With a miserable shriek, when the teacher in charge of overseeing the cultivation rooms pushed open the door to Tang San's room, all that met their eyes was blood, filth, and a foul stench.
A figure wrapped in greasy black mud that emitted a revolting odor lay in the middle of the room. Simultaneously, beneath that figure was a patch of blood and gore, a sight too horrific to endure...
...
"Hey, have you heard? There's a cultivation maniac among this year's freshmen. He eats, drinks, and lives in the cultivation room, training like a madman every day. To save time, he even relieved himself right there in the room! It's absolutely shocking!"
"Huh? How come I heard that guy has an 'Innate Frenzied Thrusting Constitution'? He was thrusting away like a maniac in the cultivation room until he passed out. I heard his 'little brother' actually exploded!"
"Hiss—your versions are all wrong! My classmate's cousin's shopkeeper's vendor's cousin's neighbor is that very teacher. That teacher saw it with his own eyes: that fierce man was covered in blood down below, and he was eating something 'indescribable,' yet his cultivation was still skyrocketing!"
"I heard that fierce man has a plant-type Martial Soul. You know, plants need nutrition to grow, so he had a flash of inspiration and decided to 'produce and consume' his own to see if he could boost his cultivation!"
"And guess what? That fierce man was only Rank 24 when he enrolled, but by the time he was sent to the infirmary a few days ago, his cultivation had already reached Rank 30!"
"Six ranks in three months! An average of one rank every half-month! You tell me, is that guy fierce or what?!"
"Holy crap! That's insane! Can you really get stronger by eating... that stuff?!"
"Don't know. I have a beast Martial Soul, so I haven't tried. Hey, Lao Ba, isn't your Martial Soul plant-type? Why don't you give it a shot?"
In an instant, everyone's gaze fell upon the student called "Lao Ba."
Lao Ba: "...Huh?"
...
In the infirmary, on the hospital bed, Tang San sat with vacant eyes. Although his Rank 30 cultivation was incredibly stable, Tang San couldn't feel even a hint of joy right now.
It's gone... everything is gone...
Among the impurities left over from that massive surge of blood essence, there actually remained a sliver of a Soul Beast's soul. When the last bit of usable blood essence was absorbed by Tang San, the Soul Beast soul—sensing the threat of death—actually woke up and went on a rampage, attempting to burst out of Tang San's body.
However, one must remember that Tang San's body, nourished repeatedly by Life Force, was incredibly tough everywhere—except for "Little Tang San."
Thus, the Soul Beast soul, retaining a shred of primal instinct, naturally aimed for Tang San's weak point. Then, the tragedy occurred...
Clearly, raising his cultivation by four ranks in just a few days should be a happy occasion, but why did it turn out like this?
As waves of bewilderment flashed through him, an elderly-looking figure slowly walked into the ward.
Zhou Yi!
Tang San's vacant eyes instantly regained focus. Under the shroud of his Divine Consciousness, a heaven-toppling killing intent surged frantically!
If it could be said that he could have forgiven Zhou Yi before for suspecting he was hiding his strength—as that was merely a "path to seek death"—this current matter... if he didn't avenge this, he wouldn't be a man!
Wait... he's already not one!!!
"A path to seek death! Truly a path to seek death! I, Tang San, will kill you! To avenge my severed X!"
The hatred, which could almost be described as madness, was concealed by his Divine Consciousness. From Zhou Yi's perspective, Tang San's eyes were as vacant as someone who had been Toyed With by eight muscular men, clearly exhibiting a sense of "brokenness."
For the first time, a hint of guilt actually surfaced in Zhou Yi's heart.
The pill she had given Tang San was called the Blood Soul Pill, which she had purchased at a high price from the Shrek underground black market.
To make this Blood Soul Pill, one had to capture a Soul Beast of at least three thousand years alive, seal its flesh and blood, and refine it into a pill while it was still living.
It contained the full Blood Essence of a Soul Beast, allowing a Soul Master below Rank 30 to jump two ranks, or a Soul Master between Rank 30 and 40 to rise by one rank.
Of course, such a rapid increase naturally came at a price. After a Soul Master swallowed the pill and absorbed the pure Blood Essence, the remnant soul of the Soul Beast within the pill would trigger the remaining impurities to directly pollute the Soul Master's meridians!
In layman's terms, the Soul Power cultivation wouldn't change, but one's Innate Soul Power talent would drop by three ranks!
For an ordinary Soul Master, a three-rank drop in Innate Soul Power was practically equivalent to being crippled. For those whose Innate Soul Power was only five or six, eating a Blood Soul Pill was tantamount to cutting off their own future!
Yet, despite this, Zhou Yi had still given the pill to Tang San. Furthermore, she had him take the Mystic Water Pill first, then the Soul Rising Pill, and finally the Blood Soul Pill!
One should know that the effect of the Mystic Water Pill could somewhat neutralize the side effects of the Blood Soul Pill. But Zhou Yi didn't care; to maximize the absorption of the pills, she put the Mystic Water Pill at the very beginning!
But why did the original side effect of clogged meridians turn into... becoming a eunuch?!
Zhou Yi's expression flickered strangely, but soon, that tiny bit of guilt vanished into thin air.
She had already staked everything on one throw of the dice.
If she lost this gamble, she would surely die! The high-level executives of Shrek would definitely pin everything on her and force her to atone with her life!
It was almost a certainty.
Therefore, her only remaining chance was to have Tang San defeat Ning Tian and take first place in the Freshman Assessment!
"Tang San."
Zhou Yi's tone was flat.
"Teacher Zhou..."
Tang San looked up, revealing a perfectly timed "daze," burying his resentment and distortion deep within.
"First, I want to say I'm sorry. I know you must resent me very much right now, but I can be certain that the pill was absolutely not supposed to make you... like this."
Zhou Yi paused, her tone suddenly shifting!
"But Tang San, what's done is done. Regret is useless now. Instead of regretting the past, look toward the future!
"Tang San, feel your current Soul Power! Rank 30! You are only one Soul Ring away from becoming a Soul Elder!
"You are a genius; you are destined to become a powerhouse in the future. The Douluo Continent has so many treasures; it might not be impossible to cure you!"
Zhou Yi poured "chicken soup for the soul" into Tang San. She didn't care if he hated her or if he fully believed her, as long as he gave his all in the Freshman Assessment in a few days. As for anything else, she didn't care.
She stared at Tang San, watching his expression closely. Only when the daze on his face began to dissipate slightly did she breathe a small sigh of relief.
Fortunately, he lacks life experience; I managed to fool him for now.
However, was Tang San truly fooled?
No, Tang San was missing his mother... or more accurately, Tang San was missing his mother's Soul Bone...
"Wildfires cannot burn it all; the spring breeze brings it back to life." If he had that Soul Skill, his severed X would surely be able to grow back!
One must remember, his mother Ah Yin was currently at the Golden Ancient Tree... although she had already begun attempting to "possess" it... her essence was still the Blue Silver Emperor!
There was still a chance...