Tang San, Taken for a Ride

"Lin Chen, how did you manage to cultivate to Rank 14 in such a short time?"

At the dining table.

Tang San finally couldn't hold back and asked the question everyone wanted answered.

At his question.

Wang Sheng and the others all paused mid-motion and pricked up their ears.

Xiao Wu frowned slightly.

Was this kind of secret something he could just ask about so casually, especially in front of so many people?

However, since she couldn't tell what sort of relationship Lin Chen had with him, she said nothing and merely turned to look at Lin Chen.

Lin Chen's movements paused as well. He raised his head and looked at Tang San across from him.

"Everyone has their own secrets. Prying into someone else's secrets isn't a good habit. It could bring about a fatal disaster."

His tone was calm, but there was a hint of mockery in his expression.

Tang San's pupils suddenly constricted.

Damn it, what kind of expression is that? Could he have discovered something?

That shouldn't be possible.

I've hidden it so well. How could he possibly have noticed?

"Sorry, I spoke out of turn."

After apologizing, Tang San lowered his head, and a trace of killing intent involuntarily rose in his heart.

But in an instant, he suppressed the killing intent that had just emerged.

Lin Chen might not have discovered anything. Perhaps he was merely reminding him out of goodwill.

He would find an opportunity to test him later.

Seeing this, everyone lowered their heads and focused on eating, not daring to ask anything else.

However, because of Tang San's words, the atmosphere between them gradually became subtle, no longer as harmonious as before.

In that awkward atmosphere, they finished their meal even faster.

After leaving the cafeteria, everyone returned to their own dormitories.

Lin Chen didn't return to his own dormitory. Instead, he followed Xiao Wu into hers.

"Y-you... what are you trying to do?"

Xiao Wu's little face flushed red as she looked at Lin Chen timidly.

Lin Chen said speechlessly, "What do you think I can do?"

Not everyone on Douluo Continent developed physically at a rapid rate.

Only Spirit Masters did.

Spirit power and Spirit Rings both improved one's physical constitution. That was why, after becoming a Spirit Master, the body underwent explosive growth.

Lin Chen had only broken through three months ago, so he wasn't much stronger than an ordinary six-year-old child.

Even if he wanted to, he didn't have the strength for it.

As expected of the Rogue Rabbit—her mind was full of dirty thoughts.

Xiao Wu: "..."

Only then did she remember that he simply didn't have that ability yet.

"Then you..."

Lin Chen cut her off directly. "I came in to watch you condense your Spirit Ring."

Xiao Wu: "..."

So that was it. It seemed she had judged a gentleman by her own petty standards.

"Wait, that's not right."

"Aren't you a soul beast too? What's so interesting about condensing a Spirit Ring?"

As if suddenly remembering something, Xiao Wu looked at Lin Chen.

"I never said I was. Hurry up and start condensing it."

Lin Chen rolled his eyes.

Xiao Wu frowned slightly.

If he wasn't a soul beast, didn't that mean she was in danger?

Forget it. She would deal with the future when it came.

Xiao Wu walked over to the bed, sat cross-legged on it, and began condensing her first Spirit Ring.

Specks of light emerged around her, continuously flowing toward the top of Xiao Wu's head and gradually gathering into a yellow Spirit Ring.

The process wasn't slow, but neither was it instantaneous.

About half an hour later.

That yellow Spirit Ring completely took shape before settling directly around her body.

Lin Chen leaned against the wall and watched quietly.

It is somewhat similar to a God-Bestowed Spirit Ring, but the process is much simpler. There isn't the same pain as when absorbing a God-Bestowed Spirit Ring either. It looks quite easy.

After another ten-odd minutes, the Spirit Ring began to rhythmically pulse along Xiao Wu's body, moving from bottom to top, then from top to bottom.

At that point, Xiao Wu had completed the condensation of her Spirit Ring.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Lin Chen.

"Cultivate well."

Lin Chen left behind those words, then opened the dormitory door and left.

He even closed the door for her on his way out.

Seeing this, Xiao Wu couldn't help pursing her lips before falling into deep thought.

If Lin Chen wasn't a soul beast, then there had to be a Titled Douluo near him. They might be hiding somewhere and watching her right now.

In other words, she wouldn't even have a chance to run away.

And if Lin Chen discovered that she wanted to flee, he would definitely keep her captive.

By then, she likely wouldn't have any hope left at all.

All she could do now was pray that Lin Chen had no intention of killing her for her Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone.

Otherwise...

"Ah!"

Xiao Wu couldn't help sighing, then flopped onto the bed.

Why was she so unlucky?

She had specifically chosen a city remote enough, yet one of the few Titled Douluo on the entire continent had still ended up crossing her path.

Xiao Wu stared at the ceiling.

I wonder whether I'll ever have a chance to see Da Ming and Er Ming again for the rest of my life.

The next morning.

Tang San didn't attend the opening ceremony. Lin Chen asked the teacher and learned that Yu Xiaogang was still the one taking him to hunt for a Spirit Ring.

Looks like Gangzi is still quite reliable.

After confirming that the plot hadn't changed, Lin Chen finally felt relieved.

He didn't want the script he had so carefully written to deviate because of Gangzi's incompetence. After all, it was currently the longest script he had written.

While Lin Chen and the others were being lectured, Tang San was undergoing much the same thing elsewhere.

In the carriage headed for the Soul Hunting Forest, Yu Xiaogang was tirelessly pouring his Ten Core Competitiveness Principles into Tang San.

Tang San listened with rapt attention.

Having never encountered Spirit Master knowledge before, how could he distinguish truth from falsehood?

"My Ultimate Soul Ring Theory is unique even across the entire continent. In all of Douluo Continent, only I can accurately determine the maximum age down to a single year."

Yu Xiaogang didn't look at Tang San. His gaze was fixed on the carriage curtain.

Seeing the powerful confidence radiating from him, along with that indescribably arrogant air, Tang San inexplicably felt that he was incredibly impressive.

"Master, then how should I choose my first Spirit Ring?"

Tang San asked humbly for guidance.

Yu Xiaogang said, "According to academy regulations, I can only select a ten-year soul beast for you."

Tang San was instantly stunned.

"Didn't you say the limit for the first ring is over four hundred years?"

"From ten years to over four hundred years."

"Isn't that gap a little too large?"

Yu Xiaogang shook his head. "The academy has the responsibility and obligation to ensure its students' safety, so it doesn't allow us to choose hundred-year Spirit Rings for students."

Tang San frowned slightly.

Even as a complete novice, he could guess that with a difference of several hundred years, the resulting Spirit Skill effects would be vastly different.

It would have been one thing if he didn't know the maximum limit, but he did.

How could Tang San possibly accept that?

In his previous life, he had violated the Tang Sect's rules to steal its secret techniques in pursuit of greater power. In this life, how could he be willing to settle when it came to something like this?