Threat, Nine-Leaf Lotus

"Hmph, all flash and no substance."

Tang Hao snorted coldly. There was a trace more disappointment and disdain in the way he looked at Bai Shu, as though he were examining a shoddy tool.

Bai Shu, who had fallen to the ground, keenly sensed the sudden drop in temperature.

At that moment, he clearly felt the pressure radiating from Tang Hao change—what had originally been mere intimidation now carried a tangible killing intent cold enough to make him feel as though he had fallen into an ice pit!

He wants to kill me to silence me!

Bai Shu's heart pounded wildly, his mind racing frantically under the threat of death.

Tang Hao had no use for him for the moment, but if he allowed an Innate Full Soul Power genius who held a grudge against him to grow up, then should Bai Shu join Spirit Hall or another major power in the future, he would inevitably become an endless threat. Given Tang Hao's way of doing things, cutting the weeds at the root would be perfectly normal!

Feeling that killing intent nearly crush his heart, Bai Shu did not dare hesitate in the slightest. He gritted his teeth and shouted as quickly as he could:

"My lord! I don't know what you need these lotus seeds for, but I'm only a Soul Scholar without even a soul ring! I have Innate Full Soul Power. As long as I obtain my first soul ring and officially become a Spirit Master, my martial soul will undergo a qualitative transformation! The lotus seeds it produces then will definitely be several times more effective than they are now, and they will surely be of use to you!"

As soon as he said that, the nearly frozen air in the courtyard seemed to pause slightly.

Bai Shu immediately felt the invisible mountain weighing on him lighten a little, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Naturally, he was only fooling Tang Hao. His martial soul had long since given him feedback on the properties of the Chaos Lotus Seed—this thing could only affect Spirit Masters no more than two major ranks above him. Besides, it was not meant for healing in the first place. Its abundant life energy merely gave it some incidental healing effects.

But right now, all he could do was paint a rosy picture! Steadying Tang Hao was his only path to survival.

In the darkness, Tang Hao fell silent for several seconds.

He truly had considered slapping this brat to death, but Bai Shu's words had also struck at a lingering unwillingness in his heart.

After all, Bai Shu possessed Innate Full Soul Power. He only needed to add a soul ring to break through, so there was no need to wait too long.

If it really had miraculous effects, keeping this brat around as a portable blood bag was not a bad idea. If it was still useless, he could kill him later.

Having made up his mind, Tang Hao cast a cold glance at Bai Shu on the ground. "In that case, continue staying obediently in this village. In two months, I'll take you to hunt a soul ring. I hope your martial soul will not disappoint me again by then."

With that, Tang Hao's figure merged into the night like a wisp of blue smoke, leaving behind only a chilling warning that echoed faintly through the small courtyard. "You are not to tell anyone about what happened today. And don't even think about running away. Otherwise... I won't mind making Holy Soul Village disappear from the map entirely."

"Rest assured, my lord. I will never leave this place." Bai Shu lay prone on the ground. Even though he knew Tang Hao had already left, he still maintained a respectful, frightened posture as he tremblingly made his promise to the darkness.

Only after a full quarter of an hour had passed, when he was certain there was no longer the slightest fluctuation of Soul Power nearby, did Bai Shu finally gasp for breath like a fish out of water and drag his nearly broken body to his feet.

He lowered his head and expressionlessly found a broom, silently cleaning the small courtyard that Tang Hao's aura had reduced to a mess. From beginning to end, not the slightest trace of hatred appeared on his face.

Because he knew very well that, with the cultivation of a Titled Douluo, Tang Hao could monitor his every move at any time.

Only late at night, when Bai Shu returned to his cramped room and tightly covered his head with the blanket, did he finally move.

Under the blanket, he clenched his fists tightly. His nails dug deep into his palms, piercing flesh and drawing blood, yet he felt nothing. Humiliation, fury, and that bone-chilling killing intent finally surged madly within his chest, no longer able to be suppressed!

Tang Hao... He gritted his teeth, his eyes glinting with icy light in the darkness. I, Bai Shu, will remember today's humiliation! It won't be long before I make you father and son repay it a thousandfold, principal and interest included...

After calming himself for a long while, Bai Shu took a deep breath and forced himself to settle down. He summoned the system in his mind and began reconsidering his entire plan for what came next.

Over the three years since obtaining the system, he had completed training missions and had long prepared a perfect plan for his future reward choices.

Originally, he had planned to choose a top-tier cultivation technique when he activated the first-ring mission after obtaining his first soul ring. Not only would it increase his cultivation speed, it would also make his Soul Power more robust.

After all, in the original story, Tang San's martial soul had clearly been severely contaminated by the Poison Attribute, yet his cultivation speed still consistently surpassed Xiao Wu, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form. The Mysterious Heaven Skill had undoubtedly played a huge role.

Since he had a system, wouldn't choosing an immortal-cultivation-level technique allow him to completely crush Tang San?

As for the rewards for his second and third rings, he had intended to choose priceless treasures that strengthened his body and spirit, high-year External Soul Bones, or even a second martial soul.

Unfortunately, dreams were beautiful, but reality had taught him a brutally bloody lesson.

Only after Tang Hao had pinned him to the ground and rubbed him into the dirt like a dog tonight did he fully recognize one fact: the reason Tang San had been able to grow smoothly in the original story, swaggering around and provoking trouble everywhere while remaining alive and well, was not because of some damn Mysterious Heaven Skill, nor was it because of hidden weapons or Immortal Herbs. It was because a protective umbrella called the "Clear Sky Douluo" had always been hanging over his head!

