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As for how Tang San crafted his hidden weapons, or the skills he had learned on the mountain behind the village as a child, Tang Hao couldn't care less. The stronger Tang San became, the happier he would be! When Tang San was finally grown, it would be time for his revenge against Spirit Hall!
Then, Tang Hao's thoughts turned to Xiao Wu at Nuoding Academy. He hadn't expected that his secret protection of Tang San would yield such a surprising harvest. A hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beast in human form! And she just happened to be in the same dormitory as Little San. It was practically a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring and spirit bone, delivered right to their doorstep!
Initially, he had considered revealing himself and capturing Xiao Wu, raising her in captivity. But after some thought, he decided against it. Little San was still too weak right now; he couldn't possibly withstand the pressure of a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring. The only exception was if the spirit beast sacrificed itself willingly, which would require Xiao Wu to develop feelings for his son and offer herself up, just as Ah Yin had done.
A faint smirk appeared on his lips as he recalled the scene of Ah Yin sacrificing herself for him. If he could do it, then Little San should be able to do it too! He had faith in his son!
Tang Hao's attitude changed as quickly as one could flip through a book; just a short while ago, he had been so cold and indifferent toward Tang San for six long years! For the next six years, while Tang San was studying at Nuoding Academy, he would not venture far, ensuring that Xiao Wu remained near the academy. After those six years, if Xiao Wu planned to part ways with Tang San, then he would find an opportunity to make his move! As he thought this, a ruthless glint flashed in Tang Hao's eyes.
He didn't feel too much grief over Ah Yin's sacrifice; after all, he had secretly orchestrated many of the events that led to it. His true regret was that he had failed the Clear Sky Sect, and even more so, his own father! Spirit Hall had gone too far. To force him out of hiding, they had come to their gates and made threats, causing his father to die of pure rage! It was an unforgivable crime!
Then, Tang Hao thought of Xiao Tian, the boy who had defeated his son. That had been quite a surprise. From his conversation with Xiao Wu, he had learned that Xiao Tian had been accompanied by a sword since childhood, and his awakened Spirit was an iron sword. The faint Sword Intent that emanated from him was something he had only ever felt from one other person: the Sword Douluo, Chen Xin! Aside from his somewhat mediocre Spirit, Tang Hao considered Xiao Tian to be a watered-down version of a young Chen Xin. A decent sword genius! And since he had come to Nuoding Academy, it meant he hadn't accepted an invitation from Spirit Hall, which meant there was a possibility he could become Little San's companion and contribute to the future fight against Spirit Hall.
Xiao Tian: 'What the hell! Are you insane?!'
Meanwhile, on Xiao Tian's side, the spirit ring absorption had lasted for a full half-day. By the time he had completely absorbed it, the sky had already grown dark.
Phew...
Xiao Tian couldn't help but take a long, deep breath, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Luckily, his willpower was astonishing; he had almost failed to endure the pressure. A thousand-year spirit ring was truly different from a hundred-year one. Even from a relatively weak Jade Silkworm, the pressure from the spirit ring was not to be underestimated.
Clang, clang~~
Seeing its master finally succeed, Sword Fifteen happily went limp, its blade swaying from side to side in a comical fashion.
After some thought, Xiao Tian came up with a name for his first spirit ability that he felt was quite good.
"Greenwood Soul Condensation!"
He didn't know if it was just good luck, but this spirit ability perfectly met his need for spirit power amplification. When used, it would increase his spirit power by two hundred percent for thirty minutes. It also had a passive effect: due to the natural properties of the Greenwood Silkworm, it enhanced the efficiency with which he absorbed and converted spirit power.
This was a pleasant surprise for Xiao Tian. Wasn't this similar to the endlessly replenishing effect that Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill provided him? All in all, he was extremely satisfied with this first, thousand-year spirit ability!
It was already late. Calculating the time, he realized he hadn't rested for a full day and night. He decided not to rush back, instead taking some dry rations from his storage soul tool and preparing to rest on the spot!
What Xiao Tian didn't know was that, inspired by him, Wang Sheng and the others had actually spread the news that their dormitory had two Spirit Masters with innate full spirit power, and that they had both already obtained their first spirit rings, in an attempt to make the noble students behave.
Xiao Chenyu had just heard that new work-study students had arrived and was preparing to go look for trouble when this news reached him. He was suddenly hesitant. The innate full spirit power didn't bother him too much; although their talent was high, his own strength was currently superior. But the fact that they had obtained their first spirit rings within a few days of enrolling put him on high alert. He immediately sent his underlings to check on several of the more powerful teachers, but there were no signs of them having left the academy.
This made him suspicious. Could these two have some kind of background and were just pretending to be work-study students to 'smurf' on them and experience life?
He had no choice but to personally seek out a teacher he was familiar with to inquire about the situation. He soon learned that the one named Tang San had taken that 'Grandmaster' as his teacher the moment he enrolled. This made him frown. His father had once told him that he could provoke anyone in the academy, but he absolutely could not provoke those with powerful backgrounds, and Yu Xiaogang was precisely one of those people! His father hadn't specified why, and from his perspective, Yu Xiaogang was just a theoretical hack who had been stuck at rank twenty-nine for years. How could he have a powerful background? But recalling his father's stern warning, he decided... to wait and see. He definitely wasn't scared!
Hadn't they gone to get their first spirit rings? He would wait for them to return and find out if they had gotten ten-year or hundred-year rings. If they had a powerful background, their first spirit ring would have to be at least a hundred-year one, right?
Xiao Chenyu was completely oblivious to the fact that he too was the son of a noble, yet his own first spirit ring was a pathetic ten-year one!
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu was pacing around anxiously. She had planned to properly interrogate Xiao Tian about where he had gone when he returned in the afternoon, but she never imagined he would be gone for an entire day!
"Wang Sheng! You guys, you're more familiar with the academy and Nuoding City. Let's go look for where Xiao Tian might have gone, together." Xiao Wu directly ordered Wang Sheng and the others, once again transforming into Big Sister Xiao Wu.
Wang Sheng and the boys were also worried about Xiao Tian. When Tang San had disappeared, they were able to find out that he had likely gone with Yu Xiaogang to get a spirit ring. But Xiao Tian's innate spirit power was only rank five. Even after three months, he would have reached rank seven at most, right? This meant it was impossible for him to be hunting a spirit beast. And he was all alone, without a teacher to guide him; how could he have the guts to do that? They were extremely concerned.
The next afternoon.
Xiao Tian calmly walked into the dormitory. Wang Sheng and the others looked as if they had seen a ghost. They all fell silent, collectively muting themselves as they stared at him.
Xiao Tian felt that the atmosphere was a bit off, perhaps a little awkward? He tentatively raised his right hand and waved. "Hi? Why is no one talking?"
"Xiao Tian! Where on earth have you been for the past day? Don't you know we've been looking all over for you?"
Xiao Wu stomped angrily in front of him, her eyes fixed on him.
Xiao Tian could clearly see that her eyes were completely bloodshot.
(End of chapter)