Masked Man of Notting City

The next day, the three of them left Holy Soul Village.

Before leaving, Tang San stood at the entrance for a long time. Xiao Wu, unusually, did not urge him on. She simply stood behind him and waited quietly.

Luo Yan crouched by the roadside, plucked a foxtail grass stalk, tucked it behind his ear, and looked up at the sky.

"Let's go," Tang San said.

"Sure." Luo Yan stood up and brushed the mud off his pant legs.

The road back to Notting City was quieter than the journey there.

Xiao Wu walked at the front, occasionally turning back for a glance without saying anything.

Tang San walked slowly. Luo Yan trailed behind, chewing on that foxtail grass, his steps lazy and loose.

Holy Soul Village grew smaller and smaller behind them, eventually becoming a blurry gray dot at the foot of the mountain.

No one mentioned what had happened that day again.

Time in Notting City passed faster than Luo Yan had expected.

Tang San and Xiao Wu's Soul Power both rose steadily.

Under Yu Xiaogang's guidance, Tang San became increasingly composed, while Xiao Wu's Soft Skill grew increasingly ruthless.

As for Luo Yan, he still skipped classes and occasionally created a few harmless "urban legends" around campus.

Until one day, something major happened in Notting City.

The matter itself was simple.

In an alley in the southern part of the city, an itinerant Soul Master from elsewhere got drunk and stopped a young flower seller in the street, grabbing her and refusing to let her leave.

There were plenty of people nearby, but none dared interfere.

That Soul Master had two rings, one white and one yellow. In a small place like Notting City, that was already enough to throw his weight around.

Then, a masked person jumped down from the wall.

No one saw where he had come from.

The mask gave off a faint glow in the night. Its patterns were strange, like a smile, yet also like it was holding back laughter.

No one could make out his true appearance from that mask. Even his figure seemed blurry, and staring at him for too long made people dizzy.

Then two Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet.

One yellow ring.

One purple ring.

Someone's legs went weak on the spot.

"A thousand-year... his second ring is a thousand-year ring!"

The itinerant Soul Master sobered up halfway. Before he could run, that person was already standing before him.

"You just said that she had to sell you her flowers, and if she refused, you would take them yourself, right?"

That voice was very strange.

It sounded like seven or eight different people speaking at once—men and women, old and young—yet their voices overlapped into a single sentence that made everyone's scalp tingle.

The itinerant Soul Master's legs gave out, and he nearly dropped to his knees. "I... I was just—"

"Then let's play a game."

That voice rang out again, still layered over itself as if it were squeezing into everyone's ears from every direction. "From now on, your mouth may only speak the truth. For every lie you tell, slap yourself once. Begin."

Over the next quarter of an hour, the itinerant Soul Master seemed possessed as he spilled every detail about himself.

His name, where he came from, what he had stolen, whom he had deceived—he even confessed to peeping on his neighbor bathing when he was five.

Every time he told a lie, his hand uncontrollably slapped his own face.

By the end, his face was swollen like a bun, and he knelt on the ground calling the masked man his ancestor.

The spectators had formed three layers inside and three layers outside, laughing so hard they doubled over.

Meanwhile, the masked person had somehow already taken a seat atop the wall.

He looked down at the people below. His voice was not loud, yet it silenced the entire alley.

"You all want to know how I got this second ring, right?"

No one dared answer.

"Then... listen carefully!"

He stood up, his figure thin and light beneath the moonlight.

"If anyone can find me, perhaps I'll tell them how to get a thousand-year second ring."

With that, he turned, jumped down from the wall, and vanished without a trace.

No one saw which way he went, nor did anyone see what his Martial Soul truly was.

They only remembered that smiling mask, that purple Soul Ring, and that voice that sounded like countless people laughing and speaking at once.

Notting City exploded.

For the next half month, the entire city searched for that masked person.

People of all kinds began flocking to Notting City: Spirit Hall, the major sects, the various kingdoms. Some came to watch the excitement, some were genuinely tempted, and others came with different motives.

The little city of Notting suddenly became lively.

The inns were full, betting houses opened odds, and even the young flower seller was stopped three times and asked what that masked person really looked like.

At Nuoding Academy, Yu Xiaogang had not slept well for three days.

He sat in his teacher's quarters, which were piled with documents. Seven or eight copied witness accounts lay spread across his desk, and his eyes had turned red from exhaustion.

"A thousand-year second ring."

He repeated it softly, his pen repeatedly drawing the same pattern on the paper. "Absorbing a thousand-year ring as the second ring should be fatal in theory... unless that Soul Ring itself was extraordinarily special, or that person's body could no longer be judged by common sense."

He raised his head and looked out the window.

"Mask... smiling face... overlapping voices..."

He muttered to himself, then suddenly seemed to recall something and opened Luo Yan's enrollment record.

In the Martial Soul section, there were only four words: Elation Mask.

Yu Xiaogang's finger rested on the word "Elation" without moving for a long time.

"If that masked person is Luo Yan..."

At that thought, he abruptly shook his head.

No, that was not right.

The Martial Soul's appearance was completely different. His build, voice, and way of walking did not match either.

