In the classroom.
"Xu Nuo! You're back!"
When Xiao Wu saw that Xu Nuo had returned, she immediately giggled and came over to him. Blinking her big eyes, she looked him up and down curiously and asked,
"I heard you went hunting for a Soul Ring these past few days?"
"How did it go? What's your first Soul Skill?"
Xiao Wu put on an innocent, curious expression.
But deep down, she still hadn't let go of her earlier suspicions.
The Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Origin within her had disappeared right after she made her wish.
That left her unable to help suspecting that Xu Nuo had stolen the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Origin from her.
Xu Nuo responded with a radiant smile and said openly,
"That's right! I went hunting for a Soul Ring!"
"As for my first Soul Skill..."
"I call it Invincible Golden Body!"
"What?! Invincible Golden Body?!"
Hearing those words, Xiao Wu bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Her beautiful eyes reddened at once. She planted her delicate hands on her hips, secretly gritted her teeth, and lowered her voice to demand angrily,
"Xu Nuo! And you still say you didn't steal my stuff!"
"That Invincible Golden Body of yours is obviously mine!"
Xiao Wu glared fiercely at Xu Nuo, as if she were about to pounce on him and take several vicious bites out of him.
Hearing that, Xu Nuo frowned, looking utterly baffled.
"Sister Xiao Wu, don't go slandering people!"
"I got my first Soul Skill by hunting and killing a Golden Dragon Turtle!"
"When I use it, it gives me nearly invincible defense, and my whole body glows gold, like a golden body."
"That's why I named it Invincible Golden Body!"
"What does that have to do with you?"
Xiao Wu froze for a moment, and her forcefulness faded somewhat.
After all, Invincible Golden Body wasn't a Soul Skill that only her Soft Bone Rabbit clan could comprehend.
Top-tier turtle Soul Beasts known for their defense, such as Golden Hawksbill Turtles and Golden Dragon Turtles, could also awaken a Soul Skill like it.
And although they were both called Invincible Golden Body,
Xu Nuo had named his based on the Soul Skill's effects, so it was perfectly reasonable for him to call it Invincible Golden Body.
Her anger and accusations did seem a little unreasonable...
At that moment, Xu Nuo frowned and continued,
"Besides, my first Soul Skill also increases the target's defense by two hundred percent and improves all aspects of their physical abilities by one hundred percent."
"That defensive specialty is a hallmark of the Golden Dragon Turtle!"
"Sister Xiao Wu, what exactly did you lose?"
"How could you drag my Soul Skill into it and say it was yours?"
When Xiao Wu heard Xu Nuo explain that his Invincible Golden Body also boosted defense and all aspects of physical ability,
she felt even more guilty.
Her own Invincible Golden Body only came with a boost to strength.
It had none of the defense boost or all-around improvement Xu Nuo had mentioned.
Could it be... I really was overthinking it?
Xiao Wu could only laugh awkwardly a few times and stammer,
"Um... I was just joking!"
"How could the thing I lost have anything to do with your Soul Skill?"
"I was just so envious of your Soul Skill. I thought its effects were amazing!"
"That's right! That's it!"
After saying that, Xiao Wu nodded vigorously, as if trying to convince herself.
Xu Nuo found the sight highly amusing, but his face took on a look of sudden realization, and he nodded.
"So that's how it is!"
"But Sister Xiao Wu, don't be jealous of me!"
"My Martial Soul is a rare Fate Attribute Martial Soul, and I have Innate Full Soul Power. Of course my Soul Skill would be powerful!"
Xu Nuo smiled and added,
"But I just broke through and became a Soul Master, so I'm in a good mood."
"Let me treat you to lunch on the second floor today!"
"Really?!"
When Xiao Wu heard she could eat something delicious again, her beautiful eyes lit up. Her heart filled with excitement and joy, and she couldn't help saying gratefully,
"Xu Nuo, thank you!"
She thought about how she had just suspected Xu Nuo of stealing her Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Origin.
Yet Xu Nuo not only let it go, he was even treating her to a meal.
Xiao Wu felt a little ashamed.
Xu Nuo was actually a pretty good person.
She had used the Wishing Magic Lamp Martial Soul to wish for the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast presence around her to be perfectly concealed.
Only then had the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Origin disappeared.
Now her wish really had come true; there had just been a slight problem.
She couldn't really blame Xu Nuo for that.
"No problem, we're all damn well friends!"
Xu Nuo waved a hand, walked past Xiao Wu, and found an empty seat by the window.
After sitting down, Xu Nuo couldn't help the slight upturn of his lips as he secretly chuckled to himself.
This Xiao Wu is so easy to fool!
A few casual words from me, and she's even thanking me!
Mere Xiao Wu, easily handled!
Meanwhile.
In a grove beside the classroom building.
Tang Hao was still dressed in a black robe and hood, hidden in the shadows of the grove. He concealed his presence, protecting Tang San from the dark like a ghost.
When Xu Nuo returned to Nuoding Academy and arrived at the entrance to the first-year classroom,
Tang Hao, hidden in the darkness, noticed him at once. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he thought to himself,
That kid called Xu Nuo has finally come back!
A few days earlier, after Tang San had confessed to Yu Xiaogang how he had come to absorb the Soul Ring of a ten-year Stink Bug,
Tang Hao had learned the reason as well.
It turned out that his son Tang San had made a wish to Xu Nuo, hoping to become a Soul Master as soon as possible, and had consequently absorbed the ten-year Stink Bug's Soul Ring by accident that night.
Tang Hao directed some of his resentment over this at Xu Nuo.
He hadn't expected the Wishing Divine Lamp to be able to grant wishes like that!
But Tang Hao also felt that his son Tang San was partly at fault.
Why couldn't he have been more precise with his wish?
Couldn't he have wished for a First Soul Ring perfectly suited to his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, whose age was exactly at the limit of what he could withstand?
If he had, perhaps that accident wouldn't have happened.
And since Tang Hao also knew that Xu Nuo could only grant "three wishes" a month,
his wishes for this month should all have been used up by now.
I'm afraid I can't ask that kid to grant me a wish to heal my internal injuries and hidden wounds this month!
Tang Hao thought to himself.
But there's no rush!
I can just go to the kid next month.
It's just that, dressed like this, it'll be a little hard to explain who I am...
I've got it!
Tang Hao soon thought of a solution. His eyes narrowed slightly as he thought to himself,
Since Yu Xiaogang is Little San's teacher,
perhaps I can have Yu Xiaogang call the kid to his dormitory and introduce me.
Then I can have the kid grant my wish.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
During that month,
Dorm Seven was still challenged by the work-study students led by Xiao Chenyu, and they held a wagered fight on the hill behind the academy.
Although the First Soul Ring Tang San's Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul had absorbed was a Stink Bug Soul Ring,
his mastery of the Tang Sect Secret Arts still made him far stronger than an ordinary Soul Master.
Thus, through Xiao Wu and Tang San's efforts,
the work-study students of Dorm Seven still won.
Xiao Chenyu promptly led the work-study students in sliding onto their knees on the spot and acknowledged Xiao Wu as their boss.
After learning that Dorm Seven also had Xu Nuo, a support-type Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power and a Hundred-Year Soul Ring as his First Soul Ring, Xiao Chenyu felt even more relieved.
A month later, feeling that the time was about right,
Tang Hao quietly entered Yu Xiaogang's dormitory late at night and said directly in a deep voice,
"Yu Xiaogang, I need your help with something!"