Teacher, He Has a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring

The moment Lu Yuan finished speaking, Big Luck's wheels roared into motion under his control!

Its pitch-black steel body charged toward the strands of Blue Silver Grass like a beast waking from its slumber!

There were no dazzling Spirit Skill effects!

No earth-shaking display of power!

Just one simple collision!

And Lu Yuan had even held back his true strength. He hadn't climbed aboard Big Luck and pushed it to full power.

Yet that simple collision

turned Tang San's face deathly pale!

He watched the net of Blue Silver Grass he had so carefully laid out crumple before the iron behemoth, as flimsy as a sheet of paper.

Wherever the steel struck, vines snapped apart. They couldn't hold it back for even a second.

Tang San's expression changed drastically as Big Luck bore down on him. He hurriedly crossed his arms before his chest, trying to withstand the blow.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan showed mercy and had Big Luck give him only the lightest nudge.

Bang!

But even that was more than Tang San could bear.

He felt as though a charging buffalo had slammed into him head-on.

The next instant, Tang San flew backward like a kite with its string cut. He tumbled three times through the air before crashing into the grass.

"Pfft!"

He lay sprawled on the ground, staring at Lu Yuan in terror as a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Big Luck hadn't used a Spirit Skill or even gone into overload. It had merely brushed against Tang San.

Yet that brush had nearly killed him.

Lu Yuan looked down at Tang San, curled his lip, and smiled calmly. "That's it? And you wanted to test Big Luck? You can't handle it!"

Grimacing, Tang San struggled to his feet. His arms were numb, and his chest ached.

It wasn't just the injury. The humiliation stung too.

He had never imagined that someone who appeared to have zero Soul Power could be so terrifying.

He was no match for Lu Yuan. He had been utterly crushed.

But Tang San couldn't accept it.

He was an outer disciple of the Tang Sect, born with Innate Full Soul Power and personally taught by Yu Xiaogang. His Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul might be somewhat lacking, but still...

He hadn't even been able to take a single blow from his opponent!

Worse, Lu Yuan hadn't used a Spirit Skill at all. The sheer physical force of his Martial Soul had crushed Tang San. It was humiliating.

No amount of technique or trickery could bridge a gap like that.

Resentment burned in Tang San's chest as he clenched his fists.

He had been called a genius since childhood. Both his cultivation speed and combat talent ranked among the best of his generation.

Yet now he couldn't even force someone his own age to use a finishing move!

That blow to his pride hurt more than any injury.

Seeing Tang San standing there in a daze, Lu Yuan grinned. "Hey, are we still fighting?"

Tang San quickly shook his head and waved both hands.

"No! No more! What's the point? You nearly killed me!"

As he spoke, Tang San raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.

He looked at Lu Yuan a few more times, his expression conflicted. "I lost."

Lu Yuan chuckled. "Move aside, then. I've eaten my fill, and I'm leaving."

Tang San nodded. Like a child who had done something wrong, he silently stepped aside to clear the road.

He watched Lu Yuan climb onto the pitch-black steel beast and drive past him, eventually disappearing at the end of the road.

Tang San remained where he was for a long time, silent.

A sudden gust lifted a few strands of hair from his forehead, revealing the purple light flickering clearly in his eyes.

"A Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring... a Handcart Martial Soul... and such terrifying physical power..."

Tang San's hands slowly tightened into fists again as he murmured to himself.

"I... I'll find out your secret!"

"If I can use a worthless Martial Soul to obtain an even stronger Spirit Ring..."

"Then I'll be invincible in this world too!"

Tang San lifted his head and looked in the direction Lu Yuan had gone. A sharp purple gleam flashed in his eyes.

He turned and walked toward the carriage.

The coachman had seen the fight between Tang San and Lu Yuan, and it had scared him half to death.

He had nearly seized the reins and urged the horse away, afraid that if Lu Yuan killed Tang San, his own life would be next.

That evening, Tang San returned to Nuoding Academy.

Inside the teachers' dormitory at Nuoding Academy,

Yu Xiaogang sat at a desk, holding a yellowed ancient book and reading it with complete concentration.

He wore a gray robe and had close-cropped hair and a lean face. Beneath his brows, his eyes were bright and keen with a scholar's curiosity.

Yu Xiaogang was an outcast of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. In the eyes of others, he was also a "good-for-nothing."

After all, he was a "theorist" who would never break through level thirty.

But those labels had never broken him.

He firmly believed that knowledge could solve problems strength could not.

He had devoted half his life to writing the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul.

The work was highly regarded even among Spirit Hall's upper ranks and had been called "the most authoritative theoretical text in the world of Soul Masters."

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door.

Then came a knock.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Three knocks.

"Teacher, it's me." Tang San's voice came from outside.

"Come in." Yu Xiaogang put down his book, a warm smile appearing on his face.

He cared deeply for Tang San and thought highly of him.

The door opened, and Tang San entered.

Something seemed off about his expression as he approached Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang caught it at once, and his brows drew together slightly.

"Little San, what's wrong? Why did you get back later than usual today?" Yu Xiaogang asked, looking at him.

Tang San took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice steady. "Teacher, I... I met someone on the road today."

"Who?" Yu Xiaogang turned, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

"A boy about my age." Tang San chose his words for a few seconds before continuing. "He awakened a very strange Martial Soul... a Handcart."

Yu Xiaogang nodded, not particularly concerned. "Oh? A Tool Martial Soul. Just a mutated form. Rare, but not unheard of."

"Plenty of strange Martial Souls have appeared throughout the continent's history. One Titled Douluo had an iron pot for a Martial Soul, and he still cultivated all the way to level ninety-seven."

"But Teacher..." Tang San hesitated, then told him the truth. "He... he has a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring."