[However, after leaving Yu Xiaogang's dormitory, Tang San did not immediately head to the Nuoding City Spirit Hall Branch to undergo evaluation and registration. Instead, he planned to return to his dormitory first.]
[But upon arriving, he discovered that the dormitory was completely empty.]
[Puzzled, Tang San went to the playground, where he learned that the Work-Study Students had clashed with the noble students. Both sides had gathered at the back mountain and were preparing for a confrontation.]
[Upon hearing this, Tang San immediately rushed over.]
[At the back mountain, Xiao Wu and Wang Sheng were leading a group of Work-Study Students, facing off against the noble students led by Xiao Chenyu. The two sides had agreed on a one-on-one rotation battle, with ten participants each; the side with the last person still standing would be declared the winner.]
[If the Work-Study Students won, Xiao Chenyu and the noble students would acknowledge Xiao Wu as their boss. If the noble students won, Xiao Wu would be forced to become Xiao Chenyu's pet rabbit.]
Black World, Shrek Academy.
Although this incident had long since passed, when Tang San saw Xiao Chenyu's arrogant demand, a trace of killing intent flickered across his otherwise calm face. His eyes grew cold as he clenched his fists tightly.
Hmph! Fortunately, the Work-Study Students won that match.
Otherwise, daring to treat Xiao Wu as a pet rabbit...
Xiao Chenyu, you would already be courting death!
[After Tang San arrived, the Work-Study Students now had him, a Spirit Master who possessed the full set of Tang Sect ultimate techniques and a hundred-year spirit ring, along with Xiao Wu, whose spirit was the Soft Bones Rabbit and who also had a hundred-year spirit ring.]
[On the noble students' side, only Xiao Chenyu stood out, his spirit being a White Wolf with merely a ten-year spirit ring.]
[With such a disparity, Tang San and Xiao Wu naturally led the Work-Study Students to an easy victory over Xiao Chenyu and his group.]
[From that day onward, Xiao Wu became the recognized big sister of Nuoding Academy.]
[After the battle, Tang San left the academy and headed to the Nuoding City Spirit Hall Branch, where he coincidentally encountered Su Yuntao.]
[Under Su Yuntao's guidance, he was introduced to a Spirit Grandmaster named Matthew Nuo.]
[With Matthew Nuo's assistance, Tang San entered the advancement testing lab, where he displayed his spirit ring and spirit ability, and underwent a spirit power evaluation.]
[Upon discovering that Tang San had already reached Rank 13, Matthew Nuo was greatly shocked and immediately asked what spirit beast he had hunted for his first spirit ring.]
[Tang San replied that it was a four-hundred-year-old Datura Snake.]
[Hearing that a plant spirit like Blue Silver Grass had absorbed the spirit ring of a Datura Snake, Matthew Nuo found it difficult to believe.]
[However, once he learned that Tang San's teacher was Yu Xiaogang, his doubts seemed to ease. He then seriously asked whether Tang San would be willing to join Spirit Hall.]
[Tang San, however, politely declined the offer.]
Black World, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
"How did this Tang San jump straight to Rank 13 after absorbing his first spirit ring?"
Bone Douluo Gu Rong frowned in disbelief.
Under normal circumstances, absorbing a spirit ring would only raise a Spirit Master's cultivation by one rank.
"Could it be because he absorbed a four-hundred-year spirit ring? But our sect also has disciples with top-tier beast spirits whose first ring was of similar age, yet none of them advanced three ranks at once."
"Or could it be because Blue Silver Grass absorbed a Datura Snake spirit ring?"
"That doesn't seem right."
At this moment, Ning Fengzhi gently shook his head and spoke in a calm tone.
"Do you recall that before Tang San awakened his spirit, his Mysterious Heaven Skill had already reached the bottleneck of its first layer?"
"At that time, his cultivation was essentially at Rank 10, but without a spirit ring, he could not break through."
"Even so, he continued cultivating. Although that spirit power did not manifest externally, it continued to accumulate within his body."
"Now that he has absorbed his first spirit ring, that stored spirit power has been released all at once, allowing him to advance directly to Rank 13."
"While most of the Ten Core Competitivenesses of Martial Souls proposed by Yu Xiaogang are common knowledge, some of them are indeed valid and have been verified by Spirit Hall."
"One such principle states that when a Spirit Master continues cultivating at a bottleneck, the spirit power will still accumulate internally, even if it cannot be displayed. Once a spirit ring is absorbed, this accumulated power will fully manifest."
"So that's the reason!" Gu Rong exclaimed, suddenly understanding.
The comparison video continued.
[After completing his registration at the Spirit Hall Branch, Tang San found a blacksmith shop in Nuoding City, where he practiced forging to earn money.]
[Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, more than two years had gone by.]
[Throughout these two years, Tang San diligently cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Skill, eventually breaking through to Rank 20, reaching the pseudo-Great Soul Master realm.]
[Upon learning of this breakthrough, the Academy Dean offered to personally take Tang San to the Spirit Hunting Forest to obtain his second spirit ring.]
[Under the Dean's leadership, Tang San, Yu Xiaogang, and Xiao Wu set off together in a carriage toward the Spirit Hunting Forest.]
[After entering the forest, Yu Xiaogang immediately spoke.]
["Dean, Little San's spirit is Blue Silver Grass, an extremely weak plant spirit. It does not exhibit rejection toward any type of spirit ring. The Datura Snake spirit ring he absorbed earlier proved highly effective."]
["This time, I still intend for him to absorb the spirit ring of a poisonous animal-type spirit beast."]
[However, the Academy Dean frowned and expressed clear opposition.]
["Xiaogang, I acknowledge your expertise in theory, but most plant spirits will experience rejection when absorbing animal-type spirit rings. In severe cases, this can even lead to the body exploding."]
["This suggests that animal-type spirit rings are fundamentally unsuitable for plant spirits."]
["In my opinion, it would be far safer for Little San to absorb the spirit ring of a plant-type spirit beast."]
White World, Dugu Residence.
"This Yu Xiaogang calls himself a master of martial soul theory, yet he cannot even match the judgment of a junior academy dean."
Dugu Bo sneered, his tone filled with disdain.
"I wonder what kind of spirit ring this Tang San will choose for his second ring."
"Given how much he trusts Yu Xiaogang, he will most likely still choose an animal-type spirit beast."
[Faced with the Dean's suggestion, Yu Xiaogang firmly rejected it, declaring with confidence and pride that while he might not rival the Dean in strength, the Dean was certainly inferior to him in martial soul theory.]
[Caught between his teacher and the Academy Dean, Tang San found himself unable to take a clear stance and instead tried to mediate.]
["Dean, Teacher, both of your perspectives make sense."]
["However, hundred-year spirit beasts, especially those exceeding five hundred years, are quite rare in the Spirit Hunting Forest. Perhaps we should prioritize finding a suitable spirit beast first, regardless of type."]
[As they continued their search, the group soon encountered a Ghost Vine with a cultivation of over six hundred years.]
[With the Dean's assistance, Tang San successfully hunted this Ghost Vine and absorbed its spirit ring, obtaining his second spirit ring.]