After Grandmaster explained the design and workings of a male chastity belt in detail,
Tang San nodded, then turned a rather odd look on Ma Bangde.
Ma Bangde looked deeply embarrassed as well. After all, this was something of a family disgrace.
Still, he told them the whole story.
As it turned out, he had a grandson named Ma Hongjun.
Welcoming a grandson into his arms should have been a joyous occasion.
But Ma Hongjun had been born with an abnormally high body temperature. Everyone knew that women were exceptionally vulnerable during childbirth, and his mother had developed a lingering illness because of it. Within a few years, she had died.
Not long afterward, his father had fallen ill from overwork and followed his wife to the grave.
Ma Hongjun himself had shown some promise. When he awakened his Martial Soul, it had mutated, granting him rank-six Soul Power.
He had then used the village's work-study quota to attend the Soul Master Academy in a nearby town.
But somehow, the boy had developed an astonishing appetite for women at a very young age. At first, it had been manageable. He had barely begun developing, so at most he had done some lewd things and eaten a few more bowls of rice than everyone else.
As he grew older, however, not only had his desires intensified, but his nerve had grown as well.
Not long ago, Ma Hongjun had even seduced the academy head's daughter and nearly ruined her virtue, so he had been ordered to withdraw.
He had been such a promising seedling, with even a rare hundred-year soul ring as his first soul ring, yet this business had ruined his future.
After returning to the village, he had remained as incorrigible as ever, chasing women everywhere and throwing the entire village into a frenzy of flying chickens and fleeing dogs.
Had his grandfather not been the village chief, they would have driven him out long ago.
But even Ma Bangde was reaching the end of his rope. Relying on his Soul Power, the boy ran wild without a care for law or order, a little thug through and through.
No one could teach him a lesson, either, so Ma Bangde had decided to get a chastity lock and put it on him to keep Ma Hongjun from stirring up so much trouble.
But none of the village blacksmiths could make one. Their skills were inadequate, and if a mistake damaged that part of him, Ma Bangde's family line would come to an end.
Now that he had met a skilled blacksmith who was also easy to talk to, Ma Bangde had decided to try his luck.
And his luck had indeed struck true.
Tang San thought for a moment, exchanged a couple of looks with Grandmaster, and discussed it with him before telling Ma Bangde, "No problem. But, Village Chief, I'd like to meet this Ma Hongjun."
"Of course, of course."
Hearing Tang San agree, Ma Bangde's face immediately blossomed into a smile. He then led Tang San and Grandmaster into the village.
"Shopkeeper Tang, the boy isn't bad at heart, but he does act like a bit of a hoodlum. If he offends you, feel free to beat him, but please don't take his life."
"Don't worry, Village Chief. I know where to draw the line."
Along the way, Ma Bangde also told them about Grass Nest Village.
Everyone in the village had a beast Martial Soul, but almost all of them were birds with no offensive abilities.
Although the proportion of villagers who awakened Soul Power was somewhat higher than in other villages, it still did not happen all that often.
Before long, the three arrived at the village chief's home, where Ma Hongjun was confined to cultivate.
"Hongjun! Someone's here to see you!"
The village chief shouted toward Ma Hongjun's bedroom door.
"Coming, coming!"
Ma Hongjun sounded delighted, and the door soon opened.
But when he saw only Tang San and Grandmaster, his face immediately fell.
Apparently, he had thought some woman had come to see him.
"Who the hell are you two?!"
Ma Hongjun set his chubby face in a belligerent scowl and addressed Tang San with overbearing arrogance.
"Hello, my name is Tang San. You're Ma Hongjun, right?"
Tang San greeted him with a friendly expression. "This is my teacher, a master of Martial Soul Theory."
"A master of Martial Soul Theory? Grandpa, what kind of weirdo have you brought here this time?"
Ma Hongjun looked disdainful and snorted. "All those charlatans couldn't fix what's wrong with me. I suggest you don't waste your time."
"My Martial Soul is just like this. Chasing girls all day is plenty of fun, so you'd better mind your own business."
"Ma Hongjun, there's no need to give up on yourself like this. Your Martial Soul may very well be a Fire Phoenix whose mutation is incomplete."
Grandmaster stepped forward, and the air of a scholar seasoned by a hundred battles cowed Ma Hongjun.
"Really?"
Intimidated by Grandmaster's presence, Ma Hongjun asked cautiously for confirmation.
"That's right. But because its evolution is incomplete, it has brought you these tremendous side effects."
"If you want to understand your Martial Soul's problems better, have a match with Tang San. I believe I'll be able to learn more that way."
Grandmaster spoke sincerely. Besides solving the problems with his own Martial Soul, part of his reason for studying Martial Soul Theory was his wish to help other Soul Masters troubled by similar conditions.
"Hmph. This guy...? He probably couldn't withstand a single Soul Skill from me."
Ma Hongjun sized Tang San up carefully. Seeing his sturdy physique, then looking at his own flab, he could not help feeling a twinge of jealousy.
"Ma Hongjun, seeing is believing. You're welcome to put my abilities to the test."
Tang San did not get angry. He simply maintained his faint smile.
"Gentlemen, this..." Ma Bangde hesitated, but Grandmaster patted his shoulder, reassuring him that he only needed to watch.
"You think you're a match for me? I'm already rank nineteen. You..."
Ma Hongjun tried to intimidate him with his cultivation, only to discover that Tang San's strength was unfathomable. Yet they were clearly about the same age.
"Come on. Let's fight outside."
Tang San smiled and took a backward step, drifting out through the doorway like a flying wisp of willow fluff.
On the way, he even crooked a finger at Ma Hongjun, instantly irritating him and sending him charging after Tang San.
Rank nineteen, innate rank six, around ten years old. This fat boy is a monster too.
Is it because of that unusual flame...?
Grandmaster began pondering the talent Ma Hongjun's peculiar mutation had bestowed on him.
Meanwhile, he walked at an unhurried pace to watch Tang San and Ma Hongjun fight.
Ma Bangde hurried after him, worried that something might happen to the two visiting Soul Masters.
Outside, Ma Hongjun had already activated Martial Soul Possession.
His hair gathered upward like a mohawk, wings appeared beneath his arms, and his fingers curled like a bird's as claws extended from them.
That alone made him look like nothing more than an ordinary bird Martial Soul user.
But the intense heat around him, which warped the air, and the dark purple flames he spat at Tang San made the extraordinary nature of his Martial Soul unmistakable.
Tang San had also put away his relaxed expression and was treating Ma Hongjun's evil fire with caution.
Not only did this evil fire burn at a high temperature, but it also strongly countered his Blue Silver Grass.
And once it struck, it clung like maggots burrowing into bone, making it difficult to extinguish.
Drawing on his combat experience and self-created martial arts, Tang San kept exchanging moves with Ma Hongjun.
Unable to overcome Tang San for so long, Ma Hongjun inevitably lost his composure. He began throwing out his First Soul Skill: Flame Ray recklessly, and by now he had squandered all his Soul Power.
Grandmaster watched with complete concentration. After only thirty-odd exchanges, he had roughly worked out Ma Hongjun's fighting patterns.
Then he nodded at Tang San, who immediately understood.
Soul Power gathered in both his palms, making them look as though they were covered in blue-silver jade.
Blue Silver Creation Palm!
Before you continue