Join my Patreon to be 30 chapters ahead of the webnovel releases:
patreon.com/ZeroMoney
I would appreciate your help if you could join my Patreon and support me because it would keep me motivated.
******
"Sect–Sect Master?! Teacher, I thought you were all alone?"
Oscar was dumbfounded. He had always believed Lan Minghua was on his own.
After all, how could a dignified Titled Douluo be in such a destitute state otherwise?
Zhu Zhuqing was also curious. She realized she knew almost nothing about her teacher.
As for Meng Yiran, she was even more surprised. It was her first time encountering a Titled Douluo with such an eccentric personality.
Lan Minghua glanced at them with annoyance. "What do you kids know? Am I really so pathetic in your eyes?"
Wu Song, standing to the side, retracted his killing intent and walked over with a laugh. "Hahaha, Sect Master, it's your own fault for not maintaining your image."
"Get lost! As if minding my image would have stopped them from dragging me back to the Tianlong Gang. The Tianlong Gang is so boring, you know."
It was the first time Lan Minghua had mentioned the Tianlong Gang in front of Oscar and the others.
Oscar was stunned. "Tianlong Gang? Master, you're the leader of the Tianlong Gang?! But… I've never even heard of them!"
Lan Minghua kicked Oscar square in the butt, knocking him to the ground as he mocked him.
"You? Forget you, even the Spirit Hall and the two great empires don't know the Tianlong Gang exists."
Oscar rubbed his sore behind and grumbled, "Teacher, I'm only fourteen! How am I supposed to know all this stuff?"
Zhu Zhuqing and Meng Yiran were equally puzzled—they had never heard of the Tianlong Gang either.
After all, any force with two Titled Douluos couldn't possibly be unknown.
Unless...
Unless the Tianlong Gang was a hidden sect! Otherwise, it was impossible that no one had heard of them.
The two girls exchanged a glance, seeing the same astonishment in each other's eyes.
Lan Minghua didn't care what they were thinking. He introduced Wu Song, "Er Lang, these three are my disciples."
Then he turned to the trio and said, "This is the Tianlong Gang's top enforcer, Wu Song—Wu Erlang. You can address him as Elder Wu."
As the eldest male disciple, Oscar stepped forward first. "Greetings, Elder Wu. My name is Oscar, I'm fourteen years old, and my hobbies include—"
Lan Minghua didn't give him a chance to ramble, kicking him to the ground again.
"Zhu Zhuqing."
"Meng Yiran."
The two girls simply stated their names respectfully, without any extra words.
Wu Song nodded and chuckled softly. "Hahaha, no need to be nervous. I'm really only interested in tigers."
Lan Minghua stroked his stubbled chin and asked, "Er Lang, have you happened to see any tiger-type soul beasts around the five-thousand-year level?"
"You've asked the right person, Sect Master. I did find one."
Wu Song pointed at the Dark Devilgod Tiger's corpse and continued, "This tiger had an offspring, estimated to be between four and five thousand years old."
"Is it dead?"
"No."
"Then capture it and bring it here. One of my disciples needs a soul ring."
Upon hearing Lan Minghua's order, Wu Song leaped into the air and sped toward the offspring's location.
He'd been so focused on fighting the sixty-thousand-year-old Dark Devilgod Tiger that he had almost forgotten about its child.
Lan Minghua had originally just planned to find any agility-type soul beast for Zhu Zhuqing's third ring. He hadn't expected such a stroke of luck.
After all, the Dark Devilgod Tiger was an extremely rare dark-attribute soul beast.
It also possessed attributes of evil, lightning, wind, space, and even time.
Zhu Zhuqing's Nether Civet was already a dark-aligned martial spirit—it was a perfect match.
While they waited, Lan Minghua kept himself busy.
He walked up to the Dark Devilgod Tiger's corpse and carved out its left leg bone.
"A sixty-thousand-year Dark Devilgod Tiger's left leg bone. Not a bad prize. A pity I was a bit too forceful earlier and destroyed the Titan Giant Ape's soul bone."
