Tang San's identity was highly sensitive, but to Yu Xiaogang, he was a precious golden treasure.
As long as he could cultivate Tang San's Blue Silver Grass spirit to the point where it could absorb ten-thousand-year spirit rings, and then switch to training the Clear Sky Hammer, he could raise a top-tier genius whose every spirit ring was over ten thousand years old—someone who would surpass even Bibi Dong, a peerless powerhouse.
At that time, when Tang San stirred up all of the Douluo Continent, the whole world would remember the name Yu Xiaogang. Who would dare to call him a useless failure then?
However, just as Yu Xiaogang was delighting in his beautiful plans, the very first step in his scheme encountered a problem.
Yu Xiaogang had crafted a cultivation plan for Tang San's first spirit, Blue Silver Grass. In his eyes, Blue Silver Grass was a trash spirit, one that could only serve as a stepping stone. By the fifth or sixth spirit ring, Tang San could switch to training in the Clear Sky Hammer.
But that also meant Tang San had to get through the vulnerable early stages with a trash spirit. Therefore, Yu Xiaogang's strategy was to squeeze out every bit of potential from Blue Silver Grass and use it to its fullest.
According to his plan, the first spirit ring should come from a snake-type spirit beast—preferably a highly venomous one.
The snake's body would provide toughness, and the venom would give Blue Silver Grass offensive capabilities.
However—Tang San rejected this proposal.
Tang San knew that his spirit wasn't just any Blue Silver Grass; it had the bloodline of the Blue Silver Emperor.
This spirit was more suitable for a support or control type path.
Tang San had no desire to be a supporting role for others—he wanted to be the one in control. So on the direction of his cultivation, he and Yu Xiaogang agreed.
But when it came to choosing the first spirit ring, Tang San preferred to absorb one from a plant-type spirit beast.
He couldn't yet dream of absorbing something like the top-tier Thunder Hell Vine, but at the very least, he wanted something like the Sky Blue Vine. What the heck was the Mandrake Snake? Trash.
But when Tang San voiced his preference, it was as if he had touched Yu Xiaogang's reverse scale. Face flushed red, Yu Xiaogang stiffened his neck and said:
"No. Plant-type spirit beasts can't bring out the potential of your Blue Silver Grass. You must listen to your master."
"Then why do so many plant-type spirit master choose plant-type spirit beasts? Why am I the only one you insist on matching with an animal-type spirit beast?" Tang San countered.
"I'm doing this for your own good. Only by absorbing an animal-type spirit beast can your Blue Silver Grass unleash powerful combat abilities. You must listen to your master," Yu Xiaogang insisted, pulling out the authority of a teacher.
What a joke. I've been giving you face, Yu Xiaogang, Tang San thought with disgust. If it weren't for the fact that you're a useful shield for me, would I even acknowledge you as my master? You, of all people, think you're qualified to arrange my spirit rings?
Tang San stiffened his neck as well and declared:
"I'll decide my first spirit ring. I want a plant-type spirit beast."
"No! You must listen to your master and absorb an animal-type spirit beast."
"If you insist on making me absorb an animal-type spirit beast, then I'm sorry—Tang San will no longer acknowledge you as my teacher. After all, you haven't really taught me anything," Tang San threatened.
"Xiao San, you—"
Tang San had touched Yu Xiaogang's most sensitive nerve. He had no counter.
That night, the two parted on bad terms. Yu Xiaogang sat alone, stewing in frustration.
In the middle of the night, the door to Yu Xiaogang's study opened, and a black-robed figure walked in.
Yu Xiaogang looked up. "You are—?"
"Tang Hao"
"It's you!" Yu Xiaogang said with admiration in his eyes.
But what came next was a hard slap across the face. Yu Xiaogang was flung to the floor. His frail body writhed in pain. Tang Hao looked down at him like he was a maggot and coldly said:
"My son's spirit ring is his decision. What right do you, a level 29 failure, have to decide for him? Follow his will. If he wants to absorb a plant-type ring, then that's what he'll do. Got it?"
