Xiaogang Takes the Bait

"Did you know? I heard that Ling Yi started learning forging at the age of six, became Blacksmith at fourteen, and achieved the title of Divine Craftsman at only twenty!"

"Divine Craftsman whose skill even an ordinary blacksmith could never achieve in a lifetime—"

"Not only that, but in addition to forging, they also studied herbal medicine and developed all sorts of herbal formulas. ' Detoxification Powder,' ' Wound Medicine,' and ' Bruise-Dispelling Powder ' are just the most basic ones..."

"And another thing, do you know Linley Ba Lu? The Grandmaster sculptor who suddenly appeared a few years ago was actually Ling Yi's alias..."

"Blue Silver Rice... [Green Wood Merchant Association]... Healing System Soul King..."

The sweet, girlish voice of Bibi Dong kept echoing in his ears, and just hearing that voice, a hint of intoxication involuntarily appeared in Yu Xiaogang's eyes. 😡🎀 🐊💚

However, the content of those words left Yu Xiaogang with mixed feelings. An indescribable sense of resentment and jealousy also arose uncontrollably, which he tried his best to bury deep in his heart.

"... I heard that Ling Yi built a city a few hundred miles south of Luyin City in the Fasinuo Province of the Heaven Dou Empire... He opened a department there called the ' Martial Soul Research Institute,' which is dedicated to researching some strange Martial Soul and Soul Beast. He also recruits Soul Master with strange Martial Soul from all over the continent to go there and participate in the research."

"Your Martial Soul is quite strange too. You might consider asking Ling Yi to take a look at it..."

Moonlight streamed into the room through the cracks in the window. Just before falling asleep, Yu Xiaogang heard Bibi Dong's voice again. ✌♖ ✌🐟

The next day, in front of a five-story building, Yu Xiaogang stopped and looked up at the five neat, dark characters that read "Martial Soul Research Institute".

"You are... Yu Xiaogang?"

A gentle voice sounded from behind, causing Yu Xiaogang, who was still observing the research institute, to turn around with a start and see a handsome face that he remembered vividly.

Seeing that Yu Xiaogang's reaction seemed a bit strong, Ling Yi didn't take it to heart and maintained his warm attitude, saying with a smile, "I remember you. Five years ago, we met in a desolate mountain..."

Ling Yi's voice seemed to have a magical power; just listening to it calmed Yu Xiaogang's previously chaotic mind.

Immediately afterward, noticing the content of Ling Yi's words, an indescribable feeling of surprise and joy welled up in Yu Xiaogang's heart. "You... you still remember me?!"

It has to be said that the more Yu Xiaogang learned about Ling Yi's deeds, the more he felt that there was a huge gap between him and Ling Yi.

He was a frustrated and unsuccessful "good-for-nothing," while the other party was a super genius second only to Tang Hao, the young sect master of the Clear Sky Sect. The two had only met once, but the other party recognized him at first glance after five years. This feeling made Yu Xiaogang feel like he was floating on clouds and in a dream!

"Of course!" Ling Yi nodded with a smile and said, "Your Martial Soul is very special. It left a deep impression on me. I have never seen a martial Martial Soul that can detach itself from the Soul Master and fight like Soul Beast. I have to say, it's really amazing..."

"How about it? Want to join our ' Martial Soul Research Institute '? Let's research your Martial Soul together and make it even stronger!"

Ling Yi extended an invitation. 💗✎ ✌👹

Yu Xiaogang was initially delighted and opened his mouth to agree, but in an instant, a stunningly beautiful face that haunted his dreams appeared in his mind, instantly calming his previously high spirits.

Looking at Ling Yi, who was smiling at him, and then glancing around at the brand-new buildings and the passersby who occasionally cast admiring glances at Ling Yi, Yu Xiaogang finally looked at Ling Yi. Seeing that the other man showed no sign of impatience, he pursed his lips and nodded slightly.

"Good."

"That's great!" Ling Yi's smile widened upon hearing this. He extended his hand to Yu Xiaogang and said, "Welcome to the team. Don't worry, you definitely won't regret this later, I promise!"

"Um."

Yu Xiaogang, looking somewhat dazed, reached out and shook hands with Ling Yi, then nodded blankly.

"Come on!" Ling Yi stepped forward, patted Yu Xiaogang's arm, and said with a smile, "I'll take you inside for a look around, and you can meet the other members of the group."

Then, the two walked side by side into the door of the five-story building.

"Brother Yi."

As soon as he entered, a boy who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old and was slightly thin walked towards him. Upon seeing Ling Yi, he immediately greeted him from afar.

"Hmm?" Ling Yi frowned upon seeing the thin boy. "A Hao, didn't I tell you to rest more lately? Your body hasn't fully recovered yet, so why are you out here again—"

Hehe~

Although Ling Yi had reprimanded him, A Hao simply scratched the back of his head, gave a shy smile, and said, "Brother Yi, I really can't stay in bed any longer. I was thinking of getting out of bed as soon as possible to find something to do and help lighten your burden a bit..."

"You—" Ling Yi shook his head helplessly upon hearing this, and said irritably, "Just listen to my advice and take good care of your health; that's the biggest help you can give me right now!"

"You need to understand that your physical weakness is due to the enormous mental exertion you've endured. And our current understanding of the brain's mysteries is still quite superficial. Even my healing Soul Skill cannot completely cure your condition; they can only alleviate it..."

"Listen to me, go back to 306 immediately. Although the 'Agarwood' and 'Agarwood Blue Silver Grass ' inside won't directly restore you, the environment there is exactly what your brain needs right now."

"Oh, right~"

As he spoke, Ling Yi pointed to the Storage Soul Tool at his waist, took out a rectangular sandalwood box, and handed it to A Hao, saying, "Take this. Inside is the result of our research from a few days ago, ' Spirit-Nourishing Incense.' Go back, light it, and try meditating on it. It should speed up your recovery."

"Once you're fully recovered, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to contribute."

"Okay!" A Hao took the sandalwood box, nodded vigorously at Ling Yi, and grinned, "Thank you, Brother Yi!"

Ling Yi smiled and pointed at A Hao, "Hey kid, why are you being so polite with me? By the way—"

Pointing to A Hao, he turned to Yu Xiaogang beside him and introduced, "This is Yu Xiaogang, my new colleague from the research institute whom I just invited..."

As he spoke, Ling Yi introduced A Hao to Yu Xiaogang:

"Yu... um, I'll call you Xiaogang. Xiaogang, this is Liu Hao, the 'super brain' of our research institute. Don't let his young age fool you, his brain contains nearly half of the books in our ' Lingyun City ' library. He's incredibly talented—"

"In the future, if you need to look up any information, you can ask A Hao for help. It's very quick and convenient, and it will greatly reduce your time..."