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"This technique… is it something only I can use?"
Yu Xiaogang gazed at Tang San, his expression filled with doubt.
Tang San seemed hesitant to speak, but he ultimately decided to tell Yu Xiaogang the truth. After all, in his heart, Yu Xiaogang was his 'father'.
"Teacher, my Eight Spider Lances possess the ability to absorb the life force and spirit power of Spirit Beasts. It is by relying on this absorption that I have been able to advance my cultivation so rapidly."
After hearing Tang San's answer, Yu Xiaogang's heart lurched with shock. He had never expected that his disciple would be employing such a heretical, almost demonic, method of cultivation.
"Are you certain there are absolutely no side effects?" Yu Xiaogang asked, his tone grave and earnest. If devouring Spirit Beasts came at the cost of Tang San's future potential, he would forbid it without a second thought.
"There are none! Otherwise, I would never have done it," Tang San explained hastily.
"That's good. However, you must never, ever speak of this to anyone. The more Spirit Beasts you kill, the fewer Spirit Rings there are for other Spirit Masters to absorb. Once this matter is exposed, Xiao San, your situation could become even more perilous than Zao Wou-Ki's."
A feeling of warmth spread through Tang San's chest, and he nodded solemnly.
"As your teacher, I will guard this secret for you. If anyone discovers the abnormality in your spirit power's growth, simply tell them that you accidentally consumed a rare medicinal herb. An explanation like that should be sufficient to account for your cultivation level," Yu Xiaogang advised.
Tang San's eyes lit up. The very reason he had sought out the Grandmaster instead of the more powerful Soul Sage Flender was because he had no plausible explanation for the incredible speed of his advancement. Yu Xiaogang's words instantly provided him with the perfect solution.
"Teacher, are you referring to immortal herbs? Immortal herbs are known to have such miraculous effects. Some of the highest-grade ones can do more than just raise one's rank by a few levels; it's said they can even grant an increase of ten ranks in a single instant!" Tang San said, his voice full of surprised delight.
Although Yu Xiaogang knew absolutely nothing about immortal herbs, he was determined to maintain his dignified image as the all-knowing Grandmaster. He forced himself to remain composed and said with authority:
"Immortal herbs? Correct, that is precisely what I meant. From now on, you will use the story of consuming an immortal herb as your cover. After tonight, I will contact Flender and Erlong, and we will take you to hunt for your next Spirit Ring!"
"Excellent!" Tang San's heart was suddenly filled with an unparalleled sense of elation. Ye Lan, he thought smugly, after a year and a half, no matter how hard you've trained, you can't be more than a Spirit Grandmaster, can you? When the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament begins, we shall see how a mere Spirit Grandmaster like you dares to compete with me, a Spirit Elder!
"Xiao San, I want you to research something. See if it's possible to extract the life force and spirit power that your Eight Spider Lances have absorbed," Yu Xiaogang said, a new idea taking shape in his mind.
"Teacher, what for?" Tang San asked, confused.
"You are well aware of the current roster of our Shrek team. Winning the championship in the upcoming Elite Tournament will be exceedingly difficult. However, if you can figure out a method to extract this life force and spirit power, then even if we don't take the title this year…"
"By helping Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu, and the others absorb the essence of Spirit Beasts, in the tournament five years from now, our Shrek team will be able to absolutely crush all competition and seize the championship!" Yu Xiaogang declared, his face filled with a look of intense longing and aspiration.
With Xiao San's incredible rate of progress as a benchmark, he thought, in five years, the entire Shrek team should at least reach the Spirit King rank. Perhaps they could even be a full team of Spirit Emperors! Yu Xiaogang cared immensely about leading his team to victory and earning a legendary reputation across the entire continent.
"Understood. I will begin my research immediately. But, Teacher… can Mubai and the others be trusted with such a secret?" Tang San asked with curiosity.
"Do not worry. It's uncertain if Dai Mubai will ever be able to return to the Star Luo Empire. As for Ma Hongjun and Oscar, Flender has watched them grow up since they were children."
"Once your research is successful, I will explain the situation to Flender and Erlong. As long as we can enhance our students' strength without any negative consequences, the matter of hunting extra Spirit Beasts is a trivial concern," Yu Xiaogang stated.
