Tang San schemed secretly in his heart: As my mother's son, is it not perfectly reasonable for her to sacrifice herself for my grand eternal plan?
In any case, he only needed to wait until he became a god to resurrect her.
As long as his mother sacrificed herself for him, that would mean a 100,000-Year Soul Ring and a 100,000-Year Soul Bone! If luck was on his side, perhaps that 100,000-Year Soul Bone would contain the skill "Wildfires cannot burn it all; the spring breeze brings it back to life"!
When that time came, he could grow it back!
He might even be able to take the opportunity to evolve his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul into the Blue Silver Emperor!
Truly, killing three birds with one stone!
Of course, how could he, Tang San, be such a narrow-minded person? Having his mother sacrifice herself was only one of his options; he still had Immortal Herbs! It wasn't impossible to recast his physical body using an Immortal Herb!
Additionally, he still had the God Trials!
Up until now, every reward from the God Trials had been tailor-made for him. Who was to say there wouldn't be a reward that allowed him to reconstruct his body?
There was still hope!
Raising his eyes slightly, Tang San looked at Zhou Yi. He knew that his current self was no match for her. Killing her silently without drawing suspicion to himself would be even more difficult.
Therefore... he had to stay calm; he had to endure...
Tang San took a slight deep breath and spoke in a deep voice: "I understand... Teacher Zhou... I feel my body has mostly recovered; at the very least, I am ready to absorb a Soul Ring."
Seeing Tang San so calm—choosing to absorb a Soul Ring immediately after confirming he had no major issues—Zhou Yi nodded slightly. She approved of Tang San's Temperament. Simultaneously, she suddenly felt that Tang San's misfortune might actually be a blessing in disguise.
After all, only by severing the "root of worldly distractions" could one cultivate with a mind free of stray thoughts! In the past, many of her students had wasted their cultivation because of falling in love. Now, Tang San simply didn't have that worry!
Setting aside the facts, wasn't her conduct exactly what was needed to allow Tang San to focus single-mindedly on his cultivation?
As expected, she was a good teacher!
...
"Pfft—"
Huo Yuhao's expression lost a bit of control.
Huo Yuhao truly hadn't expected things to unfold this way. Originally, he had sensed a disturbance in the God Trial imprint he left on Tang San, so he split off a thread of spiritual sense to take a look—only to witness that "truly explosive" scene.
The visual impact was so strong that Huo Yuhao didn't even know where to begin roasting him.
Later, during the conversation between Tang San and Zhou Yi, one was dazed yet filled with dense killing intent, while the other felt a fleeting moment of guilt that was eventually replaced by intense pride. Even as someone destined to become the Emotion God King, the transformation in these two opened his eyes.
What was this? Human diversity and volatility? This was just too entertaining.
It had to be said, Tang San was truly his de-stressing Divine Artifact. After two months of research with zero results, even he would unconsciously feel a bit of frustration. But seeing Tang San's "truly explosive" moment instantly put him in a better mood!
He suddenly felt that Tang San was a good person.
The God Realm library recorded a story of an existence named the Buddha who cut his own flesh to feed an eagle. Now that Tang San was so "self-sacrificing" to make people happy, Huo Yuhao was willing to call him...
Tang Buddha!
With his mood growing joyful, the corners of Huo Yuhao's mouth curled up slightly. He began to look forward to the Freshman Assessment in a few days. He suddenly felt that Tang San would pull off some more "creative stunts" for him.
He was really looking forward to it.
...
In the blink of an eye, a few days passed: the Freshman Assessment.
Tang San's expression was flat as he followed Zhou Yi along with the other students toward the assessment area of the Douluo Arena.
He was now a Soul Elder.
After the "Severed X" incident, his body seemed to have coincidentally achieved a certain "leak-less" state. Combined with the tough physique he had previously nourished with a massive amount of Life Force, his current self effectively had no weaknesses!
Similarly, his powerful body allowed him to withstand Soul Rings of higher cultivation years. For his third Soul Ring, he had painstakingly selected one that was 4,000 years old and possessed the poison attribute!
The Soul Skill he obtained, named "Blood Poison," was also very suitable for him!
Furthermore, the Soul Power boost from breaking through the bottleneck—combined with the residual medicinal power in his body—allowed him to break through two ranks in succession!
His cultivation had reached Rank 32, and he was even close to Rank 33!
11 years old, Rank 32. He had completely surpassed... no, crushed his past self from ten thousand years ago at the same age.
The battle intent in Tang San's eyes soared. Because of the "Severed X" matter, he was already frustrated and desperately wanted to use combat as a release.
However, as soon as he reached the Spirit Fighting Arena where the assessment was held, Tang San felt numerous gazes directed at him.
"Is that the guy?"
"Yeah... should be. He looks exactly like the photo! Can't be wrong! That's the 'Fierce Man'!"
"I truly admire him! To boost his cultivation, he actually ate 'Mitian Gong' (manure)! What a fierce man!"
"Is that him in the flesh?! Holy cow, I just got back and heard the legend. The fierce man who 'thrusted' like a madman for three months in the cultivation room, 'produced and consumed' for three months, and after 'exploding,' jumped from Rank 24 to a Rank 30 Soul Elder! Quick, let me pay my respects!"
"Judging by the aura... he really is a three-ring Soul Master! Does eating 'Mitian Gong' really make you stronger?! If I..."
Tang San: "?!!"
Countless whispers from the surroundings were easily captured by his Divine Consciousness. Tang San figured out exactly what had happened from the gossip of those busybodies.
But what on earth were they saying?!
Tang San's expression turned grim.
Who the hell 'thrusted' like a madman?! Who the hell ate 'Mitian Gong'?! And you, explain to me—what do you mean by 'exploded'?!
"A path to seek death! Truly a path to seek death!"
Someone was actually slandering him behind his back! Dammit! Truly detestable! Why did his business spread through the entire Outer Court in just a few days?!
For a moment, Tang San's emotions almost spiraled out of control.
But in the next moment, Tang San gradually regained his composure.
The seventh rule of the General Principles of Mysterious Heaven: "Though Mount Tai collapses before you, do not change color; though the Yellow River floods above you, do not be startled!" A true master of hidden weapons must maintain a calm mind at all times.
It was just a few rumors; how could they disturb his Temperament?!
Suddenly, Zhou Yi, who was leading the group, stopped in her tracks. She looked into the distance where Ning Tian was leading several students toward the Douluo Arena with a gentle expression.
As if sensing Zhou Yi's gaze, Ning Tian looked up slightly and returned a flat smile.
Instantly, Zhou Yi's expression darkened.
...
On a certain hidden high platform, two figures took in everything below.
Suddenly, Yan Shaozhe appeared abruptly, then bowed directly toward the elderly man in the wheelchair among the two figures:
"Teacher, everything is prepared. The targets have been identified: 213 external members, 44 staff members, 13 Outer Court teachers, 4 Inner Court teachers, and... 6 elders of the Sea God Pavilion.
"All involved personnel have been placed under surveillance, awaiting your command."