"Do you feel it?"
Returning to his room and temporarily separating from his teammates, Su Cheng looked at Ah Yin beside him.
"Why did this happen?"
Ah Yin's complexion was somewhat pale.
In the recent battle, she sensed Tang San's unique soul power circulation method through Su Cheng's domain, which was obviously different from ordinary people.
At that moment, under the might of that sword, none of the Shrek Seven Devils could sense the aura of the domain.
With Su Cheng's control over the domain, without using suppression ability, it would be impossible for those people to feel it based on their level of cultivation.
"I'm not sure either," Su Cheng said lightly, "It could be an accident, or there might be other external forces at play."
"I remember..." Ah Yin hesitated as she looked at Su Cheng, "You mentioned your situation before...?"
She knew Su Cheng also had a special cultivation technique, but she knew this technique was something Su Cheng developed on his own.
As for Tang San...
Based on his use of the Blue Silver Grass martial soul and the speed of his soul power cultivation, Ah Yin didn't think he had that ability.
Moreover, the fluctuation of that technique was completely different from Su Cheng's.
Su Cheng's method of soul power circulation was more closely related to the body, bloodline, and martial soul direction, with a much higher efficiency in condensing soul power, clearly fitting the energy system of the Douluo Continent.
While the energy inside Tang San's body was significantly different in nature from soul power, as if it came from another world.
Without Su Cheng's words, it would indeed be difficult for anyone to think of this significant cause and effect.
But with his earlier hint, one could instantly come to realize it.
"My situation is not entirely the same as his. My memories awakened gradually. In our terminology, it's called 'previous life wisdom.' Besides, I have some special talents."
Su Cheng shook his head. "So, I can't figure out what's going on with him."
Then he turned to look at Ah Yin.
In a comforting tone, he said, "Don't worry, I will investigate this matter thoroughly in the future. However, the original soul of that body has completely disappeared."
Ah Yin glanced at him for a moment and softly asked, "Why are you willing to help me?"
Su Cheng paused for a moment at her words, then pondered for a while before continuing.
"Your help to me is significant, much greater than you imagine. Originally, I just wanted that hundred-thousand-year soul bone of yours, but unexpectedly, your presence has brought me immense benefits.
"In terms of cultivation techniques and aptitude, there has been a transformative improvement. And because of you, I have gained a much deeper understanding of my future path of cultivation.
"Besides..."
Su Cheng fell silent for a moment, looking out at the clear sky through the window, then sighed softly.
"There are many things I can only share with you."
In this world, he was actually quite lonely.
He wasn't sure if he had traveled to this world or awakened here, but in either case, he felt somewhat out of place in this world.
This sense of alienation accumulated in his heart for a long time, turning into an invisible mental pressure that significantly affected his state of mind.
So he also yearned for power; with power, he could have the capital to change this world.
But those secrets, no one could confide in.
Qian Renxue was certainly trustworthy, and there were many things he didn't mind telling her.
Ironically, the person he had been in contact with the longest was Chen Xin nd Qian Renxue in the simulated world.
Especially the latter; the two had been together for more than twenty years, which was of extraordinary significance to him.
But Qian Renxue was different from Ah Yin.
She was too strong-willed and opinionated, and there were many things Su Cheng didn't dare to easily tell her, fearing it might have other consequences.
Ah Yin looked at Su Cheng with a puzzled expression.
She felt that his demeanor at this moment seemed somewhat vulnerable.
As they spent more time together, she almost forgot that the young man who looked like a young adult was actually just a boy under fifteen.
Although this person might have another long and mature memory like Tang San's.
But she also understood the mutual influence of soul and body.
The same soul placed in the body of a ten-year-old child and a dying ninety-year-old would have completely different mental perceptions.
Having experienced the transformation into a soul beast, death and rebirth, and the reconstruction of her spiritual body, Ah Yin's understanding of the body was not superficial.
Her fingers moved lightly, almost involuntarily wanting to lift her arm.
