Master, Put Away Your Soul Rings First

Yu Xiaogang lowered his head and looked at his feet.

Two yellow, one purple.

Three Soul Rings hovered there quietly, their colors distinct and their auras undeniably real.

He fell silent.

Xu Yan fell silent as well.

Only Luo Sanpao seemed extremely excited. It ran two circles around the third purple Soul Ring and even reached out a paw to touch it.

The Soul Ring swayed slightly from its slap.

It was real.

"Master, weren't you level twenty-nine?"

Xu Zhou was the first to speak.

"I was indeed level twenty-nine."

Yu Xiaogang frowned, his tone somewhat stiff.

No one knew his body better than he did.

The bottleneck that had trapped the original Yu Xiaogang for decades had loosened after Luo Sanpao's first evolution, but it had only loosened.

Before going to sleep last night, he had even cultivated once on purpose.

Level twenty-nine.

He had still been at least half a year away from level thirty.

Yet now, he had not only broken through level thirty, but even gained an additional thousand-year Soul Ring.

That was a little absurd.

Soul Power could grow for no apparent reason, but Soul Rings could not possibly grow on their own, could they?

"Don't you remember hunting a Soul Beast?"

Tang San asked.

"I don't."

"Did you drink until you blacked out?"

"I don't drink."

Tang San glanced at the wine jar in the room.

"Then what's that?"

"Your father brought it over last night."

"Why did he bring you wine?"

Yu Xiaogang's expression darkened further.

"He asked whether I could help resurrect your mother. I said I couldn't for the time being, so he left the wine behind and told me to finish it before thinking of another solution."

Tang San's mouth twitched.

That really did sound like something Tang Hao would do.

Xu Yan nudged the note on the ground with the tip of an arrow and looked up. "Forget the wine for now. Put your Martial Soul away, then summon it again."

Yu Xiaogang did as instructed.

As his Soul Power withdrew, the three Soul Rings vanished with it.

A moment later, Luo Sanpao appeared again.

Two yellow and one purple rings still floated up and down around it.

The third Soul Ring had not disappeared and re-formed.

Xu Yan finally could not hold it in any longer.

"You got four levels of Soul Power and a thousand-year Soul Ring for free. Why do you still look unhappy?"

"Would you dare use power of unknown origin so casually?"

Yu Xiaogang retorted.

"I wouldn't."

Xu Yan answered bluntly.

"That's why I asked you."

Yu Xiaogang could not be bothered to respond. He closed his eyes and carefully sensed the ability granted by the third Soul Ring.

Very soon, his expression turned strange.

"Sanpao."

"Lulu!"

"Third Soul Skill."

Yu Xiaogang raised his right hand, and the purple Soul Ring abruptly lit up.

"Golden Gate!"

Golden light erupted from Luo Sanpao's body.

It opened its mouth wide, its cheeks rapidly swelling before it spat forcefully toward the center of the courtyard.

Buzz!

Ripples spread through the air.

Then, a small golden door half the height of a person appeared out of nowhere.

Everyone in the courtyard froze.

Xu Zhou lowered his head to look at his Black Ancient Book, then raised it again to look at the door.

Well, damn.

Had his theory just been turned directly into something real?

Yu Xiaogang clearly had not expected this either.

He walked up to the door and gave it a push.

It did not move.

"Sanpao, what does this door do?"

"Lulu."

"It says it doesn't know."

Tang San frowned.

"A Soul Ring bestowed by a Soul Beast should grant a Soul Skill related to that Soul Beast's abilities. Master does not even know what kind of Soul Beast his third Soul Ring came from, so how would Luo Sanpao know?"

"Then let's test it."

Xu Yan picked up a stone from the ground and tossed it directly at the golden door.

The instant the stone touched the door, it vanished.

The next second, a muffled sound came from behind Xu Zhou.

Smack!

The stone hit the back of his head with perfect accuracy.

Xu Zhou covered his head and slowly turned around.

Xu Yan looked up at the sky.

"My hand slipped."

"Dad, you threw it at the door."

"That's why I said my hand slipped."

Xu Zhou could not be bothered arguing with him.

The golden door clearly had the ability to transfer objects, but the location of its exit did not seem fixed.

Or rather, it seemed to prioritize appearing near him.

As that thought crossed his mind, he suddenly had a bad feeling.

The Black Ancient Book indeed began to tremble.

[An erroneous cognition has received real-world reinforcement.]

[Current public cognition: Xu Zhou's Martial Soul possesses spatial attributes.]

[Supporting evidence: Luo Sanpao's third Soul Skill, "Golden Gate."]

[This evidence will disappear after twelve shichen.]

Xu Zhou stared at the last line, his expression somewhat stiff.

It could be used like this too?

Yu Xiaogang had believed his Martial Soul was a Spatial Gate, so he had somehow risen to level thirty-three and gained a spatial Soul Skill.

This was no longer merely collecting erroneous cognitions.

The Black Ancient Book was clearly fabricating evidence itself to make others continue guessing wrong!

But it would disappear after twelve shichen.

In other words, at this time tomorrow, Yu Xiaogang would return to level twenty-nine.

