It seemed that Yu Tianming's beating had changed Zhao Wuji a bit. This time, he didn't immediately believe the Grandmaster. Instead, he thought back to how Yu Tianming had looked down on Tang San's spirit rings.
He was a rough man and didn't understand any so-called spirit theory, but he had his own kind of logic.
With years of experience and common sense, Zhao Wuji clearly knew that the better the compatibility between a spirit ring and a martial spirit, the greater the enhancement. Tang San seemed to have absorbed animal-type spirit beasts and gained a decent boost, but if he had absorbed plant-type spirit beasts instead, the enhancement might've been even greater.
Besides, Tang San's first spirit ring was Blue Silver Bind—a skill that didn't increase the toughness of the Blue Silver Grass nor had any special effects. It just wrapped around the enemy's legs.
Zhao Wuji rubbed the faint scar circling his head. His eyes widened as if a revelation had struck him, and his intelligence soared to a rare peak.
He looked at the scruffy-bearded Yu Xiaogang. This guy didn't look smart at all. Having a plant martial spirit absorb animal-type rings was simply absurd. No wonder the spirit master world cursed Yu Xiaogang to no end—Tang San was bound to be ruined under his guidance.
He interrupted the touching moment between master and disciple and asked doubtfully, "Grandmaster, is it possible that Blue Silver Grass is a low-level martial spirit, so absorbing animal-type rings gives a noticeable boost? If he absorbed plant-type spirit rings with similar properties, wouldn't the boost be even greater?"
Yu Xiaogang turned and studied the short, stocky middle-aged man in front of him.
This so-called Immovable King wasn't even 1.7 meters tall, but his muscles bulged all over, looking like a fat panda. He clearly had strong combat power. But those small round eyes were full of innocent simplicity—untainted by knowledge and not particularly bright-looking.
Yu Xiaogang sneered at the brute, "Xiao San, show the Immovable King your current Blue Silver Grass."
"Yes, teacher."
A slender vine of Blue Silver Grass slithered up Tang San's arm and appeared before the crowd.
This Blue Silver Grass was black-red and shiny, constantly emitting a sickly-sweet scent. Its main stem was covered in sharp poisonous barbs, and even the leaf edges had tiny spikes that could cut if you weren't careful.
Yu Xiaogang hadn't expected such a dramatic transformation after absorbing the third spirit ring. The corner of his mouth lifted as he smiled at Zhao Wuji, "This is what absorbing animal-type rings has done for Xiao San. Can anyone still say this is harmless little Blue Silver Grass?"
Before Zhao Wuji could speak, Yu Xiaogang went on, "The Immovable King has been in the spirit master world for decades and seen plenty of plant martial spirits. How many of them can improve like Xiao San's?"
"You're only focusing on Xiao San's case, that doesn't prove absorbing animal rings is better in general." Zhao Wuji scratched the scar on his head, feeling something was off with the Grandmaster's theory.
Unfortunately, he didn't know Tang San carried the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline. That latent power was the real reason for the dramatic improvement. If Zhao Wuji knew that, he could have completely refuted Yu Xiaogang's theory.
Zhao Wuji questioned again and again, and Flender couldn't take it anymore.
"Xiao Gang may not have high spirit power, but he's read countless texts in the Spirit Hall and knows all sorts of secret martial spirit knowledge—far more than any of us. Wuji, stop overthinking it."
Hearing this, Tang San's eyes glowed. He thought to himself, 'So teacher's knowledge system is that impressive, and you, Zhao Wuji, still dare to question him?'
He chimed in as well, "My teacher's theory on martial spirits is professional. Teacher Zhao, you should stay out of it."
Seeing that no one agreed with his theory, Zhao Wuji felt stifled. But he wasn't good with words and didn't know how to argue back.
He thought, 'All of Tang San's knowledge comes from the Grandmaster, so it's normal for him to be misled. Flender's a Spirit Sage and seems smart too… Could it be their fusion technique as the Golden Iron Triangle made him trust this loser Grandmaster so much?'
Zhao Wuji scratched his itchy scar and wisely stopped debating.
After a pause, he brought up the nearly fatal Yu Tianming again, "Grandmaster, your nephew's already got that much spirit power at such a young age. There's an eighty percent chance he's an evil spirit master. Shouldn't we report him to the Spirit Hall?"
The Grandmaster stroked the stubble on his chin, face solemn. "For Yu Tianming to have such cultivation so young using the evil spirit master's path, who knows how many lives he's harmed. But since there's been no rumors, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan must be covering it up. Even if we report it to Spirit Hall, it probably won't matter."
As a wanted man, Zhao Wuji was familiar with the workings of the world. He quickly added, "I heard Sect Leader Yu recently broke through again—he's reached the peak of the spirit master world. Could he be protecting Yu Tianming?"
"Only my father could hide the trail of Yu Tianming's slaughter." Yu Xiaogang sighed. "Tianming's always been our father's favorite. That's what made him so arrogant and lawless. But I never expected my father would let him become an evil spirit master."
Tang San was full of hatred. "To cultivate like that costs countless lives! How many innocent people will die because of him? Are we supposed to let someone like that run free, making the innocent weep?"
Flender sighed long and hard. "Xiao San, this world is just that cruel. As long as you have power, the rules bend. It's hard to accept, but it's the truth."
Yu Xiaogang patted Tang San's shoulder and said meaningfully, "Xiao San, just stick to your training. One day you'll surpass them, and then it'll be up to you to stop Yu Tianming and my father."
"Don't worry, teacher. This world shouldn't be ruled by whoever has the most power. I'll do everything I can to uphold justice."
