"The cultivation of Soul Masters before the age of twenty is an extremely important process. You could say that achievements before twenty determine your future potential. Level thirty is a threshold that separates heaven from hell. If you cross that threshold before twenty, then your future prospects will be limitless. If you can't cross it before twenty, then you never will. Youth is an advantage — only the young have that kind of potential. So right now, you cannot waste a single minute. For your first and second Soul Rings, your teacher can still help you. But when you need to obtain your third Soul Ring, I'm afraid I'll be powerless to assist. At that point, you'll have to rely entirely on yourself. The cultivation of Soul Power admits no shortcuts — it can only be increased through meditation to circulate your own Soul Power. You may have the advantage of Innate Full Soul Power, but that makes it even more important that you don't slack off. Otherwise, you don't deserve to be my disciple."
"Lolo!" Just then, the cry of the Mutant Martial Soul Luo Sanpao suddenly rang out.
A Martial Soul and its host were one and the same. The Great Master was instantly alert, springing to his feet and gazing off in one direction.
The sky had gone completely dark. In the gloom, over a dozen faint greenish points of light were closing in toward them.
"Nether Wolves." The Great Master's voice was low, but there wasn't a trace of panic. "Xiao San, stay where you are."
Luo Sanpao kept letting out "lolo" cries, as if threatening the approaching presences. The Great Master didn't notice that a layer of purple had flickered through
There were six wolf-type Soul Beasts in total, each about one and a half meters long, their bodies an overall iron-grey color. The eerie green glow came from their eyes. They were creeping steadily toward Luo Sanpao's position.
Something about Luo Sanpao's aura seemed to make them uneasy. As they advanced, they maintained a half-arc formation.
The Great Master let out a cold snort. "A pack of tenth-level runts dares to harass me? Sanpao!"
Luo Sanpao let out a low growl, followed by an inhaling sound like a hurricane's howl. Its already plump belly expanded at a startling rate, looking like a ball being inflated.
The Great Master swept his hand outward, and one of the yellow Soul Rings on his body flew off, encircling Luo Sanpao. He shouted solemnly, "Farts like thunder, heaven-splitting, earth-cracking — Luo Sanpao!"
Luo Sanpao's pair of clear blue eyes blazed to sudden brightness. The yellow Soul Ring around its body seemed to transform into a curtain of light. Its round, chubby form bounced into the air, climbing a full five meters with astonishing speed, its body twisting mid-flight — and then a deafening, thunderclap-like boom erupted.
The Great Master already had two face masks in his hands who knew when. He handed one to Tang San immediately and put the other on his own face.
Tang San instinctively pulled the mask on, his eyes fixed without blinking on Luo Sanpao's actions. Along with that thunderous blast, a dome of yellow light burst outward, crashing down with overwhelming force over all six ten-year Nether Wolves.
Under the impact of Luo Sanpao's attack, the six Nether Wolves were sent flying like tattered sacks, hurled more than ten meters away. Two of them slammed into tree trunks with their midsections, letting out a shrill howl, unable to get back up no matter how they struggled.
The other wolves tumbled across the ground. Through his Purple Extreme Demon Eye, Tang San could clearly see blood streaming from the mouths and noses of every Nether Wolf — testament to just how devastating that shockwave had been. With a series of whimpering sounds, all the wolves except the two that were still lying on the ground scrambling unsuccessfully to rise turned tail and fled.
Even now, the Great Master didn't forget to use the moment as a lesson for Tang San. "Wolves and dogs have very similar body structures. They're known for having copper heads, iron bones, and tofu waists — the waist is the most vulnerable point on their entire body." As he spoke, he strode forward. At some point a short blade had appeared in his hand. He drew it across the throats of the two incapacitated Nether Wolves one after the other, then scattered some realgar powder over their bodies to mask the scent of blood.
"Watch — the Soul Rings are about to appear." At the Great Master's prompting, Tang San noticed that as the two ten-year Nether Wolves died, a faint ring of white light gradually rose from their bodies, drifting ethereally through the air as if it might disperse at any moment.
"This is a Soul Ring. I killed them, so if my Soul Power happened to meet the advancement requirements, I could absorb their Soul Rings right now to advance. The method is to use your own Soul Power to guide the Soul Ring onto your body, then immediately begin meditation to absorb its energy."
A faint purple glow emanated from the Great Master's hand. He waved toward one of the Soul Rings produced by the Nether Wolves, and the ring drifted over, circling around the Great Master's body — but it didn't sink in.
"My current Soul Power isn't sufficient to advance, so the Soul Ring can't be absorbed by me. Within one hour, it will dissipate on its own. Xiao San, give me two white radishes."
"Okay." Tang San reached to his waist and drew two white radishes from Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night, handing them to the Great Master.
The Great Master tossed them casually to Luo Sanpao. With an excited string of "lolo" sounds, it devoured both radishes in short order.
"The characteristics of a Mutant Martial Soul can no longer be understood through ordinary Martial Soul theory. Sanpao can eat food to reduce the drain on my Soul Power. Moreover, it only has three attacks — every time it uses one, it must replenish immediately."
"Does Sanpao only eat white radishes?" Tang San asked.
The Great Master gave him a bitter look. "You saw for yourself — Sanpao's method of attack is farting. If you hadn't been wearing that mask, I suspect you wouldn't have been able to stand the smell by now. Soul Beasts can't stand it either, which is why those Nether Wolves ran so fast. White radishes are nearly unmatched among foods when it comes to promoting flatulence. With two radishes' worth of replenishment, in about half an hour, the attack Sanpao used will be restored."
(End of Chapter)