On the hill behind Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy, Tang San sat cross-legged in a clearing surrounded by blue silver grass.
The vital essence around him gathered toward him in fine, silken strands.
With a surge of soul power, his aura abruptly rose a notch, then slowly stabilized.
He opened his eyes, a gleam flashing through them.
He had broken through. Rank 16.
"Not bad. Rank 16 already. The blue silver grass Life Potion I had you prepare worked quite well, didn't it?"
Tang God King's voice rang out in his mind, carrying a hint of satisfaction.
Tang San nodded.
Blue silver grass grew everywhere, and a little processing was all it took to extract Life Potion from it. Not only could it accelerate his cultivation, it could also continuously nourish his physique, laying the foundation for completely purging the toxins from his first soul ring in the future.
With the combined support of his cultivation environment, cultivation method, and potion, his speed was more than four times what it had been in his previous life.
"That's right. With that surging vitality, plus absorbing the essence of earth and wood to support my cultivation, it's really much faster."
Tang San clenched his fists, a flash of excitement passing through his eyes.
At this rate, he would soon reach rank 20.
"Once you reach rank 20... Fa..." Tang God King paused, noticeably faltering when he came to that form of address.
"Once Fa... Father leaves Nuoding City, find a way to visit Sunset Forest. Sneak into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well while Dugu Bo is away and take everything inside."
Tang God King had thought his original father was outrageous enough.
He had never expected the father of his past self in this parallel world to be even more outrageous.
He had actually defiled Tang San.
Tang San remained silent for a long while before nodding lightly.
Recalling what that beast of a father had done to him, he felt a churning wave of revulsion rise in his chest.
In this world, strength reigned supreme after all.
His future self had also told him that his father was a Titled Douluo and his mother was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast who had taken human form. Countless enemies lay along his future path, and the most powerful among them was Spirit Hall.
In the future, the innately evil Spirit Hall had plotted against and framed him repeatedly. In this life, he absolutely could not let those things happen again.
He stood, brushed the grass clippings from his robes, and walked toward the academy dormitory.
He had only just reached the entrance when a shrill, ducklike voice came from behind him. "Xiao San..."
Tang San felt a chill at the nape of his neck, and goose bumps instantly raced across his back.
He turned to see Yu Xiaogang walking toward him with mincing steps.
His face was pale and beardless, his body hair sparse. At some point, his coarse gray clothes had been replaced with a Brightly Colored Robe. His waist swayed slightly as he walked, and he naturally held a delicately pinched hand before his chest.
"Where have you been again? Why weren't you staying put and cultivating properly?" Yu Xiaogang came up to him and tapped his forehead with his delicately poised finger.
Tang San lowered his eyes. "Teacher, I only went to cultivate on the hill behind the academy. It's quieter there."
"The hill? Can the hill compare to my guidance?"
Yu Xiaogang narrowed his eyes, his tone neither one thing nor the other. "Xiao San, you're the only hope your teacher has left. You must behave and listen. Don't go running around everywhere, and don't make me worry. Understand?"
Tang San did not answer.
He knew that ever since that cut, Yu Xiaogang's temperament had changed.
Although that cut had been made to save his life, it had left a very real psychological scar.
The current Yu Xiaogang was more obsessive and sensitive than before, and even more determined to keep him firmly in his grasp.
"How about this?"
Yu Xiaogang considered for a moment. "Come to my room first thing tomorrow morning. I will personally teach you the Soul Master World's finest theory: my theory of the ten core competencies. You must understand that a soul master cannot simply charge headlong into everything. Without the support of theoretical wisdom, you are ultimately nothing but brute strength."
The corner of Tang San's eye twitched slightly.
Inside his mind, Tang God King gave an exceedingly soft scoff.
Of Gangzi's so-called ten core theories, eight out of ten statements had been copied from Spirit Hall, and the remaining two were wrong.
It was utterly beyond belief.
But Tang San showed nothing unusual on his face, merely lowering his head slightly. "Yes, Teacher."
Only then did Yu Xiaogang give a satisfied hum and turn away with mincing steps, leaving him with, "Don't forget. First thing tomorrow morning."
Tang San watched his retreating figure disappear at the end of the corridor and softly exhaled a stale breath.
"Once I get the things from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, I should be able to free myself from him completely, right?"
"Of course. With me here, who else would you need to guide you?" Tang God King's voice in his Spiritual Sea was utterly confident.
In the shadows, a dejected figure had been hiding all along.
Watching this scene, Tang Hao's eyes flashed with a sharp gleam.
So little time had passed, yet Xiao San had broken through another rank. His talent far exceeded Tang Hao's expectations.
Not only had he put together a Mimicry Cultivation Environment.
He had also concocted a blue silver grass Life Potion.
To accelerate his own cultivation.
My Xiao San has the makings of someone peerless.
This Yu Xiaogang fellow was growing more and more useless. He was simply wasting his son's talent.
After some thought, he decided he should give Yu Xiaogang a beating first, lest the fellow continue holding up Tang San's cultivation.
He immediately followed without a sound.
Yu Xiaogang entered a small tavern and ordered a pot of cheap liquor and a plate of Fennel Beans.
Tang Hao extended his spiritual power inside and saw that pale, beardless face glistening in the dim yellow lamplight.
Yu Xiaogang poured himself a cup, lifted it with delicately pinched fingers, brought it to his nose for a sniff, then slowly set it down again.
"For thirty years, the river flows east; for thirty years, it flows west. Do not scorn a middle-aged man for being poor."
He picked up a Fennel Bean and put it into his mouth, chewing unhurriedly as his gaze gradually grew hazy.
"Now that I have Xiao San and his peerless talent... my martial soul theory is about to become reality! When that day comes, everyone who mocked me will have to kneel!"
The more he spoke, the more agitated he became. He slammed his cup down, his voice rising several shrill notes.
"The ten core competencies! They are my life's work! What do those people know? All they know is blundering ahead, fighting and killing! How could they understand the boundless mysteries of the path of martial souls?"
He picked up another Fennel Bean, as though examining some peerless treasure.
"Take the character 'hui,' for example. Ordinary people know only one way to write it, but I know four! Four! Do you understand? You don't! None of them understand!"
The other drinkers in the tavern had long since grown accustomed to this.
"There he goes again. Every so often, he comes here to play the dejected Grandmaster."
"Exactly. Who doesn't know his dirty little story? What invincible theory? As if anyone can't boast!"
Tang Hao monitored it all with his spiritual power, his brow furrowing ever more deeply.
This fellow was treating his son as a tool to prove his theories.
It was time to teach him a lesson.
But then he reconsidered. Those mad dogs from Spirit Hall had only recently quieted down, and Yu Xiaogang had old ties with Bibi Dong. If things got out of hand and drew Spirit Hall's people back, the loss would outweigh the gain.
While he hesitated, several burly figures descended the stairs from the tavern's second floor.
Every one of them stood just over two meters tall, with knotted muscles, broad shoulders, and thick waists. Most importantly, they had scars on their faces.
"Boss, we only just got here. How could we possibly find a peerless rose already?" one of them complained in a gruff voice.
"You never know with fate. Those destined to meet will cross a thousand miles; those without that bond can stand face-to-face and..."
The leader stopped halfway through his sentence as his gaze swept over a corner of the first floor.
"A peerless rose?!"
Before you continue