Chapter 73: Tang San's Thoughts
Yang Xiong glanced at Tang San and said, "Sorry, it's my medicinal bath time now. Please sit and wait for a moment."
Tang San sat down nearby, and Yang Xiong got out of the bath and went to the bathroom to wash and change clothes.
Since starting his Tai Chi cultivation, Yang Xiong had developed a habit of enjoying a relatively peaceful life in addition to intense physical exercise. He had even developed a habit of making tea.
When the dormitory was first built, each room was quite large with a separate living room. The facilities inside were complete, with a tea table and chairs in addition to the medicinal bath tub, and there was even a desk for reading books when he wanted to calm his mind.
Yang Xiong made a cup of tea for Tang San and said, "Tang San, what brings you here today? Weren't you supposed to be out playing during the one-week break?"
Tang San took a sip of tea and smiled. "Xiao Wu was too tired and has been sleeping in the dormitory. I thought I'd take a break too."
"You seem like you haven't stopped at all. I admire your perseverance in cultivation."
Yang Xiong smiled and replied, "I've been used to it since I was young. If I don't cultivate or take medicinal baths, I feel uncomfortable."
Tang San thought for a moment and then said, "By the way, Yang Xiong, I noticed that the materials for your medicinal bath are quite extraordinary. The poison in some of the herbs is very strong. Normally, not even a Soul King could handle this, let alone a Soul Emperor."
Yang Xiong replied, "It's probably because of the changes in my body's tolerance. I've been refining my body since I was a child and have been exposed to various toxins. It's taken a while, but I've slowly adapted. However, in addition to the toxins, these herbs also include various spiritual herbs, which help with both physical and soul power absorption."
"By the way, is there something you need from me?"
Tang San then said, "I'm planning to make some hidden weapons this week. You've probably seen the Zhuge Divine Crossbow. I'm missing some poisons, and I see you have a lot of them. If it's possible, I'd like to buy some from you."
Yang Xiong smiled and replied, "It's no big deal. If you're missing any poison herbs, just tell me. I'm not sure I have everything, though."
Tang San shook his head. "I'll pay for what I need. I know some poisons are expensive, so I'll pay you market prices."
Yang Xiong sighed. "This is a bit embarrassing because I'm not sure about the prices of these herbs. I got them directly from the sect without spending any money."
"Besides, you're making hidden weapons for all of us, so you shouldn't be the only one paying for it. The materials for the weapons also cost money, and you'll spend a lot of time and effort on it too."
As Yang Xiong had said, it seemed Ning Fengzhi had given him a lot of privileges in the sect. All the materials for his medicinal baths were already prepared, and even the materials needed for later stages of the "Path of Defense" were readily available. He didn't need to ask for them, and someone would deliver them. The herbs seemed to have a certain age, and it wasn't clear whether Bone Douluo had prepared them in advance or if they were leftovers from his own use.
As for the countless poisonous herbs obtained from the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eyes, Yang Xiong had never dealt with any pricing issues and never planned to use them.
In any case, in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Yang Xiong never had to spend money. As long as he wanted something, the deacon departments would provide it quickly.
After some communication, Tang San wrote down a list of poisonous herbs on a piece of paper, and Yang Xiong carefully observed it, thinking for a while before crossing off a few items.
"I have all of these on hand and can give them to you right away. As for the ones I crossed off, I don't have them right now. If I return to the sect, I might be able to find them, but it might take some time to get back to Shrek."
Tang San smiled. "I'll figure out the rest myself. I won't bother you to go back to the sect."
Afterward, Yang Xiong went back to his bedroom, fiddled with some things, and then brought out several wooden boxes to hand to Tang San.
The herbs Yang Xiong provided were common poisons, still valuable but easily available on the market. The rarer herbs or those from the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eyes were kept to himself.
To Yang Xiong, giving Tang San some poisons for the hidden weapons wasn't a loss. He didn't like to take advantage, especially when it came to his classmates.
Tang San eagerly opened the wooden box and inspected the herbs. His face immediately brightened. "Thank you, Yang Xiong. I should be able to craft the hidden weapons during the break. When I'm done, I'll give you a set."
Yang Xiong smiled. "It's no trouble. These are just some herbs I have on hand."
Tang San then joked, "Yang Xiong, sometimes I really envy your background. Having a Title Douluo as a teacher must be nice."
Yang Xiong shook his head. "It's not like that. People might envy me for being in the sect and living comfortably, but I also envy you for having freedom. The sect might be a shackled life for all of us disciples. Besides, you have a teacher who genuinely cares about you and works for your future."
Tang San said, "My teacher has treated me well over the years, guiding me. I wouldn't have achieved what I have today without his help."
After chatting for a while, Yang Xiong noticed a hint of hesitation on Tang San's face, so he spoke up.
"Tang San, if you have something on your mind, just say it. We're classmates, and there's nothing we can't talk about."
