"Come in."
"The Wise One."
Lan Yu pushed the door open and entered, giving a slight nod.
"Lan Yu? What brings you here?" Yu Xiaogang's expression changed, and he hurried down from the lectern.
Lan Yu didn't answer. He raised a hand and pointed at Tang Shan and Xiao Wu, his tone tinged with coldness and curiosity.
"The Wise One, you're..."
"Haha, well... haha." Yu Xiaogang scratched his thick hair and laughed awkwardly, unable to come up with a suitable excuse.
He couldn't exactly say he'd seen how young and impressionable Tang Shan and Xiao Wu were and wanted to take these two Innate Full Soul Power prodigies as his disciples while Lan Yu was away.
Seeing this, Lan Yu's gaze turned colder.
Gangzi, who'd already earned himself a death sentence—no, he should be called Gangzi!
"Right! I saw that Tang Shan and Xiao Wu had Innate Full Soul Power, so I kept them here to give them some extra lessons."
Yu Xiaogang felt guilty under Lan Yu's stare. He forced himself to make up an excuse, then hurriedly waved at the two girls. "Class is over anyway, so go on and leave with Lan Yu."
As soon as he finished speaking, a figure rushed into Lan Yu's arms like a gust of wind—it was Tang Shan.
Xiao Wu moved a little more slowly, walking over to Lan Yu and watching Tang Shan in his arms with pursed lips.
"Big Brother~ Where did you go this morning? I missed you so much." Tang Shan nuzzled his shoulder, breathing in his familiar scent as she spoke in a soft voice.
"Xiao Shan's so clingy."
Lan Yu reached up and ruffled the girl's long brown hair. His tone held a tenderness he didn't even notice, while a flicker of confusion passed through his mind—he'd just realized Xiao Shan's hair hadn't turned blue?
Yu Xiaogang stood off to the side, watching the two of them act so affectionately. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and murmured with a gentle shake of his head, "Bibi Dong... If Qian Xunji hadn't... Perhaps we would've been a pair of ill-fated lovers too."
Just then, the girl in Lan Yu's arms let out a rumbling growl from her stomach.
Only then did Lan Yu realize what was going on. He took both girls by the hand and started toward the door.
"You two haven't had lunch yet, have you?"
Xiao Wu looked down at the hand he'd taken, a strange feeling stirring in her heart.
"Wait!"
Lan Yu stopped and looked back.
Yu Xiaogang hurried over and pulled several books and a worn notebook from the storage belt at his waist.
"The Wise One, what's this?"
"These are basic books about Soul Masters and Soul Beasts. Take them and have a look."
Yu Xiaogang handed him the books, then picked up the notebook, his expression feverish. "This contains the fruits of my life's research."
Lan Yu put the books in his storage ring, took the notebook, and casually flipped it open. After reading just a few lines, his brows knitted into a tight knot.
"So, what do you think? Want to take me as your master?"
Seeing Lan Yu frown, Yu Xiaogang assumed he was reading intently. His voice brimmed with anticipation.
Lan Yu was speechless. What kind of twisted logic was this? A fire-attribute Martial Soul could absorb a water-attribute Soul Ring? Poison attributes could evolve every Martial Soul? And he even claimed that any Soul Master who didn't choose a dragon-attribute First Soul Ring was an idiot?
The constipated look on Lan Yu's face seemed to Yu Xiaogang like proof that his theories had left him in awe. Yu Xiaogang clasped his hands behind his back, looking smug.
"Maybe another time. We're leaving." Lan Yu closed the notebook, casually put it away, and led the two girls out of the classroom.
"Hey!"
Yu Xiaogang watched them go and sighed helplessly. Before long, he consoled himself, "Geniuses are bound to have a temper. It's normal for someone's worldview to be shaken for a while."
On the academy road
What a useless Gangzi! And he calls himself the Wise One? He's more like an idiot!
That nonsense about the First Soul Ring having to be dragon-attribute completely ignored the Martial Soul's attribute and compatibility.
As if Soul Beasts with dragon attributes were just lying around waiting to be hunted! He had a Titled Douluo for a father, so of course he could stand there and say whatever he liked.
And that nonsense about poison attributes evolving every Martial Soul. Could an evil mutation really count as evolution?
