Seeing Lin Yang form hand seals again, Tang San increased his Soul Power output, and more Blue Silver Grass burst out of the ground.
At the same time, several strands of Blue Silver Grass appeared beneath Lin Yang's feet without warning, attempting to interrupt his technique.
Lin Yang lightly hopped backward to evade the attack. His Soul Power finished gathering, and while he was still airborne, a stream of flame poured from his mouth.
The flame looked unremarkable, but the instant it touched the Blue Silver Grass, it spread violently, becoming a wave of fire over three meters wide and five or six meters high that rolled toward Tang San.
None of the Blue Silver Grass nearby lasted even a second before turning to ash. With the grass feeding it, the fire even grew a little stronger.
Seeing this, Tang San stopped trying to block the fire. His feet tapped rapidly against the ground as he hurried out of its attack range.
The flames rolled past, and a wave of heat struck his face from several meters away. A strong burnt smell flooded Tang San's nostrils, and cold sweat covered his forehead.
Just then, purple light flashed in his eyes, and he instantly darted away from where he stood.
In the next second, Lin Yang appeared there. His Sharingan spun, and without pausing, he immediately charged in another direction.
Seeing Lin Yang pursuing him relentlessly, Tang San spun around and raised his arm as though to defend himself. But in the next instant, a streak of black light shot out silently, swift as lightning.
Lin Yang narrowed his eyes slightly. His tomoe rotated slowly, and the world seemed to shift into slow motion before his eyes.
A small black crossbow bolt came into view, its spiral tip piercing through layer after layer of air as it shot straight toward his shoulder.
Playing with hidden weapons in front of the Sharingan? Lin Yang merely turned slightly sideways, then extended his hand, wrapped in a jade glow, and lightly tapped the passing bolt.
The bolt instantly lost its balance, its force diminishing slightly. Then he reached out and caught it in one hand before Tang San's widening eyes.
Its powerful momentum forced Lin Yang back two steps. The bolt trembled faintly in his hand, giving off a vibrating hum.
Steadying himself, he spun his Sharingan rapidly, various trajectories taking shape before his eyes. He raised his foot and stamped down hard, sending countless pieces of gravel into the air.
Lin Yang's hands moved swiftly, launching the stones toward Tang San from all sorts of angles.
Tang San's eyes turned completely purple, and his hands took on a jade hue. His feet moved rapidly as he dodged whatever he could and slapped aside whatever he could not.
A familiar streak of black light suddenly emerged from behind a stone. At the critical instant, Tang San jerked his head sideways and dodged the strike.
Tang San turned and stared at Lin Yang, who stood in the distance with his arms crossed. His brows furrowed slightly. This throwing technique had excellent speed and force, but its accuracy left something to be desired.
Just as he thought this, a faint whistle sounded behind him. Before he could react, a familiar black crossbow bolt spun past his arm.
The bolt embedded itself in the ground nearby, its tail still trembling faintly, while a slit quietly appeared in the fabric covering Tang San's right arm.
How did he do that?! Tang San's eyes widened, his face full of shock.
While Tang San stood stunned, Lin Yang pursed his lips. The final trajectory had deviated considerably from what he had envisioned. As expected, mastering it on his first attempt was impossible.
A few seconds earlier, just as Tang San had dodged the bolt and relaxed a little, the stones behind him had bounced off trees or the ground, then collided with other stones and ricocheted again.
After being struck by several stones in succession, the bolt had actually made a full hundred-and-eighty-degree turn, spinning toward Tang San.
However, that was a far cry from his intended result of having the bolt's tail strike Tang San in the back.
This was a throwing technique unique to the Uchiha Clan, but he had relied entirely on the powerful perception his eyes provided to analyze, predict, and anticipate the trajectories.
Reality proved that some things really were easy to grasp at a glance, only to fall apart the moment you tried them.
[Sasuke Uchiha portrayal +1, current: 7]
Huh? Sasuke? What did I do? Looks like this panel's evaluation method isn't as simple as I thought.
Tang San's body trembled slightly as he lowered his head and looked at his hands.
