Tang San, Isolated

"Did I just lose?"

Tang San muttered to himself. The high spirits from having just absorbed his first soul ring were instantly shattered by Qi Dao's two strikes.

He still could not understand why the gap between him and Qi Dao was so vast.

And Qi Dao's swordsmanship—sharp and tricky—did not seem like something an eleven-year-old boy could possibly possess.

"Before you make another pointless attempt to stand out next time, you should first weigh whether you actually have the ability to back it up."

Qi Dao ignored his muttering, left those words indifferently, then turned to call Xiao Chenyu and the others.

"Let's go!"

Xiao Chenyu and the others hurriedly followed.

Wang Sheng shook his head and told Xiao Wu, "Sister Xiao Wu, go to the infirmary yourself."

With that, he left with the others from Dorm Seven.

Because of Yu Xiaogang, he had already developed a rift with Tang San. Now, he could not be bothered to pay him any attention.

In the blink of an eye, only Xiao Wu and Tang San remained in the vast field.

Tang San looked at Xiao Wu and gave a bitter smile. "Xiao Wu, it seems they've isolated us!"

Xiao Wu froze, then asked sluggishly, "Isolated? Have they?"

"Wang Sheng even told me to go to the infirmary!"

Tang San's expression stiffened.

Fine. More accurately, he was the one being isolated!

Of course, having lived two lives, Tang San did not care about this so-called isolation in the first place.

Fierce beasts were always solitary; only cattle and sheep traveled in herds!

But when his gaze fell upon Qi Dao's retreating figure, he clenched his teeth slightly, and a trace of unwillingness flashed through his eyes.

Qi Dao's strength had exceeded his expectations. His power, speed, and reactions all far surpassed Tang San's, while his swordsmanship was especially tricky.

His Blue Silver Grass was completely insignificant before Qi Dao's blade.

As for the slight paralysis poison attached to the Blue Silver Grass...

The Blue Silver Grass could not even touch the corner of Qi Dao's clothes. How could it possibly poison him?

Even the Tang Sect Secret Arts, which Tang San took the most pride in, had been useless in the face of such an absolute gap.

Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track mainly relied on the profundity of its footwork and did not provide much of a boost to speed.

Although Purple Demon Eye allowed him to see Qi Dao's movements clearly, his body could hardly react in time.

Mysterious Jade Hand and Crane Control Dragon Capture had likewise been almost entirely useless in his exchange with Qi Dao.

As for Tang Sect Hidden Weapons...

This was what made Tang San feel most grave.

No matter what tricky technique he used to launch his hidden weapons, Qi Dao would shatter them with a single strike.

Tang San was unsure whether Qi Dao had seen through his techniques beforehand, or whether he was simply that fast.

If it was merely fast reactions, that would be fine. Once his strength improved, his techniques and speed in firing hidden weapons would become even more refined.

But if Qi Dao had already seen through his hidden weapon techniques...

An imperceptible killing intent flashed through Tang San's eyes.

After Tang San emerged from the infirmary, the bloody marks on his wrist had already healed.

He immediately went to Yu Xiaogang's dormitory.

When he pushed open the door, Yu Xiaogang was seated behind his desk, writing without pause.

He was recording the changes that had appeared in Tang San's Blue Silver Grass after absorbing his first soul ring.

Tang San's successful absorption of the Datura Snake soul ring undoubtedly affirmed the Martial Soul Mimicry Theory among his Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls.

The core principle of his Martial Soul Mimicry Theory was this: a plant martial soul did not necessarily have to absorb a plant soul beast's soul ring, and a beast martial soul could also absorb a plant soul ring.

"Teacher!"

After entering, Tang San respectfully called out.

Yu Xiaogang stopped writing. When he saw Tang San, his eyes lit up.

His beloved disciple had come!

"Little San, why are you here?"

"Come over here!"

Yu Xiaogang said with a smile.