Tang San thought of Yu Tianming's arrogance, the Gale Demon Wolf drained of life by his Eight Spider Lances, and his now bloodthirsty mutated Blue Silver Grass. He swore silently: 'I'll use the lives of these evil beasts and evil spirit masters to climb to the top. I'll personally purge the spirit master world and bring justice back.'
Watching Tang San's confident expression, Zhao Wuji scratched his scar harder, not even noticing the blood.
He thought, 'The Grandmaster and Tang San are both spouting nonsense. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is a top-tier martial spirit, and Yu Tianming's mutated positively. Tang San's Blue Silver Grass is low-grade—even with mutations, it can't compare.'
But smarter-than-usual Zhao Wuji didn't argue. To resist the urge to complain, he simply excused himself, "You all keep talking. I'm heading back to rest."
Flender nodded. "You've been traveling all day, Wuji. You've done well. Get some rest."
Zhao Wuji gave a rare warm smile. "I've poured years of effort into Shrek. This place is already home to me—no need for polite words. Grandmaster, Flender, I'll be off."
With that, Zhao Wuji stood up and left Flender's office.
Watching him go, Flender's eyes softened. "If it weren't for these old brothers helping me all these years, this academy would've collapsed long ago. Once this batch of students graduates, Xiao Gang, come with me to travel the continent. Let's finally relax."
The Grandmaster was stunned, but the tacit understanding of the Golden Iron Triangle helped him catch Flender's true meaning. "I don't know…"
Flender sighed. "I know you don't like thinking of the past, but I have to say it. Back then, our time together was the happiest in my life. I'll never forget those memories. If we could've lived like that forever—how great would that be?"
The Grandmaster lowered his head, sorrow in his eyes. "People grow old. They mature. What's past is past. What's the point in bringing it up?"
Flender shook his head. "Xiao Gang, do you really care that much about what the world thinks? It wasn't her fault."
"Shut up." Mentioning their feelings made the Grandmaster suddenly emotional. He snapped, eyes locked on Flender. "What about you? So many years, and you're still single. Why didn't you end up with her? Don't tell me you didn't like her!"
"A gentleman doesn't steal what another loves. She truly loved you."
Flender saw the redness in the Grandmaster's eyes and, considering Tang San was nearby, dropped the subject and changed the topic. "All these years… have you ever gone home?"
"That place hasn't been home to me for a long time. Otherwise, I wouldn't just now be hearing news of Yu Tianming." The Grandmaster shook his head.
Flender sighed again. "It's still your home. Even if they don't welcome you—"
The Grandmaster raised his hand to stop him. He looked over at Tang San and said with meaning, "Even if I return one day, it won't be like this. Not until I've proven myself—I won't let them laugh at me."
Seeing the Grandmaster's look, and with Zhao Wuji gone, Tang San asked curiously, "Teacher, after absorbing the Man-Faced Demon Spider, I grew eight spider legs on my back. Do you know what that's about?"
"Spider legs? Could your martial spirit have mutated?" Flender adjusted his glasses with confusion.
But the Grandmaster jumped up and grabbed Tang San's shoulders. "That's definitely not a mutation. Xiao San, show me those legs. If they're what I think they are, this harvest is massive."
Tang San immediately took off his shirt, revealing his lean but muscular upper body.
As his Xuantian Skill circulated, a faint purple glow shone from his ribs. Bulges appeared along his spine. With a tremble, eight thick spider legs burst out and extended rapidly, taking up half the room.
"This is an external spirit bone!" Yu Xiaogang instantly recognized the ultra-rare item with his vast knowledge.
Flender walked over slowly, amazed. "So this is the legendary external spirit bone… This is my first time seeing one. Thank goodness for Xiao Gang's reminder—I almost thought his martial spirit had mutated."
Seeing their shocked faces, Tang San realized this was something extraordinary. "Teacher, what's an external spirit bone? Is it that valuable?"
The Grandmaster nodded and patiently explained, "External spirit bones are extremely rare. If the odds of a regular spirit bone dropping are one in a thousand, then the chance for an external one isn't even one in ten thousand. In the spirit master world, the most valuable thing is a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring—the second is an external spirit bone."
Flender added, "It's so rare, most spirit masters won't ever even see one, let alone possess one. Xiao San, you've really benefited from misfortune this time."
If Yu Tianming saw Tang San's external spirit bone, he definitely wouldn't think it was just luck. After being disrupted by him, Tang San still managed to get one. If that wasn't destiny, it had to be divine intervention.
Tang San looked at the three-meter-long, grotesque spider legs on his back and muttered, "It's really that precious?"
Though they helped him drain life from spirit beasts, the spider legs made him look monstrous. He didn't like them much—just saw them as tools.
Now, knowing their worth, he found them a bit… cute.
Even though he tried to be careful, the Eight Spider Lances still accidentally touched the floor, corroding a small black hole. Flender quickly shouted, "Hey, don't wreck my office! Repairs cost money!"
Seeing this, the Grandmaster advised, "Xiao San, I've got a basic understanding of your external spirit bone. Put it away for now and get dressed."
Tang San nodded. The spider legs turned into a streak of light and retracted back into his back.
"Remember, never tell anyone you have an external spirit bone. Though it can't be absorbed like normal bones, as the saying goes, 'The tallest tree in the forest gets the wind.' The fewer people who know, the better—for your safety."
Yu Xiaogang looked at Flender and smiled, "Of course, Headmaster Flender has fought by my side for years. He's absolutely trustworthy."
"Even brothers have to pay for floor repairs."
Yu Xiaogang ignored him and turned to Tang San seriously. "With this external spirit bone and my training plan, you'll definitely defeat Yu Tianming one day."
(End of Chapter)
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