After hearing Yu Xiaogang's rationalization, Tang San instantly felt that the deaths of those Spirit Beasts were completely justified. The last traces of guilt and burden vanished from his heart.
"It's so hot, Boss Dai!" Ma Hongjun exclaimed, his eyes gleaming strangely as he felt his mouth go dry.
Dai Mubai shot him a sideways glance. "You damn fatty, it's the middle of the night! How can you be hot?!"
"I don't know, Boss Dai. For some reason, I feel like you've gotten even more handsome today," Ma Hongjun said, looking at Dai Mubai with a puzzled expression.
Dai Mubai ran a hand through his newly grown golden hair. "Isn't that just stating the obvious? Go to the stream over there and get a drink of water."
From a distance, Flender noticed Ma Hongjun's flushed face and pondered the situation. Is Ma Hongjun's evil fire flaring up again? In the wilderness, there were certainly no brothels where the boy could vent his urges. He would just have to endure it.
The fatty, who was on his way to fetch water, suddenly caught sight of Jiang Zhu gathering firewood, and his gaze was instantly locked onto her. He wouldn't dare make a move on Xiao Wu, but he had no such reservations about Jiang Zhu.
Seeing that Ma Hongjun was about to make a move on one of their own, Flender teleported in a flash, launching a swift kick to Ma Hongjun's rear.
"Ma Hongjun, why aren't you in the stream cooling off yet?!" he roared.
"Master, I'm going right now!" Ma Hongjun yelped, rubbing his bruised backside. He muttered under his breath, He won't let me do this, won't let me do that… Does he expect me to go look at the men instead?
After building a bonfire and finishing their evening meal, the Shrek group resumed their search for Spirit Beasts in the area around their camp. After a long while without finding a suitable target for Tang San, Flender made a decisive call.
"It's getting late. We'll continue helping Tang San find a Spirit Beast tomorrow."
Hearing Flender's words, the Grandmaster, who was already incredibly conflicted, grew even more tense. This was because there was a shortage of tents, which meant he would have to share one with both Liu Erlong and Flender. The new Shrek team—Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Tai Long, Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, and Jiang Zhu—would occupy the other large tent.
Sleeping in the same tent as Flender was of no consequence. The critical issue was sharing that space with Liu Erlong. The Grandmaster shot a strange, knowing glance at Tang San, who was aware of the delicate situation. He had no idea how his disciple would perceive him sharing a tent with his own cousin, Liu Erlong.
"You all should get some rest. I will take the first watch tonight," the Grandmaster volunteered abruptly.
Ma Hongjun gave the Grandmaster a peculiar look. You have the lowest spirit power of anyone here, and you're volunteering for night watch?
With her face flushed, Liu Erlong slipped into the tent. She could certainly afford to wait for a few hours.
Late into the night, Yu Xiaogang, who had been standing guard by the bonfire, could no longer fight off his exhaustion. After handing over the watch duty to Dai Mubai, he crept back into the tent as stealthily as possible. Inside, a freshly laid quilt served as a barrier between Liu Erlong and Flender. Seeing that Liu Erlong appeared to be asleep, Yu Xiaogang breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He moved with the utmost care, trying not to make a single sound as he slowly slid into his bedding.
Lying there, Yu Xiaogang stared blankly at the canvas ceiling, his mind drifting back to the night of his wedding to Liu Erlong. On that night, what should have been a joyous celebration was shattered when his uncle, Yu Luomian, revealed that his new bride was his own illegitimate daughter—and therefore, Yu Xiaogang's first cousin. In that moment, he felt as if his entire world had collapsed, as if the heavens were playing a cruel, monstrous joke on him. The person he loved more than anyone in the world was his own blood kin.
And now, that very same person was lying just inches away from him, yet he could do nothing but let his heart ache with an unbearable longing. What a truly pathetic situation this was.
Just as Yu Xiaogang was forcefully suppressing his tortured desires, a searingly hot body pressed against him and slipped into his embrace.
"Erlong! Do you have any idea what you're doing?!" Yu Xiaogang gasped, his eyes wide with panic.
"Xiao Gang, do you know how many decades I have waited for you? Are you truly content to just watch me wither away until I am nothing but a pile of dust?" Liu Erlong whispered, her voice laced with sorrowful resentment.
