A Titled Douluo flew swiftly. In less than an hour, Lu Xuan and Tang San arrived at the entrance to the Soul Hunting Forest.
The two landed, but the excitement and exhilaration on Tang San's face had yet to fade completely.
Clearly, Lu Xuan's earlier words had truly thrilled him.
"Little San!"
"All the principles are in books, but learning how to live happens outside them."
"Follow your heart. Think about what kind of person you hope to become, and you'll find the soul beast best suited to you."
Lu Xuan stood at the forest entrance, showing no intention whatsoever of going inside.
Far from finding anything wrong with this, Tang San took it as a sign of Lu Xuan's trust in him.
"Yes! Your disciple will never disappoint you, Teacher."
"Good. Go on!"
Lu Xuan smiled. "Remember: when you cannot decide, ask the spring breeze. If the spring breeze gives no answer, follow your heart."
As his words fell, Lu Xuan's blue-clad figure dissolved once more, leaving a blade of grass drifting in the air.
It was as though delivering Tang San to the Soul Hunting Forest's entrance had fulfilled every duty he had on this trip.
Bewildered, Tang San looked up at the sky, then felt the gentle breeze blowing toward him.
Clearly, he had not understood what Lu Xuan meant.
But that did not matter. Every word from a Titled Douluo was precious beyond measure. If he could not understand them now, it only meant his level was insufficient. Once he reached that level, understanding would naturally dawn.
For now, he only needed to grasp the parts he could understand.
"Follow my heart?"
Faithfully following his teacher's instructions, Tang San carefully savored the spring breeze blowing toward him.
"When you cannot decide, ask the spring breeze..."
"That's it!"
"Heaven gave me a second life. The only thing I want for my future is to rebuild the Tang Sect's glory on this continent, and what the Tang Sect is most famous for is hidden weapons and Poison Arts!"
"Hidden weapons have to be crafted by hand. But Poison Arts... could I incorporate them into my martial soul?"
As though his conception and governing vessels had suddenly been unblocked, all the tangled thoughts in Tang San's mind instantly became clear.
"That's right! Poison!"
"There are plenty of highly poisonous varieties of grass. If I can add a poison attribute to my Blue Silver Grass, then all I'll need to do in the future is entangle my enemies. Wouldn't that make me a control-type soul master?"
"If the spring breeze gives no answer, follow your heart!"
"Teacher, I understand!"
For the first time, Tang San felt that not only was his cultivation talent outstanding, but his comprehension was also heaven-defying.
A few words of guidance from a Titled Douluo would seem so obscure to others, yet he had fully digested them in mere moments.
"Whew..."
"A fine general has found a worthy talent!"
"For Teacher to find such an intelligent disciple as me, it truly is a rare stroke of fate."
Taking a deep breath, Tang San glanced at the spot where Lu Xuan had vanished, then resolutely turned and entered the Soul Hunting Forest alone, his heart brimming with zeal.
Elsewhere.
Lu Xuan was lying on a tree trunk, basking in the sun and wondering whether Tang San could find a four-hundred-year soul beast by himself!
"He should be able to, right? He is a child of destiny, after all."
"I've already taught him how to determine a soul beast's age. He probably won't sell himself short by absorbing an ordinary soul ring."
"Haha!"
"If you ask me, these system missions... really are easy."
"Basically, I don't have to take any responsibility. I just let my disciple roam free."
Lu Xuan chuckled.
"Xuan Zi, oh, Xuan Zi. Getting your template at random was simply perfect."
"I just need to be a little careful not to get Little San killed while messing around."
As for whether Tang San would consider him irresponsible...
Hadn't he seen how excited Tang San looked when he left?
"When you cannot decide, ask the spring breeze."
"Hehe..."
"Huh? Isn't that Lu..."
Just as Lu Xuan was sneering inwardly, several figures suddenly appeared nearby.
The middle-aged man leading them had intended to greet Lu Xuan upon seeing him, but halfway through, he swallowed his words and changed them to:
"Greetings, Your Eminence!"
Lu Xuan turned and discovered that the newcomer was Mo Hen, another teacher at Nuoding Academy.
Several plainly dressed students followed behind him. It seemed Mo Hen was leading a soul hunting expedition and had happened to encounter Lu Xuan here.
Lu Xuan smiled and greeted him.
"I told you, there's no need to be so stiff. Just call me Old Lu like usual."
"So, did the academy send you to take the students soul hunting?"
As fellow academy teachers, Lu Xuan and Mo Hen had always gotten along very well. Occasionally, after payday, they would even visit restaurants they normally couldn't bear to spend money on.
Thus, Lu Xuan had a very good impression of him.
Mo Hen looked up. Seeing that Lu Xuan was as easygoing as ever, almost no different from before, his tense expression relaxed a little.
"Yes, the academy sent me out last night to help these children obtain their first soul rings."
"What about you? I heard Tang San has innate full soul power. Are you here to take him soul hunting too?"
Lu Xuan nodded with a smile, then seemed to suddenly think of something and made a suggestion.
"How about this? Save yourselves the trouble. This exalted one... ahem, I'll take you for a flight and grab a few hundred-year soul beasts for you along the way."
"With the time we save, you and I can have a few drinks at a restaurant."
Mo Hen was a little surprised, but even more delighted. "Really? Would that be all right?"
Lu Xuan said, "Why wouldn't it be? It's hardly any trouble!"
When dealing with anyone other than Tang San, Lu Xuan still maintained his former warmhearted persona. After all, they had lived together for years. Who would soar to the heavens overnight and immediately start treating old acquaintances like ants?
Mo Hen was the first to feel Lu Xuan's sincerity and easygoing manner. He pulled the children beside him forward and said:
"Come on, thank Teacher Lu."
"Thank you, Teacher Lu! Thank you, Teacher Lu!"
Soon, Lu Xuan took them into the air, surveying the Soul Hunting Forest for soul beasts.
A streak of blue-gold light flashed past, drawing the attention of many soul beasts-and Tang San, who was feeling his way forward alone.
"Was that... Teacher?"
Tang San tilted his head toward the sky and watched that familiar streak of light disappear from view.
"Mm, Teacher must have been protecting me from the shadows all along. He suddenly noticed a danger ahead that I couldn't handle, so he went to clear the obstacle."
"With a teacher like this, why would I, Tang San, ever worry about becoming strong?"
He silently encouraged himself, his gaze growing ever firmer.
At that same moment, during the few seconds he stood still, a rustling of leaves suddenly sounded behind him.
"Something's moving!"
Tang San whipped around and saw a pack of gray wolves baring their fangs, watching him like tigers eyeing a delicious meal for their bellies.
"A wolf pack? Since Teacher left them here, he must have had a reason. Perhaps these are the prey he carefully selected to test my strength."
"Yes, that must be it. I really am clever."
Facing the wolf pack, Tang San's fighting spirit soared!
At last, it was his turn to show what he could do!
"To the inner disciples who looked down on me in my past life, and the mediocre fools who mocked my trash martial soul in this life, I, Tang San, will use this battle to prove to you:"
"I'm not trash! You're the ones too blind to recognize gold-inlaid jade! You let a precious pearl gather dust!"
"Come! Fight!"
"Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track..."
"Mysterious Jade Hand..."
Before you continue