Tang San and Yu Xiaogang had clearly recovered quite a bit. At least they could walk normally now, though the traces of their bowlegged gait were still obvious.
Zhao Linchuan stopped, his gaze sweeping back and forth over their distinctive way of walking with keen interest. The corner of his mouth curled into a half-smile as he teased them casually:
"Well, well, if it isn't Grandmaster and Tang San. Long time no see. Have you two been... taking on side jobs to earn some extra cash?"
"Judging by the way you're walking, that job must've been hard on your legs."
Tang San's body shook violently at the words. The horrifying images of those seven days of inhuman torment in the cave in Soul Hunting Forest flashed through his mind. His stomach lurched, and his face turned even paler.
The vicious grins of the two green monsters, the torment that had been everywhere, the humiliation too shameful to speak of... Every detail was etched into his bones.
He clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms and using the pain to force himself to stay calm.
Yu Xiaogang was in better shape. He had been unconscious for most of the time, so his memory of the specific "details" of what had happened was hazy. Most of his fear came from what he had pieced together afterward from Tang San's scattered remarks and his own injuries.
But even so, the flippant term "extra cash" offended him, and his expression darkened further.
Tang San took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil within him, then stepped forward and said coldly, "Zhao Linchuan, enough talk."
"I, Tang San, formally challenge you to a Soul Fighting match!"
"If you lose, you must sincerely apologize to my teacher in public and admit that you were rude and shallow before. And... you must become my teacher's disciple and study under him!"
Almost the instant Tang San finished speaking—
[Current plot point detected: "Classmate Challenge." Our Tang God King seems confident in his First Soul Ring Skill, "Bind," and plans to use it to avenge his previous humiliation and vindicate his teacher.] [Choice mission triggered:] [Choice One: Defeat him with overwhelming strength, then humiliate him to your heart's content. Declare loudly that the so-called Soul Skill he's so proud of is nothing but laughable trash in your eyes, and utterly trample his pride.] [Reward: 1 growth-type torso bone (its age will automatically increase as the host's Soul Rings grow), divine weapon—Soul-Severing Blade, 100,000 system points.] [Soul-Severing Blade: When an attack hits, there is a 2% chance to directly reduce the target's current life energy by 20% (the effect weakens against targets above the divine level).] [Choice Two: Defeat him in a "clever" way, then "suddenly realize" your mistake and pretend to "agree" with Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's theories. Say that you were "wrong," lavishly praise the master and disciple, and then... watch them go further and further down the wrong path until they become a laughingstock.] [Reward: 1 growth-type torso bone (its age will automatically increase as the host's Soul Rings grow), 1 Holy Spirit Origin Flower, 100,000 system points.] [Holy Spirit Origin Flower: Contains a pure Holy Spirit essence and can greatly increase the cultivation and recovery speed of the Puni Martial Soul's "Holy Spirit Power."]
One hundred thousand points! As expected, now that the protagonist had leveled up, the rewards had risen right along with him.
Zhao Linchuan was secretly delighted as he quickly weighed his options.
Choice One's Soul-Severing Blade was practically a divine weapon for sneak attacks. The chance was low, but the effect was terrifying.
Choice Two's Holy Spirit Origin Flower, on the other hand, would nourish his core Martial Soul over the long term. Its potential was immense.
He glanced at the stubborn-looking Yu Xiaogang and Tang San, who was eager to prove himself, and a mischievous plan took shape in his mind.
Building them up just to tear them down was often more fun than suppressing them outright—and it would make for better leek-harvesting, too. I choose two.
[...Rewards will be issued later]
Exiting the system space, Zhao Linchuan put on an expression of "surprise" and "interest" and said:
"A Soul Fighting match? Sure! It's not like I have anything better to do."
"But if this is a challenge, there ought to be something at stake, right?"
"If I lose, I'll do as you said. But what if you lose?"
Tang San replied without hesitation, "Name your terms!"
"Good! I like your spirit!" Zhao Linchuan clapped his hands and grinned. "I won't make things difficult for you. If you lose, you'll get down on all fours and crawl around the outer wall of Notting Academy three times, like some beast searching for its way home."
"How about it? Dare to accept?"
"Hmph! Why wouldn't I?" After acquiring his First Soul Ring, Tang San had felt the transformation of his Blue Silver Grass firsthand. He was confident in his control over the "Bind" Soul Skill and its poison. "The clearing behind the hill. We'll settle this there!"
"Let's go." Zhao Linchuan had no objections. With his hands in his pockets, he followed leisurely, thinking as they walked, Last time, I knocked him flying with my right fist. This time... I'll try my left.
In the woods behind Notting Academy was a relatively level clearing.
Zhao Linchuan and Tang San stood facing each other from the north and south, a little over ten meters apart.
Yu Xiaogang stood to one side, forcing himself to straighten his back despite the discomfort between his legs, and served as the referee.
A bright yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath Tang San's feet and slowly revolved around his body.
He extended his right hand. A stalk of deep-blue Blue Silver Grass sprouted from his palm. Its leaves were broader than before, their color darker, and they seemed to possess a hint of toughness.
He announced in a low voice, "Tang San, Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass, level eleven Tool Soul Master! Please guide me!"
Zhao Linchuan tilted his head, apparently considering whether to reveal his Soul Ring.
In the end, he decided to keep something up his sleeve.
He merely crooked a finger, his tone casual. "Zhao Linchuan, Martial Soul: Glimmer. Go ahead."
"Begin!" At Yu Xiaogang's command, a glint flashed in Tang San's eyes. He abruptly swept his right hand forward, and the Blue Silver Grass in his palm surged. More than ten deep-blue strands, like nimble snakes, shot toward Zhao Linchuan with sharp whistles.
But Zhao Linchuan seemed to react "half a beat too slowly." Facing the incoming Blue Silver Grass vines, he neither dodged nor evaded. Instead, he even "frantically" thrust out his right arm, trying to block them.
With several soft thuds, a few thick Blue Silver Grass vines easily "bound" his arm. They then writhed like living creatures, winding rapidly around him until, in the blink of an eye, they had coiled around his arm several times. A faint purple glow flowed along the vines.
Zhao Linchuan immediately "froze." An expression of "shock" and "disbelief" appeared on his face as he looked down at the Blue Silver Grass tightly restraining him, its coils still tightening. He cried out:
"This... So this is what Blue Silver Grass is like after acquiring a Soul Ring? It can actively bind and restrain someone, and it's poisonous too? It really is worlds apart from ordinary weeds!"
He looked up at Yu Xiaogang, whose face showed smug satisfaction, and said with "sincerity":
"Before, I was like a frog in a well, underestimating Grandmaster's theories."
"Now I see that Grandmaster's saying—'There are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters'—and his idea of finding suitable animal Soul Rings for plant Martial Souls truly have their merits! I was presumptuous!"
At his words, Yu Xiaogang's back straightened a little, almost without his noticing. A flush of excitement rose across his pale face, and his eyes shone with the fervent light of someone who had "finally been understood."
He cleared his throat with an air of composure and spoke in a tone that said, "You can still learn, child."
"Zhao Linchuan, it's not too late for you to realize this now."
"If you're willing to put aside your prejudice and sincerely become my disciple, I can teach you everything I know, just as I've guided Xiao San. I'll help you uncover your Martial Soul's true potential and make sure you don't waste your natural talent!"
Before you continue