He sighed with a hint of regret, then turned and walked back to his three disciples.
With a flip of his hand, two more high-quality soul bones appeared—the very two that had once belonged to Tang Hao.
"I have one right arm bone and two left leg bones. Oscar, the right arm bone is yours. Zhuqing, you take the Dark Devilgod Tiger's left leg bone. And the remaining left leg bone is for you, Yiran."
He had two to begin with, and now with the one he just harvested, there were just enough to go around.
Next, Lan Minghua handed a storage pouch, a gravity-regulating wristband, and a copy of Little Li's Flying Daggers to Meng Yiran.
As for why he gave her the book—it shouldn't be forgotten that Meng Yiran also specialized in throwing daggers.
"This is your initiation gift. Go and train hard."
Meng Yiran was stunned beyond words. She hadn't expected her master's gift to be so valuable.
Her family's exotic beast clan could never have produced a single soul bone of this quality.
"Thank you, Master. I will certainly train diligently."
Lan Minghua nodded and said to her and Oscar, "You two can begin absorbing your soul bones now. Zhuqing, absorb your third soul ring first, then the soul bone."
Before they could recover from their shock, he added, "And once you're all done, I have another surprise for you."
Hearing there was another surprise, Oscar clutched his soul bone and scampered to the side to begin absorbing it.
Meng Yiran followed his lead, filled with anticipation for whatever her master had planned.
Before long, Wu Song returned, carrying the nearly dead offspring of the Dark Devilgod Tiger.
"Sect Master, I've brought the soul beast you requested."
"Good work."
Lan Minghua tossed the weakened tiger to Zhu Zhuqing. "Kill it and absorb its soul ring."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, dispatched the beast with a single strike, and sat down cross-legged to begin the absorption.
With Lan Minghua standing guard, the process went smoothly.
Upon completion, Zhu Zhuqing's soul power rose from level 30 to level 32.
She then immediately began absorbing her soul bone, eagerly awaiting the surprise her master had promised.
Several more hours passed, and all three had finished absorbing their soul bones.
Oscar's soul power increased by two levels, reaching level 35.
Meng Yiran's also rose by two levels, reaching level 33.
Zhu Zhuqing, after absorbing the dark-attribute soul bone from the Dark Devilgod Tiger, experienced a massive jump—gaining six full levels to reach level 38.
(Note: In the original story, Ning Rongrong also gained six levels after absorbing a perfectly compatible soul bone.)
Not only that, Zhu Zhuqing also acquired the soul bone skill: Evil God Wind Shadow Step.
This ability grants the user an extreme boost in speed and allows them to blend into the wind, unleashing slicing wind blades through their movements.
Oscar looked miserable. As the senior male disciple, he had just been thoroughly surpassed.
Lan Minghua chuckled softly. "Don't be discouraged. You'll all be back on the same starting line soon enough."
Hearing this, Oscar and Meng Yiran's eyes lit up with hope.
After all, being overtaken by the one who was previously the weakest among them was a bitter pill to swallow.
Not keeping them in suspense, Lan Minghua took out three immortal herbs and handed one to each of them.
To Oscar, he gave the Velvet Skyreach Chrysanthemum—to cleanse his marrow, strengthen his physique for training the Indestructible Vajra Body, and enhance his innate talent.
To Zhu Zhuqing, he once again gave the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone—to purify her body and improve the quality of her martial spirit.
To Meng Yiran, he offered the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, which could accelerate soul power cultivation with an effect that would last until she reached level 70.
Given that Meng Yiran's talent and martial spirit weren't particularly strong, the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid was the most suitable for her.
"Eat them and refine their power. You'll be pleasantly surprised."
Lan Minghua didn't explain their specific effects, preferring to let them experience the changes themselves.
Oscar, Zhu Zhuqing, and Meng Yiran took the herbs, chewed them briefly, swallowed, and sat down to meditate and refine the energy.
Lan Minghua wasn't idle either. After giving away so many valuable items and doing so much for his disciples…
He figured he must have earned quite a few Master Points.
"System, check my remaining Master Points!"
(End of Chapter)