"Teacher, it's all my fault. If only I had absorbed the spirit ring earlier." Tang San looked at his teacher on the bed, his face filled with remorse and self-reproach.
Yu Xiaogang's Soul Sect-level academy dean friend was also present.
At this moment, he couldn't help but speak, his tone carrying a trace of blame:
"Xiaogang, you, you... Alas!"
He let out a long sigh:
"It's your fault too. Knowing your own strength, why didn't you call me? Why did you insist on hunting a spirit beast alone with your disciple?"
What else could he say?
He had prided himself as a Spirit Grand Master, capable of dealing with ordinary hundred-year spirit beasts. He wanted to show off in front of Tang San but ended up making a fool of himself.
If Tang Hao hadn't been worried about his exceptionally talented son and secretly followed them, and had also helped suppress the venom due to the factors involving Bibi Dong and the secret of twin spirit cultivation...
Did he really think a strip of cloth could stop the poison from spreading?
Yu Xiaogang was weak and powerless. He moved his right arm, which had been severed at the elbow, and a surge of indescribable loneliness welled up in his heart.
But he couldn't sink into dejection. He used his left hand to gently stroke Tang San's head in comfort, then forced a smile and said, trying to sound nonchalant:
"It was indeed careless of me this time. What's past is past."
"When Xiaosan obtains his second spirit ring, you better not run off."
"I apologize, I spoke out of turn." The dean knew his friend had a strong sense of self-respect and was particularly sensitive about his own strength, so he didn't want to recall the humiliating experience.
This was an implicit way of asking him to leave.
After apologizing, he remained silent for a while, then left with the words, "You get some good rest. If you need anything, have your disciple come find me."
Tang San's voice was low by the bed, and he apologized again, "Teacher, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. If only I had finished absorbing the spirit ring earlier."
Yu Xiaogang just shook his head:
"What is there to blame you for? Facing a four-hundred-year-old Mandala Snake, it was pure luck that we saved a life."
Then, his eyes unfocused, he gazed at the ceiling and said:
"Alright, Xiaosan, you should leave too. I'm tired and need a good rest."
"But!" Tang San's guilt intensified, and he still wanted to stay and take care of the teacher who had risked his life to help him acquire a spirit ring.
Yu Xiaogang's face stiffened, and his voice, though weak, was firm: "Are you not even listening to your teacher now?"
He said what's past is past, but how could he genuinely not care?
He was merely pretending to be composed, not wanting his disciple to see his vulnerable and pathetic side, silently licking his own wounds.
"Oh, wait."
Tang San, who was about to leave, stopped. Yu Xiaogang handed him the spirit power circulation map that he had "personally summarized."
He also instructed Tang San to go to the Spirit Hall for certification soon to get free gold spirit coins.
Tang San returned to the dorm room heavy-hearted.
Although the feelings of remorse and worry in his heart had faded somewhat, they still lingered.
Because he thought of hidden weapons, he conceived a new idea—
To create a flexible iron hand for his teacher.
On the other side, Xiao Wu had already defeated Xiao Chenyu and become the 'Big Sister Xiao Wu' of the entire academy!
"Tang San?"
She excitedly returned with a group of work-study students, only to see Tang San sitting on the edge of the bed with a gloomy expression.
He looked suppressed and melancholic, as if he had encountered a major mishap.
"Did the spirit hunt really go wrong?" Zhao Liuyun's heart stirred slightly.
What kind of accident could make Tang San look like this?
He needed to find out!
A psychological vulnerability was always the best point of attack for a Spirit Master of the Mental System.
At least, it was the key breakthrough for Zhao Liuyun to scheme for the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record.
"What's wrong with you?" Xiao Wu bounced over to Tang San and gently poked his shoulder with her fair, slender finger.
Tang San looked up, and a pretty face radiating youthful vitality instantly entered his sight.
Her rosy cheeks carried a hint of childishness, and her bright, animated eyes blinked as if they were speaking.
His throat involuntarily moved. A sudden urge to pinch those rosy cheeks arose in him.
For a moment, the remorse caused by the Grandmaster's severed arm was overshadowed by this stirring in his heart.
Zhao Liuyun took in Tang San's subtle reaction.
The sudden brightness in his eyes genuinely baffled him.
Is my hypnosis really that effective?
Did it turn Tang San into Ma Hongjun?
That can't be right.
Or is there truly some strange genetic inheritance in the Tang Hao family, where they can't live without a spirit beast wife?
"..." Tang San was silent for a moment, then finally let out a soft sigh, "Nothing."
"Really?" Xiao Wu smacked her lips, waved her fair little hand in front of Tang San's eyes a couple of times, and then suddenly moved closer to him.
