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Although Tang San disagreed with some of the theories, he remained very invested in Ye Lan's published work. Whether from a logical standpoint or through the lens of his past life's knowledge, Tang San didn't believe Ye Lan's theories were nonsense.
In fact, even his unwavering trust in Yu Xiaogang—the so-called number one theory master—began to waver. Over the years, aside from learning about soul beasts and soul masters from Yu Xiaogang, Tang San realized he hadn't actually learned any truly valuable theoretical knowledge.
Even the claim that Blue Silver Grass could only absorb plant-type spirit rings had been refuted by Ye Lan six years ago. In truth, Tool Spirits could absorb spirit rings from any kind of soul beast.
On one side was Yu Xiaogang, a mentor figure whose theoretical foundation was starting to collapse. On the other was the "Scholar," whose theories now seemed like absolute truths.
Driven by his desire for power, Tang San cast aside any emotional ties in an instant and became increasingly invested in New Core Competitiveness of Martial Spirits.
Aside from the topic of spirit ring age limits, the line that most caught Tang San's attention was: To absorb a ten-thousand-year spirit ring, one must possess Soul King-level spiritual power, and must endure soul shock.
If he wanted to surpass Ye Lan, then he had to push the age limit of his fourth spirit ring to ten thousand years.
In order to prepare for the soul shock from a ten-thousand-year ring, Tang San devoted even more effort to cultivating his Purple Demon Eye. That's why he began waking up earlier—to absorb the first rays of violet sunlight.
After completing his Purple Demon Eye cultivation, Tang San could feel his spiritual power increasing. This made him more confident than ever about the future.
He believed the day he would surpass Ye Lan was drawing closer.
Tang San refocused, picked up New Core Competitiveness of Martial Spirits again, and carefully reread it, not letting any detail slip by.
As his gaze swept line by line, Tang San's attention was drawn to one sentence: The age limit of a spirit ring is directly related to the soul master's physical condition.
He recalled how Yu Xiaogang had once introduced him to the concept of spirit bones, which could enhance a soul master's physical abilities.
"Spirit ring age... physical condition... spirit bones enhance physical condition…" Tang San murmured to himself. It was as if he had just uncovered the truth behind Ye Lan's ability to absorb a millennium-level spirit ring.
Normally, an ordinary soul master would have no access to spirit bones, but Tang San speculated that Ye Lan must have obtained a hundred-year spirit bone from the soul beast he killed to acquire his first spirit ring.
That hundred-year spirit bone would have enhanced Ye Lan's body significantly, allowing him to raise his second spirit ring to the thousand-year level.
Tang San's eyes lit up with a golden gleam. If he wanted to absorb a ten-thousand-year fourth ring, he would have to take action now.
Thinking about Ye Lan's spirit bone, Tang San didn't even bother asking Yu Xiaogang about the New Core Competitiveness of Martial Spirits, or whether he spotted any flaws or misinformation.
Instead, Tang San gathered his soul power in his legs and sprinted toward Zhao Wuji's private courtyard.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Who is it?! Tired of living?!" Zhao Wuji shouted groggily and irritably, clearly annoyed at being woken up so early. "Which brat has no eyes and dares to disturb my sleep this early?!"
"Teacher Zhao, it's me—Tang San," he replied in a low voice.
Since Ye Lan was Ning Rongrong's teacher, Tang San didn't want the other students to know he was plotting against a fellow classmate's teacher.
"Xiao San? Come in." Zhao Wuji got up. As the son of the Clear Sky Douluo, Tang San always had his attention.
Tang San entered quietly and shut the door behind him.
"What are you sneaking around for?" Zhao Wuji asked, confused by his behavior.
"Teacher Zhao, have you ever heard of spirit bones?" Tang San asked softly.
"Oh? Spirit bones? Didn't you just obtain the Eight Spider Lances recently?" Zhao Wuji asked curiously.
