A Beating for Yu Xiaogang and a First Soul Skill

After hearing Lin Hao's explanation, Tang San figured it out before Yu Xiaogang could respond. He answered in shock.

"Brother Hao, how did you know?"

Lin Hao did not answer. He simply watched Yu Xiaogang.

By then, Yu Xiaogang had figured it out too.

"Royal family... royal bloodline... crown prince, emperor... crown prince... king."

Seeing Yu Xiaogang frozen in a daze, Lin Hao spoke.

"Looks like you've worked it out. That's right. Tang San's spirit is the Blue Silver King, ruler of the Blue Silver Grass."

"Now it's your turn to meet my terms..."

At Lin Hao's demand, Yu Xiaogang immediately balked. The materials Lin Hao wanted had taken him painstaking effort to obtain from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and Spirit Hall.

But after a friendly discussion with Lin Hao's Heavenly Blade spirit, a bruised and swollen Yu Xiaogang declared, "Unwilling? Not at all! I'd be delighted. Young Master Lin, it's an honor for these materials to have caught your eye."

Half an hour later.

Lin Hao and Tang San emerged from Yu Xiaogang's bedroom, each carrying three books.

Tang San's three books covered life-aspected Soul Beasts, unusual plant-type Soul Beasts, and Soul Beasts with unusual Soul Skills.

The three books Lin Hao held covered rare spirits, rare Soul Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest, and rare Soul Beasts of the Sunset Forest.

Of course, those six books could not cover everything. But neither of them had a storage Soul Tool, so they could only take three each and return to Yu Xiaogang's bedroom for more once they had finished reading.

To be honest, Lin Hao badly wanted the storage-belt Soul Tool Yu Xiaogang owned: the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges that Tang San acquired in the original story.

It had twenty-four gems, each with one cubic meter of storage space. I'll have to find a chance to get it from him.

Back at Dorm Seven, Lin Hao eagerly opened the book on rare Soul Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

He had to admit that the information Yu Xiaogang had obtained from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and Pope's Hall was quite detailed. It even included the Mutated Two-Headed Cyclops, a Soul Beast that appeared only as an occasional mutation.

There were still two days before classes began. Apart from eating and sleeping, Lin Hao spent them studying Soul Beasts and spirits as hard as he could.

During that time, Lin Hao also settled on the Soul Beast he needed for his Heavenly Blade spirit's first Soul Ring. After all, he did not know whether Tang Hao would catch a suitable one for him after helping Tang San obtain his first Soul Ring.

It can't hurt to choose one first. If Tang Hao doesn't help, I'll ask the Notting City Dean. With my Mutated Long-Blade Spirit and Innate Full Soul Power, he'll invest in me unless he's a fool.

As for the Heavenly Blade spirit's first Soul Ring, Lin Hao had an ideal choice in mind: the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, whose metal aspect came close to the ultimate.

But Lin Hao knew he had no chance of finding a suitable hundred-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear on his own.

So for the Heavenly Blade spirit's first Soul Ring, any strength-type Soul Beast with a metal aspect would do.

Time flew. Lin Hao and Tang San had been attending school in Notting City for ten days.

One day, just after class, they ran into Tang Hao outside the teaching building.

The moment Tang San saw him, he cried out excitedly, "Dad!"

Tang San dashed over, and Tang Hao scooped him up and spun him around.

Lin Hao walked over too.

"Uncle Hao!"

After setting Tang San down, Tang Hao patted both boys on the head.

"Come on, Little Hao, Little San. I've found the Soul Beasts you need for your first Soul Rings. They're just outside Notting City."

Hearing that Tang Hao had hunted one for him too, Lin Hao excitedly thanked him.

"Thank you, Uncle Hao! Thank you so much!"

"I'll definitely repay you someday, Uncle Hao."

Tang Hao smiled at Lin Hao's thanks. I watched this boy grow up. He's Little San's good friend, and he awakened a Mutated Long-Blade Spirit. They can sharpen each other now, and when the time comes to avenge Ah Yin and the clan, Little San will be able to count on him.

"All right, let's go!"

Lin Hao and Tang San followed Tang Hao out of Notting City.

Along the way, Tang San skipped beside Tang Hao, chatting and acting spoiled, while Lin Hao followed behind.

Lin Hao followed them to a small hill about ten kilometers from Notting City.

Tang Hao pushed aside the grass, revealing a bloodied tiger and a stalk of bamboo with a metallic sheen.

"A Vajra Tiger! Vajra Bamboo!"

After more than ten days studying Yu Xiaogang's materials, Lin Hao recognized both.

The tiger was a Vajra Tiger, a strength-type Soul Beast with the metal aspect Lin Hao had wanted for his first Soul Ring. Judging by its markings, it was around four hundred years old—an excellent fit for him.

The bamboo was called Vajra Bamboo. It had immense vitality and an exceptionally tough body. More importantly, it had an innate Soul Skill perfectly suited to Blue Silver Grass.

That skill was branching. Thanks to its powerful vitality, Vajra Bamboo grew many branches, and those branches sprouted more of their own. Every new branch was extremely tough. Judging by its growth, this one was also around four hundred years old and an excellent fit for Tang San.

Clearly, Tang Hao had given the matter careful thought before hunting these two Soul Beasts for Lin Hao and Tang San.

"It's Vajra Bamboo! Dad, you're amazing!"

Tang San had clearly recognized it too.

Tang Hao chuckled.

"All right. Since you know what they are, you should know they're both around four hundred years old. Absorb them now.

Little Hao, you take the Vajra Tiger. Little San, you take the Vajra Bamboo."

With that, Tang Hao tossed them two daggers.

Lin Hao wasted no time. He thanked Tang Hao again, grabbed a dagger, and rushed at the badly wounded Vajra Tiger.

He plunged the blade into its head.

With a wet thunk, the Vajra Tiger died.

After a while, a yellow Soul Ring from the roughly four-hundred-year-old tiger slowly appeared above its body.

Lin Hao sat cross-legged and began absorbing it.

Seeing Lin Hao had already started, Tang San picked up his dagger and approached the Vajra Bamboo...

Three hours later, Lin Hao slowly opened his eyes and smiled in satisfaction.

With Hundred-Meridian Convergence, absorbing the roughly four-hundred-year Vajra Tiger Soul Ring had been effortless for him.

Once he finished, Lin Hao learned what his Heavenly Blade spirit's First Soul Skill did. He was more than satisfied.

"First Soul Skill: Vajra Slash."

When activated, the Heavenly Blade spirit's first strike gained twenty percent armor penetration and two hundred percent attack power.

After Lin Hao delivered that first strike, the armor penetration vanished. His attack power dropped to one hundred percent, while his defense and strength each increased by one hundred percent.

The effect lasted half an hour. It was a formidable Soul Skill.