"Got it, got it... Your Excellency Tang Hao..." Yu Xiaogang clutched his face.
Tang Hao and Tang San shared the same view of Yu Xiaogang—his only real value was as a human shield.
The so-called master-disciple relationship was just a formality to leverage that shield. Once Bibi Dong was dead and Spirit Hall was destroyed, they could just kick this trash away.
Tang Hao didn't want his son to get too close to someone like Yu Xiaogang and repeat the past: "I raised a god"—that kind of disgusting scenario.
He casually tossed a Pope's Token to Yu Xiaogang and left.
Yu Xiaogang picked up the token and watched Tang Hao's back, his eyes flickering with conflicting emotions.
Tang Hao's words—"You're just a level 29 failure"—stabbed deeply into his fragile heart, dragging up the pain of his entire miserable life.
A drowning man will grab at anything to stay afloat. Yu Xiaogang was a bitter, resentful man. He would use everything in his power to grasp any opportunity that could let him rise again—erase the title of failure—and return to being a Noble being .
Tang San was that opportunity. He had even managed to hoodwink Tang San into calling him "Master."
But Yu Xiaogang was sensitive—he sensed Tang San's vague, guarded attitude toward him.
Why did he insist Tang San absorb a snake-type, venomous beast for his first ring?
Because that would leave his mark on Tang San.
If Tang San's growth had nothing to do with him, and it was all Tang San's own doing, then even if Tang San became great, Yu Xiaogang would be nothing more than a nominal master—someone the world mocked for riding on Tang San's coattails, still a failure.
He couldn't accept that.
Yu Xiaogang had to imprint something of himself onto Tang San. Only with that mark could he one day proudly say, "Tang San was raised by me."
Tang San's distant attitude, and Tang Hao's humiliating slap, made this obsession burn even stronger in Yu Xiaogang's heart.
He must find a way to make Tang San absorb a poisonous snake-type spirit beast. He must leave his mark.
He had to.
Tang San's aloofness, Tang Hao's contempt—these only made Yu Xiaogang's obsession more unshakable.
God Realm, Eternal Divine Palace
The thoughts of Gangzi, Tang Hao, and Tang San naturally fell into Huo Yuhao's hands.
Because Tang San and Tang Hao were a reincarnator and a pseudo-reincarnator respectively, they didn't like Gangzi, but they needed to use him as a shield. Thus, Tang San merely perfunctorily acknowledged Yu Xiaogang as his master, all while preparing to cut ties with him later.
This left Gangzi feeling insecure, so he thought—
"Tsk tsk tsk," Huo Yuhao said, "Gangzi, I have to admit, your thinking isn't bad. That's right—you should definitely leave some mark of your own on that brat, shouldn't you?"
Clearly, within just a few days of arriving at Nuoding City Soul Master Academy, Tang San had already thrown himself into Xiao Wu's lap.
During these few days, Xiao Wu frequently asked Tang San to help with small things for no apparent reason.
One day, Xiao Wu suddenly said she wanted to eat crystal carrots. She hinted to Tang San, and he immediately ran all over Nuoding City to buy some for her. Xiao Wu was very pleased and said:
"Thank you, San-giegie, you're such a good person."
Tang San felt as refreshed as if he had drunk a bottle of Sprite on a hot day. He felt his relationship with Xiao Wu was getting better and better.
Naturally, Tang San became Xiao Wu's walking meal ticket (though he didn't see it that way).
That day, Yu Xiaogang approached Tang San and said he would take him to hunt a spirit ring.
When Xiao Wu learned about this, she took Tang San's hand and said:
"San-giegie, Xiao Wu wants to go spirit ring hunting with you too. Can you take me along?"
"Ah?" Tang San's brain froze a little. He remembered Xiao Wu was supposed to be a spirit beast, able to self-condense her own ring. Moreover, in his previous life, Xiao Wu didn't accompany him on his first hunt. Why was she making this request now?
"San-giegie~" Xiao Wu cooed sweetly.
"Haha, alright then. I'll take you with me," Tang San quickly replied. He figured that if Xiao Wu wanted to join him in this life, it meant their relationship was even better than before.
However, when Gangzi (Yu Xiaogang) found out—
"You're telling me you're taking that classmate Xiao Wu with you to hunt spirit rings?" Yu Xiaogang said with displeasure.
"Yes, Xiao Wu also wants to come," Tang San replied.
"Hunting spirit rings is dangerous. It's already difficult enough for me to protect you. If you bring another person, how am I supposed to protect both of you?" Yu Xiaogang said.
Heh~ Hearing this, Tang San couldn't help but sneer internally:
You? A level 29 good-for-nothing claiming you're protecting me? It's more like I'm protecting you. If I didn't have the memories of my past life and wasn't the son of the great Clear Sky Douluo, I—a dual martial spirit, innate full spirit power genius—would have been killed by the Mandrake Snake long ago because of you.
"I already promised Xiao Wu I'd take her. I, Tang San, keep my word. If you aren't willing, I'll find someone else to take me," Tang San said nonchalantly.
"You—" Yu Xiaogang had nothing to say to that and could only relent, "Alright, if you must bring her, then bring her."
"Alright then, it's settled." Tang San turned and left.
Yu Xiaogang watched him go, his expression dark and cloudy:
"Little San, you're starting to show a lack of respect for your master. You won't even call me teacher anymore..."
Before departing to hunt spirit rings, Tang San and Xiao Wu went to see Yu Xiaogang. He looked at Tang San and took out a soul tool to hand to him.
"Little San, this is a soul tool your master obtained from a ruin with great difficulty. It's my gift to you for becoming my disciple."
Tang San accepted the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges without hesitation. Though he disliked Gangzi, he had to admit this soul tool was useful.
However, before he could even warm it in his hands, a small hand snatched it away. Xiao Wu grabbed the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges and examined it with delight:
"Wow, San-giegie, this soul tool is so pretty!"
"Of course it is, Xiao Wu," Tang San said.
"Xiao Wu really likes it. San-giegie, could you… give it to me?" she asked sweetly.
"Uhh…" Tang San winced.
Seeing his pained expression, Xiao Wu reluctantly pushed the soul tool back toward him:
"If you don't want to, that's okay…"
Tang San immediately pushed it back to her:
"If you like it, then it's yours."
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up:
"Really, San-giegie? You're so good to me. You're such a nice guy!"
She gleefully hung the soul tool on her waist and asked:
"San-giegie, does it look good?"
"It does, it really does…" Tang San's heart bled a little, but he thought to himself:
It's fine, husband and wife are one. What's a little soul tool? Xiao Wu's stuff is my stuff too.
"Little San!" Yu Xiaogang said with a dark expression. "You just gave away the gift your master gave you?"
"Is there a problem?" Tang San replied indifferently.
"Don't you know a master's gift symbolizes the bond between master and disciple? You just gave it away in front of me? That's very disrespectful. Do you still see me as your teacher?"
Of course not. Tang San only acknowledged Yu Xiaogang as master because he needed him as a shield.
But the truth was, Yu Xiaogang needed Tang San more, to prove that he wasn't useless. Tang San understood this psychology perfectly and wasn't afraid of him at all.
He said coldly:
"Oh, my bad. I didn't know. But I've already given it to Xiao Wu—what's given can't be taken back."
Tang San also thought to himself:
Losing this soul tool gives me another reason to fall out with Gangzi after I've dealt with Spirit Hall.
Yu Xiaogang: "…"
To Tang San, the gift was dispensable. But to Yu Xiaogang, it was essential—it symbolized the master-disciple bond. He couldn't afford to lose this precious student.
Helpless, Yu Xiaogang took off his own soul tool ring and handed it to Tang San:
"This is another gift from your master. You mustn't give this one away."
Tang San accepted the ring. He did need a soul tool to store hidden weapons, so he put it on. This time, Xiao Wu didn't reach out for it again.
With the gift given, Yu Xiaogang finally breathed a sigh of relief. The master, disciple, and Xiao Wu set off on their journey to hunt spirit rings.