Reunion of the Eight

Ma Hongjun shuddered and let out a long breath. "Ah--that felt great! Let's go, I'll take you to find them; they're all cultivating in the back mountain."

"Okay, okay!" Xiao Wu tossed her scorpion braid back, in a very good mood.

The four headed towards the back of the mountain. Ma Hongjun hadn't gone far when he started gossiping. "Speaking of which, Brother Yu, Third Brother, why did you only take Xiao Wu? What about us? The brothers are here cultivating hard, and you two are just putting romance before friendship."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Wu punched him on the head. "How dare you talk like that, Fatty? Third Brother is my older brother, Xingyu is my younger brother!"

Ma Hongjun covered his head, grimacing, "Ah, right, right, the younger brother is real, but the older brother—"

Wang Xingyu tapped the other side of his forehead with his fan. "I wanted you guys to come too, but the Old Monster wouldn't agree."

"By the way, the Old Monster is Dugu Bo." Wang Xingyu unfolded his fan. "He's come to our academy as an advisor. You can go and ask him yourself if he's still accepting students."

Ma Hongjun quickly shook his head, "Then forget it, forget it, forget it."

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten you. I've prepared gifts for you all. Little San specially picked out Immortal Herb for you. The one I gave you will completely solve the problem of your Evil Fire '."

Tang San nodded.

Ma Hongjun's eyes lit up, and he puffed out his chest. "That's more like it, at least you guys have a conscience." He took a couple of steps, then suddenly leaned closer and whispered, "By the way, Brother Yu, the dean said you and Third Brother are having a child, is that true?"

Wang Xingyu paused. Why was it this again?

"It's Martial Soul Fusion Skill." He took a deep breath. "If you say another word out of line, believe me, I'll kick your ass right now!"

As the two were talking, a shout came from ahead.

"Wow! Look! It's Third Brother! Xiao Wu! And Xingyu!"

Oscar was waving from the hillside, with Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong behind him. The group exchanged glances, then all put down their cultivation and ran over.

Oscar rushed to the front, hugged Tang San tightly, then hugged Wang Xingyu, his peach blossom eyes full of smiles. "You guys are finally back! This trip took more than half a year, and we were being pushed to our limits by Teacher Zhao others every day, we were almost worn out!"

Dai Mubai walked over, patted Tang San on the shoulder, and then said with a boastful voice, "It's good that you're back. By the way, I'm already level 43. Little San, what level are you now?"

Tang San scratched his head, answering a little embarrassedly, "Level 41."

"What?" Dai Mubai's hand froze in mid-air, his expression a mixture of surprise, joy, and a little frustration. "I thought that once I reached level 43, I would be a level above you."

On the other side, Ning Rongrong held Xiao Wu's hand, and Zhu Zhuqing stood beside her, saying little but her gaze fixed on Xiao Wu. Ning Rongrong checked her over. "Xiao Wu, are you alright? Did Dugu Bo give you any trouble?"

Xiao Wu shook her head, her eyes crinkling with a smile, "It's nothing, I'm fine." She overheard the boys' discussion and added casually, "Oh, by the way, I'm level 41 too."

Everyone turned their heads in unison. Dai Mubai opened his mouth, but a sentence stuck in his throat and he couldn't say it.

Oscar coughed lightly and turned to Wang Xingyu, trying to regain some balance. "Xingyu, what about you?"

Wang Xingyu unfolded his fan. "Level 35."

Ning Rongrong sighed softly, her voice tinged with disappointment. "I never thought I'd be the lowest level now. I'm only level 33."

Ma Hongjun silently complained, "I'm also level 33."

Oscar leaned closer, lowered his voice, and said with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "Xingyu, the dean said—you and your Little San have a child?"

"Why do they all have children?" Wang Xingyu closed his fan.

"Just kidding, just kidding." Oscar quickly raised his hand, "The dean was talking about your two Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

Xiao Wu peeked over from the side and corrected, "It's not two people, it's three."