But she quickly reacted, retracting her fingers, clenching them, and then lowering her head again.
Su Cheng took a deep breath, a smile reappearing on his face, and his tone relaxed.
"Don't think too much about it, and it's not just for you. I also need to clarify some things for myself. Moreover, even if Tang San doesn't have any other secrets, he is still the son of destiny in this world. Every time he experiences setbacks, there will always be some adventures. His external soul bone and his twin martial souls are proof of that."
Of course, apart from inheriting divine positions, any other adventures are not as good as twin martial souls and immortal grass. At most, it's just turning misfortune into blessings, getting the chance to absorb soul rings beyond the year limit.
Now without the immortal grass, it's equivalent to directly cutting off a lot of his upper limit.
"...," Ah Yin nodded silently without speaking.
She felt a little confused now.
"... Knock, knock, knock."
Just then, the sound of knocking suddenly came.
Su Cheng quickly composed himself, turned around, and walked over to open the door.
He saw Ning Fengzhi standing at the door with a smile on his face.
"Master, why are you here?"
Su Cheng was somewhat surprised.
At this time, Ning Fengzhi should have stayed by the Emperor's side.
"Just here to congratulate you on winning the first match," Ning Fengzhi said with a smile.
"Wasn't that within your expectations? There's nothing to congratulate."
Su Cheng smiled and stepped aside, leading the other person into the room.
"Winning the match was, of course, within my expectations, but your strength completely exceeded my expectations," Ning Fengzhi said with some emotion.
When he first saw Su Cheng, even without Chen Xin's past remarks, based on his own insight, he could see the extraordinary aspects of this child.
But no matter what, he couldn't have imagined that someone at this age could achieve such a scene today.
"When I report back to the sect about this battle, Sword Uncle will definitely regret not being here to watch it today."
"It's just a coincidence today, and I happened to gain some insights into swordsmanship."
"I see," Ning Fengzhi nodded thoughtfully.
Then he pondered and said, "But it seems that you alone can handle all the other teams."
Seeing Ning Fengzhi's expression, Su Cheng was puzzled. "Master, if you have something to say, just say it."
"Ahem, Xiaocheng, we're not outsiders, so I'll just say it." Ning Fengzhi's face was slightly embarrassed. "I was thinking about Rongrong, this child. It's rare for her to have such an opportunity for experience..."
Hearing this, Su Cheng suddenly understood.
He smiled and said, "I understand. Rest assured, as long as we can secure our spot in the next round, it doesn't matter who competes. As for the allocation and scheduling, let the other team members gather intelligence on the other academy teams. I happen to be free as well."
That was the truth; he really wasn't interested in participating in this kind of competition.
Joining the second team was solely to gain a close understanding of the Elemental Academy, deepening his relevant accumulations and insights.
If he didn't need to act later, that would be even better.
"To be honest, your biggest opponents in this preliminary round are those elemental academies." Ning Fengzhi also breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "As long as you defeat them, even if you don't participate in the subsequent matches, with Rongrong's Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda as assistance, your team will easily advance."
"That would be ideal."
...
Tang San sat alone in his room, looking somewhat bewildered.
The scene of easily defeating all the team members; the scene of Xiao Wu being severely injured and unconscious in front of him; the scene of his desperate counterattack being futile...
They flashed before his eyes one after another.
Since becoming a soul master, he had always stood at the pinnacle among his peers.
The Blue Silver Grass wasn't a powerful martial soul, it was even considered a waste martial soul, but under his teacher's guidance, his strength was always on par with, or even superior to, every other soul master except Zhu Zhuqing.
As time passed, Tang San had even forgotten about the issues with his Blue Silver Grass itself and always placed himself on the same level as those with powerful martial souls, even feeling a slight sense of superiority.
Until he met Su Cheng again.
And fell under his sword once more.
The contemptuous gaze, the disdain for his martial soul, all deeply wounded his pride.