Yu Xiaogang said in an agonized voice, "Even if you take my body, you can never have my heart!"
Beside them, Flender lay frozen in his own torment, his nails digging so deeply into his palms that they drew blood. Yu Xiaogang, what kind of man are you? he raged internally. Erlong has thrown herself into your arms, and you still insist on feigning this pathetic nobility? If only she loved me… An image of Liu Erlong's fiery, magnificent figure flashed through his mind.
"Erlong! Flender is right here beside us!" Yu Xiaogang hissed in a desperate whisper.
"Xiao Gang, it is precisely because he is here that I have this chance!" Liu Erlong retorted, her voice filled with a fierce determination. "This time, no matter what you say, I will not let you go! Even if you are unwilling, I will have your body."
A single tear traced a path down Flender's cheek. Even though I support you two being together, he thought miserably, could you at least keep your voices down? You're speaking so loudly, are you afraid I won't be able to hear every word?
Liu Erlong's brow furrowed in confusion. "Xiao Gang, what's wrong?"
Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth, but no sound came out. For years, while at Nuoding Academy, he had relied on the stipend from Spirit Hall to drown his sorrows in cheap wine, frequenting brothels whenever he felt the loneliness creep in. Decades of such a lifestyle had left his body hollowed out and broken by alcohol and debauchery.
Flender cursed him silently. You're truly not a man! How can he resist this?!
Though Liu Erlong was inexperienced, she had read enough romantic novels to know a thing or two. It was obvious that something was deeply wrong with Yu Xiaogang.
Outside, Dai Mubai, who was standing watch, suddenly spotted dozens of densely packed red eyes glowing in the darkness of the surrounding jungle. It was a terrifying sight.
"We have a situation!" Dai Mubai roared. "Everyone, be careful!"
An instant later, an ear-splittingly sharp spider's screech pierced the night.
The sudden noise sent a violent jolt through Yu Xiaogang's body, and in that moment, he completely lost all control of himself.
Liu Erlong, who had been on the verge of her long-awaited moment, erupted in a blaze of pure fury. Her first night, something she had dreamed of for decades, was ruined. Just like that!
Tang San was the first to react. He shot out of the tent, his Purple Demon Eyes activating in a flash.
"Mubai! My next Spirit Ring is here! It's a seven-thousand-five-hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider!" Tang San exclaimed, his face alight with manic glee.
As he spoke, the horrifying, ghost-faced spider launched itself at Dai Mubai.
Dai Mubai's evil eyes glinted. "You think I'm afraid of you?!" A brilliant white spirit light enveloped his body as he instantly completed his White Tiger Possession, his skin becoming covered in black and white stripes. "White Tiger Light Wave!"
A ball of intensely violent energy condensed in his tiger-like maw. Just as the spider closed to within five meters, the energy blast shot forth. The spider's grotesque face seemed to twist into a grin. With a powerful push from its eight legs, it leaped sideways, effortlessly dodging the attack. The energy ball slammed into the distant trees, obliterating them in a shower of splintered wood.
Seeing that Dai Mubai's attack had failed, Tang San reached for the hidden weapons at his waist, preparing to strike. But at that moment, a dark shadow burst from the tent!
"You dare to ruin my special moment?! If I don't tear you limb from limb today, I'll take your family name!" Liu Erlong screamed, her body already igniting with the flames of her Fire Dragon Possession. Dai Mubai noticed her disheveled clothes and instantly understood what had been happening, but he was wise enough not to let a single hint of that understanding show on his face. The she-dragon was on a rampage!
As the Man-Faced Demon Spider's crimson eyes locked onto the new figure, it realized with a jolt of terror that this was a human Soul Sage! In that instant, Liu Erlong's seventh spirit ring, 'Fire Dragon True Body,' flared to life. Her clothes disintegrated into ash as her skin was instantly covered by a layer of fiery red dragon scales. A deafening dragon's roar shook the heavens.
The spider's eyes filled with primal fear. It spun around one hundred and eighty degrees and scrambled desperately back into the darkness.
Having transformed into a fire dragon, Liu Erlong unfurled her massive wings, her ferocious draconic eyes instantly locking onto the fleeing spider. With a powerful downstroke, she shot forward, closing the distance in a heartbeat. Under the moonlight, the massive shadow of the fire dragon swept over the terrified spider. The next moment, the dragon descended from the sky. There were no fancy maneuvers, no special skills. She simply folded her wings and dove, slamming down on top of the Man-Faced Demon Spider.
