On the way back to the dorm wing, Tang San followed behind Yu Xiaogang, quietly hugging his bedding. His steps were heavy, his expression blank.
Clearly, he was still brooding over his defeat at Lin Yang's hands.
Yu Xiaogang, of course, noticed.
He cleared his throat and spoke.
"Do you know what your real mistake was today?"
Tang San's lips moved a few times. With some unease, he said,
"I'm sorry, teacher. I shouldn't have attacked him from behind."
"I wasn't talking about that." Yu Xiaogang waved his hand, his tone calm.
"Your biggest mistake this time was that you didn't understand your opponent at all."
Tang San's head snapped up. "Please instruct me, teacher."
Satisfied with his student's humble attitude, Yu Xiaogang nodded. This child is teachable.
"Lin Yang is one year older than you—he's had an extra year to cultivate. It's normal for his physical condition to be better than yours. On top of that, he has an extra soul ring."
"Judging from what we saw, his soul power is definitely higher than level fourteen. That is why you lost."
"You weren't prepared to face an enemy like that."
He spoke slowly as they walked.
As the reasoning sank in, light returned to Tang San's eyes.
So it wasn't that he'd been too weak—it was that Lin Yang had bullied him with an advantage in age and soul rings.
Shameless. Truly inhuman.
"Teacher," Tang San couldn't help asking, "can just one soul ring really make such a big difference?"
"Of course." Yu Xiaogang nodded firmly.
"With each soul ring you gain, you don't just obtain a new soul skill. Your physique and total soul power also increase. Add all that together, and your strength jumps up a level."
He glanced at Tang San, a twisted smile tugging at his stiff features.
"So, Xiao San, there's no need for you to be discouraged at all. The only thing separating you and Lin Yang right now is a single soul ring."
"Teacher, when can I obtain my first soul ring?"
"The sooner the better. I'll take you to the Spirit Hunting Forest tomorrow to find a powerful soul ring for you."
Thinking of how his years of theoretical research were finally about to bear fruit, Yu Xiaogang grew visibly excited.
"Tonight, come to my room. I'll explain your future development path in detail."
"Yes, teacher."
…
Elsewhere, after leaving the academy, Lin Yang quickly found a house for rent.
The rent was on the expensive side, but the place was very private and even came with a small courtyard.
By the time he'd finished unpacking, dusk had fallen. Lin Yang switched to his Demon Blood Spirit and began his daily surveillance.
This time, he discovered that Tang Hao was no longer in Holy Soul Village.
Had he already headed for Nuoding City?
Lin Yang checked several other crow perspectives, finally spotting Tang Hao at the cave that contained the Blue Silver Emperor soul bone.
He watched as Tang Hao muttered a few words at the cave entrance, then shot into the sky at high speed—flying straight toward Nuoding City.
Obviously, he was going to spy on Tang San.
As expected of Super Creeper Dad—he really loved shady, sneaky business.
Like father, like son.
A cold smile tugged at Lin Yang's lips.
The crows couldn't keep up with Tang Hao's speed, so he simply left them watching the cave.
As for losing track of Tang Hao inside the city?
To put it mildly, as long as Tang Hao dared step into Nuoding City, Lin Yang could make sure that every move he made stayed under surveillance.
Then he pulled a black robe from his storage ring, draped it over himself, and silently left the house.
Walking through the streets, he faded into everyone's blind spot.
Blindfold twisted the five senses. In other people's eyes, Lin Yang was nothing but a patch of empty air.
He went first to a merchant association and emerged less than half an hour later.
Then he visited several clinics, pharmacies, and even stopped by the headquarters of a soul-hunting group.
At each place, he spent from a few minutes to half an hour.
By the time he was done with his route, his savings had shrunk by three to four thousand gold soul coins, replaced by more than twenty chunks of whale glue of various sizes.
Most of them were mere ten-year whale glue—not particularly useful to him now.
There were four pieces of hundred-year whale glue, and one piece that was allegedly thousand-year whale glue.
"Allegedly" because it looked awful—only as thick as a finger, uneven, like something had gnawed on it.
And yet the merchant insisted on labeling it as thousand-year whale glue.
After some heated haggling, Lin Yang grudgingly bought it for five hundred gold soul coins.
But once he stepped out of the merchant hall, his heart felt like it was about to jump out of his chest, and he couldn't hide the grin on his face.
Because that piece wasn't thousand-year at all.
It was a rare ten-thousand-year whale glue.
He'd just pulled off a massive bargain.
Back at his little courtyard, Lin Yang couldn't wait to take out the ten-thousand-year whale glue.
He began circulating his breathing technique, using soul power to gradually heat the glue.
Whale glue was extremely tough; you couldn't simply eat it as-is. It had to be softened with high heat.
His soul power carried a scorching quality. It was slower than a fire, but safe and steady.
Over time, the lump in his hand softened and released a bizarre fragrance.
The scent was rich but compact, hanging in the air without dispersing.
It wrapped around Lin Yang; a single breath made the mind sharpen and desire surge.
Lin Yang immediately increased his output of soul power.
The ugly chunk of glue began to change color, going from dull gray to a strange dark gold.
"As expected, ten-thousand-year whale glue."
Lin Yang grinned. His luck today was truly outstanding.
Once it was fully softened, he ignored the heat and swallowed it in one gulp, then climbed into a tub of cold water with well-practiced ease.
The moment he sat down, a scorching wave erupted from his abdomen, roaring like molten lava through his limbs and bones.
His skin flushed red; the icy water around him began to boil, white steam rising in thick curtains.
An unbearable heat and lust rose from deep within. Lin Yang clung tightly to his will, clearing his mind and forcing himself into meditation.
The benefits of his long-term meditation showed themselves now.
Despite the intense external interference, he slipped into the meditative state with remarkable speed.
The grimace on his face gradually faded, his features settling into peace and serenity.
Only the constantly evaporating water and swirling steam silently bore witness to what was happening.
…
By the time Lin Yang opened his eyes again, daylight was pouring in from outside.
He clenched his fists, bones crackling in his hands, and a wave of power surged through his body.
As expected of ten-thousand-year whale glue—a piece that small had raised his physical attributes by nearly thirty percent.
With his current physique, he could probably withstand a second soul ring of around three thousand years.
After a few simple stretches to familiarize himself with his new body, Lin Yang stepped out of the tub, cleaned himself up, and headed for the academy.
The classes held no more secrets for him, so he went straight to the library to choose his own reading.
On the way, he saw Yu Xiaogang and Tang San leaving by carriage.
They were clearly headed to obtain Tang San's first soul ring.
He only glanced once from afar, then lost interest and looked away.