So, while surpassing limits to absorb higher-level spirit rings could be a good thing, it could also have its drawbacks. However, for most soul masters, these drawbacks wouldn't be too significant. Even if Xiao Wu noticed that her cultivation speed slowed down in the future, she wouldn't need to worry too much. After all, her brother Su Ming would find a way to solve the problem for her. Additionally, rare herbs could enhance her aptitude, and with the bloodline evolution at the Soul Saint level, her cultivation speed might not even decrease but rather increase!
After traveling for most of the day, Su Ming and the others finally arrived back at Shrek Academy.
The four "scoundrels" (Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Tang San, and Oscar) felt relieved at last. Although repeatedly losing and regaining soul power through cultivation did help them grow stronger, it was a very uncomfortable experience.
Now, the four of them looked pale. Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun in particular felt as if their bodies had been drained multiple times, like they had gone through intense battles overnight. They felt completely exhausted.
Ma Hongjun, especially, couldn't help but glance down at himself, feeling bitter. He wondered if his injury would ever fully recover and could only place his hopes on the teachers.
Once they returned, Zao Wuji addressed the group, "You've all had a tough few days. Rest well tonight, and we'll see if the headmaster has any training tasks for tomorrow."
Everyone nodded and headed back to their dorms.
In the headmaster's office, Zao Wuji entered and saw not only Flender but also a middle-aged man with a flat top haircut. Confused, Zao Wuji asked, "Flender, who is this?"
Flender, noticing Zao Wuji's return, frowned slightly at his weakened state and replied, "This is the Grandmaster, my brother, and the Wisdom of the Golden Iron Triangle. Also, what happened to you? You look incredibly weak. Did you use your Martial Soul True Body?"
Zao Wuji realized the identity of the man in front of him—Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang, the legendary master of soul theory known for his vast knowledge.
(Bibi Dong: Does anyone even consider me?)
However, Zao Wuji wasn't too concerned about theory since he preferred real strength. But, given that Grandmaster was the headmaster's brother and Tang San's teacher, he showed respect.
With a respectful tone, Zao Wuji said, "So, you're the Grandmaster! I've heard your name many times and am honored to finally meet you in person!"
Yu Xiaogang, hearing Zao Wuji's praise, felt quite pleased but humbly waved his hand, "I'm just an ordinary man without much power. Now that you're back, tell us what happened in the Star Dou Forest."
Yu Xiaogang was eager to see Tang San and check his progress after absorbing his third spirit ring. He wanted to see if it was indeed from the Man-Faced Demon Spider, but knowing they had just returned, he decided not to disturb them. Better to let Tang San rest for the night.
Zao Wuji nodded and first addressed Flender's question, "Flender, this trip to the Star Dou Forest was incredibly dangerous. Next time we take the students to hunt spirit beasts, you must come with me!"
"Oscar and Tang San successfully obtained their third spirit rings, but we also encountered the Titan Giant Ape, the King of the Forest. That's when I had to use my Martial Soul True Body, which is why I'm so weak now."
Both Flender and Yu Xiaogang were shocked. Yu Xiaogang asked in disbelief, "Then how did you make it back? With your strength, you couldn't have defeated the Titan Giant Ape, could you?"
Zao Wuji then recounted everything that had happened.
After hearing the full story, both Flender and Yu Xiaogang felt a sense of relief. Su Ming had shown great initiative by covering the others' escape, though he and Xiao Wu had been captured by the Titan Giant Ape.
Yu Xiaogang had thought Su Ming and Xiao Wu would never return, feeling a bit regretful as both were exceptionally talented, even if they weren't his students. Now that he was at Shrek Academy, however, their future successes would reflect well on him as their teacher.
While he felt regretful for a moment, he was ultimately relieved that Tang San was safe. In his eyes, Tang San's potential far surpassed that of Su Ming and Xiao Wu. After all, Tang San was one of the few remaining twin martial soul users, and his father was Tang Hao!
