Han Xing glanced at Tang San from the corner of his eye.
His tone carried a faint distance; he made no effort to approach and befriend him.
"My teacher and I came here to look for Immortal Herbs in the first place. We never expected to find you being targeted by Dugu Bo."
"Though we aren't particularly close, we were classmates at Notting Academy, after all."
"I'm not the kind of person who'd leave someone to die, so I asked my teacher to save you along the way. I also used it as a reason to force Dugu Bo to back off."
Guang Ling chimed in, a playful smile on his face.
"We'd suspected for a long time that Dugu Bo had Immortal Herbs, but we never knew where they were."
"Only just now did we pinpoint their location and find this garden full of Immortal Herbs. We never expected to run into you here."
Tang San's heart shook violently at this. He hurriedly clasped his hands in thanks.
"Thank you both for saving me. I, Tang San, will remember this kindness! But may I ask what you plan to do with this garden?"
"This junior may not be very powerful, but I consider myself fairly well-versed in medicine."
"If you don't mind, I'd be glad to offer what little help I can."
Tang San had a careful plan in mind. As long as he could stay at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye,
he would find a chance to obtain Immortal Herbs suited to him.
"No need. I can prepare the medicine myself; I don't need a junior to do it for me." Radiant Douluo shook his head.
Unwilling to give up, Tang San tried to persuade them once more.
But Han Xing clearly had no intention of giving him the chance.
Seeing Tang San about to speak, Han Xing spoke first, before Radiant Douluo could answer.
"Tang San, you suddenly disappeared. Your teacher and the others must be worried sick by now."
"I think you'd better return to Blue Tyrant Academy first."
Tang San was reluctant, but with a Super Douluo right there, he didn't dare keep pestering them.
He looked at Han Xing several times with unwilling eyes, as though trying to engrave him in his memory, then finally left in resignation.
"Thank you, Han Xing, and thank you, senior."
"My teacher and the others at the academy must be worried, so I'll take my leave."
Only after Tang San had disappeared from view did Radiant Douluo speak.
"He seemed very unwilling to leave. Does someone his age already know how powerful Immortal Herbs are?"
"He has plenty of secrets," Han Xing replied with a nod.
"But it doesn't matter. Defeating him won't be difficult for me."
"I'll just treat him as another opponent chasing me along the path of growth. Having someone to pursue me will give me more motivation to improve."
Hearing this, Radiant Douluo nodded in satisfaction.
"Teacher, go check the area around us," Han Xing said.
"If it's safe, please notify Senior Chrysanthemum Douluo."
"I don't know many Immortal Herbs. We'll need him to identify them."
Radiant Douluo didn't refuse. He wasn't well-versed in Immortal Herbs either; he'd only heard of their existence.
Watching Radiant Douluo leave, Han Xing opened the System Bullet Screen once more.
[We thought Tang San had survived a great calamity, so good fortune must be waiting for him.]
[Who knew Han Xing and his teacher would end up taking all the opportunities for themselves?]
[Just hearing the names of those Immortal Herbs, you can tell their effects must be incredible.]
[Tang San might be the most miserable protagonist I've ever seen. His master is worse than a side character, and now his opportunities have been snatched, too.]
[There's nothing they could do. That's Han Xing's teacher, after all. Han Xing doesn't get to make the decisions.]
[Besides, Han Xing and Tang San aren't even that close, are they? Saving him at all was already pretty decent.]
[I just feel bad for Tang San. His Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass. If he got an Immortal Herb, maybe it could change.]
[But Han Xing's changed so much. He looks way better dressed than Tang San.]
Although some people in the bullet screen complained that Tang San hadn't gotten the opportunity, it didn't have much impact.
By contrast, Han Xing's popularity exploded when he appeared again.
Perhaps it was because he'd been gone for so long, and because he'd shown up to save the day at such a crucial moment.
Han Xing's Popularity Value soon broke ten thousand.
"Ding! Congratulations, host. Your popularity has exceeded ten thousand."
"Your Popularity Gift Pack has been issued. Would you like to open it?"
After more than five years, he'd finally received another Popularity Gift Pack. Han Xing opened it without hesitation.
"Open it!"
"Congratulations, host. You have obtained a hundred-thousand-year Three-Legged Golden Crow Soul Spirit. Its Soul Ring age can grow along with its host."
"Note: System rewards can be absorbed and used whenever needed. There is no need to worry about backlash."
"Soul Spirit?" Han Xing froze when he heard the name.
"Wait, wasn't that something that only appeared in Douluo II?"
Han Xing had read Douluo II, but hadn't finished it.
He didn't like all the abuse and the plot about searching for a deceased wife.
After seeing Huo Yuhao get tormented, he'd dropped the series.
Even so, he knew what Soul Spirits could do.
With a Soul Spirit, he wouldn't have to worry about absorbing Soul Rings in the future.
And once absorbed, every Soul Ring would be at its limit.
Most importantly, Soul Spirits could fight alongside Soul Masters and contribute their own combat power.
Of course, that didn't mean Soul Spirits had no drawbacks.
At the very least, forming a Soul Ring with a Soul Spirit didn't provide the same boost as absorbing a Soul Ring.
When one broke through after absorbing a Soul Ring, the Soul Beast's Soul Power would help raise their strength by several levels.
Even so, Soul Spirits were still more beneficial than harmful.
"Too bad I'm only Level 38 right now. It'll be a while before I reach Level 40."
Han Xing felt a little helpless.
Fortunately, he was near the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye now, so he didn't need to worry too much about his level.
With the help of Immortal Herbs, breaking through to Level 40 would be easy.
"Ding! Host, your popularity has officially exceeded ten thousand. The Popularity Rankings are now active."
"The Popularity Rankings will rank all characters who have appeared and will be tallied once a month."
"If the host makes the top ten, you'll receive various rewards."
"The higher your ranking, the better the rewards."
Current Popularity Rankings:
First, Tang San, 257995 Popularity. Second, Xiao Wu, 185694 Popularity. Third, Zhu Zhuqing, 179548 Popularity. Fourth, Tang Hao, 159987 Popularity. Fifth, Ning Rongrong, 158997 Popularity. Sixth, Dai Mubai, 134224 Popularity. Seventh, Dugu Yan, 123658 Popularity. Eighth, Yu Xiaogang, 120256 Popularity. ... Thirteenth, Soto City Front Desk Lady, 39872 Popularity. Fourteenth, Radiant Douluo, 25987 Popularity. Fifteenth, Han Xing, 18694 Popularity. ...
After reading the rankings the system had provided, Han Xing couldn't help frowning.
"Wait, what?"
"System, are you saying I'm less popular than that front desk lady in Soto City?"
"Fine, she's a pretty girl, after all. I can understand girls being more popular."
"But I'm even less popular than Teacher Guang Ling? What's that about?"
"My scenes have to be more numerous than the teacher's, don't they?"
Han Xing cried foul, but the system offered no explanation.
Clearly, Radiant Douluo had won over a crowd of fans right away because of his strength.
Strength wasn't the best way to gain popularity, but it certainly wasn't a bad one.