The Great Undertaking of Tricking Disciples Cannot Stop

The words "It is actually..." stuck in Zhu Shen's throat. The love letter in his chest suddenly felt like it held a live rabbit, giving a violent jump! A wave of warmth instantly scorched him so badly he nearly sprang up.

[Ding! Warning! "Bibi Dong's Love Letter" activity is abnormal! Please remain calm, Host!]

Calm my foot! Zhu Shen cursed inwardly, his facial muscles stiffening as he struggled to maintain the demeanor of a Master. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of that peerless figure on the main seat. Those cold, purple eyes seemed to narrow ever so slightly, her gaze landing on his hand clutching his chest like a physical weight, as if trying to pierce through the fabric.

The air froze. Tang San stood behind and to the side of Zhu Shen, his scalp tingling. Teacher was clutching his chest, the Pope was squinting... That "love letter" was definitely no ordinary item! It moved? It's alive?!

Zhu Shen took a sharp breath, forcibly swallowing his proposal for cooperation. He squeezed out the most solemn expression of his life and abruptly changed the subject: "It is actually... out of admiration for the Pope's grace that I have brought my disciple to pay a visit! This child, Tang San, has always spoken of the grandeur of Spirit City and wished to see the sights of this holy land, so I brazenly brought him along." As he spoke, he kicked Tang San's calf without a trace.

Tang San jolted, immediately bowing in salute: "Disciple Tang San, greets the Pope." He was frantically complaining in his heart: Teacher, your way of shifting the blame is way too smooth!

Bibi Dong's gaze lingered on Zhu Shen's face for a moment, and that coldness seemed to melt by an infinitesimal degree. She tapped her fingertips lightly on the armrest: "Master Yu is too modest. I have heard that you turned the tide in Nuoding City, saving dozens of children and purging Evil Soul Masters. This Seat has heard of such achievements." Her voice remained cold, yet it lacked some of its edge.

It worked! The love letter was effective! Zhu Shen was overjoyed, though he remained stern on the surface: "It was my duty. Evil Soul Masters are rampant and plague the continent. Spirit Hall is the holy land for soul masters and bears the heavy responsibility of purging them. Although my disciple Tang San is young, he also wishes to contribute his meager strength to the peace of the continent. We came this time specifically to ask for the Pope's guidance, to see if he might perform some menial errands for Spirit Hall as a form of training."

[Ding! Detected that the Host has successfully met Bibi Dong and triggered the item effect. Initial favorability has increased slightly! Reward obtained: Evolution Points +20! Current Evolution Points: 110/100! Dragon God Bloodline purity can be increased to 21%! Do you wish to upgrade?]

Upgrade! Must upgrade! Zhu Shen roared in his heart, and a warm current instantly surged through his entire body, his sense of power becoming a fraction more solid. He felt that the way Bibi Dong looked at him seemed... a little more pleasing to the eye?

Bibi Dong nodded slightly: "It is good for a youth to have such ambition. The remnants of the Evil Soul Masters have not been cleared, and there have been reports of abnormal energy fluctuations in the Soul Hunting Forest near Nuoding City recently. Since Master Yu has experience, you might as well take your disciple to investigate as a form of training. If you find anything, Spirit Hall will naturally reward you." Her gaze swept over Tang San, "I am also interested in seeing this child's talent."

"I shall obey the Pope's command!" Zhu Shen immediately agreed, his inner abacus clicking away: Investigation? Rewards? Isn't this the perfect chance to sabotage Tang San!

After walking out of the Pope's Palace, Tang San finally let out a breath, his back soaked in cold sweat: "Teacher, that scared me to death just now! That love letter..."

"Shh!" Zhu Shen covered Tang San's mouth, looked left and right, and lowered his voice, "A prop! It's all the effect of the prop! Doesn't the Pope look at us differently now? She even gave us a mission!" He let go and patted his chest triumphantly, "See that? This is the charm of your teacher's strategic planning! Even Bibi Dong has been conquered by my charm!"

Tang San looked at his teacher's "I am the most handsome man in the world" expression, and the corner of his mouth twitched violently: "Teacher, that mission... the Soul Hunting Forest has abnormal energy fluctuations, it sounds very dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Zhu Shen's eyes widened, then he revealed a mysterious smile, "San, danger is opportunity! Think about it, what if we encounter a powerful soul beast that happens to be perfect for your third soul ring? I'll help you hunt it! The system... ahem, my theory combined with your talent, absorbing beyond your limit is not a dream! When the time comes, your strength will skyrocket, and you'll save face in front of the Pope, won't you?" He patted Tang San's shoulder hard, thinking only of: Sabotage him! Absorbing beyond one's limit must be painful, and the system rewards will definitely be generous!

Tang San looked at the familiar light flickering in his teacher's eyes—the one known as "sabotaging the disciple"—and alarm bells rang in his heart: "Teacher, I think..."

"What do you think! Listen to your teacher!" Zhu Shen waved his hand dismissively, leaving no room for argument, "Let's go, let's eat! Only when you're full will you have the strength to be... ahem, to go hunting!"

Three days later, on the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest.

