Disciple in Name

"Click, click..."

Luo Sanpao lowered his head, took the shriveled, thick snake tail into his mouth, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it.

Perhaps because the snake tail had been cut off for too long, most of its blood and flesh essence had been lost, and Luo Sanpao's reddened eyes revealed obvious disgust.

Of course, this look of disdain was fleeting, and he quickly turned his attention to the corpse of the "Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King" next to him.

Before Yu Xiaogang could even give a signal, Luo Sanpao grabbed the corpse of the "Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King" with his two front claws and, as if tearing a chicken wing, ripped off half of the bat wing, which had a wingspan of about five meters on each side, and stuffed it into his huge mouth full of fangs.

First came a pair of bat wings, then the torso, and finally three dark gold heads that looked like rats, which were swallowed one by one by that gaping maw.

When the dark gold bat head, located in the center and topped with a patch of blood-red spots, was finally swallowed, a faint blood-red mist rose from Luo Sanpao's body.

Yu Xiaogang, who was standing close by, looked at the blood-red mist with anticipation in his eyes. He could already sense the dark blood energy that was beginning to boil within Luo Sanpao's body.

"This ' Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King ' has a cultivation level of at least 30,000 years. If it weren't for Luo Sanpao's ' Sixth Soul Skill - Demonic Sound Pierces the Ears ' specifically designed to counter it and cause it to die from the backlash, killing it would have been virtually impossible!"

Yu Xiaogang murmured, "Although I don't know why it didn't condense Soul Ring, its energy hasn't been lost, so it should be enough for Luo Sanpao to condense his Seventh Soul Ring..."

Since adopting the "Blood Shadow Demonic Dragon" as his advancement sequence, Luo Sanpao's attributes have been shifting towards darkness and blood. And after absorbing Hannibal, an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo, due to the opponent's "Bloodsucking Demon Bat" Martial Soul bloodline, Luo Sanpao's attributes were completely changed to darkness and blood.

Although there was no turning back after that, Yu Xiaogang, with the help of the newly reborn Luo Sanpao, felt a sense of ease and success in the corrupt city of "Slaughter City," and his achievements were no less than those of Tang Hao back then.

Currently, the attributes of the "Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King" are almost identical to those of Luo Sanpao. Furthermore, because the bloodline of the "Blood Shadow Demonic Dragon" is even stronger, there is naturally no obstacle to digesting it. Therefore, it should be theoretically feasible to refine the essence and energy of the "Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King" into his own Seventh Soul Ring.

Yu Xiaogang had heard Ling Yi mention this theoretical concept a few years ago at the Martial Soul Research Institute in Lingyun City.

As Yu Xiaogang muttered to himself, the situation did not deviate from his expectations. A dazzling crimson light shone on Luo Sanpao's abdomen, and along with it, a ring emitting a faint black glow appeared above Luo Sanpao's head.

"Hiss hiss hiss—"

Time passed second by second. As the Sun began to set in the west, Yu Xiaogang, who was silently waiting for Luo Sanpao's transformation, suddenly heard a series of strange noises.

Yu Xiaogang's pupils contracted slightly as he stared intently at Luo Sanpao. He realized that these strange noises were coming from inside Luo Sanpao's body!

Suddenly, the black Soul Ring floating above Luo Sanpao's head disappeared into his head below, and the crimson mist that swirled around his massive body contracted and adhered to the dark red scales covering his body.

Yu Xiaogang's gaze was fixed on the sides of Luo Sanpao's neck. He could tell that the strange noise was coming from there!

"Sizzle—! Sizzle—!"

One after the other, the sound of flesh being torn apart rang out in very short intervals. Two bloody fleshy tentacles emerged from the shoulders on either side of Luo Sanpao's neck. They started as thick as an ordinary person's arm and about a foot long, and in an instant, they grew to be as thick as an ordinary person's thigh and about half a meter long, with the ends forming a head the size of a winnowing basket!

Yu Xiaogang stared at the two new heads that had sprouted, his expression turning serious, and an unconcealable tension appearing in his eyes.

At this moment, Luo Sanpao, who had transformed into a three-headed dragon, had already broken away from the "Blood Shadow Demonic Dragon" image that Ling Yi had once shown him. He didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

"... I can't say for sure what it will eventually become. Maybe it will grow into something comparable to the ' Radiant Holy Dragon,' or maybe it will become as ordinary as a regular wyvern... Anyway, I don't recommend you choose this one..."

Ling Yi's words of advice echoed in Yu Xiaogang's ears once again, causing a faint look of regret to flash in his eyes.

But soon, the regret in Yu Xiaogang's eyes was replaced by stubbornness. "No! I didn't make the wrong choice!"

Muttering to himself, Yu Xiaogang stepped forward and raised his hand to press against Luo Sanpao's body. Because his body had risen again, Yu Xiaogang's raised hand could only reach Luo Sanpao's abdomen.