In the end, things had turned out for the best. Tang San's decision to absorb the Man-Faced Demon Spider's spirit ring was a perfect choice, giving his Blue Silver Grass a toxic attribute while also making it more resilient.
Yu Xiaogang was excited to see the results and planned to have Tang San display his new abilities tomorrow. He hadn't been wrong about Tang San's potential—absorbing such a dangerous spirit ring beyond his level was an impressive feat!
However, thinking about Xiao Wu and Su Ming, he frowned slightly.
Zao Wuji interrupted his thoughts, asking, "Grandmaster, when Tang San absorbed his spirit ring, eight spider legs grew from his back. What do you think that is?"
Yu Xiaogang shook his head. "I'm not sure yet. I'll need to see him tomorrow to confirm."
Still, Yu Xiaogang had a theory about the spider legs. If his guess was correct, Tang San was incredibly lucky!
Next, Yu Xiaogang thought about Xiao Wu and Su Ming. He hadn't expected Xiao Wu to have broken through to level 40 and even absorbed a higher-level spirit ring. This was definitely due to Su Ming's help—Su Ming had clearly hidden much of his strength.
Even so, Yu Xiaogang wasn't too concerned. After all, Su Ming's spirit rings followed the best configuration: yellow, yellow, purple, purple. But his luck wasn't as extraordinary as Tang San's. Knowing this, Yu Xiaogang felt more at ease.
Seeing that Yu Xiaogang wanted to wait until tomorrow to investigate, Zao Wuji dropped the subject but brought up another concern.
"Grandmaster, there's one more thing. Is there a creature in the Star Dou Forest stronger than the Titan Giant Ape? Xiao Wu mentioned that the Titan Giant Ape panicked and threw her and Su Ming down after hearing a loud ox's roar."
Yu Xiaogang confidently replied, "Yes, I do know about that. In the Star Dou Forest, there is indeed a being stronger than the Titan Giant Ape. According to legend, it has the head of an ox and the body of a snake. It's a 100,000-year-old Azure Bull Python, even more powerful than the Titan Giant Ape!"
"If the Titan Giant Ape is the King of the Forest in the Star Dou Forest, then the Azure Bull Python is its Emperor!"
Both Zao Wuji and Flender were shocked to hear this from the Grandmaster. They hadn't expected Yu Xiaogang to know even this detail—he truly lived up to his reputation. It was the first time they had heard that there was a soul beast in the Star Dou Forest even stronger than the Titan Giant Ape.
Curious, Zao Wuji asked, "Grandmaster, are there any soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest that are even stronger than the Azure Bull Python, or are the Titan Giant Ape and the Azure Bull Python the strongest?"
Yu Xiaogang was momentarily stunned. He didn't know for sure. He had learned about the Azure Bull Python when a Titled Douluo had gone to challenge the Titan Giant Ape and the Azure Bull Python appeared.
It was said that in the presence of the Azure Bull Python, the Titan Giant Ape was like a child before an adult—completely submissive. If it hadn't been for the Azure Bull Python, the Titan Giant Ape might not have survived the encounter. This was the basis for Yu Xiaogang's conclusion.
As for whether there were stronger beings, he didn't know. After all, he didn't have the strength to explore the forest himself.
However, the Titan Giant Ape and Azure Bull Python had remained in the core area of the forest for many years, and no rumors of stronger beasts had surfaced. So, Yu Xiaogang confidently said, "Based on my years of theoretical study, there shouldn't be any stronger soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest. The limit for soul beasts on the continent is 100,000 years of cultivation.
"Among 100,000-year soul beasts, unless they have a bloodline superior to the Titan Giant Ape or Azure Bull Python, they wouldn't stand a chance against them."
"Moreover, if there were stronger soul beasts, there would have been some information or rumors by now."
Both Zao Wuji and Flender agreed with Yu Xiaogang's reasoning. In their understanding, 100,000-year-old soul beasts were already incredibly powerful. How could anything be stronger?
