Chapter 239: The First Signs of Martial Soul Problems and the Unfolding of Revenge
Before leaving, Han Li had already been in a good mood, but now, soaring through the sky, his joy had doubled. Tang Hao, already suffering from severe injuries, had just been wounded even further. And the best part? He now blamed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan for everything.
Everyone in the Douluo Continent knew that Martial Souls couldn't be faked. So, since Han Li's Ice attribute Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was real, it meant that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was responsible.
Han Li had absolutely no guilt about manipulating Tang Hao and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. As for why he didn't take the chance to eliminate Tang Hao right now of course, he had his own plans.
Han Li wanted to become a god. He wouldn't rely entirely on faith power, but that didn't mean he didn't need it. Faith energy was a universal power, and the further he advanced, the more important it would become.
In his grand scheme, the Clear Sky Clan played a crucial role.
And within that scheme, Tang Hao was even more important than Tang San. Tang San would eventually become the final result, but Tang Hao was the catalyst the spark that set everything in motion.
For that reason, Han Li could not allow Tang Hao to die quietly in the wilderness.
The reason why main characters are beloved is often because of the villains that contrast them. If the antagonists disappeared, the story would lose its brilliance and impact.
As for Bibi Dong, Han Li shook his head. His current foundation still relied heavily on Spirit Hall. Whatever conflicts arose were internal matters, and with Qian Renxue in play, he wouldn't make any reckless moves against them at least not yet.
Building his own independent force had crossed his mind, but the cost was too high. Even if he successfully formed an organization, what would he do with it? Fight against Spirit Hall?
That was ridiculous. Instead, investing in a few high level experts was far more efficient.
As for the idea of armies fighting Spirit Masters, Han Li scoffed.
On Douluo Continent, armies could only handle low tier Spirit Masters those below Rank 50.
Anyone above Rank 50, as long as they weren't an idiot rushing into battle without strategy, would be untouchable by ordinary soldiers.
However, Han Li already held the true weapons capable of countering Spirit Masters.
One was Tang San's precious hidden weapons if mass produced, they could efficiently eliminate lower ranked Spirit Masters.
The other was the gunpowder formula, which Han Li never took lightly.
As a modern minded strategist, he understood the sheer destructive power of explosives. If the quantity was high enough, even crude weapons could be lethal. On the Douluo Continent, no one below the god level could withstand an explosion of sufficient magnitude.
And even gods Han Li wasn't sure yet.
Although he couldn't personally craft advanced weaponry, he could provide guidance. With the skills of the Blacksmith Association combined with the ingenuity of Spirit Masters, developing sophisticated explosive weaponry wouldn't be difficult.
Would Han Li release this technology to the world right now?
Absolutely not.
That didn't mean he was doing nothing.
Ever since obtaining the gunpowder formula, he had secretly directed his Seven Mystic Merchant Association to gather materials under various pretexts.
He had also secured the production sites.
And he hadn't informed Spirit Hall.
Spirit Hall was too large. Any significant action on their part would immediately attract attention from other factions, which would cause unnecessary complications.
Soon, he would need to visit Star Luo Empire and return to Spirit City. Ideally, he would wrap everything up before the Spirit Master Tournament, which would save him a lot of trouble later.
With his thoughts organized, Han Li increased his speed, heading back toward his base.
Meanwhile, at Heaven Dou Academy…
Tang San opened his eyes, frowning in confusion.
For several days now, he had felt something was off.
At first, he dismissed it as nerves due to Yu Xiaogang's situation. After all, he had been preoccupied in Heaven Dou City and thought his unease was simply a result of that.
But today was different.
Today, he was in the Mimicry Cultivation Room a space rich with Blue Silver Grass, meticulously cultivated by the academy.
The plant life here had always provided a powerful boost to his cultivation.
So why…
Why was his cultivation speed suddenly so much slower?!
And more importantly…
Why did the Blue Silver Grass seem to be rejecting him?
Tang San could feel it.
The very plants that should have resonated with him now carried an undeniable aura of resistance.
Strangely, other plants were unaffected.
This was a problem.
A serious problem.
With an uneasy expression, Tang San stood up.
He needed to test this outside the cultivation room.
Maybe the problem was with the environment?
Or… maybe the problem was with him.
If something was wrong with his Martial Soul, then he needed to know.
Exiting the Mimicry Cultivation Room, Tang San walked to a random patch of grass and sat down.
He summoned his Martial Soul, entered a cultivation state, and once again tried to connect with the Blue Silver Grass.
A few moments later, his eyes snapped open.
His expression was grim.
The same rejection.
Even outside, the Blue Silver Grass resisted his control.
It wasn't as obvious as in the cultivation room, likely because most of the plants outside were common weeds.
But the fact remained his Martial Soul was being rejected by its own kind.
Tang San was stunned.
What the hell was going on?!
Who could tell him what was happening?!
But he didn't give up.
Maybe… maybe it was just this patch of grass?
Thus, for the next few hours, the students of Heaven Dou Academy witnessed a truly bizarre sight.
A young man would sit cross legged in the grass…
Close his eyes…
Then suddenly stand up and move to another spot.
Sit down again…
Close his eyes…
Then suddenly stand up again, his face filled with confusion and frustration.