"Big Brother~"
The soft voice pulled Lan Yu from his thoughts. Seeing that he'd walked along in silence, Tang Shan gently scratched his palm.
"Hmm? What is it, Xiao Shan?" Lan Yu looked down at her.
"Hmph!" Before Tang Shan could say a word, Xiao Wu gave an annoyed huff beside them and glared up at Lan Yu. "Where exactly are you taking us?"
Only then did Lan Yu come back to himself and realize they'd already reached the entrance to Notting Academy.
"Sorry, I got distracted."
Lan Yu let go of their hands and smiled. "I'm taking you somewhere."
He'd planned to take the two of them to lunch first, but since they were already at the academy gate, going back would waste too much time. Besides, absorbing the Whale Rubber required a quiet place. Dorm Seven was crowded and full of prying eyes, so it was better to go to Ah Yin's place first.
With that thought, Lan Yu headed out of the academy, and Tang Shan obediently followed behind him.
Xiao Wu remained where she was, looking down at her palm. Lan Yu's warmth still lingered there, and a faint sense of loss rose in her heart.
"Xiao Wu, hurry up!"
Tang Shan called back to her.
"Oh! Coming." Xiao Wu snapped out of it and hurried after them.
Before long, the three of them stopped in front of a courtyard.
"Big Brother, where are we?" Tang Shan tilted her head, blinking.
"You'll see in a moment." Lan Yu raised a hand and knocked on the courtyard gate.
Little Tang Shan watched Lan Yu's mysterious expression and stared at the gate before her with wide, curious eyes.
With a creak, the door swung open from inside, revealing a figure Tang Shan knew all too well.
"Mom!"
Tang Shan cried out, tears spilling from her eyes as she rushed forward. Mother and daughter embraced tightly.
Xiao Wu stood quietly behind Lan Yu, watching them, her own eyes growing damp.
Mom, I miss you so much too!
"Come inside." Ah Yin lifted Tang Shan into her arms, her voice choked with emotion.
Lan Yu stepped into the courtyard first. After walking a couple of steps, he suddenly turned back. "Mom, where's the washroom?"
"East side."
A moment later, he'd put three large wooden tubs filled with water into his storage ring, then turned and went inside.
Tang Shan and Xiao Wu were sitting at the dining table, eating the meal Ah Yin had just made.
"Xiao Yu, come eat first." Ah Yin glanced up at Lan Yu and called to him softly.
Lan Yu took the three large wooden tubs out of his storage ring and set them on the floor, then pulled out several pieces of hundred- and thousand-year-old Whale Rubber.
"Mom, the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record says Whale Rubber can temper the body and help people absorb Soul Rings at their limit."
"Keep an eye on Xiao Shan and Xiao Wu while they take it later. There are some side effects, so make sure they endure them."
After giving his instructions, Lan Yu carried the tubs into an empty room farther inside.
Ah Yin stared at Tang Shan, slightly stunned. Tang Shan was just as bewildered. She didn't remember the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record saying anything about this.
But if Big Brother said it did, then it did!
Inside the room
Lan Yu looked at the translucent Whale Rubber in his hand, which gave off a rich, fragrant aroma, and couldn't help swallowing.
Why did it smell so good?
He hurriedly picked up a piece of hundred-year-old Whale Rubber and swallowed it whole. In an instant, a strange fragrance, tinged with a hint of fishiness, burst across his mouth.
Before Lan Yu had time to savor it, a wave of heat surged up from his lower abdomen and spread along his bones and meridians, reaching every part of his body!
"Feels great!"
Feeling the changes as his body was tempered, Lan Yu couldn't help letting out a low cry.
After that, Lan Yu swallowed several more pieces of hundred- and thousand-year-old Whale Rubber in succession.
Gradually, he got used to the pain.
"Still not enough!"
The itching and burning caused by this little bit of physical tempering were nowhere near enough to shake Lan Yu's will.
Thinking this, Lan Yu took a piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue from his storage ring and swallowed it whole.
The moment the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue entered his stomach, Lan Yu felt an immense tearing sensation surge through him. His skin turned blood-red, and wisps of steam seemed to rise from his body.