That evening, as the other students settled into their nightly cultivation, Huo Feng had a quick word with Xiao Wu. He explained that he wouldn't be at the academy the next day, so she would have to handle their shared cleaning duties by herself. He didn't make any grand promises about making it up to her, but Xiao Wu readily agreed. Although they had only known each other for a day, she already had a very good impression of him. The other person who had left an impression was Wang Sheng. As for the boy named Tang San, he was so quiet and withdrawn that it was easy to forget he was even in the room.
Later that night, Huo Feng and Xiao Wu slept soundly in their shared bed.
The next morning, Huo Feng and Tang San left the dormitory together and headed for the college entrance. As expected, Yu Xiaogang was already there waiting for them. Tang San had likely gone to meet with him after their talk yesterday afternoon, though what they discussed was a mystery to Huo Feng.
"Teacher, we're here," Tang San said, bowing respectfully the moment he saw him. Huo Feng had to suppress a laugh, half expecting him to drop to his knees and kowtow again. He simply gave a symbolic nod of his own. "Grandmaster."
"Good. Let's go," Yu Xiaogang replied, and the three of them set off.
Huo Feng still wasn't sure why the Grandmaster had insisted he come along, but he had a couple of theories. The first was that Yu Xiaogang was trying to show his "respect" by treating him with the same importance as his official disciple, Tang San. The second, and more likely, possibility was that it was a calculated move. He would help Tang San get his Spirit Ring and then probably make an excuse to leave, making it clear to Huo Feng that this was the kind of help you only get if you become his disciple. Otherwise, you're just left to watch.
Either way, it was all part of a plan to secure Huo Feng—the boy with an attack-type weapon Spirit and innate full spirit power—as another of his students. Little did he know, Huo Feng had zero interest in hunting spirit beasts. Why would I, when the system can just give me a Spirit Ring? The only thing about Yu Xiaogang that interested him was completing the hidden mission to sacrifice him.
"Teacher, where are we going to find a spirit beast?" Tang San asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
"We are heading to the Spirit Hunting Forest, four hundred miles northeast of Nuoding City," Yu Xiaogang explained. "It's a special location where spirit beasts are raised in captivity by the kingdom."
Along the way, Tang San and Yu Xiaogang were inseparable, talking nonstop. The Grandmaster explained the different levels of spirit beasts and the corresponding colors of Spirit Rings. Tang San soaked it all in, his face alight with the excitement of discovering a new world.
Huo Feng, on the other hand, walked by himself off to the side, looking completely uninterested in Yu Xiaogang's famous theories. This deeply puzzled the Grandmaster. Why was this boy acting so indifferent? His maturity and emotional control were completely inconsistent with his age. Yesterday in the cafeteria, he had been full of fire. Can it be that he's truly not interested in my knowledge?
For the first time in years, Yu Xiaogang felt a flicker of self-doubt. But he quickly regained his confidence. He's just a child, he reasoned. His considerations are one-sided. There's no way he'll be able to stay so calm when he sees Tang San absorb his first Spirit Ring. By then, he'll probably be the one kneeling, begging me to help him. A stiff, self-satisfied smile crept onto his face at the thought, which slightly unnerved Tang San who was watching him.
Yu Xiaogang took them into the city to buy some supplies for the journey, then hired a carriage. What puzzled Tang San the most was the carriage's other cargo: a massive sack containing at least twenty kilograms of white radishes. Seeing them, Huo Feng, who had been straight-faced the entire trip, couldn't help but crack a smile. If it weren't for the radishes, he might have forgotten about Yu Xiaogang's ridiculous Spirit—the famous "farting pig." A Spirit that required its master to eat two radishes just to use its abilities. He imagined a battlefield scene where the Grandmaster had to pause and munch on a radish before attacking. The enemy would probably die of laughter.
Inside the cramped carriage, Yu Xiaogang took off his own belt and handed it to Tang San. "A gift for my apprentice," he announced, making sure Huo Feng was watching.
"Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges... what a beautiful name," Yu Xiaogang praised after Tang San named his new Spirit Guidance Device, a storage belt. He made a show of admiring it, confident that this display of generosity would finally start to sway Huo Feng.
At that exact moment, a voice sounded in Huo Feng's mind.
[Ding!] [Hidden mission rewards have been upgraded!]
Upgraded? Huo Feng thought, intrigued. "What's been added?"
[Hidden Mission: Sacrifice Yu Xiaogang!] [New Additional Reward: Space Storage Spirit Guidance Device.] [This reward will be issued along with the original reward upon task completion.]
A Space Storage Spirit Guidance Device? Huo Feng had to admit, he'd thought Yu Xiaogang's belt was pretty cool. But now? He wasn't interested in the slightest. He knew that any item hand-picked by the system would be infinitely better than a hand-me-down.
The four-hundred-mile journey took them until noon the next day. After passing through a noisy market at the edge of the woods, they finally arrived at the entrance to the Spirit Hunting Forest. The whole way, Yu Xiaogang and Tang San had continued their whispered conversations, with the Grandmaster occasionally throwing a question Huo Feng's way, which he answered with polite, short responses.
After showing a Spirit Hall warrant to the guards, they were allowed inside.
"Come out, Luo Sanpao!" Yu Xiaogang suddenly shouted once they were in the forest.
The sudden yell made Huo Feng jump, and he silently cursed the Grandmaster's entire family tree. A wave of light purple spirit power pulsed from Yu Xiaogang, and two brilliant yellow Spirit Rings rose from his feet. The next moment, a bizarre creature appeared on the ground in front of them. It looked like a cross between a pig and a dog, with a plump, round body and droopy ears.
Even though he had been prepared for it, seeing the creature in person almost made Huo Feng laugh out loud. It was just so... abstract. How could this thing possibly be a mutation of the noble Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex? Are you sure the pig from the farm next door didn't pay a visit to your mother that year?
Even Tang San looked taken aback by the sight.
"This is my Spirit," Yu Xiaogang explained. "His name is Luo Sanpao."
Luo Sanpao? Three Cannons? Huo Feng snickered internally. More like Luo Sanpi. Three Farts. Both of its abilities were fart-based, it could only use them three times, and it needed a radish appetizer first. If he had a Spirit like that, he'd be too embarrassed to even shout its name. It was the kind of thing you wouldn't want even if it was given to you for free.
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