However, before Yu Xiaogang's hand could even touch the dark red scales on Luo Sanpao's belly, the left one of the two newly formed heads opened its mouth and bit at Yu Xiaogang.

Fortunately, at the crucial moment, the middle head smashed it open and then bit the side of the left head.

This scene was witnessed by the right heads of Yu Xiaogang and Luo Sanpao.

Yu Xiaogang's face showed both shock and anger. He had almost been attacked by his own Martial Soul!

Martial Soul backfiring on itself?!

Since the existence of Martial Soul, nothing like this has ever happened in the Douluo Continent!

Compared to Yu Xiaogang's grim expression, Luo Sanpao's newly formed right side of his head was extremely calm, his blood-red eyes showing indifference and disregard for everything before him.

If you look closely, you can see a sense of relief in his eyes, as if he had survived a disaster.

On the other side, the left head, bitten by Luo Sanpao's leader, showed a fierce glint in its eyes and struggled desperately. Unfortunately, the newly formed head lacked strength and it had lost the initiative. Even though it swayed left and right after being bitten and torn to pieces, it could not break free from the leader's fangs.

Yu Xiaogang's face was ashen, and his anger was so intense it seemed to burst through the sky. He slammed a heavy palm into Luo Sanpao's abdomen, and amidst the bloody light, he pulled Luo Sanpao back into his body.

Before its massive form vanished in a flash of blood, the two heads, one in the middle and one on the left, continued to entangle and tear at each other. The left head finally swept a hateful look across Yu Xiaogang's face.

As the Martial Soul re-entered his body, Yu Xiaogang's face flushed red. He felt a cold, viscous, and powerful Soul Power suddenly burst forth within his body. He immediately sat down cross-legged on the spot and tried his best to control the Soul Power to circulate within his body.

"Shh, shh, shh..."

About an hour and a half later, a series of light footsteps approached from afar, heading towards Yu Xiaogang's location.

Seemingly unsure of Yu Xiaogang's strength, the person stopped a hundred meters away and observed Yu Xiaogang's condition from a distance.

After a while, when the newcomer discovered that Yu Xiaogang was covered in blood and the ground around him was a mess, but there were no Soul Beast corpses, the newcomer's gaze swept over Yu Xiaogang's tightly furrowed brows and his face, which occasionally showed signs of pain, before moving on again.

When the person tiptoed closer to Yu Xiaogang, who was only a dozen meters away, Yu Xiaogang suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes. His reddened pupils stared intently at him, causing Yu Xiaogang to freeze in place instinctively.

"Glug~"

Perhaps it was the murderous intent in Yu Xiaogang's eyes that was too fierce, for the newcomer swallowed hard and cautiously began to speak, "You... hello, I am a teacher from the Skywater Academy. I brought my students to this Ice Seal Forest to hunt for Soul Ring. Because we were attacked by a pack of Ice Snow Wolf, I lured the wolves away to cover my students. Although we have escaped the wolves, we have lost our way in this forest..."

As the visitor spoke, he observed Yu Xiaogang's expression. "I see you seem to be injured. I have some medicine here, do you need it...?"

"No need!" Yu Xiaogang coldly refused before the other party could finish speaking.

"Don't misunderstand, I mean no harm." The person took a half step back, spread their hands slightly to show their goodwill, and continued, "I just see that you're not in good condition right now. In the harsh environment of the ' Ice Seal Forest,' your injuries will only get worse if you don't receive timely treatment."

"And the smell of blood on you will easily attract the Soul Beast in the forest, which could be dangerous!"

Despite this well-intentioned reminder, Yu Xiaogang showed no appreciation, merely coldly uttering an even colder word. "Get out—!"

The newcomer's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. He stood a dozen meters away, hesitated for a few moments, and finally forced a smile, saying, "Alright, then I won't bother you any longer."

He slowly turned around, and before leaving, he spoke again, pointing in the direction he had come from, saying, "My name is Bing Le. I will be spending the night in a cave over there, about ten miles from here."

If you can't find a place to stay by then, you can come find me~

After saying that, he left without waiting for Yu Xiaogang's response.

Watching Bing Le's retreating figure, Yu Xiaogang's lips curled into a cold smile. In the two years he'd spent in the ' Slaughter City,' what kind of treacherous and cunning people hadn't he seen?

Bing Le's clumsy acting just now couldn't fool his eyes at all.

Furthermore, with his mere Soul King Rank strength, how could he lead students into the ' Ice Seal Forest ' to hunt for Soul Ring? And even cover for the students and lure away the ' Ice Snow Wolf ' clan?

Do they think Yu Xiaogang is a fool?!

With a disdainful sneer, Yu Xiaogang withdrew his gaze and frowned again, pondering his current state.

