Tang San Absorbs a Ten-Year Spirit Ring

An hour later, Ye Lin slowly opened his eyes.

He looked far more alert than he had before the absorption.

Yu Xiaogang crouched beside him. "How do you feel?"

Ye Lin stood and rolled his shoulders.

"Teacher, I feel stronger in every way! I'm much stronger, my body feels tougher, and even my reactions are faster. I'm on a whole different level from before!"

Yu Xiaogang nodded. "What's your first spirit skill?"

Ye Lin focused for a moment.

"My first spirit skill is called Great Strength. Its passive effect permanently increases my attack power by twenty percent."

"If I activate it, my attack and defense each increase by another fifty percent."

Yu Xiaogang smiled with satisfaction.

"A pure enhancement skill, without any flashy extras."

"For a Soul Master who fights with his body, that's the ideal choice."

"A permanent twenty-percent boost to attack, plus fifty percent to both attack and defense when activated. You chose the right Spirit Ring."

Ye Lin broke into a grin, delighted.

A few steps away, Tang San looked perfectly calm, but envy was already eating him alive.

It's just a lousy four-hundred-year Spirit Ring. Look how happy he is.

A pure enhancement skill. Easy for Gangzi to say.

Enhancement skills might not look impressive early on, but the further you go, the more valuable a percentage boost becomes. At the Titled Douluo level, what would a fifty-percent increase to both attack and defense mean?

Fuck, that bastard Ye Lin is way too lucky!

He found some random ape and got a skill like that?

In my last life, I went to all that trouble to kill a Mandala Snake and ended up with the useless Blue Silver Entanglement. He just stumbles into a top-tier skill.

With his back to Tang San, Yu Xiaogang heard every bitter thought clearly.

He was even more pleased with Ye Lin's first spirit skill.

He patted Ye Lin's shoulder. "Let's go. Now that you have your Spirit Ring, we can head back."

"I'll have them make you two extra dishes to celebrate."

Ye Lin nodded eagerly. "Thank you, Teacher!"

Tang San trailed behind the group with his hands tucked into his sleeves.

Fine, enjoy yourself. The happier you are now, the worse your death will be.

Once I get two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones and a Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Ring, I'll show you what real power looks like. You'll kneel and beg me to teach you a move or two, and I won't even spare you a glance.

Yu Xiaogang looked at Tang San.

"Tang San, what do you want to do about your Spirit Ring? Find a century-old soul beast of a suitable age and absorb its ring, or go back for that Ten-Year Blue Silver Grass?"

Tang San stopped and fell silent for a moment.

The memory of absorbing a four-hundred-year Mandala Snake in his previous life flashed through his mind.

That ring had given him Blue Silver Entanglement.

It had seemed decent at first, but later on, its poison barely tickled, and its vines couldn't even touch an opponent's clothes.

It had wasted an entire Spirit Ring slot.

He had no intention of repeating that mistake in this life.

A suitable spirit skill mattered more than a Spirit Ring's age.

"Let's go back," Tang San said, lifting his head. "I'll absorb that Ten-Year Blue Silver Grass."

Tang San had already made his plans. He would absorb the Ten-Year Blue Silver Grass now. Later, after Xiao Wu sacrificed herself for him, he could replace all these low-level trash Spirit Rings when he revived her.

He had already chosen his future first Spirit Ring: the Blue Silver King in the Blue Silver Forest.

It would be the Blue Silver King's honor to become part of an emperor's power.

"All right. Let's turn back."

Ye Lin stole a glance at Tang San, puzzled.

He wants to absorb a Ten-Year Blue Silver Grass?

Is this guy really Tang San?

The group retraced its steps.

The Blue Silver Grass was still growing there.

Tang San snapped it with his fingers, killing it, then absorbed its Spirit Ring.

In less time than it took to drink half a cup of tea, Tang San opened his eyes.

"How do you feel? What's your first spirit skill?"

Yu Xiaogang waited for his answer.

Tang San flexed his fingers.

"Not bad. My first spirit skill is Blue Silver Healing. It can heal minor injuries and restore a little stamina. It doesn't use much Soul Power, so I can cast it repeatedly."

Yu Xiaogang nodded. "A healing skill from a Ten-Year Spirit Ring suits Blue Silver Grass's inherent nature. If you take the support path, it's not a bad start."

Tang San gave a quiet acknowledgment and said nothing more.

The group left the Soul Hunting Forest and stopped briefly in Nuoding City.

Yu Xiaogang took Sigma back to the academy to arrange dinner.

Before leaving, he told Ye Lin and Tang San to visit the local Spirit Hall branch and register as Soul Masters.

"You both have Spirit Rings now, so you're officially Soul Masters."

"Register and you'll get a monthly stipend of one Gold Soul Coin. Don't let Spirit Hall keep it."

With that, Yu Xiaogang waved and left.

Ye Lin and Tang San walked side by side to the Spirit Hall branch in Nuoding City.

When they came out, both had registered as Soul Masters and received a Soul Master badge and one Gold Soul Coin.

Both were level eleven Soul Masters.

By the time they left the branch, the sun was sinking westward, and lights were coming on in the shops along the street.

Tang San walked ahead, with Ye Lin half a step behind. After hesitating, Ye Lin spoke.

"Tang San, um..."

"I'm sorry."

Tang San faltered for an instant.

"What for?"

"I know you wanted Grandmaster to take you as his disciple. All of this should have been yours."

"I don't even know why Grandmaster accepted me instead."

"He gave me bedding and a Storage Soul Tool, too."

"And about the bedding..."

Ye Lin scratched his cheek.

"Xiao Wu shares my blanket, but I didn't ask her to. She insisted on sleeping with me."

The more he said, the more he felt something was off.

Tang San was silent for a moment.

"You don't need to apologize. I never wanted to be that loser's disciple anyway."

"I've heard about him. He's just a fraud chasing fame."

"You'd better worry about yourself."

"As for Xiao Wu, sleep however you like. It has nothing to do with me. I don't even know her."

"But she doesn't look like someone you should mess with. You'd better keep your distance from her."

Ye Lin nodded in agreement.

Tang San acted as if he didn't care, but his heart was bleeding. The thought of his wife sleeping beside another man every night was unbearable.

When they returned to Nuoding Academy, the smell of dinner was already drifting from the cafeteria.

One went to eat on the first floor; the other headed upstairs.

After dinner, Ye Lin made his way to Yu Xiaogang's room.

"Come, sit down."

Ye Lin obediently sat across from him.

Yu Xiaogang handed him one of the booklets.

"This is a cultivation method I've been putting together. It's much better than the one I gave you before."

"From today on, use this method to cultivate. Remember, you must not pass it on."

Ye Lin's expression turned serious, and he nodded repeatedly.

"Don't worry, Teacher. I won't tell anyone."

He put the booklet into his Storage Soul Tool belt.

"Thank you, Teacher!"

Yu Xiaogang waved a hand. "All right. Go back and get some rest. Cultivate on schedule every day, and don't slack off."

Ye Lin acknowledged him and returned to the dormitory.

Yu Xiaogang sat for a while, then took out another booklet.

It contained the complete Mysterious Heaven Skill, which he had copied down outside Dorm Seven that morning.

The booklet he had given Ye Lin was a fresh copy he had written out.

Let's see what's so special about this Mysterious Heaven Skill.

He closed his eyes and began circulating his Soul Power according to the instructions.

At first, he felt nothing unusual.

But soon, Yu Xiaogang sensed something change, and delight spread across his face.

The bottleneck that had kept him at level twenty-nine for most of his life had loosened!