"Hold out your left hand!"
The moment Yu Xiaogang spoke, no one in Dorm Seven dared make another sound.
Tang San wiped the black blood from the corner of his mouth and forced himself to extend his left hand, but the instant he raised his arm, his whole body pitched forward.
Xiao Wu caught him by the shoulder, her brows shooting up in alarm. "Didn't you say you were fine? You call this fine?"
Tang San gritted his teeth. "Stop talking. Let Teacher examine me first."
Yu Xiaogang seized Tang San's wrist. The moment his fingertips touched it, his expression darkened.
The blood and energy in that arm were in terrible disarray. Especially near the palm, it felt as though something heavy was dragging on it, while remnants of Datura Snake venom lingered within the meridians.
Yet he could not detect any foreign object.
Ji Yuan was hidden within the inner layer of Tang San's shoe sole. The newborn Demon Vine had shrunk into a dark wooden sliver, its roots pressed against the inner walls of Tang San's meridians, so still that not a trace of excess fluctuation could be sensed.
He had only taken one sip of the newborn inner force.
Tang San had already vomited blood.
This blood bag's tolerance was even lower than he had estimated.
But that was fine.
He had tested it.
From now on, Ji Yuan knew how much he could drain, when to do it, and how far he could go without killing him.
Yu Xiaogang asked grimly, "What were you doing before you vomited blood?"
Tang San answered quietly, "I was circulating the Mysterious Heaven Skill, trying to stabilize my Soul Power."
"My left hand grew heavy first, then my chest felt blocked, and then I vomited."
Yu Xiaogang asked again, "Did you think of summoning your second Martial Soul?"
Tang San shook his head. "No."
Xiao Wu was completely confused. "What second Martial Soul? Tang San has another Martial Soul?"
The work-study students of Dorm Seven had been gathered around them. The moment they heard that, all their eyes lit up.
Wang Sheng was about to move closer when Yu Xiaogang swept a cold glance at him. "All of you, get out."
Wang Sheng shrank back. "Master, we're just worried about Boss."
"Get out."
This time, no one dared linger.
The work-study students tugged one another out the door, but Xiao Wu did not move.
Yu Xiaogang looked at her. "You too."
Xiao Wu immediately stood in front of Tang San. "No. He already vomited blood, and you still want to drive me out?"
Tang San's voice was hoarse. "Xiao Wu, listen to Teacher."
Xiao Wu stared at him for a while before finally snorting. "Fine. I'll stay right outside the door. If you vomit blood again, I'm coming straight in."
The door closed, leaving only Tang San and Yu Xiaogang in the room.
Ji Yuan slowly contracted the spores along Tang San's heart meridian, pressing every trace that might be discovered deeper inside.
Yu Xiaogang took a small knife from his robes, cut Tang San's left fingertip, squeezed out a drop of black blood, and held it beneath his nose to smell it.
Tang San could not help asking, "Teacher, is the Datura Snake venom not completely cleared?"
Yu Xiaogang did not answer immediately.
He walked to the table, opened his notes, and searched back and forth through several pages. The longer he looked, the tighter his brows drew together.
Tang San watched his back, and the unease in his heart rose again.
Ever since the Soul Hunting Forest, he had lost control more than once.
The strange pause when the Wolf King pounced, the blank stretch before the Datura Snake died, and now this indescribable feeling of blockage inside his body.
Every single one could be explained.
But when placed together, something felt wrong.
"Teacher."
Tang San raised his head. "Could there be something else hidden inside my body?"
Inside the shoe sole, the tip of Ji Yuan's Demon Vine silently lifted.
This kid was rather alert.
Unfortunately, he had asked the wrong person.
Yu Xiaogang's hand stopped on the pages.
He turned to look at Tang San, his gaze even sterner than before. "Why would you think that?"
Tang San said, "I always feel like someone is stealing my strength."
"Whenever I cultivate, a portion of my inner force vanishes for no reason."
"During battle, I also suddenly lose control."
"And the blood I vomited today doesn't look like ordinary poisoned blood."
Yu Xiaogang did not scold him for overthinking.
That was precisely where his arrogance lay.
The more a phenomenon defied others' explanations, the more he wanted to suppress it with his own theories.
He closed his notes and walked over to Tang San. "Remember this: you possess Twin Martial Souls."
Tang San looked up.
Yu Xiaogang continued, "The greatest problem with Twin Martial Souls is not excessive talent, but the mutual rejection between the origins of the two Martial Souls."
"Your Blue Silver Grass has just absorbed a poisonous Soul Ring. The venom stimulated your body, so the Martial Soul in your left hand naturally produced a protective response."
"You feel as if your strength is being stolen because the two Martial Souls are competing for Soul Power within your body."
