"My lord, it's ready."
"Good, very good."
Ye Guixu looked at the bowl of gelatinous substance before him and nodded in satisfaction.
This was the result of having an unlucky Soul Grandmaster he had captured roast the ten-thousand-year whale glue for him.
His eyes abruptly lit up red. He turned toward the fat Soul Master beside him, whose face was covered in grease, and gave an order.
"Go back now. In half an hour, you will forget why you came here and every memory of this place."
"Yes, my lord."
The fat Soul Master placed a hand over his chest and bowed to Ye Guixu, then carefully backed away. After stepping out, he gently closed the door and returned along the way he had come.
Ye Guixu picked up the bowl of steaming whale rubber, tipped his head back, and poured it into his mouth.
Soon, his body gradually began to grow hot.
He turned and jumped into the bath barrel he had prepared, which was filled with water and ice.
He settled his mind, allowing the fiery medicinal power of the ten-thousand-year whale glue to wash through his body and seep into his muscles and bones, strengthening his physique little by little.
Night had fallen.
With a splash, Ye Guixu leaped out of the barrel.
All the ice inside had melted, and even the water had become warm.
He circulated his soul power to evaporate the water remaining on his body, then clenched his fists, feeling the changes in his physique. His punches stirred the air with whistling gusts.
"The improvement is remarkable. A single piece of ten-thousand-year whale glue strengthened my physique by a fifth. The absorption efficiency was even better than I expected."
"With my current physique and the extraordinary quality of my Void Star God Sauron martial soul, even directly absorbing a two-thousand-year soul ring would be no problem."
Martial soul quality was the foremost factor. Otherwise, no matter how strong one's physique, how compatible the soul ring's attributes, or how great one's willpower and spiritual power, a martial soul unable to withstand an older soul ring would still suffer damage.
But he had no worries whatsoever about the Void Star God's quality.
Now, he only needed to pile on physical strength and spiritual power with all his might to greatly increase the age of soul rings he could absorb,
thereby gaining vast amounts of soul power from soul rings beyond the normal age limit, which would in turn wash through his body and strengthen him. Moreover, the higher a soul ring's quality and age, the stronger its soul skill.
So the time spent waiting for Dugu Bo was worthwhile.
Especially since cultivation with an ultimate attribute slowed between ranks thirty and seventy, absorbing soul rings beyond the normal limit would provide vast amounts of soul power and reduce cultivation time.
That was the proper path.
He thought of a certain foolish blond who had neglected her proper business to become an undercover agent, painstakingly maneuvering among various factions and wasting tremendous amounts of energy and time.
Every day, she dealt with court officials, guarded against exposure, handled government affairs, and responded to probing from all sides, leaving her mind perpetually taut.
Although Soul Masters could only meditate for a few hours each day, how much time could she have left for cultivation when she was so mentally and physically exhausted?
Moreover, the most suitable mimicry cultivation environment for the Six-Winged Angel was the Angel Temple, yet she holed up in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace. She could not have been any more foolish.
Ye Guixu committed this lesson to memory.
Then he made another Spicy Soft-Bone Enchanting Rabbit Hot Pot and paired it with a drink. After eating and drinking his fill, he began cultivating under cover of night.
He cultivated twice as fast at night as he did during the day.
Although he had yet to obtain a soul ring and was stuck at rank twenty, he could continually accumulate strength and comprehend the Void Star God's power, building deep reserves for a powerful breakthrough.
More importantly, he had discovered that his spiritual power steadily accumulated during meditation, and its importance went without saying.
Besides, he still had to figure out the old poison master's comings and goings.
Simply waiting around was no solution.
He might as well cultivate.
Meanwhile, Tang San had gone through several twists and turns.
Over the past few days, after getting his bearings, he had followed paths through the wilderness.
When hungry, he killed wild rabbits or birds with stones and roasted them. When thirsty, he drank a few mouthfuls of stream water. When tired, he found some shade beneath a tree to rest.
At last, he reached Nuoding City.
After asking around briefly, he found the junior Soul Master Academy.
