Yu Xiaogang, the "Master"

"Who are you? How long have you been here?"

Tang San's tone was icy as he stared fixedly at Ye Xunhuan, his entire body radiating vigilance.

Ye Xunhuan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

He had thought Tang San would at least exchange a few polite pleasantries. He had not expected the brat to be so heartless that he skipped even basic thanks and went straight to questioning him.

Just as expected of someone from the Tang Sect.

But Ye Xunhuan did not care. He and Tang San were destined to become mortal enemies, and killing such a cold-blooded beast later would leave him with no sense of guilt.

Ye Xunhuan casually fired a burst of soul power, and the century-old Spirit Ring encircling the Mandala Snake's corpse shattered with a bang.

He spoke carelessly. "Instead of dwelling on who I am, you should check on that old man lying poisoned on the ground."

His tone was as casual as if he were commenting on the fine weather.

Tang San snapped back to his senses.

He had nearly forgotten that Yu Xiaogang had been bitten by the Mandala Snake and was still lying beneath the tree!

The moment Ye Xunhuan had saved him had been too shocking. Combined with his fear that his secret had been exposed, he had actually forgotten Yu Xiaogang for a moment.

The thought filled Tang San with guilt. He had no time to pursue Ye Xunhuan's identity further and turned to hurry toward Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang's face was the color of gold paper, his eyes tightly shut. The purplish-black toxin from the wound at the base of his thigh had already spread along his meridians to his lower abdomen. The situation did not look good.

Tang San crouched down, took several antidote pills from his robe, and stuffed them into Yu Xiaogang's mouth. Then he activated the Mysterious Heaven Skill and transferred soul power into Yu Xiaogang's body, helping the medicine circulate.

However, where the Mandala Snake had bitten him was really...

Standing nearby, Ye Xunhuan watched Tang San solemnly use his internal power to force poison from Yu Xiaogang's crotch, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

It was too painful to look at.

Ling Yuan also walked over, then silently turned her head away upon seeing the scene.

The atmosphere became extremely awkward.

Tang San did not think much of it. Having lived two lives, his mind was as still as water.

But Ye Xunhuan was different. Perhaps the Tang Sect from Tang San's previous life had not yet developed such twisted same-sex relationships, but Blue Star definitely had them.

Whenever Ye Xunhuan visited certain mysterious websites and saw those sorts of videos recommended on the homepage, he avoided them like the plague.

With that thought, he looked away.

After a long while, as the final trace of purplish-black toxin was forced out, the wound at the base of Yu Xiaogang's thigh gradually returned to its normal color, and the sickly grayness of his face faded as well.

Fine beads of sweat had already formed on Tang San's forehead.

After all, he only had level 10 soul power. Using the Mysterious Heaven Skill to transfer energy and purge poison placed a considerable burden on his body. Fortunately, the Mandala Snake's venom was paralytic rather than corrosive, so it was not too difficult to handle—only the location was awkward.

A little while later, Yu Xiaogang's eyelids trembled slightly.

"Cough, cough, cough..." A string of low coughs came from Yu Xiaogang's throat.

His eyelids struggled open a crack. His cloudy gaze blankly swept across the canopy above, then slowly fell upon the sweat-soaked Tang San before him.

"San... San'er?"

Yu Xiaogang's voice was hoarse and weak, like the cry of a duck.

"Teacher, you're awake." Tang San let out a breath, his tense shoulders relaxing slightly.

Yu Xiaogang struggled to move. A dull pain shot through the base of his thigh, making him bare his teeth and suck in a cold breath.

"The Mandala Snake..."

"It's already dead." Tang San glanced sideways at the lifeless Mandala Snake.

Yu Xiaogang froze for a moment, then struggled to prop up half his body. His gaze passed over Tang San's shoulder and landed on the Mandala Snake's corpse not far away.

The snake's body lay limp on the ground. There were clear claw marks seven inches below its head, while its skull had been pierced straight through, green blood spilled all over the ground.

Beside the corpse stood a tall young man and a tall red-haired woman.

Yu Xiaogang's pupils contracted slightly. "Who are they?"

Tang San turned around in confusion.

Why had his teacher said "they"? Wasn't there only that one-ringed brat?

His gaze swept toward where Ye Xunhuan stood. At some point, the red-haired woman had emerged from the bushes and come to stand beside Ye Xunhuan, quietly waiting there.

In other words, at least two people had been secretly watching from beginning to end?

A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out across Tang San's back.

Even with the heightened perception granted by his Purple Demon Eyes, he had completely failed to notice the presence of a second person.

If those two had harbored ill intent and attacked from behind while he fought the Mandala Snake, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Before he could ask anything, Ling Yuan took the initiative to step forward.

She stopped three paces from Yu Xiaogang and spoke calmly.

"There is no need to be nervous. We are from Blazing Fire City. I am a teacher at Blazing Fire Academy, and he is my younger brother. We had just finished hunting Spirit Rings and were preparing to leave the forest when we heard fighting and came to investigate. Seeing that you had been injured, we lent a hand."

As she spoke, Ling Yuan summoned her martial soul. The phantom of a Blazing Spirit Kite appeared behind her, and six disguised Spirit Rings rose from beneath her feet: two yellow, two purple, and two black.

Such cultivation was perfectly reasonable for a teacher at an intermediate academy.

Naturally, Ye Xunhuan had told Ling Yuan to disguise herself. While Tang San had been detoxifying Yu Xiaogang, the siblings had already coordinated their story.

With Tang San's support, Yu Xiaogang struggled to his feet. His face was still deathly pale, but his spirits had recovered considerably.

He straightened the washed-out gray robe on his body, smoothed his messy hair, and clasped his hands toward Ling Yuan in salute.

"Thank you both for saving us. I am Yu Xiaogang of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect. Today, I accompanied a teacher from Notting Junior Spirit Master Academy to hunt Spirit Rings. After entering the forest, one of his students encountered a suitable soul beast and went to absorb its Spirit Ring. He remained behind to guard that student, which was how I came to be injured by this beast."

He could not bend very low when clasping his hands, likely because the wound at the base of his thigh would not allow him to make large movements. Still, his solemn manner did look somewhat proper.

Ling Yuan nodded, though she was surprised inwardly. Wasn't this the hypocrite who had stolen Spirit Hall's theoretical knowledge and been expelled by the former Pope, Qian Xunji?

Ye Xunhuan frowned slightly. This differed from the original plot. In the original story, Tang San and Yu Xiaogang had come out alone to hunt a Spirit Ring. Now they were traveling with a group, which explained why they had come to the Star Dou Forest.

Based on what he knew of the original Yu Xiaogang, this "Master" was about to begin his performance.

Yu Xiaogang cleared his throat, his duck-like voice especially jarring in the forest.

"Although I am only level 29, in the field of spirit master theory research, I consider myself to have few rivals across the entire Douluo Continent."

The corner of Ling Yuan's mouth twitched imperceptibly.

A level 29 Great Spirit Master was lecturing an level 87 Soul Douluo on martial soul theory. Wasn't that like showing off before an expert?

Yu Xiaogang remained completely unaware and continued speaking with increasing enthusiasm.

"The Martial Soul Ten Core Competencies Theory I created systematically expounds upon martial soul grade classifications, growth potential, development directions, and the optimal combination of Spirit Rings. This theory is the most complete martial soul research system in the entire spirit master world to date, without equal."

He extended a finger and gestured with great seriousness.

"First, martial soul grade determines innate soul power. Second, there are no useless martial souls, only useless spirit masters. Third, the Martial Soul Mimicry Theory. Fourth..."