Tang San lowered his head in acknowledgment and silently walked over.

Seeing his low spirits, Yu Xiaogang continued with a smile, "Xiao San, what's wrong?"

"Now that you've absorbed your first soul ring, you should be happy!"

Tang San hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Teacher, can you tell me about Qi Dao?"

The moment Tang San mentioned Qi Dao, Yu Xiaogang's smile froze.

Qi Dao was an insurmountable hurdle for him, as well as a humiliation he had to erase.

Back then, he had kindly wanted to take Qi Dao as a registered disciple, only for Qi Dao to reject him in public and make him lose all face.

"Why are you bringing up Qi Dao?"

"Did he say something to you?"

Yu Xiaogang quickly recovered, but a flicker of tension flashed through his eyes.

He feared that Tang San, this disciple Heaven had bestowed upon him, had been swayed by Qi Dao and would stage a betrayal of his teacher.

Tang San shook his head. "Just now, I challenged Qi Dao over Xiao Wu, but I lost completely."

As he spoke, Tang San looked seriously at Yu Xiaogang. "So I hope Teacher can tell me about him. And I want to know exactly where I lost."

"So that's why!"

After hearing this, Yu Xiaogang immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as Tang San had not been bewitched by Qi Dao, it was fine.

Yu Xiaogang pondered briefly, then said with deliberate profundity, "Very well. Since you want to know, I shall tell you."

"The first time I saw Qi Dao was five years ago, when he had just entered Notting Academy."

"At that time, his martial soul was merely a malignantly mutated Iron Sword, and his innate soul power was only half a level."

Tang San frowned slightly and asked, "Teacher, if his innate soul power was only half a level, then his cultivation speed should have been very slow. How could he possibly be so strong?"

"Now you've hit the key point." Yu Xiaogang sneered and continued, "If you truly believe his innate soul power was only half a level, then you are gravely mistaken."

"According to one of the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls—innate soul power is directly proportional to the quality of one's martial soul—"

"I can say with certainty that his martial soul was by no means simply a useless martial soul with a malign mutation. And his innate soul power was certainly not merely half a level."

"What?!"

Tang San cried out in surprise, then frowned. "Teacher, can the crystal ball used to test soul power be wrong?"

Yu Xiaogang said calmly, "Why not? Martial Soul Hall helps countless soul masters awaken their martial souls every year. Errors in testing are inevitable."

"In my view, his martial soul was not a malignantly mutated martial soul at all, but rather a beneficially mutated one."

"It was only because there were cracks on the blade that people mistook it for a malign mutation."

"Furthermore, his innate soul power was absolutely not half a level. Based on my rigorous analysis and speculation, his innate soul power should have been around level five. That is why he needed only three years to break through to level ten."

"If I'm not mistaken, his current level should be around fifteen."

After hearing Yu Xiaogang's analysis, Tang San's face showed a look of sudden realization.

So there was actually so much complexity behind it!

Seeing this, Yu Xiaogang continued, "Also, aside from his disrespect for elders, Qi Dao's talent does not end there."

"Do you know why he has such a great reputation at Notting Academy?"

Tang San asked doubtfully, "Isn't it simply because he is the strongest?"

Yu Xiaogang nodded, but then immediately shook his head.

"Yes, but not entirely!"

"The reason he gained such a great reputation at Notting Academy was because, when he had just enrolled, he challenged the strongest student at the time—a level thirteen soul master."

Tang San's pupils contracted slightly as he said in a low voice, "Did he win that match?"

According to Teacher's account, Qi Dao should have only been level five at the time, right?

A level five soul scholar defeating a level thirteen soul master!

Without using hidden weapons or the Tang Sect Secret Arts, Tang San knew he could never accomplish such a thing.

Yu Xiaogang nodded, then spoke words that shocked Tang San even more.

"He did not merely win. He won twice!"

"And..."

"Both times, he defeated his opponent in a single sword strike!"