Chapter 17: The Challenge
The next day, after finishing breakfast and cleaning the dishes, Lin Yang took gifts to visit the neighbors in the village.
During his absence, these neighbors had frequently come to help Grandma Su Xi.
Now that he was back, it was only proper for him to visit them in return with gifts.
The gifts weren't particularly valuable, just common pastries and the like from Nuoding City.
But for the children of Red Maple Village, they were rare treats.
Night fell.
After sensing that Grandma Su Xi was sound asleep, Lin Yang quietly slipped into the Red Maple Mountain behind the village.
Red Maple Village was named after this very mountain. Come autumn, the entire mountain was covered in red leaves, as beautiful as a sea of fiery clouds.
But today, Lin Yang wasn't here for the scenery.
Making sure no one was around, he summoned his Demon Blood Martial Soul.
"Martial Soul, Possess!"
With a low shout, the blood, the size of a pigeon's egg and heavy as mercury, instantly sank into his palm.
The aura around Lin Yang turned cold and eerie, his skin taking on an unnatural pallor.
This was the 'Demonization' state.
In his usual state, he looked no different from an ordinary person, but he could further unleash his power to become a true Demon.
A yellow Soul Ring rose from his feet and began to glow.
First Soul Skill, Blindfold.
Lin Yang closed his eyes, then instantly opened them again.
His originally pitch-black pupils instantly turned blood-red, with vertical, snake-like slits surrounded by tiny blood vessels.
At that moment, Lin Yang's vision pierced through the mountains, directly seeing Holy Soul Village dozens of miles away.
"Clang, clang, clang..."
Although it was late, loud hammering sounds still came from the seemingly dilapidated house.
Lin Yang knew this was Tang San practicing the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Method.
This had been the case every day since Tang San awakened his Martial Soul.
And Tang Hao, whom Lin Yang was closely monitoring, also followed a very regular daily routine.
It boiled down to just three things: eating, sleeping, and beating Tang San.
No, wait, teaching Tang San how to forge.
If Lin Yang hadn't been well aware of Tang Hao's true identity, he would have only seen him as a disheveled middle-aged man, not the famous Clear Sky Douluo.
At that moment, Tang San, tired from forging, put down his hammer to rest for a while, his gaze casually drifting out the window.
He then saw a pure black crow, without a single stray feather, quietly perched in a nest on a branch.
"Already built a nest, huh..."
Tang San frowned slightly but paid it no further mind—it was just an ordinary crow.
Simultaneously, Lin Yang switched his vision to several other perspectives.
If these perspectives were combined, they would reveal a pattern centered on Holy Soul Village, spreading outward.
That's right, Lin Yang was searching for the Cave that hid the blue silver emperor spirit bone.
He only remembered the Cave was hidden behind a Waterfall, but he didn't know the Waterfall's exact location.
He could only use a crude method: searching inch by inch using crows he had placed under an illusion.
However, something as important as a hundred thousand year spirit bone would naturally be kept close by Tang Hao.
So searching near Holy Soul Village was definitely the right approach.
He had already missed out on one hundred thousand year spirit bone; he absolutely could not miss this one.
Moreover, he was confident that with the immense life force contained within the blue silver emperor spirit bone, he could overcome the Demon Blood Martial Soul's weakness of fearing sunlight... Vacation time always flew by, and before he knew it, it was almost over.
Under Lin Yang's meticulous care, Grandma Su Xi's health gradually improved. She could now walk freely without needing a cane.
Adequate nutrition had also greatly improved her complexion.
Meanwhile, persistence paid off. Through his inch-by-inch search of the mountains, Lin Yang actually found the Cave containing the Soul Bone.
It was only about a dozen miles from Holy Soul Village.
For a Titled Douluo, that distance could be covered in just a few breaths.
Suppressing his excitement, Lin Yang firmly memorized the location. He kept only one crow as a lookout to monitor the Cave entrance and released the rest.
Soon, the final day of the holiday arrived. Lin Yang bid farewell to Grandma Su Xi and set off on the journey back to Nuoding City.
As soon as he returned to the school, Lin Yang witnessed the classic scene unfolding at the school entrance.
A simply dressed little boy was kneeling on both knees, kowtowing to Yu Xiaogang with loud 'thumps,' respectfully calling him 'Teacher.'
Who else could this quintessential scene involve but Tang San?
Yu Xiaogang looked at Tang San, his already stiff face cracking into an unsightly smile.
The fervent look in his eyes gave Lin Yang goosebumps.
It was simply unbearable to watch.
Coincidentally, Yu Xiaogang also noticed Lin Yang.
The smile instantly vanished from his face, replaced by a look of disdain mixed with pride.
The disciple he had just accepted, Tang San, possessed Innate Full Spirit Power.
In terms of talent, he was countless times stronger than Lin Yang, and he also had the one-in-ten-thousand twin spirits.
Any one of these traits could completely crush Lin Yang.
Hmph, just you wait, Lin Yang. You'll soon realize what you missed out on before.
However, Lin Yang merely thought to himself, 'What a nutjob,' and headed straight for the teaching building.
He needed to apply for Off-Campus Living arrangements. He had no intention of cultivating under the watchful eye of a peeping tom.
Tang San naturally noticed the change in Yu Xiaogang's expression and followed his gaze to Lin Yang.
"Teacher, do you know that person?"
"His name is Lin Yang. He has some talent," Yu Xiaogang said with a contemptuous smile.
"In my view, he's nothing but a self-important fool. I tried to guide him out of goodwill before, but he was disrespectful to me."
As he spoke, Yu Xiaogang patted Tang San's shoulder and said earnestly,
"Little San, you have Innate Full Spirit Power. Under my guidance, your goal is to become a ninety-ninth rank Titled Douluo. People like Lin Yang have limited future prospects; they're not worth your attention."
A cold glint flashed in Tang San's eyes, and his impression of Lin Yang instantly plummeted.
To dare be disrespectful to his revered teacher... this person... couldn't possibly be a good person... Soon, Lin Yang emerged from the Academic Affairs Office. His application for Off-Campus Living had been processed smoothly and without much trouble.
Returning to Dormitory Seven to pack his things, he found the students gathered together.
Lin Yang approached and saw Wang Sheng pinned to the ground, unable to move, with Tang San sitting on top of him.
"Do you yield?"
"I do not!" Wang Sheng retorted stubbornly, his face flushed red.
This scene made Lin Yang frown slightly. He was currently the boss of Dormitory Seven; how could Wang Sheng and Tang San still be fighting?
"What's going on?"
Seeing Lin Yang appear, the other students quickly made way.
At Lin Yang's inquiry, someone explained the whole situation clearly in a few words.
It turned out that when a new Work-Study Student arrived, Wang Sheng, who fancied himself Lin Yang's number one underling, wanted to show Tang San who the boss of Dormitory Seven was.
The result? He ended up being the one pinned to the ground by Tang San in a few moves.
Good grief!
Lin Yang felt a wave of speechlessness. Why did this scene feel so familiar?
So, in the end, he was the villain?
Thinking this, Lin Yang kept a straight face and said to Tang San,
"You've won. Can you let him go now?"
Tang San looked up at Lin Yang. "Are you the boss of Dormitory Seven?"
Lin Yang nodded. "For now, yes."
"The rule in Dormitory Seven... is that the strongest becomes the boss?"
"That's right."
"Then I challenge you." Tang San declared directly, a hint of hostility in his eyes.