"Teacher, are you sure it's this way?" Tang San vigilantly observed the overly quiet forest, his Blue Silver Grass martial soul quietly released.

"The system... ahem, my intuition cannot be wrong! The energy fluctuation is in the valley ahead!" Zhu Shen looked certain, feeling wonderful inside: Evolution points are at 110, one more sabotage and I can upgrade my bloodline! He deliberately led Tang San toward the area marked by the system as having a "high-energy reaction."

Suddenly, a fishy stench rushed toward them! A giant snake as thick as a water barrel, pitch-black all over with a fleshy crest on its head, lunged out from a rock crevice. Its scarlet tongue flickered, and its fangs glinted with a ghostly blue light! Its violent aura far exceeded that of a thousand-year beast!

"A five-thousand-year Mandala Snake King!" Tang San's face changed drastically; this was not something he could handle! He subconsciously wanted to activate his Blue Silver Pole Vault to retreat.

"San, don't be afraid! Watch your teacher!" Zhu Shen roared, as if to heroically protect his disciple. He suddenly released his Dragon God Martial Soul, golden light shining brightly, his two purple and two black soul rings glowing intensely as he made a move to pounce.

Just as Tang San was moved by his teacher's "heroism" and relaxed his guard for a split second, Zhu Shen "slipped," his body stumbling in an exaggerated manner. As luck would have it, his elbow "unintentionally" slammed hard into Tang San's back!

"Ouch!"

Caught off guard, Tang San was pushed forward by a great force, stumbling several steps right into a cloud of foul, toxic mist sprayed by the Mandala Snake King! Even worse, to stabilize himself, the direction of his pole vault went awry; the bamboo "whooshed" and launched him directly to the side above the snake king's gaping maw!

"Teacher--!" Tang San's soul flew out of his body, and only a cry of grief and indignation remained in his heart: You sabotaged me again!!!

[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for a major sabotage of Tang San! Successfully sent the disciple into the attack range of a five-thousand-year Mandala Snake King! Reward obtained: Evolution Points +50! Dragon God Right Leg Bone (10,000 years)!]

It worked! Zhu Shen was overjoyed, but his face was filled with panic: "San, watch out!" He "fumbled" and spat a breath of dragon fire at the snake king, the golden flames forcing the snake king to slow its attack.

It was this delay! At the critical moment of life and death, Tang San's Tang Sect instincts erupted. With nowhere to leverage his strength in mid-air, purple-gold light flashed in his eyes, and several poison needles coated in paralytic powder left his hands, accurately shooting into the snake king's scarlet eyes and fragile nostrils!

"Hiss--!" The snake king felt the pain, its massive head whipping around, and the toxic mist sprayed wide. Tang San took the opportunity to tap his toes on the snake king's hard scales, his Blue Silver Grass growing wildly to entangle a nearby tree, swinging himself away just in the nick of time. He landed in a sorry state, his back soaked in cold sweat, his heart pounding.

"Good chance!" Zhu Shen "seized the opportunity," unleashing his full Dragon Might to suppress the snake king while shouting: "San! Use the Clear Sky Hammer to smash its seven inches! Quick!"

Tang San was still shaken, but his teacher's order was absolute. He instantly switched his martial soul, the pitch-black Clear Sky Hammer appearing in his hand. Taking advantage of the moment the snake king was suppressed by the Dragon Might and distracted by the poison needles, he poured all his soul power into the hammer and smashed it hard against the slightly lighter-colored scales below the snake king's neck!

Boom!

With the tyrannical power of the Clear Sky Hammer combined with the critical strike, the snake king let out a shrill hiss, its massive body rolling and twitching violently before finally crashing to the ground. A deep purple soul ring slowly emerged.

Tang San leaned on his knees, gasping for air as he looked at the soul ring that was at least five thousand years old, then at his teacher who was running over with a look of "concern." His heart was a mix of emotions: I survived... I got the soul ring... but this process... Teacher, you were definitely doing this on purpose!

Zhu Shen patted Tang San's back with a look of "lingering fear": "That was close, that was close! San, are you alright? You scared me to death just now! Thank goodness your reaction was fast! Look, what a great soul ring! Five thousand years! Quick, quick, absorb it! I'll protect you!" His eyes were incredibly "sincere," while his heart was ecstatic: Absorb it quickly! Absorbing beyond your limit must be painful! The great cause of sabotaging the disciple is happening right now!

Tang San looked at the undisguised light in his teacher's eyes—the look one might give a "gold mine"—and then at the tempting yet dangerous purple soul ring on the ground. He sighed in resignation, sat cross-legged, and began to guide the soul ring. Only one thought remained in his mind: This teacher... sooner or later, I'll be sabotaged to death by him... but, this soul ring is truly fragrant.

Zhu Shen stood guard happily, feeling the newly acquired evolution points and soul bone, calculating: 110+50=160/100! I can upgrade my bloodline again! Dragon God Right Leg Bone! How wonderful! San, oh San, you really are my ATM, the kind that doesn't even need a password!

Just as Tang San began to absorb the soul ring and Zhu Shen prepared to upgrade his bloodline, a thread of extremely subtle, cold, and evil energy began to spread quietly through the depths of the forest like ripples in water.