Without a background or a Guardian, no matter how talented one was, one would still be fish on someone else's chopping block! Without that status, with Tang San's complete lack of reverence for the strong and his habit of declaring others to have a "death wish," he would have died eight hundred times over already!

"Cultivation techniques can wait, but right now, I need a backer capable of intimidating everyone!" A sharp light flashed in Bai Shu's eyes as he silently made his decision.

After obtaining his first soul ring, he had to choose the reward that summoned an unparalleled expert as his Guardian for the system's first-ring mission!

Only by surviving the most vulnerable beginner phase would he be qualified to speak of the future.

Two months passed in a rush amid endurance and concealment.

Bai Shu understood perfectly well why Tang Hao had insisted on making him wait two months.

Over the past two months, the sound of hammering from the blacksmith shop at the village entrance had rung out from morning until night, sometimes even clanging through the middle of the night.

As expected, Tang Hao was probably giving Tang San special training and teaching him the so-called ultimate art of the Clear Sky Sect—the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer.

"Grandpa, don't worry. A powerful Lord Soul Master passing by took notice of my talent and volunteered to take me out to hunt a soul ring. With that lord present, there definitely won't be any danger."

Early in the morning, Bai Shu stood outside the courtyard and looked at Old Jack's worried face. He deliberately stressed the words "powerful Lord Soul Master" as he smiled and reassured him.

"I... sigh..."

Old Jack had lived for most of his life and was shrewd with age. How could he fail to hear the hidden meaning in Bai Shu's words? His dry lips trembled slightly, his clouded eyes filled with heartache. He reached out with his rough hand and rubbed Bai Shu's head, but in the end, he said nothing further to stop him.

He was merely an ordinary person. He could not afford to offend or contend against those lofty Spirit Masters. The only thing he could do was return indoors and stuff all the best dried provisions in the house into Bai Shu's bundle.

After bidding Old Jack farewell, Bai Shu went alone to an old poplar tree not far from the village entrance. This was the meeting place Tang Hao had told him through voice transmission.

He waited until the night grew dark before Tang Hao, wrapped in a tattered black robe, abruptly appeared before him once again like Gui mei.

"Brat, you know your place. Let's go. I'll help you obtain a soul ring that satisfies you. I hope you can satisfy me as well."

"Everything will be decided by Lord Soul Master." Bai Shu lowered his eyes obediently, still playing the role of a timid country child and not daring to show the slightest disrespect toward Tang Hao.

Tang Hao was clearly pleased with Bai Shu's attitude. Without wasting any more words, he reached out with a large hand like a palm leaf and tightly gripped Bai Shu's shoulder.

The next moment, Bai Shu felt the world spin around him. The howling wind nearly deafened him, and he could not open his eyes at all.

Tang Hao did not care whether the body of a six-year-old child without a soul ring could endure the travel speed of a Titled Douluo. To him, as long as Bai Shu was not dead when they landed and could still breathe enough to absorb a soul ring, that was sufficient.

After an unknown period of suffering through darkness and pain, the tearing force finally vanished. When Tang Hao stopped, the two of them were already deep within a primeval forest filled with dense vegetation and canopies that blotted out the sky.

"Ugh—!"

The instant his feet touched the ground, Bai Shu could no longer suppress the churning in his stomach. Supporting himself against a nearby tree, he retched violently. His face was as pale as paper, sharp ringing still echoed in his ears, and he could barely remain standing.

Tang Hao stood off to the side with his arms crossed, watching coldly. He showed no intention of helping Bai Shu or asking about the characteristics of his martial soul. The moment Bai Shu had barely caught his breath, Tang Hao unceremoniously grabbed him by the collar again and moved swiftly through the lightless forest.

Along the way, they encountered quite a few Spirit Beasts, but all of them were cowed by the pressure radiating from Tang Hao. They lay trembling in place, not even daring to make a whimper.

It was clear that this forest was quite large. Even at Tang Hao's speed, he could not find a suitable Spirit Beast in a short amount of time.

As time passed, hazy morning light began to appear on the horizon, and Tang Hao gradually frowned.

The Spirit Beasts in Soul Hunting Forest could practically be said to be raised by the Heaven Dou Empire. Before entering the forest, these Spirit Beasts had already been screened countless times, and high-quality ones were almost nonexistent.

After a night of fruitless searching, Tang Hao's already limited patience was completely exhausted.

In his view, it was only a first soul ring. With this brat's Innate Full Soul Power, even if he randomly stuffed some trash soul ring into him, it would at most limit his future achievements. It would not have much negative impact at present.

After all, all he wanted was for Bai Shu to break through. Bai Shu's future was not something Tang Hao needed to consider.

Having made up his mind, Tang Hao stopped directly. Ignoring Bai Shu, who could barely stand, he casually swept his gaze around and prepared to choose any Spirit Beast at random.

"Hm?"

The two had stopped by a small lake. Tang Hao looked around and discovered that many white lotuses were growing in the water.

"Nine-Leaf Lotus? That will do." Tang Hao muttered indifferently. He then skimmed across the lake's surface, uprooted a hundred-year Nine-Leaf Lotus growing in the center of the pond, and landed back on shore.

Bang!

The hundred-year Nine-Leaf Lotus, struggling feebly, along with a dagger, was thrown at Bai Shu's feet like garbage by Tang Hao, who was clearly growing impatient.

"Take the knife, kill it, and absorb the soul ring immediately! My time is precious. Don't make me wait too long."