So, while surpassing limits to absorb higher-level spirit rings could be a good thing, it could also have its drawbacks. However, for most soul masters, these drawbacks wouldn't be too significant. Even if Xiao Wu noticed that her cultivation speed slowed down in the future, she wouldn't need to worry too much. After all, her brother Su Ming would find a way to solve the problem for her. Additionally, rare herbs could enhance her aptitude, and with the bloodline evolution at the Soul Saint level, her cultivation speed might not even decrease but rather increase!
After traveling for most of the day, Su Ming and the others finally arrived back at Shrek Academy.
The four "scoundrels" (Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Tang San, and Oscar) felt relieved at last. Although repeatedly losing and regaining soul power through cultivation did help them grow stronger, it was a very uncomfortable experience.
Now, the four of them looked pale. Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun in particular felt as if their bodies had been drained multiple times, like they had gone through intense battles overnight. They felt completely exhausted.
Ma Hongjun, especially, couldn't help but glance down at himself, feeling bitter. He wondered if his injury would ever fully recover and could only place his hopes on the teachers.
Once they returned, Zao Wuji addressed the group, "You've all had a tough few days. Rest well tonight, and we'll see if the headmaster has any training tasks for tomorrow."
Everyone nodded and headed back to their dorms.
In the headmaster's office, Zao Wuji entered and saw not only Flender but also a middle-aged man with a flat top haircut. Confused, Zao Wuji asked, "Flender, who is this?"
Flender, noticing Zao Wuji's return, frowned slightly at his weakened state and replied, "This is the Grandmaster, my brother, and the Wisdom of the Golden Iron Triangle. Also, what happened to you? You look incredibly weak. Did you use your Martial Soul True Body?"
Zao Wuji realized the identity of the man in front of him—Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang, the legendary master of soul theory known for his vast knowledge.
(Bibi Dong: Does anyone even consider me?)
However, Zao Wuji wasn't too concerned about theory since he preferred real strength. But, given that Grandmaster was the headmaster's brother and Tang San's teacher, he showed respect.
With a respectful tone, Zao Wuji said, "So, you're the Grandmaster! I've heard your name many times and am honored to finally meet you in person!"
Yu Xiaogang, hearing Zao Wuji's praise, felt quite pleased but humbly waved his hand, "I'm just an ordinary man without much power. Now that you're back, tell us what happened in the Star Dou Forest."
Yu Xiaogang was eager to see Tang San and check his progress after absorbing his third spirit ring. He wanted to see if it was indeed from the Man-Faced Demon Spider, but knowing they had just returned, he decided not to disturb them. Better to let Tang San rest for the night.
Zao Wuji nodded and first addressed Flender's question, "Flender, this trip to the Star Dou Forest was incredibly dangerous. Next time we take the students to hunt spirit beasts, you must come with me!"
"Oscar and Tang San successfully obtained their third spirit rings, but we also encountered the Titan Giant Ape, the King of the Forest. That's when I had to use my Martial Soul True Body, which is why I'm so weak now."
Both Flender and Yu Xiaogang were shocked. Yu Xiaogang asked in disbelief, "Then how did you make it back? With your strength, you couldn't have defeated the Titan Giant Ape, could you?"
Zao Wuji then recounted everything that had happened.
After hearing the full story, both Flender and Yu Xiaogang felt a sense of relief. Su Ming had shown great initiative by covering the others' escape, though he and Xiao Wu had been captured by the Titan Giant Ape.
Yu Xiaogang had thought Su Ming and Xiao Wu would never return, feeling a bit regretful as both were exceptionally talented, even if they weren't his students. Now that he was at Shrek Academy, however, their future successes would reflect well on him as their teacher.
While he felt regretful for a moment, he was ultimately relieved that Tang San was safe. In his eyes, Tang San's potential far surpassed that of Su Ming and Xiao Wu. After all, Tang San was one of the few remaining twin martial soul users, and his father was Tang Hao!
In the end, things had turned out for the best. Tang San's decision to absorb the Man-Faced Demon Spider's spirit ring was a perfect choice, giving his Blue Silver Grass a toxic attribute while also making it more resilient.
Yu Xiaogang was excited to see the results and planned to have Tang San display his new abilities tomorrow. He hadn't been wrong about Tang San's potential—absorbing such a dangerous spirit ring beyond his level was an impressive feat!
However, thinking about Xiao Wu and Su Ming, he frowned slightly.
Zao Wuji interrupted his thoughts, asking, "Grandmaster, when Tang San absorbed his spirit ring, eight spider legs grew from his back. What do you think that is?"
Yu Xiaogang shook his head. "I'm not sure yet. I'll need to see him tomorrow to confirm."
Still, Yu Xiaogang had a theory about the spider legs. If his guess was correct, Tang San was incredibly lucky!
Next, Yu Xiaogang thought about Xiao Wu and Su Ming. He hadn't expected Xiao Wu to have broken through to level 40 and even absorbed a higher-level spirit ring. This was definitely due to Su Ming's help—Su Ming had clearly hidden much of his strength.
Even so, Yu Xiaogang wasn't too concerned. After all, Su Ming's spirit rings followed the best configuration: yellow, yellow, purple, purple. But his luck wasn't as extraordinary as Tang San's. Knowing this, Yu Xiaogang felt more at ease.
Seeing that Yu Xiaogang wanted to wait until tomorrow to investigate, Zao Wuji dropped the subject but brought up another concern.
"Grandmaster, there's one more thing. Is there a creature in the Star Dou Forest stronger than the Titan Giant Ape? Xiao Wu mentioned that the Titan Giant Ape panicked and threw her and Su Ming down after hearing a loud ox's roar."
Yu Xiaogang confidently replied, "Yes, I do know about that. In the Star Dou Forest, there is indeed a being stronger than the Titan Giant Ape. According to legend, it has the head of an ox and the body of a snake. It's a 100,000-year-old Azure Bull Python, even more powerful than the Titan Giant Ape!"