"Speaking of which, didn't you go hunting for a spirit ring? How was the harvest?"
"Level eleven, one-ring Tool Spirit Master." A slight smile finally appeared on Tang San's face.
He hadn't tested his spirit power yet, so he didn't know he had reached level thirteen.
A faint white light shone from him. He raised his right hand, and the Blue Silver Grass, now a darker shade of blue, grew out of his palm.
As he swung his right hand, the Blue Silver Grass scattered at his feet.
A bright yellow spirit ring rose from beneath Tang San's feet, coiling around his body, pulsating up and down.
"It came from a 423-year-old Mandala Snake. It inherited the snake's toughness and poison." Tang San's words carried unconcealed pride.
This was vindication for his teacher's theory.
"Wow~!" Wang Sheng and the others immediately gasped in admiration.
Zhao Liuyun also echoed the amazement: "Another hundred-year spirit ring!"
"That's truly amazing, Tang San!"
Xiao Wu tugged at Tang San's clothes, tilting her head in confusion, "Isn't this quite impressive? Why are you so downcast?"
"Hah~ Hoo~" Tang San sighed repeatedly. After the self-reproach, deep respect emerged in his eyes:
"This is the spirit ring my teacher risked his life to help me hunt... For this, he paid the price of his right forearm."
In truth, Yu Xiaogang also had severe abrasions on his legs because Tang San wasn't tall enough to carry him out of the Spirit Hunting Forest, so Xiaogang's legs dragged on the ground.
However, this detail was not for outsiders to know.
Tang San withdrew his spirit. His left hand unconsciously rubbed his right arm, as if feeling the pain himself.
Although his face was calm at the moment, ever since he warned Wang Sheng about the "Grandmaster" last time, everyone knew how much Tang San valued the "Grandmaster."
Unexpressed on the surface, the sorrow was deep in his heart!
Beside him, Zhao Liuyun appeared composed, but a storm had already erupted in his heart: "My luck has truly arrived!"
Relying only on Xiao Wu as a breakthrough point was indeed monotonous.
But now...
Yu Xiaogang lost an arm?
Heh heh...
Tang San, you've given me such a massive psychological vulnerability, don't blame me for taking advantage of it!
"Uh, Tang San, the Grandmaster is a good man, and he'll be fine. You are his disciple, you must be strong..." Xiao Wu offered awkward comfort.
She was always straightforward and not good at comforting people. Although she knew she should say something, she felt her words were inadequate.
She could only babble.
The other person wasn't dead.
You guys aren't up to it; watch me.
He couldn't use hypnosis directly on Tang San now.
As a Spirit Master, his spiritual power must have increased.
He might very well be discovered.
Therefore—
He'd use the scent of the flower!
The combination of [Hypnosis] and flower scent he developed a while ago was now the time to put to use.
A soft glow emanated from his palm, and the magnificent, pure white flower reappeared.
A cool, crisp fragrance quietly diffused, like a thin mist, gently enveloping Tang San's emotions.
Remorse lingered, worry hadn't dissipated, and concern persisted—
But the fragrance was like a soothing hand, causing Tang San to unconsciously relax.
He looked up at Zhao Liuyun.
Zhao Liuyun encouraged him:
"Tang San, you are a genius with Innate Full Spirit Power, and the disciple your 'Grandmaster' values. Pull yourself together! Work hard to cultivate and become stronger. Don't let his sacrifice be in vain."
The comfort was brief, just pretending to care, not actually trying to make him feel completely better.
Tang San, you must keep this guilt towards Yu Xiaogang for a long time!
The power of [Hypnosis] contained in the flower scent quietly stirred his mind, but due to its inherent calming effect, it didn't show externally.
This was like adding Montmorillonite powder to stop diarrhea from food that would normally cause it.
Zhao Liuyun did the opposite: [Hypnosis] stirred up emotions to create the 'sickness,' and the flower scent soothed the mind, which was the 'cure.'
Tang San calmed down. Looking at the genuine concern in the other's eyes, a sincere sense of gratitude welled up in his heart:
"You're right."
"I must work hard to cultivate and absolutely not fail my teacher's expectations."
"Thank you!"
The thanks were very genuine.
Zhao Liuyun chuckled with delight, patting his chest with great generosity: "Thank me for what? We're brothers!"
Tang San, you are my brother. You should understand the importance of the bigger picture.
You don't need to dwell on temporary losses, nor do you need to worry about the cost...
When the time comes, for the sake of a brother's growth, I'll stab you a few times myself!
"Haha." Zhao Liuyun laughed heartily.
Tang San's lips curled up, and he also displayed a bright smile.
What a truly good person.
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi