His first Soul Skill had inherited Lone Bamboo's traits, coming with innate toughness and the ability to spread.
Bamboo itself possessed a certain toughness, which naturally needed no further explanation.
The spreading trait came from the peculiar nature of bamboo groves. Once a grove took shape, it would spread outward on its own, gradually encroaching on the territory of other plants.
Sensing that his first Soul Skill was unexpectedly good, Tang San's lips curved slightly upward.
At this moment, his heart was not filled with the joy of breaking through in the Mysterious Heaven Skill. Instead, the flames of revenge had quietly swept over it.
Indeed, what he wanted to do most right now was still to seek revenge on Tang Mo.
In his view, even if Tang Mo possessed Innate Full Soul Power just like him and had found a "capable" teacher, there was no way he could have obtained a Soul Ring before him.
So if he could find Tang Mo and challenge him again, it would inevitably be a one-sided affair. He would be able to crush his opponent completely.
Seeing that Tang San had obtained his First Soul Ring, Yu Xiaogang reminded him to register at Spirit Hall.
"Little San, since you've obtained your First Soul Ring, there's no time like the present. You should go register at Spirit Hall today. Once Soul Masters with their First Soul Ring register, they can collect a subsidy of one Gold Soul Coin from Spirit Hall every month. With the Second Soul Ring, it's ten coins, and so on."
Yu Xiaogang himself was only able to freeload at Nuoding Academy because he knew its dean. He had little in the way of savings.
To conceal his identity, Tang Hao was even less likely to provide Tang San with financial support.
Thus, even though he knew Tang San bore a deep, bitter grudge against Spirit Hall, he still sent him there to register and collect money on time each month.
Upon hearing that registration came with an allowance, Tang San hesitated for a moment, but the embarrassment of his empty pockets still defeated his deep-seated desire to hide his abilities.
A single penny could bring even a hero to his knees. If he wanted to make Hidden Weapons and poisons, he needed financial backing-and how could working a job be faster than holding out his hand for money?
So he wrapped his scabbed, bald head in white cloth and headed straight for the Spirit Hall Branch.
After entering the Spirit Hall Branch, Tang San had no time to examine its decor before Tang Mo, standing a short distance ahead, caught his eye.
"Well, if it isn't Little Scumbag! Long time no see. Switched to eating rice with your hands?" Sensing a gaze brimming with hostility, Tang Mo instinctively met it, only to see Tang San with white cloth wrapped around his head.
As everyone knew, even with white cloth wrapped around one's head, different ways of wrapping it could lead to different destinies.
Those with a drape lived in the desert. With good luck, their families owned oil fields, and they were born fabulously rich.
Those without a drape lived in India, ate curry and rice with their hands, used their hands after going to the toilet, and might not be particularly interested in humans.
Whether the earlier traits had anything to do with Tang San's family remained unclear, but that last one was practically written into the Tang family precepts.
The Ah Yin whom Tang Hao loved was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor, while the Xiao Wu whom Tang San loved was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft-Boned Enchanting Rabbit. Neither was human.
When enemies met, their eyes blazed especially red. Tang San did not even have time to wonder why Tang Mo knew his name before charging over.
Whoosh!
Seeing Tang San charging at him, Tang Mo made no move to dodge. There was even a hint of pity in his eyes.
The next moment, Ma Xiunuo lifted the mindlessly charging Tang San with one hand.
One should not assume Ma Xiunuo was so frail that a breeze could topple him just because he was old. He was also a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, standing alongside Nuoding City's lord and Nuoding Academy's dean as the strongest people in Nuoding City.
Ultimately, however, Nuoding City was only a small place. The potential of those three extended only this far, and it would be difficult for them to advance further and break through to Soul King.
Thus, for Ma Xiunuo, a Soul Ancestor, subduing Tang San with one hand was no difficult task. One could even say it posed no difficulty whatsoever.
"Child, the Spirit Hall Branch is not a place where you can run wild." Seeing Tang San try to attack Tang Mo the moment he entered, Ma Xiunuo's kindly expression immediately vanished, replaced by an extremely stern look. "Unless permission is granted, fighting is forbidden inside the Spirit Hall Branch."
Tang San looked at Tang Mo's mocking expression, then at Ma Xiunuo's stern face. He could only suppress the anger in his heart.
After all, he had come to register his Soul Power Level. Now was not the time to anger the Spirit Hall Branch's members. But in his eyes, Ma Xiunuo's biased intervention had already given him a reason to court death.
"This junior is Tang San. Greetings, Senior. I recently acquired my First Soul Ring and have come to register as a Soul Master." Tang San forced out a smile and explained his purpose.
"A Soul Master this young?"
"He must be boasting!"
"When I was his age, I was still a work-study student at Nuoding Academy. Comparing yourself to others really can infuriate you to death."
As Tang San's voice rang out, a burst of discussion rose inside the Spirit Hall Branch.
A child who looked only a few years old becoming a One-Ring Soul Master was enough to shatter the resolve of most people present.
At those words, Ma Xiunuo's expression softened slightly. Becoming a One-Ring Soul Master at such a young age was enough to prove Tang San's talent.
He did not want to offend a promising young talent, but neither did he want to offend Tang Mo, who might become his direct superior. He could only turn his gaze toward Tang Mo.
"Don't worry about me. Just do what you're supposed to do." Seeing this, Tang Mo could not help smiling. "As it happens, I'd like to register too."
With that, his Martial Soul manifested, and a purple Soul Ring appeared beneath his feet.
"That's impossible!" Tang San exclaimed at the sight. He had never imagined that Tang Mo would acquire his First Soul Ring before him, much less that his opponent's Soul Ring would be at the thousand-year level.
"Did you see that?"
"I'm not blind."
"That's a Thousand-Year Soul Ring! How could it possibly be his First Soul Ring?"
As Tang Mo revealed his Soul Ring, waves of whispers rose inside the Spirit Hall Branch, several times more frequent than the earlier discussion.
Tang San immediately felt that Tang Mo had completely stolen the limelight that had belonged to him. Perhaps it was because he had always researched Hidden Weapons privately in his previous life, remaining unknown, or perhaps it was because this body was still too young, but when people had discussed him just now, an indescribable sense of satisfaction had suddenly welled up in his heart.
Yet before that satisfaction could last long, Tang Mo had stripped it away. For a moment, he found it difficult to accept.
Tang San wanted to lose his temper, but the moment he met Ma Xiunuo's gaze, he temporarily suppressed his anger. Registering and collecting the subsidy were more important right now.
Without making it obvious, Ma Xiunuo separated the two, keeping one on either side of him, and led them to a room. Inside stood a raised platform with a crystal fixed atop it.
This crystal was a rare item in Nuoding City. Its testing limit was level 40-a Quasi-Soul Ancestor who had yet to acquire a Soul Ring.
The limit was set at level 40 because subsidies for Soul Masters only extended to that level. Once they acquired their fourth Soul Ring and broke through to Soul Ancestor, they lost their eligibility to receive the subsidy.
Originally, there was no need to use this Crystal Ball merely to test a Soul Master like Tang San who had just acquired a Soul Ring. After all, the Spirit Hall Branch had Crystal Balls with a testing limit of level 20.
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