The Life Path, Number One in Theory?

Before long, Tang San spotted Xiao Wu crouching beside a flower bed.

"Xiao San, why were you so slow?"

When Xiao Wu saw Tang San, she immediately stood up, planted her hands on her hips, and complained.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Xiao Wu."

Tang San slowed to a stop in front of her and gave her an apologetic smile.

Xiao Wu pursed her lips. "Hmph~ was that guy Ye Xiaoqiu really so hard to deal with?"

"Not really, but he was very dissatisfied."

"Tch~ when has he ever accepted defeat? Even if he's dissatisfied, he can only swallow it."

Xiao Wu waved a hand dismissively.

Just thinking about it, she knew what kind of expression that guy Ye Qiu must have worn.

"No, he didn't swallow it this time."

Tang San shook his head.

"Huh? What do you mean? Did he fight back?"

Xiao Wu's eyes widened in surprise, her face full of curiosity.

"I suppose you could call it fighting back. He also made a bet with me... Within half a year, he'll come to Shrek Academy to find me and challenge me."

Tang San gave a somewhat helpless smile as he spoke of the bet.

He really must have lost his mind just now.

"Huh?"

Xiao Wu's mouth fell open in surprise.

"Xiao San, did I hear you right? Ye Xiaoqiu actually said he wanted to challenge you?!"

"Xiao Wu, you heard me right."

Tang San didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "We agreed that if he wins, I'll give him the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges. If he loses, his life is mine."

"Ha ha!"

Hearing Tang San's words, Xiao Wu, who had been utterly astonished, suddenly burst out laughing.

"That's great, Xiao San!"

"If he dares to come, you have to beat him flat, then make him my lackey for the rest of his life, working like an ox or a horse!"

The rest of his life?

Tang San stared blankly at Xiao Wu, and suddenly his smile grew somewhat forced.

"He probably won't dare come."

"Oh, who cares! As long as he dares to come, just beat him up!"

Xiao Wu waved her fist, brimming with spirit.

"Mm~ you're right, Xiao Wu."

Tang San smiled and agreed. Not wanting to talk any more about Ye Qiu, he changed the subject. "Xiao Wu, before we leave the academy, I need to say goodbye to my teacher. Do you want to come with me?"

"I don't want to see that old stick-in-the-mud! I'm not going, I'm not!"

Xiao Wu waved her hand twice in front of her nose in disgust.

She skipped toward the academy gates, then looked back with a radiant smile. "I'll just wait for you at the gate. How's that, Xiao San?"

"All right, then. I'll be back soon."

Tang San nodded helplessly.

When others spoke ill of his teacher, he could stand up for him, but when it came to Xiao Wu, he couldn't muster the slightest temper.

"..."

In Dorm Seven.

Ye Qiu watched Tang San leave, his body, numb from the poison, relaxing a little.

He had almost broken out in a cold sweat just now.

All in all, it had been a close call without mishap.

"Phew-"

Ye Qiu let out a long breath and frowned as he tried to move his body.

When he noticed the numbness fading,

Ye Qiu felt reassured.

Then he closed his eyes again.

Not to cultivate,

but to speed up the flow of his Soul Power and expel the poison from his body faster.

The Soul Ring still needed half a day to condense.

Therefore,

Ye Qiu was in no hurry to leave Nuoding Academy.

For him, it was a relatively safe place, and quiet enough, too.

Sooner or later, he would repay Tang San for his lesson!

When that day came, he would make sure Tang San knew that the so-called optimal Soul Skills Yu Xiaogang had planned for him were nothing but a joke!

Just as Yu Xiaogang had said,

Blue Silver Grass really was ordinary, and it really did have great capacity to accommodate and be molded.

But that didn't mean Blue Silver Grass could accommodate things at random!

Or be molded however one pleased!

Wildfires could not burn it out; the spring breeze brought it back to life.

Blue Silver Grass was not as Yu Xiaogang imagined, utterly useless and something to be kneaded at will. Its tenacious vitality was its greatest feature!

Besides, wasn't Tang San's Blue Silver Grass actually an unawakened Blue Silver Emperor?

It already possessed the trait of endless life!

The life path was the best choice for the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul...

Only that way could it go the farthest and the smoothest.

Before long,

very little poison remained in Ye Qiu's body, and he returned to normal.

He immersed himself in cultivation once more.

With the Hokage Selection System and Dual Kamui, Ye Qiu was naturally full of confidence in the bet.

Perhaps,

he might even obtain the powerful Wood Release.

But diligence was a habit he had cultivated over a long time.

Even with the system's help,

Ye Qiu would not slack off in the slightest before he had enough strength.

Time passed.

Nearly six hours flew by in the blink of an eye.

Ye Qiu cultivated until the sun went down and a teacher came to clear out and lock Dorm Seven. Only then did he pick up his bundle and leave the dormitory where he had lived for six years.

The Sharingan Martial Soul's First Soul Ring was still condensing.

Ye Qiu was still in no hurry to leave the academy. Instead, he picked up his luggage and headed toward the Nuoding Academy cafeteria along a familiar route.

It was already late,

and the cafeteria was cheaper than eating outside, so he might as well eat dinner before leaving.

The vast academy was deserted.

Ye Qiu's academy uniform was neat and crisp, his short, choppy black hair fluttering in the wind. Just as he reached the vicinity of the cafeteria, a familiar figure came walking toward him.

The man had a black-and-white crew cut, a wax-yellow zombie face, and two thin sausages hanging by his mouth. He wore academic robes washed pale and walked with steady, measured steps, looking every bit the old pedant, but the air of dejection on his face was impossible to hide.

Dejected, insecure, and yet proud,

this man was Yu Xiaogang, the theoretical grandmaster who had once wanted to take Ye Qiu as his disciple, and the teacher Tang San now took pride in.

He bore the fine title of number one in theory in the Soul Master World!

Give him a Soul Beast, and he could precisely determine its age, right down to the single digit.

The theoretical limit for a First Soul Ring was 423 years,

and that had long been recorded!

Ye Qiu naturally scoffed at such things. Anyone who believed them was an idiot.

When he saw Yu Xiaogang,

Yu Xiaogang had just come out of the cafeteria after eating a free meal.

Upon spotting Ye Qiu, he immediately approached. His thick lips opened and closed as he asked, "You've graduated. Have you found an intermediate Soul Master Academy to your liking?"

"..."

Ye Qiu stopped and silently shook his head.

Yu Xiaogang's cloudy eyes flickered.

"Why are you still at the academy? Have you come around?"

Ye Qiu shook his head again and explained, "I was absorbed in cultivation and lost track of time, so I was delayed. I might as well eat dinner before I leave."

"Oh~ is that so?"

Yu Xiaogang seemed only half convinced. He did not entirely believe Ye Qiu's words, and said earnestly, "Cultivation as a Soul Master certainly requires diligence, but the direction of your efforts is especially important too. With guidance from a renowned teacher, you can achieve twice the result with half the effort."

"You're right, Grandmaster."

Ye Qiu nodded, agreeing with what Yu Xiaogang had said.

Yu Xiaogang nodded slightly, clasped his hands behind his back, and raised his head. "If you haven't broken through to level thirty before you turn twenty, I'm afraid every step on your future path will be difficult... Are you really not going to reconsider? Become my disciple, and I'm confident I can help you become someone of talent. Xiao San is the best example."