The Ten Great Core Theories Emerge Early

Seeing Deng Tianxin wake up, Liu Erlong stopped her cultivation and asked curiously, "Tianxin, what's wrong with you?"

Deng Tianxin subconsciously rubbed his backside and said, "Nothing, I dreamed that the old witch was spanking me."

Liu Erlong was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then burst into laughter, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

Once she started laughing, she couldn't stop; her hearty laughter bounced around the carriage, causing the curtains to flutter repeatedly.

"Just how much does your teacher like to spank you?" Liu Erlong wiped the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes. "You're even dreaming about it—you must have been spanked into a psychological trauma, right?"

"What are you laughing at? If she comes back and you're still holding me, she'll spank you too," Deng Tianxin rolled his eyes in annoyance, wiggling out of Liu Erlong's embrace to straighten his rumpled clothes.

The lipstick mark on his face had mostly faded, leaving only a faint reddish trace on his cheek that was barely visible unless one looked closely.

Liu Erlong waved her hand dismissively, "Your teacher is the Saintess of Spirit Hall, not mine, so she has no authority over me. Besides, you aren't her private property, so what's wrong with me holding you?"

Despite her words, she felt inexplicably uneasy inside.

She had certainly heard of Bibi Dong—the youngest Saintess in the history of Spirit Hall and a peerless genius with twin martial souls. Among the younger generation across the entire continent, those who could go toe-to-toe with her could be counted on one hand.

If it really came down to a fight, her own strength wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps in the other woman's teeth.

However, on second thought, she hadn't done anything wrong; she had just hugged the little guy and kissed him twice. What did that count for?

Could the Saintess of Spirit Hall really come to cause trouble for her just because her disciple had been kissed?

Thinking of this, Liu Erlong immediately felt righteous again.

Watching her fearless demeanor, Deng Tianxin muttered to himself.

That's only because you haven't seen what the old witch looks like when she smiles while beating someone up.

She was elegant and dignified on the surface, but she never held back when she struck; he knew that all too well.

The carriage traveled a bit further through the bumpy terrain until the driver's slightly weary voice came from outside the curtains, "You two, there's a small town ahead. It's getting late; would you like to rest for the night?"

Liu Erlong lifted the curtain to look outside.

The sunset had completely dipped behind the mountains, and in the distance at the foot of the hills, a smattering of lights flickered, vaguely outlining the silhouette of a town.

"Let's rest there tonight," Liu Erlong decided for Deng Tianxin.

Deng Tianxin did not object.

Although he felt much better after a nap, sitting in a carriage for an entire day had left his bones feeling like they were about to fall apart.

He only wanted to find a place to eat a hot meal and then lie in bed until he woke up naturally.

The carriage stopped in front of an inn at the entrance of the town.

The inn was small, with an old wooden plaque hanging over the lintel, the words "Fu Lai Inn" written in faded paint.

The door was half-ajar, and orange lamplight leaked through the crack. There weren't many guests inside—only seven or eight people including the innkeeper, all traveling merchants burying their heads in their dinner.

Liu Erlong booked two rooms and ordered a few home-style dishes, pulling Deng Tianxin to a table in the corner of the first floor.

The food arrived quickly: a plate of braised tofu, a dish of stir-fried greens, a bowl of egg soup, two chickens, and two bowls of white rice. It wasn't exactly a feast, but it was piping hot and far better than dry rations.

Deng Tianxin was truly hungry; he grabbed a chicken and began to gnaw, polishing off half of it in no time.

Liu Erlong's eating habits were no more refined than his; her manner of eating possessed a natural, hearty vigor.

Her movements in picking up food were fast and precise, her cheeks bulging as she chewed, her eyes scanning the table from time to time to see how much was left, much like a soldier taking stock of spoils on the battlefield.

There was one chicken for each of them. Deng Tianxin's was reduced to bones, and hers was nearly finished as well, the chicken bones stacked neatly at the edge of the plate.

"Slow down," Deng Tianxin said, watching her whirlwind eating style, "no one is going to steal it from you."

"You have the nerve to say that to me?" Liu Erlong glanced at the pile of bones in front of him. "You're eating faster than I am."

"I'm still growing."

"I'm seventeen, I'm still growing too," Liu Erlong said without changing her expression.

Deng Tianxin was choked by her response, realizing that this woman's logic was truly impeccable.

At seventeen, she was indeed still growing; he couldn't exactly argue that only a seven-year-old child had the right to eat chicken legs.

"Have you heard? That loser from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect came up with something called the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls."

"I know, that guy named Yu Xiaogang."

The voices from the next table were neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for Deng Tianxin and Liu Erlong to hear clearly.

The speaker was a middle-aged merchant holding a wine cup, his face flushed with drink as he boasted to his companion about his latest news.

"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect is one of the Upper Three Sects, so it's a stroke of bad luck for them to have produced such a loser. A direct descendant of the Dragon Sect, yet his martial soul mutated into a pig, stuck at level twenty-nine and unable to break through..." The merchant took a sip of wine and clicked his tongue twice. "But it's strange—this loser has no other skills, but he wrote a book called the 'Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls.' I hear it's quite famous in the spirit master circle."

"What's the use of fame? He's still a loser," the person opposite him sneered. "What kind of future is there in theoretical research? This world values strength, not a pen."

Deng Tianxin was surprised and somewhat puzzled. He wondered if the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls was supposed to appear at this time.

Honestly, he couldn't help but cringe at Yu Xiaogang's Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls.

But considering the prototype of Yu Xiaogang, Deng Tianxin felt it was quite normal.

Liu Erlong asked Deng Tianxin curiously in a low voice, "Tianxin, do you know what the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls are?"

Hearing Liu Erlong's question, Deng Tianxin put down the chicken leg in his hand, wiped the grease from his mouth with his sleeve, and wore a rather subtle expression on his little face.

"I know it," Deng Tianxin said, his tone carrying an undisguised mockery. "Written by Yu Xiaogang, the level twenty-nine 'theoretical master' from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect. His theories, how should I put it? I wouldn't say they're complete rubbish, but they aren't of much use either."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Liu Erlong, whether intentionally or not.

According to the original plot, Liu Erlong would eventually fall in love with Yu Xiaogang, loving him to the point of madness, only for Yu Xiaogang to leave without hesitation the moment he discovered she was his cousin on their wedding day.

That was when Liu Erlong began to lose her mind, slaughtering soul beasts everywhere she went.

"Oh?" Liu Erlong raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by his assessment. "How so?"