"Awoo!" Inside the medical hall, Zhao Liuyun vigorously tore off a piece of braised pork and chewed hard.
"Wuwu~ Teacher, the braised pork you made is really too fragrant~"
He mumbled praises while swallowing large mouthfuls.
The pork was seasoned with some unknown medicinal herbs, and the rich aroma had permeated every fiber. It was perfectly sweet and savory, melting in his mouth, tender and juicy.
Compared to the rough 'hogwash' the work-study students usually ate, this was a world of difference.
"Hehe."
Bai Hong stroked his long beard, his eyes filled with a benevolent smile. However, seeing his disciple devour the food so quickly, he still cautioned:
"Don't rush when you eat. Chew slowly, and it will help with digestion. I prepared this specially for you; no one is going to snatch it away."
"Mm-hmm," Zhao Liuyun mumbled in agreement, slowing down.
After a while, having completely emptied the plate of food, he wiped his mouth and called out, "Teacher."
"Say what you need to say," Bai Hong was busy processing medicinal herbs.
"How about I come here every afternoon to learn medical skills from you?"
"?" Bai Hong's hands didn't stop, and he didn't look up, though his tone carried a hint of confusion. "Soul Masters should prioritize cultivation. Don't lose sight of what's important."
Zhao Liuyun explained:
"We only have classes in the morning, and the quiet of late night is suitable for meditation. During the free time in the afternoon, combining theory with practice should allow me to learn faster."
"You also know that people get tired of doing the same thing for a long time, which leads to diminishing returns."
"Then come," Bai Hong pondered for a moment before finally nodding in agreement.
On the path of the Soul Master, he knew he was just a failure who wasn't even a Soul Master himself, and his knowledge was too shallow to offer rash guidance.
But he still solemnly instructed, "Strive hard in your cultivation and don't slack off. Become a Soul Master as soon as possible."
Zhao Liuyun collected the dishes and smiled, "Don't worry, Teacher."
How is diligently earning General Experience not striving hard in cultivation?
The next morning, the class was still relaxed, and Zhao Liuyun once again gained 2 points of General Experience.
Time could not be wasted. He planned to borrow books from the library to read during class, which might offer another avenue for gaining experience, but now was not the time.
Even a library at a primary academy holds precious content, and under normal circumstances, borrowing books would be impossible.
He needed to leverage the situation.
And the targets were Xiao Wu and Tang San—two geniuses with innate maximum Soul Power!
The two hadn't yet beaten up the sixth-grader Xiao Chenyu, and Xiao Wu hadn't become "Sister Xiao Wu" to the entire school yet.
He needed to wait for the right moment.
It wouldn't take long, actually...
Sure enough, after wandering around the academy for a few days, Xiao Wu challenged Xiao Chenyu for his disrespectful remarks.
Zhao Liuyun mingled with the work-study students and followed the crowd toward the forest on the back hill.
The academy's back hill was not within Nuoding Academy itself but located on a low hill outside the back gate.
Due to the challenge, this usually sparsely populated area was now crowded with many students, appearing somewhat congested and noisy.
The forest was silent, yet not truly peaceful.
Divided by the open space in the middle, Xiao Wu, representing all the work-study students, and Xiao Chenyu, representing over twenty high-grade students, were facing off.
Undercurrents flowed, the atmosphere taut like a drawn bow, as if a war was about to erupt.
Xiao Chenyu broke the silence with a sneer:
"Little girl, it's not too late to regret it now. Of course, I wouldn't mind having an extra pet rabbit. Your Spirit is a rabbit, right?"
He was half a head taller than Xiao Wu, and his looks were quite handsome, but his smile appeared somewhat frivolous and lewd.
Xiao Wu looked disdainful, pointing a finger at him. "Boss Xiao, are you scared? If you're scared, be my little brother from now on!"
"Haha, me, scared?" Xiao Chenyu countered with a laugh. "I say..."
"Enough nonsense! Hurry up and state your terms! Are we fighting or not?" Xiao Wu frowned, interrupting him without hesitation.
"Fighting, of course we'll fight," Xiao Chenyu accepted the challenge.
The two sides agreed on a ten-on-ten arena match, where the winner stays on the platform.
The first to start were Wang Sheng, with the Battle Tiger Spirit, and Liu Long, with the Staff Spirit.
Unfortunately, after a fierce fight, Wang Sheng was ultimately defeated, returning with a bruised and swollen face, looking disgraced.
Zhao Liuyun remembered that Tang San should appear around this time.
To make his debut in this battle with the Blue Silver Grass Spirit, initially proving the extraordinary nature of the Grandmaster's theory.
But it was already this late...
"Where's Tang San?"
