Yang Xiong didn't wait for anyone to say anything and disappeared on the spot. Everyone was stunned for a moment, especially Zhao Wuji, while Tang San focused on eating Oscar's recovery sausage to heal as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, Yang Xiong followed the direction of the Titan Giant Ape for several kilometers until he reached a relatively open area, then spoke up directly, "Would the members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan please come out."
After he said this, there was no response from the surroundings. Yang Xiong had no choice but to take out the token given to him by Ning Fengzhi.
"Disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, this token is as good as seeing the sect master. Please come out."
At this moment, a helpless sigh came from the shadows, and a figure walked out.
Yang Xiong was surprised to see the figure. "Teacher Lin Gong? How could it be you? Have you been the one protecting me all along?"
Lin Gong looked a bit exasperated. "I've taught you for six years. What's so strange about me protecting you?"
Yang Xiong was stunned. "But Teacher Lin, aren't you just a Soul King? How could you protect me in the Star Dou Forest?"
Originally, Yang Xiong assumed that whoever was secretly protecting him must at least be a Soul Emperor or Soul Sage. After all, a Soul King was nothing in the Star Dou Forest. Even someone like Zhao Wuji, a Soul Sage, was at risk, specially when facing a ten-thousand-year spirit beast like the Titan Giant Ape.
Lin Gong glared at him. "What kind of look is that? Who told you I was only a Soul King?"
Yang Xiong was dumbfounded. "I remember clearly that when you were my homeroom teacher, you said you were a Soul King. Have you broken through these past years?"
Lin Gong showed a mocking smile and summoned a massive Purple Radiant Bamboo. At the same time, two yellow, three purple, and three black spirit rings appeared.
Seeing Lin Gong's spirit rings, Yang Xiong was visibly shocked. "This… how is this possible? You're actually a Soul Douluo? How could the sect send a Soul Douluo-level expert to protect someone like me?"
Yang Xiong was self-aware enough to know that Soul Douluos were typically inner sect elders. It didn't make sense for one to be assigned to protect a mere Grand Soul Master.
Lin Gong grinned proudly. "I am the Ninth Elder of the sect. That's not something a mere child like you can comprehend. If I hadn't seen potential in you, I wouldn't have volunteered to protect you."
"It's a shame you've gone a bit astray. You used to love reading. I thought you had the makings of a good researcher, but now you're all about physical training. You've lost your priorities."
Yang Xiong asked with confusion, "That doesn't make sense. If you're a sect elder, how could your fifth spirit ring only be a thousand-year one? With a top-tier plant-type spirit like the Purple Radiant Bamboo, reaching Soul Douluo is already impressive, but with optimal ring configuration, you might've even become a Titled Douluo."
Lin Gong's face stiffened. "What do you know, kid? I wasn't even born into the sect. I only joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan in recent decades because of some circumstances. Although I'm now technically an elder, I'm actually just a guest elder. If I weren't bored and if Ning Fengzhi hadn't repeatedly asked, I wouldn't have bothered to teach you brats."
Yang Xiong quickly asked, "Teacher Lin, did you also follow me to the Sunset Forest back then? No wonder I heard some classmates say that you missed a few classes during that period."
Lin Gong's face turned cold. "A mere Grand Soul Master had the nerve to venture into the Sunset Forest alone. If I hadn't secretly followed you, you would've died countless times already."
Yang Xiong hurriedly asked, "Teacher Lin, can you sense the presence of a Titled Douluo? Or rather, is there a Titled Douluo nearby right now?"
Lin Gong rolled his eyes. "You think Titled Douluos are cabbages growing everywhere? Besides, I'm only a Soul Douluo. How could I sense a Titled Douluo? You've read enough books, you should know there's a qualitative gap between Soul Douluo and Titled Douluo."
Yang Xiong asked, "Teacher Lin, then were you able to sense the presence of the Titled Douluo who beat up Teacher Zhao Wuji a few days ago?"
Lin Gong's expression turned serious. "How do you know it was a Titled Douluo who attacked Zhao Wuji? With your strength, you shouldn't have been able to sense what happened that night."
Yang Xiong smiled. "To beat a strong Soul Sage like Zhao Wuji to that extent, yet leave him without serious injuries, he must've relied on physical strength alone. A Soul Douluo couldn't manage that, right?"
Lin Gong nodded. "There was indeed a Titled Douluo that night. His strength and presence were overwhelming, likely no weaker than Sword Douluo or Bone Douluo. Why are you asking about this?"
Yang Xiong thought for a moment before answering. "Teacher Lin, can you come with me to chase after the Titan Giant Ape?"
Lin Gong's face turned serious. "Even though I'm a Soul Douluo, I can't defeat that Titan Giant Ape, let alone rescue someone from it."
Yang Xiong also looked serious. "Who said I want to rescue someone? It's not often we come to the Star Dou Forest. I need some toxins for body tempering. If we encounter any thousand-year spider or snake-type soul beasts, I'd like to collect some poison from them. Please help me keep an eye out."
Lin Gong looked puzzled. "What are you even thinking? There are plenty of sects that specialize in poison. Why do you need to come to the Star Dou Forest yourself?"
Yang Xiong quickly said, "Let's keep going and see. Maybe we'll have an unexpected gain."
Lin Gong was speechless but still led Yang Xiong toward the forest's center. His speed was much faster than Yang Xiong's.
Lin Gong, being a schoolteacher, was indeed very knowledgeable and extremely fast. He could detect the presence of soul beasts instantly and even estimate their age accurately.
The Titan Giant Ape had been charging forward recklessly, its terrifying presence scaring away many soul beasts. The ones that remained were all quite powerful.
After helping Yang Xiong capture two thousand-year soul beasts, Lin Gong suddenly looked surprised. "Huh? That's strange. There's actually a human-faced demon spider over two thousand years old. Do you want its toxins?"
Yang Xiong was overjoyed and even a bit excited. "Teacher Lin, spider venom is exactly what I need. Let's catch it immediately."
Sure enough, after walking about 800 meters, they saw a massive spider. Its body was entirely black, with a torso over 1.5 meters long and eight legs over 3 meters long each. The legs were extremely sharp, and its abdomen had white patterns forming a human-like face, it was a Human-Faced Demon Spider.
However, this particular spider was clearly heavily injured. Its body was covered in bloody wounds, and even the carapace on its abdomen had been broken.
If you want to read 40 advanced chapters and 3 new chapters daily, please subscribe to my : patreon.com/Moorowkeel