Yu Xiaogang's face darkened. "What, are you questioning me?" he snapped impatiently. "My elder brother was able to absorb a thousand-year Soul Ring as his first. Why can't I absorb a six-hundred-year one?"
"You..." Dao Ba was at a loss for words. He wasn't sure whether Young Master Yu Xuan's First Soul Ring was a thousand-year one, but was Yu Xiaogang really someone who could absorb a six-hundred-year Soul Ring as his first?
If they actually let him try and his body exploded, the sect master would skin them alive.
With no time to argue, Dao Ba and Brother Hu hurried forward to meet the charging Thunder Carp Dragon.
Both were Soul Elders above level thirty, so dealing with a six-hundred-year Thunder Carp Dragon was no problem.
As its name suggested, the Thunder Carp Dragon was a sub-dragon Soul Beast with a weak bloodline.
After some effort, the two finally beat the Thunder Carp Dragon to death.
Yes, they killed it. They weren't fools, so how could they let Yu Xiaogang absorb a six-hundred-year Soul Ring?
Yu Xiaogang was so furious he was practically ready to explode. He stamped his foot, his face flushing red. "Why did you kill that dragon?!"
"Didn't I tell you? You were supposed to wound that Thunder Carp Dragon, wound it badly! Then leave it to me to finish off!"
The two turned their heads and whistled, treating his words like farts.
Yu Xiaogang was beside himself with rage and even wanted Luo Sanpao to give the two of them a blast of stinky fart.
In the end, though, he held back. He didn't dare make a move; if he angered them, the consequences would be hard to predict.
"Forget it. Let's keep looking for Soul Beasts."
Yu Xiaogang seemed to have been drained of strength in an instant. He waved a hand weakly.
The three searched the Star Dou Great Forest for six or seven days straight, but they never encountered a Soul Beast that suited Yu Xiaogang's wishes.
Even when they occasionally came across a six- or seven-hundred-year Soul Beast that did suit him, the two burly men joined forces and beat it to death.
What little pride Yu Xiaogang had was completely worn away. He abandoned the extravagant hopes in his heart and lowered his requirements.
After living like a savage in the wild for six or seven days, all he wanted now was to hurry back to the sect and live in comfort.
"A three-hundred-and-forty-year Flame Stink Bug is far below what I had in mind, but I just want to go back now. Besides, this Stink Bug might be able to strengthen Luo Sanpao's stinky farts. It'll have to do."
Yu Xiaogang was desperate to go home and couldn't be bothered to consider so much anymore.
"Phew..."
The two burly men secretly breathed a sigh of relief. In their view, Gangzi had finally shown a glimmer of sense and realized he couldn't absorb a six- or seven-hundred-year Soul Ring.
They said a glimmer because, with his pig Martial Soul, absorbing a Stink Bug didn't seem suitable no matter how they looked at it.
Stink Bugs had little combat ability. They merely had a stink gland on their chests that secreted a liquid which gave off a foul stench when exposed to air, and the liquid itself was poisonous too.
The two instantly battered the Stink Bug to the brink of death and signaled for Yu Xiaogang to come kill it.
Yu Xiaogang put on a mask and stabbed the Stink Bug's body more than ten times. After killing it, he began drawing its Soul Ring over to absorb it.
A quarter of an hour passed. Yu Xiaogang's face suddenly turned deathly pale, a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and a bloody mist rose from his skin.
The two burly men standing guard beside him exchanged looks, their expressions strange.
No way. Was Yu Xiaogang going to explode and die from absorbing this Stink Bug?
Was it too old? Or was Gangzi's constitution too weak?
Time passed, minute by minute, second by second, and Yu Xiaogang remained in the same state.
They couldn't tell why, but although Gangzi clearly looked ready to explode, his vitality was remarkably tenacious. He remained in that miserable state for a full eight hours.
The bloody mist seeping from his pores continuously settled on the ground, spreading within a meter around him.
Bit by bit, the bloody mist gathered and accumulated around him, congealing into a puddle of dark red blood jelly.
His own condition was also dreadful. His face was as pale as paper, clearly from losing too much blood.
"Ah..." Yu Xiaogang opened his eyes, listless and weak-voiced. "I... I, Yu Xiaogang, have finally become a Soul Master today!"
"Ha ha... ha ha ha... uh..."
Before Yu Xiaogang could even sense his Soul Skill, his consciousness blurred, and he toppled over, falling asleep in the blood jelly.
Dao Ba's expression changed sharply. He walked straight over and checked his breathing. Finding that he was still breathing, he secretly sighed in relief. "He's not dead. He must have lost too much blood."
"This Gangzi really is something. I thought he'd explode and die, but who knew his vitality was so tenacious? He actually absorbed the Soul Ring while hanging right at his body's limit," Brother Hu couldn't help commenting.
Dao Ba said, "All right, let's hurry out of the Star Dou Great Forest. Then we'll buy some blood-replenishing herbs at a pharmacy outside and feed them to Gangzi."
"We have to get back to the sect quickly. I'm really afraid he'll survive the risk of exploding while absorbing the Soul Ring, only to die from blood loss instead."
"Good point. I have an idea: let's take a piss on Gangzi. It'll wash off the blood and cover up the bloody smell. That smell attracts Soul Beasts too easily, after all." Brother Hu nodded, suppressing a mischievous grin.
"You're a clever one. That's just what I had in mind." Dao Ba pointed at him and chuckled.
"Psssss..."
Two streams of golden-yellow liquid poured over Yu Xiaogang.
Only after they had cleaned off most of the blood did the two carry him out of the Star Dou Great Forest.
They returned to the sect and reported what had happened in the Star Dou Great Forest.
By then, the smell of urine on Yu Xiaogang had grown faint.
When Yu Xuan heard that Yu Xiaogang had endured eight hours at his body's limit to absorb the Flame Stink Bug's Soul Ring, he pursed his lips and couldn't help remarking, "His vitality really is tenacious."
Yu Yuanzhen's mouth twitched. He dismissed the two burly men and looked at Yu Xiaogang. "This fellow searched the Star Dou Great Forest for so long, I thought he'd absorb a dragon-type Soul Ring."
"Instead, it was just a Stink Bug. After absorbing it, he even managed to lose too much blood. If he weren't already unconscious, I'd want to slap him..."
Yu Xuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He turned and left the sect master's residence.
Two days later, Yu Xiaogang woke up.
He looked around and realized he was in his own room.
"I'm back. I'm finally back!"
Tears filled Yu Xiaogang's eyes. After living like a savage for six or seven days, he had finally returned to the sect.
He hurriedly calmed his mind and examined his Soul Skill.
A moment later, Yu Xiaogang's face took on a constipated expression.
First Soul Skill-Farting Like Setting Fire-Luo Sanpao, Hot Fart Skyward!
Summon Luo Sanpao to spray a high-temperature, fire-poison fart at the enemy. Take care not to suffer a backlash from the fire poison~
One year later.
Yu Xuan stood at the entrance to the residence and waved to Yu Yuanzhen. "Father, I'm setting out to train."
"Go on. Make sure you return to the sect within four months. Don't miss registration for Spirit Hall Academy," Yu Yuanzhen said with a smile.
"All right," Yu Xuan replied. Then he turned and left.
He had finally secured the chance to go out and train alone, and he planned to visit the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.