After a brief silence, the crowd erupted!
"I-is it over?! Just like that?!"
"Oh my god! One move! Just one move?!"
"What Xiao Xuan just used didn't look like a Soul Skill?!"
Wang Sheng stood rooted to the spot, his mouth hanging open. Xiao Wu bit her lip, her large eyes filled with incredulous shock as she stared blankly.
Yu Xiaogang's entire expressionless face had turned the color of pig liver. He swayed on his feet, nearly unable to catch his breath.
How was this possible?!
How could that brat's Lone Bamboo be so sharp?!
Xiao San's vines had been strengthened by a four-hundred-year Soul Ring. How could they have been cut so easily?!
"I... I haven't lost yet!!"
With the spear tip pointed at his chest, Tang San's face was flushed red, his eyes full of indignation and humiliation.
Hearing him quibble like such a sore loser, Xiao Xuan couldn't help chuckling.
"Tang San, stop fooling yourself."
"If that had been a fight to the death instead of a spar, that thrust would have pierced your heart. Do you think you'd still have a chance to speak?"
"You...!"
Tang San clenched his fists so tightly that his nails nearly dug deep into his palms.
But a moment later, Tang San dropped his hands limply, like a deflated ball.
Tang San knew in his heart that Xiao Xuan was right.
"I... lost."
After saying those words, Tang San turned around in a daze and dragged his feet, step by heavy step, over to Yu Xiaogang.
Thud!
Tang San lowered his head, his face ashen. "Teacher... I'm sorry, I lost!"
Looking at the distraught Tang San, Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the shock and embarrassment in his heart.
He reached out, helped Tang San up, and patted him hard on the shoulder.
"Xiao San, don't blame yourself! A single victory or defeat proves nothing! Your teacher knows exactly how solid your foundation is! You lost today purely because you lack combat experience!"
"Really... Teacher?" A glimmer of hope rekindled in Tang San's eyes.
"Of course! My theories are never wrong!" Yu Xiaogang nodded emphatically.
Xiao Xuan nearly lost it again when he heard that.
So if he won, your theories were invincible, but if he lost, he lacked combat experience?
Xiao Xuan shook his head slightly. He didn't want to stay any longer and listen to Yu Xiaogang's grand principles.
"Tang San, since you lost, make sure you don't forget to keep your promise."
With that, Xiao Xuan turned and headed straight for the dormitory under the awestruck gazes of all the students.
For a long time afterward, Tang San took a detour whenever he saw Xiao Xuan, just as they had agreed, and Yu Xiaogang stopped pestering Xiao Xuan about becoming his disciple.
Xiao Xuan was happy to have some peace and quiet.
Time flew, and Xiao Xuan's first semester at Nuoding Academy soon came to an end.
"Dad, Mom, I'm home for the holidays."
Xiao Xuan pushed open the familiar wooden gate to the courtyard and called out at the top of his lungs.
"Xuan'er's home!"
Li Ya was carrying a plate of freshly sliced meat out of the kitchen. When she saw Xiao Xuan come home, a happy smile appeared on her gentle face.
After Xiao Xuan entered the house, Li Ya brought out a heavy cloth bundle and handed it to him.
"Xuan'er, we finally gathered all the hundred-year Whale Rubber you wanted. Three whole pieces!"
"Has that teacher of yours left the academy? Why don't you take it to him now?"
Xiao Xuan took the bundle, and his eyes immediately lit up!
Well, well!
What a surprise to receive on the first day of the holidays!
Xiao Xuan then grinned without a blush or a racing heartbeat. Putting on a mature, sensible air, he waved his hand.
"Mom, there's no rush. When I report back next semester, I'll take it to the academic affairs office and hand it to him personally. The timing will be even better then!"
Li Ya nodded approvingly, rubbed Xiao Xuan's head, and said with satisfaction, "You've really thought it through! All right, keep it safe in your room for now, and make sure it doesn't get damp."
"Don't worry, Mom!"
Clutching the bundle, Xiao Xuan zipped into his bedroom.
He peeled away the oiled paper, revealing three hard, gelatinous lumps, each the size of a palm and a dull, scorched yellow throughout, laid neatly before him.
A faint salty, fishy smell instantly filled the air.
Xiao Xuan weighed each piece in his hand.
The three pieces were indeed Whale Rubber over a hundred years old, but their quality could only be considered low-grade.
But as far as Xiao Xuan was concerned...
Poor quality?
Too many impurities?
None of that was a problem!
Without any hesitation, Xiao Xuan held his breath and focused, pressing his right hand against the three pieces of hundred-year Whale Rubber.
System! Lock in hundred-year Whale Rubber ×3 as the main materials!
Activate Three-in-One Fusion of All Things!
Hum!
With a slight stir of his thoughts,
the three rough, shriveled lumps of dark yellow Whale Rubber instantly melted into three streams of supremely pure gold, intertwining and merging in midair!
[Ding! Three-in-One Fusion of All Things activating...] [Main materials detected: hundred-year sea beast Whale Rubber ×3. Quality assessment: two stars.] [No auxiliary materials added. Proceeding with extreme purification and advancement of materials from the same source!] [Fusion in progress...] [Congratulations, Host! Successfully obtained-[thousand-year supreme-grade Whale Rubber] ×1!]
The golden light faded, and the dust settled.
A solid crystal about the size of a goose egg appeared on the table, translucent and sparkling throughout.
It had none of the pungent, unpleasant stench of the deep sea. Instead, it gave off a faint, delicate fragrance. Xiao Xuan felt invigorated just by taking a deep breath of it.
Thousand-year supreme-grade Whale Rubber!
But Xiao Xuan was in no hurry to consume it.
Body refinement was a serious matter. He had to choose a time when no one would disturb him.
Xiao Xuan put it away before heading to the main room for dinner.
The table was laden with steaming home-cooked dishes. The family of three sat around it together in a warm and cheerful atmosphere.
Halfway through the meal, Xiao Xuan suddenly spoke.
"Dad, Mom, since I'm on holiday, I'd like to go back to the countryside for a few days and visit Grandpa and Grandma while I'm there."
Ordinarily, with their son being so sensible and filial, Xiao Wuyong and Li Ya would have raised both hands in approval.
This time, however, as soon as he spoke, the atmosphere at the table fell quiet for a moment.
Xiao Wuyong and Li Ya exchanged a quick glance. Their brows furrowed slightly at the same time, and unconcealable worry and hesitation flashed across their faces.
"What's wrong, Dad? Did something happen in the village?" Xiao Xuan put down his chopsticks, somewhat curious.
Xiao Wuyong let out a long sigh and lowered his voice.
"Xuan'er, it's not that something happened in the village. It's just that these past two months, things around Nuoding City... really haven't been peaceful!"
"Not peaceful?" Xiao Xuan was slightly taken aback.
"That's right!"
Li Ya chimed in, still shaken.
"No one knows where that outlaw Soul Master came from! He's been roaming the remote villages outside the city, targeting wealthy farmers and merchant caravans!"
"Word is that two months ago, he not only robbed a large amount of valuables in Bluestone Town, but also killed several people!"
Hearing this, Xiao Xuan immediately recalled the wanted notice he had seen at Su Yuntao's place a few months ago.
Xiao Xuan pondered to himself, The wanted notice made it clear that the fugitive named Ma Xiu was only a Soul Grandmaster. How could they have failed to catch him for so long?
That was ridiculous!