Everyone was stunned for a moment. Dai Mubai raised an eyebrow, Oscar's mouth gaped open, and Zhu Zhuqing's gaze also froze for a second.

Xiao Wu's lips curled up, she tossed her scorpion braid back, and said proudly, "Third Brother, Xingyu, show us!"

Tang San and Wang Xingyu exchanged a glance and smiled helplessly. At the same time, they extended their right hands, and Blue Silver Grass emerged from their palms. Xiao Wu also revealed her Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul, and the three Soul Power converged in the air.

The Soul Ring beneath the feet of the three rose simultaneously—each person's Soul Ring featured three yellow rings, six purple rings, and two black rings that shone brightly. The black Fourth Soul Ring beneath Tang San and Xiao Wu's feet were particularly dazzling in the sunlight.

Martial Soul Stacking.

"Son of Blue Silver."

A humanoid figure woven from Blue Silver Grass appeared before the three. It was about the size of a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy, entirely emerald green, with red and blue patterns embedded between the grass blades like veins. It had only eyes, no other facial features, and a very fine line at the corner of its eye, like a stroke of ink.

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Oscar, mouth agape, suddenly realized something, his voice trembling. "Wait— Little San, Xiao Wu, your Fourth Soul Ring —why is it black?"

Everyone then realized what was happening and looked at Tang San and Xiao Wu.

Tang San nodded. "Yes, ten thousand years."

Dai Mubai put one hand on Tang San's shoulder, remained silent for a long time, and finally managed to squeeze out only one sentence.

"Compared to you, you are the real monsters. I estimate it won't be long before the three of you surpass us."

Dai Mubai's tone was a mixture of disappointment and relief.

Tang San shook his head. "No. The three of us only managed to get up here thanks to the medicinal power of the Immortal Herb. And I brought you a gift—it's the Immortal Herb itself."

Ma Hongjun hurriedly squeezed to the front of the crowd, his eyes fixed on Tang San's storage bag. "Yes, yes, Brother Yu just said it can completely get rid of my Evil Fire! Third Brother, give it to me quickly, what is it?"

Others gathered around as well.

Tang San first took out a red immortal Immortal Herb from his storage bag. Its petals were thick and fleshy, with a faint glow of fire at the edges. "Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower. It can purify your Phoenix Flame, removing impurities from the Evil Fire, and also enhance your Soul Power."

Ma Hongjun took it with both hands, looked at it from left to right, and his mouth was practically stretched to his ears in a grin.

Tang San then took out a bright yellow chrysanthemum, its petals layered upon each other, its stem thick and robust. "The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. By circulating its Qi throughout your limbs, you can cultivate an indestructible body. It's most suitable for your White Tiger Martial Soul." He handed it to Dai Mubai.

Dai Mubai took it; it felt heavy in his hand. He looked up, his tone earnest. "No need for thanks. From now on, if you want to cause trouble for anyone, I'll be the first to step in."

Tang San paused for a moment, then said, "... No need."

Ning Rongrong leaned closer, her eyes bright. "Third Brother, what about me?"

Tang San took out two plants from his storage bag—one purple with slender petals that shimmered faintly; the other blue, shaped like an orchid, and translucent throughout. "The Aromatic Silk Beauty is yours, and the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid is Oscar's. Both have the effect of compensating for the slow cultivation speed of Support System Soul Master, making them most suitable for you."

Ning Rongrong took the Aromatic Silk Beauty and gently stroked its petals. Oscar also took the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, examining it from all sides, his usual playful smile absent from his peach blossom eyes.

Tang San turned to Zhu Zhuqing and took out a pure white flower, its petals as thin as cicada wings, gleaming warmly in the sunlight. "Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone. It can strengthen bones, meridians, and tendons, greatly enhancing explosive power and speed, perfectly complementing your Hell Spirit Cat."

Zhu Zhuqing took the flowers, held them in her hand, and softly said thank you.