123: Unexpected Third Soul Ring

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Tang San, plagued by doubt, perceived things differently from others. Despite his reluctance to admit the uselessness of Blue Silver Grass, he couldn't help but envy those with more powerful martial spirits.

Observing the evil fire phoenix martial spirit of the plump boy before him, Tang San recalled that it was the Nine-Headed Evil Fire Phoenix—an entity capable of manipulating extreme fire. The deep-rooted sense of intimidation stemming from that martial spirit caused Tang San's expression to stiffen.

This fear wasn't due to elemental restraint, but rather a substantial discrepancy in the quality of Martial Spirit, thus intensifying his doubts.

Nonetheless, this unsettling emotion was accompanied by curiosity. How had this opponent's martial spirit undergone such dramatic transformation within a few months?

A recollection of the immortal herb that Oscar consumed last night sparked Tang San's interest. He surmised that Shrek Academy must have a hidden realm that produces immortal herb, and Flender, as the dean, would surely know its location.

Although immortal herb was exceedingly rare, obtaining two in a single instance could be attributed to sheer luck. Yet, a complex environment like a secret realm might contain multiple or even various types of immortal herb, a concept corroborated by ancient Tang Sect records.

Despite being uncertain about the validity of these accounts, current evidence suggested their accuracy.

Furrowing his brow, Tang San cast a serious glance at Flender nearby and couldn't help but feel disgruntled. Leaving Shrek Academy seemed to be a wise decision, sparing him from the likes of Lu Yuan and Flender.

Yu Xiaogang, his teacher, held Flender in high regard as a friend. However, it was clear that Flender possessed a secret realm and yet hadn't shared a word with their master-disciple duo.

Suppressing his escalating anger, Tang San adopted an modest demeanor, pretending to remain oblivious to these matters. He understood that talking too much often led to failure—a principal integral to every Tang Sect disciple's wisdom.

While Tang San adhered to this principle, he knew that some things needed remembering.

As Ma Hongjun absorbed the soul ring of the soul beast, he slowly opened his eyes. The phantom of his martial soul emitted an ethereal phoenix cry before dissipating.

Approaching with curiosity, Oscar voiced the question that had been on everyone's mind:

"Fatty, what's your new soul skill?"

It was a question laden with intrigue—would the resulting soul skill of a force-type soul master absorbing an auxiliary-type soul beast's ring be offensive or auxiliary?

This inquiry held particular importance, as no attack-type soul master had previously dared to attempt this feat, given the lack of historical precedent.

Closing his eyes, Ma Hongjun familiarized himself with his new soul skill. Soon, the spirit became integrated within his body. The proud figure of the nine-headed fire phoenix materialized behind him, its wings unfurled while irregular flames wrapped around its body.

As Ma Hongjun reopened his eyes, his aura surged substantially, nearly matching Oscar's soul power level of thirty-five after consuming the jelly grass.

"The third soul skill—Vulcan Descends!"

"Boosts your soul power by 50% and reduces the soul power required to control flames by 70% during martial soul possession."

"Finished?."

Seeing Ma Hongjun's silence, Flender impatiently inquired about his new soul skill.

Ma Hongjun nodded somewhat awkwardly.

Flender couldn't help but lose control of his emotions, slapping his forehead in frustration as if attempting to wake himself up from a dream. Zhao Wuji quickly reached out to restrain Flender, who appeared on the brink of despair.

Flender's expression conveyed both helplessness and disappointment. He realized that this soul skill was neither truly effective nor entirely useless, leaving him in a perplexing predicament.

This skill lacked a potent attack ability, putting force-type soul masters like Ma Hongjun at a disadvantage against their equally leveled attack-type counterparts. This disadvantage would persist until the Soul King stage, making this conundrum widely understood among those present.

Flender's peers, Chen Xin and Gu Rong, had surpassed him in cultivation. Ning Fengzhi's knowledge far exceeded Flender's, Liu Erlong and Zhao Wuji could also perceive this situation, and Yu Xiaogang's vast knowledge derived from his time at Spirit Hall set him apart as well.

Among the attendees, Lu Yuan stood out as an unusual character. Despite not knowing how others regarded this soul skill, he couldn't help but envy it. His shortage of soul power would be offset by acquiring such a skill, and he even fantasized about substituting "controlling flame" with "controlling space."

Lu Yuan didn't fault himself for resenting this world's unconventional rules. After all, the arrangement of soul rings and soul masters was peculiar.

Despite the nine soul rings seeming to pave an extraordinary path, it ultimately remained a "pseudo" extraordinary path. Destiny, rather than any universal consciousness, determined spirit ring skills.

Nonetheless, destiny could be altered.

Laughing gleefully, Lu Yuan approached Ma Hongjun, much to the bewilderment of the onlookers. He patted Ma Hongjun's shoulder and exclaimed energetically, "Why the long face? You should be happy!"

Ma Hongjun wore a bitter expression, sighing, "Boss, don't mock me."

He was acutely aware of whether this soul skill was valuable or not. Others employed thousand-year soul skills against him, while he could only retaliate with century-old ones. Yet, at this juncture, he realized that blaming Flender was futile.

Ma Hongjun pondered Flender's perspective, conjecturing that his master might consider this as having a perpetual auxiliary-type soul master's assistance.

In this light, the situation didn't seem all that bad.

This shift in perspective instantly dispelled Ma Hongjun's melancholy. Despite Lu Yuan and the others struggling to keep up with Ma Hongjun's thought process, his mood lightened considerably.

Flender felt slightly dizzy witnessing Ma Hongjun's sudden transformation. He acknowledged his responsibility in this matter. While Lu Yuan had provided the idea, he was the one who made the decision. Thus, the accountability rested with him, the master who lacked discernment.

However, Flender couldn't help but feel relieved if the soul skill wasn't very effective. What truly mattered was that his disciple remained unharmed. After all, Ma Hongjun was the sole disciple he had nurtured from a young age, investing considerable effort into his upbringing.

If Ma Hongjun's spirit had crumbled, Flender feared that his own resilience would falter as well.

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