BOOM!
The dragon's claws smashed heavily onto the spider's back, driving half of its body deep into the earth. Its carapace shattered, and a gruesome fountain of purple-red blood and white spider eggs erupted from its broken form.
SKREEE!
The spider let out a piteous shriek of agony, but the enraged Liu Erlong was far from finished. Her massive dragon claw seized the spider's head and began to mercilessly smash it against the ground, over and over again.
CRUNCH!
CRUNCH!
CRUNCH!
Dai Mubai and Tang San could only watch in horrified silence as the tyrannical Liu Erlong battered the Man-Faced Demon Spider into a grotesque pulp, its innards a sickening mixture of white and purple matter. They both swallowed hard, unable to comprehend how Dean Liu, who was always so demure and dependent in front of the Grandmaster, could possess such a terrifying side.
Liu Erlong lifted the mangled corpse of the spider, glanced at its now-lifeless scarlet eyes, and said in a tone of extreme annoyance, "Xiao San, get over here and kill it."
"M-me?" Tang San asked tentatively.
"Is there anyone else here named Xiao San?! When I tell you to come, you come!" Liu Erlong snapped impatiently. She was incredibly frustrated. Her attempt to be intimate with Xiao Gang had failed, and she had no idea when she would get another chance.
Although Tang San disliked her tone, the sight of a perfectly compatible, 7,500-year Man-Faced Demon Spider was too good to pass up. The Eight Spider Lances on his back emerged from his spine, quivering with excitement.
Seeing the menacing appendages on Tang San's back, Liu Erlong asked with a flicker of curiosity, "Xiao San, are you planning to use a spirit bone to kill it?"
Tang San nodded eagerly. He could scarcely imagine how his Blue Silver Grass would evolve after he absorbed both the life force and the spirit ring of this magnificent creature. His quivering lances plunged instantly into the spider's body, and a wave of pure bliss washed over him. In moments, the spider's corpse withered into a dry, desiccated husk.
Liu Erlong watched this bizarre scene with surprise but said nothing. After all, Tang San's cultivation was Xiao Gang's responsibility. She simply assumed the Eight Spider Lances could absorb the spider's essence to evolve.
A moment later, a brilliant purple spirit ring rose from the dried-out corpse. Tang San wasted no time, immediately sitting down to begin the absorption process.
When he finished, his face was overflowing with unconcealable joy. The process of absorbing this fourth spirit ring had been even more euphoric than when he had absorbed his third, which had also been from a Man-Faced Demon Spider!
He immediately summoned his Blue Silver Grass. It had undergone a complete transformation. The vines were now a sinister, pitch-black color, and their surface was covered in countless fine, sharp thorns. Tang San snapped off a single vine, and to his delight, a stream of viscous purple blood gushed from the break.
"Hahahaha! I've succeeded! I've finally succeeded!" Tang San cackled, a ferocious grin spreading across his face.
Yu Xiaogang approached, his own face a mask of surprise. "Xiao San?! What have you succeeded in? What happened to your Blue Silver Grass?"
Tang San declared with absolute confidence, "My Blue Silver Grass is no longer what it once was. Now, any who touch it will die instantly!"
Yu Xiaogang beamed with pride. "Excellent, excellent! From now on, Xiao San, you are no longer a Control-Type Spirit Master. You shall be known as a Sure-Kill-Type Spirit Master!"
He had recently learned that Ye Lan referred to herself as a Life-Type Spirit Master, and Zhu Zhuqing a Speed-Type. Though he didn't fully grasp the significance of these classifications, the idea of creating his own new system for Spirit Masters appealed to him. In a moment of what he considered to be brilliant inspiration, he had decided: from this day forward, Tang San was a Sure-Kill-Type Spirit Master!
"Sure-Kill-Type? Not bad, not bad at all," Tang San said, thoroughly pleased. He could sense that his spirit power had already reached the forty-second rank, and he still had a ten-thousand-year spirit bone left to absorb. Once he did, he refused to believe that with so many trump cards at his disposal, he could possibly lose to a mere Spirit Grandmaster like Ye Lan!
(End of this chapter)