His strength has indeed increased to the Seven-Ring Soul Sage realm, but the two new heads that have grown on Luo Sanpao's body have a big problem!

Yu Xiaogang could sense that, unlike Luo Sanpao, with whom he had a telepathic connection, the thoughts of the two newly formed heads were somewhat beyond his control.

No, it's not just out of control; one of them even harbors great hostility towards him as a subject!

The other one, though not hostile, seemed indifferent and unresponsive, which was also a problem.

If these two problems cannot be solved, then even though he has now broken through to the Seven-Ring Soul Sage realm, his combat power may not be as good as his previous Soul Emperor realm!

The problem is, why did this happen? Yu Xiaogang was at a loss for words and couldn't figure it out at all.

so...

Go to Lingyun City to find Ling Yi?

This was Yu Xiaogang's first thought.

Although he was reluctant to admit it, Yu Xiaogang knew that Ling Yi was absolutely the Weiyi person who could solve the problem he was currently facing!

Whether it was the fact that the "Blood Shadow Demonic Dragon" bloodline came from Ling Yi, or Ling Yi's seemingly omnipotent and omniscient mind, Yu Xiaogang felt an unconditional trust and dependence on Ling Yi.

Around the same time, in the ' Star Dou Great Forest ', thousands of miles away.

In front of the once-buried Lonely Mountain Cave, two casting platforms, one large and one small, have been built.

The small casting table was unremarkable, much like the casting tables in any blacksmith shop on the mainland.

What truly caught people's attention was the massive casting platform, which was seven or eight meters high and covered an area of tens of meters in diameter. Everything from the furnace and bellows to the forging anvil, tongs, and hammers was of an extra-large size.

Staring blankly Lou Gao the forging platform that resembled a building, Ling Yi beside him, "Ah Yi, what exactly is this thing for that you asked me to forge?"

"This platform is so big, even if you used your Martial Soul Avatar, you wouldn't be able to use it, would you?"

Although he didn't know Ling Yi's thoughts, Lou Gao still led a large group of blacksmiths of Blacksmith level or above from the Blacksmith Association of Gengxin City to work together to build this spectacular building according to Ling Yi's requirements.

Indeed, in Lou Gao's opinion, this thing cannot be considered a casting platform at all; it should be classified as a building. During its construction, he even recruited Hamo Reit, the vice dean of the [Heavenly Craft Academy], to provide a lot of suggestions.

I thought Ling Yi intended to place this wonder in Lingyun City as a landmark building.

Who knew that not long ago, Ling Yi sent a message through the Speed Clan under the Clear Sky Sect, instructing him to put the 'Wonderful Forging Platform' into large Storage Soul Tool and bring it to the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest to wait for him.

Later, after meeting Ling Yi, before they could even exchange a few words, Ling Yi led them to the inner area of the "Star Dou Great Forest".

Let them come. With Ling Yi's current strength as Seven-Ring Soul Sage, and Lou Gao 'Seven-Ring Soul Sage as well, although not outstanding in combat, he has been practicing Way of Body Tempering for many years and is definitely not weak among those of the same level. He should be able to protect himself in the Star Dou Great Forest.

In addition, he would not forget that Ling Yi had a lot of powerful weapons. If they were to use them all, even if they encountered Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, the two of them would probably be able to escape unscathed.

"Senior brother, haven't you and Uncle been urging me to take on a disciple so that I can pass on my forging skills?"

Ling Yi did not answer Lou Gao's question directly, but instead brought up another topic.

"Oh?" Lou Gao's attention immediately shifted, and a look of delight appeared on his round face. He quickly asked, "You finally figured it out, kid?"

"Tell me, who is my nephew? How could he possibly catch your eye?"

"I'm not trying to criticize you, but when you became Divine Craftsman years ago, my master and I advised you to take on a few disciples. But instead of passing on all your skills to us without reservation, and even leaving your forging manuals in the academy, what's the most effective way to teach forging techniques than to have someone by your side and teach you by example?"

Ling Yi didn't take Lou Gao's little complaint to heart, knowing that he was just saying it casually, after all, Lou Gao also knew how precious Ling Yi's time was.

Shaking his head, Ling Yi said with a smile, "I didn't take on any disciples. I just found a promising talent and plan to spend a few days teaching him. How well he learns ultimately depends on his own destiny."

"Of course, if you, senior brother, are willing to continue to train me, that would be even better."

"After all, this counts as a nominal disciple, right?"

"Huh?" Lou Gao was taken aback, then quickly realized what was going on. He jumped back, widening the distance between himself and Ling Yi, and said warily, "So you sent me this thing here because you had something on your mind? You were planning this?!"

"Don't even think about it~ I still have a lot of things to do back in Gengxin City ~ not to mention the Heavenly Craft Academy, my master keeps dragging me there to do work..."