The academy's main gates were shut, with only a side gate open. The gatekeeper sat on a bench beside it, idly watching pedestrians in the street.
Tang San approached and held out his recommendation letter. "Hello, I'm a work-study student here to enroll."
The gatekeeper gave him a sidelong glance without taking the letter. He looked Tang San's filthy, shabby clothes up and down and sneered.
"A work-study student? Looking like that? You're dressed like a beggar, yet you have the nerve to come to a Soul Master Academy?"
Tang San's grip on the letter tightened, and his gaze cooled slightly.
"All right, all right, don't block the entrance. There are only a few work-study places. Someone like you..."
"What's wrong with someone like me?"
Tang San interrupted him, his voice cold and sharp. "You haven't even read my recommendation letter. What gives you the right to call me a fraud?"
The gatekeeper choked on his words, impatiently snatched the letter, and scanned it before suddenly bursting into laughter.
"Blue Silver Grass? Innate full soul power? How could a trash martial soul have innate full soul power? You couldn't even choose a convincing lie!"
"The recommendation letter was personally issued by Su Yuntao, a deacon of Spirit Hall."
"Are you accusing Spirit Hall of forgery?"
The gatekeeper's smile froze, and his voice immediately lost some of its force. "I-I never said that! I'm only questioning you! Look at your ragged clothes and that stink all over you. Who knows whether you're some fatherless, motherless beggar trying to slip in and fish in muddy waters..."
A fatherless, motherless beggar.
Those words were a poisoned thorn, stabbing viciously into Tang San's still-bleeding wound.
His expression abruptly darkened, and a sharpened piece of iron slid soundlessly between his fingers.
[Tang Sect Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record General Outline, article three: once an enemy is confirmed to have courted death, there is no need to show mercy.]
Just then, a deep voice came from behind him. "What are you arguing about?"
The gatekeeper immediately bowed and scraped upon seeing the newcomer. "Grandmaster! You're back!"
Tang San turned and saw a middle-aged man of average build standing a few paces away, sporting a sexy crew cut. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he carried a languid, dispirited air.
Yu Xiaogang glanced at the gatekeeper. "Let me see the recommendation letter."
The gatekeeper presented it with both hands.
Yu Xiaogang scanned it. When his gaze landed on the words "Blue Silver Grass, innate full soul power," his pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
Blue Silver Grass could have innate full soul power?
He recalled the former Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, the current Supreme Pontiff Bibi Dong, who had fallen desperately in love with him after just a little scheming on his part.
She had twin martial souls.
This child had innate full soul power despite possessing the trash martial soul Blue Silver Grass. The only explanation was twin martial souls.
His theories finally had a test subject.
Yu Xiaogang suppressed his excitement and returned the letter without any change in expression.
"The certification is valid. Child, I apologize on the academy's behalf for what happened."
Tang San slowly put away the piece of iron.
At least this "crew cut" knew how to apologize.
He was much easier on the eyes than that gatekeeper who looked down on others with a dog's eyes.
"If you behave like this again, leave of your own accord."
Yu Xiaogang delivered those words coolly, then beckoned to Tang San. "Come with me to complete your enrollment."
After the paperwork was finished, Yu Xiaogang walked ahead at an unhurried pace. "You have more than one martial soul."
Tang San stopped short, his gaze wary. "What do you mean?"
"You have another martial soul." Yu Xiaogang tilted his head up at a forty-five-degree angle toward the sky, adopting the pose of a melancholy scholar. "Twin martial souls."
Tang San's pupils abruptly contracted, and he instinctively reached for the piece of iron.
He had pieced together some of the truth from scattered remarks by that beast of a father.
Twin martial souls-one came from his father, the other from his mother.
"Ah Yin" was the mother he had never met. That beast of a father had committed something unforgivable and betrayed her, leaving him motherless from childhood.
How could such a vile man, such a vile father, exist?
He spoke of guilt while wasting his days in despair, yet also... treated him that way.
But Tang San had still vaguely learned from that beast of a father's words that he absolutely must not reveal his other martial soul, or something would go terribly wrong.
