The Lone Bamboo Soul Beast Was a Peerless Martial Soul, Nothing Wrong with That

Tang San realized he had been duped.

He had realized it long ago, but had kept making excuses for himself.

Maybe the Pole Vault really was a peerless martial soul? Maybe Radio Calisthenics really was a peerless martial art? Maybe Yi Yun really did have his best interests at heart?

But today, he could no longer lie to himself.

It had started with a book.

That afternoon, Tang San had been searching through reference materials in the academy library, hoping to find some books on martial soul cultivation.

Nuoding Academy's library was small and held few books, most of them on basic theory. Tang San searched for ages without finding anything useful.

Just as he was about to leave, a shabby booklet on the lowest shelf caught his attention.

On its cover were four large, faded characters: "Soul Beast Illustrated Guide."

Tang San casually opened it and read through it, page by page.

"Ten-year soul beasts, hundred-year soul beasts, thousand-year soul beasts, ten-thousand-year soul beasts..." Tang San read as he turned the pages. Suddenly, his hand stopped.

That page depicted an emerald-green stalk of bamboo with hands and feet, looking harmless to man and beast alike.

A line of small print appeared beneath the illustration.

"Lone Bamboo Soul Beast, ten-year soul beast, commonly found on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. Docile temperament, extremely weak attack power, usually eaten by other soul beasts. No cultivation value. Hunting not recommended."

Tang San's pupils abruptly contracted.

He read it three times, making sure he had not misread it.

A ten-year soul beast.

Extremely weak attack power.

No cultivation value.

Hunting not recommended.

Tang San's hands began to shake.

He remembered what Yi Yun had told him back then.

"This is a descendant of an ancient divine beast."

"Legend has it that a mighty god achieved godhood through a Lone Bamboo Soul Beast."

"One pole swept across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, and none could stand against it."

"A peerless martial soul."

A peerless martial soul?

Peerless, his ass!

Tang San snapped the book shut, his face livid and his chest heaving.

He had been deceived.

He had been deceived from the very first day.

That Lone Bamboo Soul Beast was no descendant of an ancient divine beast at all. It was just an utterly ordinary, worthless ten-year soul beast that even ordinary hunters could not be bothered to kill.

And his second martial soul was a pole formed from that worthless soul beast's transformation.

A pole!

Tang San stuffed the book back onto the shelf, turned, and rushed out of the library.

He was going to the back mountain.

He was going to demand answers from Yi Yun.

Yi Yun was lying on the grass in the sun with a stem of foxtail grass between his lips, as leisurely as a sunbathing cat.

Xiao Wu lay beside him munching on a carrot, Zhu Zhuqing cultivated beneath a tree, and Ning Rongrong practiced standing stances nearby.

Everything was peaceful.

Then that peace was shattered.

"Yi Yun!"

A furious roar came from afar, making even the leaves tremble.

Everyone turned at once and saw Tang San charging over from the training ground, his face livid and his eyes looking ready to spit fire. He held a shabby booklet, his steps so quick he seemed to fly.

"What happened? What happened?" Xiao Wu was so startled that she dropped her carrot.

Zhu Zhuqing opened her eyes, her brows knitting slightly.

Ning Rongrong stopped practicing her stance and looked over curiously.

Only Yi Yun remained lying on the grass, not even lifting his eyelids.

"Brother Yun, Tang San looks really angry," Xiao Wu whispered.

"Mm, I could hear that," Yi Yun said.

"Aren't you going to get up and see?"

"No need. Let him come over."

Tang San charged up to Yi Yun and hurled the booklet onto the grass beside him, his voice hoarse with long-suppressed anger.

"What is this?"

Yi Yun glanced sidelong at the booklet. Seeing "Soul Beast Illustrated Guide" on the cover, he had a rough idea.

"A book," he said.

"Of course I know it's a book! I'm asking what it says inside!"

"I haven't read it yet. How would I know what it says inside?"

Tang San took a deep breath, opened the booklet to the page about the Lone Bamboo Soul Beast, and held it in front of Yi Yun.

"What is this?"

Yi Yun looked at the page and fell silent for two seconds.

"A Lone Bamboo Soul Beast."

"Ten-year?"

"Yes."

"Extremely weak attack power?"

"Mm."

"No cultivation value?"

"That's what the book says."

"Hunting not recommended?"

"Mm."

Tang San threw the booklet to the ground, his chest heaving as he stared fixedly at Yi Yun.

"What did you tell me back then? Descendant of an ancient divine beast? One pole sweeping across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands? A peerless martial soul?"

Yi Yun sat up from the grass, brushed the grass clippings off himself, and looked at Tang San's furious face.

"What I said was true."

"You're still lying to me?"

"I'm not lying to you." Yi Yun's expression was so serious that he hardly seemed like his usual self. "The Lone Bamboo Soul Beast really is a descendant of an ancient divine beast."

Tang San froze for a moment.

"Though it's only ten years old now, though its attacks are weak, though it has no cultivation value, its bloodline really has been passed down from ancient times." Yi Yun looked into Tang San's eyes and spoke each word distinctly.

The corners of Tang San's mouth twitched.

"Even if it's a descendant of an ancient divine beast, it's still just a pole!"

"What's wrong with a pole?"

"A pole can't fight!"

"Who says?"

"You did!"

"I said it couldn't fight directly, but it can help you fight."

"Help me fight? How? By helping the enemy pole-vault?"

"Exactly."

Tang San: "..."

Yi Yun really was going to anger him to death.

"Yi Yun, have you actually been listening to me?" Tang San's voice was shaking. "You deceived me, you saddled me with a pole at the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony, you forced me to practice Pole Vault and Radio Calisthenics for so long, the whole school laughed at me, Xiao Wu rejected me, I..."