He had been utterly crushed in every aspect, and his Mysterious Jade Hand had even been learned on the spot. If not for the absence of any Mysterious Heaven Skill fluctuations within the other boy, he would have suspected that a Tang Sect elder had transmigrated too.
And that throwing technique could make a hidden weapon turn back for a second attack after missing its target. It was simply unheard of. Which of us is actually from the Tang Sect, you or me?
Just as Tang San began questioning his life, Grandmaster, who had been watching from the sidelines, suddenly spoke, interrupting his thoughts.
"What Soul Beast did you absorb? How old was it?"
Grandmaster looked at Lin Yang with anxiety filling his eyes, like a child desperate to learn the answer.
Lin Yang sensed the scant Soul Power remaining within him and silently deactivated his Sharingan. He turned to glance at Grandmaster, his lips moving slightly.
"A Blazing Fire Ape. Eight hundred and seventy-two years."
"Eight hundred and seventy-two years?!" ×2.
Grandmaster and Tang San cried out at the same time.
"No, impossible. The limit for the first soul ring should be four hundred and twenty-three years. Even if you exceeded it a little, the gap couldn't possibly be this large."
Grandmaster's eyes were filled with disbelief. He could not bring himself to accept this result.
Lin Yang shrugged, having no intention of explaining.
Tang San looked at Lin Yang in bewilderment. As someone who had personally put Grandmaster's theories into practice, he naturally would not consider Grandmaster's words empty talk.
But the facts were right before him. The other boy's strength, speed, and every other ability far surpassed his own. The deep-yellow Soul Ring that had appeared during their fight was still vivid in his mind.
Eight hundred and seventy-two years-even older than the limit Grandmaster had given for the second soul ring.
Having just absorbed a Soul Ring himself, he knew that the sensation of his organs burning could not be faked. He absolutely could not have endured one any older.
That left only one answer: Lin Yang himself was special. He was an exception.
Though he had never said it aloud, deep down he had inevitably considered himself a genius. Now it seemed there really was always someone beyond you.
He had already met someone stronger than himself at a mere junior academy. He would probably encounter even more in the future, so he had better not become too proud.
"What did you just say the Soul Beast you absorbed was?" Grandmaster abruptly raised his head.
"A Blazing Fire Ape."
Lin Yang massaged his temples. The lingering effects of overtaxing his Spiritual Force remained, and he gave a casual reply upon hearing Grandmaster's question.
"Blazing Fire Apes... volatile tempers, bodies wreathed in blazing flames, boundless strength. Most commonly encountered ones are thousand-year beasts," Grandmaster muttered to himself.
Usually a thousand years old? Then was the one I killed underdeveloped? Lin Yang's gaze turned a little strange.
"Isn't your Martial Soul your eyes? How could you absorb a Blazing Fire Ape's Soul Ring? Wouldn't there be rejection?"
Grandmaster had suddenly thought of something.
"Hasn't it already happened? Oh, right. You lost the bet."
Lin Yang looked at Grandmaster speechlessly, taking the opportunity to remind him.
Grandmaster was, after all, an old hand. Though Lin Yang's existence had dealt an enormous blow to his theories, after a few deep breaths, his emotions gradually settled.
"All right. Tell me."
Seeing him recover so quickly, Lin Yang gave him another look.
He had not let anger cloud his judgment. It seemed he was not completely worthless after all.
As for his request, though, several familiar figures flashed through Lin Yang's mind.
"I haven't decided yet. Perhaps one day in the future, I'll need you to fulfill that promise. Don't worry. I won't make you hurt anyone."
"...All right. But I have a request."
Grandmaster hesitated, then nodded without pressing further. Instead, he suddenly fixed Lin Yang with a burning gaze.
That look sent a shiver through Lin Yang, and he immediately stepped backward.
"Go ahead."
Grandmaster paid no attention to his movement. He continued staring at him with shining eyes, as though gazing at a rare treasure.
"There are far too many unusual things about you. I'd like to conduct a few experiments on you and collect some data. Would that be all right? If successful, it would be a major breakthrough in the history of Soul Masters."
"..."
"No!"
Before you continue