Tang San hesitated before speaking, "I hope I'm not imposing. I noticed that the soul skill you used last time was impressive. You know my Blue Silver Grass lacks offensive power. Would you be willing to teach me that technique? Of course, I won't take advantage of you. If you have any conditions, I'll meet them."
Yang Xiong picked up his teacup and thought for a moment before replying, "Tang San, we are classmates, so we need to be cautious. My Spiral Pill can indeed make up for your weaknesses in some ways, but it was created with the direct guidance of my teacher. It's already a secret technique of our sect, and it can't be taught to anyone outside of direct disciples or the sect leader's successors."
"Besides, you should understand the importance of self-created soul skills. After all the times we've sparred, I know you have many self-created techniques. Even if others were to pay a price, would you share your self-created techniques with them?"
Tang San was silent for a while before speaking through gritted teeth. "What if I offered to exchange my self-created technique with yours? I think you wouldn't lose out."
Yang Xiong smiled. "Tang San, we've sparred a lot recently, and you should know I've also been studying my own self-created techniques. Though our methods and approaches differ, they're not entirely ineffective against your attacks. Among your many self-created techniques, the only one I don't completely understand is the one where your eyes turn completely purple and you attack the enemy. You should know what I mean."
Tang San remained silent for a while before replying, "I understand. I'll need to think it over."
After Tang San left, Yang Xiong couldn't help but shake his head. Tang San really couldn't hold back. As expected, he was after Yang Xiong's self-created soul skill. Based on his usual style, he probably wouldn't give up easily.
Even though Tang San was a disciple of the Tang Sect in his previous life, the so-called Tang Sect secret techniques were stolen from the inner sect. While his intention was to prove himself, his methods weren't exactly honorable.
Tang San's many techniques were derived from the "Xuantian Treasure Record," including Xuantian Gong, Purple Extreme Demon Eyes, Ghost Shadow Mysterious Steps, Control Crane Catch Dragon, and Xuan Jade Hands, not to mention the various spiritual herb knowledge in the Xuantian Treasure Record.
Among these techniques, Yang Xiong was truly interested in the Purple Extreme Demon Eyes and the various spiritual herb knowledge.
Although Yang Xiong had many spiritual herbs with him, he only carried a few life-saving ones and the ones he actually needed. He wouldn't tell anyone, especially Tang San, who was perceptive. If Tang San learned about his spiritual herbs, it might cause trouble.
The Purple Extreme Demon Eyes were the only method for cultivating spiritual power in the entire Douluo world. Trading an undeveloped Spiral Pill for it wasn't such a bad deal.
As for other techniques, after delving deeper into Tai Chi, Yang Xiong was gradually becoming accustomed to them.
The Ghost Shadow Mysterious Steps was merely a particularly sensitive footwork technique with special dodging and positioning methods. Under absolute speed, it didn't have much advantage.
Xuan Jade Hands were a way to harden the palms, but it was useless for Yang Xiong, whose martial soul was his body.
As for Control Crane Catch Dragon, Yang Xiong had nearly perfected his Tai Chi and could already execute the Four Liang to Break a Thousand Jin method, which was even stronger than Tang San's.
Xuantian Gong was a technique Tang San would never share, and it was his greatest secret.
Looking at Tang San's techniques, the only truly useful one was the Purple Extreme Demon Eyes, which would be effective even at the Title Douluo level. It was, after all, one of Tang San's main sources of power, as cultivating the Purple Extreme Demon Eyes gave him spiritual power far beyond others of the same rank.
Yang Xiong had considered researching a method for cultivating spiritual power, but he had never made any progress. Even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's library didn't have anything like it.
However, from what Yang Xiong knew about Tang San, it seemed unlikely he would ever trade his Purple Extreme Demon Eyes for the Spiral Pill. He probably believed he could figure it out himself, especially since the Spiral Pill didn't seem too complicated.
Only Yang Xiong knew the true difficulty of the Spiral Pill. While it seemed simple, it required incredibly high control and soul power, especially to master the flow of soul power through the hands and gradually form the technique. Not to mention, Yang Xiong planned to further develop it.
As expected, after that day, Tang San never brought up the issue again. However, Yang Xiong noticed Tang San's palm seemed off, likely from the strain of studying the Spiral Pill technique.
In the following days, everyone relaxed. Oscar fell asleep for days without getting up.
Zhu Zhuqing continued her intense training, and even Dai Mubai stayed close to her, looking completely reformed.
Tang San closed himself off to craft various hidden weapons, even spending less time with Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong, after resting for a few days, were soon full of energy. Even though Yang Xiong and Tang San were dragged along for shopping, they looked like best friends.
The two girls shopped and played in Soto City, and Yang Xiong found the training much easier than the chaos of shopping. Tang San, on the other hand, had sneaked off to the blacksmith's shop.
As for Ma Hongjun, according to Dai Mubai, he had gotten addicted to the brothels, which made the girls look at Dai Mubai with disdain.
(END CHAPTER)
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