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The details of martial soul skills were indeed important, but when it came to close family members, Ye Wen saw no need to hide anything. He straightforwardly explained:
"It's an elemental-type soul skill called Wind Element Mastery, Grandma Huo. Once activated, I can freely control wind elements. However, since this is a newly acquired skill, I'll need some time to adapt before I can fully unleash its power."
Upon hearing this, Huo Rui nodded in satisfaction.
Unlike most soul masters, all of Huo Rui's soul skills lacked direct combat capabilities. Most were enhancement or reinforcement-type skills because her martial soul was her own heart.
Although Ye Wen's second soul skill hadn't yet developed into a combat-ready ability, in Huo Rui's eyes as a reinforcement-type soul master, it showed immense potential.
Initially, Huo Rui had intended to console Ye Wen after hearing about his soul skill's effects. She had seen too many young and weak soul masters become disheartened due to their lack of strong offensive skills.
However, it was clear now that she had overthought the situation. After all, this was the person her granddaughter had set her sights on—how could he be just another mediocre talent?
Still, as an elder, Huo Rui felt obligated to play her part.
"Hmm, it's a fine soul skill. With your intelligence, Xiao Wen, even if it's just a hundred-year soul skill, with diligent development, you'll surely not fall behind anyone in the future."
Ye Wen smiled in response.
Afterward, Ye Wen and his group quickly packed up and began their journey back.
Ye Wen's fourth year at Nuoding Academy officially began upon their return to Nuoding City.
However, both Ye Wen and Huo Yu'er had long surpassed the graduation requirements, even meeting the standards for intermediate academies. Ye Wen wanted to focus on building his career, while Huo Yu'er simply wished to stay by Ye Wen's side. Thus, neither had any intention of graduating and instead continued idling around Nuoding Academy.
Their lives were enjoyable, but there was always a third party disrupting their moments.
"Xiao Wu, your sister Yu'er isn't in the dormitory, so could you stop watching me like this?"
Ye Wen put down the medical book in his hands and sighed helplessly.
Originally, Ye Wen had no way of obtaining medical books from the world of Douluo.
But the nobles of nearby cities weren't as incompetent as Ye Wen had imagined. Instead of causing trouble for him after school started, they conducted investigations and discovered that he was also a hidden genius.
While noble oppression of commoners was common throughout the Douluo continent—even commoner soul masters were bullied—this didn't apply to genius soul masters, who held significant investment value and could even restore a declining noble family to prominence.
Unfortunately for them, Ye Wen was already taken, so they had to take an indirect approach.
Thus, they began offering items of interest to Ye Wen as a means of befriending him.
This medical book was part of their treasured collection.
Though it wasn't about healing, it covered many native medicinal herbs of the Douluo continent, giving Ye Wen the opportunity to research strengthening herbal baths for himself. Therefore, he gladly accepted it.
After all, socializing was one of the required courses for soul masters in high society. Ye Wen couldn't possibly reject others outright and turn a friendly relationship into enmity.
Still, Ye Wen couldn't figure out why Xiao Wu, who had been clinging to Huo Yu'er, suddenly started showing signs of attaching herself to him.
When something unusual happens, there's bound to be a reason. Ye Wen's vigilance reached an unprecedented peak.
Xiao Wu let out an awkward laugh, said nothing, and ran off, leaving Ye Wen completely baffled.
"Wait, girl, I haven't even figured out what you're up to yet? You running off like this leaves me feeling empty."
"Forget it, whatever she wants to do, we'll part ways in a couple of years anyway."
Ye Wen muttered softly to himself. After shaking his head, he refocused on the book in his hands, glancing subtly at Tang San, who was quietly cultivating in the distance.
Although Tang San's time in Nuoding City wasn't heavily detailed in the original story, it was undeniable based on Xiao Wu's dialogue that his cultivation was extremely rigorous.
But this year, Tang San was even more dedicated than before, exuding an aura that discouraged others from approaching. He barely interacted with Xiao Wu anymore, which made Ye Wen feel somewhat uneasy.
"Tsk, these main characters are acting so strangely—it's hard not to think something fishy is going on. Looks like I'll have to keep my distance from these two troublemakers in the future."
What Ye Wen didn't know was that Tang San's behavior stemmed from being thoroughly humiliated by Huo Yu'er in front of Xiao Wu, losing all face.
After informing Yu Xiaogang about the incident, Tang San received a new pursuit strategy from him.
Yu Xiaogang had once captured the hearts of Bibi Dong and Liu Erlong with his carefully crafted persona and handsome appearance.
In front of these two women, Yu Xiaogang never revealed his embarrassing side, always making a graceful exit—even if it was slightly awkward when he fled. But in the face of overwhelming strength, Bibi Dong and Liu Erlong understood, so when they reunited later, they still held affection for him.
Thus, Yu Xiaogang's dating experience was limited to never exposing his unattractive or awkward side to his girlfriends.
In short, despite being a plagiarist, liar, and hypocrite, as long as he didn't get caught, he remained "Master" in his girlfriends' eyes!
However, Tang San was still young, and his knowledge couldn't compare to Yu Xiaogang's when he debuted at over 20 years old. After observing Xiao Wu for some time, both master and disciple realized she wasn't particularly interested in this approach.
Thus, Yu Xiaogang changed tactics, urging Tang San to focus on becoming stronger to attract Xiao Wu's attention. Soul hunting was part of this plan.
During the process of hunting soul beasts, Tang San's displayed strength did earn Xiao Wu's admiration—at least until he foolishly challenged Huo Yu'er, someone Xiao Wu already liked, and suffered a crushing defeat.
Perhaps this persona-building plan could have continued otherwise.
Now, Tang San's "strong man" image in Xiao Wu's eyes was shattered, rendering all his previous efforts useless. Xiao Wu's heart returned to Huo Yu'er.
But Tang San, having lived two lifetimes, was experiencing his first love. As an ultimate obsessive, would he give up so easily?
The answer was obvious. After all, in his previous life, Tang San had been ruthless enough to carve flesh from his body for a single insight.
Hence, the third dating strategy emerged.
Though somewhat clichéd, Tang San found it reasonable. This path was none other than the classic "hero saves beauty."
However, to pull off such a scenario, Tang San's current cultivation level was at best equal to Xiao Wu's, or perhaps even weaker. Despite both of them being born with full innate soul power, one couldn't help but wonder if Yu Xiaogang occasionally suspected his disciple of slacking off during training!
Thus, Tang San resolved to rapidly enhance his strength, ready to play the hero when Xiao Wu faced danger.
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