A year quietly passed by.
During this time, Lin Mu successfully cultivated to Level 50. As long as he absorbed a suitable Soul Ring, preferably a ten-thousand-year one, he could officially become a Soul King.
In fact, he had already broken through two months ago, but he hadn't decided which Soul Ring to absorb, which was why he had delayed the hunt until now.
As far as he knew, even without absorbing a Soul Ring to breakthrough, a Soul Master's cultivation could still accumulate internally. After absorbing the ring, the stored power would be released, allowing him to increase his Soul Power level in one fell swoop, although the initial accumulation might feel slower.
That morning, Lin Mu got up early. Today was the day Nuoding Academy went on holiday, and he had to see Tang San off one last time before his own trip.
In the Nuoding Academy dormitory, Tang San had already packed his things. He was folding his bedding meticulously, repeating the action several times.
Although he was going home, his mood was very heavy. Compared to his Master, who could be rated as perfect, his alcoholic father was simply a mess.
Sometimes, he even thought how wonderful it would be if his Master were his real father.
"Tang San, is there something wrong with you? How many times have you folded this bedding?"
Xiao Wu sat on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs and looking impatient.
She was already in a bad mood, and watching this wooden block repeatedly do the same thing was driving her crazy.
Hearing Xiao Wu speak, Tang San stopped what he was doing. He looked up at Xiao Wu leaning against the headboard and asked with some surprise:
"Xiao Wu, it's vacation time. Aren't you packing to go home?"
"I don't have a home. I'm staying at the academy this vacation."
"No home?"
Tang San looked astonished, but quickly a hint of pity appeared in his eyes. At least he still had his father and Master. Although his father was a useless drunkard, his Master was very good to him.
Just then, Xiao Wu suddenly thought of something. Her eyes lit up, and she quickly looked at Tang San and said:
"Little San, is your home far from the academy? How about I come over to visit your house?"
"This..."
Hearing this, Tang San was tempted, but remembering his Master's teachings, he hesitated.
His Master had said to be careful not to fall into a woman's trap; the more beautiful a woman is, the more likely she is to deceive.
Seeing Tang San's hesitation, Xiao Wu immediately put her hands on her hips. Glaring at him with her big eyes, she said, "It's just a visit to your house! Why are you being so stingy?"
Seeing Xiao Wu's dissatisfied expression, Tang San smiled bitterly. He could only temporarily put aside his Master's teachings and said, "Alright. I'll take you home, okay?"
"That's more like it."
Xiao Wu pouted, looking satisfied.
The two packed their things and walked from the dormitory to the school gate, where they saw Lin Mu walking towards them.
"Master."
Tang San respectfully bowed to Lin Mu; in the past year, this basic etiquette had been ingrained in his bones.
Although Lin Mu disliked these formalities, he had to maintain the master-disciple image with Tang San.
"Little San, don't relax your cultivation even after you get home. Here are some dry rations; take them with you for the road."
Lin Mu took a bag of high-quality dry rations from his storage bracelet and handed it to Tang San.
These were cheap things for a Soul Master, but they were exactly what Tang San needed most. After all, Tang San had been an orphan in his previous life, and in this life, Tang Hao was extremely irresponsible. Thus, Tang San desperately craved any sign of familial affection.
"Thank you, Master."
Looking at the rations in his hand, Tang San's eyes welled up with tears; his gratitude was indescribable. This was the kind of care his father had never given him.
Xiao Wu, standing nearby, looked on with envy. If it weren't for her concerns about her identity as a soul beast, she would have wanted to become a disciple too.
"Alright, go on. Come back soon."
Lin Mu patted Tang San's shoulder. He already had his own plans; he wanted to relax a bit and then resolve the matter of his fifth Soul Ring.
After seeing Tang San off, Lin Mu returned to the inn to cultivate.
As night fell, Lin Mu was in his room flipping through the 'Complete Encyclopedia of Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest', searching for a suitable target for his fifth Soul Ring.
Once a Soul Beast reaches ten thousand years of age or more, its strength increases dramatically. Some Soul Beasts with powerful bloodlines can even unleash power far exceeding their age limit.
For example, the Dark Devilgod Tiger, at ten thousand years old, can rival a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast.
With Lin Mu's current strength, although he could deal with standard ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts, the strongest he could safely handle alone was likely no more than thirty thousand years old. He had to carefully consider avoid Soul Beasts with excessively powerful bloodlines.
Just as he was hesitating over a choice...
Knock, knock.
A dull knocking sound suddenly rang out, pulling Lin Mu back to reality.
Lin Mu's eyes narrowed, a hint of doubt flashing in them. 'Who could be looking for me at this hour?'
As a Soul Master who had traveled extensively for many years, Lin Mu, while not having done anything heinous, had inevitably made some enemies, such as the Fire Leopard Sect.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Mu slowly got up and went to open the door.
With a creak, the door opened. A tall figure stood outside, draped in a simple, worn gray robe. His face was hidden in the shadows of the corridor.
'Tang Hao!'
Lin Mu's breath caught in his throat, his nerves instantly tensing, but he quickly forced himself to regain his composure.
Facing a Titled Douluo, and the Clear Sky Douluo with a 100,000-year Soul Ring at that, he wouldn't even have a chance to escape if things went south.
Tang Hao's visit at this time was most likely to entrust Tang San to him. He probably meant no harm; otherwise, he would have smashed the door down earlier instead of knocking.
"Who are you?"
Lin Mu barely managed to steady his voice as he looked at the figure and asked.
Tang Hao took a few steps forward, entering the room uninvited. Under the lamplight, a weathered face was revealed. His disheveled black hair cascaded over his shoulders, making him look both unkempt and utterly dispirited.
He was comparable to Yu Xiaogang in terms of sheer wretchedness.
"My name is Tang Hao. I'm Xiao San's father, your disciple's father."
Tang Hao had secretly observed Lin Mu over the past year and found him to be a rare genius, at least far more reliable than Yu Xiaogang.
In his view, Tang San taking Lin Mu as his Master had one advantage: it would be of great use in dealing with Spirit Hall later.
A seventeen-year-old high-level Soul Ancestor (now almost Soul King), that was far more powerful than Tang Hao had been at the same age.
"Tang Hao?"
Lin Mu murmured, then his eyes widened, feigning shock. "You are... the Clear Sky Douluo?!"
"Let's not dwell on past titles. Although I don't know why you took Xiao San as your disciple, I can see you treat him well. I'm at ease entrusting him to you."
Tang Hao's eyes gleamed. With a genius like Lin Mu on their side, there was truly a better chance to take revenge on Spirit Hall in the future.
"Here, take this. It might be useful to you."
Saying this, Tang Hao took out a jet-black token, the highest level Clear Sky Token, and tossed it to Lin Mu.
After explaining his intentions to leave for a while, Tang Hao turned to go, but Lin Mu stopped him first.
"Senior, since you're already here, why not do me a favor?"
Lin Mu was worrying about hunting his fifth Soul Ring when Tang Hao suddenly appeared. How could he let this free, top-tier labor slip by?
After hesitating for a moment, Tang Hao agreed, considering it a necessary gift to the teacher of his son.