Tang San's voice suddenly caught.

He took a deep breath, trying hard to calm himself.

"You've ruined my life."

The back mountain fell silent.

Xiao Wu lowered her head, not daring to look at Tang San.

Zhu Zhuqing closed her eyes.

Ning Rongrong opened her mouth, wanting to say something but not knowing what.

Only Yi Yun continued to look calmly at Tang San.

"Your life hasn't been ruined," Yi Yun said.

"How do you know?"

"Because you're still alive, still standing here, still talking to me."

Tang San gritted his teeth without speaking.

"If I really wanted to ruin you, I have a hundred ways to make you wish you were dead. But I haven't." Yi Yun stood, walked up to Tang San, and patted his shoulder.

"When I said the Lone Bamboo Soul Beast was a peerless martial soul, I wasn't lying."

"When I said Pole Vault was a peerless movement technique, I wasn't lying either."

"When I said Radio Calisthenics was a peerless cultivation method, I still wasn't lying."

"Because they really are useful."

Tang San looked into Yi Yun's eyes. There was no teasing in them, no mockery, only a seriousness he could not understand.

"Useful?" Tang San's voice was very quiet.

"Useful." Yi Yun nodded. "Hasn't your physical fitness improved?"

Tang San fell silent for a moment.

"Yes."

"Haven't you been pole-vaulting higher?"

"Yes."

"Hasn't your hidden weapon release speed increased?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you still saying I deceived you?"

Tang San opened his mouth, only to discover that he actually could not refute him.

But he still could not accept it.

"But the peerless martial soul you talked about back then and the peerless martial soul I understood are completely different things!"

"I said it was a peerless martial soul. I never said it was a combat martial soul." Yi Yun spread his hands. "What's wrong with pole-vaulting? It's a sport too."

Tang San took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

He wanted to hit someone.

But he could not beat him.

"Yi Yun, I have one last question." Tang San's voice grew calm.

"Ask."

"Why exactly are you treating me like this?"

Yi Yun looked at Tang San and fell silent for a long time.

"Because I think you're interesting," he finally said.

Tang San froze for a moment.

"Interesting?"

"Yes, interesting." Yi Yun smiled. "You're the most interesting person I've ever met. Even though I've screwed you over so badly, you've never given up. Even though you could hate me, you're still willing to call me Brother Yun."

Tang San fell silent.

"I have been screwing you over, but I've never harmed you," Yi Yun said seriously. "Everything I've given you has its uses. Whether it's the Pole Vault or Radio Calisthenics, they're all helping you build your foundation."

"Build my foundation?"

"Yes. Your Blue Silver Grass and Clear Sky Hammer are both top-tier martial souls, but your physical fitness can't keep up. Pole Vault and Radio Calisthenics are meant to help improve your physical fitness."

Tang San froze.

He had never considered that angle.

"Once your physical fitness improves, I'll naturally teach you real combat techniques." Yi Yun patted Tang San's shoulder and smiled. "But first, you have to build a solid foundation."

Tang San stood rooted to the spot, motionless.

His mind raced.

What Yi Yun said seemed to make sense.

Though the process was outrageous, the results really were improving.

"Are you sure you're not lying to me?" Tang San asked.

"When have I ever lied to you?"

"You just said you hadn't lied to me, but you clearly did."

"That was a white lie."

"White lie, my ass."

"You've learned to swear. Not bad, you're making progress."

Tang San: "..."

He took a deep breath, bent down to pick up the booklet on the ground, then turned and left.

After a few steps, he stopped again.

"Brother Yun."

"Hmm?"

"I'll do twice as much Radio Calisthenics tomorrow."

Yi Yun froze for a moment, then smiled.

"All right."

With the pole over his shoulder, Tang San walked away, step by step.

His back was much straighter than when he had arrived.

After Tang San left, Xiao Wu ran over to Yi Yun, her eyes full of admiration.

"Brother Yun, you're amazing."

"What's so amazing?"

"You persuaded Tang San with just a few words."

"I didn't persuade him," Yi Yun said, shaking his head. "He figured it out himself."

Xiao Wu nodded, only half understanding.

Zhu Zhuqing opened her eyes and looked at Yi Yun, a trace of complicated emotion flashing through them.

This man seemed frivolous on the surface, but every word he spoke held deeper meaning.

He tricked Tang San, but he had never harmed him.

He had Tang San practice Pole Vault and Radio Calisthenics. It seemed absurd, but he really was helping Tang San build his foundations.

"Brother Yun, what kind of person are you, really?" Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help asking.

Yi Yun turned to look at her and smiled.

"A good person."

Zhu Zhuqing: "..."

She shouldn't have asked.

Ning Rongrong bounded over from the side and tugged at Yi Yun's sleeve, her eyes sparkling.

"Handsome Master, you were so handsome just now!"

"When am I not handsome?"

"That's true!"

Ning Rongrong smiled like a blooming flower.

Yi Yun looked at the three girls' different reactions, smiled, and lay back down on the grass.

Tang San returned to the training ground, set the Soul Beast Illustrated Guide aside, picked up the pole, and began practicing Pole Vault.

One vault, two vaults, three vaults.

He put all his strength into every vault and executed every movement to the utmost.

Yi Yun was right. Pole Vault really had improved his physical fitness.

So had Radio Calisthenics.

Though the process was humiliating, the results were real.

Maybe... I really did misunderstand him, Tang San thought as he vaulted.

But on second thought, even if he's right, that doesn't change the fact that he tricked me.

He forced the Pole Vault Martial Soul on me.

He forced me to learn Radio Calisthenics.

The whole school laughed at me because of him, too.

"Yi Yun, you..." Tang San leaped up, spun two and a half times in midair, and landed steadily.

"You really make people love and hate you."