This time, as he calmed down and thought carefully, he suddenly realized that if it weren't for him having an additional external soul bone, the Eight Spider Lances, the serendipitous acquisition of a high-quality third soul ring, and even having any advantages at all?
His combat reflexes, clear tactical thinking, and the Tang Sect's secret techniques as a trump card were clearly superior to others.
Only his cultivation level and martial soul were holding him back.
"Yes, why? Why is it that with the Haotian Hammer and Mysterious Heaven Skill, my cultivation speed is so slow!"
As a former Tang Sect disciple who had researched the Furious Buddha Tang Lotus, Tang San had a pride far beyond that of ordinary people.
At this moment, the words his teacher, Yu Xiaogang, had said to him when they first met came back to him.
"...Are you curious why I know you have a twin martial soul? I've investigated 647 people with Blue Silver Grass as their martial soul. Among them, only sixteen had soul power, a probability of less than three percent. And even among these sixteen people with soul power, none of them had a soul power level surpassing Rank 1, while you were born with full Rank 10 soul power.
"According to one of the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls that I've studied, the innate soul power size is directly proportional to the martial soul quality. Obviously, Blue Silver Grass couldn't satisfy this. So I can be sure that you should have another martial soul, and it's a very powerful one...
"...Based on my many years of research on variant martial souls, no martial soul would mutate with the Blue Silver Grass martial soul. And since your Blue Silver Grass martial soul is just an ordinary one, I can be completely certain that my judgment is correct."
Tang San extended his right hand, and the Blue Silver Grass martial soul silently appeared in his hand, swaying gently, emitting a faint blue light.
"An ordinary Blue Silver Grass, a universally known waste martial soul..."
How could such a weak Blue Silver Grass help him reach the pinnacle of soul masters?
Even reaching his current level was extremely fortunate; what more could he expect?
He then extended his left hand.
A pitch-black hammer appeared in his hand. The surface of the hammer was black, shimmering with a deep glow, with faint patterns swirling around the cylindrical hammer head, looking extraordinary at first glance.
Tang San stared blankly at the Haotian Hammer in his hand.
Before participating in the competition, Yu Xiaogang had a deep conversation with him.
"...Your other martial soul is Blue Silver Grass, and I don't expect you to cultivate it to level ninety. But as long as you cultivate it to above level sixty, then you will have the opportunity to reach the Haotian Hammer with full ten-thousand-year soul rings in the future. At that time, even if it's just one Title Douluo, how could they possibly be your opponent? With nine ten-thousand-year soul rings enhancing various attributes, you will be unmatched by ordinary soul masters..."
"Level sixty..." Tang San repeated this threshold level softly.
"Level sixty. With just the Blue Silver Grass, how many years will it take me to cultivate to level sixty?! Do I have to waste these ten or twenty golden years of cultivation for nothing!"
No, absolutely not!
The Blue Silver Grass was fundamentally not a good martial soul, and while he was still young, he could still abandon it.
Tang San was well aware that the shortcomings of a martial soul would gradually become apparent as the soul power level increased. Even now, it was already somewhat inadequate.
He stared firmly at the Haotian Hammer in his right hand, his gaze gradually becoming resolute.
This was the inheritance martial soul of the Haotian Sect, the top-ranked martial soul among the Seven Great Sects of the Continent. If he had chosen to cultivate the Haotian Hammer from the beginning, then his current strength would be far beyond what it was.
He would be countless times stronger, and maybe he wouldn't even lose to Su Cheng.
A mere Sword Martial Soul, what right did it have to surpass the number one artifact martial soul in the world?!
The terrifying aura of that sword on the stage still haunted him.
The alternating scenes played out before his eyes.
If he had been strong enough at that time, how could Xiao Wu have been injured again?
"Level forty, just level forty!" Tang San murmured to himself, "As long as I reach level forty, I'll start cultivating the Haotian Hammer!"