But why did something still feel wrong?

Over the past few days, Tang San had felt that Luo Yan was acting strangely. He still skipped class, but the places he went became more and more remote.

Tang San asked around, and everyone said Luo Yan had not returned to the dormitory yesterday.

When Tang San found Luo Yan, Luo Yan was crouching beneath the academy's back wall, using a twig to poke at ants on the ground.

"Security has been tight in the city lately." Tang San walked over and got straight to the point.

"I heard."

Luo Yan did not even look up. "Why are you concerned about this too?"

"Teacher is investigating it."

Tang San said, "He hasn't even been able to focus in class lately."

Luo Yan chuckled. "With the Grandmaster's personality, if he runs into something he can't figure out, of course he'll obsess over it."

Tang San crouched beside him, picked up a thin twig as well, and casually poked at the ants Luo Yan had been poking.

"I'm level twenty. What kind of Spirit Beast do you think I should choose for my second Soul Ring?"

Luo Yan's hand stopped.

He turned his head and glanced at Tang San. "You should ask the Grandmaster that. Hasn't he always cared a great deal about your Soul Rings?"

"Teacher said I could broaden my options further."

Tang San said, "But I wanted to hear your opinion first."

Luo Yan did not answer immediately.

He stuck the twig into the ground, dusted off his hands, and asked instead, "What is your first Spirit Skill?"

"Parasite," Tang San said.

"I've never seen you use your Spirit Skills."

Tang San smiled. "You never attend class. It would be a miracle if you knew."

Luo Yan clicked his tongue, tossed the twig aside, and gave Tang San a sidelong look. "Let me guess. Once your Blue Silver Grass is smashed apart, it scatters seeds?"

Tang San raised a brow. "Not entirely. As long as it makes contact, it can spread seeds."

"San'er, then your second Spirit Skill could be fun."

His speech quickened, carrying a hint of ill-intentioned excitement. "What if you chose a Spirit Skill that accelerated growth or triggered explosive growth?"

Tang San did not respond. He watched Luo Yan seriously and waited for him to continue.

"Your problem right now is that there isn't enough Blue Silver Grass."

As he spoke, Luo Yan stretched out a hand and gestured quickly. "But what if you could make the seeds sprout instantly? Or even better, make an entire patch of ground go boom and erupt with Blue Silver Grass, with every new blade carrying seeds—"

He paused, his eyes bright as though he were describing some incredible conspiracy.

"At that point, you would not even need to look for your enemy. Just scatter the seeds and wait for him to step into them himself."

Tang San's brow shifted slightly. "You mean explosive growth over an area?"

"Exactly."

Luo Yan said, "The grass bursts from the soil, sprouts beside his feet, squeezes out through cracks in the stones. He cuts down one clump, and the seeds go pop and scatter another patch. He cuts again, they spread again. He can't clear it all away. The more he clears, the more there is."

Tang San imagined the scene along with his words, and rare emotion appeared on his face. "If the opponent's level is much higher than mine, he could simply clear the entire area at once."

"So what if he clears the area?"

Luo Yan smiled. "Your seeds are so tiny. A gust of wind can carry them, and a layer of dirt can hide them. He still has to walk. When he steps down, the seeds stick to his shoes. Then you use your second Spirit Skill again for another wave of explosive growth. You can make it so he doesn't even have a place to put his feet."

Tang San fell silent for a moment. "But Blue Silver Grass itself is too weak. Even if it is stimulated to grow, it still cannot stop powerful opponents."

"That's why I said, 'once you reach higher levels.'"

Luo Yan said, "As your level rises, Blue Silver Grass will grow stronger too. By then, it won't rely on the grass being tough. It will rely on quantity."

"He cuts a hundred blades, and you grow a thousand. He burns one patch, and another layer of seeds falls into the ashes. He burns it once, and you grow it ten times."

As he spoke, he started laughing himself. "San'er, by then you won't even need to act personally. Use your skill, then stand to the side and watch him get chased around by grass."

"When he's panting from fighting, walk over and hand him a cup of water. Say, 'Tired? How about another round?'"

Tang San could not help curling the corner of his mouth. "That's disgusting."

"Just tell me whether you want it or not." Luo Yan's smile became even more punchable.

"So, my suggestion is to find a plant-type Spirit Beast with a life attribute. In a fight, if he can't kill you instantly, you'll annoy him to death."

Tang San looked at Luo Yan with sincere gratitude. "Luo Yan, thank you for the suggestion. I'll take it."

Luo Yan smiled and shook his head. "Oh, right. Do me a favor."

"What is it?"

Luo Yan handed him a sheet of paper. "Take it to the Academic Affairs Office."

Tang San took it and unfolded it. It was a Soul Power Level certificate issued by Spirit Hall.

It bore Luo Yan's name, along with his Soul Power Level, Martial Soul name, and one crucial line: He had completed all requirements of Nuoding Soul Master Academy and could apply for early graduation.

Tang San's finger stopped on the words "early graduation" and did not move for a long time.

"You're leaving?" He looked up.

"The continent is vast. I want to go out and see it." Luo Yan said.