For the next three days, Tang San didn't attend a single class.
He took an extended leave from Teacher Mo Hen, spending nearly all his time in the academy library, reading everything he could find on soul beasts, soul master cultivation, and martial soul theory.
When he wasn't reading, he was outside testing the limits of his first soul skill.
And through these experiments, he discovered something new.
When he pressed his Blue Silver Grass martial soul into the ground of the academy playground, he noticed something peculiar.
The soul didn't just extend—it grew roots, just like a real thousand-year-old banyan tree.
Those roots spread deep—over twenty meters underground—and wide, creating a radius of coverage also around twenty meters. And wherever the roots spread, new sprouts of Blue Silver Grass would emerge, like shoots blooming across the field.
Each blade of grass was a derivative of his martial soul. He could control them. He could lengthen them into thin, ten-meter-long tendrils.
They weren't easy to break, either—not with the toughness inherited from the Thousand Root Banyan.
Ordinary blades and weapons would struggle to cut them.
And best of all: they didn't require his own soul power to sustain.
As long as the main root embedded in the earth wasn't destroyed, the Blue Silver Grass would continue to grow and flourish—drawing energy directly from the ground.
It was still his first soul skill—Endless Life. But this variant was far more suited for combat and control.
Tang San gave it a name: Endless Grass Field.
With low soul power cost, high volume, massive coverage, and the strength of ancient banyan roots, this skill had terrifying potential.
Even a Soul Venerable would struggle to escape if they were caught in it.
There was only one limitation: control.
The area was too large, and there were too many leaves. Right now, Tang San could only command them to move in a general direction.
Precision was still far off.
"I'll need to improve my Purple Demon Eye to boost mental strength," he muttered to himself.
"But that technique has a time restriction—only the early morning is suitable. I'll have to build it up slowly."
He also began contemplating how to improve his fine control over soul power.
"Maybe I can borrow from Naruto's tree-walking and water-walking exercises…?"
Ideas buzzed through his head. But then he noticed something odd.
When he withdrew his martial soul, he realized that the playground was now covered in tiny Blue Silver Grass seedlings, thin as hair.
And they were real.
"Could it be… the life force I leaked while using my soul skill caused Blue Silver Grass seeds in the soil to sprout?"
That seemed to be the case.
His first soul ring gave him access to a massive amount of vitality, drawn from the earth itself. Even a small amount of leakage was enough to trigger growth in dormant seeds.
Looking at the lush green shoots, Tang San scratched his head.
"Well… I hope the work-study students won't be mad at me for giving them more lawn work."
The day of the promised duel arrived.
It was the weekend—no classes. Many noble students had returned home.
But the work-study students lived on campus year-round.
And news of a "big fight" was too good to miss.
Soon, the playground was full of eager onlookers.
Even Director Su, Mo Hen, and the Academy Dean came out to watch.
Yu Xiaogang also stood among the crowd, though on the edge, deliberately keeping a low profile. His reputation in the academy wasn't the best, and children had the sharpest tongues. He preferred to observe quietly from a distance.
—
"Little San," Xiao Wu said, tying up her hair as she stepped forward. "Don't blame me if I don't hold back."
As she released her martial soul, long rabbit ears popped up on her head, and a soft round tail grew at her waist.
A yellow soul ring rose around her—radiant and powerful.
The work-study students let out gasps of admiration.
The dean whispered, "So this is the girl with innate full soul power this year?"
Mo Hen nodded. "Yes. But whether she's truly a commoner... I'm not so sure."
Director Su added, "Indeed. A commoner with the Soft Boned Rabbit martial soul would never awaken with full soul power. And look at that ring—based on the color depth, it's probably over three hundred years old."
A first soul ring of that caliber? That wasn't something a civilian could get their hands on.
Yu Xiaogang, watching from the back, stroked the stubble on his chin and muttered:
"Judging by her height and proportions… she's definitely new this year. Can't be more than six years old."
"A six-year-old with a hundred-year soul ring… high chance of innate full soul power. At least level nine. She'd qualify to be my disciple…"
He rubbed his hands together.
If he could convince her to study under him, he could finally prove his theory—not just with Tang San, but with her as well.
He didn't care that they were children. Talent was talent.
But before he could approach her, his eyes drifted to the other side of the field—where Tang San stepped forward.
—
Tang San summoned his martial soul.
A stalk of Blue Silver Grass, laced with faint silver veins, grew from his palm.
A yellow soul ring appeared—but it was darker, richer in color than Xiao Wu's.
The onlookers were stunned.
The dean narrowed his eyes. "Is that… Tang San? His temperament doesn't look like a peasant's."
Director Su replied, "He's definitely a commoner—born in Holy Spirit Village. His grandfather is the village chief. His martial soul is Blue Silver Grass—what noble would have that?"
"Besides, before he got his soul ring, he was a skinny, dark-skinned kid. Not much to look at. His current appearance is clearly a result of his soul ring's influence."
Mo Hen added, "Must be a soul mutation. Normally, Blue Silver Grass might yield half a soul power rank at best. But he awakened with level six. That's significant."
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang was stunned.
That soul ring… the color—it wasn't just a hundred years. It was well over five hundred.
"That's impossible," he muttered. "The theoretical limit of a first soul ring is four hundred and twenty-three years. Any higher, and the body can't withstand it. That's what my theory says…"
But reality didn't care about his theories.
The depth of Tang San's soul ring color made it clear—it had exceeded five hundred years. And the martial soul? Blue Silver Grass.
"Could this be the same boy I saw outside the academic affairs office?" Yu Xiaogang thought. "He's changed so much. Was it all due to soul ring-induced mutation?"
Could the mutation of a martial soul even alter a person's appearance?
He was thinking hard, but one thing was now clear to Yu Xiaogang:
He had to take Tang San as his disciple.
This boy—this incredible talent—would be the proof that there was no such thing as a waste martial soul—only waste soul masters.
With Tang San, his soul theory would no longer be ridiculed.
He would become a true master—respected, admired, validated.
—
On the playground, Xiao Wu declared confidently:
"Xiao Wu, martial soul: Soft Boned Rabbit, Level 13, one-ring soul master!"
Tang San met her gaze with calm pride.
"Tang San, martial soul: Blue Silver Grass, Level 13, one-ring soul master."
The crowd held its breath.
The duel was about to begin.