Tang San frowned. "But I didn't actively use it."
Yu Xiaogang raised a hand and pressed it against Tang San's left palm. "That is exactly why it is even more dangerous. You cannot control it."
"What you need to do now is stabilize the Blue Silver Grass."
"Do not use overly powerful inner force to force your meridians again, and do not attempt to probe the depths of your left hand."
Ji Yuan nearly unfurled his barbs at those words.
The more he used Yu Xiaogang, the more convenient the man became.
Ji Yuan did not even need to make up excuses. Yu Xiaogang could cover up every abnormality himself.
Tang San fell silent.
He trusted Yu Xiaogang.
But that feeling of being drained dry had been too real.
He asked quietly, "Teacher, can rejection between Twin Martial Souls make someone vomit this kind of black blood?"
Yu Xiaogang picked up the bloodstain and studied its color again. "It can."
"The Datura Snake's venom is domineering. To protect your second Martial Soul, your body forced out the mixed toxins. This is a good thing."
The doubt in Tang San's eyes dispersed slightly.
"Then what should I do now?"
Yu Xiaogang said, "Do not cultivate the Mysterious Heaven Skill again tonight."
Tang San immediately looked up. "Not cultivate?"
Yu Xiaogang's tone grew heavier. "If you want the Martial Soul in your left hand to lose control ahead of time, then continue."
With that, Tang San could only nod.
Ji Yuan sneered in the darkness.
Not cultivate?
That would not do.
If Tang San did not cultivate, what would Ji Yuan drain?
Ji Yuan was in no hurry.
He pressed some of the toxins back to the edges of Tang San's meridians, then gradually eased the lingering weakness caused by his draining.
As expected, the blockage in Tang San's chest eased considerably.
Tang San flexed his fingers and said in surprise, "Teacher, it feels lighter."
Satisfaction flickered in Yu Xiaogang's eyes. "Do you see? As long as you do not stimulate it, the rejection will naturally subside."
Tang San finally relaxed. "Teacher, you really saw through it."
Fatigue surfaced on Yu Xiaogang's face, though he could not hide his self-satisfaction. "Your condition is unusual. Ordinary soul masters would not understand it. I will organize a specialized cultivation method for you."
"Before then, tell me about every abnormality."
Tang San nodded earnestly. "I understand."
Outside the door, Xiao Wu could no longer hold herself back. She pushed it open and poked her head inside. "Can I come in now?"
Yu Xiaogang put away his notes. "Come in."
Xiao Wu hurried to Tang San's bedside. Only after seeing that his complexion had improved did she let out a breath. "You scared me to death. I thought you were going to die."
Tang San smiled bitterly. "It was only poisoned blood."
Xiao Wu glared at him. "Poisoned blood can kill people too!"
Yu Xiaogang looked at Xiao Wu. "Do not let him cultivate recklessly tonight."
Xiao Wu immediately patted her chest. "Leave it to me. If he dares cultivate in secret, I'll pin him down."
Tang San said helplessly, "You think you can hold me down?"
Xiao Wu narrowed her eyes. "Want to try?"
Tang San did not respond.
Dorm Seven grew lively again, and Wang Sheng and the others squeezed in to ask questions.
Tang San only said it was residual poison from the Soul Ring, and everyone quickly believed him.
Taking advantage of the commotion, Ji Yuan withdrew his roots from Tang San's meridians to the area near his heart meridian.
He could not drain any more.
If he did, Yu Xiaogang might truly take Tang San for a deeper examination tomorrow.
But the probing had been enough.
Tang San's physical limit, the reaction of the Clear Sky Hammer's origin, and the recovery speed after the Mysterious Heaven Skill was drained—Ji Yuan had recorded all of it.
From now on, this Number One blood bag was no longer a wild fruit to bite into whenever he pleased, but fertile land that needed long-term cultivation.
Late at night, Dorm Seven quieted down.
Tang San lay on his bed and, following Yu Xiaogang's instructions, did not circulate the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
Yet Xiao Wu hugged her blanket and squeezed in beside him, declaring matter-of-factly, "I'm supervising you."
Tang San shifted to the side. "The bed is only so big."
Xiao Wu tossed her pillow over. "Quit talking. I don't take up much space when I sleep."
Ji Yuan's attention finally shifted away from Tang San.
Xiao Wu's scorpion braid hung over the edge of the bed, its tip swaying gently. The Sub-spore Ji Yuan had lodged at the base of her wooden comb's teeth was crawling down along her hair.
The aura of a hundred-thousand-year origin was enticing even through flesh and skin.
Ji Yuan withdrew his roots from Tang San and focused all his senses on that scorpion braid.
Tonight, it was time for the Number Two blood bag to open her mouth.
Before you continue