"Yes, I was lucky enough to get the Eight Spider Lances. But I know where another spirit bone is located!" Tang San's eyes gleamed with gold.
"Where? Where is it?!" Zhao Wuji asked excitedly.
"I can't tell you just yet, but if you help me get it, I'll owe you one million gold soul coins," Tang San said seriously.
He didn't reveal that the spirit bone was likely in Ye Lan's possession, afraid that Zhao Wuji might ditch him and go after it himself.
"A spirit bone's worth way more than a million gold coins!" Zhao Wuji shook his head, thinking Tang San was trying to trick him.
"It's not a ten-thousand-year spirit bone, it's a hundred-year one," Tang San clarified.
"Oh? A hundred-year spirit bone? That's rare indeed. You'd better not be lying to me. If we find it and the spirit energy inside is off, it'll cost you more than just money," Zhao Wuji warned.
Finding someone willing to act for a million gold coins wasn't easy. But Tang San was the son of the Clear Sky Douluo—he didn't believe Tang San would be short on money in the future.
Tang San was confident in his earning potential. He had already arranged a deal with a blacksmith shop. Once his next batch of hidden weapons was completed, he wouldn't lack money.
But spirit bones were so rare that you couldn't even find them in auction houses. To guarantee the success of absorbing a ten-thousand-year fourth ring, Tang San planned to use everything he could to lay the foundation.
After hearing Zhao Wuji's reply, Tang San knew he had agreed, and finally revealed the information.
"Teacher Zhao, you've heard of 'Qingdi' Ye Lan—also known as the 'Scholar'—right?" Tang San asked.
"I've heard of him. His theories are…" Zhao Wuji began, intending to say they were better than Yu Xiaogang's, but stopped himself, remembering that Yu Xiaogang was Tang San's teacher.
"If my guess is right, Ye Lan definitely has a spirit bone that's over 400 years old. How else could his second spirit ring be at the thousand-year level? He must have gotten a hundred-year spirit bone from the first soul beast he killed. That boosted his physical strength, and since thousand-year rings don't cause soul shock, why wouldn't he be able to absorb one for his second ring?" Tang San reasoned.
"Right! Why didn't I think of that? Your brain really works fast," Zhao Wuji praised.
After all, spirit bones were so rare that many soul masters never even saw one.
Most people wouldn't consider this possibility. But with Tang San's insight, Zhao Wuji was enlightened.
"Alright, let's go take care of Ye Lan. But before that, put on a mask. Ye Lan is a well-known scholar across the continent now. If it gets out that I, Zhao Wuji, was involved in stealing a spirit bone, neither of us will be able to show our faces again in the soul master world. Shrek Academy will be finished too."
Zhao Wuji pulled out two masks from his soul tool.
This kind of robbery wasn't new to Zhao Wuji—he was an old hand at it. In fact, the soul tool was something he had stolen from a noble soul master. There was no way he'd ever spend money to buy one. Otherwise, he wouldn't be wanted by the Spirit Hall with the title "Immovable King."
Tang San specifically chose Zhao Wuji for this mission because he knew Zhao was the kind of person who would do such things.
As for Dean Flender, Tang San couldn't read his temperament. Seeing how cautious Flender was around Ning Rongrong, it was clear he had deep ties to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
That's why, instead of seeking help from the stronger Flender, Tang San went to Zhao Wuji.
Tang San accepted the mask and wore it securely.
Though he wasn't opposed to doing dirty work, he valued his reputation greatly.
At heart, he and Yu Xiaogang were similar. If his reputation were tarnished, he'd feel he had no place left in the world.
One tall, one short—two shadowy figures moved silently as dawn had yet to fully break. They ran toward the center of Soto City.
Tang San knew where Ye Lan lived. He had seen Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong go to a luxurious courtyard to fetch some herbs while strolling through the city.
Now, the two shadows crept closer and closer to Ye Lan's residence.
(End of Chapter)