Gang Zi's Bet, Tang San's First Battle

"Stop!"

"Don't you want to see my martial soul? Fine, have a look. Come out, Luo Sanpao!"

Yu Xiaogang let out an angry roar, and two yellow, century-old soul rings appeared at his feet. A strange purple creature that looked like a cross between a dog and a pig leaped out alongside him.

"Luo-luo!"

It affectionately nudged Yu Xiaogang's pant leg with its head.

"It really is a pig?"

Tang San couldn't help but speak his thoughts aloud. It was exactly as his godfather had said; it really was a pig.

"Hmph! Tang San, let's make a wager. Fight me. If I win, you will become my student."

Tang San turned his head, looking at his godfather with a hint of worry, as if afraid of a misunderstanding. Seeing Tang Chuan nod, he turned back to look at Yu Xiaogang with a sharp gaze.

"And if I win?"

"You win? Then I'll give you this!"

As he spoke, Yu Xiaogang pulled out a belt. It was exquisitely crafted and inlaid with several large jewels.

"This is an extremely rare storage Soul Tool, and a special belt version at that. If you win, it's yours."

"Hey, you think you can bet against us with just a piece of junk belt? What, do you think a disciple as excellent as mine is only worth that much?"

Tang Chuan crossed his arms, staring coldly at Yu Xiaogang as his pressure as a Soul Emperor slammed directly into the man's face.

"Fine, then I'll wager these as well!"

Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth and pulled a bag of Gold Soul Coins from his storage Soul Tool. Judging by the sound, there was quite a lot in there.

It was clear that Yu Xiaogang had been collecting plenty of subsidies from the Spirit Hall branches over the decades; he might not spend them himself, but he certainly had to have them.

"San, what do you think?"

Seeing Tang Chuan leave the decision to him, a warm feeling flickered in Tang San's heart. Then, his eyes ignited with a fighting spirit. He had just obtained his first soul ring; wasn't this the perfect opportunity for a real battle?

"Let's fight!"

A yellow soul ring emerged at his feet, and Blue Silver Grass shot up from the ground. Tang San held the stalk of Blue Silver Grass, which now featured a few new silver patterns, and said sternly:

"Tang San, level thirteen, martial soul Blue Silver Grass!"

"Level thirteen?!"

Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened. According to his theory, absorbing a four-hundred-year-old soul ring should only bring one to level twelve. How could the boy already be at level thirteen?

"What soul ring did you absorb? How many years?"

"I can't be bothered to waste breath on you. You aren't worthy of knowing. Come on!"

Though Yu Xiaogang was furious inside, he maintained a guarded stance on the surface.

"First soul skill, Proliferating Seed Scatter!"

Tang San swung his hands forcefully toward Yu Xiaogang, and tiny Blue Silver Grass seeds drifted toward him.

But in Yu Xiaogang's eyes, Tang San was just standing in place, waving his hands repeatedly, looking like a complete fool.

"What, were you scared silly by my two soul rings? In that case, I'll accept you as my disciple. Fart like thunder, earth-shaking Luo Sanpao!"

His soul ring flickered slightly. Luo Sanpao turned around, aiming its rear at Tang San while its belly began to swell.

"Bind!"

Before the fart could be released, several stalks of Blue Silver Grass abruptly sprouted from the air around Luo Sanpao. Caught completely off guard, the creature was bound instantly.

"Sanpao, bite through that Blue Silver Grass!"

Luo Sanpao gnawed frantically at the grass on its body, but no matter how hard it struggled, it couldn't snap them all in such a short time.

"It's not over yet. Pierce!"

Pale blue soul power surged over Tang San's body, and several thin, sharp Blue Silver Needles shot out.

Puchi!

"Luo-luo!"

The Blue Silver Grass, altered by Tang San into incredibly tough Blue Silver Needles, turned the defenseless Luo Sanpao into a pincushion.

"Ah!"

Yu Xiaogang suddenly hunched over, his face contorting in agony.

The characteristic of an externalized martial soul was that any injury it sustained would be transmitted back to the soul master in a certain proportion.

"Damn it, what kind of soul ring is that? The soul skill is so insidious!"

Yu Xiaogang felt like he had been set up. If you were this strong, you should have said so earlier! If you had, I never would have come here!

"What, you want me to tell you what I absorbed so you can record it in your so-called invincible theory?"

Tang San stepped forward, looking down at Yu Xiaogang, who was on the verge of fainting from the pain, and said slowly:

"You lost. Hand it over!"

"I..."

Yu Xiaogang wanted to renege on the bet. He had agreed to the wager without even figuring out his opponent's Soul Skill, and he hadn't expected to be outplayed by an information gap.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, he caught a glimpse of Tang Chuan standing behind Tang San with a faint, mocking smile. Cold sweat instantly began to seep from his back.

He had almost forgotten about this man. The other party was a Soul Emperor; even if his martial soul was Blue Silver Grass, his cultivation was the real deal. He had no choice but to bide his time!

"Here, take it! Now can you retract your needles?"

Yu Xiaogang endured the pain, gritting his teeth as he tossed his belt, along with a bag of Gold Soul Coins, toward them.

"Oh, this is quite a hefty sum."

Tang Chuan stepped forward to take a look and found that the bag was bulging; it certainly weighed quite a bit.

"Godfather, let's go."

Tang San retracted his Blue Silver Grass and spoke to Tang Chuan, handing over Yu Xiaogang's coin pouch and belt as he did so.

"Godfather, I haven't had anything to give you these past few days. Since this Yu Xiaogang wants to play at charity, I'll just present this to you!"

"You have a good heart, Little San."

Watching their conversation, which they made no effort to hide, Yu Xiaogang nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. These were all his belongings, and this Tang San was actually using his own items to curry favor with his teacher?

As the Blue Silver Needles vanished from his body, Luo Sanpao cast a weak glance at Yu Xiaogang before dissolving into Soul Power and disappearing.

At this moment, Yu Xiaogang felt like a stray dog kicked to the side of the road. Since the day he was expelled from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, he had experienced many twists and turns, but a situation where he couldn't even take on a disciple dealt him a heavy blow.

"Godfather, should we..."

Not far away, Tang San whispered to Tang Chuan, asking if he needed to root out the problem by killing Yu Xiaogang.

Tang Chuan shook his head, patted Tang San on the shoulder, and said earnestly:

"Little San, don't be so bloodthirsty. His primary goal was to take you as a disciple, and he hasn't done anything that crosses the line yet."

Tang Chuan's point was simple: Yu Xiaogang had not yet reached the threshold for execution.

"Alright then."

Tang San felt a bit disappointed. He had intended to find a time to finish off this stinking old man, but since his godfather didn't advise it, he would let the man live for a few more days.

The two ignored Yu Xiaogang and walked straight toward the dormitory building. Just as Tang Chuan was about to say goodbye, a pink figure hurried out.

"Big Brother!"

It was Xiao Wu. Tang San narrowed his eyes; he had almost forgotten about this. However, with his godfather nearby, he couldn't say anything impolite, or it would be terrible to leave a bad impression on his godfather.

"Big Brother, what is your name? I didn't get a chance to ask you before, and I feel like you're so familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"

"My name is Tang Chuan, same surname as Little San. Chuan as in mountains and rivers. As for what you said, I don't think so."

Tang Chuan replied casually, then waved at Tang San before turning and walking away.