leave.
Lin Mo could only shake his head and smile. After all, he had already promised Grandmaster that he would join Shrek Academy.
Shrek Academy wasn't well known across the continent. In fact, most people had never even heard of it.
But from what Lin Mo knew of Shrek Academy, once Liu Erlong returned in the future, the academy—with the strength of a quasi–Titled Douluo—would rank among the best advanced Soul Master Academies.
At least, in Lin Mo's eyes, it would provide enough help with hunting Soul Beasts for Soul Rings until he graduated at level forty!
Before his cultivation breakthrough, Yu Xiaogang had already passed along information about Shrek Academy to him.
Notting City, Notting Grand Hotel.
In a private room on the second floor, three children who looked no older than nine or ten were tucking into a feast.
The private room wasn't large, but it was tastefully decorated.
The dark wooden round table was covered with dishes and bowls of all sizes.
Braised pork, soy-braised ribs, steamed sea bass, sweet-and-sour pork—an entire table laden with food, though little remained now.
Several landscape paintings hung on the walls. The window was half open, and the hubbub from the street below drifted faintly inside.
A closer look revealed that the three were Lin Mo, Tang San, and Xiao Wu, who had spent another year studying and cultivating at Notting Academy.
Lin Mo sat by the window, a small pile of bones stacked on the plate in front of him.
Over the past year, his appetite had grown along with his cultivation.
Ordinary food could no longer meet the demands of his daily training. Most days, he ate specially prepared Soul Beast meat dishes from the second-floor cafeteria at Notting Academy.
They cost quite a bit more than the food on the first floor, but Lin Mo thought they were well worth the price.
Besides, he had started receiving a Soul Master's stipend long ago, so he could afford the expense.
Xiao Wu sat beside Lin Mo, still holding a chicken leg and nibbling at it in small bites.
Today she wore a pink dress, her long scorpion braid hanging down her back and swaying gently as she moved.
The rabbit-ear-like hair ornaments clipped to her head gave her a touch of playful charm.
Tang San sat across from them, and more than half the food on his plate was gone too.
Unlike Lin Mo and Xiao Wu, who were both rather excited, Tang San kept his head down and focused on eating, looking unusually dejected.
He stared at his plate and picked at the food with his chopsticks, chewing much more slowly than usual.
His usually expressionless face now seemed weighed down with gloom.
His spirits were exceptionally low.
Lin Mo was leaving, and Xiao Wu was leaving too.