Yu Xiaogang slowly turned around. "Curious how I could tell?"
"A trash martial soul like Blue Silver Grass doesn't qualify for innate full soul power. You must have a second martial soul, and a very powerful one."
Tang San fell silent for a moment, then slowly relaxed his fingers.
"I mean you no harm."
Yu Xiaogang patted his shoulder. "If you're willing, I can teach you. As a theoretical grandmaster of the Soul Master World, I can help you grow as quickly as possible and become the strongest Soul Master on this continent."
Tang San looked at his confident, spirited bearing. After a long moment, he said quietly, "...All right."
Then he stepped back, dropped to both knees, and solemnly kowtowed three times.
"Teacher, please accept me as your disciple."
Yu Xiaogang froze briefly, then smiled smugly. He had finally hooked him. Reaching out, he pulled Tang San up.
"Silly boy, a bow is enough to acknowledge a teacher. Why kowtow?"
Tang San said earnestly, "A teacher for a day is a... for life."
He suddenly froze halfway through.
A father for life?
He abruptly recalled that beast of a father's conduct a few days earlier, and his stomach churned.
"...father."
But Tang San still finished the sentence.
He needed to understand this world's Soul Master system and grow stronger quickly.
The bond between master and disciple was the firmest tie for ensuring the other party would teach him everything.
As for whether he truly regarded him as a father...
He thought of the Tang Sect elder he had killed in that dream!
And of his father, who behaved like a beast.
Elders who failed to conduct themselves with dignity!
Could be killed!
Killing intent churned in the depths of Tang San's eyes.
"Good, good, good!"
Yu Xiaogang laughed heartily. "Come, it's still early. I'll take you to the Soul Hunting Forest to obtain your first soul ring. You already have innate full soul power. Without a soul ring, it all amounts to nothing."
Tang San followed without a word.
Inside the Soul Hunting Forest.
Yu Xiaogang pointed at a stalk of lone bamboo.
"This is ten-year solitary bamboo. It's tough and offers decent defense, making it very suitable for your Blue Silver Grass."
A small purple beast with a fat head and large ears lay at his feet, crying, "Luo, luo, luo."
Behind a distant tree, Tang Hao stared coldly at Yu Xiaogang, furious beyond measure.
Was this bastard planning to give his son a ten-year soul ring?
I knew it. What could I expect from this piece of trash who hadn't even reached rank thirty despite nearly breaking through fifty years of age?
Just then, Yu Xiaogang spoke again. "Your first soul ring can come from a soul beast under 423 years old. Although Blue Silver Grass is trash, it has one characteristic: it's so weak that it doesn't reject other attributes. It can also absorb soul rings for beast martial souls. What your Blue Silver Grass lacks is toughness and entanglement. A Mandala Snake would be ideal. It could add a poison attribute, increase toughness and entanglement, and greatly enhance your abilities."
Only then did Tang Hao relax slightly.
He felt the man did indeed make sense.
After all, Blue Silver Grass was merely a trash martial soul.
He extended his spiritual power, locked onto a Mandala Snake nearly four meters long, severely wounded it with a casual strike, and tossed it in front of the pair.
With a thud, the Mandala Snake landed in the clearing.
Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up. "Xiao San! Quickly! This snake must have been badly injured fighting over territory. Kill it!"
Tang San drew his dagger and stabbed down hard into the snake's head.
A yellow soul ring slowly rose, and he immediately sat cross-legged and began absorbing it.
In the distance, Tang Hao quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Yu Xiaogang stood nearby, watching Tang San sitting cross-legged on the ground, his face filled with excitement.
His theories, his test subject-it was finally about to begin.
Yet he completely failed to notice
that his foot had happened to touch the snake's tail.
Though its skull had already been pierced, the snake's dying nerve reflexes made its body abruptly coil. Its head suddenly reared up, and its venomous fangs lunged viciously between his legs.
"Aah!!"
An utterly bloodcurdling scream rang through the Soul Hunting Forest.
Before you continue