Tang Hao waved his hand, stopping Yu Xiaogang from continuing. He spoke coldly, "There's no need to bring up past titles. Master, we did cross paths a few times back then. Others may think you're just a madman, but I know you're a man of persistence."
Yu Xiaogang's emotions gradually settled. His stiff face twitched slightly. "How did you become like this? Also, as a Titled Douluo, what are you doing in a low-level place like this Soul Hunting Forest?"
"Could it be because of Xiao Yan? I remember his name on the Spirit Hall certificate was Tang San! A Tang surname and full innate soul power... I should've guessed he was from the Clear Sky Clan. What's your relationship with him?"
Tang Hao thought to himself, Looks like it was the right call for Xiao San to change his name. With his overwhelming talent, smart people could easily link him to the strongest Tang-surnamed clan on the continent.
"He is my son. That's why I'm here."
Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath. "I don't know what happened to you, but I can tell that Tang San's talent is extraordinary. He deserves a much better training environment. This small city of Nuoding is far too limited..."
Recalling the earlier battle, Tang Hao slowly nodded. "Indeed. His talent is unprecedented..."
"But with you taking care of him, I feel at ease. And you're right about one thing — this Soul Hunting Forest is far too small."
Yu Xiaogang was puzzled. The Soul Hunting Forest was the go-to spot for beginner Soul Masters to hunt for soul rings. How could it be too small?
"I already said it — Xiao San's talent is unheard of. He has already obtained his first soul ring."
Yu Xiaogang was stunned. "He already has a soul ring?"
"And not just any soul ring. Its age is over forty thousand years, possibly close to fifty thousand."
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang froze completely. He murmured, "That's impossible! A fifty-thousand-year soul ring? That's optimal for a Soul Sage-level Soul Master! How could his body withstand that?"
Even Tang Hao couldn't fully understand such a body constitution that defied common sense. He had a guess, but it wasn't something he could share.
Though Xiao San looked human, if examined more closely…
He was not entirely human. He had half soul beast blood in him.
As the first half-beast hybrid, he defied all logic.
Tang Hao said, "You don't need to worry about that. When Xiao San returns, I want you to go with him to the Star Dou Forest to hunt a ten-thousand-year soul beast."
"You want me to take him? And what about you?" Yu Xiaogang coughed twice. "The Star Dou Forest is a haven for soul beasts. It's crawling with hundred-year and thousand-year beasts. With my strength, I can't guarantee his safety."
"You don't need to worry about that. Xiao San is strong. Ordinary ten-thousand-year soul beasts aren't a threat to him. You just need to guide him with your knowledge of soul beasts."
Tang Hao pointed to the floating yellow soul ring nearby. "That Mandrake Snake — he killed it with a single punch."
"What! A Mandrake Snake over four hundred years old, killed with one punch?"
In under a minute, Yu Xiaogang felt like decades of his soul master theories were completely overturned.
Mandrake Snake scales were notoriously tough, able to resist soul skills at the Grandmaster level.
Yet now, a six-year-old child had killed it barehanded.
And the most insane part — it only took one punch.
I must take him as my disciple. Only he is worthy of the theories I've developed!
Yu Xiaogang's desire to take him as a disciple only grew stronger!
Tang Hao waved his hand again, tossing a pitch-black token into Yu Xiaogang's hands.
The token looked identical to the one Yu Xiaogang had used when entering the Soul Hunting Forest with Xiao Yan, except this one had six symbols engraved on it.
"When Xiao San returns, don't tell him anything I said. Don't call him Tang San either. Keep calling him Xiao Yan. Remember, he will always be the son of Tang Hao!"
It was only after Tang Hao's figure had long since vanished that Yu Xiaogang finally looked down, his eyes landing on the token. A bitter smile formed at the corner of his mouth.
"I never imagined that my idol would become like this. But… his son, under my guidance, will grow even stronger!"
On the other side, Xiao Yan had gathered some dry wood into his storage jade belt and was now seated cross-legged on the grass.
"I wonder what Tang Hao is saying to the Master?"
In a forest like this, finding dry wood was child's play. There was no reason it should take an entire hour.
Aside from needing time to recover his internal energy, Xiao Yan could tell Tang Hao wanted to speak with the Master privately.
"One from the Clear Sky Clan, another from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan — they probably know each other…"
Xiao Yan didn't dwell on their conversation. Instead, his mind returned to something he'd been thinking about earlier.
"That Master is just a pure idiot. He doesn't even have the ability to possess someone's body."
Thinking of this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but chuckle bitterly.
Although he had long realized that many of the Master's theories were flawed, he had assumed the man was simply pretending.
After all, the mistakes were so obvious that even a little critical thinking would reveal them.
Who would've thought — the man was genuinely that dumb.
"Since he's just a fool, there's no need to guard against any possession techniques."
Xiao Yan touched the storage jade belt at his waist, his eyes suddenly turning contemplative.
"This belt is actually quite nice. It'll be handy for storing items in the future. But for the Master to give me this, he clearly thought I'd accept him as my teacher. What a pity…"
"It's a shame his theories are such utter trash. If I were just an ordinary dual martial soul awakener and practiced according to his ideas — let alone how far I'd get in cultivation — I might explode and die during soul ring absorption because of one of his idiotic miscalculations. A teacher that misguides students like this? No way I'm taking him as my master."
Xiao Yan let out a long sigh. Suddenly, an idea came to mind — about the Master's mutated martial soul — eating!
As a pig-type soul beast, not exploiting its natural instincts would be a complete waste.
"I'll talk to him about it when I return. I wonder if he's even thought of this in all these years?"
Xiao Yan lowered his head, thinking for a bit before shaking it slightly. With the Master's intelligence, it was probably beyond him.
"If I can help him break through level thirty, I guess that would be enough to repay him for the jade belt."
After calming his mind and recovering a bit of his internal energy, Xiao Yan estimated the time. It still seemed a bit early to return.
He wandered the Soul Hunting Forest to gather some medicinal herbs before finally heading back to where the Master was waiting.
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(End of Chapter)