(Deep Sea Demon Whale King: "You're so ignorant. I've been alive for nearly a million years!")
Boys' Dormitory
After returning to his dorm, Su Ming immediately entered the combat training space. Now that no one was around to disturb him, he could finally explore the wonders of this space.
The moment he entered, he found himself in a vast arena, and a panel appeared before him, allowing him to choose his opponents and their strength. This made Su Ming smile—this reward was fantastic!
Su Ming decided that whenever he had time, he would use this space to accumulate real combat experience. And even though it was possible to die in the space, he resolved not to use his Kamui or Susano'o, since that would render the training meaningless.
The space was meant to train his reaction time and combat instincts. If he relied on Kamui or Susano'o, which made him nearly invincible, there would be no point in training.
Although the system didn't explicitly say it, Su Ming guessed that the combat space likely consumed his mental energy, just like the learning space. Therefore, he would only use his soul power for battles here.
Without hesitation, Su Ming set his opponent as a 100,000-year Titan Giant Ape. He knew he couldn't win, but he wanted to see how long he could last.
Half an hour later, Su Ming failed. He died.
Upon exiting the combat space, Su Ming noticed that part of his mental energy had been depleted. It seemed that the cost of death in this space was a reduction in mental energy.
Su Ming couldn't help but laugh bitterly. His attacks had been ineffective against the Titan Giant Ape, but thanks to the life force of his Wood Release, even when his creations were destroyed, they quickly regenerated. He had thought he could kite the beast indefinitely, but he had gotten a little overconfident.
In his arrogance, he forgot that the Titan Giant Ape had a gravity domain. Once the domain was activated, Su Ming was rendered immobile.
He tried using his Blue Silver Domain to see if it could counter the gravity, but it was useless—the two domains weren't even on the same level. As a result, he died.
Reflecting on his failure, Su Ming realized that while he could handle challenges beyond his level, domains were a major problem, especially when they were stronger than his Blue Silver Domain, which was still in its initial stages.
If he had used Susano'o, he might have been able to resist the Titan Giant Ape's gravity domain. But since he didn't use it, this was a valuable learning experience.
Su Ming then glanced at the system's other reward, the title of Golden Warrior. He was very curious about its effects and couldn't wait to test it out when the opportunity arose.
The next morning, summoned by the bell, everyone quickly gathered on the academy's training field.
Su Ming, Tang San, and Xiao Wu immediately recognized the middle-aged man standing next to Flender—it was Yu Xiaogang!
Tang San was thrilled to see his teacher. He had been wanting to ask him about the spider legs that had grown from his back.
Yu Xiaogang, of course, noticed Tang San right away, as well as Su Ming, Xiao Wu, and the other students.
The previous night, during his conversation with Flender and Zao Wuji, Yu Xiaogang had learned about the talents and strength levels of the academy's new students.
What surprised him the most was that his disciple, Tang San, had the lowest soul power level, even lower than Ning Rongrong, a support-type soul master. It was almost unbelievable.
In Yu Xiaogang's experience, it was normal for Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan soul masters to reach their twenties in soul power by age twelve, but Ning Rongrong's level had broken her father Ning Fengzhi's record. Truly, she was her father's daughter!
Then there was Zhu Zhuqing, who possessed the Netherworld Spirit Cat martial soul, a rare exclusive to the Zhu family of the Star Luo Empire. Normally, her innate soul power wouldn't exceed level seven, yet her cultivation speed was abnormally fast, just like Su Ming's.
Su Ming, however, was even more outrageous!
Yu Xiaogang began to realize that perhaps he had been at Nuoding Academy for too long. The talents of the world were beyond his expectations.
Initially, he had assumed that Tang San would be the top student at Shrek Academy, right behind Su Ming and Xiao Wu. But in reality, he was in last place. It was an awkward realization. Still, when he thought about Tang San's fortuitous gains from the Star Dou Forest, he felt more balanced, even a sense of pride. Given time, Tang San would surely surpass the others!