A Fragile Gangzi

Lin Chen stood in a deserted street corner, absorbing the Spirit Master Knowledge Encyclopedia. The volume of information this time was far greater than when he had received the special techniques.

Precautions for Spirit Master cultivation, research and development of Martial Spirits, selection and age ranges for Spirit Beasts, the Spirit Beast Knowledge Encyclopedia...

All sorts of knowledge related to Spirit Masters surged into Lin Chen's mind.

It covered every aspect, leaving nothing out.

At this moment, Lin Chen could call himself a master of theory, and he was definitely far more reliable than that fraud Yu Xiaogang.

After finishing the data download, the corners of Lin Chen's mouth curled up involuntarily.

The final flaw had finally been patched.

"Come to think of it, I don't seem to have any need to go to Nuoding Academy anymore."

The main purpose of attending school was to learn knowledge and have teachers help with hunting Spirit Rings, but he had no such needs at all now.

At the very least, the elementary Spirit Master academy was no longer worth wasting his cultivation time on.

However, his current strength was still very weak, so he dared not wander around recklessly. It was better to stay in Nuoding City honestly and develop for a few years before considering going to a big city.

As for attending Nuoding Academy...

Lin Chen revealed a mischievous smirk, then strolled leisurely toward an adult goods store.

"Boss, has my shipment arrived?"

"It has, it arrived three days ago."

The boss looked up, and seeing that the visitor was Lin Chen, he hurriedly stood up and stepped out from behind the counter.

Lin Chen asked, "How many years is it?"

Hearing this, the boss's expression became slightly awkward: "Because there is no market for ten-thousand-year Whale Glue, those Spirit Masters generally don't deliberately collect it after hunting Spirit Beasts..."

Lin Chen waved his hand to interrupt: "Just tell me how many years the one you brought in is."

The boss hurriedly said, "Six thousand years."

As he spoke, he carefully observed Lin Chen's expression.

He was afraid the other party might be dissatisfied.

Although he wouldn't lose money since there was a deposit, every extra bit of profit counted.

"Six thousand years, huh?"

"It seems the first ring being a thousand-year one is out of the question; at most, it'll be seven or eight hundred years."

"It'll barely suffice."

As Lin Chen thought to himself, he took out fifty Gold Soul Coins and handed them to the boss.

"I'm taking the goods!"

"Coming right up!"

The boss was overjoyed and hurriedly took the Gold Soul Coins, turning to head into the back room.

Soon, he walked out holding a wooden box.

Lin Chen took the wooden box and made a show of opening it to inspect the contents.

In truth, he couldn't distinguish the quality at all, let alone verify the age, but some things could be discerned from the boss's expression.

"No problem, I'm off."

Lin Chen nodded, not wasting any more words, and turned to leave.

"Take care, come back anytime if you need anything else."

Lin Chen exited the shop, flipped his right hand, and the wooden box in his hand vanished.

The system came with its own storage space.

Lin Chen did not return to the hotel but headed straight toward the outskirts of the city.

The correct way to consume Whale Glue required roasting it over a fire.

He certainly couldn't start a fire in his hotel room, so he had to go outside the city.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Having finished collecting his subsidy, Yu Xiaogang walked out of Spirit Hall in a pleasant mood.

He prepared to find a place to improve his diet.

Although the cafeteria at Nuoding Academy was free and the taste wasn't bad, it was always the same few dishes. If his finances allowed it, he wouldn't be caught dead eating there.

"I'll go to Huifeng Restaurant."

Yu Xiaogang was just about to leave when he suddenly noticed a wanted poster on the bulletin board—or more accurately, he noticed the bounty on the poster.

"Wanted Poster:

[Image]

Wang Hu, Martial Spirit Bloodthirsty Blade, Level 53 Power Attack System Spirit King. Slaughtered over three hundred people in a village in the Balaque Kingdom. Suspected to have fled into the territory of Fasino Province."

Those who provide information will be rewarded with one hundred Gold Soul Coins; those who capture him will be rewarded with one thousand Gold Soul Coins.

Dead or alive.

"Spirit Hall is truly becoming more and more incompetent; they can't even handle a mere Spirit King."

Looking at the fierce-looking, burly portrait on the wanted poster, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but shake his head.

"It's a pity my strength is insufficient. Otherwise, if I could kill him, one thousand Gold Soul Coins would be enough for me to live comfortably for several years."

Yu Xiaogang shook his head again, turned around with his hands behind his back, and walked away.

As he walked, he turned into a small alley.

The alley was narrow, barely two meters wide, flanked by residential houses on both sides. Passing through this alley led to the street where Huifeng Restaurant was located.

Just as Yu Xiaogang reached the middle of the alley, a door on his right side opened.

He looked toward the sound.

A mysterious figure shrouded in a black robe appeared before his eyes, wearing a mask that left only their eyes, nose, and mouth exposed to the air.

At the same time, he caught a faint scent of blood.

"Oh no!"

Just as the thought of caution arose in Yu Xiaogang, the other party lunged and grabbed for his throat.

The mysterious figure was fast—so fast that before Yu Xiaogang could even form the thought of dodging, that iron-pincer-like hand had already clamped onto his throat.

"Ugh!"

Yu Xiaogang let out a muffled roar as his body was uncontrollably dragged into the room.

The door slammed shut.

"Bang!"

The mysterious figure slammed a fist into Yu Xiaogang's abdomen, causing his stomach to churn and forcing him to curl up on the floor like a boiled shrimp.

"Luo..."

"Bang!"

Yu Xiaogang tried to summon his spirit, but the mysterious figure's size-ten boot kicked him squarely in the mouth, forcibly interrupting his spirit power flow.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The mysterious figure was the type to let actions speak louder than words; he didn't say a single thing, just kept lifting and dropping his foot like a heartless machine.

"Don't hit me, don't hit me! I have money, I'll give it all to you!"

Yu Xiaogang covered his head tightly with both hands.

The mysterious figure remained unmoved, instead increasing the force of his blows.

"Crack, crack..."

The mysterious figure landed four kicks in succession, snapping each of Yu Xiaogang's limbs.

"Ah..."

Yu Xiaogang's scream had only just begun when the mysterious figure kicked his jaw out of place, cutting the cry short.

"Wuwuwu..."

With his jaw dislocated, Yu Xiaogang could only emit whimpering sounds.

Only then did the mysterious figure stop.

He crouched down and began searching Yu Xiaogang's body.

"Hmm?"

The mysterious figure's gaze suddenly locked onto Yu Xiaogang's belt.

A flash of brilliance erupted in his eyes.

"Wuwuwu..."

Seeming to realize the mysterious figure's intentions, Yu Xiaogang struggled violently.

"Slap!"

The mysterious figure backhanded him, knocking out several of his teeth.

"I didn't expect a piece of trash like you to actually have such a good item."

The mysterious figure finally spoke, his tone dripping with mockery.

He unbuckled Yu Xiaogang's belt.

"Wuwuwu..."

Seeing this, Yu Xiaogang's expression turned ferocious.

"Heh!"

The mysterious figure sneered as he inspected the belt.

"It seems you aren't just trash, but also a fool. To still dare to bare your teeth at this point—you truly don't know how to write the word 'death'."

As soon as he finished speaking, a blood-colored blade suddenly materialized in his hand, and five spirit rings—one white, two yellow, and two purple—rose from beneath his feet.

"Wang Hu!"

Seeing the opponent's spirit and spirit ring configuration, Yu Xiaogang's pupils contracted sharply.