Yu Xiaogang's gaze was as firm as iron. After glancing at Yu Yuanzhen outside the cage, he immediately released Luo Sanpao.
He sat cross-legged and, following the method his teacher had taught him for absorbing Soul Rings, circulated his Soul Power to draw the Yellow Soul Ring crackling with blue arcs above his head, his body enduring the influx of its power.
Although it hurt somewhat, his current physical condition allowed him to bear it completely. Beyond that, he actually discovered that Luo Sanpao could share some of the strain of absorption.
Outside, Yu Yuanzhen and the Soul Saint guard watched the changes in Yu Xiaogang and Luo Sanpao with great curiosity.
Having studied Martial Souls, they knew very well that Soul Rings could bring beneficial mutations to Martial Souls, and an external Martial Soul was the first new case of its kind to appear on the entire continent to date.
In Yu Yuanzhen's mind, perhaps after his son, the sect's future young sect master, absorbed this four-hundred-year Thunder Dragon Soul Ring, that swine Martial Soul would also become a Thunder Dragon, or evolve in that direction.
However, as time ticked past, the curiosity in Yu Yuanzhen's gaze gradually turned to urgency.
"Sect Master, judging by how long our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon disciples usually take to absorb a ring, it's been nearly six hours now. The young sect master still hasn't succeeded, and even his Martial Soul hasn't changed at all. Could it be...?"
Yu Yuanzhen glared at the Soul Saint behind him, then said coldly,
"He's the first Soul Master with an external Martial Soul. With everything unknown, it's only natural for absorption to take longer. Xiaogang certainly won't disappoint me."
Seeing this scene, Yu Yuanzhen was also unbearably anxious inside. He was not worried about Yu Xiaogang himself, but about why the swine Martial Soul still had not evolved. Even the slightest change would do.
To ease his anxiety, Yu Yuanzhen kept playing with Yu Xiaolie in his arms.
The very next moment, Luo Sanpao began to turn indistinct before their eyes, its beastly body showing faint signs of growing larger.
"It's changed! It's starting to grow!"
The emotions Yu Yuanzhen had suppressed for so long finally found release. But before he could enjoy his happiness for long, Luo Sanpao stopped turning indistinct. Its body had indeed grown a little larger, but only a little.
"How is this possible? Does the continent's first external Martial Soul have so little potential? Could all this still be due to weak innate Soul Power?"
A string of questions surfaced in Yu Yuanzhen's mind. Judging by the current situation, did that not mean the son he had raised with enough resources for two or three Soul Ancestors really was a piece of trash?
Was he, Yu Yuanzhen, truly a sect master with eyes that could not see?
Just as he grew disappointed in Yu Xiaogang and prepared to leave the Soul Beast prison, the Soul Saint guard's eyes lit up.
"Sect Master, look! The young sect master's Martial Soul is growing rapidly! It's showing more and more signs of breaking out of its cocoon and being reborn!"
"Oh?"
By the time Yu Yuanzhen turned back to look at Luo Sanpao, its entire body had already swollen to the limit it could withstand. Suddenly, a faint sound rang out.
"Pffft-"
The sound stretched on, like a floodgate opening and floodwaters gushing out. A pale yellow mist spread out from the cage. The sound grew louder and louder, while Luo Sanpao flew every which way like a deflating ball, the pressure inside it dropping sharply.
Before Yu Yuanzhen and the other two could react, the pale yellow mist had spread into several nearby cages. The sleeping Soul Beasts inside all foamed at the mouth, their bodies going rigid. Had no corresponding Soul Rings appeared, the patrolling disciples would have thought they were dead.
"Elder, this-"
Holding his nose, a patrol disciple hurriedly reported with a miserable expression.
"It stinks..."
Standing outside the source of the mist, Yu Yuanzhen immediately covered Yu Xiaolie's mouth and nose. After glancing at Yu Xiaogang, who was still absorbing his Soul Ring, he ran out in disappointment.
"Sect Master, what should we do?"
Covering his mouth and nose, the Soul Saint stared blankly at Yu Yuanzhen's retreating figure. After looking at Yu Xiaogang and the situation inside the prison, he could no longer smile.
"Quick, go get healing-type and wind-attribute Soul Masters! We absolutely cannot let these high-quality Soul Beasts die from poisonous farts!"
Because Luo Sanpao's farts were not very toxic and their rescue efforts were timely, it took only two hours to clear almost all the poisonous mist from the Soul Beast prison. The Soul Beasts poisoned into unconsciousness were also saved one after another.
Meanwhile, news that Yu Xiaogang's external Martial Soul had mutated into a farting pig quickly spread to every corner of the sect.
"Our young sect master absorbed such a good Soul Ring, yet his Martial Soul mutated into a pig that loves to fart."
"That's what he gets for always feeding Soul Beast meat to his pig Martial Soul. Such wastefulness is truly hateful. A farting Martial Soul is exactly what he deserves."
"Who cares? A piece of trash with only rank 0.5 innate Soul Power, and he was given so many resources. We don't know the Soul Ring's effects, but his Martial Soul is a farting Martial Soul. Let's see how he monopolizes so many of the sect's resources from now on."
Only now did Yu Xiaogang, beside the Thunder Dragon's corpse, finish absorbing the ring. He slowly opened his eyes and suddenly saw numerous disciples gathered outside the cage, countless eyes fixed on him with strange expressions.
Although Yu Xiaogang did not know what had happened, he scoffed at his first Soul Skill and even felt somewhat repulsed by it.
He could no longer endure the mocking, resentful, jealous looks everyone gave him. Tears spilled from the corners of his eyes as he squeezed through the crowd and hurriedly ran out.
While running, he heard about the overwhelming poisonous farts unleashed in the Soul Beast prison. His already shattered heart was wounded again, and he ran even faster, all the way back to his residence, where he shut the door tight.
"Why? Why do I have to be so humiliating? Why does my first Soul Ring's effect strengthen a farting skill?"
The heartbroken Yu Xiaogang looked at the adorably vacant Luo Sanpao beside him and felt even more disgusted with this Martial Soul.
Yet in his sorrow, his thoughts once again turned to Long Qianming, who had been expelled from the sect, and his mood shifted from grief to joy.
"Trash of an elder brother, I've already become a Soul Master. If you're still alive, you're only an ordinary person struggling to make a living. That sickly Martial Soul of yours isn't much better than mine."
"My theory can't be wrong. With the enhancement from my first Soul Ring's farting skill, even hundred-year draconic Soul Beasts can't withstand it. This Soul Skill truly stands in a class of its own."
"Those people laughing at me don't know a fart."
In an instant, Yu Xiaogang felt considerably better. At least he had obtained a decent Soul Skill. Although it was hard to accept, it was powerful!
"Luoluo, from now on, your name is Luo Sanpao."
Yu Xiaogang still felt somewhat repulsed by Luo Sanpao, but fortunately, after absorbing his first Soul Ring, he had unexpectedly discovered that Luo Sanpao was growing larger. This showed that absorbing draconic Soul Beasts could definitely make Luo Sanpao evolve; perhaps the attributes simply did not match very well.
After all, Luo Sanpao had mutated from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. Although it had become weaker, the dragon bloodline it contained remained unchanged.
Once he found a Soul Ring with a matching attribute, his Martial Soul could definitely mutate toward a draconic variant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, or even become stronger.
Although Luo Sanpao froze for a moment upon hearing this, it still accepted the rather nice name.