"Hmm."
With a smile, Tang San nodded. Then his Blue Silver Grass flew forth, spreading to every part of the forest, entwining itself like the Mandala Snake. Geographically, Blue Silver Grass was more advantageous here.
Naturally intrigued, the master moved forward to touch it. He was pleasantly surprised by the Blue Silver Grass's growth. It had a slight scent to it, along with the soul ring of the Mandala Snake, which included its poisonous, paralyzing qualities.
"Not bad, little San. Your Blue Silver Grass is amazing. How resilient is it?"
Under the Master's watchful gaze, Tang San's hundred-year soul ring slowly rose, targeting a nearby large tree. The Blue Silver Grass encircled the tree trunk and sprang out like lightning. Tang San pulled a little, and the trunk bent. The Blue Silver Grass, on the other hand, was taut and showed no signs of damage.
With a satisfied nod, the master acknowledged that his theory had at last been confirmed.
Now that Tang San had his soul ring, the master turned to look at Ye Hao. In contrast to what it had looked like before he acquired a soul ring, he witnessed Ye Hao's hundred-year soul ring gradually rising beneath his feet and the Death Spider Emperor behind him becoming more and more menacing.
"You. You got a soul ring? When did this happen?"
Recalling that Ye Hao had been with him and Tang San the entire time, the master stumbled. This is soul rings.
Ye Hao clarified, "I went to the nearby grass to relieve myself last night while you two were sleeping, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a hundred-year-old Death Magic Spider. My Death Spider martial soul just so happened to match, so you know."
Tang San paused, and the Master did not say another word.
Ye Hao was extremely lucky because a Death Magic Spider gave him his first soul ring, and he possessed the Death Spider martial soul. It was extraordinary luck.
There was no doubt in the master's mind that Ye Hao was her son. The blade was sharpened. However, what was the real reason behind her sending Ye Hao here? Was it retaliation?
"Since that's the case, let's go."
They rushed out of the Soul Hunting Forest. Now that Tang San and Ye Hao had obtained their soul rings, it was time to go back to the academy.
The three of them left the Soul Hunting Forest and rented a horse-drawn carriage as the sun began to set behind the mountains. The Master had gone through a terrifying ordeal and had barely avoided death. Both Tang San and Ye Hao had advanced their soul power and earned their first soul rings.
As the sun sank, the coachman, who was driving the carriage, gradually disappeared into the distance.
In Notting City, Notting Junior Soul Master Academy.
They had traveled together for four days, mostly in the carriage, from the Soul Hunting Forest to Notting City after being apart for some time.
With weakened legs, Ye Hao got out of the carriage. He vowed never to ride in a carriage ever again. When he was strong enough, he would build a car himself.
Ye Hao patted his chest, which felt heavy, almost nauseous. The thought of the carriage ride was too much for him to handle.
"You all need to get some good rest. You can skip classes in the afternoon.
The master spoke a few words in passing before going back to his own room. He needed to clean himself up because he had not slept properly for four days. His hair was tangled together like steel needles, and the slime on him had dried. Moreover, his clothing was filthy and rumpled.
Tang San and Ye Hao grinned at each other and agreed not to tell the master about the earlier incident. Saying, "The Master was born from the Mandala Snake," would be embarrassing for him, so they could not really do it.
Upon returning to the dorm, they found it empty. It was noon, when everyone should be sleeping according to standard time estimates.
Ye Hao decided to sprawl out on the bed and lie down. After going nearly four days without getting enough sleep, he needed the rest.
At that moment, Ye Hao's eyes accidentally dropped out the window and caught sight of a crowd assembling.
Curiosity piqued in his heart. He focused on the playground as he peered out through his black armor.
"San Zai, check out the playground below."
Tang San was a little surprised. "The playground? The playground, what about it?"
How come he was referring to himself as "San Zai"? What did "Three Zai" mean?
"Is that Xiao Wu? And everyone else?"
The thought came to Tang San during a fight. The city's nobles were on one side and working students were on the other. Tang San had already met the two factions at Notting Junior Soul Master Academy after arriving there.
Notting Junior Soul Master Academy was split into two factions: a noble faction and a commoner faction.
Ye Hao had just seen one of those aristocrats who made fun of him in the cafeteria, obviously a member of the upper class. The cafeteria was divided into two floors; the first floor served meals for commoners, while the second floor served much better food for nobles.
They served steamed buns and vegetables on the first floor, and a range of meats and seafood at each meal on the second, clearly divided, like yin and yang.
"Xiao Wu is most likely at a disadvantage because there are too many of them on the opposing side."
Tang San was worried for Xiao Wu. A few punches could not compete with a group, and he had already seen how strong she was. Then he dragged Ye Hao down the stairs, where he lay on the bed.
Ye Hao: …
Why drag me into this fight?
On the playground, both sides stared each other down, and the atmosphere turned tense.
Xiao Wu led a group of working students on one side, while the nobles, of whom only a small number wore soul rings, were on the other. The beginning points of these noble offspring were determined by the disparity in martial souls.
"It is good to know where you stand, little girl. You have been making fun of us for a while now. What? Would you like to be my rabbit pet? I believe your martial soul is a rabbit. Am I correct?
Standing taller than Xiao Wu, the leader was clad in the uniform of the Notting Junior Academy. He had a somewhat adult manner, contempt, and disdain on his face.
"Xiao Chenyu, are you scared?"
Naturally, Xiao Wu would not let this opportunity slip. They had been verbally abusive and unyielding when these noble children harassed the working students in the cafeteria not long ago.
Both commoners and nobles maintained their positions despite their polarization.
This led to the current standoff. The working students had naturally turned to Xiao Wu as their new leader after Ye Hao's earlier retreat.
Protecting those behind was the leader's job, and she was more than capable of doing so. This confrontation started when Xiao Wu took the initiative to fight back, particularly after she noticed Wang Sheng's injuries.
The verbal exchange turned into a heated back and forth. But the question still stood: how would their strengths compare?
At that moment, Xiao Wu motioned for the former leader, Wang Sheng, to take the lead. The opposing side sent forth a person with a stick as their martial soul, while he used a battle tiger.
It was a confrontation between tool martial soul masters and beast martial soul masters!