He repeated this over and over again.
The scene was so strange that some students even began to whisper
"What's wrong with Tang San?"
"Is he… practicing some special cultivation technique?"
"I don't know… but he keeps changing locations."
"Maybe he lost something and is trying to find it with his Martial Soul?"
None of them could understand.
And Tang San himself had no answers.
But one thing was certain
Something was very, very wrong with his Blue Silver Grass.
Tang San moved swiftly from place to place. Each time he stopped, he would sit cross legged, only to stand up again with a dark expression after a minute or two, then move to another spot to repeat the process.
"Isn't that the senior from the second team? I think his name is Tang San? What is he doing?"
When Tang San and his group had replaced the original second team upon joining the academy, it had caused quite a stir. Given their young age and immense talent, many students were already familiar with them.
"It looks like... he's cultivating?"
A student scratched his head uncertainly.
"Cultivating? Is this some kind of new accelerated training method? I should try it too."
Some students actually believed it.
And so, a bizarre scene unfolded a long line of students began following Tang San.
They didn't get too close, but they mimicked his every move. Wherever Tang San sat, they sat. When he moved, they moved. And the longer this went on, the larger the crowd grew.
By now, Tang San's face was darker than a storm cloud.
Although he hadn't tested it outside the academy yet, Heaven Dou Academy covered several mountain ranges, providing a vast variety of flora.
And after his repeated attempts, he had arrived at a terrifying conclusion.
The problem was with him.
Every single Blue Silver Grass he had encountered rejected him.
And what made him even more irritable was the crowd of fools trailing behind him.
They pointed, whispered, and even thought they were learning some new training method.
To someone as sharp as Tang San, every single word they muttered was crystal clear.
He was already frustrated this just felt like public humiliation.
If only he had already forged his Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles…
If only these were commoners and not nobles…
If only this weren't Heaven Dou Royal Academy…
Tang San swore he would have slaughtered every single one of these ignorant insects.
They had already marked their own deaths.
Just then, the commotion finally drew the attention of Qin Ming and Ye LingLing.
Hearing the murmuring from the crowd, Qin Ming frowned and approached Tang San with Ye LingLing.
"Tang San, what's going on?"
Although Flander had severed ties with Yu Xiaogang, in Qin Ming's eyes, Tang San was still his junior.
Seeing Tang San's unpleasant expression, he still asked with genuine concern.
"Nothing. I'm leaving."
Under normal circumstances, Tang San would have maintained appearances and at least exchanged a few words even if he didn't want to reveal the truth.
But right now, his mood was at rock bottom.
His first instinct was to seek out Yu Xiaogang for guidance.
But seeing Qin Ming's face…
He suddenly remembered his teacher had been expelled.
And Qin Ming was the one Yu Xiaogang had visited before getting expelled.
At that moment, Tang San's mood sank even further.
He even began to feel resentment toward Qin Ming.
As the teacher leading the first team, Qin Ming must have known that the control type Spirit Master in that team was related to the Education Committee.
Why hadn't he warned them?
Did his so called "junior" status mean nothing?
Hmph. Always calling me junior this, junior that… yet he wouldn't even lift a finger to help.
Not only that, but he hadn't stopped Yu Xiaogang from speaking up either.
Didn't Qin Ming know what kind of consequences that would bring?
Of course, Tang San completely ignored the fact that the only reason he had entered Heaven Dou Academy in the first place was because of Qin Ming.
Watching Tang San walk away, Qin Ming smiled awkwardly before turning to Ye LingLing.
"He seems to be in a bad mood."
"Mm."
Ye LingLing simply nodded slightly.
She didn't say anything that would embarrass Qin Ming, which allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Alright, let's go meet with the Education Committee. We'll discuss your future training plans I doubt they'll refuse. It's a win win for both you and the first team."
A genuine smile reappeared on Qin Ming's face.
He hadn't expected Ye LingLing's rapid progress.
In just a short time, she had reached Rank 46 (or so it appeared).
According to her, this was due to consuming a rare medicinal herb from her clan.
Regardless, her improved healing abilities were a game changer for the team.
Especially after Qin Ming had personally experienced it.
With Ye LingLing supporting them, even riskier battle strategies could be executed.
They had a much greater chance of advancing in the Spirit Master Tournament.
Looking at the calm Ye LingLing, Qin Ming couldn't help but compare her to Tang San.
The contrast made him shake his head.
Forget it. Flander was right better to keep some distance.
That teacher disciple duo was nothing but trouble.
What Qin Ming failed to notice was that Ye LingLing, walking quietly beside him, had a peculiar glint in her eyes.
Having absorbed her fourth spirit ring and spirit bone, Ye LingLing had unlocked the Blue Silver Domain.
This granted her an extremely keen perception of plants.
Even though she hadn't activated her domain, she could instinctively sense something off about Tang San.
And after hearing the murmurs of the crowd, she immediately understood the truth.
The Blue Silver King's revenge had begun.
Right now, Tang San was being rejected by the Blue Silver Grass.
His Martial Soul was crippled.
Ye LingLing's lips curled ever so slightly.
When she returned home, she would make sure to tell Han Li.
He was going to love this news.
(End of Chapter)
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