Let Us Trust Tang San

Just as Tang San was considering how to kill the two of them, Master did not think much of it. He stepped forward and helped Tang San up, asking worriedly, "Xiao San, are you all right?"

Tang San was still hesitating over whether to kill Master. But if he did, he would have to go all the way. After all, his identity was what it was. No one could know that his soul did not belong to this world.

Yet when he saw the concern in Master's eyes, Tang San quietly lowered the left hand holding his sleeve arrow.

"Tang San, Master, are you all right?" Mano walked over at that moment, with Cheng Xiao following behind him.

"Xiao San, why did you let go just now? Do you know how dangerous that was? I couldn't even see you in the darkness," Master rebuked.

At those words, the heart Tang San had been holding in his chest finally settled. If Master had said he saw something, Tang San might truly have killed him in secret. But since Master had seen nothing, then so be it.

Leaving aside whether Master possessed vision like his Purple Demon Eyes, Tang San had been watching Master's expression the entire time. The concern in the other man's eyes did not seem feigned.

"I'm sorry, Teacher." Tang San put on an act, panting heavily as he said, "I just wildly swung the short sword you gave me and seemed to stab that Mandala Snake. It scared me to death."

Hearing this, Master turned to look at the Mandala Snake, whose aura was growing weaker and weaker. His expression changed from panic to wild delight. "Wonderful, Xiao San! Your Soul Ring has been found!"

"A Soul Ring?" Tang San froze slightly, asking in surprise, "Teacher, you don't mean for me to absorb this snake's Soul Ring, do you?"

"That's right. Absorbing the Mandala Snake's Soul Ring will grant you an Entangling Soul Skill, while also adding some of the Mandala Snake's venom," Master said seriously.

"Tang San, listen to your teacher." Mano nodded. "After you absorb the Soul Ring, we'll help Cheng Xiao hunt for his."

"Cheng Xiao?" Tang San's heart skipped a beat. Cheng Xiao had survived?

At those words, Cheng Xiao stepped out from behind Mano and smiled at Tang San. "Tang San, just listen to Master. His theories can't possibly be wrong."

"Yes, Xiao San. Hurry and absorb this Mandala Snake's Soul Ring," Master urged.

Although Tang San trusted Master's theories, he did not know why, but he sensed impatience in Cheng Xiao's words. It was as though Cheng Xiao, rather than Tang San, was the one about to absorb the Soul Ring.

To be safe, Tang San still voiced his doubts to Master. "Teacher, my Martial Soul is a plant. Wouldn't it be better if I absorbed the Soul Ring of a plant-type Soul Beast?"

Master was somewhat displeased, but on second thought, Tang San's words made sense. He might as well explain it on the spot and let Tang San understand the importance of Martial Soul theory.

Master drew a deep breath and slowly said, "Among the Ten Core Competition Theories of Martial Souls that I have researched, one states that plant Martial Souls are not necessarily unable to absorb the Soul Rings of animal Soul Beasts. This Mandala Snake possesses both the toughness your Blue Silver Grass needs and toxicity."

"But if I absorb it, will there really be no conflict?" Tang San still did not feel entirely reassured.

Master looked deeply at Tang San and said in a low voice, "Xiao San, whether it is Common Soul Masters or those people from Spirit Hall, they all dismiss my Ten Core Competition Theories with contempt. No one believes in them."

"However, even if no one has ever tested my theories, practice is the sole criterion of truth, and the only way to test truth is to try it."

"Xiao San, are you willing to try?"

Tang San saw fanaticism in Master's eyes. This was the man who had guessed he possessed Twin Martial Souls from nothing more than a Martial Soul theory certificate, a pioneer in Martial Soul theory research. How could Tang San not trust him?

Tang San sincerely respected Master's Martial Soul theories. His earlier suspicions had merely been influenced by Cheng Xiao's words. But now, he intended to genuinely put Master's theories into practice. It was also what he ought to do as a disciple.

"Teacher, I am willing." Tang San drew a deep breath and said solemnly, "Let me help you put your Martial Soul theories into practice. I believe your many years of Martial Soul theory research cannot possibly be wrong."

"Good. You are indeed my disciple." Master's eyes were full of gratification as he looked at Tang San.

Do you see that? This is Yu Xiaogang's disciple, willing to put my Martial Soul theory knowledge into practice. Let those Soul Masters who do not understand my Martial Soul theories just wait and see. Yu Xiaogang's disciple will surely become one of the continent's greatest experts in the future!

Tang San took a deep breath and slowly raised his right hand, gradually gathering the remaining Soul Power in his body into his palm. Amid a pale blue glow, Blue Silver Grass grew from his hand.

Drawn by the pale blue light, the Mandala Snake's Soul Ring flew toward Tang San. Then it suddenly contracted, becoming incomparably solid as it settled around his body.

Immediately afterward, Tang San felt a stream of heat surge into his body. Amid that strange sensation, he slowly closed his eyes.

As Tang San began absorbing the Soul Ring, Master, who had been forcing himself to stay upright, collapsed to the ground. During his confrontation with the Mandala Snake, his Martial Soul, Luo San Pao, had unfortunately been bitten. The venom flared up now, and the focus he had forced himself to maintain blurred as he fell unconscious.

"Xiao Gang!" Seeing Master faint, Mano hurried to his side, propped him against a nearby tree, and checked his pulse.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness." Seeing Master's blackened, purplish face, Mano let out a breath of relief and said awkwardly, "Fortunately, it's only snake venom. He can still be saved."

"Dean Mano, hurry and detoxify Master." Master's miserable state was difficult for Cheng Xiao to look at. It was not that his sympathy had overflowed, but Master's current appearance was simply... unsettling.

That blackened, purplish face looked like a festering boil that could burst at any moment. Cheng Xiao turned away in disgust and stopped looking at Master, lest he make himself sick.

It was not that he held any prejudice against Master, but what had happened before him made it impossible not to. What kind of decent teacher brought students out to hunt Soul Beasts, only to nearly be killed by one in return?

Even if Cheng Xiao had held no prejudice against Master before, he could not help having one now.

"Fine." Mano answered, then lifted Master's clothes and began examining him carefully.

A moment later, Mano withdrew his hand with a stiff expression, as though he had encountered some inexplicable obstacle.

"Dean, what's wrong?" Cheng Xiao asked in confusion.

"Nothing... nothing." Mano waved his hand awkwardly. After that series of examinations, he had discovered that the area at the root of Master's thigh was where the poisoning was deepest.

"What should I do?" Mano could not help hesitating as he stared at the poisoned area.

Though he and Master were friends, the poisoned location was simply too awkward. Asking an elderly man like him to help Master detoxify it was truly too difficult.

But if he used Soul Power to force the venom out, unexpected things might happen. After all, he was not young anymore, and such fine control of Soul Power was beyond him. What if he made a mistake and left Master unable to have descendants?

"Dean, once Tang San finishes absorbing the ring, let him do it," Cheng Xiao suddenly said as Mano hesitated.

"No. Tang San is still only a child. He may not be as reliable as I am." Mano immediately shook his head. If Tang San were to do it, Mano might as well do it himself.

"Dean, let Tang San do it." Cheng Xiao smiled. "Tang San played a major role in defeating the Mandala Snake just now. Although he killed it in a panic, judging by what he showed, he possesses talent far beyond ordinary people."

"Dean, let us trust Tang San. Besides, he and Master are teacher and disciple."