If the villagers found out, some would definitely think something had gone wrong with Yu Xiaogang's cultivation.

Others might think Xu Zhou had drained away his Soul Power.

The transmigrators of Holy Soul Village had more bizarre thought processes than the last. If they were allowed to run wild, there was no telling what this would turn into.

"Master, put away your Soul Rings first."

Xu Zhou said immediately.

"Why?"

"This cannot be known by too many people."

Tang San realized it too.

"Right. Someone was able to leave a note outside the courtyard, which means they have been watching this place. Once news spreads that Master's Soul Power suddenly increased, someone will definitely come investigate."

"Too late."

A head suddenly popped up over the wall.

Niu Dali lay atop it, still holding paper and a pen.

"I saw everything just now."

Xu Yan casually drew an arrow.

Niu Dali immediately ducked back down.

"Uncle Yan, don't attack! I'm only responsible for recording unusual plot developments. I mean no harm!"

"Did you throw the note?"

"I did."

"How did you know he was level twenty-nine last night?"

Silence fell outside the wall for two seconds.

"I snuck into his room in the middle of the night and measured it."

A vein throbbed at Yu Xiaogang's temple.

"You entered my room in the middle of the night?"

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not interested in men."

Niu Dali hurriedly explained.

"The Transmigrator Mutual Aid Association has recently been registering changes in the Soul Power of important characters. You are a key observation target, so we have to measure you once every day."

"Who made that rule?"

"Old Jack."

"What gives him the right?"

"Because he's the village chief."

It was an entirely reasonable answer.

For a moment, Yu Xiaogang could not find anything to refute.

But Xu Zhou noticed another issue.

"You saw the third Soul Skill?"

"I did."

Niu Dali's head popped up over the wall again.

He looked at Yu Xiaogang, then at Xu Zhou, his expression gradually growing excited.

"A spatial Soul Skill, and its exit is fixed near you."

"What does that mean?"

"It means Master's level-up is related to you!"

Xu Zhou's heart skipped a beat.

"Why would it be related to me?"

"He studied your Martial Soul, then suddenly gained four levels, and his third Soul Skill even became a door. Isn't that obvious?"

The more Niu Dali spoke, the more reasonable it sounded to him.

"Your Martial Soul isn't an ordinary Spatial Gate. It's a gate that can grant power to others!"

[ Niu Dali has formed an erroneous cognition. ]

[ Cognitive Bias collected. ]

Warmth flowed into Xu Zhou's body.

Just as Xu Zhou was about to speak, Niu Dali had already jumped down from the wall.

"No, this information is too important. I have to notify the Mutual Aid Association immediately."

"Come back!"

Xu Zhou ran to the wall.

A burst of hurried footsteps had already sounded outside.

Niu Dali ran as he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Stop arranging marriages for your children!"

"Xu Zhou can help people level up!"

His voice carried far down the village's dirt roads.

Several yellow dogs basking in the sun were startled to their feet and began barking wildly at his retreating figure.

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

Xu Yan slowly lowered his hunting bow.

"What do we do now?"

Xu Zhou leaned against the wall and said nothing for a long while.

He finally understood.

In Holy Soul Village, secrets and Niu Dali could not coexist.

"Master."

Tang San looked at the three Soul Rings beneath Yu Xiaogang's feet.

"You should leave this place now."

"Why?"

Tang San pointed outside the courtyard.

The once-quiet village had already become lively.

"Someone leveled up?"

"You can level up just by touching him?"

"Yu Xiaogang went up four levels in a row. If we touch him twice, wouldn't we go up eight levels?"

"Don't talk nonsense. Something like leveling up definitely depends on talent. The Master only gained four levels; I should gain at least six."

"Get in line first!"

Chaotic footsteps drew closer and closer.

Mixed among them were Old Jack's frantic shouts.

"Don't push!"

"Xu Zhou is still a child. He can receive twenty people at most today!"

Xu Zhou suddenly turned around.

"Wasn't Old Jack here to stop them?"

Tang San sighed.

"Obviously not."

Yu Xiaogang quickly withdrew his Martial Soul, but it was already too late.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The courtyard gate shook under a barrage of pounding.

"Open the door!"

"Xu Zhou, I'm your third granduncle!"

"I even held you when you were little!"

Xu Yan braced the gate with a dark expression.

"Your third granduncle died last year!"

The person outside fell silent for a moment, then quickly changed his voice.

"Actually, I'm your third granduncle's friend!"

More and more people gathered outside.

Listening to the shouting outside, Xu Zhou lowered his head and looked at the Black Ancient Book in his hands.

Although things had gotten somewhat out of control, the entire village had begun to believe that he could help others level up.

If that turned out to be wrong...

How many rewards would he get?

Thinking of that, Xu Zhou was no longer in a hurry.

He turned and moved a table into the middle of the courtyard.

Xu Yan stared at him in bewilderment.

"What are you doing?"

"Registration."

"Registering for what?"

Xu Zhou took out paper and a brush, a smile appearing on his face.

"If they want to level up, they can."

"They have to sign first, proving that they believe voluntarily."