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Tang San stood frozen as he looked at his Clear Sky Hammer. The once mighty tool now looked strange. A pale white glow, moving like a sickly maggot, crawled across the surface of the black hammer. Around it floated a single spirit ring. It was dim and almost transparent. It was a ten-year spirit ring, the weakest kind possible.
Tang San felt the blood drain from his face. His heart hammered against his ribs as he staggered back. He could not believe what he was seeing. His voice came out sharp and cracked with pure shock and terror.
Teacher! What is happening? This... what exactly is going on? Tang San screamed. Why is there a white ten-year spirit ring on my Clear Sky Hammer? Why does it look so disgusting?
At that moment, Tang San felt his world falling apart. He had always imagined his Clear Sky Hammer being the strongest. He thought it would be covered in powerful black ten-thousand-year spirit rings. This reality was a nightmare he could not accept.
Yu Xiaogang stared at Tang San. The boy's eyes looked like they wanted to eat him alive. Yu Xiaogang's face turned pale, then a sickly green color. He tried to speak, but his lips just trembled for a long time. Finally, he found his voice, though it was weak.
Little San, I... I do not know what is happening either, Yu Xiaogang whispered. According to the records of twin spirits in the secret archives of Spirit Hall and my own research, this should not happen. When a Spirit Master adds the first rings to a second spirit, it should be fine. As long as the power does not exceed the body's limit, you should not explode.
He paused and looked down at his lap. But it happened to you. You could not even handle a hundred-year spirit ring. I had to do something to save your life. I let you take this ten-year spirit ring as a desperate measure.
Yu Xiaogang stopped talking and looked closely at Tang San. His tone changed. It became softer, but there was a sharp edge to his words. He was trying to move the blame away from himself.
Is it possible that your Clear Sky Hammer spirit has a problem? Or maybe your body has some hidden danger we haven't found yet? Twin spirits are very rare. Each person is different. Maybe you are just a special case, Yu Xiaogang said.
His words sounded like he was just trying to help, but the meaning was clear. He was saying the problem was not his theory. He was saying the problem was Tang San. He was suggesting that Tang San's spirit was not perfect or his body was too weak.
Impossible! Tang San shouted. My Clear Sky Hammer is the best Tool Spirit in the world! How can there be a problem with it?
Tang San's eyes turned red with anger. He felt like his head was going to explode. He felt a battle raging inside his heart. He thought to himself that if it wasn't his fault, then it had to be his teacher's fault.
Yes! It must be! Yu Xiaogang's twin spirits theory is just empty talk! Tang San thought. He has never actually tested it. He was the one who said I could take rings beyond my rank. He was the one who told me to cultivate the Clear Sky Hammer this way. Now everything is ruined. My hammer is a joke. It looks filthy and weak because of him.
If it turns out this man's wrong theory ruined my life, then he is a dead man, Tang San thought. My Clear Sky Hammer should not be stained by someone else's mistakes.
Tang San looked at Yu Xiaogang. For a second, a cold killing intent flashed in his eyes. He was ready to let his anger explode. But before he could do anything, a loud sound stopped him.
Rumble!
A giant roar like thunder rolled through the forest. The ground began to shake. Not far away, clouds of dust rose into the sky from the thick trees. It looked like a giant sandstorm was coming toward them. Inside the dust, Tang San could see many dark shapes moving. It felt like ten thousand beasts were running together. They were charging straight toward them.
Xiaogang! Be careful! Something big is coming! Liu Erlong yelled.
She moved fast. In an instant, she was standing in front of Yu Xiaogang's wheelchair. Her red spirit power flared up. She created a shield of energy to protect herself and the man behind her. This sudden danger stopped Tang San's anger for a moment. He knew he had to focus on staying alive.
Tang San used his Purple Demon Eye. A bright purple and gold light shot from his eyes. His vision pierced through the dust and smoke. He saw something that made his skin crawl.
He saw thousands of red eyes glowing in the dark. There were Spirit Beasts of every size. There were ten-year beasts, hundred-year beasts, and even ten-thousand-year beasts. They were all running together in a giant wave of destruction. They were trampling trees and rocks. They were coming for them with a clear purpose.
What? How can there be so many Spirit Beasts? Tang San's face went white. His voice shook with fear.
Spirit Beasts? Yu Xiaogang was confused at first. He looked in the direction Tang San was pointing. He could not see as well, but he could feel the ground shaking. He could hear the roars. Then, he looked at the pile of dead Spirit Beasts behind them. Tang San had killed many of them earlier. The smell of blood was very strong in the air.
A scary thought hit Yu Xiaogang like a lightning bolt.
Little San! This is bad! Yu Xiaogang screamed. His voice was high and full of fear. It is you! You killed all those Spirit Beasts for no reason. You even tortured some of them. This behavior has angered the powerful beasts in the forest. You have triggered a beast tide! They are coming to get revenge on us!
Yu Xiaogang remembered reading about this. The books in Spirit Hall said that high-level Spirit Beasts were smart. They did not like it when humans killed their kind for fun. Such a big slaughter was enough to make the whole forest attack.
Erlong! Quickly! We have to run! Get us out of here! Yu Xiaogang roared. He gripped the arms of his wheelchair so hard his knuckles turned white.
Liu Erlong knew how dangerous this was. She could feel the power of the beast tide coming closer. It made her heart beat fast. She did not waste any time. She grabbed the wheelchair and started running. She used all her spirit power to push it fast. She didn't even care where they were going. She just wanted to get away from the beasts.
Little San! Keep up with us! Yu Xiaogang shouted over his shoulder.
Tang San looked at the disaster coming toward them. Then he looked at his hammer with the ugly white ring. He felt frustrated and scared. He grit his teeth and used the last of his spirit power. He started to use his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to follow them.
The three of them tried to flee. Liu Erlong and Tang San were fast, but they had to help Yu Xiaogang. They were not fast enough. In the forest, many Spirit Beasts were built for speed.
Suddenly, a cold wind blew past them. They heard the sound of growling close by. Several Storm Devil Wolves had caught up to them. These were thousand-year beasts with mean eyes. They jumped off the ground like shadows. Their mouths were open, showing sharp teeth. They lunged at Liu Erlong, Tang San, and Yu Xiaogang.
Little San! Take your teacher and go! I will stop them! Liu Erlong yelled.
Her eyes were sharp and determined. She pushed Yu Xiaogang's wheelchair hard toward Tang San. At the same time, her fire spirit power exploded. A loud dragon roar filled the air. A giant shadow of a fire dragon appeared behind her. The heat was so strong that the wolves stopped for a second.