He was already not far from reaching Rank 40 in soul power. After adding the fourth soul ring to Blue Silver Grass, he might be able to directly attempt adding ten-thousand-year soul rings to the Haotian Hammer.
Even if he only added a few soul rings to the Haotian Hammer, his soul power would undoubtedly skyrocket.
Perhaps it wouldn't take long for his cultivation to reach the Soul King level, surpassing Su Cheng.
But... should he ask his teacher about this?
Yu Xiaogang had previously mentioned that conflicts might arise between twin martial souls once they began to develop simultaneously.
Even if the two martial souls were in harmony, physical attributes were crucial factors during the process of adding soul rings and enhancing attributes.
What if his body couldn't bear the burden during this period?
"Knock, knock, knock."
Just then, a knocking sound suddenly came.
Tang San was startled and quickly put away his martial souls, then got up to open the door.
After opening the door, he was surprised to see his teacher, Yu Xiaogang, standing outside.
"Xiao San, how are you? Have you calmed down now?" Yu Xiaogang's stiff face revealed concern.
He had been worried about Tang San's state of mind all along.
Everyone in Shrek Academy had seen his desolate appearance earlier.
But he hadn't come earlier to give him some time to digest and calm down on his own.
After all, today's defeat was indeed a painful one.
Using their strongest lineup and the collective strength of the entire team, but still unable to withstand even one move from the opponent, was a devastating blow.
Tang San forced a smile on his face at the words and nodded.
Seeing this, Yu Xiaogang sighed.
"That Su Cheng is indeed extraordinary. But after all, he has reached the level of Soul King, so it's only natural for his strength to surpass yours. Remember, you have the unique advantage of twin martial souls, and it's only a matter of time before you defeat him in the future."
Tang San fell silent at this.
After a while, he looked up at his teacher.
"Teacher, the weakness of Blue Silver Grass has become increasingly apparent. In the future, can I really compete with other soul masters relying on this martial soul alone?"
Yu Xiaogang was initially taken aback, then frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Although I'm not yet fifteen years old, I've put in too much effort in cultivation." Tang San lowered his head, his tone somewhat gloomy. "I don't want to waste my efforts on a waste martial soul like Blue Silver Grass. What's the point of that? By then, will I still have time to cultivate the Haotian Hammer?"
"..." Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang was speechless for a moment.
Had he been a bit too presumptuous in the past?
Adding high-level soul rings to the Haotian Hammer was indeed a good idea.
But the problem was, the golden cultivation period of soul masters wasn't long-lasting.
How long would it take to increase the level with Blue Silver Grass?
Was this really the best choice?
It's worth noting that Zhu Zhuqing in the team had already reached level forty-six.
"Teacher, let me switch to cultivating the Haotian Hammer!" Tang San suddenly looked up at Yu Xiaogang, his eyes burning.
"...I need to consider this." After a moment of silence, Yu Xiaogang finally spoke.
His face also became serious. "I'll leave for a while. Don't worry about this matter for now, and wait for me to come back. During this time, focus on leading the team in the competition. Also, don't think about the second martial soul for now, focus on cultivating Blue Silver Grass."
"You're leaving?" Tang San was surprised at the words.
"I need to gather more information about twin martial souls. You need to know that cultivating twin martial souls is risky. Even if you really want to switch, it's not something that can be decided overnight."
In theory, as the team leader, Yu Xiaogang shouldn't leave the team during this critical period of the preliminaries, especially after the team's first defeat.
But he saw Tang San as the hope for the future, and he nurtured him as his own son.
Compared to that, the importance of the team's results was obviously secondary.
Moreover, he believed that with Tang San's tactical thinking and maturity, even if they lost the first match, they would still perform exceptionally well against other teams later.
Tang San was also immediately moved, and his mind instantly calmed down.
Whenever, his teacher always thought things through for him in advance.
After a long silence, Yu Xiaogang didn't say anything more.
After patting Tang San's shoulder, he turned and left the room.
For his only disciple, he was ready to leave immediately to meet someone in Soul City.