Zhao Liuyun muttered to himself, looking back the way he came, his view obstructed by layers of trees.
He happened to meet Xiao Wu's gaze and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
He could win, but Zhao Liuyun truly didn't want to participate in such a meaningless and attention-grabbing struggle.
If Tang San didn't make it, then Xiao Wu could handle it just the same.
Facing the 'trash fish' lineup, she would achieve instant kills.
Moving closer to Xiao Wu, Zhao Liuyun whispered in her ear:
"Sister Xiao Wu, have you acquired a Soul Ring yet?"
Although confused, Xiao Wu nodded.
The fight was about to begin; why suddenly ask this?
"Ten-year or Hundred-year?"
Xiao Wu succinctly replied, "Hundred-year."
Zhao Liuyun actually already knew the answer but still pretended to be surprised:
"You've been tricked just now. Listen to me, say this."
Seeing that he was usually engrossed in reading, Xiao Wu figured he must be more strategic than herself, so she leaned in seriously to listen.
To her surprise, his suggestion actually made sense.
And it could lead directly to the final victory in one step.
As a Soul Beast, Xiao Wu enjoyed fighting, but not bullying the weak.
A flash of anger at being misled crossed her brows, and she turned her head and shouted:
"Xiao Chenyu, in a dispute at a Soul Master Academy, are you going to send out these mere Soul Scholars who don't even have Soul Rings?"
Xiao Chenyu frowned initially, about to say something, but his body suddenly jolted. "You... you are already a Soul Master?"
So young?
What innate Soul Power rank?
He didn't dare to think further, only feeling his heart instantly clench.
"Are you not?" Xiao Wu rubbed her wrists, still adorable, but her charming look revealed a hint of sharpness.
Zhao Liuyun had told her about Xiao Chenyu's background—just a one-ring Soul Master with a white ring.
Indeed, when Xiao Wu manifested her Spirit and her yellow Soul Ring appeared, Xiao Chenyu's expression drastically changed, becoming extremely solemn.
He was only a white ring.
"Xiao Chenyu, a sixth-grade student, Martial Soul: Wolf, Level 11, One-Ring Battle Soul Master."
"Xiao Wu, a first-grade work-study student, Martial Soul: Rabbit, Level 12, One-Ring Battle Soul Master."
"Disputes in a Soul Master Academy should be decided by Soul Masters." Xiao Wu repeated the words Zhao Liuyun had taught her verbatim.
"You are right," Xiao Chenyu, afraid of offending some major power, dared not refute her at all.
"Disputes in a Soul Master Academy should be decided by Soul Masters," he repeated.
Xiao Wu made the first move.
The Wolf Spirit was not weak, but the trash white-ring Xiao Chenyu was no match for a hundred-thousand-year transformed Soul Beast.
The two engaged in a not-so-intense battle.
Xiao Wu held all the advantages, and the situation was completely one-sided.
Zhao Liuyun suspected something had gone wrong with Tang San's Spirit Hunting. Otherwise, why was there still no sign of him at this time?
...
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the dormitory building.
This was the residence of the "Grandmaster," Yu Xiaogang.
The reason Tang San hadn't arrived was that he was diligently guarding his teacher's side, never leaving him.
This Spirit Hunt was a success, yet also a failure.
Tang San's gain was nearly perfect.
He successfully hunted a 423-year Mandala Snake, gaining the first Soul Skill, "Mother Entanglement."
His speed, strength, and reaction capabilities all saw a qualitative leap, as if he had been reborn.
But the "Grandmaster," Yu Xiaogang, was miserable.
Zhao Liuyun guessed right; an accident had happened!
Tang San was fully focused on absorbing the Soul Ring, while Yu Xiaogang, despite being severely poisoned, had to endure and guard nearby, fearing a sneak attack from another Soul Beast.
However, during the absorption of the Soul Ring, a wisp of thought quietly surfaced, and Tang San unintentionally thought of Xiao Wu.
This caused the Soul Ring absorption speed to slow down slightly, taking a bit more time than the original trajectory.
In just that amount of time, the Grandmaster's right forearm, which he had wrapped with cloth strips to prevent the poison from spreading and attacking his heart, had already suffered oxygen deprivation and necrosis.
The Mysterious Heaven Skill had a strong detoxifying effect, but it couldn't bring dead cells back to life.
To preserve his teacher's life, Tang San could only suppress his grief and tearfully sever the limb.
Yu Xiaogang's face was pale, and his vitality was greatly damaged.
Although his life was saved, he lost an arm and was thus "transferred" into half an "Yang Guo."
T/N: Yang Guo is the legendary protagonist of the Wuxia classic The Return of the Condor Heroes, famously known as the "One-Armed Swordsman."