Chapter 43: Tang San's Mentality Collapsed — Is a Trash Martial Soul Still Trash After All?
"Lin Yuan, you can insult me—but you are not allowed to insult my teacher!"
Tang San stared coldly at Lin Yuan, his voice low and heavy.
"My teacher's theories are invincible. I've personally verified that!"
"You're far too arrogant. You don't even know how vast the heavens and earth truly are!"
Lin Yuan halted his steps, turned around, and looked at Tang San with an amused expression.
"Arrogant? Me?"
He turned to Xiao Wu beside him and asked:
"Xiao Wu, am I arrogant?"
"Other than when I'm with you, I'm usually pretty low-key, right?"
Xiao Wu tilted her head, thought for a moment, then nodded seriously.
"Mm… maybe it's because you don't really fit in?"
"Or maybe because you rejected the Grandmaster's offer to take you as a disciple multiple times, so Tang San thinks you're arrogant."
"But I think you're quite nice. You're just telling the truth."
This seamless back-and-forth between two instantly made Tang San's face turn black as the bottom of a pot.
"Enough talk!"
Tang San took a deep breath and slowly raised his right hand.
A faint blue glow flickered as thick Blue Silver Grass, covered in black speckles, sprouted from his palm.
The bright yellow hundred-year soul ring beneath his feet pulsed rhythmically, radiating dazzling light.
"Lin Yuan, I challenge you!"
"If I win, you must apologize to my teacher and reconsider becoming his disciple!"
For some reason, the moment he saw Lin Yuan and Xiao Wu holding hands earlier, it felt as if his heart had been violently tugged.
Was he… envious of their relationship?
Tang San wasn't sure himself.
Seeing Tang San release his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, Lin Yuan knew there was no avoiding this fight.
"Fine."
Lin Yuan let go of Xiao Wu's hand, signaling her to step back.
"Since you insist on seeking trouble, I'll indulge you."
"But let me make this clear first."
"If I win…"
Lin Yuan's gaze swept past Yu Xiaogang's stiff face before settling back on Tang San.
"From now on, you two should detour whenever you see me. Don't bother me again with those ridiculous theories."
"And I hope you won't collapse mentally after I beat you!"
Lin Yuan's eyes turned cold. Black light flashed in his hand as the God-Killing Spear, radiating a chilling aura, suddenly materialized!
The spear tip pointed straight at Tang San!
And those words were like a fuse, completely igniting the powder keg in Tang San's heart.
Although his first martial soul was Blue Silver Grass, he was someone with a cheat!
How could he possibly lose to a local like Lin Yuan?!
"Arrogant!"
Tang San shouted softly as the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track activated instantly. His body turned into an afterimage, charging straight toward Lin Yuan.
"First Soul Skill: Entanglement!"
As the soul ring flashed, over a dozen thick Blue Silver Grass vines shot out like venomous snakes, surging toward Lin Yuan from all directions!
This was the skill granted by the Datura Snake soul ring.
Not only was it extremely tough, but it also carried paralytic poison.
Tang San thought to himself: according to his teacher's theory, once a power-attack system weapon soul master like Lin Yuan was restrained by a control system soul master, the outcome was inevitable!
"It's over!"
Seeing this scene, Yu Xiaogang curled his lips into a confident smile.
"Control type soul master counters power-attack system soul master—this is an iron rule."
"On top of that, Xiao San's Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul has been reinforced by the Datura Snake soul ring. Its toughness rivals that of rattan."
"Once touched, the barbs of the Blue Silver Grass will inject paralytic poison."
"Lin Yuan, you will pay for your arrogance!"
However, faced with the overwhelming vines, Lin Yuan didn't even move his feet.
Under the gaze of his Dual Pupils, all of Tang San's movements—along with the attack trajectories of the Blue Silver Grass—became slow and riddled with flaws.
"All flash, no substance."
Lin Yuan snorted coldly.
The God-Killing Spear in his hand trembled violently. No fancy techniques—just a single, simple motion.
A horizontal sweep!
The spear shaft tore through the air with a thunderous boom!
A domineering, peerless spear intent erupted instantly!
Pff! Pff! Pff!
Those Blue Silver Grass vines that Yu Xiaogang had praised as incomparably tough—
The moment they touched the God-Killing Spear,
They shattered inch by inch like fragile tofu!
"What?!"
Tang San's pupils shrank violently, his face filled with disbelief.
How was this possible?!
This was Blue Silver Grass empowered by a four-hundred-year Datura Snake soul ring!
How could it be so utterly fragile?!
Before he could even react, a point of icy light pierced through the shattered vines and shot straight toward his throat!
"Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!"
Tang San instinctively used his Tang Sect secret art, his body sliding eerily to the left.
"You think you can dodge?"
A faint smile curved Lin Yuan's lips as his spear traced a strange arc through the air, perfectly predicting Tang San's landing point.
Pa!
The spear shaft slammed heavily into Tang San's chest!
Bang!
Tang San was sent flying five or six meters away, crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Against Tang San, Lin Yuan hadn't even used a soul skill—or any technique paired with his cultivation methods!
"Xiao San!"
Yu Xiaogang cried out in shock and rushed over.
Meanwhile, Lin Yuan stood with his spear retracted, looking at the utterly miserable master and disciple with a calm voice:
"This is your so-called Datura Snake soul ring?"
"Is this your so-called 'control type soul master counters power attack type soul master'?"
"Tang San, your Blue Silver Grass martial soul is far too brittle."
Xiao Wu added, "Tang San, the foundation of Blue Silver Grass martial soul is too weak. Even if your first soul ring has a high year limit, it's still just a normal-quality martial soul. How can it compare to a top-tier martial soul?"
"Lin Yuan, I'm hungry. Let's go eat, then cultivate."
Tang San stood there in a daze, staring at the Blue Silver Grass martial soul in his hand, silent.
"Lost… in one move."
"I didn't even force Lin Yuan to use a soul skill."
Tang San's pride was mercilessly crushed into dust by that black spear.
He couldn't understand it.
His teacher had clearly said that control-type soul master counters power-attack type soul master—iron rule of the soul master world.
His Blue Silver Grass had clearly absorbed a Datura Snake soul ring and gained toughness.
So why, in front of Lin Yuan, did it feel like paper?
"Could it be… that Blue Silver Grass martial soul really is trash?"
For the first time, Tang San began to doubt Yu Xiaogang's theories.
No matter what soul ring was attached, trash martial souls were still trash. Their inherent fragility couldn't be changed.
Indeed, his mentality collapsed.
Leaving aside Lin Yuan's combat awareness, just the spear intent radiating from Lin Yuan alone—that sharp, cutting spear aura—was something his Blue Silver Grass martial soul couldn't even touch.
"If…"
Tang San subconsciously clenched his left hand, feeling the heavy, domineering power resting in his palm.
"If I used the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul… would the result be different?"
Tang San knew that the quality of his second martial soul was far superior to the Blue Silver Grass martial soul. Otherwise, his father and teacher wouldn't have reacted so strongly.
—
End of Chapter