After losing the sparring match, Tang San left with his head hanging, much to the displeasure of Xiao Wu, who had been standing nearby itching for a turn. She shook her little fist at his retreating back.
Seeing her reaction, Tang Hao frowned from his hiding place. His plan was for Tang San to build a good relationship with Xiao Wu so that she would sacrifice herself to him in the future. But judging by the current situation, his foolish son seemed rather slow on the uptake.
Yet just as Tang Hao was wondering whether he should abduct Xiao Wu and keep her captive, he heard her voice drift over from afar.
"Forget it, I'll follow him and take a look. Then I can challenge him right away. Lu Yang, I'm off! Let's fight again next time!"
With that, Xiao Wu jogged off in the direction Tang San had gone, without even waiting for Lu Yang to recover.
Tang Hao watched Xiao Wu leave, his muscle-bound brain filled with question marks. He kept feeling that her attitude was somewhat different from what he had expected, but he could not put his finger on how.
Still, Xiao Wu's attitude also made Tang Hao lower his guard. At least as he saw it, she had only just taken human form and did not yet understand human emotions. She had retained her personality as a soul beast and wanted to fight everyone she met.
Lu Yang seemed to be the same. They were all children, without so many complicated thoughts.
Reassured, Tang Hao untied the wine gourd at his waist and took a hefty swig. The taste of the cheap ale made him frown. He had been drinking it for years, yet lately it never seemed quite as good.
Perhaps it was because he had seen Tang San go to the Spirit Hall to collect his soul master allowance earlier? Although Tang Hao wished he could hammer everyone in the Spirit Hall to death, prove himself the invincible Clear Sky Douluo, and return to the Clear Sky Sect in glory, he certainly did not object to his son Tang San collecting an allowance from the Spirit Hall. Those were Gold Soul Coins! If Tang San gave him that money, he could buy some good wine!
Unfortunately, before sending Tang San to the Soul Master Academy, he had already told him that he would have to earn his own living from then on. Now he could not swallow his pride and ask Tang San for money. After all, Tang San, with his twin martial souls, was also a crucial part of his return to the sect.
After Xiao Wu and Tang San left, Lu Yang did not linger on the training ground either. Instead, he headed straight for the classroom.
Every morning, the academy taught knowledge about soul masters, while the afternoons were left for students to spend as they pleased. However, work-study students like Lu Yang still had to complete their assigned quota of work.
In fact, after becoming soul masters, Lu Yang, Tang San, and Xiao Wu could all collect soul master allowances from the Spirit Hall. With that income, they no longer needed to remain work-study students and could pay their tuition normally.
But Lu Yang felt he might not stay in Nuoding City much longer, so he had not bothered to arrange it. Tang San and Xiao Wu had no intention of doing so either.
Tang San did not attend the morning classes. After losing the sparring match, he had gone to see Yu Xiaogang.
"San, is what you said true?!"
"Lu Yang's first soul ring is a purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring?!"
Yu Xiaogang's shocked voice echoed through his office.
"Yes, Teacher. I saw it with my own eyes. His first soul ring is a Thousand-Year Soul Ring-a purple one!" Yu Xiaogang shook Tang San back and forth forcefully, but Tang San still answered him firmly.
"No... how could that be? This... this is impossible!" Yu Xiaogang muttered to himself.
Seeing his teacher like this, Tang San was at a loss. In his eyes, Grandmaster had always carried himself like an eminent expert, brimming with confidence whenever he taught him about martial souls. Yet now, Grandmaster looked positively deranged.
Could... could this also be because of his theories? Is Teacher so excited because he's discovered something beyond what his theories can explain?
As Yu Xiaogang's devoted admirer, Tang San automatically supplied a reasonably plausible explanation in his mind.
"I understand now!" Yu Xiaogang's sudden cry interrupted Tang San's mental explanation.
"Lu Yang's martial soul is a ball of light. His first soul ring must grant a soul skill that can control or alter the color of light, which is why he changed the color of his first soul ring!"
"The maximum age for a first soul ring is four hundred and twenty-three years. There is absolutely no mistake about that!"
After his brain raced through the possibilities, Yu Xiaogang found an explanation he considered reasonable. Yet before he could enjoy it for long, a single sentence from Tang San shattered his confidence again.
"But Teacher, Lu Yang's first soul skill is an enhancement-type soul skill," Tang San said.
"I saw it with my own eyes. Lu Yang used his first soul skill when he sparred with both Xiao Wu and me. It was an enhancement-type soul skill, and his martial soul can also conjure flames. If not for that, I wouldn't have lost to him."
"This... how could this be?" After hearing Tang San's words, that was the only thought left in Yu Xiaogang's mind.
Yu Xiaogang had been so confident. After learning that Lu Yang had innate full soul power, he had gone to verify it himself. Lu Yang's martial soul was just a ball of light. Where had this fire attribute come from?
Watching Yu Xiaogang fall into a stupor again, Tang San no longer knew what excuse to make for his respected teacher...
Once the morning classes ended, Xiao Wu went to the dining hall with Wang Sheng and the others. By then, Yu Xiaogang and Tang San were already waiting there.
As soon as he spotted Xiao Wu and the others, Tang San hurried over.
"Xiao Wu, where's Lu Yang?" The moment they met, Tang San began asking about Lu Yang's whereabouts.
"Lu Yang? I don't know. He disappeared before the last class," Xiao Wu replied.
Yu Xiaogang's expression shifted at her answer. He was desperate to learn why Lu Yang's first soul ring was a thousand-year one. He was even beginning to suspect that Lu Yang might have twin martial souls, just like Tang San.
But if he could not find Lu Yang, who could confirm his suspicions?
After pondering for quite a while, Yu Xiaogang finally thought of someone. He rushed out of the dining hall, even forgetting that he had intended to take Tang San upstairs to eat.
Yu Xiaogang intercepted Director Su outside the academic affairs director's office just as he was leaving for lunch. The instant they met, he asked urgently, "Director Su, tell me, where has Lu Yang gone?"
"Lu Yang? How would I know where he's gone? At this hour, shouldn't he have just finished class and headed to the dining hall for lunch?" Director Su asked, baffled.
"He never went to the dining hall! And his classmates said he didn't even attend the last class!" Yu Xiaogang roared.
"Director Su, as Nuoding Academy's academic affairs director, shouldn't you do something when students neglect their classes?!" Yu Xiaogang even began reproaching Director Su.
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